Modern Horizons Announced
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Feb. 28, 2019, 8:33 p.m. by CastleSiege
A new Modern-legal set, skipping Standard.
Official previews start at the end of May.
Releases June 14, 2019.
Draft pre-release weekend: June 8-9.
254 card set, all of which are new to the Modern format. All reprints are of cards that are not currently Modern-legal.
Buy-a-Box promo will be a reprint.
MTGO price will be $6.99 per pack.
Many new cards will be throwbacks to old cards or characters from the lore (see the two spoilers from today).
Sources:
Official Modern Horizons Announcement
Magic | WeeklyMTG - Modern Horizons
February 28 Spoilers:
What character do you think is featured here?
DemonDragonJ says... #2
ToolmasterOfBrainerd, a user at MagicSpoiler commented that 11 mythic rares have been revealed, thus far, so, presuming that this set shall have 15 mythic rares, there are four that have not been revealed. I wonder if there shall be four more swords, or if WotC shall complete the cycle over several sets.
Also, Pillage can destroy any land and can also destroy artifacts, so I feel that it is superior to Fulminator Mage more than half of the time.
May 25, 2019 8:51 a.m.
DemonDragonJ, at first I was hoping (and believing) we’d see the last four swords, but then I remembered: we haven’t seen a single black mythic yet. So presuming there’s at least one, that leaves us with just three slots :/
May 25, 2019 11:28 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #4
Isn't there usually 2 mythics of each color and 5 multi/colorless/land mythics? If that's the case then we'll see 2 black, 1 blue, and 1 red mythic. But I may be in error about the distribution. At the same time, it does feel a little weird to only get 1 sword in the set.
May 25, 2019 11:32 a.m.
I think we must be getting more than 15 mythics... another sword has been spoiled, and I feel like if there are two, there are all five.
May 25, 2019 8:25 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #6
Yikes that one's competing with Sword of Body and Mind for worst sword. Why does wizards feel the need to shaft us when they finish cycles? The enemy manlands were the same way. I hope the rest of them turn out better.
May 25, 2019 8:32 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #7
Bummer. If that had only been creature or planeswalker it would be okay. Worst part is the art and name are both pretty sweet- imo the best of any of the swords. Name is a little edgelord for my taste but it’s still pretty cool.
May 25, 2019 8:56 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #8
What's blue about sword of truth and justice? It really feels like the GW sword to me. Like, REALLY feels like a GW sword. Neither proliferate nor +1/+1 counters are blue effects.
May 25, 2019 9:04 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #9
ToolmasterOfBrainerd, I personally feel that Sword of War and Peace is the worst of the original five swords, and that Sword of Body and Mind is actually quite nice, but I do agree that this new sword is very unimaginative and underwhelming, likely because WotC already used their best ideas for the other five swords.
I also agree with you that sword of truth and justice should have been white/green, as its abilities definitely make more sense in those colors.
May 26, 2019 12:37 a.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #10
Proliferate has always been a predominately blue mechanic from the time it was introduced in the scars of mirrodin block. Green proliferation just popped up in war if the spark. 33% of cards with proliferate are blue (17% green with recent additions). If anything this would of been a perfect green/blue sword only if...
May 26, 2019 8:33 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #11
If you compare these new swords to Sword of Feast and Famine you are always going to be severely disappointed. That sword is an anomaly in the cycle. If you compare the new ones to the rest of the swords in a vacuum, these fall in the middle of the pack. Sword of Fire and Ice and Sword of Light and Shadow are still a bit better, but I'd put both of these swords firmly ahead of Sword of War and Peace and Sword of Body and Mind .
From a commander perspective though, Sinew and Steel will probably be the second best sword (so far) behind Feast and Famine. None of the swords are very good in commander (besides Feast and Famine) because their effects aren't strong in a multiplayer format. However, being able to damage one opponent and then destroying ANY PW and/or artifact on the battlefield is pretty high impact. I wouldn't be surprised if this sword saw a decent amount of play. I can't speak for other formats though.
As far as Sinew and Steel being 'unimaginative', you have to consider how the sword cycle works. The 'colors' of each sword has to do something native to their role in the color pie. Red has always destroyed artifacts and black is the color that kills PW's. This seems par for the course to me. One more thing to consider is that these new swords are allied colors. Unlike the original cycle whose effects were often disconnected from one another, the effects of the new cycle should work in concert. So far that seems to be the case. I am interested to see what the rest of cycle does.
Also proliferate has always been primarily a blue mechanic.
May 26, 2019 9:58 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #12
I personally think you fellows underestimate the power of Sword of Body and Mind . Clearly y’all don’t play mill.
I think Sword of Truth and Justice is fine. It’s totally okay. Fun, 90% a casual commander card, which I’m all about.
Sword of Sinew and Steel is pretty meh. I would say it’s absolutely the least spicy sword mechanically, and it is ONLY good in commander, I think. No other format is running 5-drops (which the swords essentially are) alongside enough artifacts and walkers to consistently get value. Is it the weakest? Maybe. Who knows? It’ll probably give you the least value in modern though.
May 26, 2019 11:07 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #13
Oh my, we have Eladamri's Call in modern now. That is... wow.
Also, protection from humans is beautiful.
May 27, 2019 11:11 a.m. Edited.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #14
I don't think Yawgmoth is as good as Kalitas, to be honest. Kalitas will probably remain the human killer of choice.
May 27, 2019 11:15 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #15
Well Yawgmoth didn't disappointed as a card, though I would've preferred him to be depicted in a different way (art wise).
It's nice to see the talisman cycle finally finished.
I think it's hilarious that we get a card referencing Segovia.
ZendikariWol - I don't think Sword of Body and Mind is a bad card per say, mill is just quite difficult to pull off in commander.
May 27, 2019 1:10 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #16
First, I shall comment about the swords: I personally feel that sword of sinew and steel should have destroyed a creature, rather than a planeswalker, because, as prominent as planeswalkers now are, they are still not nearly as prominent as creatures, but that likely would have made the card too powerful.
Wow, today's spoilers are again amazing!
It is nice to finally see enemy-colored versions of the talismans from the original Mirrodin block, but the quote from Kaya does not fit her character, and would have made more sense being said by Teysa.
Segovian Angel is the first mention of Thomil and Worzel in the flavor text of the game, so I hope that they themselves eventually appear in the game.
Collector Ouphe is far too powerful for a mere 2 mana, and will definitely make its controller a target for every other player in the game.
Eladamri's Call is another card that I feel should not have been introduced to modern, but any reprinting to decrease its price is good for me. Hopefully, there shall eventually be a reprint of Worldly Tutor in the new border style, at some point.
Introducing Kess to modern makes no difference to me, since I currently do not have her in any of my decks.
Are my eyes deceiving me? Did WotC finally print a card of Yawgmoth, himself? The greatest villain in the game finally has a card! As with Urza, his card is very powerful, because it would simply not properly portray him, otherwise, but, as with Urza, this is when he was a mere mortal, so I expect that, in the future, there shall be cards of each of them as they grow in power.
I would like to put Yawgmoth in my Atraxa EDH deck (which would be a hilarious flavor fail, since Atraxa, for all her power, is only a servant of Phryexia, whereas Yawgmoth is the leader of Phryexia), but his second ability requires his controller to discard a card, which works only in decks that are specifically dedicated to that theme. I have no method for regaining cards from my graveyard other than Elixir of Immortality , so I cannot put Yawgmoth in my Atraxa deck, most unfortunately.
May 27, 2019 2:10 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #17
In a cruel twist of fate, if Yawgmoth's first activated ability required the discarding of a card and his second activated ability required sacrificing a creature, I could have put him in my Atraxa deck, since that deck has numerous cards that generate creature tokens, and I would be using his second ability far more often than I would use his first ability; I wonder if WotC deliberately did that to prevent players from doing that?
Also, this game now has a Vedalken ninja? What crazy creature type combination will WotC conceive next (I myself am hoping for a demon horror, since that would be badass, but also likely redundant; however, both "nightmare demon" and "eldrazi horror" are redundant, but were still printed).
I am very pleased to see that valiant changeling has normal (i.e., unconditional) double strike, since I feel that having first strike and double strike be conditional is a foolish idea.
May 27, 2019 8:42 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #18
I forgot to comment on Kaya's guile, which is definitely a nice card, and this is the first time that there has been a card with entwine that has had more than two options. I would like to put it in some of my decks that contain black and white, but I doubt that it shall replace Anguished Unmaking or Utter End , simply because its caster cannot control which creatures their opponents sacrifice.
Also, Urza has been depicted in countless cards before finally having a card of his own in this set, but this is the first time ever that Yawgmoth himself has been depicted in a card, which is surprising, considering how many card mention him by name; or, perhaps it is not surprising, since Yawgmoth never appearing in person, before, made him much more mysterious and terrifying.
May 27, 2019 10:09 p.m.
May 28, 2019 5:17 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #20
Unearth is another card that I feel should have been kept only in eternal formats, but it will not completely break modern.
In Hall of Heliod’s Generosity, I noticed that Heliod’s face looks rather skeletal; was that a deliberate choice by the artist, or a mere coincidence?
This is the first time that a card has used snow mana in its casting cost, rather than for activating an ability, which is certainly a new idea.
This game now has a naga ninja: that is quite awesome and hilarious! Also, Since there are neither naga nor vedalken on Kamigawa, this means that there are ninjas on other plans in the multiverse.
Weather the storm should be white, not green, because green is allowed to have life gain, but it cannot be as efficient as white’s life gain.
Endling finally gives the game a black version of Morphling , and it is very nice, indeed, especially because it is also a zombie, allowing for synergies with other creatures of that type.
Throes of chaos is interesting, but very situational, although I shall that that is an interesting combination of keywords. What, exactly, is occurring in the artwork of that card?
sylvannos, I agree that those cards should not have been made legal in modern, but, apparently, WotC disagreed.
May 28, 2019 8:54 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #21
Forgive me for making multiple posts, but this forum does not allow for editing of posts; Sword of Truth and Justice is currently on pre-order at TrollandToad for only $25.00, which is far less than what I feared it would cost, and I obviously am very pleased by that, so I shall purchase a copy of it as soon as it is available.
May 28, 2019 9:43 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #22
They have finally done it. This is jank in its ultimate form. I love it!
My Lord Windgrace and Bosh, Iron Golem decks are having a rager after seeing this card:
May 29, 2019 2:19 p.m.
Finally get this cycle into Modern. Hope we get Psychatog , Ichorid , and Circular Logic so I can go back to playing my favorite Extended deck (probably just wishful thinking on my part). At the very least, I'll be able to brew up some new kind of jank with the ol' Life from the Loam + Gifts Ungiven engine.
In other words, yes Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor....we're going to be hitting levels of jank that shouldn't be possible. Hell, I'll even put Hogaak into this jank deck and dump it into play with Thopter Foundry + Sword of the Meek off of Gifts Ungiven . Then we're gonna play red and white for Tectonic Reformation and Astral Drift.
The best part? We won't even use any of this to win because we'll be in 5 colors. Door to Nothingness will end the game once we hardcast it and activate it with all the mana we've been Life from the Loam ing back into our hands mwhwahwhahhahahaahahaa!!!
Carrion Feeder reprint! Might actually make Zombies a viable archetype in Modern, since that deck was missing good 1-drops. The only ones playable in Modern are basically Aether Vial , Gravecrawler , Cryptbreaker , and... Diregraf Ghoul ?
LMAO JUST WHAT THE FUCK
May 29, 2019 4:50 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #24
The Onslaught cycling lands are a nice addition to this set, and to modern, so I have no problem with them being in this set.
That new vampire will be very nice for vampire decks.
Llanowar tribe is very nice, but elf decks certainly do not need any further mana-generating creatures.
Tribute mage is a nice addition to the cycle of trinket mage, treasure mage, and trophy mage, but I would like to see other colors have equivalent cards that search for cards of other types.
Hogaak, arisen necropolis is a most interesting card, and I do believe that this is the first card ever that has a mana cost but cannot be cast with mana; it shall certainly require a deck that is specifically committed to it in order to function, but I am certain that many players shall enjoy that challenge.
May 29, 2019 9:11 p.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #25
Is there some sort of efficient shell for Hogaak that isn’t just dredge? Anyone want to talk about brewing a deck around it or seeing if it solves any problems a previously existing archetype had?
Off the top of my head I thought a jund vengvine deck based off the R/G vengvine/hollow one decks that fell out of favor to the R/B hollow decks. Some Insolent Neonate and Stitcher's Supplier to pitch vengvines and stock up for Hokaag. Any thoughts?
May 30, 2019 9:07 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #26
Mind rake is one letter different from “mind rape,” but I suspect that WotC would be reluctant to print a card with that name.
A new card referencing Marit Lage is most interesting, but I severely dislike the new wording for generating tokens with names.
Why is smiting helix a sorcery? Lightning Helix is an instant, so I see no reason for this card to not be one, also.
Mirrodin besieged is very nice, and I shall be certain to add it to my list of alternate win and loss conditions.
I see no reason for which magmatic sinkhole could not target players, since it is not too powerful to instantly defeat a player.
Is there a reason for which frostwalla’s ability can be activated only once per turn? It does not seem to be too powerful, to me.
May 30, 2019 9:25 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #27
I forgot to mention that some of those new ninjas are very awesome, so ninja decks now have some nice new cards to use.
Also, given the power level of some of the new cards in this set, I do hope that this year's Commander product has some great cards, to ensure that this set does not cause modern to overshadow legacy and vintage and to keep those formats distinct from each other.
May 30, 2019 11:17 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #28
Target tron player discards all their threats.
May 31, 2019 3:21 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #29
Why did WotC bring back monstrosity for this set, when adapt is better in nearly every way? Likely because adapt is too new, and, therefore, not eligible for reprint in this set.
Now that the entire set is spoiled, I must say that I am very impressed by it; after the awesomeness of War of the Spark, I did not expect that the next set to be as awesome as it is; WotC did an amazing job with this set!
Face of divinity has awesome artwork, and the card itself is fairly decent; I currently do not need it for any of my decks, but the fact that it is an uncommon should mean that it shall not be too expensive.
Blizzard strix should have cost 1 mana less, and it would have been perfectly balanced, in my mind.
The pun in the name of rank officer is quite humorous.
I am very disappointed that Umezawa’s charm and archmage’s charm were not part of a complete cycle, since this game has not had a decent cycle of mono-colored charms since the Time Spiral block.
Fountain of ichor seems to be implying that Phyrexia may appear on Ixalan, as well; I see that WotC did not forget that Karn may have spread Phyrexian oil to other plans of the multiverse, so I am glad that they are revisiting that plotline. As for why the story writers chosen Ixalan, I shall presume that they did so because the sets on that plane were not as well-received as they would have liked for them to have been and there are only minor story hooks to use for a potential return there.
Overall, this is definitely one of the best sets that WotC has produced in quite some time, so I do hope that Core Set 2020 and Commander 2019 are equally awesome, as well, but they shall have a difficult task in comparing to this set.
June 1, 2019 12:53 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #30
DemonDragonJ, we must have had very different experiences with WAR as I found that set to be terrible haha. An interesting set, but a terrible Limited environment (which is my main evaluation point for a set).
Regardless, I think this set looks pretty fantastic from a card perspective. It appears to have some cool/balanced Limited archetypes, it provided some nice support to previously neglected but beloved tribes alongside cool new cards, and it hit the nostalgia factor hard. From a completely ignorant-of-the-modern-meta perspective, it looks like it may have also achieved its goal of shaking up Modern a bit which is admirable.
I do have one major gripe with this set though. That is the $8 pack cost. With few high value reprints and the removal of foils in every pack, this set should cost no more than Battlebond or Conspiracy. I'll be honest, this increasingly common practice of jacking up prices of supplemental sets just because WoTC/Hasbro knows people will excitedly buy the product is really starting to grate on me.
June 1, 2019 8:55 a.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #31
In a video with Rosewater he said they like leaving cycles unfinished as it gives something for player to look forward to in future sets. This was namely in reference to the sword cycle. I understand that and think it’s alright and not everything needs to be a cycle. But damn wizards 16 years to not ever complete a cycle of swords among other things. Thawing Glaciers
June 1, 2019 8:56 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #32
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, I definitely agree that it is annoying at how some sets have booster packs that are more expensive that others, especially the last several Masters sets.
Why do they no longer have foil cards in every booster pack? Were foils proving to be too expensive to put into every pack?
June 2, 2019 9:20 a.m.
This set, and all following it have no set MSRP. Thus, the price per pack is mostly coming from people down the chain from WOTC.
June 3, 2019 5:25 a.m.
Rabid_Wombat says... #34
Here in Australia boosters will be $10 which is cheap but there is little interest in MH1. Only one person has signed up for the pre-release at my LGS as most peeps are saving money and playing Modern online.
June 4, 2019 1:35 a.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #35
Idk if wizards knows this or not but most of the time when a “masters” set comes out at my lgs there are barely enough people to do events. Other stores might do better but most people play standard where I go so the 10ish dollars per pack really kills interest. I think Wizards believes they can make up for lack of interest (because non standard set?) with ~10 dollar packs. But it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy, people aren’t interested because the ~10 dollar packs not because it’s non standard. Pretty much it’s not a great user experience to have people want to buy your product but can’t actually use it (draft).
June 4, 2019 8:59 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #36
These types of sets usually do pretty well at the two LGS in my area though there has been more and more consternation about pack prices.
If MSRP is truly gone then that is interesting. I am curious to see if that will ultimately lower the price of sets like Modern Horizons or increase them.
June 4, 2019 10:31 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #37
Boza, that is a very bad thing, because it means that the customers have no way of knowing if their local game store is overcharging for booster packs or booster boxes. Why would WotC do that?
June 4, 2019 10:51 p.m.
Rabid_Wombat says... #38
DemonDragonJ WotC do it because this kind of aggressive marketing results in price wars between stores which equals more money.
This is the end-game for Wizards....make as much money as they can from paper cards/game stores before they go 100 percent digital.
June 5, 2019 3:20 a.m.
DemonDragonJ,
I totally agree the set is awesome, but wanted to mention
Fountain of Ichor
is just regular oil, not Phyrexian oil (source).
That said, we're definitely going to have a Phyrexian arc soon: "I have the Sylex, to destroy New Phyrexia." Karn lifted a bag thick with padding. "That is my plan." Jhoira wasn't surprised Karn was still focused on the Phyrexians. ... "And it's an admirable cause, but before that, I think you should help kill Nicol Bolas" (source).
June 5, 2019 5:51 a.m. Edited.
DemonDragonJ says... #40
clayperce, if that is the case, why is the card called "fountain of ichor," instead of "fountain of oil?" In this game, the word "ichor" is used almost always for Phyrexian oil. Why did WotC tease the audience in that manner?
Also, Karn seeking to destroy New Phyrexia on Mirrodin is a sensible goal, but I really hope that WotC has not forgotten the plotline of Karn worrying about infecting other planes, because that is too good of a plotline to forget.
Rabid_Wombat, I enjoy playing this game with physical cards, so, if WotC ever stops printing physical cards, I will stop playing this game.
June 5, 2019 5:50 p.m.
It is an established fact that corporeal gaming is a growing trend, as “nerd culture” becomes increasingly normalised. Consequently, Wizards is selling more physical product than at any point in the past.
What evidence do you have to support your hypothesis? The modern trends, supported by Hasbro’s financial statements, directly contradict your theory.
June 5, 2019 6:06 p.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #42
Ichor is synonymous with the terms Glistening oil and Phyrexian oil since they are well types of oil. Noxious Groodion has flavor text that mentions Ichor on Ravnica but that also doesn’t nessesarily mean it’s specifically the Phyrexian oil.
June 5, 2019 6:09 p.m.
Rabid_Wombat says... #43
cdkime Firstly - No way is Wizards selling more mtg cards than they did in the mid-nineties...game stores back then were making over 1k a week in sales just on magic cards. Today look at how many game stores are struggling to pay the rent - a lot are going bankrupt. Why? Because they thought that MtG was going to keep bringing in the profits...thise days are long gone.
Secondly, you are seriously deluded if you think that Hasbro's financial statements have a direct connection with MtG sales. They make way more from other product lines (the Monopoly board games for example). The physical card game model is dying - that's why Hasbro will be selling the Wizards of the Coast component of their corporate structure within the next year or two. Not a theory - that's a FACT.
June 5, 2019 9:08 p.m.
Our long-term investments in new platforms provided a meaningful contribution from our digital and e-sports initiative, Magic: The Gathering Arena, as well as growth in MAGIC: THE GATHERING tabletop revenues.
Source: Hasbro Reports Revenue, Operating Profit and Earnings Per Share Growth for the First Quarter 2019
It is clear from this statement Magic's IP is an important long-term investment for Hasbro. It is clear that there is growth in the revenues from Magic's physical product. Further statements in the report make it very clear paper Magic is up significantly from Q1 2018.
Wizards is not going to ditch paper Magic when its finances show both paper and digital Magic can simultaneously grow.
Sidebar: This is what a financial report looks like. It does not merely say "we made X dollars, an increase of Y%"--it breaks down the various sources of income to give investors a better idea of what is going in in the company. So, your statement that we can't use the financial statements to look at MtG's sales is quite silly.
The argument about game stores struggling is equally ignorant of reality. Game stores are struggling mostly due to the massive rise of internet retailers. Online stores are more convenient, require less overhead per sale, and have a wider selection. It's pretty difficult to compete with that.
Talk to any game store owner, or spend a couple minutes on Google, and you'll find plenty of information supporting this.
In 1999, Magic had about 6 million players Source.
Magic the Gathering currently has some 35 million players worldwide. Source.
Between 2008 and 2016, a total of 20 billion Magic cards were printed--an average of 2.2 billion per year. Source.
Between 1993 and 1997 (the game's creation and the mid 90s, your time frame for Magic's alleged heyday) there were 2 billion Magic cards printed--an average of 400 million per year. Source.
A cursory search of legitimate sources clearly contradicts your haruspicy.
June 5, 2019 10 p.m. Edited.
DemonDragonJ says... #45
Seeing the enemy-colored talismans in this set makes me wonder if the allied colored talismans shall eventually be reprinted with new artwork and flavor text, since the original two Mirran swords were reprinted with new artwork after the three swords in the Scars of Mirrodin block were printed.
Rabid_Wombat says... #1
Set looks solid. I'm tempted to go to the Pre-release....and I don't even play Modern! :D
May 25, 2019 7:26 a.m.