Living End Deck Tech

Modern is in shambles right now, the Eldrazi are running amuck and it looks like they will stay on top until April when the bannings happen. Until WOTC fix my favorite format then I am going to be playing Living End. I think Living End is incredibly well positioned right now, Eldrazi commits a lot to the board and resolving a single Living End can be back breaking. Here is the current list I am playing:

4 Blackcleave Cliffs

2 Copperline Gorges

4 Verdant catacombs

3 Bloodstained Mire

2 Wooded Foothills

2 Overgrown Tomb

1 Stomping Ground

1 Blood Crypt

2 Swamp

1 Forest

1 Mountain

Creatures:

4 Architects of Will

4 Deadshot Minotaur

4 Monstrous Carabid

4 Fulminator Mage

4 Street Wraith

3 Simian Spirit Guide

1 Jungle Weaver

1 Faerie Macabre

1 Twisted Abomination

Spells

4 Violent Outburst

4 Demonic Dread

4 Beast Within

3 Living End

How the Deck Works:

Living End is a combo deck that works by using the incredibly powerful cascade mechanic to cast a living end as early as Turn 2 and potentially at instant speed. Because Living End is the only card in your deck that has a lower CMC than the spells (Violent Outburst and Demonic Dread) that have cascade you will always hit one. In the meantime you play a lot of really awful Alara-block draft chaff such as Architects of Will, Deadshot Minotaur, and Monstrous Carabid because they have Cycling, an ability that lets you get lots of big dumb creatures into the graveyard while drawing into more awful unplayable draft chaff.

Card Choices:

Living End- This cards is pretty important for this deck.

Violent Outburst and Demonic Dread- As appealing as suspending a Living End may seem, these are just much more efficient.

Twisted Abomination- I personally like to run one of these in my main deck because Living End plays so few lands that I find myself keeping a higher amount of two and even one land hands. Playing this card in Modern may seem like an abomination but it helps you hit your lands a lot more reliably.

Beast Within- The unfortunate part about playing Living End is that you are weak to a lot of “gotcha” cards that are being playing in modern. The big two are Chalice of the Void on 0 which counters your living end and Rest in Peace which totally shuts down your game plan. Beast Within is a good way to deal with both of these, also relevant it provides a creature that you can Demonic Dread.

Shriekmaw- This is a card that I like to play one in the main deck. Despite not being able to cycle it provides a good way to kill those pesky Though-Knot Seers and Reality Smashers that are running around right now. The nice part is it will take care of them again when your Living End resolves.

Faerie Macabre- Sometimes your opponent is going to get some creatures in their graveyard before you take over the game with a Living End, this lets your Living End be much better for you. Something to note that because you play Deadshot Minotaur that most of the time this creature is just going to get killed by your own triggers.

Simian Spirit Guide- Modern is a very fast format right now so having access to these to sneak through a Living End a turn earlier is super important.