I only have four decks that I play with on a regular basis: Uril, the Miststalker (Commander), Melira, Sylvok Outcast (Commander), Skred Red (Modern), and B/G Poison (Modern).

Occasionally, I update them. This article is going through the process of the current, ever-evolving status of these four decks and the choices I have made to change them. As always, if I’m ever getting together for a Grand Prix, these all see major overhauls, but I haven’t been to one since August, so I am desperate for serious updates to all of them. I hope you see some insight and enjoy!

Uril

Uril, the Miststalker ? Commander | Mike Linnemann

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (11)
• 1 Eternal Dragon
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Krosan Tusker
• 1 Pale Recluse
• 1 Realm Razer
• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Serra Ascendant
• 1 Sylvan Ranger
• 1 Totem-Guide Hartebeest
• 1 Wood Elves
• 1 Yavimaya Elder

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

• Spells (51)
• 1 Argivian Find
• 1 Berserk
• 1 Boros Charm
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 1 Evolution Charm
• 1 Harrow
• 1 Naya Charm
• 1 Noxious Revival
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Tithe
• 1 Armageddon
• 1 Caravan Vigil
• 1 Cataclysm
• 1 Catastrophe
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Divine Reckoning
• 1 Explore
• 1 Farseek
• 1 Growth Spasm
• 1 Idyllic Tutor
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Kruphix's Insight
• 1 Lay of the Land
• 1 Rampant Growth
• 1 Retether
• 1 Safewright Quest
• 1 Three Dreams
• 1 Wheel of Fortune
• 1 Angelic Destiny
• 1 Asha's Favor
• 1 Call to Serve
• 1 Flickerform
• 1 Gaea's Embrace
• 1 Nimbus Wings
• 1 Rancor
• 1 Runes of the Deus
• 1 Scourge of the Nobilis
• 1 Serra's Embrace
• 1 Shield of the Oversoul
• 1 Shiv's Embrace
• 1 Spirit Loop
• 1 Spirit Mantle
• 1 Sterling Grove
• 1 Unquestioned Authority
• 1 Eldrazi Conscription
• 1 Crystal Ball
• 1 Fireshrieker
• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Winter Orb

• Lands (36)
• 4 Mountain
• 1 Ancient Tomb
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 1 Bant Panorama
• 1 Battlefield Forge
• 1 Brushland
• 1 Fire-Lit Thicket
• 1 Jungle Shrine
• 1 Karplusan Forest
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run
• 1 Naya Panorama
• 1 Opal Palace
• 1 Plateau
• 1 Rugged Prairie
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Savannah
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
• 1 Taiga
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Windswept Heath
• 1 Wooded Bastion
• 1 Wooded Foothills
• 3 Snow-Covered Plains
• 5 Snow-Covered Forest
• 1 Yavimaya Hollow

Buy This Deck

Adding

Gift of Estates – This grabs dual lands and shock lands! I’m not sure how I ever missed this bear.

Reviving Melody – I thought this card too expensive, but when a game goes long, I find that I’ll need a fatty and the one evasive Aura for Uril that was hit by a disenchant.

Masterwork of Ingenuity – For 1 mana, I get a Sword of Something and Bashing. Commander, you so crazy.

Myriad Landscape – I’m dropping one Mountain for this fixer. It’s slow, but finding two shock lands or fetch lands is crazy-value if I’m getting nothing off top-decking.

Removing

Explore – I need lands; I don’t need to bring them out faster. I just need them consistently coming. Magical Christmas Land starts are shaky and unneeded.

Scourge of the Nobilis – This deck needs evasion, and this Aura, while cheap, doesn’t allow for hits! It’s a dead, useless Aura. I find other cantrip creatures and other ways to get “value” off Auras to be just dumb. Notice that I don’t play Serra's Sanctum because I don’t want multiple enchantments out. I want one out, with evasion, and bashing hard.

Swords to Plowshares – I’ve casted this, and it’s helped me with games but not to win games. Out it goes!

Mountain – I don’t need it, and the deck is predominantly Forests and Plains anyway.

Melira

Melira, Sylvok Outcast ? Commander | Mike Linnemann

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Acidic Slime
• 1 Artisan of Kozilek
• 1 Brooding Saurian
• 1 Brutalizer Exarch
• 1 Deadly Recluse
• 1 Deadwood Treefolk
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Fierce Empath
• 1 Gatecreeper Vine
• 1 Genesis
• 1 Gobbling Ooze
• 1 Indrik Stomphowler
• 1 Krosan Tusker
• 1 Masked Admirers
• 1 Mwonvuli Beast Tracker
• 1 Riftsweeper
• 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
• 1 Seedborn Muse
• 1 Starved Rusalka
• 1 Sylvan Safekeeper
• 1 Troll Ascetic
• 1 Woodfall Primus
• 1 Yavimaya Elder
• 1 Dosan the Falling Leaf
• 1 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Garruk, Caller of Beasts

• Spells (44)
• 1 Harrow
• 1 Noxious Revival
• 1 Savage Summoning
• 1 Summoner's Pact
• 1 Summoning Trap
• 1 Worldly Tutor
• 1 Cultivate
• 1 Explosive Vegetation
• 1 Far Wanderings
• 1 Green Sun's Zenith
• 1 Harmonize
• 1 Insist
• 1 Kodama's Reach
• 1 Natural Order
• 1 Primal Command
• 1 Ranger's Path
• 1 Regrowth
• 1 Renewal
• 1 Sylvan Tutor
• 1 Tooth and Nail
• 1 Asceticism
• 1 Cream of the Crop
• 1 Leyline of Lifeforce
• 1 Ooze Garden
• 1 Pattern of Rebirth
• 1 Perilous Forays
• 1 Survival of the Fittest
• 1 Altar of Dementia
• 1 Ashnod's Altar
• 1 Birthing Pod
• 1 Blasting Station
• 1 Citanul Flute
• 1 Claws of Gix
• 1 Crystal Ball
• 1 Culling Dais
• 1 Mana Vault
• 1 Mind's Eye
• 1 Phyrexian Altar
• 1 Sculpting Steel
• 1 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Spawning Pit
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Trading Post

• Lands (29)
• 1 Bant Panorama
• 1 Buried Ruin
• 1 Crystal Vein
• 1 Diamond Valley
• 1 Ghost Quarter
• 1 High Market
• 1 Jungle Basin
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Strip Mine
• 1 Temple of the False God
• 1 Verdant Catacombs
• 1 Windswept Heath
• 1 Wooded Foothills
• 10 Snow-Covered Forest
• 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1 Miren, the Moaning Well
• 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1 Yavimaya Hollow

Buy This Deck

Adding

Nessian Game Warden – I’m not sure how I missed this card. Um, yes, I’ll take a short-range creature tutor. It also has among the best artworks of the set—bonus Vorthosian flavor. Mmmm, yes.

Mouth of Ronom – I’m testing this card out with Scrying Sheets as a mini-package. After all, I don’t need any fixing colors, and sometimes, that 3/3 commander—or worse, Zur the Enchanter and Rafiq of the Many—just needs to be killed before shenanigans happen. This also gives me direct damage against them in mono-green!

Scrying Sheets – I find that I need to dig in this deck a lot. Notice the fetch lands and Panoramas included for shuffle effects. Since I play snow basic lands anyway, it doesn’t make sense to not run this card.

Archetype of Endurance – I’ve found this guy to be really fantastic against really just bounce effects and Lignify. I don’t mind my stuff going to the graveyard, but when it goes back to my hand, I grumble. When my cards are neutered, it’s even worse. Adding him in!

Song of the Dryads – Is this spot removal for Planeswalkers? Um, yes, I need dis.

Wave of Vitriol – I find the combo pieces of repeated sacrifice effects in this deck (Altar of Dementia and friends) are quite cheap. When this card drops, I clear all the ish from other players and then combo out. Since I play so many basic lands, it’s an utter win late game when folks just search for nothing!

Jund Panorama and Naya Panorama – I’m adding these instead of two of the fetch lands. They get me the land-fixing if I’m short green, and it gives me the shuffle effect at the correct time: when I need it.

Removing

Cream of the Crop – This card is just too slow for running so few creatures to be useful. It’s cheap, yes, but I’d rather play a combo piece or Melira on turn two—at best.

Jungle Basin – I gave this card a shot. Yeah, it’s slow and bad. I’m adding a snow land instead. I do like trying old-school, double-producing lands because new Commander players forget about them. New Commander products don’t all have the old-school Karoo lands and such in them. And often, in the new Commander products, people remove them . . . for some reason. Maybe that’s a local oddity.

Strip Mine – I find that this is blown up super-fast and doesn’t really help me win; rather, it helps others lose. The snow lands I’m adding are much superior.

Gobbling Ooze – I thought this could help the combo with Woodfall Primus and Melira, but man, it’s slow, and I never have enough lands. I need to go infinite, not zero times upon casting the boom-boom.

Verdant Catacombs, Windswept Heath, and Wooded Foothills – I need shuffle effects, but I’d rather have instant, mana-producing ones, and the shuffle can be used when I need it with the Panoramas, not immediately used as with the fetches.

Skred Red

Skred Red ? Modern | Mike Linnemann

• Creatures (12)
• 2 Magus of the Moon
• 2 Stormbreath Dragon
• 4 Boros Reckoner
• 4 Simian Spirit Guide

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Koth of the Hammer

• Spells (21)
• 2 Volcanic Fallout
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Skred
• 3 Pyroclasm
• 4 Blood Moon
• 2 Mind Stone
• 2 Relic of Progenitus

• Lands (23)
• 2 Scrying Sheets
• 21 Snow-Covered Mountain

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Blasphemous Act
• 3 Combust
• 2 Molten Rain
• 2 Pyrite Spellbomb
• 2 Shatterstorm
• 1 Stormbreath Dragon
• 2 Stuffy Doll

Buy This Deck

Main-Deck Changes

Scrying Sheets – I’m bumping up to three copies. I’ve had no problems with turn three and having one out—meaning I can’t cast Boros Reckoner. I’m taking out a Mountain to run three of them.

Magma Jet – I bumped the Pyroclasms out because I kept killing my Magus of the Moon. These could be interchangeable as packages, but I love the scry ability of the Jet!

Sideboard Changes

Anger of the Gods – Jeskai Ascendancy is a tough deck, and this card kills all the things—and ain’t nobody locally is playing any land-based boom-boom Tron deck, so there’s that.

Blasphemous Act – This card needs a lot more testing, even in the main deck, but I’m finding that I’m not ballsy enough to bring in three copies of this—yet.

Wurmcoil Engine – I’m adding two here, as Kor Firewalkers just suck. It also works great against Delver, against which I don’t need to worry about Path to Exile.

Dragon's Claw – I really hate keeping two of these in the sideboard, but I really have no choice about it. They go out against Burn, though Burn is apparently only important on Magic Online.

Blood Moon – I need to start sideboarding these out better. I play a full set in game one with four Magus of the Moon, and really, in game two, people will play around them. If I add in some spot removal or a sweeper or something of that sort, it may serve me better.

Stormbreath Dragon – I’m dropping one of these from the sideboard. I was running two copies of Demigod of Revenge for a while, and that third in the sideboard really brought it over the top. Then, Path to Exile was everywhere in my local metagame, so I swapped them out. I think Frank came to a similar conclusion.

Not Choosing

Monastery Swiftspear – I feel this more often than not just does nothing. It’s very metagame-specific, and I haven’t needed it yet. I have a play set for testing in case I do need it.

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker – This is my new test. He hits hard but can be Path to Exiled. I love his second ability to double with Skred on a Boros Reckoner, but I need him to live another turn. I think he’s better than Koth of the Hammer, and in my playtesting with friends, I’m using him now.

Cathedral of War – It seems so good until it slows the deck an entire turn for not having access to blue mana.

New Skred Red ? Modern | Mike Linnemann

• Creatures (12)
• 2 Magus of the Moon
• 2 Stormbreath Dragon
• 4 Boros Reckoner
• 4 Simian Spirit Guide

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Koth of the Hammer

• Spells (21)
• 2 Volcanic Fallout
• 3 Magma Jet
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Skred
• 4 Blood Moon
• 2 Mind Stone
• 2 Relic of Progenitus

• Lands (23)
• 2 Scrying Sheets
• 21 Snow-Covered Mountain

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Anger of the Gods
• 2 Blasphemous Act
• 3 Combust
• 2 Dragon's Claw
• 2 Pyrite Spellbomb
• 2 Shatterstorm
• 2 Wurmcoil Engine

Buy This Deck

I played my Skred deck against my neighbor Brian, and man, he got so wrecked. Skred Red is the real deal when all you’re playing against are control players and bad Zoo decks. He played with this list:

Esper Control ? Modern | Brian Litzinger

• Creatures (3)
• 1 Grave Titan
• 2 Snapcaster Mage

• Spells (31)
• 1 Dig Through Time
• 1 Doom Blade
• 1 Mana Leak
• 1 Negate
• 1 White Sun's Zenith
• 2 Logic Knot
• 2 Remand
• 2 Shadow of Doubt
• 2 Sphinx's Revelation
• 3 Spell Snare
• 4 Cryptic Command
• 4 Esper Charm
• 4 Path to Exile
• 3 Supreme Verdict

• Lands (26)
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Island
• 2 Plains
• 1 Darkslick Shores
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Tectonic Edge
• 2 Creeping Tar Pit
• 2 Glacial Fortress
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Watery Grave
• 3 Celestial Colonnade
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 4 Flooded Strand

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 2 Leyline of Sanctity
• 2 Shadow of Doubt
• 2 Rule of Law
• 2 Spellskite
• 2 Stony Silence
• 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• 2 Timely Reinforcements
• 1 Utter End

Buy This Deck

After playing a bunch of games over beers, Brian moved to this list, as Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon just frickin’ rocked him. He did better then.

New Esper Control ? Modern | Brian Litzinger

• Creatures (2)
• 2 Snapcaster Mage

• Spells (33)
• 1 Dig Through Time
• 1 Doom Blade
• 1 Negate
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Surgical Extraction
• 1 White Sun's Zenith
• 2 Logic Knot
• 2 Sphinx's Revelation
• 3 Remand
• 4 Cryptic Command
• 4 Esper Charm
• 4 Path to Exile
• 4 Spell Snare
• 3 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Batterskull

• Lands (25)
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Island
• 2 Plains
• 1 Darkslick Shores
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Tectonic Edge
• 2 Creeping Tar Pit
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Watery Grave
• 3 Celestial Colonnade
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 4 Flooded Strand

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 2 Leyline of Sanctity
• 2 Rule of Law
• 2 Shadow of Doubt
• 2 Spellskite
• 2 Stony Silence
• 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
• 2 Timely Reinforcements
• 1 Utter End

Buy This Deck

B/G Poison

B/G Poison ? Modern | Mike Linnemann

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Blighted Agent
• 4 Glistener Elf
• 4 Ichorclaw Myr

• Spells (28)
• 3 Apostle's Blessing
• 4 Groundswell
• 4 Might of Old Krosa
• 4 Mutagenic Growth
• 4 Vines of Vastwood
• 1 Distortion Strike
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 4 Rancor

• Lands (20)
• 3 Forest
• 3 Island
• 1 Hinterland Harbor
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Inkmoth Nexus
• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Pendelhaven

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Distortion Strike
• 2 Hurkyl's Recall
• 2 Nature's Claim
• 2 Ranger's Guile
• 2 Simic Charm
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 2 Spellskite
• 2 Twisted Image

Buy This Deck

Maindeck Changes

Hinterland Harbor – I haven’t ever fetched for nothing, and I’ve really underrated this land in the past—ayup.

Noble Hierarch – I’m slowing down the deck a bit to be more explosive. This card allows me to get the pump and do stupid things with exalted—plus, it provides extra mana for combat math.

Dispel – There are so many instants in Jeskai decks. I’m putting them in the main deck, and oddly, they’ve been helping with Path to Exile, too! Bonus tech!

Groundswell – I’m finding it harder to cast this as I slow down the deck. It’s often just a +2/+2 with Wild Defiance instead of a +7/+7. I’m dropping it down one, but man, it still is so good.

Simic Charm – Again, a slower deck makes this card—which does everything an infect deck wants—awesome. It bounces, it pumps, and it protects. What else can you ask for?

Distortion Strike – I like this as a surprise more than as a main-deck option.

Sideboard Changes

Become Immense – I love this card, a lot. I only keep them in the sideboard, but cripes, for longer games, it’s a 1-drop win.

Ranger's Guile – This was my original Apostle's Blessing until I realized the minor pump it gives is nearly useless. It’s time to let this girl go.

Spell Pierce – When it comes to our local metagame, man, I need to find more ways to disrupt Jeskai decks, and this sure helps a ton with wave after wave of cheap removal.

Not Considering

Treasure Cruise – Yeah, it goes in here, too. I’ve found that it really digs for one card: Inkmoth Nexus. Late game, I’m finding that everything is going to be countered or killed, and this can get to the win, but every single time I’ve cast it, it’s been countered—every time. In Legacy, it could work, but it’s sure as hell not in Modern from my testing.

New B/G Poison ? Modern | Mike Linnemann

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Blighted Agent
• 4 Glistener Elf
• 4 Noble Hierarch

• Spells (28)
• 2 Simic Charm
• 3 Groundswell
• 4 Apostle's Blessing
• 4 Dispel
• 4 Might of Old Krosa
• 4 Mutagenic Growth
• 4 Vines of Vastwood
• 3 Wild Defiance

• Lands (20)
• 2 Forest
• 2 Island
• 3 Hinterland Harbor
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Inkmoth Nexus
• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Pendelhaven

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Distortion Strike
• 2 Hurkyl's Recall
• 2 Nature's Claim
• 2 Become Immense
• 3 Spell Pierce
• 2 Spellskite
• 2 Twisted Image

Buy This Deck

More changes are coming, of course, but this is where I am as of today. Thanks for reading, and let know what’s egregiously wrong—as always!

-Mike

P.S. I’m currently working on a cosplay. I’ll update everyone soon.

P.P.S. Snack Time with Mike and Ant is looking for big-time flavor folks (Doug Beyer, artist Jaime Jones, etc.) you’d like to hear interviewed. Let me or Ant know whom you think would be great!