The recent banning of Fury and Up the Beanstalk in Modern was expected to shift the metagame, particularly with the dominance of Rakdos Scam. However, Rakdos Scam players have adapted to the bans, with the archetype winning a recent 702-player event. Multi-color Leyline Binding decks are still popular despite the ban of Up the Beanstalk. Additionally, a unique four-color variant has emerged, adding the underused Felidar Guardian combo to the mix and overperforming in recent Magic Online events.
The Felidar Guardian combo requires two pieces: Felidar Guardian and Saheeli Rai, creating infinite Hasty copies of Felidar Guardian. The deck also utilizes traditional four-color options, such as Delighted Halfling, Teferi, Time Raveler, and The One Ring. The bans have encouraged players to replace missing pieces in established archetypes, leading to innovation and new builds.
The strengths of this deck lie in its versatility, with the addition of the Saheeli+Felidar Guardian combo providing a quick win condition against opposing combo decks. However, the deck has weaknesses, such as Saheeli being a weak card without access to Felidar Guardian and the need to trim down on other powerful cards. Despite this, the deck’s ability to execute a fast combo kill makes it a strong contender in the current metagame.
Overall, the bans have led to innovation and new strategies, with the emergence of the Saheeli+Felidar Guardian combo providing a fresh and powerful option for Modern players.
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