For many years, Living End was the premier suspend spell in Modern. Sure, Rift Bolt and Search for Tomorrow are still very good cards, but neither of them define an archetype in the way that Living End does. Recently, we’ve seen Ancestral Vision taking up the mantle of most played suspend card, but there’s still a third option which is often forgotten:

Restore Balance ? Modern | CharlieTheBananaKing, 5-0 Modern League

• Creatures (11)
• 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
• 2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
• 4 Greater Gargadon
• 4 Simian Spirit Guide

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 2 Ajani Vengeant
• 4 Nahiri, the Harbinger

• Spells (27)
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 2 Anguished Unmaking
• 2 Blood Moon
• 2 Mardu Charm
• 2 Wildfield Borderpost
• 3 Firewild Borderpost
• 3 Restore Balance
• 4 Demonic Dread
• 4 Veinfire Borderpost
• 4 Violent Outburst

• Lands (16)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 2 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 3 Marsh Flats
• 4 Windswept Heath

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Krosan Grip
• 2 Pick the Brain
• 2 Leyline of the Void
• 3 Lingering Souls
• 3 Ricochet Trap
• 4 Leyline of Sanctity

Buy This Deck

Restore Balance is an awesome Magic card, and there’s been a lot going on in the format to make the card better. The most important interaction in the format is various Borderposts plus Restore Balance. Each Borderpost costs three mana and manages to stay out of the way of your cascades, but also function as lands without actually counting as a land. This makes it easier to use Restore Balance as a one-sided Armageddon.

But that’s not the only exciting interaction with Restore Balance. Greater Gargadon does a great job of letting you ensure that your board is clear enough to cripple your opponents lands or creatures. You’ve even got Simian Spirit Guide to power out cascade spells and Planeswalkers a turn ahead of time to start racing opposing unfair decks.

There are two big upgrades that this deck has picked up in recent sets. First and foremost is the combo-kill package of Nahiri, the Harbinger plus Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Previous iterations of this deck were playing cards like Riftwing Cloudskate and Nihilith to back up Greater Gargadon. Instead, this deck has a haymaker that can deal with problematic creatures or hate spells as well as being a quick clock that doesn’t affect the symmetry of Restore Balance.

The second huge pickup for this deck is Goblin Dark-Dwellers. The card may not seem like a huge deal at first glance, but the ability to flash back Restore Balance should not be ignored. This lets you fire off subsequent Restore Balances while setting up your board to start beating down your opponent. That plan may not seem ideal when Restore Balance will frequently kill your Goblin Dark-Dwellers or leave your opponent with one or more creatures. The thing is that all you need is enough time to set up a Planeswalker kill, and Nahiri, the Harbinger is one of the fastest and least interactive ways to win longer games in Modern.

Consequently, it should come as no surprise that there are decks in the format whose sole purpose is to minimize your opponent’s ability to interact and that those are the decks most interested in utilizing Nahiri, the Harbinger as a win condition.