Modern Mayhem: Mardu Shadow (Modern, Magic Online)
by TheAsianAvenger // Jul 23, 2019
At the release of Modern Horizons, we tried Esper Shadow but the new hotness has been Mardu so we had to try it!
Gameplan
At our core, we're very much a midrange deck that is looking to win on the back of a pile of good cards but what did we gain by dropping blue and red?
Dreadhorde Arcanist has been the new hotness on the block as every spell in modern and our deck costs around 1 mana. Because of this, we get tons of value whenever Arcanist attacks as we get to cast Path to Exile, Thoughtseize, and Unearth for free! If this card isn't dealt with early, things start adding up in our favor.
We also get to play a few Young Pyromancer in red.
I'm not entirely sure this is better than just playing a Seasoned Pyromancer but I have a soft spot for this card so I think a few copies would be fun. If you're not a fan of Young Peezy, feel free to just drop this for his older counterpart in Seasoned Pyromancer. There probably is a lot more we could add to the deck with Red but these are the noticeable standouts for me along with a few cards for our sideboard like Anger of the Gods and Shenanigans.
Conclusion
The deck still feels like it's just missing a few cards and I think one of those cards could just be a singleton Temur Battle Rage. The card's ability to give us doublestrike and trample could potentially give us a free win out of nowhere when we're far behind. I'd also like to look into more things that could help us fight burn as our Grixis or Esper variants have Stubborn Denial which is sweet when wanting to counter all their key spells. The more I play Shadow, the more I want to revert back to adding Blue as we also get Snapcaster Mage. If I'm looking to play shadow, I think I'd go back to Esper(surprise!). Let me know which variant you like or if you've got a Mardu list your fond of in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter!
-Your Neighborhood AsianAvenger
Twitter: @TheAsianAvenger || Twitch: twitch.tv/TheAsianAvenger || Email: theasianavenger@mtggoldfish.com
