Wizards of the Coast just announced their newest Magic Arena only set, Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. It’s a massive set, 782 cards, that’s being injected directly into the Historic Format, and includes 31 new Arena only cards, as well as a ton of reprints from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2 and more. We already know one of the cards being reprinted from Modern Horizons is
Ranger-Captain of Eos
Ranger-Captain of Eos
When this creature enters, you may search your library for a creature card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Sacrifice this creature: Your opponents can't cast noncreature spells this turn.
, but there’s a lot more cards to come.
Here’s our top 10 cards that we want to see from Modern Horizons 1 and 2 in Historic Horizons.
Modern Horizons
10. On Thin Ice
First up is
On Thin Ice
On Thin Ice
Enchant snow land you control
When this Aura enters, exile target creature an opponent controls until this Aura leaves the battlefield.
. Snow isn’t really a theme that we see a ton of in the Historic format, and with the amount of support for snow that’s in Modern Horizons, this powerful removal spell is one that definitely needs to make the cut. It’s seeing a bunch of play in Modern, and can help deal with problematic creatures with ease.
9. Fact or Fiction
Fact or Fiction
Fact or Fiction
Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.
is one of the most iconic blue draw spells out there. Though it doesn’t see any Modern play, this card could do well for Historic. 4 mana is a lot for a draw spell, but this one is good enough that it’s a strong consideration for control decks in Historic.
8. Hexdrinker
Hexdrinker
Hexdrinker
Level up {1} ({1}: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
LEVEL 3-7
4/4
Protection from instants
LEVEL 8+
6/6
Protection from everything
is the kind of 1 drop green creature that is exciting. It’s the kind of threat that starts out innocent, but can build to be a serious body over the course of the game. There’s plenty of ways to deal with it, but this can help green decks get out to a nice fast start and be a real aggro contender in the format.
7. Seasoned Pyromancer
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.
is a Modern all star card, and does everything that red decks really want to do, which is put bodies on the board, and refill their hand of cards. This card is a relatively fair card, and would fit in really nicely into Historic, hopefully giving red decks some much needed oomph.
6. Unsettled Mariner
Last up from Modern Horizons is
Unsettled Mariner
Unsettled Mariner
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Whenever you or a permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless its controller pays {1}.
. This powerful shapeshifter giving you and your permanents Ward 1 is quite the ability. Traditionally used in tribal decks like Humans, this card hopefully will help enable some more tribal strategies in Historic by providing some much needed spot removal protection.
Modern Horizons 2
5. Sanctifier en-Vec
Sanctifier en-Vec
Sanctifier en-Vec
Protection from black and from red
When this creature enters, exile all cards that are black or red from all graveyards.
If a black or red permanent, spell, or card not on the battlefield would be put into a graveyard, exile it instead.
is the perfect card to bring in for the White creature decks in the format. This helps deal with 2 of the colors that white generally struggles with and it’s great hate bear.
4. Persis
The Reanimator archetype is one that’s been lacking in Historic. There are some tools like
Unburial Rites
Unburial Rites
Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Flashback {3}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
, and a couple cool creatures to reanimate, but the problem with the deck is that it’s quite slow. It takes a bit to get the strategy off the ground.
Persist
Persist
Return target nonlegendary creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
I think would help breathe life into the archetype. The cheap cost really helps gives you the value of bringing out a big creature early on in the game.
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3. Ignoble Hierarch
Ignoble Hierarch
Ignoble Hierarch
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
{T}: Add {B}, {R}, or {G}.
is another great tool for creature decks to have. It’s a mana dork, which can help us ramp, but also giving exalted to a creature is a big help as well. The Jund color scheme on this card is no issue since red generally pairs nicely with green. This would be an easy replacement in Gruul for
Llanowar Elves
Llanowar Elves
{T}: Add {G}.
.
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2. Garth One-Eye
Garth One-Eye
Garth One-Eye
{T}: Choose a card name that hasn't been chosen from among Disenchant, Braingeyser, Terror, Shivan Dragon, Regrowth, and Black Lotus. Create a copy of the card with the chosen name. You may cast the copy. (You still pay its costs.)
is definitely one of the most unique cards that we’ve ever seen printed in paper. This 5 color creatures lets us play with one of Magic’s most iconic cards,
Black Lotus
Black Lotus
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color.
. We don’t have the tools to really abuse Garth in Historic like is possible in Modern, but there could be some fun decks that could come up from this card.
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1. Glimpse of Tomorrow
Last up is my favorite card from Modern Horizons 2, in
Glimpse of Tomorrow
Glimpse of Tomorrow
Suspend 3—{R}{R}
Shuffle all permanents you own into your library, then reveal that many cards from the top of your library. Put all non-Aura permanent cards revealed this way onto the battlefield, then do the same for Aura cards, then put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
. I think that all of the suspend spells would be fine to add into Historic, but this one is my favorite. This card is making some splashes in Modern on Magic Online, and I think this would be super fun in Historic. Hopefully if this gets added, it won’t crash the client like it does on MTGO.
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Jumpstart: Historic Horizons is a Magic Arena only set. The set will be only legal for the Historic Format. It releases on August 12, 2021 on Magic Arena and contains 782 cards, comprised of 31 new Arena Only cards, and 751 reprints from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2 and more. You can check out our preview gallery to stay up to date with all the cards!