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Main » Articles » A Modern March Monastery Swiftspear Matinee

A Modern March Monastery Swiftspear Matinee

Michael Flores
Posted on March 23, 2021
 Reddit

It is my favorite archetype in my favorite format!

I like it so much that just last week, I pondered purchasing another playset of its signature card just for kicks. But as a paper player, it's one I haven't been able to actually shuffle up for in other a year.

That hasn't stopped other folks from exploring the Red Deck in Modern -- far from it. The good news is that Monastery Swiftspear and company are alive and well in that format; currently mostly played on Magic: The Gathering Online. The better news is -- despite the repeated releases of ban-worthy cards over the past several sets -- it is even more diverse and contributing than ever.

So much so that for this revue I decided to break it out into a bunch of separate sections.

The Boros Classic

Let's start with the most recognizable color combination for the Red Deck in Modern: Boros.

Here's, more-or-less, what the classic implementation looks like in March of 2021:

Boros Burn | Modern | Scipios, 5-0 Modern League 3/2/21

The starting sixty here is pretty uncontroversial. The only slots that even hint at eyebrow-raising are the three copies of Skullcrack. And you probably already know, I Hate Skullcrack. You can easily turn those three into the fourth Searing Blaze, the fourth Lightning Helix, and the 20th land and you could have plucked this deck out of any time the last three years.

I do think it's notable that - outside of this particular style of this particular color combination (Boros) - no one really plays Skullcrack any more. And good for them. If you're not going to play Lurrus of the Dream-Den (and SCIPIOS didn't in this build), there is very little reason not to just play Bonecrusher Giant.

Like, imagine you were up against this monster:

Company Combo | Modern | NickDeBe, 5-0 Modern League 3/9/21

You're not realistically going to stop them from gaining infinite life with Spike Feeder + Archangel of Thune unless their back is already against the wall and their mana is pinned; not with a single Skullcrack. Even against a deck like this I feel like you're better off just being able to interact with their creatures before they get there.

I do think it's puzzling SCIPIOS didn't play Lurrus of the Dream-Den in this build, as it has very little incremental cost. The deck is already set up for ww Kor Firewalkers out of the sideboard (which are themselves outstanding balls of yarn for the Legendary Cat). Doubly so given...

Boros Burn | Modern | Scipios, 5-0 Modern League 3/2/2021

SCIPIOS put up dueling 5-0 finishes in the same Modern League, with very different Boros decks!

This one doesn't play Eidolon of the Great Revel, probably because that absolute powerhouse would do more damage to SCIPIOS than the opponent. This deck is all about buffing creatures with cheap spells. It plays not only the full set of Monastery Swiftspears, but Swiftspear Jr., Soul-Scar Mage and the 2-drop / card drawing version: Abbot of Keral Keep. It has a light card draw engine, most importantly Lurrus of the Dream-Den + Mishra's Bauble. As long as Lurrus doesn't die, you can draw two cards per turn and buff your prowess guys.

The kind of "out there" card here is Myth Realized. I had to double-take on that one because - despite buying a playset back when it was Standard-legal - I don't recall the card ever actually being good enough to play; certainly not in Modern before. That said, this 5-0 was not the only time I saw this build and / or card in the March results, so I assume it has some purpose.

Myth Realized

First and foremost, this is a cheap way to buff the regular prowess guys. One mana +1/+1 and all that. But if also has a persistent benefit. The same spells that would be buffing your Abbot of Keral Keep for the turn is going to buff Myth Realized forever. Activating it only costs w, and it's quite resilient against removal.

As a permanent card, Myth Realized is also a nice buy-back for Lurrus.

You might have noticed the classic Boros used Rest in Peace as its sideboard graveyard hoser; Tormod's Crypt is the choice in this one, again, because of its re-buy ability with Lurrus.

This is not the only way to focus on prowess, however.

Mono-Red Builds, including Prowess

Mono-Red Prowess | Modern | Gereffi, 5-0 Modern League 3/2/21

A build like this one is extremely focused on the interplay between getting a creature that can benefit from playing spells down, and then playing spells to make it big. Blistercoil Weird offers redundancy over Soul-Scar Mage (which was already redundant over Monastery Swiftspear).

The curve on this deck is extremely low. The only cards that don't cost one are Manamorphose (which kind of costs 0), Runaway Steam-Kin (which kind of costs negative), and Bedlam Reveler, which often costs two. This helps allot for the thin 18 lands. Though if it were me, I'd play the full eight copies of Firey Islet and Sunbaked Canyon.

Mono-Red Prowess | Modern | Akkomier, 5-0 Modern League 3/2/21

Same strategy, different details.

AKKOMIER's deck is the most explosive implementation of the Red Deck in current Modern. Nivmagus Elemental is literally twice as threatening as the typical prowess creature, and can close and corner against someone hapless enough to not have a piece of point removal.

Kiln Field is a card I've toyed with playing in various sideboards over the years, but AKKOMIER has a pair in the main here. Kiln Field is like a proactive version of Eidolon of the Great Revel. Like most of the prowess-focused builds, this one doesn't really want Eidolon because it would deal more damage to AKKOMIER than it would to the opponent.

Mono-Red Prowess | Modern | St0nehe4rt, 5-0 Modern League 3/9/21

On the other end of the spectrum, but still Mono-Red, is a version like ST0NEHE4RT's. While unusual at first glance, decks like this one are among the most common macro builds of the Red Deck in Modern.

What do you notice about this one?

All the cards are odd!

So that is a good excuse not to play Eidolon of the Great Revel, I guess. Rather than Lurrus of the Dream-Den, this build runs Obosh, the Preypiercer in the sideboard as its companion. As a deck with all casting costs, unlike with prowess, this one doesn't stop on one.

Blood Moon
Seasoned Pyromancer

Blood Moon is a clunker... But there is no shortage of Tron players who would wish you didn't have it in your starting sixty.

Seasoned Pyromancer is an unusually powerful card for a Modern Red Deck. But among other things, it gives you an outlet to discard your stupid Blood Moons. Three and five are both good spots to play this card. You can even set up potentially advantageous positions with [card]Firebolt or Lava Dart.

A League of Their Own: The Decks of MHayashi

While I was impressed by SCIPIOS putting up two 5-0 finishes with two Boros decks in the same Modern League I would be hella remiss to not mention the profoundly varied ways MHayashi has attacked the format using basic Mountains.

Let's start with this build:

Mono-Red | Modern | MHayashi, 5-0 Modern League 3/2/21

It looks a lot like the Seasoned Pyromancer / Blood Moon deck we just looked at, right?

The details here make for an even better team, though.

I like Spikefield Hazard... But how about Valakut Awakening in the same spot? Maybe you're a little worse against Infect; but you get another way to discard your stupid Blood Moons! Or Seasoned Pyromancers. Or Firebolts.

The deck still has threes and fives but only 16 Mountains. In addition to Valakut Awakening, this build gains Shatterskull Smashing to cast its more expensive cards if it needs the extra land.

But what about Obosh? No Preypiercer here... MHAYASHI has delved into even casting costs. Surely it must be the most powerful 2-drop in the Modern format, Eidolon of the Great... What the!?!

Nope! This is the first of several decks where Heartfire Immolator has found a home.

The most unusual card in the version has to be Brittle Effigy. It's weirdly expensive to use, but it does kind of a lot, doesn't it? This is Baneslayer Angel defense... And is probably worth siding in against stuff like Griselbrand. Unlike a Path to Exile, it can actually target Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

Conclusive?

Even MHAYASHI has not conclusively concluded.

A week later...

Mono-Red | Modern | MHayashi, 5-0 Modern League 3/9/21

Pyrite Spellbomb?

I looked and looked for a Lurrus of the Dream-Den, but this deck doesn't actually have a second color.

So many cards in flux. Forgotten Cave! Lava Dart (but still no Soul-Scar Mage). Still, Heartfire Immolator.

Last one for this section:

Mono-Red | Modern | MHayashi, 5-0 Modern League 3/5/21

Figure of Destiny!

Figure of Destiny was the 1-drop of choice for Red Decks aplenty - all the way to the Flame Rift Legacy build - basically from the moment it was printed. I personally was happy to start with it in both Rakdos and Skred Red in Standard.

The Kithkin-Kithkin Spirit-Kithkin Spirit Warrior-Kithkin Spirit Warrior Avatar eventually got a bunk mate at the one in Goblin Guide; and was generally phased out by Eidolon of the Great Revel. Can Figure of Destiny win a Pro Tour? Sure... Like in a White Weenie deck.

I have no idea which of these builds is the best, but Figure here was jaw-dropping for me. It makes a lot of sense. MHAYASHI's decks look like the ones with Soul-Scar Mage, but they're so much more mid-range. I think sacrificing the explosiveness of Monastery Swiftspear is - almost unbelievably - okay here because the deck isn't about explosion. It's about building advantages, tactics, and two-for-ones.

Anyway, I just love how much play is going on in what seems like a narrow band.

What about the new kids on Monastery Swiftspear's block?

Emerging: Rakdos

Even though a lot of them played Bomat Courier - which I think is an underrated offensive Red Deck card generally - I drew the line at Death's Shadow.

But March showed plenty of pedigree for builds like this one:

Rakdos Burn | Modern | Idutra, 5-0 Modern League 3/5/21

I absolutely love where this deck is coming from.

Wayward Guide-Beast is the weirdo... But before you reject it out of hand, remember that X-4 cards in this main deck effectively cost one mana. It's not that Wayward Guide-Beast won't set you behind, but rather that it might not matter.

It really, really, ups your likelihood of having a 2/2 haster on turn one if you want it, though!

All of us -- even the 26 or even 28 land crowd - know what it's like to get stuck on one land. Wayward Guide-Beast can actually help you in those spots. You can tap your land, rumble, and then re-play the same land to get mana in a turn where you otherwise wouldn't.

Finally, the card has the superpower of being a 2/2 that doesn't attack on turn one. This is actually surprisingly useful against decks with hateful 2/2s that don't have something like lifelink or first strike; or the ubiquitous 1/1 and 1/2 threats of opposing Red Decks.

The Black splash is for Bump in the Night - which you know I approve of - and Scourge of the Skyclaves. That's a special one... It's like a Death's Shadow that doesn't ask you to tumble down the spiral staircase yourself. You can close surprisingly quickly.

Love this deck. Just love it.

Emerging: Izzet

Finally, this is probably the most important addition to the Monastery Swiftspear family in Modern. It looks like the most successful in larger formats.

Izzet Burn | Modern | Astralplane, 2nd Place Modern Challenge 3/7/2021

ASTRALPLANE's deck has a lot of the character of the prowess decks, but with wildly upgraded creatures and options. Manamorphose is always great... But how about just to make a Stormwing Entity on turn two? Truck with a Sprite Dragon?

Most of the rest of the main is just variations on a common theme, but there is one card - one card - that I tip my fedora to in this one:

Vapor Snag

One mana. And it deals damage? Chef's kiss.

The ability to add stuff like Aether Gust and Spell Pierce after sideboarding make for a richer ability to interact. But when you're doing this much prowess damage? Is it really going to come up?

LOVE

MIKE

TAGS articles, metagame, constructed, analysis, burn, modern, decklist, mono-red, michael flores, 03232021, monastery swiftspear

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