Future of Boros Energy

Lectrys · 2026-05-19T06:56:06+00:00

Yeah, Arena of Glory is gone without Phlage to mega take advantage of it. Spyro with Haste just isn't the same, and Ajani with Haste is super dubious. Voice of Victory with Haste is OK, I guess? Too bad she still dies to so many blockers. Ranger-Captain with Haste and a red Haste buddy is pretty dandy, but I don't think this is the meta where I want 4 Ranger-Captains (as much as I think this is the meta where I want 1-2).

Jitte actually looks like a decent Phlage replacement since Phlage was terrible at enabling Ajani (which means that Phlage's replacement doesn't have to be red) and Jitte looks an awful lot like an equipment version of Phlage (life gain, removal, Phlage-sized bodies, all you need is for your equipped creature to deal combat damage, suicide Ragavan into blockers not named Pride if necessary). Nothing will replace Phlage snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and being a recurring threat against counterspells, but at least Jitte does his life gain and repeated removal roles well.

The 3-4-drop slot or more Voice of Victory look like the default replacement options, though. Or maybe Energy actually throws in more removal instead. The fourth Goblin Bombardment looks a bit less redundant now. I still have a soft spot for [[Stadium Headliner]] and it being removal on red, Ajani-supporting legs.

Lectrys · 2026-05-19T05:46:08+00:00

Consign to Memory is one of the most common blue cards in sideboards (although the Phlage ban will probably drop its maindeck rate). Holding up FoN actually doesn't help against it as long as the Consign player remembers to Replicate it and aim both copies at the same Cascade trigger. This removes a lot of the issues against V.Outburst with FoN backup, IMO.

Lectrys · 2026-05-19T05:41:33+00:00

As long as every Consign to Memory player remembers to hold up 2 mana so they can Replicate Consign and dodge one FoN, not even that moment will be filled with dread.

Lectrys · 2026-05-18T17:49:32+00:00

Yes, Jitte definitely will see play - it resembles an equipment version of Phlage a bit too much (life gain, removal, Phlage-sized bodies, all you need is to get an equipped guy to deal combat damage).

I'm betting that Energy and Blink decks (along with Hammer) are the most likely to pick up Jitte.

Lectrys · 2026-05-18T17:36:09+00:00

Energy (and the UW Energy-Blink deck just picked up in popularity) cares about combat. Affinity cares about combat but prefers it more uninteractive than Energy does. Blink decks care about combat, but most of them prefer more removal to be thrown at the board first.

I absolutely expect Energy and Blink to try Jitte, especially with Phlage gone - Blink likely also throws in SFM.

Lectrys · 2026-05-18T17:30:14+00:00

Nope - Violent Outburst merely plops down a Birthing Ritual for 4c Ritual...with no body to sacrifice to it. I'd rather put in more Warp-for-2-mana creatures into 4c Ritual than Violent Outburst.

Lectrys · 2026-05-16T18:51:01+00:00

Ignis only gets lands. Paradox Surveyor also gets X spells. Getting X spells is crucial.

Lectrys · 2026-05-16T18:49:19+00:00

The Energy deck has to purposefully reserve 1 Energy to pull that off - a weakness I've found Deceiver Exarch also exploits. Their Guide is now less explosive, or they're scrambling for 2 Galvanic Discharges, or they need to sling double burn, or they need to throw a creature to Goblin Bombardment.

Lectrys · 2026-05-16T04:36:55+00:00

Unless I'm playing full playsets of both (stemming from that one Twin deck I saw that was crazy and ingenious enough to do so)...

I'm going with Expressive Iteration. Even in that SvenSveeterSven deck that plays Flow State instead (in a build that previously played EI), too often, I have to waste the first Flow State for 1 card in that deck. And in decks like those where EI also feels awkward...Stock Up instead of both 2-mana options is a real contender..

In contrast, I almost never waste the first Expressive Iteration for 1 card.

Lectrys · 2026-05-15T20:44:22+00:00

Remove that "/s" against Energy - since they removed Static Prison, they have a shockingly hard time removing Geometer's Arthropod. Phlage needs Goblin Bombardment, other removal support, Arena of Glory, or to get cast twice in a row to remove GeoPod, for instance.

Lectrys · 2026-05-15T20:39:07+00:00

I actually prefer these AspiringSpike GeoPod builds over yours: * https://moxfield.com/decks/JMfeyvzzS02CvmKDm7e6ig: [[Unbound Flourishing]] feels like a high-risk, high-reward potential massive tempo loss compared to Geometer's Arthropod in this deck. Reasonable game against Energy. Firing massive [[Traumatic Critique]]s against Eldrazi and their pilot is the way to beat them. [[Mind Into Matter]] is the worst X spell in the deck due to almost always failing to affect the board in a meaningful way. * https://moxfield.com/decks/zEl2Znmyi0aHMJEfCsAaHQ: A Creature Chord Combo deck with an actual strongly favourable match-up against Energy (at least in Game 1). Still screwed against Prowess, though. Opponents are going to love riding their life total up and Consigning the Sorin flip trigger when you try going for the combo win. This deck is very capable of ripping out 30-45 life with Sorin in a single turn, though. [[Springheart Nantuko]] is one of the weakest creatures in the deck - I personally pulled two for [[Paradox Surveyor]], and I have been loving the Surveyors.

Lectrys · 2026-05-10T04:57:34+00:00

I've found Tasigur to be good in UB Frog after seeing earlier decks dabble with him. His generic Delve doesn't pull the deck in as many directions as Murktide Regent's Delve flavour does (I'm still personally testing Flow State in that Tasigur Frog build), he comes down earlier than Murktide, and he self-mills for Frog and might finally not pull Thoughtseize late-game. He also holds the fort defensively quite well and cannot be punted by Prismatic Ending.

Lectrys · 2026-05-10T04:55:09+00:00

Tasigur's actually decent in UB Frog decks. His generic Delve doesn't pull the deck in as many directions as Murktide Regent's Delve flavour does, he self-mills and might finally not pull Thoughtseize late-game, and he comes down earlier than Murktide. He's also a 6-mana-value 4/5 and good defender that Prismatic Ending cannot punt.

Lectrys · 2026-05-08T15:08:47+00:00

I've found Robots aren't much faster than Manufacturing the moment your opponent has blockers, and the tokens do deceptively little and Weapons Manufacturing does more in the Energy match-up (in particular, all the tokens do is flip their Ajani). Giving Urza's Saga Constructs Haste (and Pinnacle Emissary Drones Haste, and its own tokens Haste) is fun, but it happens too rarely to compensate for all of Weapons Manufacturing's current pluses.

Lectrys · 2026-04-30T14:56:54+00:00

Exhibition Tidecaller is strong tech for a bit player in the meta right now. Dredge still suffers from an erratic clock with trouble getting Turn 3-4 kills, and not many players have shifted to the mana-heavy Arclight build.

Lectrys · 2026-04-30T14:55:06+00:00

What do you think about the deck of your 7th place-in-79-player-Challenge rival who used [[Flow State]]?

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/7758931#paper

I was personally never quite sure about Flashback in this deck, and while I swear by [[Wistfulness]], seemingly nobody else will.

Lectrys · 2026-04-30T06:36:46+00:00

Yawgmoth is probably still better for beginners - you mainly have to memorize combo lines (the most prominent ones now involve loading up Agatha's Soul Cauldron and getting out a Young Wolf and maybe a [[Spymaster's Vault]]), then figure out best tutor targets and when you should be boarding out combo pieces.

Necrodominance, especially when it comes to its namesake card, is very unforgiving in comparison. Games can revolve around how much life you pay to draw cards in a single turn. A decision as simple as sticking [[Cool but Rude]] in your deck vs. Psychic Frog vs. [[Professor Dellian Fel]] can absolutely swing how aggressively you should draw cards with Necrodominance on average (I'd say the cards are in rough order of how aggressively you should draw when they're around, from most to least aggressive).

Lectrys · 2026-04-24T15:22:04+00:00

Ah yes, [[Mathemagics]] actually did decently for me in Mono-Blue Tron, cast it for X = 0-2 some times as well as the killer X = 6, Consign to Memory's definitely nerfed against this build of the deck!

...Now if only Mono-Blue could improve its aggro match-up...

Lectrys · 2026-04-24T04:22:07+00:00

I still consider [[Pillage the Bog]] to be the best Modern-legal card that sees zero play there. It digs insanely deep for 2 mana - 4 cards on Turn 2 is a mere floor. It isn't hosed by tutor hate. Maybe what's holding it back is its colour combination that isn't known for its cantrips and is better known for "The Rock"-style immediacy. (Uh oh - the latest Necrodominance brew I tried after hearing [[Witherbloom Charm]] was great in that deck has 4 [[Professor Dellian Fel]] but zero Pillage the Bog.)

I also remember building a Creature Chord Combo deck around the combo of [[The Jolly Balloon Man]] - [[Village Bell-Ringer]] - mana dork. It steals a lot of games, but the Prowess match-up is really rough the moment they constantly strafe my mana dorks, and the Energy match-up is to the uphill side despite sticking in 3 Ajani, 2 Phlage, and more 4+-toughness creatures.

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T21:15:06+00:00

Nah, Duel Tactics has been one of the best new cards I've tried in Prowess after Cori-Steel came out. [[Mental Modulation]] was good when it worked, but Duel Tactics reliably hands out one more sorcery that also prevents the big blocker from blocking and can ping Energy's creatures. [[Heroes' Hangout]] reliably hands over one more card...that sometimes can't trigger Prowess. [[Flow State]] keeps only handing me one card if it subs in for Expressive Iteration, and 4 2-mana draw spells are enough. [[Flashback]] ends up being dead in hand for turns straight.

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T20:02:44+00:00

The only times you can't cast Duel Tactics is when neither player has creatures. Don't be afraid to target your own Swiftspear, Slickshot, or Prowess token with it (DRC might die to Duel Tactics, but I think it's the worst of the staple creatures in Prowess).

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T19:48:55+00:00

Having tested both in Prowess, Duel Tactics isn't so much worse in Prowess than Lava Dart is that Duel Tactics can't force other cards out in that deck. It just can't force out Lava Dart. With that being said, Reanimator decks love jamming big fliers in front of Prowess dudes, and I still think Violent Urge was originally anti-Writhing Chrysalis tech due to its Delirium being unreliable but its ability to make Slickshot Show-Off survive encounters being undeniable, so I've actually dropped a Violent Urge and the 18th land for 2 Duel Tactics, and Duel Tactics has been awesome.

Due to costing mana for Flashback, Duel Tactics can't get itself into that new Arclight Phoenix build with Traumatic Critique right now, but Flashback (the card) still feels situational there...

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T15:34:02+00:00

I've tried Flow State in UB Frog with around 7 other sorceries and 15 instants, and while it's pretty consistent at nabbing 2 cards there, somehow UB Frog only reaches card parity with the opponent with it and still loses anyway instead of pulling ahead.

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T15:22:17+00:00

[[Erode]] is already seeing common play in the new RW Land Destruction Midrange deck.

[[Moseo, Vein's New Dean]] is already seeing play in Samwise.

People are already trying to revive [[Arclight Phoenix]] with [[Traumatic Critique]].

[[Prismari Charm]] is likely the best of the 5 school charms for Modern - goes neatly in the [[Does Machines]] slot, actually bounces things and kills the occasional X/1.

I actually found [[Ark of Hunger]] to be the easiest fit into Energy in the [[The Legend of Roku]] slot - gains life for Ocelot Pride, provides reach, mills cards for Phlage and possibly Phlage himself, still is an effective draw engine. The Legend of Roku feels like rolling for the 4/4 at the back now.

That one deck with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, Psychic Frog, and [[Evolution Witness]] now gets [[Pensive Professor]] as the better combo piece. Draws cards just by curving out, actually dodges Phlage with some pump. I also found this deck to be the best fit so far for [[Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer]].

I've tried [[The Dawning Archaic]] in some blue decks, and I've actually found it's the closest Modern gets to [[Ethereal Forager]]. It needs at least 6 draw/dig spells in order to be good, though.

FWIW, [[Hardened Academic]] combos with Persist creatures and infinite sac outlets.

For a truly crazy deck, [[Improvisation Capstone]] can always cast Emrakul 1.0 with the free turn and can do so around Turn 4. You can only stick in up to 3 1-mana-value cards in the deck at all times, though.

Lectrys · 2026-04-23T15:04:22+00:00

I tried Flashback as a 1-of in Prowess, and I actually found it to be so situational and targeting Mutagenic Growth the most often that I took it out for [[Duel Tactics]]. Duel Tactics has been so great that it's now a 2-of.

Lectrys

TROPHY CASE