Welcome to the Classic Modern Cube. The aim of this cube is to replicate some of the classic Modern formats and decks. It's my way of replicating the glory days of watching high level Modern gameplay, such as GPs and SCG events.

Created and curated with the assistance of @Thethifuthus. Follow their Old-Border Cube!

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Design Principles - In which I don my rose-tinted glasses, and wax lyrical and wistful about my inspirations and guiding principles in designing and tweaking the cube.

Macro Archetypes - A discussion of the ways in which the three macro archetypes are supported, their key cards, inspirations, and variations.

      Control, Aggro, Combo

Sub-themes - A discussion of the supported sub archetypes and variants

      Artifacts, Ramp, Tempo, Aristocrats, Tokens, Graveyard, Through the Breach/Reanimator, Midrange

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The cube was constructed around some pillars of the Modern format. Cards such as Lingering Souls, Snapcaster Mage, Dark Confidant, Splinter Twin, Tarmogoyf, Liliana of the Veil, Cryptic Command, Young Pyromancer, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. These pillars are then expanded on, informing some of the basic themes, such as tokens, spells, graveyard synergies, control, combo etc. Card inclusion is thus also weighed against how "classically Modern" they feel. While this has led to a skew away from Modern Horizons and beyond, there is no hard rule imposed against their inclusion.

Games are intended to be about creatures attacking and blocking, decks that draw out value and piece together engines, decks that look to curve out and win or lose quickly chaining together cheap aggressive creatures, and glass cannons that look to go all in on cheating a big beefy creature into play.

Decks are intended to have counterplay options, but hard counters are avoided. For example, bulk graveyard exile is avoided and interaction is chosen so as to encourage careful consideration and planning. This gives decks a chance to do their thing, without being blown out by a single sideboard card, but also allows opposing decks opportunities to interact and disrupt.

Additionally, I want this cube to be at least playable by less-enfranchised players. As such I have made an effort limit the number of keywords which a more casual player wouldn't reasonably understand. This is of course very subjective and is intended as a guideline. This has also meant that I have shied away from foreign-language cards and full-art cards.

Aesthetically, I have also preferred card printings from standard-legal sets, where they evoke for me a sense of nostalgia for this period of Magic's history. Again, this is not intended as a definitive rule, and is highly subjective. Some cards I think look fine with a Modern Masters symbol while some just feel wrong, and there's no explaining it.

Finally, I am happy to include some promos or Secret Lair printings for a few cards, as well as simple card alters, to add a little texture. Self-expression is key to Magic! I lined up for four hours to have Mark Tedin draw googly eyes on my Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and I am not letting it go to waste!

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In early versions of this cube archetypes and sub-themes were tied more strongly to colour pairs. As the cube evolved and matured, the themes were blurred across colours which not only adds variety but gives me more room as a designer to express different aspects of the Modern format.

The following sections provide broad-strokes descriptions of the various ways that the three macro archetypes (control/aggro/combo) are supported. They are far from exhaustive.

While almost synonymous with "blue", there are splashable cards across the colours. When I think classic control I think of players like Shaheen Soorani, with Azorius, Esper or Izzet control, and also draw inspiration from Stoneblade variations in legacy.

Cheap and/or flexible options, usually instant speed, to ensure you make efficient use of your mana: Cryptic Command, Snapcaster mage, Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Electrolyze, Fatal Push

In / variants that might look to tap out for sorcery-speed disruption: Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Wall of Omens, Wrath of God, Liliana of the Veil, Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Variants that lean a bit more heavily into instant and sorceries: Young Pyromancer, Monastery Mentor, Talrand, Sky Summoner, Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, Dreadhorde Arcanist

Splinter Twin: Splinter Twin, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Pestermite, Zealous Conscripts

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There is a wide variety of supported aggressive decks, from classic Red Deck Wins, Atarka Red, and Craig Wescoe and Cedric Phillip's various white weenie decks.

/ weenie base: Monastery Swiftspear, Goblin Guide, Hero of Bladehold, Kytheon, Hero of Akros, Thraben Inspector, Signal Pest, Soul-Scar Mage, Giver of Runes

Blitz/Tempo: Kiln Fiend, Sprite Dragon, Temur Battle Rage, Arclight Phoenix

Humans: Champion of the Parish, Thalia's Lieutenant, Mayor of Avabruck, Adaptive Automaton, General Kudro of Drannith

Burn: Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Grim Lavamancer, Thermo-Alchemist, Guttersnipe

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Combo in Modern's history has taken many forms, with the most (in)famous two-card infinite pair of Splinter Twin + Pestermite.

See here for a more complete discussion.

Twin
Create an instant "infinite" army by combining a creature-copier and an "untapper".
Splinter Twin, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Pestermite, Zealous Conscripts.

Infinite turns
Prevent your opponent from taking another turn by looping Mindslaver or Time Warp.

Mindslaver, Time Warp, Eternal Witness, Soulfire Grand Master

Persist
Repeatedly sacrifice a persist creature by negating the -1/-1 counter with a +1/+1 counter.
Kitchen Finks, Murderous Redcap, Viscera Seer, Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit

KCI/Thopter Sword
Combine synergies to continuously sacrifice and rebuy artifacts to make an "infinite" army or generate "infinite" mana.

Krark-Clan Ironworks, Thopter Foundry, Sword of the Meek, Myr Retriever

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Modern has always been a rich format. Established decks have had plenty of room for variation and customisation, and brand new brews have appeared, seemingly from nowhere, to suddenly take down a big event or establish themselves in the meta.

While the three macro archetypes of Control, Aggro, Combo are well-represented in this cube, there are many sub-themes that deserve a special mention.

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Although not truly an archetype, and spanning aggro, combo and control, artifact decks share a lot in common. Inspired by many decks as old as Modern itself, including Tron, Krark-Clan Ironworks combo and Affinity, these decks look to exploit the efficiencies and synergies between artifacts to build value engines, ramp out big threats ahead of curve, or swing in with a big creature loaded with +1/+1 counters.

Synergy base: Steel Overseer, Cranial Plating, Sai, Master Thopterist, Myrsmith, Pia Nalaar, Foundry Inspector

Sacrifice combo: Krark-Clan Ironworks, Scrap Trawler, Marionette Master, Arcbound Ravager, Thopter Foundry, Sword of the Meek

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Possibly the most durable decks in Modern are all built around Primeval Titan and the various land and land-adjacent strategies it enables. There have been a number of variations of this archetype over time, and they don't all translate well into a limited environment, but the key cards and concepts are well supported. There are numerous ways to take advantage of additional landfall triggers, tutor up key lands, or generate value from sacrificing lands to bury your opponents in value.

/ base: Primeval Titan, Siege-Gang Commander, Kessig Wolf Run, Inferno Titan, Llanowar Elves, Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Explore

Domain zoo: Loam Lion, Kird Ape, Wild Nacatl, Nishoba Brawler, Territorial Kavu, Scion of Draco, Prismatic Omen, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

Ramp control: Growth Spiral, Mulldrifter, Hullbreaker Horror, Condescend, Hydroid Krasis

Scapeshift: Scapeshift, Field of the Dead, Dread Presence, The Gitrog Monster, Knight of the Reliquary, Elvish Reclaimer, Omnath, Locus of Creation

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The tempo cards in this cube are inspired by the Dimir faeries decks of the earliest days of Modern, Autumn Burchett's Mythic-Championship-winning mono blue Standard deck, and by Delver variants across formats. The key cards in this archetype are cheap, evasive creatures backed up by efficient board control and protection.

/ base: Bitterblossom, Spellstutter Sprite, Brazen Borrower, Vendilion Clique, Fatal Push, Kitesail Freebooter, Mana Leak, Curious Obsession

Ninjutsu: Mistblade Shinobi, Ninja of the Deep Hours, Fallen Shinobi, Throat Slitter

Delver: Delver of Secrets, Preordain, Ponder, Serum Visions, Spell Pierce

Flash: Nightpack Ambusher, Venser, Shaper Savant, Archangel Avacyn, Elder Deep-Fiend, Brineborn Cutthroat, Surrak, Dragonclaw

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The aristocrats decks share many key pieces with the persist combo and tokens decks, feeding repeatable or cheap bodies to a sacrifice outlet. Recursion effects such as Lurrus of the Dream Den and Faith's Reward can help to ensure a consistent supply, and effects that drain or ping your opponent for damage, such as Zulaport Cutthroat and Mayhem Devil, can quickly threaten your opponent's life total.

The artifacts section offers additional synergies, with Scrap Trawler and Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle to recur important pieces, and Marionette Master offering additional and powerful drain effect.

base: Blood Artist, Viscera Seer, Lurrus of the Dream Den, Woe Strider, Faith's Reward

Human sacrifice: Xathrid Necromancer, Falkenrath Aristocrat, Doomed Traveller, Champion of the Parish, General Kudro of Drannith

Artifact sacrifice: Arcbound Ravager, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Scrap Trawler, Krark-Clan Ironworks, Marionette Master

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While originally inspired by my love of the days of Abzan Midrange and Lingering Souls, variants of token decks rely largely on synergies with instant and sorcery spells to play a midrange game and build up a wide board. Variants of the deck saw some resurgence thanks to cards like Dreadhorde Arcanist and Village Rites.

base: Lingering Souls, Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Bitterblossom, Intangible Virtue, Monastery Mentor

Additional spells-matter synergies: Young Pyromancer, Sedgemoor Witch, Talrand, Sky Summoner, Saheeli, Sublime Artificer

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It's basically impossible to build a Modern cube without some sort of graveyard-related synergies. If not impossible, it should be illegal! Graveyard decks in this cube are informed by some of the poster-children of the format with creatures that grow with the graveyard like Tarmogoyf, Golgari Grave-Troll, and Emrakul The Promised End. These decks may operate on multiple axes, either using the graveyard as an extension of the hand, by filling the yard to grow some cheap creatures, or by discarding/milling a big beater and reanimating it with Unburial Rites or Dread Return.

Discard/mill/dredge base: Golgari Grave-Troll, Faithless Looting, Stitcher's Supplier, Stinkweed Imp

Delirium: Tarmogoyf, Grim Flayer, Emrakul the Promised End, Ishkanah, Grafwidow

Lands: Knight of the Reliquary, The Gitrog Monster, Life From the Loam, Elvish Reclaimer

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A classic strategy throughout the history of Magic has been to find ways to cheat on mana, and none more so than by reanimating a big beefy creature or by otherwise sneaking it onto the battlefield. For a time this led to Nahiri, the Harbinger becoming the face of modern, ticking up turn after turn then popping the ultimate to search out Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

Classic reanimation targets: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Inkwell Leviathan

Gifts Reanimator: Unburial Rites, Dread Return, Gifts Ungiven

TTB/Nahiri: Through the Breach, Nahiri, the Harbinger

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Midrange decks play somewhere between aggro and control, with some flexibility to play either roles as required. They look to drown their opponent in card quality, often playing cheap threats like Tarmogoyf and disruption such as Thoughtseize. The overarching theme of midrange is generally to play good cards rather than relying on synergies so there are midrange decks in all colours combinations. That said, the classic Midrange decks have been -based, particularly Jund.

The Rock: Tarmogoyf, Liliana of the Veil, Thoughtseize, Hexdrinker

: Lingering Souls, Path to Exile, Siege Rhino

: Lightning Bolt, Huntmaster of the Fells, Goblin Rabblemaster

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The quintessential Modern combo control finisher, these combos pair a creature doubler with a creature that resets it. The classic variant combines Pestermite, which can be flashed in at the end of your opponent's turn to tap down a land, with Splinter Twin to create an instant army.

There are two main variants of these combos, either looking to rebuy Mindslaver every turn and ensure your opponent's turns are void, or to rebuy Time Warp and ensure your opponent doesn't even get a turn. Either can be achieved by creating a copy of Eternal Witness to return the card to your hand, but each also has its own ways to rebuy the necessary combo piece.

or

These combos aim to sacrifice a creature with persist, "reset" it by putting a +1/+1 counter on it and repeating the cycle. Variations using Kitchen Finks will result in an arbitrarily high life total which may not always result in a win, unless the sacrifice outlet is Blasting Station. Additional sources of life drain or damage, such as Blood Artist or Mayhem Devil, are of additional value, and Viscera Seer, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and Woe Strider can help dig to the win condition. Combos using Murderous Redcap do not require additional pieces.

KCI combo was the Modern deck du jour for what feels like both an eternity and a fleeting moment, before eating a ban. The constructed deck was infamous for being highly resilient and relying on some more obscure rules interactions regarding timing and paying of spell costs. For the sake of playability and enjoyment, those more in-depth interactions have been avoided, but there are plenty of ways to squeeze immense value from Krark-Clan Ironworks.

Three-card combos

Krark-Clan Ironworks + Thopter Foundry + Sword of the Meek

Four-card combos

Krark-Clan Ironworks + Myr Retriever + Scrap Trawler + Sai, Master Thopterist

With Sai on the field, play Retriever and Trawler, and with Sai's ability make two 1/1 thopters. Sacrifice Retriever. Sacrifice Trawler, using the trigger to rebuy Retriever. Play Retriever, making another thopter with the Sai trigger. Sacrifice Retriever, using the trigger to rebuy Trawler. Play Trawler, making a thopter. Repeat, sacrificing a thopter as necessary to add enough . Nets infinite colourless mana, cast triggers, death triggers, enter the battlefield triggers, and 1/1 flying thopters.

Krark-Clan Ironworks + Myr Retriever + Scrap Trawler + Bygone Bishop

Similar to above but with Bishop making clues instead of thopters. Nets infinite colourless mana, cast triggers, death triggers, enter the battlefield triggers, and clues/card draw

Krark-Clan Ironworks + Myr Retriever/Scrap Trawler + Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle + Mishra's Bauble/Memnite

Sacrifice Bauble/Memnite to KCI to add . Sacrifice Retriever/Trawler to add and return Bauble/Memnite to hand. Cast Bauble/Memnite and use Teshar's trigger to rebuy Retriever/Trawler. Also works with Retriever/Trawler or Bauble/Memnite starting in the graveyard. Nets infinite colourless mana, cast triggers, death triggers, and enter the battlefield triggers. If using Bauble, also draws infinite cards on next upkeep.

While often spoken of in terms of "go infinite" interactions, combo variants have also included decks that look to win in a single turn, such as in Caleb Scherer's many iterations of storm. While Storm as a mechanic is not represented here, Thousand-Year Storm has been included as a nod to another classic archetype, as well as some supporting cards in Baral, Chief of Compliance, Desperate Ritual and Manamorphose.

In addition, though neither infinite nor strictly "win in one turn", the interaction of Thopter Foundry and Sword of the Meek to create an engine of ": create a 1/1 thopter with flying" is about as efficient and resilient as it gets. Backed up with counter-magic and interactions with various other artifact matters cards, this is a powerful "combo".

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This Cube originally designed by @DukeOfBeans and @Thethifuthus