One interesting aspect of Constructed MTG is the fact that each format has its own distinct features. Standard is a rotating format with a tiny card pool. Pioneer also has a small card pool when compared to Eternal formats, but does not rotate. Meanwhile, Legacy has a massive card pool where every card not on a specific ban list is up for grabs. Vintage goes one step further, making use of a Restricted list that lets players play single copies of busted cards like
Black Lotus
Black Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color.
.
As such, each format is very different from one another, and the decks that are most popular often don’t overlap across multiple formats. Every now and again, though, players will take inspiration from a popular archetype in one format and expand upon those ideas in another. Take the basic Boros Convoke shell, for example. This deck is quite strong in Standard, and in Pioneer, improvements such as
Venerated Loxodon
Venerated Loxodon
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color.)
When this creature enters, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature that convoked it.
allow it to put up results even with a bigger card pool available.
This brings us to an interesting archetype that just recently popped up in Modern: mono-blue Faeries. Mono-blue Faeries was a top tier deck in Pauper for quite some time, though it’s fallen out of favor a bit since the printing of
Tolarian Terror
Tolarian Terror
This spell costs {1} less to cast for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard.
Ward {2} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)
. In a recent Magic Online Modern League, a very similar mono-blue Faeries deck went undefeated.
The modern version certainly expands on the ideas of the Pauper variant by adding in rares and mythic rares, but a large portion of the deck remains roughly the same. As such, this makes the deck extremely cheap by Modern standards. Let’s start by looking at the common Faerie core.
Faeries and Ninjas Unite
This Faeries deck is very low to the ground and tries to utilize tempo to its advantage. As a mono-blue deck, this shell differs from Faeries decks in the past in Modern. You won’t find the likes of
Bitterblossom
Bitterblossom
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and create a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature token with flying.
or its best friend,
Mistbind Clique
Mistbind Clique
Flash
Flying
Champion a Faerie (When this enters, sacrifice it unless you exile another Faerie you control. When this leaves the battlefield, that card returns to the battlefield.)
When a Faerie is championed with this creature, tap all lands target player controls.
. Instead, you will find a plethora of one-drop Faeries to go along with Spellstutter Sprite.
Spellstutter Sprite is an elite piece of interaction when built around. Given how efficient spells tend to be in Modern, chances are, you will find some juicy targets.
From there, one-drops like
Faerie Seer
Faerie Seer
Flying
When this creature enters, scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
and
Snaremaster Sprite
Snaremaster Sprite
Flying
When this creature enters, you may pay {2}. When you do, tap target creature an opponent controls and put a stun counter on it. (If a permanent with a stun counter would become untapped, remove one from it instead.)
help make sure you have a high density of Faeries at your disposal in the early turns. Not only do these Creatures help you maximize Spellstutter Sprite, but they also enable some powerful Ninjutsu shenanigans.
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ninja of the Deep Hours
Ninjutsu {1}{U} ({1}{U}, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.)
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card.
and
Moon-Circuit Hacker
Moon-Circuit Hacker
Ninjutsu {U} ({U}, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.)
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card unless this creature entered this turn.
can both generate a ton of value if unchecked. The key is pairing them with cheap, evasive threats to get them on the table in a timely manner, which this deck accomplishes with no issues. Snaremaster Sprite and
Network Disruptor
Network Disruptor
Flying
When this creature enters, tap target permanent.
can help clear the way for your Ninjas to get through blockers on future turns, which can be useful. Additionally, your Ninjas synergize exceptionally well with Spellstutter Sprite, letting you return Sprite to your hand and counter your opponent’s next play.
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Modern Additions
As you can tell, a large portion of the deck is made up of commons that are cheap both in price and in mana value. However, in a format as powerful as Modern, it’s going to take more than that to compete. Fortunately, there are some powerful tools for you to make use of.
The most important additions are Subtlety and
Force of Negation
Force of Negation
If it's not your turn, you may exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target noncreature spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.
. Both of these cards provide you with free pieces of interaction that help keep your opponent off balance. On top of that, they work extremely well with your Ninja-focused gameplan. As strong as Ninja of the Deep Hours is, it can be a bit vulnerable to removal or blockers. It shines brightest when you get to untap with it with a clear path to attack, now with all of your mana at the ready. This is where Subtlety and Force come into play.
The presence of these cards helps you slam Ninjas early on, even if it leaves you tapped out. Then, when your opponent cast a piece of disruption or a big Creature, you can respond. Even though you exiling a blue card from your hand can be costly, the card advantage from your Ninja helps make up for it. In some matchups, it’s worth going even further down this path and implementing extra copies of
Commandeer
Commandeer
You may exile two blue cards from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Gain control of target noncreature spell. You may choose new targets for it. (If that spell is an artifact, enchantment, or planeswalker, the permanent enters under your control.)
.
Beyond these free spells, some other naturally powerful cards like
Cryptic Coat
Cryptic Coat
When this Equipment enters, cloak the top card of your library, then attach this Equipment to it. (To cloak a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature with ward {2}. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and can't be blocked.
{1}{U}: Return this Equipment to its owner's hand.
and
Brazen Borrower
Brazen Borrower
Flash
Flying
This creature can block only creatures with flying.
make appearances. These cards give the deck a bit more staying power in longer games.
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A Problematic Metagame Position
Unfortunately, despite this deck’s recent success in a Modern league, there are some important areas where this strategy falls short. The biggest problem is that, in an environment dominated by Leyline of the Guildpact and
Scion of Draco
Scion of Draco
Domain — This spell costs {2} less to cast for each basic land type among lands you control.
Flying
Each creature you control has vigilance if it's white, hexproof if it's blue, lifelink if it's black, first strike if it's red, and trample if it's green.
, this deck doesn’t have much recourse if the opponent assembles this “combo.” Scion is already a bit annoying as a 4/4 Flier on its own. However, at least Network Disruptor and Snaremaster Sprite can keep your attacks coming in that scenario.
Once you add Leyline into the equation, though, and things get much harder. It’s nearly impossible to race a 4/4 with Flying and Lifelink, and thanks to Hexproof, you can’t remove the Scion as long as Leyline remains in play. As a mono-blue deck, you don’t have access to many ways to break up this combo once its on board. Additionally, Spellstutter Sprite can’t realistically interact in a meaningful way, since Leyline can be put into play for free as a pre-game action and Scion has a mana value of 12. Outside of
Counterspell
Counterspell
Counter target spell.
exactly, this combination of cards is extremely tough to beat.
This deck can also struggle with highly efficient threats from the opponent, because it lacks removal. A turn one
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Whenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card.
Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
out of Izzet Murktide or a turn two
Orcish Bowmasters
Orcish Bowmasters
Flash
When this creature enters and whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. Then amass Orcs 1.
out of Golgari Yawgmoth combo can spell doom in short order. Still, while there are some issues, there are a handful of bright spots for the archetype.
With a nice mix of interaction and pressure, this deck is pretty well set up against Cascade strategies and big-mana decks alike. Any matchups where you can get your Faerie+Ninja train rolling, such as mono-green Tron, you certainly have an edge. Plus, outside of Force of Negation, Subtlety, and Otawara, the Soaring City, the deck is relatively cheap to pick up. No Fetchlands or Shocklands required! So even though this deck isn’t the most competitive, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, consider giving it a whirl.
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