The Top 16 Modern Decks from Cardmarket Series Paris

The Modern main event of Cardmarket Series Paris this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to witness a fresh metagame in action and in its first steps of evolution. We did see many decks we somewhat didn't expect, not just within the second half of the Top 16, but also among the first half.

The departure of one of Modern's most iconic cards, , had some people believe in the beginning of a completely new and, naturally, more diverse era. At the same time, others feared that big mana and burn decks would take control of the whole format just like Urza used to.

While red decks indeed proved the most popular in the field overall, the Modern Top 8 at Cardmarket Series Paris painted a different picture, and one definitely more diverse than before the ban. Instead of half of the Top 8 being comprised of different Urza variations, we got three Stoneblade decks — one Bant and two Azorius, one of which won the tournament — as well as Jund, Humans, Death and Taxes, Amulet Titan, and a take on Abzan Company that doesn't rely on / or other combos.


primeval titan - stoneforge mystic

The next eight decks in line serve as further evidence that the metagame has become more welcoming to a variety of strategies. Seven different archetypes ended up occupying the places from ninth to sixteenth.

Heliod Company

Counters Company, a classic Modern archetype that has existed for quite a while now, is just getting stronger. Thanks to all the new cards such as , , , and , the deck now has more game-winning combinations than ever before, and also more ways to fetch them. The support it has received is so big, there isn't any need for anymore. According to this specific list, there might not even be a need for Once Upon a Time either. Instead, Antoine Dambron managed to find room for full playsets of both the green Finale and , for four copies of both Heliod and .


Antoine Dambron, 9th Place
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Monored Prowess

The most popular deck of the tournament, Monored Prowess might not have made it to the Top 8, but a very interesting list emerged in the Top 16. It goes to show that this deck has more flex slots than it looks like at first glance. Other than a single , it adds and even to an already wide array of instant and sorcery spells. Also, and make a return to further increase the deck's explosive potential.


Julien Hammann, 10th Place
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Eldrazi Tron

Just as many Modern players suspected, Eldrazi Tron remained a force to be reckoned with even after the banning of . Since there are still many decks that get shut down by , it's no surprise that a variant of this deck got this far. What is surprising, though, is the fact that this one runs a playset of and a single . This looks like a very well thought-out move, as most popular Eldrazi Tron lists run anyway. Since getting Tron online might now be easier to do, slamming a turn three Karn isn't exclusive to Monogreen Tron anymore.


Gabriele Benassai, 11th Place
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Dredge

Another old Modern archetype that keeps getting stronger is Dredge. After , , and the introduction of to Modern, it now got . A single in the sideboard goes a very long way, as it's able to deal with with ease. Other than , a very interesting sideboard inclusion is . It does usually hurt Dredge, but it's likely meant to combat the new Titan Field and other similar decks, as it hurts them a lot more.


Anthony Lopez, 12th Place
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Dredge (Again)

Since graveyard-centric decks aren't dominating Modern, this seems like a good time to play them. doesn't see that much play right now, which leaves a lot of breathing room for Dredge. The following list further shows that the deck design can be rather flexible if necessary. Even without full playsets of and , the archetype can do well. A second can hardly be a bad idea, a single helps deal with smaller creatures and provides additional dredges, while a turn one has great synergy with cards such as Merchant of the Vale.


Julian Hecker, 13th Place
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Humans

Although was supposed to pose problematic, Humans weren't dead for a single moment. In fact, they are the only deck to appear in both halves of the Modern Top 16 of this Cardmarket Series. The mana base here is stock for the most part, but the rest of the list packs quite a few surprises. has managed to make a return straight to the main deck, and found a spot here too. is also worth a mention as it helps against Jund, one of the deck's worst matchups.


Victor Hatte, 14th Place
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Storm

Gifts Storm has to be among the archetypes that have received the smallest amount of support recently, but that doesn't stop it from being played extensively. It's just that good. This list offers an interesting take on the archetype, one that does not feature a single copy of anywhere. Instead, the sideboard holds a playset of [Aria of Flames] as an alternate win condition. The Aria is also important against , as that's one of the worst matchups for Storm. Plus, is so powerful here that this list includes fetch lands just so it can cast it reliably.


Rodrigo Togores, 15th Place
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Crabvine

Ever since left Modern, players looked for a way to make do with the rest of the cards that deck used to play. The result is Crabvine — also known as NoGaak — a self-mill deck that aims to run the opponent down with multiple copies of . If graveyard decks get even more popular, is bound to make a grand return, but until then, these are pretty well positioned. Unlike Dredge, this archetype runs blue, giving it access to and even , which can turn games around in a pinch.


Nils Schlatter, 16th Place
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