Hey, everyone!

I’m back from the Pro Tour in Atlanta, and while I didn’t win the event, I was certainly pleased with my result. My final record was 9–6–1, with a concession in the last round to help a friend earn some additional pro points. I started 2–0–1 in the first Draft, but I was only able to gain a single win from the second Draft. My Constructed record was 6–3, and it was a blast to play.

Take a look at this list:

U/R/W Spreading Seas ? Modern | Kyle Boggemes

• Creatures (12)
• 3 Blade Splicer
• 4 Restoration Angel
• 4 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

• Spells (24)
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Spell Snare
• 2 Electrolyze
• 2 Lightning Helix
• 3 Path to Exile
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Mana Leak
• 3 Serum Visions
• 4 Spreading Seas

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Plains
• 3 Island
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Steam Vents
• 2 Sulfur Falls
• 4 Celestial Colonnade
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Scalding Tarn

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Stony Silence
• 2 Dispel
• 1 Negate
• 1 Lightning Helix
• 2 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Electrolyze
• 1 Crumble to Dust
• 1 Detention Sphere
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

Buy This Deck

This is a different take on the deck I talked about a few weeks ago: W/U Spreading Seas. After I became less enamored with Ghost Quarter and wanted more ways to interact early, it was clear that U/R/W was the way to go. Lightning Bolt is great at improving the creature matchups, which were giving me trouble as the W/U version.

These were the decks I wanted game against with the above list:

• Infect
• Tron
• Burn
• Affinity
• Zoo
• Jund
• Goryo's Vengeance
• Merfolk
• Some form of Eldrazi
• Chord of Calling decks

Most of these decks are based on creatures, so I was all right playing a deck that focuses on killing threats.

Lightning Bolt is great against Infect, Burn, Affinity, Zoo, Jund, Merfolk, and Chord of Calling. It can also be used with Snapcaster Mage to close a game out of nowhere. Despite playing a control deck, I still have the ability to win quickly to avoid draws and have a chance in bad matchups.

Lightning Helix is there to kill creatures, but it also serves as my anti-Burn spell. I don’t want to play spells that are only there to hate out Burn because the matchup is fine without it. White can gain life without trying, and creatures like Blade Splicer are good to block early, too.

The final red cards to make my deck deal more damage are Pia and Kiran Nalaar as well as Electrolyze. Both of these spells are very good against Infect and Affinity. I also like that Pia and Kiran can block down a Thought-Knot Seer.

• Tarmogoyf
• Thought-Knot Seer
• Reality Smasher
• Loxodon Smiter
• Wurmcoil Engine
• Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• Creatures with infect

I have the fourth copy in the ’board because they don’t positively contribute to my game plan of turning my removal into direct damage against decks without creatures.

Mana Leak is a necessary evil because Remand is bad against Infect, Burn, and Affinity. Every deck in Modern is trying to do something busted, and I’m not fast enough to take advantage of the tempo with Remand. Spell Snare and Dispel ended up being pretty good for me as well because they’re also hard counters.

Here were my Constructed matchups (Rounds 1 through 3 and 9 through 11 were Draft):

Round 4: William Jensen — G/U Infect, 2–1:

You can lose Game 1 if you draw too many expensive spells. Mana Leak is much worse at countering the things that kill you than Dispel. Watch out for Wild Defiance out of the ’board, as it’s the scariest card against you. Electrolyze is good against Spellskite because if you split damage, the targets both cannot be redirected to it. I like to deal a damage to Spellskite and 1 damage to a 1-toughness creature; this lets me also Lightning Bolt the Spellskite.

Round 5: Jason Chung — Blue Moon, 0–2:

This matchup felt unwinnable. Spreading Seas didn’t hit anything relevant, but I had too many bad cards to ’board out already. I was targeting my own lands, so my extra Mountains would add blue mana instead. I don’t have many ways to interact with Batterskull. The most important thing to do is fetch a Plains with Flooded Strand before Blood Moon resolves.

Round 6: Burn, 1–2:

I think this is a strong matchup thanks to Lightning Helix and Snapcaster Mage. I won Game 1 despite being on the draw. Mana Leak permanently countering a spell is useful instead of Remand. I like to play this matchup as aggressively as possible because each draw step could be a burn spell that is difficult to interact with. The first game was won entirely off Spreading Seas; I played three copies and shut off every land.

Round 7: Tron, 2–0

This is a tough matchup, but certainly winnable. I won Game 1 on the draw, which only happens when the opponent has a poor start. Restoration Angel and Snapcaster Mage were able to apply pressure while Mana Leak was ready to counter large threats. Spreading Seas gives you a chance to win Game 1, but you also need to aggressively counter the opponent’s land-searching effects, too.

Stony Silence is most effective on the play, so your opponent can’t break any artifacts before it comes into play. He or she will probably side out Oblivion Stone and put in Nature's Claim because of Stony Silence. Crumble to Dust is your trump card, but beware that it is countered by Warping Wail and Ghost Quarter.

Round 8: B/R Eldrazi, 2–0

This was a good matchup, as I prepared for traditional Eldrazi decks for the weeks leading up to the tournament. It played out like a Rock deck instead of a linear aggressive strategy. Restoration Angel landed on turn four both games and did enough damage for burn to sweep up the rest. It’s a very strong matchup; I’m now 3–0 versus the old way of building Eldrazi decks.

Round 12: Suicide Zoo, 2–0

This was another great matchup as long as you kill every creature that hits play. Lightning Helix takes out Kird Ape, Monastery Swiftspear, and Wild Nacatl, but you need to hold Path to Exile for Death's Shadow and Tarmogoyf. Since the Swiftspear has haste, it can kill you out of nowhere with Become Immense and Temur Battle Rage.

Round 13: Christian Calcano — Jund, 2–0:

I haven’t had a chance to actually test against B/G/x decks, but my theory-crafting suggested it was a good matchup. Spreading Seas attacks black mana to prevent early copies of Liliana of the Veil. Blade Splicer is very scary for the opponent because the 1/1 can be blinked by Restoration Angel. The matchup felt very good.

Round 14: Alexander Hayne — Colorless Eldrazi, 1–2

Here’s the deck everyone was afraid to play. Alex is a tough opponent playing the best deck in the room, so I had my work cut out for me. Path to Exile is the best card against these decks, but Chalice of the Void on 1 is tough to fight Game 1. Blade Splicer can block down Thought-Knot Seer.

I lost the die roll, but the game was pretty close. Spreading Seas was best used on creature lands and Eye of Ugin because it’s stays legendary.

I won the second game because I started out fast with Geist of Saint Traft, Blade Splicer, and Restoration Angel. Chalice of the Void can be annoying, and I think playing a lot of creatures is the best way to fight it. Detention Sphere can hit Chalices, but it can also fight Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher (without discarding a card).

Round 15: Brian Demars — G/U Infect, 2–1

Like my round against William Jensen, I lost Game 1 and won Games 2 and 3. Three copies of Dispel help me play extra cheap interaction spells. Brian played many copies of Wild Defiance, which is the best card against me. The third game featured Wild Defiance, but my hand was full of Path to Exile and Snapcaster Mage, which was lucky. I held Spreading Seas in my hand until Inkmoth Nexus came into play. A common trick they can pull is animating the Nexus and giving it hexproof with Vines of Vastwood or give it protection from blue with Apostle's Blessing.

Round 16: Joel Larsson — Suicide Zoo

I conceded because Joel needed the pro points more than I did. At the moment, I have 9 pro points this season, but I’m unqualified for the remaining two Pro Tours this season. It turns out he was on Suicide Zoo, which is a great matchup for me.

Overall, I was very happy with my deck choice. It wasn’t the breakout deck of the tournament, but it was a good example of sticking to your guns in Modern. This deck isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy control decks, I would recommend it.

The burning question everyone has is how their decks can fight the Eldrazi. Here’s my list after the Pro Tour:

U/R/W Spreading Seas ? Modern | Kyle Boggemes

• Creatures (11)
• 3 Blade Splicer
• 4 Restoration Angel
• 4 Snapcaster Mage

• Spells (25)
• 1 Cryptic Command
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Spell Snare
• 2 Electrolyze
• 2 Lightning Helix
• 3 Path to Exile
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Mana Leak
• 3 Serum Visions
• 4 Spreading Seas

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Plains
• 3 Island
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Steam Vents
• 2 Sulfur Falls
• 4 Celestial Colonnade
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Scalding Tarn

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Stony Silence
• 2 Dispel
• 1 Negate
• 2 Lightning Helix
• 2 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Crumble to Dust
• 2 Detention Sphere
• 1 Path to Exile

Buy This Deck

There aren’t many changes in the main deck:

−1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

I want another hard counter for the large Eldrazi such as Reality Smasher and Drowner of Hope. It’s also a way to bounce Chalice of the Void so I can unload my cheap spells. This is especially potent if the opponent has a Chalice for 2 in play because it will counter it on the way back down (since XX=1 has a converted mana cost of 2).

The sideboard will change slightly as well:

+1 Detention Sphere, +1 Lightning Helix

−1 Electrolyze, −1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

It’s not that I don’t like Pia and Kiran, but I need space, and something needs to go. This change will hurt my B/G/x midrange matchups, but I felt too prepared for them, so that’s all right.

Here are some sideboarding tips against the big decks:

Affinity

+4 Stony Silence, +2 Detention Sphere, +2 Lightning Helix, +1 Path to Exile

−1 Cryptic Command, −4 Mana Leak, −1 Dispel, −1 Blade Splicer, −2 Spreading Seas

Stony Silence is your main weapon, but beware of Ghirapur Aether Grid. The Detention Spheres can help remove the pesky enchantment. Blade Splicer is usually weak in Game 1, but it becomes better post-’board because Etched Champion is one of the few ways to lose once Stony Silence is in play.

Burn

+2 Lightning Helix, +2 Dispel, +1 Negate, +2 Geist of Saint Traft

−3 Blade Splicer, −2 Electrolyze, −2 Mana Leak

I’m trying a new plan of cutting Blade Splicer because Burn players seem to think Destructive Revelry is good against you. By cutting the Golem-producer, you can reduce the number of artifacts and enchantments to just four Spreading Seas. Geist of Saint Traft can block Goblin Guide and also can’t die to Searing Blaze. I want to be proactive as I mentioned before, and Geist hits hard. I also substitute some Mana Leaks for hard counters because I cast Path to Exile more aggressively against Burn so the opponent will have more lands.

Infect

+2 Lightning Helix, +2 Dispel, +1 Negate, +1 Path to Exile, +2 Detention Sphere

−1 Spell Snare, −4 Mana Leak, −2 Blade Splicer, −1 Cryptic Command

I cut Mana Leaks because I want to cast Path to Exiles aggressively. Be sure to cast your burn spells after the opponent’s attack step; if he or she pumps a creature in response, you will take a lot of infect damage. Save Path to Exile when possible because it’s the best removal spell—it kills Spellskite and gets around Wild Defiance. Save Spreading Seas for Pendelhaven and Inkmoth Nexus. Remember Pendelhaven is legendary; if the opponent plays the second one, the Island will be sacrificed. The way I close the game is to drop a Restoration Angel at the end of turn when possible and attack each turn. Blade Splicer can only block Glistener Elf, so it’s weak in the matchup. Detention Sphere kills Spellskite, Wild Defiance, Glistener Elf, Viridian Corruptor, and Blighted Agent. Keep in mind the opponent can kill you out of nowhere with Dryad Arbor, so your life total can be relevant.

Jund

+2 Geist of Saint Traft, +1 Path to Exile

−1 Dispel, −2 Mana Leak

Dispel counters Terminate and Kolaghan's Command, but not much else. Geist of Saint Traft gives you more live top-decks. Be sure to stop Liliana of the Veil from coming down with Spreading Seas or have another creature in play like Snapcaster Mage or Blade Splicer before Geist is cast. Electrolyze seems marginal, but it kills Dark Confidant and Scavenging Ooze. I want to cut counters because the opponent will know about them ahead of time thanks to discard spells.

Eldrazi

+2 Geist of Saint Traft, +2 Detention Sphere, +1 Path to Exile, +1 Lightning Helix

−1 Dispel, −1 Spell Snare, −2 Lightning Bolt, −1 Serum Visions, −1 Mana Leak

Detention Sphere is great because it will remove large creatures or Chalice of the Void on 1. Speaking of which, I take out 1-drops because I want to minimize the effect of Chalice on 1. The best interaction here is blinking a Blade Splicer with Restoration Angel because the two Golems have first strike and can block down Reality Smasher. You don’t have to strategically play your Spreading Seas since all of the opponent’s lands have utility. Lightning Helix comes in to replace a Lightning Bolt to diversify your mana costs. Electrolyze is nice because it kills Eldrazi Mimic and Matter Reshaper.

Tron

+1 Crumble to Dust, +4 Stony Silence, +1 Negate, +1 Dispel, +1 Detention Sphere, +2 Geist of Saint Traft

−2 Lightning Helix, −2 Electrolyze, −2 Blade Splicer, −4 Lightning Bolt

Dispel counters Warping Wail and Nature's Claim. Stony Silence locks out Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star, Oblivion Stone, Expedition Map, Relic of Progenitus, and Spellskite. I’m all right with drawing two Stony Silence, as it’s protection against Nature's Claim. Spreading Seas should go after Tron lands. Geist is faster than Blade Splicer, so I make that swap. Notice the Game 1 plan of burning the opponent out is less important, as you actually have spells that interact instead.

Those are the important matchups, but there are of course many more. If you like control decks, I would give this a try at your next event!

Thanks for reading,

Kyle