Tag Archives: Modern Horizons II

The Most Powerful Cards in Modern Horizons 2

Shardless Agent Joins the Modern Format

Shardless Agent…
Now in Modern Horizons 2!

Shardless Agent looks to be one of the highest impact cards to be printed — or in this case reprinted — in Modern Horizons 2.

This card is awesome in a number of ways. You can gang up with lots of Cascade action with cards like Bloodbraid Elf. This kind of a deck can probably overwhelm faster or more powerful combo decks by flipping over lots of disruption like Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek, or Thoughtseize.

Or you can flip over lots of removal! Remember, Shardless Agent is a 2/2 creature as well as a purveyor of Black Lotuses. Removal can just clear the path to get in for damage.

And of course, it is a three mana card with Cascade. Like Ardent Plea or Demonic Dread, this is a card that can aim for a Balance, Living Death, or now Replenish.

Damn from Modern Horizons 2 is Damn! Good

Damn

What is Damn?

Other than the best ever at what it is?

It’s a sorcery speedTerminate for players who don’t have access to red mana. Don’t sleep on this one! That’s not a bad use case.

It’s a Wrath of God that has play against Gaddock Teeg. That’s not bad at all, right? Maybe you can get caught by Spell Snare or Inquisition of Kozilek now… But this card’s functional equivalency to Wrath of God kind of can’t be exaggerated.

Of course in a deck that can tap for both black and white? Damn! That’s a good card!

Will Vindicate be Good in Modern?

Mike wants Vindicate to be good.

Patrick doesn’t believe that Vindicate can’t be good.

Who’s right?

From Mike’s perspective… Molten Rain is often too slow against Tron (especially when you’re on the draw). How can Molten Rain that doesn’t deal extra damage be good?

But you know what won’t be too slow against Tron?

Break the Ice
from Modern Horizons 2

Break the Ice is really exciting against Tron! Even on the draw it can potentially disrupt their mana engine before it’s too late.

Mike wants this card to be good enough for main deck but is a little incredulous. Many other decks where Break the Ice has text are either aggressively too fast or have Aether Vial to get around it. But you know who doesn’t?

Skred Red.

That deck that has 20+ Snow-Covered Mountains and specializes in midrange three mana permanents and / or 4/4 Dragons? The Overload is legitimately going to get them.

Don’t Look Here! It’s just a two-card infinite combo

Sanctum Weaver

So Modern Horizons 2 has given us a new and viable two-card combo. Let’s start with Sanctum Weaver.

This card is basically never worse than a 0/2 creature that taps for one mana of any color. Yes, it’s twice as expensive as a Birds of Paradise; but as an enchantment itself, it’s fail state is not that deep into failure. Where it gets exciting is with Freed From the Real:

Get ready for infinite mana!

Here’s how it works:

  • On Turn Two, play Sanctum Weaver for 1G
  • On Turn Three, cast Freed from the Real on Sanctum Weaver; ideally leaving up Sanctum Weaver
  • Now you can tap Sanctum Weaver for [at least] UU. With Sanctum Weaver and Freed from the Real, you now have two enchantments in play. You can spend U of your UU to untap the Sanctum Weaver, rinse, and repeat. Every time you do this you leave yourself U.
  • What can you possibly do with infinite mana of not just blue, but any color?

The answers to all these burning questions (and more) in this week’s podcast! Listen up:

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Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Seems Amazing

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer from Modern Horizons

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
  • Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
  • R
  • Legendary Creature – Monkey Pirate
  • Whenever Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 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 1R
  • 2/1

So this card is probably the best red one drop in the set.

Probably not the best red one drop OF ALL TIME… But it’s in the running.

This card is like a one mana Ophidian. Or double Ophidian? One card is always a Lotus Petal and the other one has to get cast this turn; but we think this one will work well. Very well, in fact.

Like Robber of the Rich, Ragavan is going to be very commonly played as an aggro card on the merits… But it will also crush out of Control sideboards (e.g. Jeskai). Why would you still have Fatal Push in your deck, am I right?

Imagine this kind of a dream draw:

  1. Turn one – Mountain, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
  2. Their turn one – Hallowed Fountain (tapped of course)
  3. Turn two – Swing in with Ragavan; make a Treasure and chuckle at their top card. Fetch land, sacrifice your token Lotus Petal, make THEIR Teferi, Time Raveler. Smiling face emoji.

Dragon’s Rage Channeler from Modern Horizons

Dragon's Rage Channeler
  • Dragon’s Rage Channeler
  • R
  • Creature – Human Shaman
  • Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, survel 1 (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
    Delirium – As long as there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, Dragon’s Rage Channeler gets +2/+2, has flying, and attacks each combat if able.
  • 1/1

So Dragon’s Rage Channeler is not as good as Ragavan; but it’s still really impressive. Important to note: 1) Red doesn’t get a lot of Surveil… It’s more a Dimir ability. 2) You don’t have to get your Delirium online with the Surveil. Tossing a Lava Spike at the opponent’s face, flashing back a Lava Dart, and popping a Mishra’s Bauble are all going to help get you there (along with the Surveil, of course). And since those are all things you might want to do anyway, the rate on this card can be excellent.

Modern Horizons 2 is Lousy with Lethal One Drops

Ignoble Hierarch

You know how Noble Hierarch is widely played in like every format where it’s legal? Ignoble Hierarch might be even more popular.

The card is a very close parallel, down to Exalted. Mike does not approve on Exalted on a Jund card by the way. But there is something a little extra going on here.

Check out those types!

Ignoble Hierarch is going to do damage like every other one mana green accelerator. But on top of that, it will be played in Goblins Decks. Turn two Goblin Warchief anyone? Exalted is better than ever with haste.

There are all kinds of sweet Modern Horizons 2 cards that aren’t even one drops! We talk about lots of them in this episode. Check it out:

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Portable Hole, Prosperous Innkeeper & Modern Horizons II!

Prosperous Innkeeper, Power Word Kill, the villainous Tiamat… There are so many new — even newer — cards for Standard, the format is about to burst! But first? What’s on the horizon for Modern?

UU: Counter Target Spell

Remember way back when, when we did an episode about how Silumgar’s Scorn was a messed up Magic card?

I mean, on the back of that card — which was pretty restrictive on deck building cost (i.e. you had to have a Dragon in your hand or a Dragon on the battlefield to fully turn it on) Mike qualified for the Pro Tour after a ten-year hiatus!

But with Modern Horizons II… They’re just letting us have the original.

Don’t go too gaga on that spoiled image from our good friends in Renton, WA. Just because it says “Standard” under one version doesn’t mean that Counterspell will be Standard-legal. That’s just in reference to the art-type, not format legality.

Modern Horizons II *AND* Dungeons & Dragons?

We’re barely two weeks into the all-new Strixhaven Standard, and there are spoilers from not one — but two — new tournament legal sets! Modern will certainly get a facelift from Modern Horizons II… Counterspell alone is going to boost traditional Control decks; but also the reprinting of enemy fetchlands. This will be a great opportunity to pick up the Zenikar classics:

  • Arid Mesa
  • Marsh Flats
  • Misty Rainforest
  • Scalding Tarn
  • Verdant Catacombs

Wait a second… Did you say “Dungetons & Dragons”?

Yeah! What do you think about this one?

Portable Hole from Dungeons & Dragons

Portable Hole
Portable Hole
  • Portable Hole
  • W
  • Artifact
  • When Portable Hole enters the battlefield, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value 2 or less until Portable Hole leaves the battlefield.

So is Portable Hole the white Fatal Push?

On the one hand, this card is sorcery speed instead of an instant. It can’t punch up and take out more expensive creatures [given the right circumstances]. Still, Portable Hole seems pretty exciting!

Not only is it a fast and great removal card (you can take out a first turn mana creature or a Death’s Shadow)… It can also deal with cheaper non-creature threats. For example: Mazemind Tome or upcoming equipment Vorpal Sword.

How about this one?

Just How Great is Prosperous Innkeeper?

Prosperous Innkeeper
Prosperous Innkeeper
  • Prosperous Innkeeper
  • 1G
  • Creature – Halfling Citizen
  • When Prosperous Innkeeper enters the battlefield, create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with T:, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana off any color.”)
    Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
  • 1/1

Our hosts agree… This one is awesome!

First off, it’s got a lot of Wily Goblin to it. In fact, Prosperous Innkeeper is easier to cast (1G rather than RR). That said, Halfling Citizen is a lot worse than Goblin Pirate… But regardless, Wily Goblin has been popular in multiple sets.

But it’s got even more text than Treasure-making! Prosperous Innkeeper is a slightly easier to land Wily Goblin but has a lot of Soul Warden to it as well.

We are confident this one will see play in multiple archetypes.

Seems like the new set fun this summer is just beginning. Check out now:

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