Ruby Storm wins 12-1 and takes center stage before the Pro Tour
Ever since Marvel Super Heroes became legal in competitive formats, some cards from the set have started to make their mark outside of Commander as well. One of the most interesting is definitely Hex Magic, a red uncommon that seemed strong even during its preview and is now finding concrete confirmation in Modern.
Hex Magic
Sorcery — Arcane
Exile all the cards from your hand, then draw that many cards. Until the end of your next turn, you may play cards exiled this way.
The card has everything a combo deck wants: it costs three mana, is red, refills the hand, and allows you to play exiled cards until the end of the next turn. In essence, Hex Magic transforms an almost empty hand into a new wave of resources, giving Storm decks exactly what they need to keep chaining spells.
The most important detail, however, is the card type: Hex Magic is an Arcane spell. This opens the door to very relevant synergies with Desperate Ritual, which can be used via Splice onto Arcane. In this way, Ruby Storm can generate mana while casting Hex Magic, continuing to draw, produce resources, and increase the Storm count.
How Ruby Storm Works in Modern
Ruby Storm is a combo deck that aims to cast many spells in the same turn, generate mana with Rituals, and close the game with Grapeshot or, in some situations, with Empty the Warrens.
The core of the deck consists of accelerators and cost reducers like Ruby Medallion, alongside cards like Ral, Monsoon Mage and Artist's Talent. Once costs are reduced, spells like Desperate Ritual, Pyretic Ritual, and Manamorphose allow you to generate mana and continue the chain.
The second fundamental piece is the card advantage engine: Reckless Impulse, Wrenn's Resolve, and now Hex Magic allow the deck to see many more cards during the combo turn. Past in Flames then grants access to the graveyard, turning used spells into further fuel, while Wish allows you to retrieve the finishing blow or the right answer from the sideboard.
In this context, Hex Magic is perfect: when the deck has emptied its hand between Rituals and cheap spells, it can turn into a huge draw and completely reopen the combo turn.
The Result that Changes the Perception of the Card
Until a few days ago, Hex Magic seemed primarily a very promising card: strong in testing, present in Leagues, but still to be confirmed at the higher echelons of competitive Modern. The situation changed with the Modern Showcase Challenge on Magic Online on July 12th, a tournament with 448 players won 12-1 by this Ruby Storm:
Fatone's winning list played 4 copies of Hex Magic in the main deck, along with the classic package of the deck: 4 Ral, Monsoon Mage, 4 Ruby Medallion, 4 Desperate Ritual, 4 Pyretic Ritual, 4 Manamorphose, 4 Reckless Impulse, 4 Wrenn's Resolve, 3 Past in Flames, 2 Wish, and 1 Grapeshot.
So it's not just new set hype: Hex Magic is already part of a winning list in a very large event. Even more interestingly, a second Ruby Storm made it into the Top 16 of the same tournament, playing 3 copies of the card. This confirms that the archetype is not simply experimenting with Hex Magic, but now considers it a real structural option.
Why Hex Magic is So Important
The strength of Hex Magic is that it solves one of the historical problems of Storm decks: running out of resources in the middle of the combo turn. Ruby Storm can produce a lot of mana, but it needs to keep seeing cards. Classic "impulse draw" spells like Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve are great, but they only draw two cards. Hex Magic, on the other hand, can go much higher.
In a correctly built hand, the deck can quickly empty itself, cast Hex Magic, and turn it into a new full hand. The fact that exiled cards can be played until the end of the next turn makes the card less risky compared to other similar effects: even when it doesn't close immediately, it often still sets up a very strong next turn.
Desperate Ritual
Instant — Arcane
Desperate Ritual
Instant — Arcane
Add .
Splice onto Arcane (As you cast an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.)
Its Arcane nature adds further value, because it improves lines with Desperate Ritual and increases the density of explosive plays available to the deck.
Watch the Price
From a financial perspective, Hex Magic has already grown significantly. In the United States, the card has gone from a few cents during prerelease to about $2, with foil versions considerably higher. For an uncommon, this is a significant movement, especially considering that the demand comes from competitive play and not just Commander.
In Europe, the price is even more contained: non-foil copies are hovering around €1.50–€2, while foils are in the €4 range. We are not looking at an expensive card in an absolute sense, but for a recently released uncommon, the signal is clear: the market is starting to price in its potential.
If Ruby Storm continues to achieve results, especially at the upcoming Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes, it won't take long for the available supply to be quickly absorbed. Conversely, if the deck remains a strong but not dominant archetype, Hex Magic could stabilize at more reasonable prices.
The Pro Tour Will Be the Real Test
The victory in the Modern Showcase Challenge is a significant result, but the most important test is yet to come. The Pro Tour Marvel Super Heroes will be the moment when we understand if Ruby Storm, empowered by Hex Magic, is truly one of the decks to beat in the format or just one of many strong options in a very open Modern.
For now, however, the card has already passed the simple hype phase. Hex Magic is no longer just an interesting uncommon to keep an eye on: it's a card played as a four-of in a deck capable of winning a major Modern event.
And when an inexpensive, synergistic, multi-format card starts winning tournaments of this level, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore it.
See you next time, Alex
