The Spiciest Decklists from Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3

In total, 243 Modern decklists were submitted for Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, but some stand out more than others. The spiciest decks use innovative combinations of cards, represent a novel archetype, or do something that no one saw coming. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at eight Modern decks that stood out to me the most. All of them leverage new cards from Modern Horizons 3, and all stand a real chance at winning the Pro Tour. Let’s dive into this brand-new metagame!

1 Aven Interrupter
4 Nadu, Winged Wisdom
1 Endurance
4 Springheart Nantuko
1 Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
1 Vizier of Remedies
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Devoted Druid
1 Haywire Mite
4 Delighted Halfling
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Chord of Calling
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Springleaf Drum
1 Luxior, Giada’s Gift
1 Shuko
1 Viridian Longbow
4 Urza’s Saga
4 Windswept Heath
2 Temple Garden
1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Lush Portico
1 Island
1 Hedge Maze
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Forest
1 Breeding Pool
1 Plains
1 Boseiju, Who Endures


1 Solitude
2 Endurance
1 Skyclave Apparition
1 Aven Interrupter
2 Drannith Magistrate
1 Soulless Jailer
2 Force of Vigor
1 Kaldra Compleat
1 Batterskull
1 Assimilation Aegis
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Blazing Torch

Many players at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 registered decks that utilize Nadu, Winged Wisdom, alongside Shuko and Springheart Nantuko to essentially draw their entire deck, winning the game through Endurance loops or good old Thassa’s Oracle. The most unique variation of this Bird Wizard-based build comes from Christopher Henderson, who qualified via the U.S. Regional Championship.

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Devoted Druid
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Henderson’s unique element in the deck is Devoted Druid. On its own, it’s a fine two-drop for the deck, acting like the more ubiquitous Wall of Roots.I It contributes towards Chord of Calling, provides a creature on the battlefield for Nadu, and ramps ahead for Urza’s Saga activations. However, when combined with Vizier of Remedies or Luxior, Giada’s Gift, Devoted Druid adds infinite mana and infinite untaps, which Viridian Longbow can turn into infinite damage.

To bridge the different combos in the deck, Stoneforge Mystic serves as the glue that holds it all together. There’s only one Shuko and only one Luxior, Giada’s Gift in the deck, but Stoneforge Mystic can fetch whichever one you need. If you see Nadu, Winged Wisdom early on, then you can fetch Shuko and go off. If you instead draw Devoted Druid, then you can switch plans and grab Luxior, Giada’s Gift. The result is a beautiful marriage between different combo strategies, forcing the opponent to respect multiple angles.

3 Chatterfang, Squirrel General
1 Ruthless Lawbringer
1 Peregrin Took
1 Boggart Trawler
4 Warren Soultrader
1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
2 Marionette Apprentice
3 Orcish Bowmasters
4 Samwise Gamgee
1 Viscera Seer
3 Cauldron Familiar
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
4 Gilded Goose
2 Delighted Halfling
4 Collected Company
4 Chord of Calling
1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
4 Windswept Heath
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Underground Mortuary
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Phyrexian Tower
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
1 Lush Portico
1 Temple Garden
1 Blooming Marsh


3 Archon of Emeria
1 Tireless Tracker
2 Dauthi Voidwalker
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Haywire Mite
3 Thoughtseize
2 Flare of Malice
2 Fatal Push

Jesse Colford, who qualified for his first Pro Tour at the U.S. Regional Championship earlier this year, is the only player in the tournament to register Warren Soultrader, a powerful new combo enabler from Modern Horizons 3.

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Warren Soultrader enables multiple combos in this deck. First of all, if you control Warren Soultrader, Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and a Food, then you can sacrifice the Familiar, bring it back, create a Food, and loop for infinite drains. Of course, this combo was possible with Viscera Seer before Modern Horizons 3 released. While Viscera Seer remains in the deck as a Chord of Calling target, Warren Soultrader unlocks additional combos that transform this deck into a possible powerhouse.

If you control Warren Soultrader, Chatterfang, Squirrel General, and a Squirrel, then you can sacrifice a Squirrel, create a Treasure and a Squirrel, and loop. Each iteration of the loop turns one life into one Treasure. With Samwise Gamgee or Peregrin Took to create Food along the way, this translates into infinite life. With Marionette Apprentice or Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim on the battlefield, all of these dying Squirrels quickly take the opponent down to zero life. With so many different combos, this deck always has a surprise in store!

3 Nulldrifter
2 Drowner of Truth
4 Devourer of Destiny
1 Sowing Mycospawn
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Eldrazi Linebreaker
4 Wastescape Battlemage
4 It That Heralds the End
4 All Is Dust
4 Dismember
4 Kozilek’s Command
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Secluded Courtyard
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Ugin’s Labyrinth
4 Eldrazi Temple
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Mountain


1 Kozilek, the Broken Reality
3 Sowing Mycospawn
4 Trinisphere
2 Damping Matrix
2 Disruptor Flute
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Relic of Progenitus

While many players brought Eldrazi decks with Urza’s lands or Through the Breach, there are various ways to build around the sheer scale of these colorless creatures. Greg Michel and Matt Sikkink Johnson, both of whom qualified via their performance at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, registered a spicy Temur version of the Eldrazi deck.

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Eldrazi Linebreaker
Wastescape Battlemage

Using Ugin’s Labyrinth or Eldrazi Temple, this deck can start with It That Heralds the End on turn one, follow that up with Eldrazi Linebreaker on turn two, and swing for eight damage. With the right draw, it’s possible to win as early as turn three. Meanwhile, It That Heralds the End helps cast Devourer of Destiny or All Is Dust, the latter of which acts as a one-sided sweeper since all the deck’s creatures are devoid of color. This is an aggro deck that packs a punch!

Even though this deck does not run a single Island or Forest, it can easily pay the kicker cost of Wastescape Battlemage or the evoke cost of Nulldrifter, providing value in the mid-game. All you have to do is name Eldrazi with Cavern of Souls, Secluded Courtyard, or Unclaimed Territory, and you’ll have access to any color (or lack thereof) of mana you need.

4 Slickshot Show-Off
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Dragon’s Rage Channeler
3 Assault Strobe
3 Scale Up
1 Legion Leadership
2 Blossoming Defense
2 Monstrous Rage
3 Mutagenic Growth
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Dart
4 Mishra’s Bauble
1 Underworld Breach
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Commercial District
2 Bloodstained Mire
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Arid Mesa
3 Stomping Ground
3 Mountain


4 Questing Druid
3 Harsh Mentor
2 Pick Your Poison
2 Abrade
2 Snakeskin Veil
2 Tormod’s Crypt

Brian Boss, who qualified by taking his Standard Boros Prowess deck to a great result at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, brought a unique take on Modern Gruul Prowess to Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3. While Monastery Swiftspear and Slickshot Show-Off are standard inclusions for the archetype, Boss’stake is the only deck at the tournament to include Soul-Scar Mage, Assault Strobe, Scale Up, Legion Leadership, Blossoming Defense, Monstrous Rage, and Snakeskin Veil.

Scale Up
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Mutagenic Growth

The unique part of the deck is the combo angle of Scale Up and Assault Strobe. With Soul-Scar Mage on turn one, you can play both cards on turn two to create an 8-power double-striker. Add Mutagenic Growth, and you can deal lethal damage as early as turn two!

To support this plan, Monstrous Rage gives trample and Blossoming Defense provides protection from opposing removal spells. Moreover, this is the only deck in the entire tournament to use Legion Leadership, which acts as a backup Assault Strobe while supporting the mana base. It’s not just an uncommon for draft—it has Modern pedigree as well!

4 Vengevine
1 Wonder
4 Prized Amalgam
4 Psychic Frog
3 Narcomoeba
4 Merfolk Secretkeeper
4 Stitcher’s Supplier
4 Hedron Crab
2 Gravecrawler
4 Creeping Chill
3 Flare of Denial
4 Otherworldly Gaze
1 Undercity Sewers
1 Swamp
1 Island
3 Watery Grave
1 Overgrown Tomb
4 Polluted Delta
3 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Breeding Pool


2 Foundation Breaker
2 Haywire Mite
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Flare of Malice
1 Flare of Denial
1 Dismember
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Boseiju, Who Endures

Martin Quiroga, who qualified via the Magic Online Champions Showcase, registered the only deck at the tournament to include Vengevine, Prized Amalgam, or Narcomoeba.

Vengevine
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The game plan of this deck is straightforward: Use cards like Merfolk Secretkeeper, Hedron Crab, or Stitcher’s Supplier to mill yourself, filling up your graveyard with creatures that can return from the graveyard to the battlefield. In particular, with one or more copies of Vengevine in your graveyard, you can cast two creatures in the same turn, return each Vengevine, trigger Prized Amalgam, then build up an enormous board state.

Modern Horizons 3 boosted this archetype with several sweet additions. First of all, Psychic Frog helps to discard any copies of Vengevine or Prized Amalgam you might have drawn, while leveraging all the self-mill effects to gain flying turn after turn. The other new addition is Flare of Denial, a card that fits the deck perfectly. Narcomoeba and Prized Amalgam make the perfect sacrifice fodder, as they typically entered the battlefield for free. As a result, Flare of Denial yields excellent interaction, making Sultai Vengevine a real contender against decks weak to disruption and massive boards.

3 Solitude
3 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Lórien Revealed
2 Expressive Iteration
3 Wrath of the Skies
2 Prismatic Ending
1 Expansion
3 Memory Deluge
4 Brainsurge
1 Force of Negation
4 Counterspell
3 Galvanic Discharge
2 Tune the Narrative
1 Spell Snare
3 Wilderness Reclamation
1 Commercial District
2 Cascade Bluffs
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Breeding Pool
1 Thundering Falls
1 Island
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Arena of Glory
2 Plains


1 Obsidian Charmaw
1 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
3 Drannith Magistrate
1 Wrath of the Skies
1 Mystical Dispute
1 Force of Negation
3 Consign to Memory
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Soul-Guide Lantern
1 Leyline Binding
1 Dress Down

Rei “cftsoc” Zhang, who made the Top 8 at Pro Tour Thunder Junction and always dazzles with spicy combo brews, was the only player at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 to bring Wilderness Reclamation to the event. This previously banned-in-Standard enchantment essentially doubles your mana as long as you can spend it at instant speed.

Wilderness Reclamation
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Memory Deluge is one of the best ways to spend Wilderness Reclamation mana, but it has traditionally been difficult to make consistent good use of the enchantment in Modern. Enter Brainsurge. All of a sudden, you’re digging four cards deep, then cracking a fetch land to shuffle, ensuring enough action spells to use on your turn and your opponent’s. An alternative line of play with Brainsurge is to put Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury on top of your library, play a surveil land to put it into the graveyard, and finally escape it with mana from Arena of Glory to get an immediate attack trigger.

If the game goes long, then the enormous amount of card draw in the deck basically ensures that you’ll find Expansion // Explosion, which can deal lethal damage to the opponent in your end step. Tap all of your lands in response to Wilderness Reclamation‘s trigger, untap them, and then shoot for the stars with X=20 or higher.

4 Murktide Regent
2 Subtlety
4 Psychic Frog
4 Orcish Bowmasters
3 Deep Analysis
4 Preordain
1 Force of Negation
2 Drown in the Loch
4 Counterspell
4 Fatal Push
3 Spell Snare
3 Spell Pierce
3 Consider
2 Scalding Tarn
3 Island
2 Undercity Sewers
2 Watery Grave
2 Flooded Strand
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Darkslick Shores
2 Polluted Delta


1 Subtlety
1 Shadows’ Verdict
1 Toxic Deluge
3 Break the Ice
1 Force of Negation
2 Stern Scolding
3 Consign to Memory
1 Spell Snare
2 Nihil Spellbomb

Yuta Takahashi, the 2021 Magic World Champion, finalist at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, and the Faerie Mastermind himself brought a unique black-blue deck to Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3. “I really like my deck,” he said beforehand, and so do I.

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Deep Analysis
Murktide Regent

Labeled as Dimir Murktide, the basic plan is to use countermagic, spot removal, and card draw spells to fill the graveyard for Murktide Regent, quickly turning it into a two-mana 8/8 flier. In that sense, it’s similar to Izzet Murktide, just with a different interactive suite.

But the real standouts are the new-to-Modern cards from Modern Horizons 3: Psychic Frog and Deep Analysis. Together, they evoke memories of the Psychatog decks that dominated Standard back in 2002, bringing a lot of nostalgia to players who played at that time. Back then, the original Psychatog would often discard Deep Analysis, allowing you to flash it back for two mana while boosting its power. Psychic Frog is a sweet throwback to the original Psychatog, and Yuta Takahashi is showing that similar synergies and interactions are possible in the new Modern.

3 Narset, Parter of Veils
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Day’s Undoing
4 Wrath of the Skies
1 Rush of Inspiration
4 Counterspell
4 Tune the Narrative
3 Orim’s Chant
4 Galvanic Discharge
4 The One Ring
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Thundering Falls
1 Steam Vents
1 Elegant Parlor
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Plains
3 Mystic Gate
1 Minamo, School at Water’s Edge
1 Meticulous Archive
2 Island
1 Hall of Storm Giants
1 Hallowed Fountain
4 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa


1 Narset, Parter of Veils
1 Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
2 Drannith Magistrate
1 Day’s Undoing
4 Celestial Purge
4 Consign to Memory
1 Orim’s Chant
1 The Stone Brain

Patrick Wu and Kevin Anctil registered a unique take on Jeskai that is closer to a prison strategy than a traditional control deck. Kevin Anctil recently dazzled with the innovative Orzhov Bronco at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, while Patrick Wu made Canadian Regional Championship Top 8s across Modern, Pioneer, and Standard by basically playing Azorius Control every time. Together, they registered a spicy list for Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3.

Orim’s Chant
Narset, Parter of Veils

The defining key card in the deck is Orim’s Chant. It’s obviously great at stifling a Ruby Storm player mid-combo, but its applications go way beyond that. When you cast Orim’s Chant with kicker in your opponent’s upkeep, they are prevented from casting spells or attacking during that turn, almost turning it into a Time Walk. When you additionally control Teferi, Time Raveler, then the opponent can’t even respond with instants. This deck can chain Orim’s Chant by finding them with Narset, Parter of Veils, flashing them back with Snapcaster Mage, or shuffling them back with Day’s Undoing. By Orim’s Chant-ing turn after turn, you can basically lock your opponent out of the game.

Another prison-type lock can be established by combining Narset, Parter of Veils and Geier Reach Sanitarium. If the opponent is empty-handed as they start their turn, an activation of the land in your opponent’s draw step forces them to discard the card they just drew, as the static ability of Narset prevents them from drawing additional cards. All of this is wrapped up in a typical Jeskai shell with Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury and all the familiar energy cards. The core is similar to many other Jeskai decks, but the addition of Orim’s Chant gives this deck an entirely different feel.

In conclusion, if you were looking for a brand-new Modern deck to try out, then give one of these eight decks a try! They might be the key to victory at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3, and if they do well, then you’ll surely be able to see them in action on this weekend’s livestream.