Sit down, young ones. Today, grandpa is going to regale you with stories from a bygone era of Modern! You see, once upon a time, there was a Modern deck called Aggro Loam. In fact, it was such a force to be reckoned with in Modern that it ended up winning a Grand Prix in the hands of my Floridian buddy Bronson Magnan! But this was many moons ago, back in 2012 to be exact, and Bronson's deck looked

something like this.

Aggro Loam| Modern | Bronson Magnan, 2012 Grand Prix Lincoln

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Countryside Crusher
• 4 Dark Confidant
• 4 Tarmogoyf

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Liliana of the Veil

• Sorceries (14)
• 3 Flame Jab
• 3 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 4 Life from the Loam
• 4 Raven's Crime

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Seismic Assault

• Lands (28)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Fire-Lit Thicket
• 1 Lavaclaw Reaches
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Twilight Mire
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 2 Blood Crypt
• 2 Ghost Quarter
• 2 Misty Rainforest
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs
• 4 Graven Cairns
• 4 Verdant Catacombs

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Ancient Grudge
• 2 Darkblast
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Jund Charm
• 2 Nature's Claim
• 3 Obstinate Baloth
• 1 Pyroclasm
• 2 Torpor Orb

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Well, I suppose the deck didn't look something like that, so much as exactly like that. Feel free to hover over any of those cards that you aren't familiar with.

The basic premise of the deck was that you could use a bunch of lands for retrace spells (Flame Jab, Raven's Crime) or discard them to Seismic Assault, while also getting them back with Life from the Loam (which is basically a "Draw 3" in this deck) and making our Countryside Crushers larger. Dark Confidant is an excellent engine in the deck because not only are your spells super cheap to begin with, but nearly half your deck is land.

While I don't know the exact reason that the deck suddenly became obsolete - perhaps Modern has become much more aggressive since the days of 2012 - I do know that there are a ton of "lands matter" cards that have been printed in Modern Horizons so far, and I'd like to take a look at a few of them and talk about how they could put Aggro Loam back on the map.

Wrenn and Six

This is a weird planeswalker, and the first thing I think when I see it is Rocket and Groot. Either way, this planeswalker is kind of nutty. The only frame of reference we have for a two-mana planeswalker is Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded, and boy was that dude just hot trash. But this planeswalker is great!

Wrenn and Six can come down on turn two, with no assistance and pick off an infinite number of Modern creatures, from Signal Pest, to Steel Overseer, to Dark Confidant, to Noble Hierarch, to Blighted Agent, to Glistener Elf, to Young Pyromancer, to Delver of Secrets, to . . . well, you get the point. (I sure do enjoy making lists like this!) And that's not even the most relevant ability for today's deck!

The more important ability is the +1, which will immediately put Wrenn and Six up to four loyalty and out of Lightning Bolt range. This is usually going to be able to draw us a card every turn considering the frequency that we want to and should be putting lands into our graveyard. And that doesn't even take into account lands like Horizon Canopy or Nurturing Peatland that allow us to sacrifice them to draw cards. It's just unfortunate that the allied colored lands aren't in this set, so we could get a version.

This card also basically singlehandedly confirms that Wasteland won't be in Modern Horizons, and I think we should all be grateful for that. I doubt the ultimate ability on Wrenn and Six will be relevant all that often (or ever), but I don't think that matters in the least. This card has +1 and -1 abilities that are both extremely useful in Modern and I hope there's an Aggro Loam home for them. An Aggro Home if you will. (Although you probably shouldn't.)

Ayula's Influence

This card actually excites me more than Wrenn and Six, because it's a notable improvement on two cards that have seen tournament play, and it seems much stronger than it looks.

The cards in question are, of course, both Seismic Assault and Zombie Infestation. The casting cost on Ayula's Influence is akin to Seismic Assault, as is the ability, only instead of dealing two damage to any target, you're instead making a 2/2 Bear. I actually have to keep reading this card, because it seems almost too good, to make a permanent 2/2 for the cost of a single land. Conversely, while the casting cost was certainly more liberal, Zombie Infestation required the discard of two cards!

I don't think this will completely overtake Seismic Assault in the deck, because being able to deal targeted damage can be extremely necessary, but as far as win conditions, overloading the board with 2/2 Bears, during the end step no less, is a great strategy. This card essentially makes Wrenn and Six's +1 ability create a 2/2 Bear.

Living Twister

Okay, this one isn't in Modern Horizons, but it's really on brand for this specific deck. Unlike Seismic Assault, it has a 2 mana activation cost, but it also comes attached to a sizable 2/5 body, which is pretty decent in Modern. It dodges things like Lightning Bolt and non-revolted Fatal Push, while it's also able to block a good deal of creatures in the format as well. It also has the same type of CMC as Seismic Assault and Ayula's Influence, requiring three specific colored mana.

The second ability may look unimpressive, but in this deck it basically reads ": Create a 2/2 Green Bear creature token or deal 2 damage to any target," assuming you have either of the aforementioned enchantments on the board. That's not too bad.

It also lets us potentially return lands with enters-the-battlefield abilities, such as Bojuka Bog or Khalni Garden to reuse their effects, despite the former making our mana a little awkward.

Nantuko Cultivator

A rare in Torment, this is Nantuko Cultivator's first appearance in the Modern format. On its face, as a 2/2 for 4 mana, I'm as skeptical as you are that this will legitimately see play, however, this deck is ideally going to have a good amount of lands in hand to discard. That means we could be seeing a 5/5 or 6/6 for 4 mana that lets us trade three or four lands for potentially more exciting cards.

Is this guy better than Countryside Crusher? I'm . . . unsure. If we're looking for something like Life from the Loam or an Ayula's Influence, this is a great way to dig into one, whereas Countryside Crusher would often help those find their way into the graveyard. I find it's best if you don't think of this as a 2/2, because it will never be one in this deck, especially if we're able to Life from the Loam before casting it. Instead, ask yourself if you would play the following:

When this enters the battlefield, discard four lands and draw four cards.

6/6

While not a slam dunk, the way the Modern format requires for a four-mana card, I think the answer is closer to yes than you might realize.

I've actually been pretty surprised with the amount of "land matters" cards in the set so far, and I wish I could have waited until the entire set was revealed, so I could see if there were any more to discuss. Ultimately, though, I was excited by the prospect of the deck based on the cards we've seen so far. Aggro Loam has always been a deck that has lingered around Modern like a specter after having some previously impressive finishes, and I'd like nothing more than to see the cards we mentioned - coupled with things like Eternal Witness, Worm Harvest, and Blast Zone - find a more permanent home in the format.

This could be what a potential build looks like once Modern Horizons is released into the format and and legal. (One thing to remember is that Bloodbraid Elf was still banned the last time Aggro Loam was really a thing.)

Aggro Loam | Modern | Frank Lepore

• Creatures (10)
• 2 Eternal Witness
• 4 Bloodbraid Elf
• 4 Dark Confidant

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Wrenn and Six

• Instants (2)
• 2 Assassin's Trophy

• Sorceries (10)
• 1 Worm Harvest
• 2 Raven's Crime
• 3 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 4 Life from the Loam

• Enchantments (6)
• 2 Seismic Assault
• 4 Ayula's Influence

• Lands (29)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Blast Zone
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 2 Copperline Gorge
• 2 Ghost Quarter
• 2 Nurturing Peatland
• 2 Overgrown Tomb
• 2 Raging Ravine
• 2 Stomping Ground
• 2 Twilight Mire
• 3 Fire-Lit Thicket
• 3 Verdant Catacombs
• 3 Wooded Foothills

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One problem with Modern is that it's a very scary format, and I have even claimed it's more hostile than Legacy. There are fewer checks and balances to keep the combo decks in line, which is why cards like Flusterstorm and Force of Negation are welcome additions. That being the case, I don't know if a deck like this is long for Modern or not, but I'm looking forward to trying to find out once I get the chance. I think the archetype has more tools than it ever had before, including some pretty solid upgrades. And who knows, maybe even more land-based cards will be revealed in Modern Horizons in the coming days!

If you feel like there's anything I may have left out of the deck, definitely let me know. Be sure to leave any comments below and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks so much for reading and I'll catch you guys next week!

Frank Lepore

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