1. I picked the top 300 or so Modern cards by adding a recent online sample to the two previous samples I had looked at. Now the cut-off is any card that was used 8 or more times. There are a total of 26,579 cards in this sample. If I select the top 328 cards-this cut excludes 50 or so cards-I have 97.4 percent left in the sample.
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2. The top 328 cards in Modern from the large selection (26,579 cards) I have looked at can be considered their own set. Many of these cards, at least the ones issued from Mirrodin to Shards of Alara, should make it into Modern Masters. I have sleeved 100 of the cards I currently have that are in this list. If I include a playset of each card and two of each legendary, the cube comes out to 1,270 cards. I very much doubt I will even come close to completing this cube. I can at least show here the list of what should be in it.
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3. I analyzed two Modern competitive artifact decks. The first deck is a Emrakul/Wurmcoil Engine/Karn Liberated deck. I find eight of these decks in the large sample I have looked at. The second deck is a Mox Opal/Thoughtseize deck.
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4. I analyzed an Infect deck in Modern. Infect decks were some of the cheapest competitive decks in Standard SOM+ISD, but that is definitely not the case in Modern. This deck makes a playset of Mox Opal seem relatively cheap. Talk about dual lands being the cornerstone of a competitive deck....they are almost the cornerstone of a house at these prices.
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5. Mirrodin Block fun selection. I am adding to this group from Scars of Mirrodin Block, Shards of Alara Block for the colored artifacts, and Innistrad Block. This is a GIGANTIC experiment involving 100s and 100s of cards, and many deck building experiments from a selection that includes:
1. Various artifacts and dual lands from the ISD Block, and a handful from RTR set.
2. Various artifacts, dual lands, and colored cards remaindered in my attempt to complete all cards in the SOM block.
3. A few booster packs of Scars of Mirrodin/Mirrodin Besieged/New Phyrexia (3/4/3).
4. Five Mirrodin booster packs.
5. The Mirrodin Tournament Deck.
6. All four Darksteel theme decks, one with a duplicate.
7. All four Fifth Dawn theme decks.
8. Commanders: as of now I only have Odric (M13, White) and Ezuri (SOM Elf, Green).
9. Mono and multicolored common artifacts from the Shards of Alara block.
10. Shards of Alara obelisk artifacts for three color mana fixing.
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Here are all the Modern staples I pulled.
