With Strixhaven: School of Mages and Commander (2021 Edition) out of the way, Modern Horizons 2 is on the er, horizon next. Due to be released on June 11, Modern Horizons 2 will bring new and exciting cards into the Modern format. These could be newly designed cards, or cards we regularly see in the Legacy or Commander format.
There’s a lot of tentative excitement with the set due to the impact Modern Horizons 1 had on the format. We saw
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
You can't spend mana to cast this spell.
Convoke, delve (Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color. Each card you exile from your graveyard pays for {1}.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard.
Trample
, and
Arcum’s Astrolabe
Arcum’s Astrolabe
({S} can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
When this artifact enters, draw a card.
{1}, {T}: Add one mana of any color.
devastate Modern until their eventual ban. Even then, cards such as
Seasoned Pyromancer
Seasoned Pyromancer
When this creature enters, discard two cards, then draw two cards. For each nonland card discarded this way, create a 1/1 red Elemental creature token.
{3}{R}{R}, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create two 1/1 red Elemental creature tokens.
, and
Plague Engineer
Plague Engineer
Deathtouch
As this creature enters, choose a creature type.
Creatures of the chosen type your opponents control get -1/-1.
continue to dominate the format at present.
With that, let’s have a look at a couple of cards we would like to see in Modern.
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Counterspell
We’ve seen plenty of discussion around
Counterspell
Counterspell
Counter target spell.
coming in Modern and rumors are resurfacing again. It was highly speculated that
Counterspell
Counterspell
Counter target spell.
would come in Modern Horizons 1 but we saw
Force of Negation
Force of Negation
If it's not your turn, you may exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target noncreature spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.
instead. However, Mark Rosewater did suggest it could become Modern legal at some point in a set after Modern Horizons 1.
It’ll be interesting to see during Modern Horizons 2 preview season whether the card appears in the set. It would likely take
Mana Leak
Mana Leak
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.
‘s spot at the two mana spot even with the Blue mana demands. We see
Cryptic Command
Cryptic Command
Choose two —
• Counter target spell.
• Return target permanent to its owner's hand.
• Tap all creatures your opponents control.
• Draw a card.
and
Archmage’s Charm
Archmage’s Charm
Choose one —
• Counter target spell.
• Target player draws two cards.
• Gain control of target nonland permanent with mana value 1 or less.
see play with little downside given how good Modern mana bases are.
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Shardless Agent
Another card that is speculated to come in Modern Horizons 2 is
Shardless Agent
Shardless Agent
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.)
.
Shardless Agent
Shardless Agent
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.)
sees play in Legacy as a way to cascade into
Hymn to Tourach
Hymn to Tourach
Target player discards two cards at random.
to great effect. Although the powerful discard spell isn’t legal in Modern,
Shardless Agent
Shardless Agent
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.)
could be a fun addition to the Modern format. You already have
Bloodbraid Elf
Bloodbraid Elf
Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.)
Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.)
as a powerful cascade option, which could lead to a Temur Cascade shell with both of these cards.
Modern operates on an axis of cheap yet powerful spells, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Human Rogue come into Modern.
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Sanctum Prelate
Originally in Conspiracy: Take the Crown, Sanctum Prelate is another option for Modern application. The Human Cleric sees play in Legacy Death & Taxes since it can negate non-creature spells depending on the mana value.
Going further, this would be an exciting addition for Modern Death & Taxes as it can aid the Control or Midrange match-ups. Even then, it would be a certain include for Five-Color Humans to back up an already impressive disruptive package with
Kitesail Freebooter
Kitesail Freebooter
Flying
When this creature enters, target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. Exile that card until this creature leaves the battlefield.
and
Meddling Mage
Meddling Mage
As this creature enters, choose a nonland card name.
Spells with the chosen name can't be cast.
.
Also, seeing a reprint would drive down the price of this impressive card. As it’s a mythic in a supplemental set, the price is quite steep at present.
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Price of Progress
One card that would be sure to shake up Modern is
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.
. Modern functions heavily on nonbasic lands due to the presence of fetch lands, and this would be one way to punish those archetypes. Although it’s unlikely we’ll see the powerful instant come into Modern, maybe there will be a higher mana value variant with a similar ability instead.
With that, it is confirmed by Wizards of the Coast that fetch lands will feature in Modern Horizons 2. It’s expected that
Misty Rainforest
Misty Rainforest
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Forest or Island card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
,
Verdant Catacombs
Verdant Catacombs
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Swamp or Forest card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
,
Arid Mesa
Arid Mesa
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Mountain or Plains card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
,
Marsh Flats
Marsh Flats
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Plains or Swamp card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
, and
Scalding Tarn
Scalding Tarn
{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for an Island or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
will be in the set. Hopefully, this means the price of these cards will become more affordable for players to acquire.
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Horizon Land Cycle
Despite the confirmed printing of fetchlands, it would be great to see the ‘Horizon’ land cycle completed in Modern Horizons 2. Technically starting with Horizon Canopy back in Futuresight, these lands are ideal for strategies that are unable to accommodate card draw. Modern archetypes such as Burn and Infect thrived on these lands and it would be exciting to see the set complete.
Granted, we are missing the Rakdos, Gruul, Azorius, and Dimir colored lands from the cycle. As we are seeing reprints in the form of fetch lands in Modern Horizons 2, it means we could see Horizon Canopy reprinted once again.
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