I'll analyze Modern decks with Pinnacle Emissary over the past 2 months, comparing winrates between those with and without Cranial Plating.
Now I'll query the database to find Modern decks running Pinnacle Emissary and compare their performance based on whether they also run Cranial Plating.
Let me also check what archetypes are primarily running Pinnacle Emissary to provide better context.
Over the past 2 months in Modern, decks running Pinnacle Emissary show nearly identical performance regardless of whether they include Cranial Plating. Decks without Cranial Plating achieved a 49.4% winrate (165-169 record across 83 entries), while decks with Cranial Plating had a 48.3% winrate (141-151 across 80 entries). This 1.1 percentage point difference is statistically negligible.
The data reveals that Pinnacle Emissary appears primarily in Affinity decks (136 of 163 total entries), where 57.4% of lists include Cranial Plating. The remaining entries come from various Izzet and Jeskai variants that typically don't run Cranial Plating. This suggests the choice to include Cranial Plating is more about archetype identity than performance optimization.
The similar winrates indicate that both configurations of Pinnacle Emissary decks are competitively viable, with the Cranial Plating inclusion being a deckbuilding preference rather than a performance necessity.
Sources: Data from 87 tournaments: 86.2% MTGO, 13.8% Melee. Recent examples include Modern Store Championship (https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/6f7d76be-4803-4385-95da-b35f00a1a64e), Modern Challenge 32 (https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/modern-challenge-32-2025-09-2112815144), and Modern Challenge 64 (https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/modern-challenge-64-2025-09-2012815138).