Burn is a deck that has existed since Modern’s inception, and while it has waxed and waned in playability over the years, it has cemented itself as one of the most iconic decks in Modern’s history. But while other archetypes have been in a constant state of evolution, Modern Burn has been in a somewhat stagnant state for the last few years. The formula of four Goblin Guide, four Monastery Swiftspear, four Eidolon of the Great Revel, 20 lands and 28 burn spells of choice has remained relatively unchanged for the last few years. I’ve found that this formula is so cemented into the identity of Burn that pilots are resilient to considering other ways of adapting the deck.

That being said, there are tons of new options for Burn to consider from recent sets and I’ve made it a side project of mine to test different ideas in the shell and see if there was a good way to rework it. I’ve ended up hammering out a list that I’ve been having a lot of success with, but I’d like to briefly go over some of the cards I tried and ultimately opted not to play.