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Main » Articles » Humans vs. Zombies

Humans vs. Zombies

Kyle Boggemes
Posted on June 26, 2019
 Reddit

Hey everyone!

Last month I was busy focusing on Standard to try and qualify for the upcoming Mythic Championship in Barcelona. I had some great starts with various Esper Control decks, but fell short. Tough breaks, but the grind continues.

Modern is at the top of my mind today because I'm teaming with Max McVety and Andrew Elenbogen at SCG Pittsburgh this weekend for Team Non-Unified Modern. Oddly enough this is only my second time teaming with Max, but I've teamed with Andrew at least five times. I feel great about the squad's chances. I'm hungry for my first team SCG Tour Top 8.

Modern Horizons is legal and many of the existing archetypes got a new card. Even if it's just a Horizon land the power level and consistency of the top tier decks have improved.

Let's just say some more than others...

I'm writing today to tell you that Modern is okay. Even without any bans yet Modern continues to surprise me and be fun. Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis is a great card and should be respected, but it's still not the only thing to be doing.

Today I want to talk about my current favorite deck in Modern, Humans, as well as some trends I've observed in this infant format that have arisen from Hogaak's early dominance. I wouldn't leave you hanging so I've also added a sideboard guide at the end.

Before I dive into the Human side of things it's time we had the talk about Hogaak:

Arisen Necropolis | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

To be clear I think Modern is fun, but this deck is not okay. The format is incredibly warped so we need to talk about why that is.

This deck can make many Zombie tokens thanks to Carrion Feeder and Altar of Dementia sacrificing creatures with Bridge from Below in the graveyard. A filled graveyard makes exiling five cards to cast Hogaak easy. Convoking two Black creatures is also a walk in the park thanks to the zombie tokens. Keep in mind this means it's very easy to be facing an 8/8 trample on turn two.

Be afraid of this deck. I don't mean play two Tormod's Crypt and call it good. I mean play at least five dedicated graveyard hate cards in your sideboard. It's comically easy to win from an empty graveyard because of Altar of Dementia.

Leyline of the Void and Rest in Peace are the gold Standard. Ravenous Trap is good if you have a fast clock. I'm not even sure Surgical Extraction counts unless it's cast multiple times in a game. Grafdigger's Cage prevents Hogaak from being cast from the graveyard, but not the hand. Bloodghast, Vengevine, and Gravecrawler will stay in the yard, too. It still allows Bridge from Below to go crazy.

Even if you're lucky enough to have Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace early that's just step one. Keep in mind this deck is very good at casting small creatures that only want one thing- to attack. Dredge had a few creatures capable of being hard cast, but Hogaak has twenty!

Hogaak is a hard deck to play and I can't stomach facing such egregious amounts of graveyard hate for fifteen rounds. There are many decisions to make each turn that matter a lot because Altar is the most expensive card in the deck at a whopping two mana. I'm expecting to face an above average amount of Chalices due to this.

If you play Hogaak you get exactly what you deserve when Leyline, Rest in Peace, and Chalice prevent you from playing Magic. It's just what you sign up for.

I tested Humans versus Hogaak with SCG Tour grinder, Zach Allen, last week. When I had a Leyline in play he was having such a bad time he could only reminisce about playing Azorius Control decks. Classic dissociation. Hogaak is bad for everyone's mental state and should be banned.

At the end of the day I have to be honest with myself and cast Noble Hierarch because that's my jam. Modern is incredibly deranged, but it's not unrecognizable. It's still... human.

Here's my current list I'm looking to play at SCG: Pittsburgh:

Humans | Modern | Kyle Boggemes

Humans wasn't transformed with Modern Horizons, but got some minor pickups in Waterlogged Grove and Collector Ouphe in the board.

Cutting the Island for a single Waterlogged Grove was easy because Blue/White Control is one of the few decks where the second basic land is relevant. If I'm Field of Ruined twice I wouldn't mind a second land to find. A fifth Horizon land is also good in the matchup for flood protection. Just remember to crack the land on their turn against an opposing Narset, Parter of Veils.

I'm sticking with Seachrome Coast instead of a sixth Horizon land because I don't want to mulligan more hands because the mana is too painful. I might change my mind if there was a Blue/White Horizon land. The White mana helps me cast early creatures- especially Auriok Champion after sideboard.

I liked Kessig Malcontents, but must play Deputy of Detention in my seventy five. It's a crucial answer in a format as diverse as Modern. I can't waste sideboard slots on deputies so they might as well be in the maindeck. It exiles Altar of Dementia, but might not get all zombie tokens from Bridge from Below because a sacrifice outlet will fizzle the effect.

This wasn't a problem before Modern Horizons because Humans had a fairly mediocre sideboard. Hogaak decks are very powerful and consistent which means I need plenty of graveyard hate.

Collector Ouphe is a powerful sideboard card as well. Humans is now a deck with great pre board matchups as well as a great sideboard. Think Bant Spirits when Krark-Clan Ironworks was legal.

Kessig Malcontents, Deputy of Detention, and Militia Bugler are my favorite 3-drops after Reflector Mage and Mantis Rider because they synergize with Phantasmal Image.

Legendary creatures such as Thalia, Heretic Cathar and Anafenza, the Foremost don't want to be copied. This can be an issue when you draw too many hate bears such as Thalia, Guardian of Thraben Kitesail Freebooter, and Meddling Mage and the game is more of a damage race.

The legendary status might seem like an upside with Phantasmal Image because you could copy and sacrifice to exile Bridge from Below. This actually doesn't matter because the image may enter the battlefield as a copy of a creature, but it doesn't have to. It can simply enter as a 0/0 that immediately dies even when there are perfectly good creatures to copy.

I've seen some players cut Kitesail Freebooter to make room for Unsettled Mariner. The new human hasn't impressed me and would make Meddling Mage much worse.

The format is currently leaning in an unfair direction. Hogaak decks can kill through disruption on turn three which means players are looking to kill them quickly, too. This is why we see a rise of Infect and Devoted Druid decks. Mariner shines against interaction.

While it's true Unsettled Mariner prevents being milled out by Altar of Dementia the loss comes from the horde of tokens generated by Bridge from Below. It would be nice to counter a Gifts Ungiven against an unknowing opponent because they need to pay an extra mana as it's a spell that targets you. There are unfortunately no Aether Vial Shenanigans; the Mariner must be in play when the spell is cast.

Kitesail Freebooter actually helps your Hogaak matchup Game 1. Not many fair decks can boast a competitive Game 1 against Hogaak which is why I like Humans. Note that I didn't say a good matchup, but merely competitive. This is because your hate bears are the first crucial step to stopping a mess of creatures coming down on the second turn.

Freebooter can exile Altar of Dementia on the play. This can win a game where the opponent kept a weak hand where Altar makes everything work. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben can give you breathing room slowing down a quick Altar and stop Faithless Looting flashbacks. Meddling Mage naming Altar is good, but this is the worst option of the three as I want to name Hogaak if possible.

Hate bears stopping the Hogaak's nut draws won't work on the draw. This is a strike against Humans, but there isn't a deck that checks that box. Everybody is miserable against Hogaak on the draw; all it means is that your sideboard needs to win two games in a row. That's doable with preparation.

Here's how I plan to sideboard against Hogaak:

I plan to play six graveyard hate cards- four Leyline of the Void, a Grafdigger's Cage, and a Ravenous Trap. Rest in Peace is too hard to cast through Thalia and my rainbow lands.

There are certainly games where Rest in Peace is too slow on the draw. Leyline is a no nonsense hate card so I'm playing the full set. It's unfortunate I can't hardcast Leyline, but the game will likely be decided before this matters anyway. This is because Leyline doesn't exile graveyard when it enters the battlefield unlike Rest in Peace.

A single Grafdigger's Cage is nice because it can also come in against Phoenix decks. I'm afraid of Arclight Phoenix, Lava Dart, Faithless Looting, and Hour of Promise. It's also passable against Collected Company decks with Kitchen Finks.

Militia Bugler is surprisingly effective against the Hogaak deck because a ? with Vigilance attacks through creatures that cannot block while holding them off from attacking. It's an army in a can with Phantasmal Image creating additional buglers and ultimately finding Collector Ouphe or Deputy of Detention for interaction.

Auriok Champion can also hold off even the largest of Carrion Feeders as well as the x/1 creatures that can't block. Beware that Hogaak tramples which makes protection from Black less relevant in that situation. The third Auriok Champion is for Burn and Mono-Red Phoenix.

I cut down to two Reflector Mage, but it's important to remember this deck sometimes casts an early 8/8 and that can end the game. This is why I need to name Hogaak with Meddling Mage instead of Altar. A savvy opponent will sacrifice Hogaak to Carrion Feeder or Altar in response to it being bounced because they are allowed to recast from the graveyard the following turn.

Remember that Hogaak cannot be cast using mana which means the 8/8 trampler is likely not going to be cast with Leyline of the Void on the battlefield. They need seven creatures to convoke.

Andrew Elenbogen suggested I play Plague Engineer and name Zombie. This will kill freshly cast Carrion Feeders, Gravecrawler, and Stitcher's Supplier. Its creature type is "Carrier" which doesn't have much synergy with the rest of the deck. A Black non-human can be tough to cast as Noble Hierarch typically helps me with the color requirements. It can be found with Militia Bugler and copied with Phantasmal Image. A single Plague Engineer is worth considering.

Aether Vial gets cut because Collector Ouphe shuts it off. I'm also more willing to mulligan hands to find Leyline of the Void which reduces my expected hand size. Vial is great with plenty of cards in hand otherwise I should just cast them on curve. Think of it as cutting Aether Vial for Leyline of the Void.

Hogaak is already a fairly stock deck despite being so new. One thing the hive mind can't yet agree on is how to destroy hate pieces. The list I posted above has White for Whispmare creating an elementals package alongside Flamekin Harbinger and Ingot Chewer.

Green is the other option for Nature's Claim and Assassin's Trophy. The Green sideboard version has two Overgrown Tomb to hard cast Vengevine. Watch their mana base to get an idea of the hate card answers in Game 2 and three.

Meddling Mage can get some value if you know your opponent will draw Ingot Chewer or Whispmare the following turn to blow up your Grafdifgger's Cage or Leyline of the Void.

The Hogaak versus Humans matchup is interesting as there are many nuances. Humans is an awesome deck because there are so many levels deep, but you can also just cheese out your opponent with hate bears or Reflector Mages.

Here are some sideboarding strategies for other popular Modern decks:

You will notice I bring in Militia Bugler in nearly every matchup. I still want to maindeck Deputy of Detention because it has a more immediate impact on the battlefield.

Bugler is great when my opponent brings in all of their removal and making multiple threats is important to keep Thalia's Lieutenant a strong threat.

In combo matchups I can use Bugler to find my key hate bears and cut Reflector Mages.

Mirror:

This would be another good matchup for Plague Engineer as I can name Human and it only shrinks my opponent's creatures.

Militia Bugler is fine in the matchup, but I try and cut as many hate bears as possible. Since there are so many graveyard hate spells in my sideboard I have less potential cards to board.

Meddling Mage stays in to name cards that would beat you even though they're also in your deck. If the battlefield is clogged it's best to avoid getting blown out by Thalia's Lieutenant. If you're attacking with a large Champion of the Parish watch out for Reflector Mage.

Aether Vial is already great in the matchup, but it plays around opposing Meddling Mages. If I leave a vial on two counters there isn't a good name for the mage because it covers the bases of two and 3-drops.

Mono-Red Phoenix:

Watch out for Lava Dart and Gut Shot. Phantasmal Image would be targeted often except I plan on making lots of Auriok Champions. Phoenix pressures quickly and interacts with my early plays; it's a scary matchup without Auriok Champion. If this deck isn't popular it's reasonable to play two.

Protection from Red is very good in the matchup. When I'm very far ahead I look to play around Kozilek's Return as it doesn't kill prowess creatures, but colorless damage kills Auriok Champions.

Meddling Mage can name Lava Dart and Faithless Looting easily as it prevents flash back. This is the same reason I'm bringing in Grafdigger's Cage.

Militia Buglers come in over Deputy of Detention because many opposing creatures have haste and there's plenty of three damage spells. It's a secondary creature to copy with Phantasmal Image as the copy will replace itself when targeted with Lava Dart.

Infect:

I don't have much to board in here by design. This matchup is a race where I need to begin with hate bears and then deal fast damage with Thalia's Lieutenant. Infect is able to easily kill on turn three thanks to Scale Up.

Tron:

Tron got a new toy in Karn, the Great Creator. They made room by cutting down on Walking Ballista and Wurmcoil Engine. I cut down to a single Reflector Mage due to the large amount of planeswalkers in the deck. The single Reflector Mage remains to find with Militia Bugler in case of the Wurmcoil Engines remaining.

I'm trimming on Aether Vial because Ouphe shuts it off as well as Karn, the Great Creator. I still need to be fast as it's a race against Ugin, the Spirit Dragon so no reason to cut them all.

Blue/White Control:

This matchup is different thanks to Force of Negation. The old Blue/White Control deck played Terminus, but now favors Supreme Verdict to pitch to force.

Terminus was easier to deal with as you could vial in Meddling Mage or Kitesail Freebooter with the miracle trigger on the stack. If Blue/White has a third sweeper it will likely be Wrath of God to play around Meddling Mage. The silver lining is instead of 4-5 sweepers they now play 2-3.

It's easier to avoid the question of which sweeper to play around by naming Path to Exile with Meddling Mage. This all changes if an early Narset reveals a card you want to name instead.

It's important to have four sideboard slots for creatureless control decks because Reflector Mage is simply a ? human for three mana. Militia Bugler will help me apply pressure through removal and amass a board that can be scary if I draw Thalia's Lieutenant. It also makes adding an additional threat with Phantasmal Image less of a liability.

I tried Selfless Spirit, but it seemed only to be good against Oblivion Stone and Supreme Verdict. It's not the right metagame, but it could after the dust settles.

Gaddock Teeg is good against Blue/White's sweepers, but it's very difficult on the mana. Humans had to cut sweeper hate for Leyline of the Void. Every deck has a weaker sideboard with Hogaak in the metagame so I need more general threats against control.

Dismember comes in despite not being a threat to handle Celestial Colonnade and sideboard Baneslayer Angel and Restoration Angel. I actively want this effect and it's not just the fourth card to cut for Reflector Mage.

Burn:

I don't love Meddling Mage because there are so many different removal spells to consider. I like to name Searing Blaze as it's the most powerful spell in the matchup. It's also still a 2/2 that tangles with Goblin Guide.

Kitesail is more of a guarantee to interact with the removal in hand, but can fall short against the early creature draws so they get the axe.

Even though Burn only picked up four Sunbaked Canyon it is still an upgrade. It hasn't been getting much press, but is a popular strategy in paper tournaments. Once a Burn Guy always a Burn Guy.

This is another matchup that makes me happy to have so many Auriok Champion. Burn brings in at least two Path to Exile to interact with the Champion; watch out for this when going in on copying with Phantasmal Image.

A final note on Auriok Champion is Skullcrack turns off the prevention shield when blocking. It's not always a sure thing to block a Goblin Guide.

Remember you can vial in Meddling Mage in response to fetch land activations. This is important against Searing Blaze as breaking the land can be a sign of what's to come.

That's all I have for today. Again I can't stress the level of detail rewarded for putting in the hours with Humans. You can beat Hogaak if you practice. I'm happy with my deck choice.

Thanks for reading!

-Kyle

TAGS articles, constructed, analysis, modern, decklist, kyle boggemes, 06262019

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