It's always awesome when new cards make their mark in Eternal formats.

When a new set comes out, the focus is usually on how it is going to affect Standard. Naturally a new set ends up being a large percentage of the Standard format, and it is very rare for a new set not to cause major shifts in the Standard metagame.

However, the barrier for entry into the Eternal formats is much higher. Instead of joining the five or six incumbent sets that make up the Standard format, a new set has to try and push for room among the sixty or so sets that make up Modern. That's a lot of cards to unseat! Furthermore, there's no rotation in Modern either. We may start playing Sinister Sabotage in Standard because Disallow is no longer an option, but cards never go away in Modern.

So when we see a new Modern deck sporting not one but two cards from Guilds of Ravnica, you know it's going to be exciting!

Time Stamps

Match 1 - 00:07:10

Match 2 - 00:30:01

Match 3 - 01:00:06

Match 4 - 01:17:40

Match 5 - 01:40:50

Steam-Kin Red | Modern | Jim Davis

• Creatures (16)
• 4 Arclight Phoenix
• 4 Bedlam Reveler
• 4 Monastery Swiftspear
• 4 Runaway Steam-Kin

• Instants (15)
• 3 Fiery Temper
• 4 Desperate Ritual
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Manamorphose

• Sorceries (10)
• 2 Tormenting Voice
• 4 Faithless Looting
• 4 Lava Spike

• Lands (19)
• 19 Snow-Covered Mountain

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Surgical Extraction
• 3 Anger of the Gods
• 2 Blood Moon
• 2 Abrade
• 3 Shrine of Burning Rage
• 2 Dragon's Claw

Buy This Deck Export text format

This list was original conceived by fellow streamer H0lyDiva (aka. Daniela Diaz) and boy is it a joy to play.

There's no doubt that Arclight Phoenix is the most fun new toy in Modern, and playing against three different versions of Arclight Phoenix decks in this league certainly hammers that point home. It of course raises the question how ever... which one is the correct build?

Frankly, I'm not sure.

I've had the most success with the basic version of the deck we played here, although I do have some serious interest in the Soul-Scar Mage version of the deck that goes a bit lower to the ground and skips on Runaway Steam-Kin in favor of raw speed. I'll just have to try it out more and see how it goes!

Regardless, when a deck is both a blast to play, very competitive, as well as reasonably easy on the wallet, you know you've got a winner!