One of the most popular Modern strategies on Magic Online over the last few weeks has been various flavors of UrzaTron decks, primarily featuring Eldrazi. However, Paul Cheon took some time to explore a more traditional take, but with yet another new splash color. Can a black splash solve some of the problems Tron decks have had in recent weeks?

Black-Green Tron - Modern | Paul Cheon

• Creatures (6)
• 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
• 2 World Breaker
• 2 Wurmcoil Engine

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 4 Karn Liberated

• Instants (3)
• 3 Fatal Push

• Sorceries (10)
• 2 Collective Brutality
• 4 Ancient Stirrings
• 4 Sylvan Scrying

• Artifacts (16)
• 1 Relic of Progenitus
• 3 Oblivion Stone
• 4 Chromatic Sphere
• 4 Chromatic Star
• 4 Expedition Map

• Lands (19)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Ghost Quarter
• 1 Llanowar Wastes
• 1 Sanctum of Ugin
• 3 Blooming Marsh
• 4 Urza's Mine
• 4 Urza's Power Plant
• 4 Urza's Tower

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Crucible of Worlds
• 1 Fatal Push
• 1 Ghost Quarter
• 1 Grafdigger's Cage
• 1 Relic of Progenitus
• 1 Spellskite
• 2 Collective Brutality
• 2 Thragtusk
• 2 Warping Wail
• 3 Nature's Claim

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The difference is, instead of Red cards like Lightning Bolt and Pyroclasm or White for Path to Exile and Rest in Peace, this deck is splashing Black. This is an interesting choice, given the direction Modern has been heading in recent months. The emphasis on decks like Infect and Death's Shadow, which emphasize going big with one creature, means Pyroclasm and Lightning Bolt may not cut it anymore. That’s why people shifted to White splashes over Red. However, the format has been getting a little slower, so you’d really like some way to interact with spell-heavy decks like Storm, Ad Nauseam, and Cryptic Command decks.

Enter the Black splash. Now you have access to Fatal Push as your removal spell to trump Death's Shadow and Tarmogoyf. Not only that, but you can play Collective Brutality as a catch all answer to aggressive decks, combo decks, and control decks. Additionally, Black gives you powerful sideboard options like Leyline of the Void against Dredge, Thoughtseize and other Duress effects as necessary, or any number of Cranial Extraction effects to fight combo decks like Scapeshift.

Only time will tell if this take is the best positioned against the new Modern metagame we saw in Brisbane and Vancouver this weekend. However, if the early representation of Death's Shadow and Eldrazi Tron is borne out, I really like the combination of Fatal Bush and even bigger threats.