One of the more interesting aspects of Modern Horizons III when compared to the previous two Modern Horizons sets is the clear emphasis on reprints and reworking old designs. There haven’t been many cards spoiled thus far, but if the initial wave is any indication, there are going to be a ton of reprints joining the format. From
Orim’s Chant
Orim’s Chant
Kicker {W} (You may pay an additional {W} as you cast this spell.)
Target player can't cast spells this turn. If this spell was kicked, creatures can't attack this turn.
to
Kappa Cannoneer
Kappa Cannoneer
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Ward {4}
Whenever this creature or another artifact you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It can't be blocked this turn.
and beyond, there are a number of Eternal powerhouses being welcomed to Modern.
Beyond just reprints, there are also plenty of new cards directly referencing classic ideas.
Chthonian Nightmare
Chthonian Nightmare
When this enchantment enters, you get {E}{E}{E} (three energy counters).
Pay X {E}, Sacrifice a creature, Return this enchantment to its owner's hand: Return target creature card with mana value X from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only as a sorcery.
, for instance, is obviously a unique take on
Recurring Nightmare
Recurring Nightmare
Sacrifice a creature, Return this enchantment to its owner's hand: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only as a sorcery.
. Given how early we are into spoiler season, I’m sure there are more reprints and redesigned cards to be revealed.
This begs the question: what other cards that aren’t Modern legal would be nice to see enter the format? Obviously, many Legacy and Vintage staples would simply be too powerful for Modern. Still, there’s certainly room for some neat additions. As such, we thought it would be interesting to go over some of the cards we most want to see implemented. This is undoubtedly subjective, but we feel some of the following cards could help improve the Modern landscape overall.
Punishing Greedy Manabases
One thing that many players complain about when it comes to Modern is how strong the mana fixing is. Couple that with the general lack of ways to disrupt an opponent’s mana production, and it makes sense why multi-color strategies are so popular. There’s a reason why
Blood Moon
Blood Moon
Nonbasic lands are Mountains.
is an elite sideboard cards for decks that can maximize it, such as Rakdos Scam.
Beyond Blood Moon and
Magus of the Moon
Magus of the Moon
Nonbasic lands are Mountains.
, there aren’t many ways to punish opponents for playing tons of non-basic Lands. Even Blood Moon’s presence has not stopped Amulet Titan from becoming a dominant force in the Modern metagame. With this in mind, having a card akin to
Price of Progress
Price of Progress
Price of Progress deals damage to each player equal to twice the number of nonbasic lands that player controls.
in Modern could be a nice way to reward players for playing more basic Lands.
Ultimately, Price of Progress itself may be too powerful for Modern. Nonetheless, a reworked version (perhaps that costs more mana or only deals less damage overall) could be a nice touch. Not to mention, Burn has fallen out of favor and notably has a pretty atrocious Amulet Titan matchup. Instead of relying on cheesing the matchup with
Tunnel Ignus
Tunnel Ignus
Whenever a land enters under an opponent's control, if that player had another land enter the battlefield under their control this turn, this creature deals 3 damage to that player.
, which is extremely narrow, Burn decks could turn towards this more versatile damage dealing spell.
On top of just spells, there are a multitude of Lands in Eternal formats that are capable of efficiently interacting with opposing non-basic Lands. Some players have mentioned adding
Wasteland
Wasteland
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land.
to Modern, but this seems a bit too format-warping for my taste (especially with
Wrenn and Six
Wrenn and Six
+1: Return up to one target land card from your graveyard to your hand.
−1: Wrenn and Six deals 1 damage to any target.
−7: You get an emblem with "Instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard have retrace." (You may cast instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying their other costs.)
legal here).
That being said, both
Rishadan Port
Rishadan Port
{T}: Add {C}.
{1}, {T}: Tap target land.
and
Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
{T}: Add {C}.
{3}, {T}, Sacrifice a land: Destroy target nonbasic land.
seem like reasonable cards to consider. Both cards require extra mana investment to utilize, so they don’t just slot naturally into tons of strategies like Wasteland. Rishadan Port is particularly strong in
Aether Vial
Aether Vial
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a charge counter on this artifact.
{T}: You may put a creature card with mana value equal to the number of charge counters on this artifact from your hand onto the battlefield.
decks that can get ahead on board without investing a ton of mana. Aether Vial strategies have seen their representation plummet in the face of Orcish Bowmasters[/tooltip] and company, so anything that can help revive these decks is welcome in my book.
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Make Creature Decks Great Again
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The reality is, Creature-focused decks as a whole have dwindled over the years. It doesn’t help that Golgari [tooltips]Yawgmoth, Thran Physician combo, one of the few Creature heavy decks in the format, prays on decks that are trying to win in combat with small Creatures. Prowess has seen a recent surge thanks to
Slickshot Show-Off
Slickshot Show-Off
Flying, haste
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
Plot {1}{R} (You may pay {1}{R} and exile this card from your hand. Cast it as a sorcery on a later turn without paying its mana cost. Plot only as a sorcery.)
, but most aggro decks, especially typal decks, have fallen off the map.
With this in mind, I’d love to see even more Creature support for typal decks and Aether Vial strategies alike. We actually have already seen Priest of Titania leaked, so more typal support is absolutely not far-fetched. For example, Goblins, one of the most powerful decks in Legacy, is nearly nonexistent in Modern. Of course, elite sources of fast mana like
Ancient Tomb
Ancient Tomb
{T}: Add {C}{C}. This land deals 2 damage to you.
and Chrome Mox are likely off the table. A payoff like
Muxus, Goblin Grandee
Muxus, Goblin Grandee
When Muxus enters, reveal the top six cards of your library. Put all Goblin creature cards with mana value 5 or less from among them onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Whenever Muxus attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other Goblin you control.
, on the other hand, may be just what the doctor ordered.
Muxus is the type of card that incentivizes you to play a large number of Goblins in your deck, and the reward is massive. Six mana is a lot, but
Skirk Prospector
Skirk Prospector
Sacrifice a Goblin: Add {R}.
goes a long way.
Broadside Bombardiers
Broadside Bombardiers
Menace, haste
Boast — Sacrifice another creature or artifact: This creature deals damage equal to 2 plus the sacrificed permanent's mana value to any target. (Activate only if this creature attacked this turn and only once each turn.)
and
Goblin Lackey
Goblin Lackey
Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, you may put a Goblin permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.
are other amazing Goblins to consider if you want to go a different direction.
For Merfolk,
Emperor Mihail II
Emperor Mihail II
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may cast Merfolk spells from the top of your library.
Whenever you cast a Merfolk spell, you may pay {1}. If you do, create a 1/1 blue Merfolk creature token.
is a very strong card to put in with Aether Vial. For Humans as well as basic Death and Taxes decks, Recruiter of the Guard has a lot of juicy targets to dig up. Recruiter slots right into
Abiding Grace
Abiding Grace
At the beginning of your end step, choose one —
• You gain 1 life.
• Return target creature card with mana value 1 from your graveyard to the battlefield.
midrange decks in Modern too, as it can fetch up
Solitude
Solitude
Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, exile up to one other target creature. That creature's controller gains life equal to its power.
Evoke—Exile a white card from your hand.
.
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Other Unique Options
Beyond mana punishers and typal payoffs, there are tons of other cool choices to include in Modern. Triumph of Saint Katherine is a really sweet and efficient card when you get to enable its Miracle ability. Triumph is quite strong, but without
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
in the format, is a little tougher to reliably set up. This adds a bit of randomness and encourages players to think outside the box to enable it, which is part of the fun.
Another potentially neat inclusion is Wild Mongrel. Since the banning of Faithless Looting, many synergistic discard strategies such as the various Hollow One shells have largely disappeared.
Wild Mongrel is a repeatable discard outlet, threatens damage rather quickly, and works perfectly with Madness cards like [tooltip]Blazing Rootwalla[/tooltips]. One player suggested pairing this with Wonder in Modern if it’s reprinted, and I’m here for it.
While these cards are some personal preferences for inclusions we’d like to see in Modern Horizons III, there are lots of other cards to choose from. The possibilities are truly endless. Modern Horizons III is releasing in just over a month, so keep your eyes peeled for any awesome spoilers that could help shake up the format.
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