Since the inception of Modern, Faeries was one of the decks people were afraid would be too good. When the format began, there was a Mono-Blue take on Faeries that featured Vedalken Shackles as a way to fight through creature-based combos with cards like Splinter Twin and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker. Now, several years later, both Bitterblossom and Ancestral Vision have been unbanned, and Faeries still hasn’t seen substantial play. Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa thinks the one thing the deck was missing was an efficient removal spell. Let’s find out if this is the Fatal Push that Faeries needed:

Blue-Black Faeries - Modern | Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa

• Creatures (13)
• 3 Mistbind Clique
• 3 Snapcaster Mage
• 3 Vendilion Clique
• 4 Spellstutter Sprite

• Instants (12)
• 1 Smother
• 1 Spell Snare
• 2 Mana Leak
• 4 Cryptic Command
• 4 Fatal Push

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Collective Brutality
• 4 Ancestral Vision

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Bitterblossom

• Lands (25)
• 1 Swamp
• 4 Island
• 1 Pendelhaven
• 3 Creeping Tar Pit
• 4 Darkslick Shores
• 4 Mutavault
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Secluded Glen

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Collective Brutality
• 1 Darkblast
• 1 Smother
• 2 Countersquall
• 2 Damnation
• 2 Liliana, the Last Hope
• 3 Ravenous Trap
• 3 Thoughtseize

Buy This Deck

On the Faeries side, your goal is to utilize your efficient answers to keep your opponent off-balance just long enough for your creatures to get your opponent dead. An early Bitterblossom or Spellstutter Sprite can begin the clock. Snapcaster Mage plus a removal spell speeds things up substantially. From there, just a turn or two of attacks from Vendilion Clique or Mistbind Clique should be enough to close out the game, particularly with Cryptic Command in the mix to swing races in your favor.

The biggest problem with Faeries in previous iterations of Modern is that you didn’t have an efficient way to interact with powerful creatures. Disfigure is fine early on. Smother is okay, but slow against threats like Monastery Swiftspear and Glistener Elf. Dismember just costs too much. Fatal Push provides an efficient way to interact with everything from Tarmogoyf and Death's Shadow to Olivia Voldaren and Knight of the Reliquary. Fatal Push helps to ensure that Faeries doesn’t fall behind early on so you have the opportunity to get ahead with your Spellstutter Sprites.