MODERN GAMEPLAY IS SO GOOD NOW! Rakdos Skelemental (Modern Rakdos Unearth Midrange MTG)

[@MH-dn3jz]

"YAAAS YAAAAS I'M SO SMART- GODDMMIT NOOO" at 12:44 is priceless Phil pain

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Insert the Char meme here.

[@animeexpresscon]

Not sure if it can be said that its a 10k IQ play when he waited till his opponent's turn yet didn't chump block the automaton before sac-ing the mage. Would have saved damage and bought at least one more turn.

[@colinrooney711]

Coming here to say this lol

[@GGun1t]

That main surgical in R2G1 had me laugh out loud 😂

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I was absolutely floored.

[@ComradeVenus]

YEAH ME TOO LMFAOOOOOO

[@IzidioAlex]

This league simply leveled up the "Phil's Talent for Attracting Bad Matches" Class to level 2

[@lemoncobra2563]

It's kind of crazy how the redditors were complaining about how bad modern was going to be after the B&R but really modern feels like its in such a great place with deck variety. im really happy with it

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I have have fun in every league I played since the bannings. Seems great to me as a "casual" player of Modern.

[@derekcline950]

Did people complain? I only heard of massive complaints for Legacy bans not going far enough. Granted, Modern should have gone farther too, but everyone loves the unbans.

[@amarimars]

The league went very well considering the insane abundance of graveyard hate, seems the metagame is terrified of faithless looting. I think the metagame needs to calm down a bit before skelemental has a chance. Thanks for trying it out!

[@DuncanOrSomething]

SKELEMENTAL GAMING

[@hunterstrong3318]

In a format that allows for t2 emrakul swing, gotta hate on graves. Dont worry i feel the pain too as a graveyard player.

[@andrewwang7699]

Through the breach doesn’t get hated on by graveyard hate though? :P

[@metalfreekz13]

​@@andrewwang7699Goryo's Vengeance does

[@deskbot000]

Important to note that Dauthi isn't really an answer to Ajani since it only prevents Cards from going to GY, and Tokens aren't cards. Ajani can still flip if his cat token dies, Dauthi only prevents the flip from other real creatures like Ocelot Pride or a second Ajani.

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I'm guessing that if I called Dauthi an answer to Ajani, I meant that it was a creature that could pressure the planeswalker side. It's been a little while since I recorded the league at this point though.

[@deskbot000]

@@ThrabenUniversity That makes sense, thanks for the clarification : )

[@matkov80]

12:31 why do the upkeep fulminator instead of blocking automaton and try to go for nexus in combat ?

[@rathashira]

this league is a pretty good representation of how me trying modern has gone

[@alexzavoluk2271]

Your opponent opened on saga + patchwork automaton 3 games in a row, I wouldn't feel bad about opening meltdown.

[@nicaroso]

32:30 You could totally have cast that collapse with descend. Skelemental had just ate a removal spell.

[@ericbarr734]

I thought the same thing but the second mode is noncreature (and nonland) so he didn't have a second target

[@rosly_yt]

Match 1 was so fun to watch, 12:44 is such a great clip, Welding Jar OP I guess.

[@professorgvd]

27:24 does kroxa give revolt for fatal push?

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Oh snap, that is a much cleaner line than what I did. It does "give up" the Kroxa to Ghost Vacuum, and I think I worked towards hardcasting that another turn or two down the line, but that wasn't on my radar and was lower risk.

[@JimWolfie]

You know if we replace the terminates wirh abrupt decay, we can kill through ward :)

[@briandixon9140]

Lightning Skelemental!!!

[@azrirahmat1351]

SKELEMETAL LIGHTNING!!!!!

[@lucasmilano9358]

That nihil spellbomb in round 3 had me dying. The surgical was crazy too.

[@RealMrLoki]

Thanks!

[@ThrabenUniversity]

And thank you Mr. Loki!

[@dustinfurness2155]

Match one your last turn terminate on patchwork was live because it can’t be regenerated with welding jar but maybe I missed something

[@doctorexam6164]

It was, but meltdown just answered it better. Also ward 2 exists on patchwork autaumaton

[@dustinfurness2155]

@ I was referring to how he was at 6 life staring down 6/6 patchwork and welding jar with no blockers and he played faithless looting drawing terminate. No meltdown and he just conceded. If he already made his land drop I’m dumb but otherwise he had 1 untapped land. One land, 1 terminate, “regenerate target artifact” doesn’t work with welding jar because “cannot be regenerated” is part of the text on terminate. Stabilize between 4 and 6 life. Maybe he’d lose eventually anyway but not necessarily on the turn he conceded right before. If it was walking ballista or something like that he was dead either way though.

[@TalismanG1]

Patchy has ward 2, phil had enough mana to cast terminate but not enough to pay for ward

[@Korwinga]

@@dustinfurness2155 I was initially thinking the same thing, but Ward 2 means that he would have needed to have 4 mana after the faithless looting.

[@dustinfurness2155]

@@Korwinga good point. Ward 2. I wasn’t think of that either. 2-3 mana terminate would just get countered.

[@filippodardi2180]

5:00 "I don't know how the [unaudible] I beat something like a Shadowspear" Phil said, tenderly holding a Molten Collapse in hand 48:45 I agree. From an outsider perspective, Modern looks messy but thought-provoking (and not, like recent times, "nuke-dropped-on-your-head" messy)

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Re the first point: there are three creatures on board already, two of which will continue to scale. I think that Molten Collapse is pretty clearly on creature removal duty. I have greatly enjoyed my Modern games thus far!

[@azlimajid2900]

RBX variant decks are cfm needed to play playset Meltdown+Leyline of the void+pyroclasm in the SB!

[@arpitdesai7736]

I feel like the card: "Nowhere to Run" is kind of mandatory in all B/x decks just to stave off all the random ward abilities. Just like the mainboard surgical which kind of makes sense now.

[@sympathism]

Lithoform blight is a sinkhole + draw for urza's saga :D I was thinking about running blightnings and flare of duplication tho the unearths are also sweet

[@Zoomlenial]

That g2 was nefarious wow 😂

[@andyony2]

The thumbnail seemed so compelling, until you realize, that' it is the first week of the year 😄

[@ThrabenUniversity]

😂

[@OhOneNine]

Glad to see the deck do it's thing in Match 5! 💀⚡

[@Alikaoz]

Finally! The thumbnail was haunting me...

[@Amphidsf]

Love me a good ball blightning

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Don't we all!?

[@LordOfCrabz]

What's your thoughts of implementing the "1 of" rule to modern to help diversify and unban a few extra cards while keeping a reasonable power level?

[@dave7592]

Id add some number of silent gravestone, one more molten collapse to the sb, and maybe pyroclasms

[@data_abort]

15:05 Surgical in Boros?

[@liamcd123]

I wonder if you wanted Thoughtseize against the Eldrazi decks over Dauthi as another way to keep them off balance. I get wanting to up the threat density though.

[@dyonisus2234]

Funniest part of this league for sure is the sheer amount of mainboard graveyard hate everyone is packing. I mean, a fucking Bojuka Bog for crying out loud.

[@professorgvd]

I tried to build a boros(/mardu) ball lightning recursion deck focusing on recruiter of the guard and thunderkin awakener, and I thought it was pretty sweet but didn't perform very well against... Well, anything. Still on the fence about submitting bc I don't think it's viable lol

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I played a Thunderkin Awakener deck MANY years ago, and it felt sketchy then. I'm not sure the power is there.

[@assman604]

but terminate can still kill thru a welding jar?

[@diobrando5896]

Is splinter twin hype dead? I think one rakdos charm in the side could be good

[@ComradeVenus]

game 1 ending by your big brain play flopping after opponent draws the second welding jar, into game 2 opponent having a random maindeck surgical. i was WHEEZING wtf are these games lmaoooo

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Best league of the year doesn't always mean that I'm winning!

[@sel-ain]

Best League of 2025, I guess there have been a few already!

[@hiperbird]

Do you think blood splatter analisys could fit on this? Or is it too cute?

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I've never seen that one before now. It doesn't seem crazy to me, but it's definitely borderline on the playability scale.

[@swampybwoy]

I’m getting de ja vu

[@blackdragonepic]

correct me if I'm wrong, but in round 1, don't you want to first block with fulminator mage, saving yourself 7 life, and then sacrifice it before damage to destroy the land?

[@ThrabenUniversity]

In the future, leave me timestamps for questions like this so I can answer better. My guess is that I valued removing the mana source very highly if I took a line that did not take a "free" block before sacrificing.

[@blackdragonepic]

@@ThrabenUniversity right! forgot about that 12:29

[@Guimigli]

@@ThrabenUniversity Also in the same game, 13:10 , terminate keeps you in the game as the creature can''t be regenerated

[@blackdragonepic]

@@Guimigli no, he can't pay for the ward cost

[@TelosKeith]

Game 1 does land terminate not keep you in the game? The creature can’t regenerate.

[@davemiller8417]

I was wondering aswell, lately Phil get's a bit sloppy at the end of recording sessions ;)

[@S0UP3R_Duck]

⁠@@davemiller8417Automaton has ward, he can’t terminate it.

[@StoneAgeDudemanGaming]

7:17 CrEaTuReS dIe To ReMoVaL I guess not anymore!

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I don't even need to click that timestamp to know what moment this is lol

[@doctorexam6164]

As a hardened scales player, if the opponent was playing correctly in round 1 I dont think you really have much chance of winning, though I don't know their decklist, scales is a super bad matchup for you.

[@joeaquilino19]

With 🙏 respect to your Philosophys I can't help to think leaving though seize on the bench these games maybe have been a mistake. Especially in last game. I can't help to think cards that would cause a gear shift 🤔 yet are poor later wouldn't really be to much of a Bane at with all of the optional replacement you have in your drawing suit. Considering that it would also have to be an afterthought and something you need to be prepared for but when they pay off I think it would really be worth it. Also .... can't help to think 😕 surgical seems really good in current meta.😊

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Oh I have NO IDEA what I'm doing when it comes to sideboarding in Modern. I'm pretty darn good in Legacy, as I have massive format knowledge, but I'm always winging it in Modern.

[@TROLOLOLOLO007]

Terminate doesnt work because of the dumb ward UGH

[@ThrabenUniversity]

That was so brutal.

[@ahhhabee]

you really can't be mad about hardened scales, that game was amazing

[@christopherneil8265]

One haste please

[@TheRealActualPaincake]

Naaah, there is no way you need mainboard GY-hate that bad in this current meta, right?

[@Tambanti]

Is Hogaak legal in modern again? Feels like there is a lot more graveyard hate then their should be in a "healthy" format. Ohh modern is still unhealthy? Got it

[@ThrabenUniversity]

As an outsider, Modern has felt pretty darn good in the handful of leagues I have played. Relative to the pre-banning format, this is MUCH more enjoyable to me.

[@Tambanti]

@ThrabenUniversity Ohh it's more enjoyable for sure. I just feel like so much graveyard hate may be a red flag for the overall health of the format.

[@DimitrisAlisafakis-vb7jw]

Last time you played this deck you got paired with your counter, five times in a row? In about 10 other videos ive seen, your chain topdecks are unreal trash back to back. Maybe we should start to doubt the clients transparency and fairness? Just sayin.

[@ThrabenUniversity]

I, obviously, do Dark Rituals to get that luck.

[@majormartintibor]

If this becomes a modern channel I'll unsub ^^ Please wotc, fucking fix Legacy...

[@ThrabenUniversity]

Legacy has a few clear problems, but the format is certainly at least "playable." There will be a handful of Modern leagues moving forward, but the plan is certainly to keep the focus on Legacy, don't worry.