In recent weeks, Modern has been getting leaner and meaner. Infect has cemented itself as one of the best decks in the format, Death's Shadow Zoo is on the rise, and Nahiri, the Harbinger has fundamentally changed the way people build control and midrange decks. Consequently, there’s not as much space in the format for combo-control decks as there used to be since they just can’t race. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Check out this Naya build of Valakut Ramp by The_King.

Naya Valakut ? Modern | The_King, 5-0 Modern League

• Creatures (9)
• 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
• 4 Primeval Titan
• 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Nahiri, the Harbinger

• Spells (22)
• 3 Summoner's Pact
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Through the Breach
• 4 Farseek
• 4 Search for Tomorrow
• 3 Oath of Nissa

• Lands (25)
• 2 Forest
• 5 Mountain
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 2 Cinder Glade
• 3 Arid Mesa
• 4 Stomping Ground
• 4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
• 4 Wooded Foothills

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Ancient Grudge
• 3 Anger of the Gods
• 3 Chalice of the Void
• 3 Obstinate Baloth
• 2 Ricochet Trap
• 2 Sudden Shock

Buy This Deck

This is certainly no Scapeshift deck, but it’s not too dissimilar. The game-plan is largely the same: early ramp spells into Primeval Titans and Valakuts to end the game. The difference is in how much interaction, and on what axes, these decks are interested in. This deck may play Lightning Bolt, but it’s not messing around with Remands, Izzet Charms, or Cryptic Commands. Instead, you get to play cards like Through the Breach for your Primeval Titans, which give you the ability to kill a full two turns ahead of schedule, since you get the Titan on five mana and it comes in with Haste. Not only that, but you gain the ability to threaten opponents with Through the Breach on their end step, since you won’t have to sacrifice your Primeval Titan until your own end step.

The other difference is the inclusion of Nahiri. This card gives this shell an enormous amount of flexibility. It can come down and eat Tarmogoyfs, Goblin Guides, or start ticking up to find more threats against control or midrange decks. On top of that, if Nahiri goes unanswered, you can ultimate to find either Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Primeval Titan, depending on how much damage you have to deal. The combination of increased speed provided by Through the Breach as well as improved flexibility thanks to Nahiri could very well make this the best Valakut deck in contemporary Modern.