Today’s the day. In just a few hours, perhaps even as you read these words, Modern Horizons 3 preview season will officially kick-off. After weeks of leaks and misfires, we’re finally getting the real deal. For most, this is incredibly exciting. But for others, the mere mention of the words ‘Modern Horizons’ is enough to trigger ‘Nam-style flashbacks: such was the huge multi-format impact of both prior sets.
Both sets, Modern Horizons 2 in particular, introduced so many powerful cards that their releases essentially served as unofficial rotations for the Modern format. Not the best move when the big appeal of eternal formats is ‘invest now, play forever.’ Will Modern Horizons 3 shift the goalposts yet again? Will every format speed up and grow more expensive? These are the questions on our minds as we sit on the cusp of previews.
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The Impact Of Modern Horizons 1
Incredibly, it’s been five whole years since Modern Horizons 1 graced our shelves. At the time, it was a bold experiment. A set that sidestepped Standard to print powerful cards straight into Modern. It didn’t waste that opportunity, either. A huge number of staples made their debut here and went on to shake multiple formats to their foundations.
The set list reads like a who’s-who of notorious Magic cards.
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.
was a ‘fixed’
Force of Will
Force of Will
You may pay 1 life and exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell.
, but it was still good enough to see play in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Protection from Humans
Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature and draw a card.
{B}{B}, Discard a card: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
went on to define an entire archetype. It also highlights one of the other interesting aspects of the set: deep-cut callbacks to classic Magic lore.
This was the first real Yawgmoth card we got, which is frankly criminal given his status as classic Magic’s biggest villain. His good buddy Urza also got his first card here, in Urza, High Lord Artificer. Both were very playable, but their existence was great to see regardless, and highly educational for new players.
Modern Horizons taught other lessons, too. About just how broken a card can get. Those who remember the Summer of
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
don’t do so fondly.
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.)
was even good enough to catch a ban in Legacy. To say nothing of
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.
, which remains banned in Modern, Legacy, and Pauper to this day.
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The Terror Of Modern Horizons 2
Even with those major bans, Modern Horizons 1 felt relatively tame compared to its sequel. Seeing Modern Horizons 2 spoilers roll out was like watching the dial on a nuclear reactor edge slowly into ‘Danger!’ territory. The set pushed the limits of what one mana could get you in Magic with the legendary
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Whenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card.
Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
. Like Wrenn and Six before it, it was banished from Legacy but continues to terrorize Modern to this day.
Fury
Fury
Double strike
When this creature enters, it deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and/or planeswalkers.
Evoke—Exile a red card from your hand.
also caught a ban, in Modern this time, as one of the most prolific members of the Evoke Elementals cycle. These were creatures that played like Force of Will and could be combined with cards like
Not Dead After All
Not Dead After All
Until end of turn, target creature you control gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control, then create a Wicked Role token attached to it." (Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. When this token is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life.)
to effectively end a game on turn one. The decks running this combo became known as ‘Scam’ lists, to give you an idea of the community feeling around them.
Despite their power, a lot of Modern Horizon 2’s best cards remain unbanned.
Urza’s Saga
Urza’s Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains "{T}: Add {C}."
II — This Saga gains "{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost {0} or {1}, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
is an absurd staple in multiple formats, capable of providing mana, a threat, and a utility artifact all in one. Other huge cards, like
Esper Sentinel
Esper Sentinel
Whenever an opponent casts their first noncreature spell each turn, draw a card unless that player pays {X}, where X is this creature's power.
and
Dauthi Voidwalker
Dauthi Voidwalker
Shadow (This creature can block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.)
If a card would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, instead exile it with a void counter on it.
{T}, Sacrifice this creature: Choose an exiled card an opponent owns with a void counter on it. You may play it this turn without paying its mana cost.
also premiered here, alongside the mighty
Murktide Regent
Murktide Regent
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Flying
This creature enters with a +1/+1 counter on it for each instant and sorcery card exiled with it.
Whenever an instant or sorcery card leaves your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
.
For better or worse, Modern before MH2 and Modern after MH2 are two totally different formats. Although the set included some great reprints, like the Enemy Fetchland cycle, this boost to affordability was negated by all the new power cards players were all but forced to play. For those with the means, these new decks are exciting to play with. For those without, memories of a format where
Tarmogoyf
Tarmogoyf
Tarmogoyf's power is equal to the number of card types among cards in all graveyards and its toughness is equal to that number plus 1.
was playable are all they have left.
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Something Wicked This Way Comes?
This brings us to today’s announcement. Modern Horizons 3 is about to hit us like a tidal wave, and there’s a very real risk that it completely changes Modern yet again. Those who have bought into decks like Scam and Yawgmoth could soon be sulking back to the drawing board to find answers to brutal new threats.
The few cards that have been, reluctantly, revealed so far certainly support this idea.
Ugin’s Labyrinth
Ugin’s Labyrinth
Imprint — When this land enters, you may exile a colorless card with mana value 7 or greater from your hand.
{T}: Add {C}. If a card is exiled with this land, add {C}{C} instead.
{T}: Return the exiled card to its owner's hand.
has a real drawback, but it’s still a Sol land for Modern.
Necrogoyf
Necrogoyf
Necrogoyf's power is equal to the number of creature cards in all graveyards.
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player discards a card.
Madness {1}{B}{B} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
is an absurd threat for just one mana, giving Ragavan a real run -or rather Dash- for his money. The new Flare cycle, headlined by
Flare of Denial
Flare of Denial
You may sacrifice a nontoken blue creature rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell.
, feels more balanced than the Forces or Evoke Elementals, but they may end up enabling all-new graveyard-centric decks on their own.
Hopefully, Modern Horizons 3 can temper its impact compared to previous iterations, bringing new decks without squeezing out old ones. Doing so wouldn’t exactly be in the interests of Wizards of the Coast, but it would be in the interests of players. Even if rumors that Modern Horizons 3 will be the last set in the series are true, Magic has been butting up against an unsustainable power ceiling for a while now.
If a proper balance isn’t struck soon, it could end up spinning out of control. In a very real way, the fate of the game rests on the cards we’ll see revealed over the next few weeks.
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