← Back to Sessions

Izzet Cutter Dominates Modern Artifact Strategies

1 requestsStarted 9/17/2025, 9:12:55 PM
what is the best performing variation of modern with pinnacle emissary and kappa cannoneer

I'll help you analyze the best performing variations of Modern decks that include both Pinnacle Emissary and Kappa Cannoneer. Let me first search for these cards and then query the database to find decks running both.

Now let me query for decks running both cards in recent Modern tournaments to see what archetypes perform best with this combination:

🛠️QueryArchetype Performance with Specific Card Combination

Let me get more details about the winning variations and their card compositions:

🛠️QueryPopular Cards in Affinity and Izzet Cutter Decks

Now let me get some recent tournament sources to back up this analysis:

Based on my analysis of recent Modern tournament data (July-September 2025), here are the best performing variations running both Pinnacle Emissary and Kappa Cannoneer:

Izzet Cutter - Clear Winner

  • 55.2% overall winrate (16-13 record)
  • 4 Top 8 finishes in just 12 entries
  • Multiple tournament wins (best finish: 1st place)
  • Higher sample consistency despite smaller entry count

Core Package:

  • 4x Pinnacle Emissary & 3-4x Kappa Cannoneer
  • 4x Cori-Steel Cutter (the deck's namesake)
  • 4x Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
  • 4x Emry, Lurker of the Loch
  • Full artifact package: 4x Mox Opal, ~3x Mox Amber, 4x Mishra's Bauble

Affinity - Volume Player

  • 47.4% overall winrate (220-244 record)
  • 31 Top 8s from 119 entries (26% Top 8 rate)
  • Much larger sample size but lower performance

Key Differences:

  • Runs Thought Monitor (92% presence vs 0% in Izzet Cutter)
  • Cranial Plating package (61% presence)
  • Less focused on the Cutter/Tamiyo synergy

Recommendation:

Izzet Cutter appears to be the superior variation, leveraging the artifact synergy more efficiently with the Cori-Steel Cutter engine and Tamiyo card advantage. The deck shows both higher winrate and more consistent tournament success despite lower representation.

Sources:

Data from 30 tournaments (80% MTGO, 20% Melee). Recent examples: Modern Challenge 32, Modern Challenge 64, $uper $unday RCQ Orlando