In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, where innovation and strategy intertwine, the Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes event showcased a myriad of intriguing and unconventional decks. Among the myriad of decklists, eight in particular stood out for their boldness and creativity, each pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Modern. These decks, ranging from the unexpected Jund Cosmogoyf to the explosive Hollow One, offer a glimpse into the future of the format, where the line between control and aggression is blurred, and the possibilities are as endless as the cards in your hand. Let's delve into these eight spicy decks and explore what makes them so captivating.
Jund Cosmogoyf: The Turn-Three Kill
One of the most unexpected archetypes to emerge from the Pro Tour was Jund Cosmogoyf, a deck that consistently threatens a turn-three kill. The deck's primary game plan revolves around quickly exiling 20 cards, sometimes before the game has even properly begun, thanks to Serum Powder and Devourer of Destiny. Spoils of the Vault and Plunge into Darkness further contribute to this strategy, although the latter carries the risk of losing the game on the spot. Once a Cosmogoyf with 20 or more power hits the battlefield, Thud allows you to sacrifice it to deal lethal damage directly to your opponent, leaving no window for them to block or remove the creature.
Tooru Horie, who qualified by finishing in 2nd place at the Regional Championship for Japan and Korea, brought a list that includes a spicy Leyline of the Guildpact and Scion of Draco package in the sideboard. This combination, along with giving Cosmogoyf hexproof and trample, effectively turns it into an unstoppable threat. The deck's ability to consistently threaten a turn-three kill makes it a formidable force in the Modern format.
Samwise Gamgee Combo: Infinite Drain Loop
Jake Bailey, who qualified by finishing in 3rd place at a United States Regional Championship, was the only player to register Samwise Gamgee Combo. The deck's main plan revolves around combining Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and a sacrifice outlet to create an infinite drain loop. By sacrificing a Food token to return Cauldron Familiar from the graveyard to the battlefield, draining the opponent, creating a Food token from Samwise Gamgee, and sacrificing Cauldron Familiar, the loop repeats itself.
Although traditional sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer and Carrion Feeder are present, Bailey's biggest innovation is the inclusion of Goblin Bombardment. With an abundance of sacrifice outlets, transforming Ajani into a planeswalker is rarely a problem. This build embraces sacrifice synergies and pushes them to their maximum potential, making it a formidable force in the Modern format.
Azorius Loki: Infinite Four-Step Combo
Gaëtan Bossy, who qualified through the Magic Spotlight Series, was the only player in the tournament to register Loki, God of Mischief; Oswald Fiddlebender; Grinding Station; and Sewer-veillance Cam. While these cards may look like a random collection at first glance, they come together to form an amazing package. Oswald Fiddlebender acts as the deck's toolbox, assembling the pieces for an infinite four-step combo that unfolds as follows: Tap Mox Amber or Mox Opal for blue mana, then sacrifice the Mox to Grinding Station to mill your opponent. Activate Emry, Lurker of the Loch and use the blue mana to cast Sewer-veillance Cam from your graveyard. When it enters, it untaps Emry and Grinding Station. Activate Emry again to recast the Mox from your graveyard. When it enters, Grinding Station's untap trigger goes on the stack. In response, activate Grinding Station to sacrifice Sewer-veillance Cam, untapping Emry.
The deck's main addition from Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes is Loki, God of Mischief. Not only does the legendary God enable Mox Amber, but it also serves as a formidable card-advantage engine. With Loki on the battlefield, you draw an extra card off every Mishra's Bauble or Portable Hole. The deck's ability to consistently draw cards and execute the infinite combo makes it a formidable force in the Modern format.
Bant Control: Mana Engine and Control
Rui Zhang, fresh off a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven, has earned a reputation for bringing delightfully unconventional decks, and they certainly didn't disappoint in Amsterdam. Zhang was the only player in the tournament to register Divergent Equation, Sphinx's Revelation, and Wilderness Reclamation. At its core, this is a control deck packed with sweepers like Wrath of the Skies, countermagic like Spell Snare, and cards like Teferi, Time Raveler that dictate the pace of the game.
Wilderness Reclamation effectively doubles your mana, provided you have enough instants to spend it on, and this deck is built to capitalize on exactly that. Consult the Star Charts keeps your hand stocked with interaction, while Waterlogged Teachings can tutor up Sphinx's Revelation or Divergent Equation to secure you control of the game. During your end step, you can float mana, untap all your lands with Wilderness Reclamation, float even more mana, and funnel it all into an enormous X-cost spell that yields overwhelming card advantage. From there, a humble Elemental like Solitude can eventually cross the finish line and deliver you victory while Orim's Chant keeps your opponent safely contained.
Devoted Druid Combo: Infinite Green Mana
Thomas Feller, who qualified through the Regional Championship for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, was the only player in the tournament to register Devoted Druid; Vizier of Remedies; Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler; Nature's Rhythm; Birds of Paradise; and various spicy one-of cards. Devoted Druid has enabled countless combos throughout Magic's history, but combining it with Vizier of Remedies has always been the most popular and mana-efficient option. Vizier of Remedies allows you to untap Devoted Druid without placing -1/-1 counters on it, providing infinite green mana. Using this mana, you can win by activating Walking Ballista, Duskwatch Recruiter, or Rhonas the Indomitable an infinite number of times.
The static ability of Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler allows Devoted Druid to tap for mana immediately, meaning you can assemble your combo from seemingly nowhere. Meanwhile, Tyvar's second loyalty ability helps find or return key creatures, improving the deck's consistency alongside Green Sun's Zenith and Nature's Rhythm. And if the combo plan doesn't come together, the deck still has a powerful backup plan. Over the past year, Standard has shown us that Badgermole Cub paired with mana creatures can be a formidable strategy, especially when all that extra mana can be converted into a game-ending Craterhoof Behemoth through Nature's Rhythm.
Song of Creation: Zero-Cost Spells
Rasmus Enegren, the reigning Regional Champion for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, broke from the norm with a wild Song of Creation combo deck. The goal of this deck is to resolve Song of Creation and play a flurry of zero-cost spells, drawing two cards every time you cast a spell. If you return Mox Opal or Mox Amber to your hand with Repeal, that effectively becomes a zero-mana spell. And if Malevolent Rumble finds a Mox, then it is mana neutral as well. With nearly half the deck effectively costing zero mana, Moxen tapping for additional mana, and Six letting you recast Moxen from your graveyard, it's possible to draw your entire deck; cast Jace, Wielder of Mysteries; and win the game in an explosive combo turn.
A surprising and brand-new addition to the deck is Bruce Banner. The deck needs legendary creatures to consistently enable Mox Amber, but most of the previously available one-mana options were underwhelming. Bruce Banner at least does something, threatening to draw cards over time against slower control strategies. And in a grindy game where the opponent managed to discard or counter Song of Creation, you can cast it as The Incredible Hulk and surprise everyone by rumbling in with a 8/8 trampler. I hope to see that happen during the Pro Tour!
Mono-Blue Metalcraft: Efficient Interaction
Hall of Fame member Gabriel Nassif presented a fresh take on blue artifact strategies. In early 2025, Underworld Breach decks dominated Modern, using Mox Opal, Mox Amber, Mishra's Bauble, and Urza's Saga as a powerful artifact package. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Emry, Lurker of the Loch acted as enablers for Mox Amber. After Underworld Breach was banned, this core package persisted, typically as an Izzet Metalcraft deck. Nassif, however, charted a different path.
Instead of splashing red for Unholy Heat or Cori-Steel Cutter, Nassif stayed mono-blue to incorporate Subtlety and Force of Negation, giving him a powerful suite of free counters. With Quantum Riddler serving as a powerful card-draw engine to replenish your hand (not to mention the support from a one-of Essence Flux), you should have plenty of blue cards to pitch. Ultimately, Nassif's deck combines some of the strongest mana acceleration, artifact synergies, and card-advantage engines in Modern with efficient interaction. In Nassif's build, Emry can recur cards like Engineered Explosives and Tormod's Crypt to disrupt your opponent even further, letting this Hall of Famer superstar settle in for slow, controlling games as needed.
Hollow One: Chaos and Aggression
The final spicy decklist I'd like to highlight is Hollow One, which only two competitors brought to the event: Adria Martin and Nick Talbot. Talbot has enjoyed an excellent Pro Tour season so far, with a 10-6 record at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed and an 11-5 finish at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven. Could this be the event where he goes one step further, all while wielding an off-meta deck?
If you have Faithless Looting and Street Wraith in your opening hand, or just a fortunate Burning Inquiry, the deck can deploy multiple copies of Hollow One on turn one, applying immense pressure. By turn two, a bestowed Detective's Phoenix can join the fray, allowing you to attack in the air with a formidable 6/6 flying Golem. The archetype has also gained new tools over the past year, most notably Moonshadow, which grows alongside the deck's many discard effects. It complements Marauding Mako as another aggressive, highly synergistic one-drop that helps the deck overwhelm opponents before they can stabilize.
Hollow One has always embraced chaos, and while the random discards remain risky, its best aggressive starts remain undeniably powerful. These eight decks, each with its own unique strategy and innovative approach, showcase the depth and diversity of the Modern format. Whether you're a seasoned player or a newcomer, there's always something new to explore and discover in the world of Magic: The Gathering.
