Modern has become one of the strongest an most interesting formats in recent years. It’s proved that it is the most popular wherever you go, and here in UK it provides the biggest tournaments, and this season we’ve been lucky to have the European Modern GP in Birmingham. So today I want to take a look at a deck list that managed to finish in the 16th position with a very decent result of 12-3.

MAIN DECK

1 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Death’s Shadow
2 Deprive
3 Fatal Push
2 Gurmag Angler
1 Island
2 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Serum Visions
2 Sleight of Hand
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Steam Vents
4 Street Wraith
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Swamp
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Terminate
4 Thought Scour
4 Thoughtseize
2 Watery Grave

SIDEBOARD

2 Anger of the Gods
2 Collective Brutality
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Dreadbore
1 Izzet Staticaster
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Stubborn Denial

The pilot, Carlos Moral, is a well-known control player from Spain, with a very long career and he is also a friend from my region, that I’ve faced in PTQs for years. He brought to Birmingham a next level Grixis, where respecting the structure of the deck and changing a few cards, the game plan changes completely and it improves some match ups that were tough before.

Disruption
Inquisition of Kozilek happened to be the worst card in the deck but you needed to disrupt your opponent. Yet too many times you couldn’t take the card you wanted such as Scapeshift/Primeval Titan, Tasigur, the Golden Fang/Gurmag Angler or Collected Company. So changing those for a hard counter such as Deprive where the downside isn’t that much of an issue when you can play with two lands and sometime being able to re-shock yourself is good, makes this counter a huge new addition. This makes it easier to change your role to control, and also having counters instead of discards helps avoid the tendency to lose to random top decks.

2 Sleight of Hands
Carlos has cut both the 19th land and one three drop for a couple of additional cantrips, which give us more consistency, takes some of the risk out of keeping one-landers or helping us to find the correct cards in sticky situations.

No Liliana of the Veil main deck
Liliana used to be the MVP of the game a lot of times, but sometimes it felt like a Mulligan, so with the addition of more cantrips, the deck now effectively plays more of its main cards to be more solid and versatile.

Lightning Bolt over the fourth Fatal Push
We all agree that Fatal Push is the more efficient removal spell in modern but having access to Lightning Bolt is very interesting in this deck. Playing 4 Thought Scour and 4 Snapcaster Mage we are going to have access to that Bolt more often than it looks like and it provide us with potential crazy plays, such as attacking with two Death Shadows and bolting ourselves. It also provides a much needed way kill Mirran Crusader or take down annoying Planeswalkers such as Gideon of the Trials.

The Sideboard 
Talking with Carlos, he said that he was expecting a lot of RG Scapeshift so he cut all of the Ceremonious Rejection and played a Disdainful Stroke instead. The Lilianas package for grindy games, some sweepers and graveyard hate.

After playing some leagues with the deck I really like this new concept but the sideboard can be improved, here is what I’m playing right know

MAIN DECK
2 Steam Vents
4 Death’s Shadow
2 Deprive
3 Fatal Push
2 Gurmag Angler
2 Sleight of Hand
2 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Serum Visions
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Street Wraith
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Island
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Blood Crypt
4 Thought Scour
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Terminate
4 Thoughtseize
2 Watery Grave
1 Temur Battle Rage

SIDEBOARD
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Collective Brutality
1 Izzet Staticaster
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Stubborn Denial
2 Kozilek’s Return

I’ve added 1 Temur Battle Rage,that most of the time is going to be similar to the second Terminate but it gives you the chance to steal lost games.
Since we play 4 Leylines we don’t really need the exile effect of the Anger of the Gods, so Kozilek’s Return is the best sweeper right now, being able to kill Etched Champion/Inkmoth Nexus and wipe boards through a Burrenton Forge-Tender.

I hope you like this new version, feel free to ask any questions or let me know how you are finding the deck, and see you on the tables.