The gameplay was getting intense. Two
Deceiver Exarchs on either side of the board means it was essentially a
draining battle of the blue mages waiting for each other to tap out, or to
simply just hold out for draw steps to fill the hand with more counter magic.
With six free lands at his disposal, it is
easy to presume that a Splinter Twin can be protected with a cheap two-cost
counterspell. He had just cast a Vendilion Clique to tuck my Splinter Twin
under the library and knew I had nothing else but a Spell Snare, an
unimaginative Manamorphose and three spare lands. He was quietly confident I
suppose, even if he didn’t get his way with me he could just beat me down with
his existing flyer.
“Splinter Twin.” He places it hesitantly on
the table, edging it close to his Deceiver Exarch.
In response, I whipped out my Manamorphose,
floated a color each, and topdecked a Swerve.
I slapped the Swerve down excitedly and
spoke with new-found strength, “I will change the target of your Splinter Twin
to MY Deceiver.”
These
were some of the epic plays that I have experienced with some of the
uncompetitive cards that most players think nothing of. I know because I have often been dissuaded
against giving these cards a slot in my deck. These cards, are not considered
strong or useful enough to warrant play time by the more competitive players but I play these cards because
it’s much cheaper than a pair of Cryptic Commands.
In
this article, I will discuss on ten of the cards in Modern that are often
under-estimated and left on the sidelines but portrays immense potential to
disrupt gameplay and perhaps, gives your deck a surprise element over the
netdecks.
I
may not be the most qualified player to comment on card plays because I was
never on the Pro Tour. Yes I admit I’m not that good.
But
then, I also had a couple of other players telling me that I was wasting my
time hoarding Spellskites and Leyline of Sanctities two years ago because no one was playing these cards. So let’s move on!
10.
Manamorphose - $3.35 mid TCG
With
either red or green to cast, it is versatile enough to be played in most deck
setups for Modern. Manamorphose interestingly floats two mana of your choice
when you are seeking solutions in response and tweaks your mana when you are in
need of the right colors to play your spells.
9.
Swerve - $0.37 mid TCG
It
does what Spellskite can’t - Shoot your
opponent’s Thoughtseize or Lightning Bolt right back at his or her face. It
can also be a sideboard option when you need to redirect counterspells or get
your opponents to Path to Exile their own Tarmogoyfs.
8.
Extirpate - $3.13 mid TCG
Split Second. As long as you are the
first to play it, it becomes a combo wrecker and allows you to browse the
library of your opponent with a single mana. Surgical Extraction would have
done the job, but Extirpate gets the thumbs up because it is more likely to go
through a pile of counterspells with its Split
Second ability. The best thing that I love about this card is that it can
exile copies of non-basic lands (read: shocklands and fetches) and helps to
thin your opponent’s deck.
7.
Ghost Quarter - $0.18 mid TCG
And
that brings me to this card. Destroys almost every land in sight that Extirpate
can possibly exile. Crucible of Worlds allows it to see repeated play.
Wasteland is not playable in Modern. Tectonic Edge only works for fourth land
or more. Helps tweak mana sources when required, either on your own land or a
Darksteel Citadel.
6. Repeal - $0.25 mid TCG
Almost superb in any low cost deck and even against. Bounce an attacking cranial-plated ornithopter with one blue and draw a card, or get your Snapcaster Mage back with three at the end of turn. It can hold out for some disruptive plays, almost similar to the Time Walk feature that Remand offers.
5. Familiar
Ruse - $0.46 mid TCG
This
is a cheap way of reusing creatures with Enter-The-Battlefield effects. Although
situational, the raw idea of bouncing a Snapcaster Mage or a Spellstutter
Faerie for triggered counter magic is interesting for the blue players.
4.
Silence - $0.93 mid TCG
Half
of an Orim’s Chant and playable in Modern, the card oracle doesn’t target any
players and goes beyond the Leyline of Sanctity. Cast usually during the upkeep
phase, it can keep your opponents quiet during their turns, and works best when
you are gearing up to take the game on your turn.
3. Telling
Time - $0.91 mid TCG
End-of-turn
plays on this card gives you a two-card advantage in hand and put an unwanted
card at the bottom. While Serum Vision and Sleight of Hand are at Sorcery speed, this is one of the few
draw spells in instant mode that helps to meddle with your topdeck, stimulating
a fraction of what Brainstorm does in Legacy and can be fired off in response
to spells like Thought Scour. Also a telling time for Miracles.
2.
Noxious Revival - $0.83 mid TCG
This
is the reason why I still see Miracle
decks realistically having a chance in Modern. Versatile because you can also
give your opponent a dead draw for the next turn.
1.
Ojutai’s Command - $2.40 mid TCG
This
card could be as powerful as the decks playing it. I’ll be particularly
impressed with the first choice if I’m playing Bant and up against a red deck. It
might also find a place in Blue-White Faeries. There are quite a number of pesky two-mana-or-less threats we would all like to port back to the battlefield. But it would interesting to see
how far it’ll go within the next six
months after Magic Origins kicks in.
Have fun decking.
