Stoneforge Mistake? A Brewer's Guide to the New Queen of Modern

Friday, August 30, 2019

Faithless Brewing, Episode 18: The Ultimate Guide to Stoneforge Mystic

It was a difficult week for the Faithless Family, as we had to say goodbye to one of our own. Faithless Looting, the best card in Modern, breaker of formats and giver of value, was struck down in the prime of its life, taken from us by a cruel stroke of research and development. Dear Looting, you shall be missed.

There is no rest for the weary, however, as a new powerhouse has been unleashed upon the Modern format. Stoneforge Mystic has arrived to thunderous applause and is already dominating the MTGO leagues, with no fewer than 27(!) distinct Stoneforge decks appearing in the first 5-0 deck dump. It is a time of wild experimentation, and we are here to guide you through all the different ways to make Batterskull and friends. You won't want to miss this one!

*****

Flashback: Elementals

Bant Vesperlark: 5-5 leagues, an acceptable combo deck with a good ability to grind thanks to Risen Reef. Lack of interaction makes it difficult to keep up with aggressive strategies.

RB Thunder Forger: 5-5 leagues, Thunderkin is massively defanged by the loss of Faithless Looting, and this deck can never defeat a Batterskull. The Shaman core remains surprisingly powerful though.

*****

Brew Session: Stoneforge Mystic

Stoneforge lists from around the web, all from within the first two days of the card's legality. For the full Friday 5-0 deck dump, complete with 27 distinct Stoneforge lists, click here.

UWx StoneBlade

UW Stoneblade (Todd Anderson)

UW Stoneblade (Emma Handy)

UW Stoneblade (Ben Friedman)

Jeskai Stoneblade (Todd Anderson)

Esper Stoneblade (Todd Anderson)

UrzaBlade

Esper UrzaBlade (Samuel Graebner, 16-4 leagues)

UW UrzaBlade (kanister)

4c Urza (Ross Merriam)

UW Urza (Bryan Gottlieb)

BW Midrange