So who's turn is it to dominate the Modern landscape?  Let's take a look at a few of the decks poised to take over the dreaded spot atop the charts.

Birthing Pod

Birthing Pod has continued to be a competitive archetype a year and a half into Modern's history.  Birthing Pod so far during the PTQ Dragon's Maze season has 14% of the Top 8's (of decks submitted) which was second only to Jund which had 25% of Top 8's (of decks submitted).  The typical flavor of Birthing Pod decks are either Kiki Pod or Melira Pod.

Melira Pod reappeared recently with an MTGO PTQ win and another Top 8 on 1/20/13.  Here was the winner's decklist by RedArmada:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation created with mtgtop8.com
// NAME : Birthing Pod
// CREATOR : RedArmada  
// FORMAT : 
        1 [GP] Godless Shrine
        1 [UNH] Swamp
        1 [] Temple Garden
        2 [] Overgrown Tomb
        2 [SOM] Razorverge Thicket
        2 [ISD] Woodland Cemetery
        3 [UNH] Forest
        3 [ISD] Gavony Township
        4 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
        4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs
        1 [CMD] Eternal Witness
        1 [ALA] Ethersworn Canonist
        1 [CFX] Noble Hierarch
        1 [GP] Orzhov Pontiff
        1 [NPH] Phyrexian Metamorph
        1 [ARB] Qasali Pridemage
        1 [ALA] Ranger of Eos
        1 [MOR] Reveillark
        1 [NPH] Spellskite
        1 [TSP] Wall of Roots
        2 [] Deathrite Shaman
        2 [SHM] Murderous Redcap
        3 [NPH] Melira, Sylvok Outcast
        3 [M11] Viscera Seer
        4 [M12] Birds of Paradise
        4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
        4 [NPH] Birthing Pod
        2 [] Abrupt Decay
        3 [RAV] Chord of Calling
SB:  2 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB:  1 [CMD] Shriekmaw
SB:  2 [10E] Rule of Law
SB:  2 [DKA] Lingering Souls
SB:  1 [ROE] Linvala, Keeper of Silence
SB:  2 [M11] Obstinate Baloth
SB:  1 [TSP] Harmonic Sliver
SB:  2 [NPH] Dismember
SB:  1 [FUT] Aven Mindcensor
SB:  1 [] Abrupt Decay

Up until recently, most players had switched over to Kiki Pod.  Here is a version from the MTGO PTQ on 1/28/13 that finished 13th piloted by makoeyesX:

4 Arid Mesa
1 Breeding Pool
2 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Forest
2 Gavony Township
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden

1 Aven Mindcensor
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Deceiver Exarch
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Murderous Redcap
3 Noble Hierarch
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Qasali Pridemage
3 Restoration Angel
1 Spellskite
4 Wall of Roots
1 Zealous Conscripts

4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling

Sideboard

1 Ancient Grudge
2 Combust
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Path to Exile
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
2 Sowing Salt
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Thrun, the Last Troll

One of the few knocks against both versions of Pod is that there is very little deck manipulation to get you to key pieces of the combo so mulligan decisions and knowing every card in your deck makes a big difference playing with this deck.

UR Twin

Another main combo deck in the format is UR Splinter Twin.  Unlike Pod decks, UR Twin is a combo deck with some permission backup (counterspells) to help make sure your combo goes off.  It has held a steady 10% of the Top 8's during the PTQ season.  Here is great sample decklist from a recent 220 player PTQ winner:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation created with mtgtop8.com
// NAME : Twin Exarch
// CREATOR : Giulio Pasqui 
// FORMAT : 
        1 [DIS] Breeding Pool
        2 [ZEN] Arid Mesa
        2 [UNH] Mountain
        3 [] Steam Vents
        3 [ISD] Sulfur Falls
        4 [UNH] Island
        4 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
        4 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
        1 [NPH] Spellskite
        2 [M12] Grim Lavamancer
        2 [CHK] Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
        2 [ISD] Snapcaster Mage
        4 [NPH] Deceiver Exarch
        4 [LRW] Pestermite
        4 [ROE] Splinter Twin
        1 [] Mizzium Skin
        2 [] Dispel
        2 [MR] Electrostatic Bolt
        2 [M11] Lightning Bolt
        3 [ZEN] Spell Pierce
        4 [FD] Serum Visions
        4 [9E] Sleight of Hand
SB:  2 [] Negate
SB:  1 [NPH] Dismember
SB:  1 [M12] Combust
SB:  2 [ISD] Ancient Grudge
SB:  1 [NPH] Surgical Extraction
SB:  3 [9E] Blood Moon
SB:  2 [DS] Echoing Truth
SB:  1 [] Mizzium Skin
SB:  1 [NPH] Spellskite
SB:  1 [M12] Grim Lavamancer

This deck can go off as early as turn 4 but usually waits to go off on turn 5 or 6 so that it has adequate backup via countermagic.

UWr Midrange

This might be the deck that players default to to replace Jund.  It has owned a 11% of the Top 8 metagame this season, the highest percentage of control decks in the format.

Here is Mitchell Manders version that navigated the 984 player Grand Prix Bilbao:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation created with mtgtop8.com
// NAME : UWr Midrange
// CREATOR : Mitchell Manders 
// FORMAT : 
        1 [CHK] Eiganjo Castle
        1 [UNH] Mountain
        1 [UNH] Plains
        1 [RAV] Sacred Foundry
        1 [ISD] Sulfur Falls
        2 [] Hallowed Fountain
        2 [UNH] Island
        2 [] Steam Vents
        2 [WWK] Tectonic Edge
        4 [ZEN] Arid Mesa
        4 [WWK] Celestial Colonnade
        4 [ZEN] Scalding Tarn
        1 [] Thundermaw Hellkite
        2 [FUT] Aven Mindcensor
        3 [MOR] Vendilion Clique
        4 [ISD] Geist of Saint Traft
        4 [ISD] Snapcaster Mage
        2 [] Izzet Charm
        2 [M12] Mana Leak
        3 [CMD] Electrolyze
        3 [CMD] Path to Exile
        3 [RAV] Remand
        4 [M11] Lightning Bolt
        4 [RAV] Lightning Helix
SB:  2 [] Counterflux
SB:  1 [TSP] Disenchant
SB:  2 [FD] Engineered Explosives
SB:  2 [M11] Pyroclasm
SB:  2 [10E] Rule of Law
SB:  1 [NPH] Spellskite
SB:  1 [M10] Tempest of Light
SB:  2 [BOK] Threads of Disloyalty
SB:  1 [NPH] Batterskull
SB:  1 [M11] Baneslayer Angel

The deck has exactly what you would want to deal with the field.  I has a decent clock with Geist of Saint Traft, Vendilion Clique, some version have Restoration Angel, and Thundermaw Hellkite.  The deck also has three of the best point removal spells in the format in Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, and Path to Exile.  Lastly, it has enough cheap countermagic to keep combo and other midrange decks in check.

Scapeshift

So unbanning Valakut was a good idea huh?  So far the deck hasn't dominated but it did have an interesting matchup against Jund.  So far in this PTQ season it has made the Top 8 only 4% of the time but it has shown sparks of power even while Jund was in the format.  Check out this list from the 1/28 MTGO PTQ played by the winner Scabs:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation created with mtgtop8.com
// NAME : Scapeshift
// CREATOR : Scabs  
// FORMAT : 
        1 [] Blood Crypt
        1 [] Breeding Pool
        1 [EVE] Flooded Grove
        1 [UNH] Mountain
        1 [UNH] Swamp
        1 [] Watery Grave
        2 [UNH] Forest
        2 [ZEN] Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
        3 [UNH] Island
        4 [ZEN] Misty Rainforest
        4 [] Steam Vents
        4 [] Stomping Ground
        4 [CMD] Sakura-Tribe Elder
        2 [] Izzet Charm
        3 [RAV] Clutch of the Undercity
        3 [LRW] Cryptic Command
        3 [10E] Telling Time
        4 [RAV] Remand
        2 [] Farseek
        2 [M11] Pyroclasm
        4 [MOR] Scapeshift
        4 [TSP] Search for Tomorrow
        4 [FD] Serum Visions
SB:  1 [M11] Pyroclasm
SB:  2 [] Dispel
SB:  1 [CHK] Meloku the Clouded Mirror
SB:  1 [ZEN] Mindbreak Trap
SB:  1 [M11] Obstinate Baloth
SB:  2 [PLC] Seal of Primordium
SB:  1 [10E] Shatterstorm
SB:  1 [] Slaughter Games
SB:  1 [ZEN] Spell Pierce
SB:  3 [NPH] Spellskite
SB:  1 [SOM] Wurmcoil Engine

This deck certainly has the tools to go far but it does require some work to get the combo to go off. Typically you'll need 7 lands in play to Scapeshift into 6 mountains and a Valakut, dealing 18 damage. Normally that isn't enough to kill a player, but in Modern with players using a good number of saclands and shocklands, 18 can be enough to finish a player off.  The main issue with the deck was Slaughter Games out of the Jund board meaning you had to pack a backup win condition and all the discard and pressure from them.  That isn't there anymore so look out for this deck.

Urza Tron

Urza Tron has been one of the cheapest decks to build to get into Modern.  Urza Tron has about 6% of the Top 8 performances, including this PTQ Dragon's Maze winner, Patrick Fehling:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation created with mtgtop8.com
// NAME : Gr Tron
// CREATOR : Patrick Fehling 
// FORMAT : 
        1 [WWK] Eye of Ugin
        1 [UNH] Mountain
        2 [UNH] Forest
        2 [ISD] Ghost Quarter
        2 [FUT] Grove of the Burnwillows
        4 [9E] Urza's Mine
        4 [9E] Urza's Power Plant
        4 [9E] Urza's Tower
        1 [ROE] Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
        1 [SOM] Myr Battlesphere
        1 [NPH] Spellskite
        1 [DS] Sundering Titan
        2 [SOM] Wurmcoil Engine
        3 [NPH] Karn Liberated
        1 [NPH] Batterskull
        1 [SOM] Mindslaver
        2 [ALA] Relic of Progenitus
        3 [CMD] Oblivion Stone
        4 [MR] Chromatic Sphere
        4 [10E] Chromatic Star
        4 [ZEN] Expedition Map
        4 [ROE] Ancient Stirrings
        4 [M11] Pyroclasm
        4 [10E] Sylvan Scrying
SB:  3 [M12] Combust
SB:  4 [WWK] Lodestone Golem
SB:  1 [NPH] Beast Within
SB:  1 [] Electrickery
SB:  1 [SOM] Mindslaver
SB:  1 [SOM] Wurmcoil Engine
SB:  1 [NPH] Surgical Extraction
SB:  3 [WWK] Nature's Claim

One of the only knocks on this deck is the fact that it falls apart without the Tron pieces or if it is facing a aggro/control deck with a decent clock on the board.  It has a lot of dig for its key cards but a well timed Sowing Salt or a decent amount of countermagic can be trouble.

The question now becomes...Which deck are you playing?

Brad Reeves
@YawgmothsWill

Infecting Magic one grinder at a time