Stern Scolding in Modern

Stern Scolding is hitting Modern soon. How will it do?

Rank Card Countered By Stern Scolding
1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer ✅
2 Fury 🚫
3 Endurance 🚫
4 Orvar, the All-Form 🚫
5 Seasoned Pyromancer ✅
6 Subtlety 🚫
7 Brazen Borrower ✅
8 Grief ✅
9 Murktide Regent 🚫
10 Dragon's Rage Channeler ✅
11 Ledger Shredder ✅
12 Shardless Agent ✅
13 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 🚫
14 Haywire Mite ✅
15 Archon of Cruelty 🚫
16 Sanctifier en-Vec ✅
17 Solitude ✅
18 Jegantha, the Wellspring 🚫
19 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 🚫
20 Dauthi Voidwalker ✅
21 Ornithopter ✅
22 Stoneforge Mystic ✅
23 Esper Sentinel ✅
24 Puresteel Paladin ✅
25 Gingerbrute ✅
26 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 🚫
27 Street Wraith 🚫
28 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 🚫
29 Tourach, Dread Cantor ✅
30 Giver of Runes ✅
31 Omnath, Locus of Creation 🚫
32 Striped Riverwinder 🚫
33 Waker of Waves 🚫
34 Curator of Mysteries 🚫
35 Architects of Will 🚫
36 Walking Ballista ✅
37 Foundation Breaker ✅
38 Drannith Magistrate ✅
39 Sundering Titan 🚫
40 Monastery Swiftspear ✅
41 Nissa, Resurgent Animist 🚫
42 Magus of the Moon ✅
43 Memnite ✅
44 Goblin Guide ✅
45 Soulless Jailer ✅
46 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 🚫
47 Ignoble Hierarch ✅
48 Colossal Skyturtle 🚫
49 Wall of Roots ✅
50 Strangleroot Geist ✅

That is 21 No and 29 Yes. Let's dig a bit deeper.

In the top 10, it's 5 yes and 5 no. Not too enticing. Especially since only one play is mana or card advantage – Grief. The rest are one drops, but damn good one drops. Fatal Push might be better against most of these. And Brazen Borrower likely already got advantage by bouncing something.

Let's look at the actual creatures:

• Countering Shardless Agent is pointless, it's the Cascade that matters. -1 for Yes.
• Orvar, the All-Form and Archon of Cruelty are pretty much never cast. -2 for No.
• Street Wraith, Striped Riverwinder, Waker of Waves, Curator of Mysteries, Architects of Will, Colossal Skyturtle: These are all cycled, and practically never cast. -6 for No.
• You're only going to counter Ornithopter and Memnite in desperate situations, and they will be out before you have the mana up. Plus, this is mana negative, so let's just call it -2 for Yes. (You'll want to save it for Stoneforge Mystic or Pureseteel Paladin, anyway.)

26 Yes, 13 No, using this logic. But that is also kind of stupid logic, maybe?

How many of the Yes creatures are mana positive plays? Fourteen. Not counting Grief and Solitude, although those are card advantage plays. Scam going first being a problem this does not help, obviously.

Grief and Solitude are probably the most impactful hits, and anything that stops Ragavan make me happy. I'll likely try it in Inverter Oracle as it does a lot of other stuff.

Also? This counters Grist, the Hunger Tide. And that's cool.

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Best of luck to everyone playing this weekend!
Remember: Always Be Casting Doomsday.
And thanks! I love you.