🏆 RCQ Champion Report: Four RCQs, Four Top 8s with Phoenix Dredge
Chris Brauner (aka Vimi) shares his experience discovering and mastering Modern Phoenix Dredge
I got into Magic after my family moved to New Zealand. Before leaving, my older brother gave me some of his spare Magic cards as a parting gift. Not knowing anyone in a new country, Magic became my way of making friends and finding a community.
Chris (left) and friends during an RCQ tournament
Over the years, I played on and off, but my interest in the game slowly faded until I started university. There, I met one of my best friends, who I distinctly remember sitting in class scrolling through spoilers for the newest set. His passion for Magic was infectious, and his enthusiasm reignited my own love for the game. Even during periods when I wasn’t playing much, he always encouraged me to improve and pursue competitive Magic.
Today, I split my time between studying for a Master’s degree in Psychology and playing Magic. I’ve always enjoyed digging through decklists and brewing ideas, looking for interesting strategies that people might be overlooking.
Although Dredge has been a well-known archetype in almost every format where it’s legal, Modern Dredge has largely fallen off the competitive radar. Once infamous thanks to cards like Hogaak and Bridge from Below, the mechanic has fundamentally changed how people think about graveyard decks. It’s one of the few archetypes that completely rewrites the normal rules of resource management (eg, you aren’t worried about mulliganing a lot).
A great constant had been Mahfuz; whenever I wanted to get my graveyard deck fix, his content was always my first stop. Watching the evolution of his Modern Dredge lists convinced me that the deck still had incredible potential. His passion for the archetype made me want to build it long before I actually owned the cards.
I’m fairly new to playing Modern, only picking up the format in June this year. As a student, budget is always a consideration, so Dredge appealed to me for two reasons: it’s relatively affordable, and it’s an archetype that many opponents simply don’t prepare for. What really captivated me, though, was seeing how the deck could adapt. It has game against nearly every deck in the format, remains surprisingly resilient to post-board hate, and often can win in ways people don’t expect from a “graveyard deck.”
After taking the deck to four RCQs and making Top 8 (or better) in every single one, I have a lot of thoughts about the archetype and what I’ve learned while playing it.
This tournament recap is based on memory and notes I took during the events, so some details may not be perfectly accurate.
First Impressions
The first thing that struck me about Phoenix Dredge was how rewarding it is to pilot. Very few decks reward sequencing and planning several turns ahead as much as this one does. Every dredge decision matters, and knowing when to pivot between aggression and value often decides games.
That said, one thing you have to accept is that sometimes the deck simply loses to itself. Occasionally, your Creeping Chills and Arclight Phoenixes will all end up in the bottom third of your deck, and there’s very little you can do about it.
RCQ #1 – HiveGames, Austria (18 Players)
R1 vs. Domain (1–2)
R2 vs. Energy (2–0)
R3 vs. Boros Land Destruction (0–2)
R4 vs. Energy (2–0)
R5 Homie scoop
TOP 8 vs. Prowess (1–2)
My first tournament with the deck couldn’t have started with a steeper learning curve.
Round 1, game 1, taught me my first major lesson. I over-prioritised answering a turn-one Ragavan and used my interaction too reactively while searching for a Lava Dart. In the end, I was exactly two damage short of lethal.
That was the moment I realised, “Wow, this deck is much harder to pilot than I expected.”
Game 2 was much smoother. I assembled two turn-two Phoenixes, dodged a Leyline of the Void, and my opponent didn’t have enough interaction to recover.
Game 3 was another lesson. I kept what looked like a powerful hand but failed to mulligan aggressively for interaction. Turn-zero Leyline into turn-two Territorial Kavu followed by turn-three Scion of Draco proved far too much to overcome.
Rounds 2 and 4 were both against Energy. In both matches I consistently managed to kill my opponents on turns three or four, even through interaction. Those rounds really showed me just how explosive the deck could be when everything came together.
Round 3 was a particularly memorable match against Boros Land Destruction (Ponza). My opponent was running two Rest in Peace and two High Noon in the main deck. Game 1 was turn-two Rest in Peace into turn-three High Noon. In Game 2, much like my match against Domain, I kept a hand that looked strong but had no answer to their hate pieces—a mistake I wouldn’t keep making as the season went on.
Round 5 was against a friend, who graciously conceded so I could lock up the Top 8.
Top 8
Game 1 couldn’t have gone better: three Phoenixes, multiple Creeping Chills, and a quick victory.
Games 2 and 3, however, were a completely different story. A series of small sequencing mistakes snowballed, and I ended up eliminating myself more than my opponent did.
RCQ #2 – AM Giochi e Fumetti, Italy (18 Players)
The very next day, two friends and I drove to Italy for another RCQ.
Despite the Top 8 loss the previous day, my confidence in the deck had only grown. Making the trip even better, all three of us managed to make Top 8. There’s something special about celebrating a great finish with your friends after a road trip to another country, and having all of us convert our runs into the elimination rounds made the weekend even more memorable.
R1 vs. UW Control (2–0)
R2 vs. UWr Wizards Control (2–0)
R3 vs. Tron (1–2)
R4 vs. Grixis Control (2–0)
R5 Intentional Draw
TOP 8 vs. Control (2–1)
TOP 4 vs. Prowess (2–1)
Finals vs. Goryo’s Vengeance (2–1)
The Finals – Goryo’s Vengeance
This was easily my favourite match of the season.
Game 1 was an absolute war. My opponent managed to reanimate both Atraxa and Griselbrand, but fortunately couldn’t pair them with Ephemerate to keep them around. At one stage, an Ephemerate plus Solitude exiled two Phoenixes and a Tidecaller, while I repeatedly cast Stinkweed Imp simply as a blocker for Psychic Frog.
Eventually, I found a Conflagrate that was just small enough to bait my opponent into trying to save their Frog. Once the Frog was gone, I had stabilised.
Unfortunately, I eventually decked myself after choosing to dredge four instead of three with only five cards remaining. My opponent survived on exactly one life after finding a Solitude to deal with my final Phoenix.
Even though I lost that game, I think it genuinely surprised my opponent just how resilient Dredge could be, even through multiple reanimated threats.
Game 2 became a strange grind after we both mulliganed. My opponent used Surgical Extraction on Life from the Loam to cut off my value engine, but that opened the door for me to simply flood the battlefield with Phoenixes and win through combat instead.
Going into Game 3, I felt great despite being on the draw.
I had an ideal start: fetchland, surveil, and mill a Stinkweed Imp. Later, with only white and blue mana available on my opponent’s side, I carefully worked through the math. A Vexing Bauble gave me the confidence that I didn’t have to worry about Solitude or Surgical, and all I needed was a Creeping Chill in my next eight cards.
I dart and mill.
I hit the Chill.
The deck delivered exactly when it needed to.
There’s no better feeling.
RCQ #3 – Rarehuntershop, Vienna (41 Players)
A few weeks later, another RCQ came around, and by this point I was completely hooked on the deck.
R1 vs. Control (2–1)
R2 vs. Prowess (2–0)
R3 vs. Prowess (2–0)
R4 vs. Prowess (0–2)
R5 vs. Boros (1–2)
R6 vs. Broodscale (2–1)
TOP 8 vs. Yawgmoth (1–2)
By now I was beginning to appreciate just how powerful Artist’s Talent is in the deck. It consistently asks opponents the same question: “Can you answer this by turn three?” If the answer is no, you often have an excellent chance of winning shortly afterwards.
I also became increasingly impressed with Boseiju, Who Endures. It answers almost every problematic hate piece from white decks while also providing valuable interaction against Tron and Eldrazi. Combined with Life from the Loam, it often feels more impactful than Pick Your Poison, which can sometimes be too narrow outside of answering an early Urza’s Saga.
RCQ #4 – Tolarie, Pardubice (13 Players)
My final RCQ of the season ended up being my favourite.
R1 vs. Prowess (2–1)
R2 vs. Amulet Titan (2–0)
R3 vs. UG Birthing Ritual (2–1)
R4 vs. Goryo’s Vengeance (2–1)
R5 Intentional Draw
TOP 4 vs. Belcher (2–1)
Finals: Prize split (already qualified)
This tournament felt completely different. It seemed like almost everyone in the room was seeing Phoenix Dredge for the first time, and you could tell people were genuinely trying to figure out what was happening as the games unfolded.
Throughout the day I found myself explaining the deck to opponents after our matches, walking them through some of the unusual interactions and sequencing decisions. One opponent summed it up perfectly after our match:
“I have no idea what I just lost to… but I have to try this deck.”
That might have been my favourite compliment all season.
By this point I also felt like I was getting much more out of Otherworldly Gaze. Setting up draws—such as drawing one card with Faithless Looting before dredging—and I was finding many more opportunities to maximise every card in the deck. Three lands in play is the sweet spot for "going off" and Loam enables that perfectly. Triple Artist’s Talent also exceeded expectations, although I still don’t think I’d play a fourth copy.
Final Thoughts
Modern currently feels like it’s in an incredible place. There are a huge number of viable archetypes, and Dredge occupies a unique position where it consistently flies under the radar while quietly putting up excellent results.
Across all four RCQs and the MTGO leagues I’ve played since, the deck has continued to impress me. More importantly, it’s shown me just how much room there is to improve. Looking back, I honestly believe that more than half of my losses came from sequencing mistakes or poor mid-game decisions rather than bad luck.
That’s probably the best endorsement I can give the deck.
It rewards practice.
It rewards planning.
And every tournament I play leaves me feeling like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Phoenix Dredge is capable of.
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Find Vimi on X/Twitter here: @ChristianBWolf
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Huge congrats, Vimi! Keep dredging!