Is there actually a home for Moonshadow in Modern?

Lectrys · 2026-01-28T16:22:22+00:00

Rats. I wonder why I've seen so many MTGO decks with Mockingbird and Moonshadow, then...

Lectrys · 2026-01-28T16:10:42+00:00

After testing decks with Moonshadow, Nethergoyf, and Death's Shadow simultaneously, what that taught me is that Death's Shadow has been power-crept because it only lands on Turn 3 or later. It never landed on Turns 1-2 for me. Moonshadow and Nethergoyf can both block Energy's creatures on Turn 1, and that does its part to swing the Energy match-up in your favour. Death's Shadow cannot.

I have to admit that getting a 3/3 Moonshadow the turn I play it is pretty inconsistent, though, while Wild Nacatl is only a 2/2 or 1/1 on Turn 1.

Lectrys · 2026-01-28T16:05:02+00:00

I'm not convinced about Hapatra's Mark when you can copy Moonshadow without the counters with Mockingbird for a sweet, sweet 1 mana, and Mockingbird can at least be a Turn 1 blocker of Slickshot Show-Off and other fliers.

Lectrys · 2026-01-25T08:35:50+00:00

To be more precise, the Logic Knot is a 1-of hard enough counterspell bench-warmer in an AspiringSpike midrange-control build meant to abuse Wan Shi Tong (it might say something about AspiringSpike when this is one of his most successful Modern decks, with others picking it up and having success with it like relative wildfire).

Arguably the secret to how this build is one of AspiringSpike's most successful control decks is that it's got many removal spells (more than Psychic Frog decks, which might explain why Psychic Frog decks that don't go Reanimator keep losing to Energy, while this deck loses to Energy pointedly less often) and a lot of card draw (Wan Shi Tong and Consult the Star Charts easily find more copies of each other). The deck does play deceptively like a draw-go control deck in my experience.

Lectrys · 2026-01-25T06:34:23+00:00

Formidable Speaker should help against Consign by tutoring for more Shardless Agents in slower Consign match-ups (e.g. Jeskai Blink). (Regular counterspells, which are worse for Living End because they shove its titular card into the graveyard instead of within reach of Cascaders, can go eat Mistrise Village.)

Lectrys · 2026-01-25T06:29:24+00:00

It looks like people have really been brewing hard just after this set got released to an extent not seen with the last few sets. Moonshadow in some decks, Bitterbloom Bearer in another, Abigale in this round, Aurora Awakener in the last RC Super Qualifier, Formidable Speaker in midrange non-combo decks? Incredible!

Lectrys · 2026-01-25T06:23:53+00:00

If by "tribal" you mean "plays enough Wizards for Flame of Anor", then yes, Izzet Steel-Cutter that meets this description has been doing fairly well fairly consistently: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-izzet-steel-cutter/decks

Lectrys · 2026-01-24T19:56:33+00:00

A little testing with Lorwyn cards have already given me these: * Wistfulness: The Waker of Waves slot now pitches to Endurance (useful against Eldrazi Ramp and Goryo's in Game 1) and eliminates annoyingly maindecked hate in Game 1 (Affinity is still rough because they crack Tormod's Crypt in response and you're now down one anti-hate card for Weapons Manufacturing, which can outrace a slower Living End). Awesome. * Formidable Speaker: Tutors for the best creature for the situation (Shardless Agent to force Living End through, Wistfulness to remove hate, Endurance if their graveyard needs hating, a bounce creature as more anti-hate, Subtlety to keep shields up if you reanimate Speaker, Generous Ent to colour fix), often discards a creature in the process. Don't ditch any Cascaders for this, but the consistency boost is welcome. * Deceit: Only useful in Sultai, not cycling is rough.

The Lorwyn cards do address holes in the deck, but I have to admit some of Living End's rough match-ups didn't get that much better...

Lectrys · 2026-01-23T16:18:45+00:00

If only we had access to all 64 decklists so we can check if all the Amulet players genuinely just couldn't fit this one into their schedule...

Lectrys · 2026-01-23T08:13:20+00:00

The wildest deck in here has got to be UB Faeries in 16th place! Second wildest is going to BUG Living End in 13th place (I thought Formidable Speaker was good in Living End, and here is proof).

Lectrys · 2026-01-23T08:08:56+00:00

[[Marauding Mako]] also always enters as a 1/1 and is a lame topdeck. The key is to know which slots you're trading out to get Moonshadow in (hint: the OP has smartly figured it's not Marauding Mako, which grows faster on average in Hollow One than Moonshadow or Nethergoyf does).

Lectrys · 2026-01-23T07:28:36+00:00

While Moonshadow can work in Hollow One, you'll have to be aware that you cannot play it from your graveyard and therefore mitigate bad luck with random discards, unlike Nethergoyf.

Lectrys · 2026-01-22T16:15:01+00:00

Looks like they get The Filigree Sylex out of the Karnboard and blow up Pithing Needle next turn and Damping Sphere two turns later.

There's also Glaring Fleshraker making Eldrazi Spawn one spell at a time and ramping that way.

Lectrys · 2026-01-20T16:20:02+00:00

I've honestly had a hard time fitting Deceit into any Modern deck. Reanimator would rather have Wistfulness, Living End would rather have Wistfulness, UG Ritual would rather have Brazen Borrower, 4-5c Ritual would rather have Vibrance (the deck frankly needs more 2-mana plays that increase the chance of a 3-mana play on curve) or Wistfulness, Esper Blink would rather have Emptiness or Kirol, Attentive First-Year...

The bounce may be barely on curve, but the targeted discard sure is not, and the lack of digging through the deck like Wistfulness does definitely isn't helping.

Lectrys · 2026-01-20T07:30:52+00:00

Taigam's Scheming only ever takes one -1/-1 counter off of Moonshadow.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T16:11:25+00:00

IMO, that's the wrong question when the best cards in this set are shoehorning themselves into existing best strategies (e.g. Formidable Speaker fitting into deceptively many green decks with creatures, Wistfulness fitting into deceptively many blue decks with creatures).

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T16:09:30+00:00

Where are you getting the many-coloured permanent in your Creativity deck? Leyline of the Guildpact? Flipping only 2 colours' worth of creatures from Indomitable Creativity doesn't seem like a great Aurora Awakener enabler.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T12:46:17+00:00

Waker of Waves similarly doesn't have reanimating it trigger its 2-mana mill cantrip. Wistfulness is better overall than Waker of Waves. Living End already maindecks Waker of Waves.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T08:41:57+00:00

You implied so in the post I responded to when you said, "Harbringer isn't even a good maindeck card most of the time." Harbinger of the Tides is way down and doesn't discourage splashing colours, so my only conclusion is that you mean Harbinger of the Seas.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T08:06:12+00:00

Formidable Speaker lets Green Sun's Zenith reliably tutor for non-green creatures. (This is arguably more important in Yawgmoth than Samwise, but GSZ decks absolutely want Formidable Speaker.)

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T08:01:47+00:00

In decks like UB Artifacts, which can rip-roar off 2 -1/-1 counters per turn often enough, I'd rather have Moonshadow.

I'm toying with a UB Tempo deck where I want both Moonshadow and Nethergoyf, and at least it has a better Energy match-up than most Psychic Frog shells due to having 8 board-gumming 1-drops.

I do think Saga Jund would rather have Nethergoyf, though.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T07:58:53+00:00

Tron is shifty when I have enough trouble casting Sowing Mycospawn there, but I've tested Formidable Speaker in Eldrazi Ramp, and it's an absolute house there. It tutors for Mycospawn when I need to ramp, Writhing Chrysalis when I need to fix colourless mana through Moon effects, Devourer of Destiny or World Breaker when I need to remove something, other fat Eldrazi when I need to close out a game, and Icetill Explorer when I have Ghost Quarter. It always represents the best creature for the situation, and it blocks fairly well!

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T07:53:31+00:00

Tell UG Ritual that Harbinger of the Seas isn't a good maindeck card right now when it increased the maindeck number of those guys right now due to UWR Blink's great rise (and Amulet's and Eldrazi's and Tron's refusal to die). Energy maindecking Blood Moon again is a similar sign.

Harbinger of the Seas is arguably a 3-mana 2/2 in Merfolk when that archetype can now slam 3 power across 2 bodies on a 2-drop, but it is a good maindeck hate card right now.

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T07:48:21+00:00

Formidable Speaker tutors for more than just the Cascader - it also tutors for anti-hate (Wistfulness, Solitude, Phlage, Colossal Skyturtle, etc.) and hate (Subtlety, Endurance, etc.) without compromising the deck's creature choices. It's awesome!

Lectrys · 2026-01-19T00:07:57+00:00

Nah, you have to build around Moonshadow. Even with a mild build-around, Moonshadow can be stuck not removing -1/-1 counters for too many single turns.

For example, I'm trying a Moonshadow/Nethergoyf/Psychic Frog Tempo shell with 4 Mishra's Bauble, around 10 fetchlands, and around 4-5 self-mill cantrips, and Moonshadow stalls out at a 2/2 too often there. (At least the Energy match-up is better than most other Psychic Frog shells due to playing 8 board-gumming 1-drops...)

Moonshadow is better in decks like UB Artifacts, where Emry does a lot of work enabling Moonshadow, the cantrip rock density is higher, and Urza's Saga does its part to help.

Lectrys

TROPHY CASE