How to beat Affinity in Modern
Over the last 90 days of recorded Modern matches, the decks with the best results against Affinity are Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo (82% over 11 matches). Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo's 82% sits in a 95% range of 52%–95%, which is the range a 11-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Trinisphere, Nature's Claim and Grafdigger's Cage in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Affinity
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Affinity | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo | 81.8% | 9-2 | 11 | Medium sample | 52%–95% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
28 further pairings (49 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Affinity's archetype page and in the Modern matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Affinity bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Affinity, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinisphere | 1 of 1 | 2.4 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Nature's Claim | 1 of 1 | 2.0 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Grafdigger's Cage | 1 of 1 | 1.9 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Sire of Seven Deaths | 1 of 1 | 1.2 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Thought-Knot Seer | 1 of 1 | 1.2 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Vexing Bauble | 1 of 1 | 1.1 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Dismember | 1 of 1 | 0.9 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Pithing Needle | 1 of 1 | 0.7 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Thief of Existence | 1 of 1 | 0.7 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Warping Wail | 1 of 1 | 0.7 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Disruptor Flute | 1 of 1 | 0.7 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
| Six | 1 of 1 | 0.4 | Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Affinity beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Affinity with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Affinity | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devoted Combo | 37.5% | 3-5 | 8 | Medium sample | 14%–69% |
| Eldrazi | 40.0% | 2-3 | 5 | Low sample | 12%–77% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Affinity in Modern?
Across the last 90 days, Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo (82% over 11 matches) hold the best recorded results against Affinity. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Affinity?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 1 deck with the best records against Affinity — Mono-Green Basking Broodscale Combo — most commonly run Trinisphere, Nature's Claim, Grafdigger's Cage, Sire of Seven Deaths and Thought-Knot Seer in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Affinity beat?
Affinity's best recorded matchups over the same window are Devoted Combo (63% across 8 matches) and Eldrazi (60% across 5 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Affinity with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Modern matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 28 of those for Affinity right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Modern metagame are excluded from the ranking — their historical records are still on Affinity's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.