Modern Horizons
This article documents an upcoming release. |
Modern Horizons is a Magic booster set which will be released on June 14, 2019.[5] Modern Horizons is the Innovation Product for 2019, and is designed to be drafted.[6]
Set details
Modern Horizons contains 254 cards (5 snow-covered basic lands, 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, 15 mythic rares[7]), and includes randomly inserted premium versions of all these cards. In addition, there is a Buy-a-Box card numbered #255/254. This set introduced new cards into Modern without them ever being legal in Standard. It contains 209 new cards and (excepting the snow basics[8]) only reprints which previously weren't legal in Modern.[9] For this, it was rigorously playtested by Play Design.[10] The Buy-a-Box card is also a new-to-Modern reprint. The powerful new card options, some with old mechanics, are mixed with flavorful updates for favorite characters.[11] The snow-covered basic lands appear in the land slot of Modern Horizons boosters.
Modern Horizons was originally dubbed as "Timespiral / Planar Chaos 2" in concept due to set complexity.[12] Mark Rosewater has called it a a "love letter" to the Time Spiral block.[12] It isn't an entry level set because of its many returning mechanics. There was no story support for the set.[13]
Marketing
Modern Horizons is sold in 17-card boosters (one card being a double-faced token, and one being an art card), and in a Draft Pack. The boosters feature horizontal artwork from Ayula, Queen Among Bears, Serra the Benevolent and Urza, Lord High Artificer.[14] The set will be printed for as long as demand holds.[15] It will release on Magic Online on June 13, with a booster price of $6.99 (regular booster packs cost $3.99). It will not be featured on MTG Arena.[16]
Prerelease
Prerelease events take place on June 8–9, 2019.[14]
Promotional cards
- Buy-a-Box: Flusterstorm (non-foil, because it is expected to see tournament play and most tournament players prefer non-foil cards.[17])
- Preview (prerelease participation promo card): Astral Drift
Tokens / Emblem
The sixteenth card in the boosters is a double-faced token creature card or an emblem:[18][19] One out of every four tokens is foil (but not double-sided).[20]
- 2/2 Shapeshifter creature with changeling for Irregular Cohort and Birthing Boughs.
- 4/4 Angel creature with flying and vigilance for Serra the Benevolent.
- 1/1 Bird creature with flying for Battle Screech.
- 1/1 Soldier creature for Recruit the Worthy.
- 1/1 Illusion creature with flying for Moonblade Shinobi.
- 20/20 legendary Avatar creature with flying and indestructible named Marit Lage for Marit Lage's Slumber.
- 2/2 Zombie creature for Rank Officer.
- 1/1 Elemental creature for Seasoned Pyromancer.
- 3/1 Elemental creature with trample and haste for Force of Rage.
- 1/1 Goblin creature for Goblin War Party, Pashalik Mons, and Sling-Gang Lieutenant.
- 2/2 Bear creature for Ayula's Influence and Mother Bear.
- 3/3 Elephant creature for Generous Gift and Trumpeting Herd.
- 4/4 Rhino creature with trample for Crashing Footfalls.
- 1/2 Spider creature with reach for Rotwidow Pack and Twin-Silk Spider.
- 1/1 Squirrel creature for Deep Forest Hermit and Squirrel Nest.
- 1/1 Spirit creature with flying for Kaya's Guile.
- 0/0 Construct artifact creature with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control" for Urza, Lord High Artificer.
- 3/3 Golem artifact creature for Splicer's Skill.
- 1/1 Myr artifact creature for Mirrodin Besieged.
- Emblem for Serra the Benevolent.
- Emblem for Wrenn and Six.
Modern Horizons Art Series
The seventeenth card in the boosters is an art card with horizontal full art from one of the regular cards in the set.[18] The card back is mostly blank, with some collector's info. There are 54 different art cards.[19]
Themes and mechanics
There are no new mechanics in Modern Horizons.[21] Instead, the set features more than forty non-evergreen returning mechanics.[22] R&D decided that the set could use any mechanic already in Modern up to Dragons of Tarkir.[23]
A major mechanic is changeling, used to make a cohesive set (like it was used in Lorwyn previously).[24][25] Snow is also a major mechanic.[25]
With Splicer's Skill and Everdream, the set introduces a long-awaited variant from "splice onto Arcane" with "splice onto instant or sorcery" (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card’s effects to that spell.).
Other returning mechanics are[26]: anchor words, battle cry, buyback, cascade, convoke, cycling, dash, delve, devour, dredge, echo, entwine, evoke, exalted, exploit, fateful hour, flashback, hellbent, hideaway, hybrid mana, kicker, level up, manifest, modular, monstrosity, morbid, ninjutsu, outlast, overload, persist, pitch spells, proliferate, protection, rebound, replicate, retrace, shroud, storm, suspend, threshold, totem armor, undying, unearth, the untap symbol, and vanishing.
Like in Future Sight before, the set features some "Mix-and-Match" cards, combining two different non-evergreen keywords on the same card: Feaster of Fools, Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis and Throes of Chaos.[27]
Modern Horizons features the following limited archetypes:[18]
- : Blink (Soulherder)
- : Ninjas (Ingenious Infiltrator)
- : Goblins (Munitions Expert)
- : "Lands in graveyard" matters (Ruination Rioter)[25]
- : "Creaturefall" (Good-Fortune Unicorn)
- : Changelings (Etchings of the Chosen)
- : "Drawing two cards" matters (Thundering Djinn)
- : Graveyard (Rotwidow Pack)
- : Slivers (Lavabelly Sliver)
- : Snow (Abominable Treefolk)
Card types
- Modern Horizons introduces the Serra and Wrenn planeswalker types.
- Slivers are a major tribe. They are depicted in their pre-M14 form.[28][25][27]
- Rare types like Coward, Goat and Trilobite get new support (Pyrophobia, Goatnap, Scuttling Sliver), reinforced by the changeling mechanic. Ninjas also see a return as a draft archetype, as well as goblins.[25]
Cycles
Modern Horizons has nine cycles, two of which are double cycles.
Single cycles
Cycle name | Description and notes | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forces | Each of these rare spells has an alternate casting cost that includes exiling a card of its color if it is not the player's turn. | Force of Virtue | Force of Negation | Force of Despair | Force of Rage | Force of Vigor |
Slivers | One monocolored uncommon Sliver of each color. | First Sliver's Chosen | Scuttling Sliver | Dregscape Sliver | Hollowhead Sliver | Tempered Sliver |
Legendary creatures[29] | Each of these monocolored legendary creatures represents a important character in Magic lore. | Sisay, Weatherlight Captain | Urza, Lord High Artificer | Yawgmoth, Thran Physician | Pashalik Mons | Ayula, Queen Among Bears |
Cycling lands | Each of these common cycling lands enters the battlefield tapped, taps for one mana of a color, and has cycling for one mana of that color. They were reprinted from Onslaught.[30] | Secluded Steppe | Lonely Sandbar | Barren Moor | Forgotten Cave | Tranquil Thicket |
Snow-covered lands | Each of these basic lands has the snow supertype. They were reprinted from Ice Age and Coldsnap. | Snow-Covered Plains | Snow-Covered Island | Snow-Covered Swamp | Snow-Covered Mountain | Snow-Covered Forest |
Cycle name | Description and notes | |||||
Horizon lands | Each of these rare pain lands can be sacrificed to draw a card by paying . They form an enemy colored cycle mirroring Horizon Canopy from Future Sight.[31][32] | Silent Clearing | Fiery Islet | Nurturing Peatland | Sunbaked Canyon | Waterlogged Grove |
Talismans | Each of these uncommon artifacts costs to cast. They form an enemy cycle mirroring the talismans from Mirrodin. | Talisman of Hierarchy | Talisman of Creativity | Talisman of Resilience | Talisman of Conviction | Talisman of Curiosity |
Double cycles
Cycle name | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Uncommon signposts | Soulherder | Ingenious Infiltrator | Munitions Expert | Ruination Rioter | Good-Fortune Unicorn | Etchings of the Chosen | Thundering Djinn | Rotwidow Pack | Lavabelly Sliver | Abominable Treefolk |
Description and notes: Ten uncommon spells, each one a signpost for its respective draft archetype. | ||||||||||
Rare spells | Unsettled Mariner | Fallen Shinobi | Lightning Skelemental | Reap the Past | Eladamri's Call | Kaya's Guile | Collected Conjuring | Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis | Cloudshredder Sliver | Ice-Fang Coatl |
Description and notes: Ten rare spells, one for each color pair. |
Mega-mega cycles
The Mirran swords mega-mega cycle gets its first allied colored additions. Though, the cycle is not complete with Modern Horizons.[33][27]
The Morphlings mega-mega cycle was also completed.[27]
Reprints
About 15% of the cards in the set (45 total + 1 Buy-a-Box) are reprints.[34] Except for the 5 basic snow lands these cards are Modern legal for the first time.[8]
Card | First Printed | Last Seen | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Altar of Dementia | Tempest | Conspiracy | |
Barren Moor | Onslaught | Commander 2018 | New art, common to uncommon |
Battle Screech | Judgment | Vintage Masters | New art |
Carrion Feeder | Scourge | Eternal Masters | New art, common to uncommon |
Choking Tethers | Onslaught | Masters 25 | New art |
Crypt Rats | Visions | Seventh Edition | |
Diabolic Edict | Tempest | Masters 25 | |
Dismantling Blow | Invasion | Commander 2018 | New art, common to uncommon |
Eladamri's Call | Planeshift | Masters 25 | |
Elvish Fury | Tempest | Tempest Remastered | New art |
Exclude | Invasion | Masters 25 | |
Fact or Fiction | Invasion | Commander Anthology Volume II | |
Firebolt | Odyssey | Duel Decks: Mind vs. Might | Common to uncommon |
Flusterstorm | Commander | Magic Online Promos | Non-foil Buy-a-Box |
Forgotten Cave | Onslaught | Commander 2018 | Common to uncommon |
Future Sight[35] | Onslaught | Eternal Masters | |
Genesis | Judgment | New art | |
Gilded Light | Scourge | Vintage Masters | |
Goblin Matron | Portal Second Age | Duel Decks Anthology | New art |
Kess, Dissident Mage | Commander 2017 | ||
Krosan Tusker | Onslaught | Commander 2013 | |
Lava Dart | Judgment | New art | |
Lonely Sandbar | Onslaught | Commander 2018 | Common to uncommon |
Man-o'-War | Visions | Masters 25 | |
Nantuko Cultivator | Torment | New art, rare to uncommon | |
Nether Spirit | Mercadian Masques | New art | |
Nimble Mongoose | Odyssey | Eternal Masters | |
Pillage | Alliances | Masters 25 | |
Prohibit | Invasion | Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska | |
Rebuild | Urza's Legacy | New art | |
Reckless Charge | Odyssey | Ultimate Masters | |
Regrowth | Alpha | Masters 25 | |
Secluded Steppe | Onslaught | Commander 2018 | New art, common to uncommon |
Shelter | Odyssey | Eternal Masters | |
Snow-Covered Forest | Ice Age | Coldsnap | Full-art |
Snow-Covered Island | Ice Age | Coldsnap | Full-art |
Snow-Covered Mountain | Ice Age | Coldsnap | Full-art |
Snow-Covered Plains | Ice Age | Coldsnap | Full-art |
Snow-Covered Swamp | Ice Age | Coldsnap | Full-art |
Spore Frog | Prophecy | ||
Squirrel Nest | Odyssey | Conspiracy | |
Tranquil Thicket | Onslaught | Commander 2018 | New art, common to uncommon |
Unearth | Urza's Legacy | Masters 25 | |
Urza's Rage | Invasion | Commander 2015 | Rare to uncommon |
Wall of Blossoms | Stronghold | Commander Anthology | |
Wing Shards | Scourge | Iconic Masters |
Functional reprints
- Phantom Ninja is a functional reprint of Phantom Warrior, save for creature types.
Notable cards
- Morophon, the Boundless has a five-color color identity, and can be used as a deck commander for various tribal Commander decks.[24]
- Ayula, Queen Among Bears is a bear lord that is a prototype bear.[27]
- King of the Pride is a cat lord.
Callbacks
Card | Inspired by | Notes |
---|---|---|
Archmage's Charm | Cryptic Command | The art also resembles Cancel (Amonkhet). |
Aria of Flame | Torch Song | And other growing enchantments using verse counters from Urza's Saga |
Astral Drift | Astral Slide | |
Ayula's Influence | Seismic Assault | Colorshifted red to green. |
Bazaar Trademage | Bazaar of Baghdad | Its flavor text references Squandered Resources. |
Cabal Therapist | Cabal Therapy | |
Changeling Outcast | Tormented Soul | |
Chillerpillar | Giant Caterpillar | |
Cloudshredder Sliver | Skyknight Legionnaire | |
Collected Conjuring | Collected Company | |
Collector Ouphe | Brown Ouphe and Null Rod | |
Deep Forest Hermit | Deranged Hermit | |
Defile | Mutilate[36] | |
Dregscape Sliver | Dregscape Zombie | |
Echo of Eons | Time Spiral and Timetwister | |
Endling | Morphling | Last card of the Morphling mega-mega cycle.[35][27] |
Everdream | Evermind[36], Think Twice | |
Excavating Anurid | References the Anurids of Otaria, and references Turg. | |
First-Sphere Gargantua | Phyrexian Rager and Phyrexian Gargantua | References the First Sphere of the original Phyrexia. |
Fists of Flame | First ever mentioning of Jared Carthalion (the Shadow Mage) in the flavor text.[37] | |
Force of Despair | Contagion and Cradle to Grave | |
Force of Negation | Force of Will and Negate | |
Force of Rage | Pyrokinesis and Akoum Stonewaker | |
Force of Vigor | Bounty of the Hunt and Naturalize | |
Force of Virtue | Scars of the Veteran and Glorious Anthem | |
Frostwalla | Rootwalla[36] | |
Generous Gift | Beast Within | Colorshifted green to white.[32][35][27] |
Giver of Runes | Mother of Runes | |
Goatnap | Goatnapper | |
Goblin Engineer | Goblin Welder | |
Goblin Oriflamme | Orcish Oriflamme (Alpha#Misprints) [27] | Also has a quote from the Sarpadian Empires in its flavor text. |
Good Fortune Unicorn | Juniper Order Ranger | |
Graveshifter | Gravedigger | |
Hall of Heliod's Generosity | Academy Ruins and Volrath's Stronghold | Third in a cycle of legendary lands that for 1M can put a target card of a particular card type from your graveyard on top of your library. |
Headless Specter | Hypnotic Specter | References Hymn to Tourach in the flavor text. |
Iceberg Cancrix | Hedron Crab | |
Ice-Fang Coatl | Baleful Strix and Winged Coatl | |
Impostor of the Sixth Pride | Blade of the Sixth Pride | |
King of the Pride | Savannah Lions | References the The Love Song of Night and Day in the flavor text. |
Llanowar Tribe | Llanowar Elves | |
Knight of Old Benalia | Knight of New Benalia | |
Lesser Masticore | Masticore | |
Lightning Skelemental | Ball Lightning and Blightning | |
Marit Lage's Slumber | Dark Depths | |
Mind Rake | Mind Rot | |
Mirrodin Besieged | Monastery Siege, etc. | Call back to the Mirrodin Besieged set where Mirrans and Phyrexians fought over dominance of Mirrodin. One of the few cards to share its name with a set.[27] Depicts Jin-Gitaxias. |
Mist-Syndicate Naga | Spawnwrithe | |
Mox Tantalite | Lotus Bloom and Mox Opal | |
Nature's Chant | Naturalize and Disenchant | |
On Thin Ice | Chained to the Rocks | |
Pashalik Mons | Mons's Goblin Raiders | A vanity card.[27] |
Plague Engineer | Engineered Plague | |
Planebound Accomplice | Sneak Attack | |
Pondering Mage | Ponder | |
Prismatic Vista | Terramorphic Expanse | |
Ranger-Captain of Eos | Ranger of Eos | |
Ransack the Lab | Strategic Planning | Colorshifted blue to black. |
Ravenous Giant | Juzám Djinn | Colorshifted black to red. |
Rotwidow Pack | Spider Spawning and Ishkanah, Grafwidow | |
Savage Swipe | Savage Punch | |
Seasoned Pyromancer | Young Pyromancer | |
Segovian Angel | Segovian Leviathan | References Segovia, and Worzel and Thomil in the flavor text. The art also resembles Serra Angel (Ninth Edition) and has The Hippodrome in the background. The plane of Gargantikar was created exclusively to set up a joke for this card.[38][27] |
Serra the Benevolent | Serra Aviary, Serra Angel, and Worship[32] | |
Shenanigans | Art resembles the destruction of a Chromatic Lantern. | |
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain | Captain Sisay [27] | |
Sling-Gang Lieutenant | Siege-Gang Commander | |
Smiting Helix | Lightning Helix[36] | |
Spell Snuff | Cancel | |
Spiteful Sliver | Spitemare | |
Splicer's Skill | Sensor Splicer | References the Splicer mechanic, with art specifically referencing Sensor Splicer |
Springbloom Druid | Harrow | |
Stream of Thought | Stream of Consciousness and Train of Thought | |
String of Disappearances | Chain Lightning | Colorshifted red to blue.[27] |
Tempered Sliver | Slith Predator | |
Thundering Djinn | References Brainstorm and Lightning Bolt in the flavor text. | |
Thornado | Tornado | |
Tribute Mage | Trinket Mage, Treasure Mage, and Trophy Mage [27] | Depicts the Sword of the Meek |
Twisted Reflection | Twisted Image | |
Umezawa's Charm | Umezawa's Jitte[32] | |
Undead Augur | Corpse Augur | |
Urza, Lord High Artificer | Temporal Aperture and Tolarian Academy | Karn, Scion of Urza (Urza's creation) produces the same artifact tokens.[27] |
Venomous Changeling | Giant Scorpion | |
Vesperlark | Reveillark | |
Viashino Sandsprinter | Viashino Sandstalker | |
Wall of One Thousand Cuts | Wall of Swords | |
Watcher for Tomorrow | The hideaway lands from Lorwyn.[36] | |
Winds of Abandon | Path to Exile and Cyclonic Rift | |
Zhalfirin Decoy | Master Decoy | Features a quote by Sidar Jabari, and is riding a Zebra Unicorn. |
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 03, 2019). "Will Modern Horizons be like a Core Set where it takes place on multiple planes?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Printed on the card frame
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 11, 2019). "Can you tell us now what was the Modern Horizons set codename?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Blake Rasmussen (February 28, 2019). "Announcing Modern Horizons". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 20, 2019). "Modern Sensibilities". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (May 31, 2019). "Modern Horizons Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (May 19, 2019). "IIRC It was mention that only five cards in Horizons were already in Modern.". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 09, 2019). "Modern Horizons has the restriction of "All re-prints have to be non-modern-legal cards."". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 28, 2019). "Is modern horizons something you can do now because of play design?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 28, 2019). "Can you explain to someone who doesn't play modern what's so innovative and exciting about modern horizons?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b Emma Partlow (April 28, 2019). "Interesting thoughts from Maro's Q&A at MtGLondon.". Twitter.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 29, 2019). "Do you know if we'll be getting any lore for Hogaak?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b Gavin Verhey (June 6, 2019). "Modern Horizons Prerelease Primer". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 28, 2019). "Will Modern Horizons be a limited print run or printed for as long as demand holds?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 19, 2019). "Glad to see you guys still supporting the older platform!". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Modern Horizons' Unprecedented Buy-a-Box Promo (And 2 More Things You Should Know). Wizards Play Network (May 20, 2019).
- ↑ a b c Weekly MTG: Modern Horizons on Twitch
- ↑ a b Blake Rasmussen (May 30, 2019). "Modern Horizons Tokens and Art Series". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Hipsters of the Coast (May 30, 2019). "One out of every four tokens in Modern Horizons will be foil". Twitter.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 18, 2019). "Will Modern Horizons have any new Keywords?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater. Twitter (May 19, 2019).
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 19, 2019). "Can you tell us the year the newest mechanic in Modern Horizons is?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b Mark Rosewater (May 20, 2019). "Modern Sensibilities". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e Mark Rosewater (May 27, 2019). "Modern Life". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Matt Tabak (May 31, 2019). "Modern Horizons Mechanics". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mark Rosewater (June 10, 2019). "Modern Times". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Cynthia Sheppard (May 22, 2019). "A Sliver of Direction". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 28, 2019). "Can you confirm or deny the last mythic of Modern Horizons is a land?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Brian Braun-Duin (May 29, 2019). "Hitting for the Cycle". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (May 21, 2019). "Land on the Horizon". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Ethan Fleischer (May 23, 2019). "A Magic Set About Magic: The Gathering". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater. "Can we expect the full allied sword of and...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 19, 2019). "Can you give us an idea of how many new cards vs. reprint-to-Modern cards are in Modern Horizons?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c Gavin Verhey (May 28, 2019). "Magic's Past, Present, and Future". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e Adam Prosak (May 30, 2019). "What's in a Name?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ethan Fleischer (May 23, 2019). "We wanted to sprinkle in some obscure Easter eggs for the truly obsessed, longtime storyline goobs.". Twitter.
- ↑ Ethan Fleischer. Twitter.