A Modern Horizons Primer

With Modern Horizons approaching this weekend it can be intimidating for newer or more casual players to know if it’s right for them to invest their money in such a set. Modern Horizons is a set designed for tournament and eternal players alike, but today I want to break down exactly what this set is legal to play in, designed for, and who might be interested in purchasing it.

Legality is a relatively simple thing for this set. The following are the primary formats the set is created to be legal for, but it’s also legal in most any form of casual play with the Legacy card pool.

• Modern
• Legacy
• Vintage
• Commander

The design of this set was aimed to have a large impact on each of these formats with a special focus on both Modern and Commander. The set itself consists of 50% completely new cards and 50% cards that were currently legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Commander that will now be legal in Modern as well. There are a few very obvious shoutouts for the new modern format Wizards is looking to create. Cards like Flusterstorm, which is only available as a buy-a-box promo, is a prime example. The cards I’m most excited to see in this set are these beauties…

To say that these will have a huge impact on the way manabases are created in Modern would be an understatement.

Just because Modern is getting some big shake-ups doesn’t mean that Commander was left out to dry. Many of Magic’s most iconic figures are getting their own cards for the very first time.

Yawgmoth, Urza, and The First Sliver might be the three most iconic creatures to have never had their own cards. Each of these cards creates their own themes and rewards for creating entire decks built to use their abilities effectively.

While having a set made specifically for a format other than standard is great, it represents even more to a player like me. It shows that Wizards is listening to their player base and will be committed to making cards for older formats in new and exciting ways.

What it comes down to is this: You have to ask yourself whether or not Modern Horizons, a special set with a premium price tag, is worth it for you. If you thought anything I outlined above was interesting, the answer might be yes. Also, keep in mind that this set is full of valuable cards that many players are looking for, making it a great way to boost your collection and get some power at the trading table. I have already preordered two boxes from my LGS (local game store) and suggest you do the same. It is the only way to get the buy-a-box Flusterstorm card and it helps support your local community. The only real drawback is that this is a rather expensive set at over $200 per box, but each pack has the punch necessary to demand such a price.

Until next time,

Daryl Ayers