Scepter Chant — Modern Strategy Guide

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Archetype Overview

Scepter Chant is a white-blue prison deck. It doesn't try to answer every threat one at a time. It takes whole turns away from your opponent by stopping them from casting spells, empties their hand with a one-sided draw effect, and cleans up what's already on the table with flexible removal. The list here finished 2nd Place at Regional Championship - MIT Championship on November 1, 2026 (83 players), piloted by Cheng Yu Chang.

The three pieces of the plan

Deny. Orim's Chant and Silence each cost {W} and stop an opponent from casting spells for a turn. Teferi, Time Raveler narrows that further with a static ability: your opponent can cast spells only at sorcery timing. Together, those cards decide when the opponent gets to play Magic at all.

Lock. Isochron Scepter turns a one-shot into a repeatable effect. Imprint Orim's Chant, pay {2} on your opponent's upkeep, and they lose that turn's spells, and the next one, for as long as the artifact survives and you keep {2} open.

Strip and finish. Narset, Parter of Veils stops each opponent from drawing more than one card a turn. Day's Undoing then shuffles both hands away and refills only yours. From there, Solitude or Celestial Colonnade closes the game, because neither needs much help once the opponent can't respond.

Why the plan is strong

The deck is built around a simple asymmetry: a spell that costs one mana can cancel an opponent's entire turn of development. Most Modern decks spend their early mana expecting to untap and use the rest of it. A well-timed Silence during their upkeep throws that plan out for a single white mana, and you still get to use the rest of your own mana on your next turn.

It also has a real answer suite for when the denial isn't enough. Solitude can be cast for free with its evoke cost, Erode destroys a creature or planeswalker for {W}, Prismatic Ending scales with the colors you spend, and Wrath of the Skies sweeps artifacts, creatures and enchantments at whatever mana value you choose. You aren't a combo deck that folds to a resolved permanent. You're a control deck with an unusually cheap way to buy time.

Where it sits in the field

Scepter Chant took 12 of 256 Top 8 slots across 10 of the 32 counted Modern events, with 2 wins (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). That result set includes a win by Jason Yan at the Regional Championships - ANZ Super Series (233 players, Oct 24) and two Top 4 finishes at the Regional Championship - South America (404 players, Oct 24) (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). It's a real part of the current format, so expect some opponents to know what the deck does and to have sideboard cards ready. The two biggest decks in that same count are Broodscale Bloodchief at 48 slots and Rakdos Delirium at 34 (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), and both have tools that test this list in different ways.

Who should pick it up

Play this if you enjoy planning two turns ahead and you're willing to count mana on every turn. The deck rewards players who think about windows: when your opponent has priority, when they've already drawn, and how much you need to hold back. A misplaced Chant costs you a card and often the game, while a correct one can win it outright.

Skip it if you want a deck that plays itself or a fast clock. Your wins take time, your threat count is low, and many of your games are decided by small decisions long before anyone takes damage. That makes this list demanding across a long event, and practice with the clock in mind matters. It's also a deck that rewards knowing the field: the same Silence that wins a game against a spell-heavy combo deck does much less against a board that's already built, because it only stops casting.

What to take away before reading further

Think of each game as a question: what does your opponent need to cast this turn, and can you make that impossible for less mana than they'd spend? Once you see games in those terms, the card choices, the mulligan rules and the sequencing below all follow from it.

Core Strategy & Game Plan

Your posture changes as the game goes on. In the first few turns you're reactive and cheap, holding {W} or a free Solitude while you hit land drops. In the middle turns you land a planeswalker or Isochron Scepter under protection. Late, you turn the corner with an attacker while the opponent can't cast anything.

How the deck actually wins

There are only a few damage sources in the main deck. Solitude is a 3/2 with lifelink and flash. Celestial Colonnade becomes a 4/4 flier with vigilance for {3}{W}{U}. After sideboarding, The Wandering Emperor can make 2/2 Samurai tokens and Sanctifier en-Vec adds a 2/2 body. That's a slow clock, which is the point: you win by making the opponent's turns irrelevant, then taking your time.

Don't rush to attack. A hard-cast Solitude used to remove a creature is often also your win condition, so it's worth protecting. If the board is empty and you've got a lock in place, one creature finishes the job.

Engine one: the Scepter lock

Isochron Scepter imprints an instant with mana value 2 or less from your hand as it enters, and {2}, {T} lets you cast a copy for free. Your main-deck options are Orim's Chant, Silence, Erode, Spell Snare and Razorgrass Ambush. Orim's Chant is the usual choice: on your opponent's upkeep, the copy says they can't cast spells for the turn. It untaps on your untap step, so you can repeat this every turn cycle as long as you end your turn with {2} open.

Kicker adds a second layer. Paying the extra {W} on the copy also stops creatures attacking that turn, so three open mana shuts down both spells and combat. That's a rules point worth confirming with a judge if it's ever disputed: a free cast still lets you pay an optional additional cost like kicker.

The list runs a single Scepter, so you'll often win without seeing it. Treat it as your strongest line, not your only one.

Engine two: Narset and Day's Undoing

Narset, Parter of Veils says each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn. Day's Undoing makes each player shuffle hand and graveyard into library, then draw seven. With Narset on the table, you draw seven and your opponent draws one at most. If they've already drawn that turn, they draw nothing.

This is where Teferi, Time Raveler matters. Its +1 lets you cast sorceries as though they had flash until your next turn. Day's Undoing is a sorcery, and its "end the turn" clause only applies if it's your turn. So you can cast it during your opponent's draw step, after their draw, and leave them with an empty hand, on a turn when Teferi's static ability also stops them responding with a spell. That's the single most punishing thing the deck can do.

Engine three: planeswalker value

Each walker is a threat and a card-flow engine on its own. Narset's -2 looks at the top four and can take any noncreature, nonland card: the list has 34 of those, so it nearly always finds something. Teferi's -3 returns an artifact, creature or enchantment and draws a card, which handles a problem permanent or resets your own Solitude. Both demand an answer. Every attack aimed at a planeswalker is damage that didn't go at you.

The ideal game, turn by turn

1. Turn 1: Land, usually a fetch. Preordain if you need to find your second piece; otherwise hold {W} for Silence, Orim's Chant or Erode.
2. Turn 2: Isochron Scepter with a Chant in hand, or The Mind Stone for a faster turn three, or hold up interaction if the opponent is threatening something you need to stop.
3. Turn 3: Teferi, Time Raveler or Narset, Parter of Veils. If the Scepter is down, keep {2} open for their upkeep and start the lock.
4. Turn 4: The second walker, or a planeswalker plus a cheap spell. With Teferi up and Narset down, you've set up Day's Undoing.
5. Turn 5 onward: Cast Solitude on their end step, attack, and start activating Celestial Colonnade once your lands allow it. You should now be spending your mana rather than holding it, because the opponent has nothing left to do.

When the plan goes off-script

Sometimes you'll be on the back foot against a fast board. In that case, sweep or trade first. Wrath of the Skies with X sized to what's on the table, Solitude evoked at no mana, and Erode on the key threat will stabilize the game, and Chant effects become relevant again once the opponent has to rebuild by casting spells. Remember what the denial cards don't do: they stop casting, not abilities on permanents already in play. If the threat is on the table, you need a removal spell.

Card Choices & Breakdown

Casting denial (7 cards)

4 Orim's Chant: The deck's signature card. It's a {W} instant that stops one player casting spells for the turn, with kicker {W} to also stop attacks. It's the best imprint for Isochron Scepter because the kicker gives you a way out of combat as well.

3 Silence: Another {W} instant, without a target and without kicker. Three copies make the effect redundant, while one fewer than Chant recognizes that it doesn't stop attackers. If your hand has both and you need to stop just the spells, spend Silence first and save Chant for the turn when combat also matters.

Planeswalkers (8 cards)

4 Narset, Parter of Veils: The card-draw limit is what turns Day's Undoing and Geier Reach Sanitarium into one-sided effects, and the -2 finds nearly anything in the deck.

4 Teferi, Time Raveler: Its static ability shuts off instant-speed interaction, which protects your key turns on its own. The +1 gives sorcery-speed cards flash, and -3 bounces a problem while drawing a card. Four copies is correct: you want this on the table early and often.

Hand reset (4 cards)

4 Day's Undoing: A {2}{U} sorcery that is a full refill for you and, with Narset, a hand wipe for the opponent. Even without Narset, it refills your hand when you've spent cards faster than your opponent. Watch the "end the turn" clause when you cast it on your own turn: make it your last play.

Spot removal and free answers (9 cards)

4 Solitude: A flash 3/2 lifelinker for {3}{W}{W} that exiles up to one other target creature on entry, giving its controller life equal to that creature's power. Its evoke cost, exiling a white card from hand, gives you a free answer on the turns you're tapped out. White cards in this list include your Chants, Silences, Erode, Prismatic Ending, Wrath of the Skies and Teferi, Time Raveler, so you rarely lack fodder.

2 Prismatic Ending: Exiles a nonland permanent with mana value up to the number of colors spent. Blue and white gets you to 2. The single red source, Thundering Falls, pushes it to 3, and that's the reason the land is here. It answers artifacts and enchantments that Erode can't.

2 Erode: {W} to destroy any creature or planeswalker, with the drawback that its controller may fetch a basic land. It's one of your few clean answers to an opposing walker.

1 Razorgrass Ambush: 3 damage to an attacking or blocking creature, or the land Razorgrass Field on the back. It sits in the land-spell slot, making it a flood-protection card as well as an answer.

Sweepers (3 cards)

3 Wrath of the Skies: You get X energy, then pay any amount of it, and it destroys each artifact, creature and enchantment with mana value up to the energy paid. You can choose to pay less than you got, keeping the rest of the energy for a later copy. It's selective too. Pay 1 and your own Isochron Scepter and The Mind Stone both live, since each has mana value 2; pay 2 and your Scepter goes while the indestructible Stone stays.

Counters and tempo (2 cards)

1 Spell Snare: {U} to counter a spell with mana value 2. It's narrow, but it's cheap, it imprints on Scepter, and it hits two-mana plays such as Basking Broodscale and Ruby Medallion.

1 Sink into Stupor: Bounces a spell or an opponent's nonland permanent for {1}{U}{U}, or plays as the land Soporific Springs. It's one of your ways to deal with any permanent type, including a Trinisphere that locks you out of cheap plays. It's a second flood-protection card.

Artifacts (2 cards)

1 Isochron Scepter: One copy keeps the deck from drawing dead Scepters in hands with no instant to imprint. Narset, Parter of Veils and Monumental Henge both find it.

1 The Mind Stone: A two-mana indestructible mana rock. Late in the game, {5}{W}, {T} harnesses it, and then each end step it can blink another nonland permanent you control: repeat Solitude's exile, reset a walker's loyalty, or re-imprint a Scepter.

Selection (3 cards)

3 Preordain: Costs {U} and sets up the next two turns. Note that it's a sorcery, so under Teferi's +1 you can cast it on the opponent's turn if you've got nothing else to do with the mana.

The manabase (22 lands, plus the two land-spells above)

There are nine fetches: 4 Flooded Strand, 3 Arid Mesa, 1 Misty Rainforest and 1 Polluted Delta. They find 2 Hallowed Fountain, 2 Meticulous Archive, 2 Island, 2 Plains and Thundering Falls, all of which carry the basic land types the fetches ask for. Pay attention to the fetch's types: Arid Mesa can't get an Island, and Polluted Delta and Misty Rainforest can't get a Plains, though each one can find a dual with both types.

The utility lands earn their slots. Monumental Henge digs five cards deep for a historic card, and the list has 12 of those in the main deck: Scepter, Mind Stone, the walkers, Otawara, Soaring City and Geier Reach Sanitarium. Otawara, Soaring City is a land that turns into a bounce effect when you need it. Geier Reach Sanitarium loots at instant speed, and with Narset out it's a one-sided discard on the opponent's turn once they've drawn. Celestial Colonnade is your main-deck flier, and it's worth playing even though it enters tapped.

The Decklist

This is the 75-card list played by Cheng Yu Chang to 2nd Place at Regional Championship - MIT Championship (83 players, November 1, 2026).

Main Deck (60)

• 4 Solitude
• 4 Narset, Parter of Veils
• 4 Teferi, Time Raveler
• 4 Orim's Chant
• 3 Silence
• 4 Day's Undoing
• 3 Wrath of the Skies
• 3 Preordain: flexible; early selection that's weakest in long games
• 2 Prismatic Ending: flexible; goes up with colors spent
• 2 Erode: flexible; {W} removal that hands over a basic
• 1 Isochron Scepter
• 1 The Mind Stone: flexible; mana early, a blink engine late
• 1 Razorgrass Ambush: flexible; spell or land
• 1 Sink into Stupor: flexible; spell or land
• 1 Spell Snare: flexible; the first slot to change for a new field
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 3 Arid Mesa
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Meticulous Archive
• 2 Island
• 2 Plains
• 1 Thundering Falls: flexible; the red source for Prismatic Ending
• 1 Celestial Colonnade
• 1 Monumental Henge: flexible; late-game digging
• 1 Otawara, Soaring City
• 1 Geier Reach Sanitarium: flexible; colorless mana for a loot effect

Sideboard (15)

• 3 Consign to Memory: counters a triggered ability or colorless spell
• 3 High Noon: one spell per turn, for each player
• 3 Mystical Dispute: {U} into blue spells, soft counter otherwise
• 3 Sanctifier en-Vec: against black and red decks
• 2 The Wandering Emperor: flash threat and answer
• 1 Wrath of the Skies: the fourth sweeper, for creature decks

Mulligan Guide

Hands in this deck should do one of two things: interact cheaply on the early turns, or set up a planeswalker on turn three with protection available. If a hand does neither, it's probably a mulligan, even if it looks powerful on paper.

What a keep looks like

• Lands: Three or four, including at least one source of each color you need. Count Razorgrass Ambush and Sink into Stupor as lands only when you've got two real lands already; each costs 3 life to enter untapped or enters tapped.
• Early action: At least one cheap play that matters: Chant effect, Erode, Prismatic Ending, Preordain or The Mind Stone.
• A plan: Something that moves you forward from turn three: a walker, the Scepter, or Day's Undoing with Narset alongside it. Reactive spells alone won't do the job if nothing ever turns the corner.

Example hands

Flooded Strand, Hallowed Fountain, Plains, Teferi, Time Raveler, Orim's Chant, Erode, Preordain: Keep. Three lands with both colors, a turn-three walker and cheap interaction. This is about the best kind of hand you can see, since it can respond on turn one and has a clear path into the mid-game.

Arid Mesa, Island, Isochron Scepter, Orim's Chant, Silence, Preordain, Solitude: Keep on the draw, think hard on the play. Two lands is light, but you've got a cheap cantrip, a turn-two Scepter and a backup Chant effect. Remember you need {2} on the opponent's upkeep and a land drop to do anything else. On the play against a fast deck, that mana gap can cost you the game.

Flooded Strand, Island, Otawara, Soaring City, Meticulous Archive, Celestial Colonnade, Narset, Parter of Veils, Monumental Henge: Mulligan. Six lands and one spell. Even with Narset, you've got no way to interact with anything for several turns, and your lands can't make up for it fast enough in a format full of quick starts.

Plains, Razorgrass Ambush, Silence, Orim's Chant, Day's Undoing, Teferi, Time Raveler, Wrath of the Skies: Mulligan. One true land, plus a land-spell that costs life or tempo. The spells look great, but you can't reach any of them on time. Don't talk yourself into this.

Polluted Delta, Hallowed Fountain, Thundering Falls, Solitude, Solitude, Wrath of the Skies, Day's Undoing: Keep against creatures, mulligan against combo. Against a creature deck, double Solitude with a sweeper gives you enough answers to stabilize. Against a combo deck, that hand has nothing cheap to stop a key turn, and Solitude doesn't help if there's no creature to hit.

Flooded Strand, Plains, Island, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Narset, Parter of Veils, Day's Undoing, Silence: Keep. Four lands, the hand-wipe pair and a cheap protective spell. Narset on turn three sets up Day's Undoing on turn four if nothing interrupts, and you've got Silence for a critical turn. Note that Geier Reach Sanitarium makes colorless, so watch your color requirements.

On the play versus on the draw

On the play, you get your walker in play before the opponent has developed, so you can keep hands that are a little slower but more powerful. On the draw, you've got an extra card, which makes two-landers with Preordain more reasonable. The flip side is that you need your interaction sooner, so value cheap spells more and top-end cards less. Against a known fast deck on the draw, a hand of only sorcery-speed cards is usually wrong.

By matchup

Against creature decks such as Boros Aggro: prioritize Solitude, Wrath of the Skies and Erode. A hand with no answer on the board and only Chant effects is weak, because stopping new spells doesn't remove what's already attacking you unless you pay for kicker every turn.

Against spell-based combo such as Ruby Storm: prioritize Silence, Orim's Chant, Teferi, Time Raveler and Spell Snare. Cards like Solitude drop in value, though they still give you an evoke option and pressure in the late game.

Against permanent-based engines such as Broodscale Bloodchief: you need a removal spell for what lands on the table. Silence doesn't stop abilities on a creature that already resolved, so a hand built only on Chant effects leaves you exposed to anything that gets through.

Against discard: all 34 Rakdos Delirium Top 8 lists run 4 Thoughtseize (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Value hands that use their mana early, since a single key card in hand is easy to strip. Redundancy matters more here than raw power.

Mulligan discipline

Don't keep a hand just because it has the combo. A Scepter and a Chant on a one-land hand is still a one-land hand. Six cards with a functional mana base and a real early play will beat seven with neither more often than players expect, and your deck has enough card flow in Day's Undoing and Narset, Parter of Veils to recover from going down a card.

Sequencing & Key Lines

Land sequencing

Crack fetches with intent. Monumental Henge enters untapped only if you control a Plains, and both Hallowed Fountain and Meticulous Archive have that type, so fetching a dual early keeps the Henge drop clean. Thundering Falls is your only red source, and you want it when Prismatic Ending needs to reach mana value 3. Because it enters tapped, try to play it on a turn when you weren't going to use that mana, such as turn one on the draw with nothing to cast.

Against a deck showing Blood Moon, fetch basics first. Blood Moon makes nonbasic lands into Mountains, so basic Island and Plains on the table are your insurance for still casting spells. In other matchups, the shocks and surveil lands give you more flexibility early, and you can pick up the basics later.

The Scepter window

Your default Scepter line works like this:

1. Have a Chant or other imprint target in hand before you cast Isochron Scepter. The imprint happens on entry, from your hand, and you don't get another chance without blinking or bouncing it.
2. On your turn, leave at least {2} open. Leave three if you want to pay kicker.
3. On your opponent's upkeep, activate. The copy resolves, they can't cast spells this turn, and you have what's left of your mana for the rest of the cycle.
4. It untaps on your turn. Repeat.

The upkeep is the early window, before they've had a main phase to cast anything. Tell your opponent at the start of the match that you'll want to act in their upkeep, and ask them to pause there each turn. Clear communication here avoids a costly misunderstanding.

Which way to spend the Scepter's activation

Using it on your own turn protects a key play, but it stays tapped through your opponent's turn. That trade is right when your play wins the game: a Day's Undoing with Narset, or a turn with Wrath of the Skies when they'd otherwise have a counterspell ready. Most other turns, keep the activation for their upkeep.

The Narset and Undoing line

The strongest version takes a little setup:

1. Land Teferi, Time Raveler and Narset, Parter of Veils on separate turns, or have one on the table already.
2. Use Teferi's +1 on your turn. Keep {2}{U} open.
3. Let your opponent reach their draw step and draw for the turn. Now they've used their one draw.
4. With priority in that draw step, cast Day's Undoing. Teferi's static ability means they can't respond with a spell in that step. They shuffle their hand away and draw nothing. You draw seven.

The same line on your own turn works but costs more. The opponent gets one draw from Undoing if they haven't drawn that turn, and the spell ends your turn. Make your attack and everything else you want to do before you cast it.

What to lead with

Against unknown decks, lead with Teferi, Time Raveler over Narset, Parter of Veils when you have both and no other information. Teferi stops the opponent responding at instant speed, which protects your next turn. Narset leads when the hand already includes Day's Undoing, or when you need the card selection of the -2 to find your next land spell or answer.

Lead with Preordain on turn one if you've got nothing else to do, unless the opponent could punish a tapped-out turn. Holding {W} on the first couple of turns is often the better choice when you have Silence or Erode and already know you have your land drops.

Playing around interaction

Your cheap spells give you an easy way to test the water. If a critical spell has to resolve, cast Silence first: they can only answer it with an instant at that point, and once it's resolved they can't cast anything else. That means you resolve the key spell into no possible response for a total of {W} more.

Under Teferi, you don't need to do this: their instants can't be cast outside their own main phase with an empty stack. That includes a free spell like Force of Negation, which your opponent could otherwise cast on your turn. Land Teferi first against blue decks if you can, then build on top of it.

Sizing Wrath of the Skies

Choose the amount of energy you pay after you see what's on the table. The cost is {X}{W}{W}, so X=2 takes four mana. Pay the amount that removes their board while leaving yours alone. Before you cast it, count your own permanents: Isochron Scepter, Sanctifier en-Vec and High Noon all have mana value 2. The Mind Stone is also mana value 2 but it's indestructible. Hold any spare energy for the next copy: you can pay part of what you get and keep the rest.

Blocks and evoke

Evoke Solitude when the alternative is losing a walker or taking lethal damage, not just to be tidy. It costs two cards: the Solitude and the white card you exile. If you can wait a turn to cast it for five mana, you keep a lifelinking body and your extra card, and you've got a clock. Under Trinisphere, check your math: a spell that would cost less than three costs three, so evoke stops being free.

Late-game switching

Once you've got six lands, your priorities change. Activate Monumental Henge on the opponent's end step when you've got nothing to protect. Turn on Celestial Colonnade only after you've kept enough open for Scepter, because it needs {3}{W}{U} and it's easy to tap too low. The Mind Stone's harness cost of {5}{W} plus tapping it will take one big turn, and the payoff is a blink at every end step of yours, which makes a Solitude repeat its exile each turn cycle.

Matchup Matrix

The field below follows the most-played decks in the 32 MTGTop8 Modern events counted from October 20 to November 3, led by Broodscale Bloodchief at 48 of 256 Top 8 slots (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Verdicts are reads from card text and list contents, not recorded match results.

Broodscale Bloodchief

The most common Top 8 deck in the count, and all 48 lists run 4 Basking Broodscale, 4 Sowing Mycospawn and 4 Kozilek's Command (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Basking Broodscale's {1}{G}: Adapt 1 is an activated ability, so Silence doesn't stop it once it's on the table. Your plan is to kill or counter it. Spell Snare hits it on the stack at mana value 2, Prismatic Ending needs just two colors, and Erode destroys it. Wrath of the Skies paid for 2 also takes out it and Blade of the Bloodchief at the same time. The danger post-board is Trinisphere, in 41 of the 48 sideboards (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026): as long as it's untapped, each spell that would cost less than three costs three. Have a way to remove it. For their side of this matchup, see our Broodscale Bloodchief Modern guide.

Rakdos Delirium

All 34 Top 8 lists run 4 Thoughtseize, 4 Nethergoyf and 4 Moonshadow (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Thoughtseize will strip your best spell, so try not to rely on one card. Their creatures cost {B} and grow with the graveyard, so Sanctifier en-Vec is a major post-board plan: it exiles black and red cards from all graveyards as it enters and keeps new ones from getting there. Blood Moon appears in 14 main decks and 24 sideboards (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so fetch your basics early. Your Solitude removes a big creature for free if you need it. For their side, see our Rakdos Delirium Modern guide.

Pinnacle Affinity

Their threats are artifact creatures, and Kappa Cannoneer has ward {4}, so targeted removal gets expensive. Wrath of the Skies doesn't target, which is your cleanest answer; check the mana value of what's on the table before you size X. Watch for Engineered Explosives, in all 18 lists (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026): it can destroy your nonland permanents at a chosen mana value. Consign to Memory can counter the Cannoneer's counter trigger, and Mystical Dispute is cheap against their blue spells. For their side, see our Pinnacle Affinity Modern guide.

Amulet Titan

All 17 lists run 4 Amulet of Vigor and 3-4 Primeval Titan (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Chant effects stop the Titan being cast, but they don't stop land drops or abilities on lands. Solitude exiles a resolved Titan, Consign to Memory counters its land-search trigger, and Prismatic Ending takes out Amulet of Vigor at mana value 1. Don't overuse Erode here, since a free basic is a real gift to this deck. For their side, see our Amulet Titan Modern guide.

UrzaTron

This is the matchup where your best plan gets turned off. All 13 lists run 4 Karn, the Great Creator (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), and Karn stops activated abilities of artifacts your opponents control, which shuts off Isochron Scepter and The Mind Stone. Stop Karn with a Chant effect on the key turn, or remove it after with Erode. Every list also runs Trinisphere and Ensnaring Bridge in the sideboard (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Consign to Memory counters colorless spells, and Kozilek's Command, with its {X}{C}{C} cost, is one you should expect. Time is on their side, so you need to apply pressure.

Living End

Living End has suspend 3, and all 10 lists run 3 copies plus 4 Force of Negation (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Silence effects prevent the spell from being cast at all, so a suspended copy with its last counter coming off is a clear read: use your Chant on that upkeep. Otherwise, hold your mana for Wrath of the Skies, which resets the board they just returned. Under Teferi, Time Raveler, they can't use Force of Negation on your turn, since Teferi holds them to sorcery timing. For their side, see our Living End Modern guide.

Boros Aggro

All 10 lists run 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, 4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, 4 Guide of Souls and 4 Ocelot Pride (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Your cheap Wrath of the Skies and Solitude line up well. Watch for their post-board plans: every list has High Noon, Obsidian Charmaw and Wrath of the Skies in the sideboard (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). High Noon limits you to one spell per turn, but Prismatic Ending with two colors exiles it. For their side, see our Boros Aggro Modern guide.

Ruby Storm

All 9 lists run 4 Ruby Medallion, 4 Pyretic Ritual, 4 Desperate Ritual and 3 Past in Flames (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). This is where your Chant effects shine: on their upkeep, a Silence takes away the turn they planned to go off. Spell Snare counters Ruby Medallion at mana value 2. After sideboarding, High Noon holds them to one spell per turn. They keep Empty the Warrens in 8 sideboards (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so hold some sweeper access. For their side, see our Ruby Storm Modern guide.

Dimir Control and the mirror

Dimir Control took 7 Top 8 slots in the count (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Treat it as a slow control game where walker timing matters most and your sweepers may have little to hit, so bring in Mystical Dispute and The Wandering Emperor. Scepter Chant lists run the same 4 Teferi and 4 Narset as you (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so in the mirror the first resolved walker matters most. Every Scepter Chant list has Consign to Memory and Mystical Dispute in the board (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Expect both to come in, and don't tap out for a key spell on the turn they've got {U} open.

Sideboard / Tech Guide

Plans below assume the exact 75 above and keep the deck at 60. They're starting points built from the card text and the opposing Top 8 lists, so adjust them once you know your opponent's build.

What each card does for you

• 3 Consign to Memory: Counters a triggered ability or a colorless spell, with replicate {1}. At mana value 1 it can also sit on Isochron Scepter, where a copy costs you only the activation.
• 3 High Noon: A hard cap on spells per turn. It binds you as well, so you may need to slow your own hand down. Your deck handles that restriction well because it's made of single high-impact spells.
• 3 Mystical Dispute: A soft counter at {2}{U}, or {U} when it targets a blue spell. Its mana value is still 3, so it can't be imprinted.
• 3 Sanctifier en-Vec: A 2/2 with protection from black and from red, plus graveyard hate for black and red cards only.
• 2 The Wandering Emperor: A flash walker that exiles a tapped attacker or makes 2/2 Samurai. It's a win condition against decks that have no way to attack it.
• 1 Wrath of the Skies: Brings your total to four sweepers in creature matchups.

Matchup-by-matchup plans

Broodscale Bloodchief. In: 3 Consign to Memory, 1 Wrath of the Skies, 2 The Wandering Emperor. Out: 2 Silence, 2 Preordain, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Day's Undoing. Their engine runs on activated and triggered abilities, so Silence is at its weakest here. Consign counters the Broodscale's token trigger and colorless spells such as Kozilek's Command, while extra sweepers clean up tokens and small artifacts. With 11 of their 48 sideboards carrying Chalice of the Void (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), don't commit all your plays to one mana value.

Rakdos Delirium. In: 3 Sanctifier en-Vec, 2 The Wandering Emperor, 1 Wrath of the Skies. Out: 2 Silence, 1 Isochron Scepter, 1 Spell Snare, 1 Preordain, 1 Day's Undoing. Sanctifier is the plan: it exiles their black and red cards from graveyards, so Nethergoyf and Moonshadow grow more slowly. It also has protection from black and red, so it's hard for them to deal with. Fetch basics first once you've seen Blood Moon.

Pinnacle Affinity. In: 3 Consign to Memory, 1 Wrath of the Skies. Out: 2 Silence, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Spell Snare. Your main concern is the artifact board, not their spells in hand. Keep Prismatic Ending, Teferi, Time Raveler and Otawara, Soaring City for problem permanents.

Amulet Titan. In: 3 Consign to Memory, 2 The Wandering Emperor. Out: 2 Wrath of the Skies, 1 Erode, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Spell Snare. Consign counters Amulet and Titan triggers. The Emperor can exile an attacking Titan. Their sideboards all carry Dismember and most carry Force of Vigor (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so don't overload on one permanent type.

UrzaTron. In: 3 Consign to Memory, 3 Mystical Dispute. Out: 1 Isochron Scepter, 1 The Mind Stone, 2 Wrath of the Skies, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Spell Snare. Karn shuts off both artifacts. You want cheap counters on the turn their big spell comes down. Dispute's {3} tax is much less meaningful once they've got spare mana, so use it early.

Living End. In: 3 Mystical Dispute, 3 Consign to Memory. Out: 2 Erode, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Sink into Stupor, 1 Spell Snare, 1 Preordain. Dispute makes Force of Negation easy to beat for {U}. Your removal doesn't do much before the big turn and Wrath does the job after it. Note that Sanctifier en-Vec stays in the sideboard: its graveyard hate is limited to black and red cards.

Boros Aggro. In: 3 Sanctifier en-Vec, 1 Wrath of the Skies, 2 The Wandering Emperor. Out: 3 Silence, 1 Isochron Scepter, 1 Day's Undoing, 1 Spell Snare. Against their board, you want bodies and sweepers rather than spell denial. Sanctifier blocks red creatures well. Keep some Chants so that you can kick them on critical attack turns.

Ruby Storm. In: 3 High Noon, 3 Mystical Dispute. Out: 2 Erode, 2 Wrath of the Skies, 1 Solitude, 1 Razorgrass Ambush. High Noon is your best card here. Keep Prismatic Ending for Ruby Medallion. A single Wrath of the Skies stays in as insurance against Empty the Warrens, which 8 of their 9 boards carry (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026).

Dimir Control. In: 3 Mystical Dispute, 2 The Wandering Emperor. Out: 3 Wrath of the Skies, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Erode. Wrath is too narrow when they've got few permanents. Flash on the Emperor lets you land her at the end of their turn when they've tapped low.

The mirror. In: 3 Mystical Dispute, 2 The Wandering Emperor. Out: 3 Wrath of the Skies, 1 Razorgrass Ambush, 1 Solitude. Dispute is {U} against most of what matters. Keep Prismatic Ending and Erode for their walkers and Scepter.

Sideboarding principles

Cut Silence first when the opponent's plan lives on the battlefield. Cut Wrath of the Skies first when there's nothing to sweep. Keep at least one way to answer an artifact or enchantment, given how often Chalice of the Void, Trinisphere and High Noon appear in the sideboards in the data (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). And don't cut so many threats that you can't close the game: count your Solitude copies, Celestial Colonnade, and the Emperor before you finalize your 60.

Tech Choices & Variations

All 12 Scepter Chant Top 8 lists run 4 Solitude, 1-2 Isochron Scepter, 4 Orim's Chant, 3-4 Silence, 4 Teferi, Time Raveler, 4 Narset, Parter of Veils, 2-3 Wrath of the Skies and 2-3 Prismatic Ending (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). That's the core of the archetype. This list sits at the low end for Scepter, Silence and Ending, and the high end for Wrath, so the choices below are about moving slots around that core.

Scepter count: one or two

The data allows both (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). One copy reduces the risk of a dead draw: a second Scepter on an empty hand does nothing, and it's fragile against sideboard cards. Two copies make the lock a more reliable plan and give you a backup when the first one is removed. Move to two if your local field is heavy on spell-based combo and light on artifact hate. The swap from this list is 1 Spell Snare for the second Scepter, which also removes a good imprint target, so you'll depend more on your Chants.

Silence at three or four

Four copies make the protective turn more reliable and give you more imprint targets. Three means you have more room for answers. If you expect lots of Ruby Storm or other spell-heavy decks, the fourth Silence earns a slot over Razorgrass Ambush. Against a field of permanent-based engines such as Broodscale Bloodchief, three is plenty.

Prismatic Ending at two or three

This is the most flexible answer in the list because it handles any nonland permanent type. A third copy suits a field with many cheap artifacts and enchantments, including Trinisphere and High Noon sideboards. It comes in over Preordain when you'd like to trade selection for cheap interaction. With only one red source in Thundering Falls, don't count on reaching mana value 3 in every game.

The single-slot spells

Spell Snare is the first slot to reconsider. It's excellent when your field has key two-drops such as Basking Broodscale and Ruby Medallion, and much weaker when the field is cheaper or more expensive than that. It's also a usable Scepter imprint, which is a good reason to keep it when your hand has no Chant.

Razorgrass Ambush and Sink into Stupor work as both spells and lands. Trading one for another spell raises your risk of missing a land drop. If you cut one, consider whether you also need a real land in its place, because the deck wants to keep hitting drops through turn six to use Scepter and Celestial Colonnade in the same turn cycle.

The Mind Stone accelerates your walkers and offers a late blink engine. Cut it if your field has heavy artifact hate and you'd rather play another interactive spell, but know that you'll be a turn slower to Teferi-and-spell turns, and you lose a card that survives your own Wrath of the Skies.

Mana-base choices

Thundering Falls gives the red for three-color Prismatic Ending, and you can fetch it with any of your four fetch types because it's an Island Mountain. It also enters tapped. If you expect few mana value 3 targets, a basic is cleaner and helps against Blood Moon.

Geier Reach Sanitarium gives a loot effect that becomes one-sided with Narset, Parter of Veils, but its colorless mana can hurt a hand that needs {W}{W}. Skip it if you find your colored requirements failing you. Monumental Henge is a mana sink for long games, which is worth it in a deck that wins long games, and it's cheap to include since it enters untapped with a Plains in play.

Tuning the sideboard for your local field

More combo: Keep all three Consign to Memory and all three High Noon, and consider the fourth Silence in the main. Every Top 8 list in the data carries Consign to Memory and Mystical Dispute (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so those are the safe baseline.

More Rakdos Delirium: Keep all three Sanctifier en-Vec. With 34 Top 8 slots in the count (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), that's the second-most represented deck in those Top 8s, and its graveyard-driven creatures are hit by Sanctifier.

More creature decks: The Wandering Emperor and the extra Wrath of the Skies are your best tools. If you expect Boros Aggro at the top tables, consider a third Emperor over one Mystical Dispute. Boros Aggro had 10 Top 8 slots in the count (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), so it's a real presence.

More Broodscale Bloodchief: With 48 slots (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026) and a sideboard with Trinisphere and Chalice of the Void (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), keep answers to artifacts wide. Sink into Stupor, Otawara, Soaring City, Prismatic Ending and Teferi's -3 all deal with these, while the fourth Wrath of the Skies clears tokens and cheap creatures alike. Don't pack everything for this one matchup, though. In a field this varied, broad interaction beats narrow hate.

What not to change

Don't drop Narset, Parter of Veils or Day's Undoing counts below what this list has without a clear replacement plan. They're what make your late game punishing rather than merely slow, and each one is much weaker without the other. Equally, resist the temptation to add creatures for a faster clock: every creature slot takes away from the interaction that gives you time to win in the first place.

Budget Options

This list has an estimated total of about $679. Most of that cost sits in a small group of cards, so a budget build is more about choosing what to delay than rebuilding the deck.

Where the money likely goes

• Solitude: Four copies of a free interaction spell. It's probably among the most expensive cards here.
• Fetch lands: Flooded Strand, Arid Mesa, Misty Rainforest and Polluted Delta make up nine of your 22 lands.
• Teferi, Time Raveler and Narset, Parter of Veils: Eight slots of core planeswalkers.
• Hallowed Fountain: Two copies of a dual land.
• The Wandering Emperor: Two sideboard copies.

Prices change, so check current listings before buying. Treat these as likely cost centers only.

Cards that don't need replacing

The core denial package is likely to be your cheapest section. Orim's Chant, Silence, Isochron Scepter, Day's Undoing, Preordain, Spell Snare and Erode are the identity of the deck, so buy these first: you can't build a Scepter Chant without them.

Acceptable swaps and what you give up

Fetch lands to basics and duals. You can replace some fetches with basic Island and Plains, plus the surveil land Meticulous Archive, which is already in the list. You give up thinning, shuffle effects and some flexibility on land types, and more lands will enter tapped, which matters in a deck that wants {W} open early. Don't do this for all nine at once. Start with Misty Rainforest and Polluted Delta, since those two can't find a basic Plains and are the least flexible.

Thundering Falls to a basic. You lose three-color Prismatic Ending but gain an untapped land and a real basic. If you make this change, treat Ending as a two-color spell and don't count on it for mana value 3.

The Wandering Emperor to extras from the sideboard or a cheaper answer. If you don't own her yet, run more Consign to Memory, Mystical Dispute or the extra Wrath of the Skies in those slots. You lose a flash threat and a way to exile attackers, which hurts most in creature matchups.

Fewer Solitude. This is the hard one. If you start with two, fill the other slots from cards the list already plays, such as a third Prismatic Ending and the fourth Wrath of the Skies in the main. You lose a free answer on tapped-out turns, and you also lose a chunk of your win conditions, so add The Wandering Emperor back to help close games. A list with fewer Solitudes needs you to hold up mana more carefully, which makes your Chant turns harder to fit in.

Narset, Parter of Veils and Teferi, Time Raveler. Don't cut these below three each if you can help it. The deck's strongest lines are built on them, and no card in this list does the same thing. If you need to choose, buy Teferi first, because it does more on its own without requiring Day's Undoing.

A sensible upgrade path

1. The core spells: Scepter, Chants, Silences, Undoings, Preordain, Spell Snare, Erode, Prismatic Ending and Wrath of the Skies. You can play games at this stage and learn the windows, which is the most valuable skill for this deck.
2. Teferi, then Narset: These raise the power of the deck the most per card. Four Teferi first, since it protects every other play.
3. Sideboard basics: Consign to Memory, Mystical Dispute, Sanctifier en-Vec and High Noon are likely affordable compared to the main deck, and they swing specific matchups by a lot.
4. Hallowed Fountain and the first fetches: Flooded Strand first, since it finds every basic and dual in the list.
5. Solitude: Add copies as you can. Each one makes tapped-out turns safer and adds to your win conditions.
6. Finishing touches: The Wandering Emperor, Arid Mesa, and the single-copy utility lands such as Otawara, Soaring City, Monumental Henge and Geier Reach Sanitarium.

What budget does to your matchups

A budget manabase with more tapped lands hurts most against fast decks, where you need {W} on turn one for a Chant effect. It hurts less against slower decks, where you have time to set up. With fewer Solitude, Boros Aggro becomes harder because your free answer is gone, so lean on your sweepers and sideboard The Wandering Emperor where you've got her.

Budget lists also reduce your margin for error. Don't play a cut-down list in a large event until you've played enough games to know exactly which of your cards are missing and what that means for your keeps. If a hand relied on Solitude in the full list, it may be a mulligan in yours. Adjust your keep criteria along with the list instead of assuming the same hands work.

Common Mistakes

1. Getting the Scepter imprint wrong

The imprint happens as Isochron Scepter enters, from your hand. If you run it out with no instant of mana value 2 or less in hand, you've got a dead two-mana artifact that does nothing. Teferi, Time Raveler's -3 can return it and give you another chance later, but that's a big price to pay. Wait until you have a target. Also, count your hand after any discard risk: a Thoughtseize in response to your cast can take the imprint target if you've got only one.

Don't imprint on autopilot, either. Orim's Chant is usually correct, but don't be automatic. On a board with a creature you must keep removing, Erode on Scepter can be better, because it destroys a creature or planeswalker each turn cycle. Against a two-drop-based deck, Spell Snare might be the right lock. Consign to Memory after sideboarding can answer triggers repeatedly. But remember Mystical Dispute and Sink into Stupor have mana value 3, so neither can be imprinted, no matter how cheap Dispute sometimes costs.

2. Tapping too low for the upkeep activation

The lock only works if you've got {2} open on their upkeep, every cycle. It's easy to spend all your mana on a walker or Celestial Colonnade and then let the opponent have a free turn. Before you make any play on your own turn, count: lands in play minus {2} for Scepter (or minus 3 with kicker) gives the mana you can spend. If the answer is less than the cost of your play, you need a better reason than "it was good value".

3. Missing the upkeep window

Games move quickly, and once your opponent is in their main phase with a spell on the stack, the upkeep lock has gone for that turn. Tell them at the start of the match that you'll act in their upkeep, and say so clearly each turn. If there's a dispute about whether you had the chance to act, call a judge rather than arguing. It's a small routine, but it has to become a habit, because every missed upkeep gives the opponent a full turn of spells.

4. Silence against a built board

Silence and Orim's Chant say "can't cast spells." They don't stop activated abilities, triggered abilities or land drops. Against Basking Broodscale's Adapt, Goblin Bombardment's sacrifice, or Urza's Saga's chapters, a Silence does nothing to what's already there. Use removal first. When you find you've been spending Chants on a board that's already beating you, you've picked the wrong answer for the moment.

5. Casting Day's Undoing at the wrong time

Without Narset, Day's Undoing gives the opponent seven fresh cards too. It's not automatically good just because your hand's empty. It's also a card that ends your turn when cast on your own turn, so doing it before your attack costs you damage, and anything you meant to do after it won't happen. On your own turn, make sure you've finished. On the opponent's turn with Teferi's +1, make sure that they've drawn, so that Narset leaves them with no cards at all.

6. Sizing Wrath of the Skies carelessly

Pay energy for what's on the table, not the maximum available. Isochron Scepter, Sanctifier en-Vec and High Noon are all at mana value 2 and die to a Wrath paying 2. Solitude is at 5, so it usually survives. You get to choose how much to pay and keep the rest as energy, so leftover energy helps your next Wrath. A common error is wiping your own Scepter when paying 1 would have dealt with their important permanents.

7. Evoking Solitude too quickly

Evoke costs you two cards for one answer. When you've got the option of waiting until five mana, or using a one-mana Erode instead, you should take it: a resolved Solitude is also one of the few ways you win. Some players burn through all their copies in the early turns and then can't close a game they've already stabilized. Spend it when the game demands it, and pick the exiled card carefully, since the white card you exile is gone for good. Day's Undoing won't bring it back, since it only returns your hand and graveyard to the library.

8. Fetching the wrong land

Fetches find specific land types: Arid Mesa looks for Mountain or Plains, Polluted Delta looks for Island or Swamp, Misty Rainforest looks for Forest or Island. Before you crack one, think through what's left in the deck and which colors you need on the following turn. Taking your only Thundering Falls early when you needed {W}{W} for Wrath of the Skies next turn is a mistake that's easy to make and costs games, since it enters tapped and adds no white.

Tournament Prep & Final Notes

What to practice first

Your first goal is getting the sequencing automatic. Goldfish the two main lines until you stop thinking about them. First, Scepter on turn two, then {2} open every opponent's upkeep. Second, Teferi plus Narset, then Day's Undoing in their draw step. Then practice combining those two with an empty hand and a late land drop. Most mistakes with this deck come from errors in counting, and the fix is repetition.

After that, play real games against the most-played decks in the counted events. Broodscale Bloodchief took 48 of 256 Top 8 slots and Rakdos Delirium took 34, followed by Pinnacle Affinity at 18 and Amulet Titan at 17 (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). If you've only got time for a few matchups, start with those four. Then add UrzaTron and Ruby Storm, because their games ask very different questions of this deck.

Rules interactions to know cold

• Silence and Chant stop casting only. Activated abilities, triggered abilities and land drops still happen. A kicked Orim's Chant adds "creatures can't attack," and nothing else.
• Kicking a Scepter copy. Orim's Chant has an optional additional cost of {W}. A free cast from Isochron Scepter waives the mana cost, and you can still choose to pay that extra {W}. Ask a judge if an opponent doubts this, and don't argue it yourself.
• The Scepter's imprint. It happens on entry, from your hand. If the Scepter leaves play and returns, as with The Mind Stone's blink, it's a new object and asks for a new imprint.
• Teferi's static. Opponents can cast spells only when they could cast a sorcery. So no spells during your turn, and none in their own upkeep or draw step. It stops free spells like Force of Negation too, since that timing rule applies regardless of cost.
• Day's Undoing's clause. "If it's your turn, end the turn." On your opponent's turn, it doesn't end anything, so their turn continues with their new hand and whatever mana they've left.
• Narset's limit. It counts each draw on each turn, including the normal draw step. An opponent who has drawn for the turn draws nothing from Day's Undoing or Geier Reach Sanitarium. The Sanitarium still makes them discard.
• Trinisphere. While it's untapped, a spell that would cost less than three costs three. That includes Solitude's evoke cost and a copy cast from Scepter, so your free plays aren't free. If there's any doubt in a game, call a judge.
• Karn, the Great Creator. Your Isochron Scepter and The Mind Stone can't be activated while their Karn is in play, so you need to answer it before those plans work.

Time management

This deck is slow by design, so you're at risk of draws from the clock in a long event. Make your routine decisions quickly: if you've practiced your standard lines, you shouldn't use time on them. Spend it on real decisions. Your shuffles add to the time, too, with nine fetches and Day's Undoing. Crack fetches on your turn when you can, and shuffle promptly.

Once the opponent is locked, close the game. Don't spend several extra turns building a perfect position when an attack will finish it, especially late in the round. Know your clock: Celestial Colonnade hits for 4 in the air, Solitude for 3, and a Samurai for 2. If time is running short, count the attacks you've got left and spend your mana accordingly rather than holding up everything you can.

Reading your local field

Before your event, look at which decks your local players favor. Modern's Banned and Restricted list had no changes on October 12, 2026, and the next announcement is on November 30, 2026, per Wizards of the Coast's announcement of October 12, so check for changes if your event comes after that. Sideboard counts on Sanctifier en-Vec, High Noon and Consign to Memory are the easiest place to tune for your room, and the tech-choices advice above lays out what to move.

What to expect from opponents

With 12 Top 8 slots across 10 events in the count (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), your archetype is visible. Plan for opponents who know what the deck does. Broodscale Bloodchief lists carry Trinisphere, UrzaTron lists run Karn, and every Scepter Chant mirror comes with Consign to Memory and Mystical Dispute (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8 deck exports, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026). Try not to show your Scepter until it matters: a single-copy card is much stronger when it's not expected.

Closing assessment

This 75 trades some raw consistency for flexibility: a single Isochron Scepter, a full set of Day's Undoing, and a good spread of answers, including Wrath of the Skies at three in the main and a fourth in the side. It earned a 2nd Place at an 83-player Regional Championship, and its archetype produced 2 wins in the recent count (source: MTGTop8 Modern Top 8s, Oct 20-Nov 3, 2026), but those numbers don't remove the deck's weaknesses to Trinisphere and to Karn. It's a good choice if you've put in the practice and you know your room. It's a poor one if you're looking to pick up a list at the last minute, because the skill floor is high and every mistake costs a lot more here than in most decks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Scepter Chant win games in Modern?

It takes turns away from the opponent with Orim's Chant and Silence, then closes with Solitude or Celestial Colonnade while they can't respond. After sideboarding, The Wandering Emperor adds Samurai tokens.

What is the best card to imprint on Isochron Scepter?

Orim's Chant is usually correct, since a copy cast on the opponent's upkeep stops their spells for the turn and kicker can stop attacks too. Erode or Spell Snare can be better when the board or the matchup calls for them.

How does Narset work with Day's Undoing?

With Narset, Parter of Veils out, you draw seven from Day's Undoing while the opponent draws one at most. Using Teferi, Time Raveler's +1 to cast it in their draw step, after they've drawn, leaves them with no cards.

What are the hardest matchups for Scepter Chant?

UrzaTron is the one read as unfavored, because Karn, the Great Creator shuts off Isochron Scepter and The Mind Stone. Broodscale Bloodchief is even, and its sideboard Trinisphere makes your cheap and free spells cost three.

What should you practice before playing Scepter Chant at an event?

Practice the upkeep Scepter activation until counting {2} open is automatic, then the Teferi and Narset line into Day's Undoing. After that, play games against Broodscale Bloodchief and Rakdos Delirium.

What budget swaps work for Scepter Chant?

Replace some fetch lands with basics first, starting with Misty Rainforest and Polluted Delta, and swap Thundering Falls for a basic if you can accept two-color Prismatic Ending. Buy Teferi, Time Raveler before Solitude.

Metagame Context

Built from the 2nd Place list at Regional Championship - MIT Championship (83 players, November 1, 2026), piloted by Cheng Yu Chang. Metagame context: MTGTop8 standings and deck lists for the 32 Modern events with 32 or more players, plus Wizards of the Coast's Banned and Restricted announcements, from 2026-10-20 to 2026-11-03 (brief dated 2026-11-03). Matchup verdicts are reads from card text and list contents, not recorded results.

Source: tournament results. Decklist and placements as reported by the event organizer.