4C Saheeli (Now with added black!) (Modern) [Révision 87]

This is a 4 color Saheeli Rai cat combo list with a creature toolbox. The sideboard is mostly singleton creatures that aren't as all purpose as the main board, but still pack a punch against specific decks.

Why 4 color Saheeli?

Saheeli was incredible in Kaladesh standard and has been incorporated in modern lists like jeskai saheeli control. The reason you should prefer the 4c saheeli zoo toolbox list over others is the ability to field different creatures that you can ferret out with Eldritch Evolution allows you to establish a stronger board state with a more traditional beat down strategy while still threatening the combo like the all in saheeli combo list in Jeskai control.

Card Choices:
-Main

Lands:

The land base is typical of a 4 color Saheeli list with two notable choices.

Basic Island- plays around a free-win, red control, blood moon, and gives us a less painful way to ferret out blue mana to cast our reflector mages or employ sideboard options. Alternatively you could play another basic forest or plains.

Hostile Desert is a manland that enters untapped. It can get through stalemates, get replicated by Saheeli or in a pinch can be sac'd to an eldritch evolution for something like a sideboard Gaddock Teeg or Spellskite.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Non-creature spells:

Oath of Nissa is an instant 4 of, it finds the combo, land drops, helps cast Saheeli, can be cast while one is on field to invoke the legendary rule and activate the revolt trigger on a Renegade Rallier and can even find creature threats.

Eldritch Evolution is a 4 of at the moment to find our Felidar Guardian for the combo kill, post sideboard creatures and other threats. I'm experimenting with neoform. Its definitely not as good as eldritch but the lower cmc might make it useful as a one of, going down one Eldritch Evolution. Really I just don't feel 1 less cmc justifies Neoform over Eldritch Evolution when the deck produces so much mana.

Saheeli Rai is the purpose of our deck. It would be wrong not to run the full playset.

Creatures:

Birds of Paradise is a classic mana dork, gets us any color for casts, I could see running noble hierarch but it costs lots of real world money, can't get red mana and can't chump Arclight Phoenix. Exalt would be nice, but again money.

Lotus Cobra is insane in this deck. It is pseudo mana fixing, ramp and a chump block/ possible beater.

Renegade Rallier was good in standard and should continue to see use in modern. It can get back fetch lands from graveyard, small creatures and is a prime Eldritch Evolution target to find Felidar Guardian or a big mana creature threat.

Felidar Guardian is a 2 of in the deck. It hurts to have multiple copies in hand and will often be found with an Eldritch Evolution. I could understand 3 copies but running a full playset seems best suited to a Jeskai Saheeli control list.

Voice of Resurgence took some experimentation. In the Burn matchup, Voice has been an exceptional blocker and has the upside of discouraging opponents from casting instants on our turn. You can get Voice of Resurgence down on turn two, block, go to turn three, play a fetch and sac to play Renegade Rallier and with the revolt trigger, return your Voice of Resurgence to the battlefield. Voice of Resurgence also has good synergy with Eldritch Evolution, getting a replacement body for the Voice you sac.

Reflector Mage is good to bounce opponent's creatures and disrupt their game plan. We run an additional mage in sideboard and this could come in against aggro decks or even some mid-range. It can be risky to bounce some creatures like Primeval Titan. But don't be afraid to do it either, they can't recast it their next turn after all and it prevents them from swinging in. Bouncing a flipped Thing in the Ice may feel bad, but not if it keeps you alive another turn.

Knight of Autumn is like Reflector Mage in that its good at disrupting opponent, can come in against certain aggro lists and we keep an extra in sideboard. It's surprisingly good against affinity, sometimes delays Tron, hits fringe enchantment decks and as a 4/3 body for 3cmc is sometimes just good enough. Also a good Eldritch Evolution fodder target for the combo or big cmc creatures.

'big' cmc creatures:

These are 4-5 cmc creatures we can tutor with Eldritch Evolution to swing a game in our favor.

Shalai, voice of Plenty is effective against burn and can protect our combo by giving our creatures and planeswalkers hexproof. The +1/+1 counter strategy isn't used frequently but it works to beat stalemates when you need it to.

Thragtusk is a great blocker that leaves a body, gains life and is really incredible if replicated by Saheeli. If you target Thragtusk with Saheeli Rai -2 you get to swing with possibly 2 Thragtusk, gain a net 10 life and have a body left over when the Thragtusk token leaves the battlefield at end of turn.

Angel of Sanctions has proven its worth in some bizarre games where the Embalm could bring it back from Grave, where even temporarily exiling any non land permanent came up, where even just swinging for chip damage in the air with flying meant winning or losing. It's a deceptively good card and a favorite of mine. It's unfortunately one of the first to side board out since the opponent will likely bring in heavy removal, but I still love angel of Sanctions and run it in any deck I can fit it.

Glorybringer is 3RR but the casting cost is rarely an issue in our deck with 4 Birds of Paradise and Lotus Cobra. We can also simply ferret it out with an Eldritch Evolution if we want. It's not uncommon to have a turn 3 Glorybringer. As a 4/4 haste with flying, it can shred some planeswalkers, punish an opponent who overextends, or with its exert ability, can bop an opponent's creature for 4 damage. If targeted by Saheeli Rai -2 you effectively have 8 damage with flying and haste and 2 instances of deal 4 damage to target creature an opponent controls. The turn after you exert Glorybringer, you can play out a Felidar Guardian, targeting Glorybringer to blink it and get in again in the air and with the damage to a creature from exert. You should always exert any Saheeli Glorybringer token since it will be exiled at end of turn anyways. This card also comes out in certain matches like Tron. But even against decks like burn, it can do some serious work. Don't sleep on Glorybringer.

Sideboard:

The sideboard is filled with singleton creatures to search out with Eldritch Evolution, this makes them more reliable to field but more susceptible to removal.

Acidic Slime is a deathtouch body that could potentially come in against affinity, tron or different prison strategies to destroy artifacts, enchantments or lands. It beats out cards like fulminator mage because unlike mage, slime is an enter the battlefield effect that can be abused by Saheeli or Felidar Guardian.

Archangel of Tithes is an experimental answer to decks like phoenix and dredge. The 3/4 flying body can get in as a blocker against dredge and is useful as a combat deterrent, requiring opponents forfeit mana to swing in. I could see Baneslayer angel or Lyra Dawnbringer as useful alternatives.