Jumping into Modern can be an intimidating experience. Most players assume they can't compete unless they shell out hundreds of dollars for a deck. But this is far from the case! With Wizards of the Coast reprinting Modern staples every year in sets like Double Masters, the format is more accessible than ever. Now's the time to pick up Modern staples on the cheap.
A word of caution before we begin: you should focus on acquiring cards that you need for the deck you are building. It's easy to become distracted by all the decks you could play and wind up with five uncompleted decks as a result. Remember that there is no deadline for picking up cards. Focus on one deck or archetype at a time and you'll be much more successful.
But, if you are in a position to expand your Modern collection, here are the budget staples I'd start with, broken down by color. All of these cards fit in multiple archetypes, so you'll always have a use for them.
White plays an essential role in Modern. It provides the best sideboard options and ideal support with other color pairings.
Path to Exile is one of the best removal spells in the format. Trading a threat for a basic land is usually favorable. Plus, many Modern decks run few basic lands—or none—so against the right opponents, Path is all upside. Since being reprinted in Double Masters, Path to Exile is the the cheapest it's ever been. Acquiring a set for your collection is a great starting point—this card will always see play in the format.
Rest in Peace and Stony Silence are two key sideboard options for answering unfair decks. Rest in Peace shuts down all sorts of graveyard shenanigans, which are on the rise thanks to Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath. If you are unable to pick up Rest in Peace, Remorseful Cleric is a suitable option despite only working once.
Since the banning of Mox Opal, there has been less demand for Stony Silence. But the enchantment remains a reliable option against artifact strategies. For now, Stony Silence is remarkably cheap and sure to see play as soon as someone invents the next broken artifact deck. Extending this, Disenchant is a good option if you prefer to be reactive with your artifact hate.
In most cases, you'll never ever need to run four of either of these enchantments. Acquiring two to three will let you diversify your sideboard options.
Finally, Leyline of Sanctity is preferable against archetypes that hope to target you.
Usually a meta call, Leyline of Sanctity is great against Burn, Mill, and even Dredge. It's an awkward enchantment that can create difficulty for your opponents. It's also affordable, and grabbing a set will ensure you can play a copy from your opening hand.
There are a few other white cards you can add to your collection. In most cases, these are creature alternatives on noted hate cards.
Magic: The Gathering TCG Deck - Budget Modern Pick-Ups - White by Emmmzyne
'Budget Modern Pick-Ups - White' - constructed deck list and prices for the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game from TCGplayer Infinite!
Created By: Emmmzyne
Event:
Rank:
Freeform
Market Price: $57.31
Stony Silence
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $1.66
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/128486_200w.jpg
Activated abilities of artifacts can't be activated.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-masters-2017/stony-silence
Containment Priest
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.38
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215511_200w.jpg
Flash If a nontoken creature would enter the battlefield and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.
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Rest in Peace
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $3.20
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/161538_200w.jpg
When Rest in Peace enters the battlefield, exile all cards from all graveyards. If a card or token would be put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
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Generous Gift
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $1.31
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/226950_200w.jpg
Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Elephant creature token.
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Celestial Purge
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.23
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/98738_200w.jpg
Exile target black or red permanent.
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Aven Mindcensor
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $4.08
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/129724_200w.jpg
Flash Flying If an opponent would search a library, that player searches the top four cards of that library instead.
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Runed Halo
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.20
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215347_200w.jpg
As Runed Halo enters the battlefield, choose a card name. You have protection from the chosen card name. (You can't be targeted, dealt damage, or enchanted by anything with that name.)
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Day of Judgment
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $2.83
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/47201_200w.jpg
Destroy all creatures.
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Leyline of Sanctity
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $1.85
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/192536_200w.jpg
If Leyline of Sanctity is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield. You have hexproof. (You can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
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Deafening Silence
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.35
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/199001_200w.jpg
Each player can't cast more than one noncreature spell each turn.
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Remorseful Cleric
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.85
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/169116_200w.jpg
Flying Sacrifice Remorseful Cleric: Exile all cards from target player's graveyard.
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Kor Firewalker
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.29
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/161435_200w.jpg
Protection from red Whenever a player casts a red spell, you may gain 1 life.
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Disenchant
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.10
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/227260_200w.jpg
Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
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Path to Exile
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $2.73
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/128479_200w.jpg
Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle their library.
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Blessed Alliance
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $0.28
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/119685_200w.jpg
Escalate {2} (Pay this cost for each mode chosen beyond the first.)
Choose one or more —
• Target player gains 4 life.
• Untap up to two target creatures.
• Target opponent sacrifices an attacking creature.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/eldritch-moon/blessed-alliance
Hushbringer
Color Identity:W
Market Price: $1.11
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/199465_200w.jpg
Flying, lifelink Creatures entering the battlefield or dying don't cause abilities to trigger.
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As mentioned above, white is a support color so a lot of these cards will feature in sideboards. With them in your arsenal, you'll be in an excellent position to answer the questions of Modern.
Blue cares about denying opponents the ability to cast their spells. Often blue-based strategies run countermagic to generate tempo and gain an advantage.
Another element that makes blue so powerful is the ability to draw so many cards. Opt came into Modern with Ixalan and granted blue decks additional reach. You see Opt in control and combo strategies as a way to find a particular answer or combo piece. Opt is always a live draw, and complements an environment full of fetch lands.
Perhaps one of the best tempo-based counterspells around, Remand is an excellent addition to your growing collection. Trading your opponents' tempo for a card is a great approach to obtain a footing in a match. While it's not perfect for all metas, it shines against high-cost threats like the currently popular Omnath, Locus of Creation.
There are many more countermagic options, each with their own upsides. Since nearly all of them were printed as commons or uncommons, they've stayed affordable over time.
Magic: The Gathering TCG Deck - Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Blue by Emmmzyne
'Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Blue' - constructed deck list and prices for the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game from TCGplayer Infinite!
Created By: Emmmzyne
Event:
Rank:
Freeform
Market Price: $43.95
Narset, Parter of Veils
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.84
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/188705_200w.jpg
Each opponent can't draw more than one card each turn. −2: Look at the top four cards of your library. You may reveal a noncreature, nonland card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/war-of-the-spark/narset-parter-of-veils
Stubborn Denial
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.50
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/93033_200w.jpg
Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {1}.
Ferocious — If you control a creature with power 4 or greater, counter that spell instead.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/khans-of-tarkir/stubborn-denial
Echoing Truth
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.23
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/196531_200w.jpg
Return target nonland permanent and all other permanents with the same name as that permanent to their owners' hands.
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Delver of Secrets // Insectile Aberration
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.92
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/56246_200w.jpg
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. You may reveal that card. If an instant or sorcery card is revealed this way, transform Delver of Secrets.
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Spell Snare
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.65
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/167820_200w.jpg
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 2.
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Thought Scour
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.76
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/216526_200w.jpg
Target player mills two cards. Draw a card.
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Frantic Inventory
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.15
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215572_200w.jpg
Draw a card, then draw cards equal to the number of cards named Frantic Inventory in your graveyard.
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Mana Leak
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.26
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/145421_200w.jpg
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/iconic-masters/mana-leak
Opt
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.09
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215840_200w.jpg
Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.) Draw a card.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/core-set-2021/opt
Spell Pierce
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.24
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/145258_200w.jpg
Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {2}.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/ixalan/spell-pierce
Serum Visions
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $1.70
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/128659_200w.jpg
Draw a card. Scry 2.
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Aether Gust
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.47
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/192535_200w.jpg
Choose target spell or permanent that's red or green. Its owner puts it on the top or bottom of their library.
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Disdainful Stroke
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.25
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/230900_200w.jpg
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 4 or greater.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/kaldheim/disdainful-stroke
Remand
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $4.11
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/98768_200w.jpg
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, put it into its owner's hand instead of into that player's graveyard. Draw a card.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-masters-2015/remand
Negate
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.06
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/222130_200w.jpg
Counter target noncreature spell.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/zendikar-rising/negate
Mystical Dispute
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $0.55
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/198683_200w.jpg
This spell costs {2} less to cast if it targets a blue spell.
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/throne-of-eldraine/mystical-dispute
Stormwing Entity
Color Identity:U
Market Price: $1.42
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215582_200w.jpg
This spell costs {2}{U} less to cast if you've cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn.
Flying
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
When Stormwing Entity enters the battlefield, scry 2.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/core-set-2021/stormwing-entity
You don't play blue for its threats, but Delver of Secrets and Stormwing Entity fit in spell-dense strategies such as Prowess. Aether Gust is the premier sideboard option in blue as it's one of the few cards that can answer Veil of Summer. Otherwise, you are looking to add blue alongside another color to generate tempo and to pull ahead.
Black sees heavy play in the format as it offers disruption and clean answers to threats. Currently, the color plays a support role in Death's Shadow and midrange archetypes.
Inquisition of Kozilek is one of the best discard spells in Modern. The format is incredibly diverse, and knowing what you are playing against will give you an edge. The best one-mana discard spell, Thoughtseize, is currently expensive, but Inquisition of Kozilek remains affordable. If you want to adopt a card akin to Thoughtseize, Duress or Agonizing Remorse are decent options.
Fatal Push is another powerful removal spell that plays a crucial role in Modern. It's clean, efficient, and complements fetch lands with its revolt ability.
Modern is full of cheap creatures such as Noble Hierarch, making Fatal Push an excellent turn-one play. Like Path to Exile, it saw a reprint in Double Masters. Owning a set of these will set you up for future decks. Otherwise, Bloodchief's Thirst is a decent option if you want something broader.
Instant and sorceries aren't the only way to deal with creatures. Plague Engineer is a staple sideboard option as it hoses tribal strategies.
Tribal remains a constant feature of Modern, and having a couple of these in your 'board gives you an out. Not to mention, it can trade up due to deathtouch.
Aside from those, you have a suite of options for removal and threats.
Magic: The Gathering TCG Deck - Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Black by Emmmzyne
'Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Black' - constructed deck list and prices for the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game from TCGplayer Infinite!
Created By: Emmmzyne
Event:
Rank:
Freeform
Market Price: $41.81
Fatal Push
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $1.15
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/218830_200w.jpg
Destroy target creature if it has converted mana cost 2 or less. Revolt — Destroy that creature if it has converted mana cost 4 or less instead if a permanent you controlled left the battlefield this turn.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/double-masters/fatal-push
Unearth
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.21
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/191138_200w.jpg
Return target creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-horizons/unearth
Creeping Chill
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.44
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/176732_200w.jpg
Creeping Chill deals 3 damage to each opponent and you gain 3 life. When Creeping Chill is put into your graveyard from your library, you may exile it. If you do, Creeping Chill deals 3 damage to each opponent and you gain 3 life.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/guilds-of-ravnica/creeping-chill
Collective Brutality
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $2.98
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/120116_200w.jpg
Escalate—Discard a card. (Pay this cost for each mode chosen beyond the first.) Choose one or more — • Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose an instant or sorcery card from it. That player discards that card. • Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. • Target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/eldritch-moon/collective-brutality
Eliminate
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.45
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215516_200w.jpg
Destroy target creature or planeswalker with converted mana cost 3 or less.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/core-set-2021/eliminate
Feed the Swarm
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.68
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/221953_200w.jpg
Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent's converted mana cost.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/zendikar-rising/feed-the-swarm
Plague Engineer
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $2.45
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/190985_200w.jpg
Deathtouch As Plague Engineer enters the battlefield, choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type your opponents control get -1/-1.
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Dismember
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $2.12
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/98390_200w.jpg
({B/P} can be paid with either {B} or 2 life.)
Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-masters-2015/dismember
Death's Shadow
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $3.50
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/218843_200w.jpg
Death's Shadow gets -X/-X, where X is your life total.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/double-masters/deaths-shadow
Yixlid Jailer
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.73
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/15021_200w.jpg
Cards in graveyards lose all abilities.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/future-sight/yixlid-jailer
Nihil Spellbomb
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.28
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/161909_200w.jpg
{T}, Sacrifice Nihil Spellbomb: Exile all cards from target player's graveyard.
When Nihil Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay {B}. If you do, draw a card.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/masters-25/nihil-spellbomb
Cling to Dust
Color Identity:B
Market Price: $0.66
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/206655_200w.jpg
Exile target card from a graveyard. If it was a creature card, you gain 3 life. Otherwise, you draw a card.
Escape—{3}{B}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.)Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/theros-beyond-death/cling-to-dust
Black is excellent at attacking the graveyard, with Cling to Dust and Nihil Spellbomb as decent options. Leyline of the Void is the premier graveyard hate of choice but is starting to creep up in price. Otherwise, Dismember, Collective Brutality, and Eliminate grant you flexibility in how you deal with threats.
Red is a dominant color in Modern. It offers support within various archetypes and is strong on its own. Red features plenty of damage output and aggression, making it a popular choice for format beginners.
The biggest draw to playing red is the color's signature spell, Lightning Bolt.
Lightning Bolt is usually the most played card in Modern. It's cheap, powerful, and rarely a dead draw. If you are looking to play red in Modern, starting with a set of these will provide excellent footing. There is rarely a time where Lightning Bolt is poor in Modern—its versatility and reach are too good to pass up.
To go with Lightning Bolt, Monastery Swiftspear is a potent threat.
Red-based strategies often use cheap spells to maintain aggression. Monastery Swiftspear slots into this approach and can pile on damage with ease. It's better than Goblin Guide in a lot of cases, as its ceiling is so high.
Once you jump through the hoops, Light Up the Stage is a fantastic draw spell. Most of the cards in red aggressive decks are cheap to play, so you run out of them quickly. That makes Light Up the Stage ideal for refilling your hand. It's rare that you'll cast this sorcery for three mana, but even when you do, it's a fair mana cost for the effect.
Another benefit of playing red is that the staples are mostly commons and uncommons.
Magic: The Gathering TCG Deck - Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Red by Emmmzyne
'Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Red' - constructed deck list and prices for the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game from TCGplayer Infinite!
Created By: Emmmzyne
Event:
Rank:
Freeform
Market Price: $36.23
Firebolt
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.11
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/190644_200w.jpg
Firebolt deals 2 damage to any target.
Flashback {4}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-horizons/firebolt
Cleansing Wildfire
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.27
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/221913_200w.jpg
Destroy target land. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle their library. Draw a card.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/zendikar-rising/cleansing-wildfire
Light Up the Stage
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.37
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/182127_200w.jpg
Spectacle {R} (You may cast this spell for its spectacle cost rather than its mana cost if an opponent lost life this turn.)
Exile the top two cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/ravnica-allegiance/light-up-the-stage
Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $1.02
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/199035_200w.jpg
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/throne-of-eldraine/bonecrusher-giant
Temur Battle Rage
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.19
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/227059_200w.jpg
Target creature gains double strike until end of turn. (It deals both first-strike and regular combat damage.) Ferocious — That creature also gains trample until end of turn if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/commander-legends/temur-battle-rage
Abrade
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.25
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/227309_200w.jpg
Choose one — • Abrade deals 3 damage to target creature. • Destroy target artifact.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/commander-legends/abrade
Shattering Spree
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $2.07
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/13770_200w.jpg
Replicate {R} (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Destroy target artifact.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/guildpact/shattering-spree
Flame Slash
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.34
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/121822_200w.jpg
Flame Slash deals 4 damage to target creature.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/conspiracy-take-the-crown/flame-slash
Lightning Bolt
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $1.98
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/216484_200w.jpg
Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/jumpstart/lightning-bolt
Lava Dart
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.12
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/190635_200w.jpg
Lava Dart deals 1 damage to any target. Flashback—Sacrifice a Mountain. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-horizons/lava-dart
Magmatic Sinkhole
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.06
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/191571_200w.jpg
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Magmatic Sinkhole deals 5 damage to target creature or planeswalker.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-horizons/magmatic-sinkhole
Pillage
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $0.14
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/190999_200w.jpg
Destroy target artifact or land. It can't be regenerated.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/modern-horizons/pillage
Monastery Swiftspear
Color Identity:R
Market Price: $3.00
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/145323_200w.jpg
Haste Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/iconic-masters/monastery-swiftspear
Picking these up is affordable and grants a good base for building an aggressive strategy. Mono-Red is one of the cheapest decks in Modern and is perfectly competitive in a local environment.
Lastly, green centers around ramping into creatures or finding a particular threat to close out matches. Green is usually a support color due to its flexibility and diverse options. Normally, you see strategies such as Tron and Amulet Titan use green to find lands with great effect.
Green is also great at hating out graveyard strategies. Scavenging Ooze is a long-time staple of the format as it can grow into a threat while managing your opponent's graveyard. Thanks to its printing in Core Set 2021, Scavenging Ooze is now accessible and will be a permanent feature of Modern. Grabbing a set of these will aid future sideboard options in green.
Thragtusk is another tricky threat that's usually a two-for-one in your favor. The creature plays a key role in the format due to how aggressive Modern is becoming. Mono-Red Prowess and Izzet Blitz remain decent decks, and Thragtusk slows them down significantly so you can catch up.
In terms of other pickups, green has a variety of sideboard options for various archetypes.
Magic: The Gathering TCG Deck - Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Green by Emmmzyne
'Budget Modern Pick-Ups - Green' - constructed deck list and prices for the Magic: The Gathering Trading Card Game from TCGplayer Infinite!
Created By: Emmmzyne
Event:
Rank:
Freeform
Market Price: $40.90
Beast Within
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $1.30
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/227332_200w.jpg
Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/commander-legends/beast-within
Sylvan Scrying
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.62
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/105272_200w.jpg
Search your library for a land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
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Autumn's Veil
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.40
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/47710_200w.jpg
Spells you control can't be countered by blue or black spells this turn, and creatures you control can't be the targets of blue or black spells this turn.
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Reclamation Sage
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.12
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/226985_200w.jpg
When Reclamation Sage enters the battlefield, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment.
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Choke
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $3.52
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/11197_200w.jpg
Islands don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
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Wilt
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.15
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/212274_200w.jpg
Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/ikoria-lair-of-behemoths/wilt
Nature's Claim
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.59
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/145523_200w.jpg
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. Its controller gains 4 life.
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Llanowar Elves
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.79
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/168646_200w.jpg
{T}: Add {G}.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/core-set-2019/llanowar-elves
Weather the Storm
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.14
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/191064_200w.jpg
You gain 3 life. Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)
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Collector Ouphe
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $3.71
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/191057_200w.jpg
Activated abilities of artifacts can't be activated.
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Scavenging Ooze
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $1.24
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/215695_200w.jpg
{G}: Exile target card from a graveyard. If it was a creature card, put a +1/+1 counter on Scavenging Ooze and you gain 1 life.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/core-set-2021/scavenging-ooze
Elvish Mystic
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.59
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/162820_200w.jpg
{T}: Add {G}.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/duel-decks-elves-vs-inventors/elvish-mystic
Ancient Stirrings
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.25
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/219003_200w.jpg
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a colorless card from among them and put it into your hand. Then put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. (Cards with no colored mana in their mana costs are colorless. Lands are also colorless.)
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Arbor Elf
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.87
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/161851_200w.jpg
{T}: Untap target Forest.Buy This Card! https://shop.tcgplayer.com/magic/masters-25/arbor-elf
Thragtusk
Color Identity:G
Market Price: $0.30
ImageURL: https://tcgplayer-cdn.tcgplayer.com/product/218622_200w.jpg
When Thragtusk enters the battlefield, you gain 5 life. When Thragtusk leaves the battlefield, create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
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Autumn's Veil is a placeholder for the powerful Veil of Summer, which is becoming expensive. While it's not quite the same, it does the job. Otherwise, you have access to one-mana Elves in Elvish Mystic and Llanowar Elves, which are also staples of Pioneer. Elves are a powerful tribe within Magic, and they're a good starting point for Modern, also.
It's a pretty big step to take, but jumping into Modern will provide you with fun for years to come. The notion that you need to spend an absurd amount of money to generate any success is false. Modern has so many decks that there is something for everyone, regardless of your budget. All you have to do is take the leap.
