Hey everyone!

The last article I wrote discussed all of the changes to Stoneblade archetype thanks to the addition of one of my favorite cards - Counterspell. Since Counterspell was an early preview, a lot has changed over the last few weeks and Modern Horizons 2 has proven to shake up Modern in interesting ways. Today I'm going to share two traditional Stoneblade decks using some of the recent previews.

Before I dive into the decklists, let's talk about what has been revealed and what that means for the metagame. Currently the format is dominated by Izzet Prowess and I see no signs of that letting up before Modern Horizons 2 becomes legal. Opponents will have more time in the first two turns to interact with Monastery Swiftspear and Sprite Dragon thanks to the latest cycle of elementals that can be evoked without spending mana. This will likely cause the format to open up before a few new decks again occupy the tier one category.

The Stoneblade archetype will benefit from free spells that interact with creatures. Subtlety can pitch less effective counters against creature decks in the first game and be hard cast for just four mana in the mid game. There were plenty of Blue spells in the deck already because of Force of Negation. Subtlety can also interact with planeswalkers which allows the ability to be relevant against Tron and Control.

Subtlety is a 3/3 flyer for four mana, which creates a high floor. Worst case scenario, I have a flash threat that can be equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine. The 3/3 creature can also be bounced with Teferi. I'm looking forward to casting this card.

The second free spell in our colors is Solitude. Since the Swords to Plowshares ability only targets creatures it's more narrow than Subtlety, but is a more permanent answer; a classic case of higher risk and higher reward. Forcing the opponent to gain life will be valuable against Death's Shadow. Since it requires work to play Solitude, Death's Shadow will remain one of Modern's top threats.

Current builds of Stoneblade lean heavier on Blue spells for Force of Negation, leaving fewer slots for White cards to pitch to Solitude. Two options to adjust include playing more gold cards or adding more White interaction. A -fviemana creature is hard to reliably hard cast so ideally there are at least sixteen other White cards to pitch. Not a rule, but a guideline.

The eight best White cards against creature decks are Stoneforge Mystic and Path to Exile. Since pitching a Path to cast a free removal spell sounds like a medium plan, I'm going to look more into playing enough gold cards to support Solitude.

It's clear the Elemental Pitch cycle is worth jumping through hoops, but there are some cards that didn't quite make the cut from Modern Horizons 2:

Kaldra Compleat - This shines against non-interactive decks when your Stoneforge Mystic is safe from removal. A clock that is significantly faster than Batterskull. Indestructible is more valuable after sideboard when the opponent brings in answers to equipment. Not worth the sideboard slot to upgrade your Batterskull as Sword of Feast and Famine is going to be the primary equipment to find in those types of matchups.

Kaldra Compleat is a very strong effect so I could easily see myself being wrong about it. Aspiring Spike is high on the card and I consider him to be a top Modern innovator.

Suspend - A clear combo with Teferi, Time Raveler. Since White already has plenty of removal spells I would rather not have to work to make this a true 1-for-1. I suspect this card will find a home in Izzet Prowess.

Mishra's Factory - The colorless land slot is occupied by Field of Ruin to destroy Urza lands and Cavern of Souls. Factory will find a home in decks where Mutavault is played and cannot take advantage of being a changeling such as 8-Rack. It's also an artifact which plays well with the new Modular creatures. It's also worth noting that Mutavault is an assembly-worker so it can be pumped by factories.

Void Mirror - Tron can easily spend Green mana to cast Karn. This card will not be the death of Tron and it might get more free wins if opponents cast this card against them.

Eldrazi Tron can Expedition Map for a pain land or Cavern of Souls. Combo decks that don't spend mana on key spells are already good matchups and Force of Negation covers your bases. This is also a symmetrical effect which hurts your chances of casting Force of Negation, Solitude, and Subtlety.

Sword of Hearth and Home - Traditional Stoneblade decks don't have enough good blink effects to make it worth the trouble. The extra land is welcome, but Sword of Feast and Famine won't be dethroned. I still prefer Sword of Fire and Ice against creature decks.

There are also some cards that don't make the cut in traditional Stoneblade, but can serve a purpose in adjacent strategies:

Rishadan Dockhand - Can fit into a Death and Taxes Azorius shell.

Moderation - I can see this card being good when maxing out on pitch spells to recoup lost card advantage and to spend the next turn interacting with the opponent. The final shell likely wouldn't include Stoneforge Mystic, but it's worth mentioning as the card is interesting.

Esper Stoneblade also picked up some tools.

Dakkon, Shadow Slayer - An Esper spell can pitch this to Force of Negation, Grief, Subtlety, and Solitude. The competition is high for 3-drops, but I could see a single copy in an Esper Stoneblade (Yorion) deck because the loyalty can be reset to a high amount in the mid game.

Vindicate - One of my all-time favorite spells to cast. Not only does this answer a variety of threats, but it interacts with Tron lands and Valakut. This is especially important if you lean on Black and White interaction as Blue is best at fighting big mana. I would like to flash back Vindicate with Snapcaster Mage against a Tron opponent or embarrass a bounce land.

Now let's get to the lists!

Traditional Stoneblade | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

• Creatures (10)
• 2 Subtlety
• 4 Snapcaster Mage
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 2 Teferi, Time Raveler

• Instants (18)
• 1 Spell Snare
• 2 Force of Negation
• 3 Cryptic Command
• 4 Counterspell
• 4 Opt
• 4 Path to Exile

• Artifacts (2)
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

• Lands (24)
• 2 Plains
• 5 Island
• 1 Celestial Colonnade
• 1 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Raugrin Triome
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Field of Ruin
• 4 Flooded Strand

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Aether Gust
• 2 Celestial Purge
• 2 Force of Negation
• 1 Mystical Dispute
• 2 Prismatic Ending
• 1 Rest in Peace
• 2 Spell Queller
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Teferi, Time Raveler

Buy This Deck Export text format

As mentioned above, Subtlety is able to be easily ported into existing Stoneblade shells. To make room I moved the third Force of Negation to the sideboard.

There are now ten creatures with abilities when entering the battlefield. Since I get a card worth of effects I don't care if they die to removal. This is a great place to be as the opponent will need to reluctantly throw removal at the creatures so they don't get hit by a sword.

In my last article I mentioned Teferi, Hero of Dominaria got an upgrade thanks to Counterspell being legal. I have been so impressed that I decided to add a second copy. Subtlety slowing down early threats enables the game to go longer and resolve a five-mana planeswalker.

The second Teferi, Hero of Dominaria is currently a flex slot. It can be a Spell Snare, Teferi, Time Raveler, Spell Queller, or Dismember. I have plenty of counterspells already so it was worth adding another proactive threat. The first Spell Queller will likely be hit by removal in the first game so I have relegated them to the sideboard as a generic spell to substitute for Path to Exile against Control and Combo.

Dismember may end up getting a huge boost depending on the ubiquity of Ragavan. Even if I can interact thanks to Subtlety it's still card disadvantage. This is also a case for keeping Snapcaster Mage to block.

The new sideboard card I'm excited for is Prismatic Ending. Old versions of Stoneblade played On Thin Ice, but this spell is more versatile and can be flashed back with Snapcaster Mage.

Without spending a third mana I can exile Death's Shadow, Monastery Swiftspear, Ragavan, and Tarmogoyf. The third color of mana is simple as Raugrin Triome can be found with fetch lands. The third color is important because I would like another answer to Heliod, Sun-Crowned and Lurrus of the Dream-Den.

I chose to exclude Prismatic Ending from the maindeck because playing interaction at sorcery-speed in the first game is risky. I can swap counters for removal against creature decks after board which makes it fit with the game plan better.

If my opponent plays more expensive threats, I would want a fourth color to ensure it can be effectively cast in the first game. There is only one Azorius triome which makes Black and Green mana harder to support. I could play a pathway, but it comes at the expense of a Hengegate Pathway // Mistgate Pathway or basic land.

Since I'm not playing On Thin Ice I have switched to basic lands for fear of Break the Ice.

Spell Queller is currently in the sideboard because Lightning Bolt is prevalent. It's possible I still want to play many Spell Quellers and Teferi, Time Ravelers because they can be pitched for Force of Negation, Subtlety, and Solitude. Solitude and Subtlety line up well against aggressive Lightning Bolt decks so they can serve as a hedge. I would look to swap them with Snapcaster Mages as I would have more creatures and fewer spells to flash back.

Here's what the shell might look like:

Prismatic Stoneblade | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

• Creatures (12)
• 2 Solitude
• 2 Subtlety
• 4 Spell Queller
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic

• Planeswalkers (7)
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 3 Teferi, Time Raveler

• Instants (15)
• 2 Cryptic Command
• 2 Force of Negation
• 3 Opt
• 4 Counterspell
• 4 Path to Exile

• Artifacts (2)
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

• Lands (24)
• 2 Plains
• 5 Island
• 1 Celestial Colonnade
• 1 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Raugrin Triome
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 2 Castle Vantress
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Field of Ruin
• 4 Flooded Strand

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Celestial Purge
• 2 Aether Gust
• 2 Rest in Peace
• 2 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 2 Force of Negation
• 1 Spell Snare
• 2 Prismatic Ending

Buy This Deck Export text format

Teferi, Hero of Dominaria combined with Spell Queller and Teferi, Time Raveler provide enough White cards to support Solitude. Teferi can also bounce a hardcast Solitude and Subtlety.

Snapcaster Mage being swapped for Spell Queller means I can cut an Opt and a Cryptic Command. The Cryptic can be cut because I can spend the later turns hard casting pitch spells.

I have a total of six maindeck pitch spells. This is about the most I would consider.

Three Opt is because I viewed the fourth copy as grease for Snapcaster Mage. I still prefer Opt to Serum Visions as the deck operates at instant speed in Game 1.

The Spell Snare and Spell Pierce in the sideboard look strange, but I need to board out six cards if Path to Exile and Solitude aren't good in the matchup so I need catch all interaction against control and combo.

Rest in Peace is better in this version as Snapcaster Mage was the only card in my previous list that used the graveyard.

This version lines up well against Cascade decks that will be enabled by the return of Shardless Agent.

I don't yet have a Yorion version of Stoneblade to share, but this is another way to abuse Solitude and Subtlety. One way to use Yorion is to build around it and the other is to add it to your hand to pitch to free spells. Both of these avenues may be valid as there are so many powerful Azorius cards to play.

Now that we can play paper Magic once again, I look forward to the gamesmanship associated with free spells. I can bluff at times where I'm tapped out to get the opponent to play differently. Now that Azorius can interact with creatures and non-creatures nobody is safe.

Thanks for reading!

-Kyle