Sideboard Pickups for Modern in 2024
Hello, all! Happy New Year! And with the New Year upon us, we’ll use this issue of Modern Times to reflect on some quieter musings in the Modern format. While the mainboards of many decks in the meta have changed, some sideboard pieces have quietly been moving or are positioned to do so. Without further ado, let’s jump in!
Cursed Totem
A cEDH staple, Cursed Totem has only recently seen the light of day in Modern with a printing in
Naturally, it's easy to see the appeal of Cursed Totem in cEDH, as it shuts down a myriad of format staples, including some of the best commanders the format has to offer, such as:
So what’s the appeal in Modern these days? Well, in a format without
The original Mirage Cursed Totem has jumped exponentially from $4 at the beginning of December to $40 currently–a tenfold increase. I suppose that’s the premium for originality (form over function, if you will). That being said, the MH2 version of Totem has climbed from about $1 to $5 over the past month. It seems to be flatlining, suggesting that perhaps it could stagnate, or maybe even fall a bit. Unless you have an RCQ right around the corner on your schedule, it might be worth waiting a spell to see if Totem’s price levels out.
| Cursed Totem | ||
| Cursed Totem | ||
| Cursed Totem |
Magus of the Moon
Remember the good old days of 8 Moon in Modern? Neither do I. Why? Because
So where has Blood Moon gone? Last I checked, Mono-Green Tron and Amulet Titan are still at the forefront of the format. Not only that, Cascade decks like Temur Rhinos and Living End both can justify mainboarding Blood Moon if they felt so inclined. So why is Blood Moon feeling so antiquated? Simple:
That brings us to Blood Moon’s cousin, Magus of the Moon. Part of the Magus cycle of creatures from
For the past few months or so, Magus has been sliding down somewhat in price and currently sits at $10, although it appears to be stabilizing a bit. It's difficult to gauge whether this stabilization is a true bottoming out or simply its equilibrium price. However, I’d venture to guess that Magus has significant upward potential, and what we’re seeing is more of a bottom out leading to a gradual upward swing in price. In essence, I think we’re seeing the pendulum swing as it's at the very bottom of its motion. So if you need a couple of these for your sideboards, now is the optimal time to drop the $20.
| Magus of the Moon | ||
| Magus of the Moon | ||
| Magus of the Moon |
Dress Down
This card sat at $1.50 in November, and has slowly been climbing up since the Fury/Beanstalk ban. Today, Dress Down sits at $2. Why? you might ask. There’s a small resurgence in Dress Down’s popularity thanks to Shadowtide builds finding their way back into the format. Grixis and Dimir Shadowtide don’t want to mainboard Dress Down per se, but love sideboarding it.
Dress Down can be scary if utilized correctly. Allowing creatures to lose all abilities at instant speed (and drawing a card) for two mana is potent, as it reverts your
| Dress Down | ||
| Dress Down (Showcase) |
Brotherhood's End
Brotherhood’s End, in comparison to other cards discussed today, is relatively straightforward. Blow up most (if not all) artifacts, or blow up most (if not all) creatures played across the format (oh, and also deal some damage to those nasty planeswalkers, like
Brotherhood’s End, like Dress Down, has seen a small uptick in price since the recent ban list, currently sitting at $4.50, up from $3.50. Where is this uptick coming from? Murktide, Rhinos sideboards, and, to a lesser extent, Rakdos Scam and Indomitable Creativity sideboards. What do these decks all have in common? In theory, a few of these liked running Fury (except for Murktide, of course), and can no longer do so.
Brotherhood’s End doesn't scratch the Fury itch, but provides some utility in terms of mass removal at an effective mana cost. Of these builds, Rhinos probably has the most effective use of the card, given its mana constraints to make Cascade viable. Incidentally, Rhinos also sees the most play in the format since the ban, occupying a little more than 10% of the competitive field. As such, a lot of the variation in Brotherhood’s End’s price in recent weeks is probably coming from Rhinos alone. So if you play Rhinos, or are thinking of playing Rhinos, it would be a good time to pick up a couple of Ends for your sideboard, given its upward price trend and potential for play in other format archetypes.
| Brotherhood's End | ||
| Brotherhood's End (Extended Art) |
Final Thoughts
Like most competitive formats, sideboards are an integral piece of the format landscape. Whether you’re fetching artifacts and win conditions from your sideboard with
The cards today represent just the tip of the iceberg of sideboard sleepers (and in some cases, sweepers) that are well worth the cheap pickup! Happy New Year!
Further Reading:
Corey Williams is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. He considers himself a macroeconometrician with his research body reflecting work in applied macroeconomics and econometrics. Corey is an L1 Judge who started playing Magic around Eighth Edition. He enjoys Modern, Commander, cEDH, and cube drafting. Outside of Magic, he loves running, teaching, and the occasional cult movie.
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