It’s clear playing Temur Breach is the most busted thing you could be doing in Modern right now, so what needs to go?
Modern is a wild place right now – it’s Breach’s world, and everyone else is just living in it. There’s no denying that something has to give, as evidenced by the results of basically every major tournament. Just look at the Top 16 from the recent US Regional Championship in Charlotte:
The 17th-place deck was also Temur Breach, but it seemed too weird to call out the Top 17. In any case, this deck is currently dominating Modern.
Modern
Temur Breach
Market Price:$1,551.81
Maindeck, 60 cards
Sortsort deckCreature (9)
- 4Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student // Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar
- 4Emry, Lurker of the Loch
- 1Haywire Mite
Planeswalker (1)
- 1Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
Sorcery (7)
- 4Malevolent Rumble
- 2Preordain
- 1Grapeshot
Instant (3)
- 1Swan Song
- 1Lightning Bolt
- 1Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
Artifact (17)
- 3Grinding Station
- 1Pithing Needle
- 1Aether Spellbomb
- 1Soul-Guide Lantern
- 4Mox Opal
- 4Mishra’s Bauble
- 3Mox Amber
Enchantment (4)
- 4Underworld Breach
Land (19)
- 3Urza’s Saga
- 4Scalding Tarn
- 4Misty Rainforest
- 1Steam Vents
- 1Breeding Pool
- 1Stomping Ground
- 1Thundering Falls
- 1Hedge Maze
- 1Island$0.05
- 1Shifting Woodland
- 1Otawara, Soaring City
Sideboard (15)
- 4Consign to Memory
- 1Strix Serenade
- 1Swan Song
- 1Lightning Bolt
- 1Unholy Heat
- 2Nature’s Claim
- 1Boseiju, Who Endures
- 1Mountain
- 2Flame of Anor
- 1Brainsurge
There are two real options to ban when it comes to this deck (Mox Opal and Underworld Breach), and I want to explore the possibilities each choice offers (though there is technically the option to ban both cards, I don’t think that’s very likely). Let’s talk through it.
The Case to Ban Mox Opal in Modern
Mox Opal
Double Masters, Mythic
Mox Opal was recently unbanned and (perhaps) predictably, it is incredibly powerful. Given that pre-Opal Temur (and Jeskai) Breach wasn’t dominating or even among the best decks, it’s fairly likely that banning Mox Opal would knock it back to a reasonable level. It did pick up cards like Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Malevolent Rumble recently, but I don’t think that it’s that good sans Mox Opal. Banning Mox Opal is a relatively safe way to get Modern back to where it was since Splinter Twin, Green Sun’s Zenith, and Faithless Looting aren’t making waves. In fact, banning Mox Opal would perhaps give those cards some room to breathe since Breach could be pushing them out.
Banning Mox Opal is a safe way to knock Temur Breach back to where it was before (which is not close to dominating Modern).
The Case to Ban Underworld Breach in Modern
Underworld Breach
Theros Beyond Death, Rare
If you really want to kill Temur Breach, banning Underworld Breach definitely does the trick. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this deck will no longer exist. That’s the safest play to make, and will shake up the metagame significantly. However, there’s more to it than that. Banning either Mox Opal or Breach probably kills this deck, or at least weakens it in the case of Mox Opal, but banning Breach opens the door for Mox Opal to show us what it’s capable of in other decks. Mox Opal in Affinity could be a contender or in some strange Lantern Control brew — regardless of what it is, Mox Opal is a strong enough card that there is clearly plenty to explore. Plus, unbanning and then re-banning Mox Opal is a bit of a tough look (though clearly fine to do).
My Recommendation: Ban Underworld Breach.
That could go wrong, no doubt — banning Breach kills this deck but could lead to another Mox Opal deck being the best thing around in Modern, which would be an undesirable outcome for sure. I think it’s worth it, and it would be really neat to see Mox Opal used in decks like Hardened Scales, Affinity, or something brand-new like the Eldrazi Metalcraft at Magic Spotlight Series Modern (Utrecht). I think Modern is more interesting when we can see Mox Opal do its thing, even if there’s some risk to it.
The Case to Ban Both (or Something Else) from the Deck:
Grinding Station
Fifth Dawn, Uncommon
There really isn’t one — either of these does what you want, and if you really want the deck gone, just ban Underworld Breach. As for banning something like Grinding Station or Emry, Lurker of the Loch, why? I always find it goofy to ban something ancillary rather than the powerful problem cards because they always find a way to end up being an issue (and it just looks strange).
What Wizards of the Coast is Likely to do:
Market Price: $31.27
Market Price: $54.82
Market Price: $40.41
Ban Mox Opal. I think, given the risk of an Underworld Breach ban leading to a busted Mox Opal deck, I suspect that Mox Opal is the most likely card of the two to get banned. I don’t think it’s by a ton — I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Breach, but I would be on Mox Opal first. The disaster scenario is that they ban Breach, Mox Opal is still busted, and they have then ban it. That’s something I’m sure Wizards of the Coast wouldn’t love to do, and banning Mox Opal avoids any fallout.