Revisiting Modern Horizons In A Post-Once Upon A Time World

I’m trying think of a clever and engaging way to start this article. The truth is I’m having a really hard time turning my thoughts away from the events of the past few days. I just need to say a small piece before I turn to Magic, because doing anything else feels disingenuous.

People are desperate to maintain normalcy right now, and that desire is manifesting in a whole lot of denial. Our lives are not going to be the same for quite some time. The sooner we let that fact sink in, the better our chances are at mobilizing to overcome an existential threat.

Take COVID-19 seriously. Act with empathy towards your fellow humans. Put the needs of the many before the needs of the few.

If you all can do this for me, then I can do my part to help provide you an escape. Magic has seen me through immensely troubled times. If I didn’t find competitive Magic when I did, I am near-certain I would have succumbed to one of several developing addictions. As crazy as it sounds, Patrick Chapin articles on Korlash Control were a huge part of the reason I survived. Instead of heading out to party every night, I stayed home and played his deck on Magic Online. I needed a new lifestyle, and Patrick illustrated that if I devoted myself and worked hard enough, competitive Magic could provide it. I know how meaningful finding an escape from your present circumstances can be.

I also know a lot of you are going to face hard times in the days ahead. I’m thinking of you, and I will do my part to help you in more concrete ways wherever I can. However, in this space, I’m just going to talk about Magic. Know that I’m aware of realities outside this sphere, and if you want to engage with me on broader topics anywhere else, I’m happy to do so. But after the conclusion of this paragraph, I’m going to have my articles be a space that you all can visit to just think about the game we love for a little while. You deserve that opportunity. Thank you for giving me the chance to entertain and educate.

Modern Horizons feels like a bizarre dream that couldn’t possibly have been real. About nine months ago, a set deemed too powerful for Standard was unleashed upon the Modern format. Out of the gate, this categorization of power level proved true, particularly as it related to a single card.

Cards in Modern Horizons may have excited and inspired, but ultimately, the format buckled under the pressure of an 8/8 trampler for zero mana. Hogaak’s dominance obscured the wealth of powerful options introduced in Core Set 2020 at first, but after an eventual ban on August 26, 2019, it became clear that Veil of Summer, Field of the Dead, and Aether Gust were game-changers as well. One month after Hogaak’s ban, Throne of Eldraine was released, containing two cards that would have clearly contended for the title of best card in Modern Horizons. Oko, Thief of Crowns and Once Upon a Time eventually hit the bench, but not before they warped the format for months on end. Now, Theros Beyond Death is here, and while its inclusions are not as ubiquitous, Thassa’s Oracle and Underworld Breach still have time to change the game.

Even after a flurry of bannings, only one of the the 25 most-played cards in Modern (according to MTGstocks.com) is exclusively available in Modern Horizons — the profoundly boring Arcum’s Astrolabe. Was Modern Horizons really that much of a miss?

It’s honestly hard to say. Given the schedule of events I detailed in the previous paragraph, it is entirely possible that there are still Modern Horizons cards that have not been given their due. Let’s look at just a few.

There are multiple points that have me considering replacing my Tarmogoyfs with Crashing Footfalls in Jund. If suspended on Turn 1, damage output certainly keeps pace. Crashing Footfalls has diminishing returns in a topdeck scenario, yet also can fade a single spot removal spell much more effectively. As graveyard hate like Rest in Peace improves against Jund due to the prevalence of Wrenn and Six, it’s great to have a threat you don’t have to sideboard out against white control decks that can also set up double spell turns. Footfalls can even fuel the graveyard for Kroxa. Add in the potential explosiveness with Bloodbraid Elf, and I’m sold on building my Jund decks in an unorthodox fashion.

While Jund upgrades are well and good, the deck remains squarely midrange in a format that can do some very powerful things. How about using Crashing Footfalls as a Plan B in a deck with a more impressive power level?

This deck is beginning to open up some truly diverse lines of play, while potentially doing absurd things like Mind Twisting and Armageddoning your opponent in the same turn. A cantrip engine assures that combo plans come together consistently, but more importantly, sometimes you just make two 4/4s on Turn 1 and steal a game. I know this deck looks like a bizarre mishmash of half-formed ideas, but play it and you’ll see that it’s a powerful deck comprised of several compact packages.

Cycling lands fell squarely in the camp of cards I thought would be “too good for Modern” when Modern Horizons was being previewed. Instead, they’ve barely been a blip on the radar. With Wrenn and Six accompanying them, there must be an acceptable Aggro Loam deck in the format.

Aggro Loam hasn’t been an acceptable deck in a very long time but there are some indicators that make me think it could work now. Prior to Once Upon a Time being banned, Gruul Midrange began to pick up some momentum on Magic Online, primarily in the hands of Tommy Ashton. Now, with Once Upon a Time gone, I believe the deck will have to:

1. Mulligan more often.

2. Not rely on finding the perfect large threat for a given situation.

This has me searching for card advantage to mitigate mulligans and a late-game that can go over top of absolutely everyone. I think Seismic Assault, Life from the Loam, and our cycling lands provide exactly the right angle. And we can still just occasionally go off with Turn 2 Magus of the Moon.

In sideboard games, opponents are put to the test as they decide whether they’re supposed to account for our graveyards or a very real beatdown plan. In many instances, I would expect the Assault/Loam combo to leave for Games 2 and 3.

I have long insisted that traditional Azorius Control has no place in Modern, and history has mostly proven me right. I’ve perpetually searched for new setups that give the deck play patterns that I would deem acceptable. Early in the Hogaak era, I was excited about a new build based on Echo of Eons and Narset, Parter of Veils. After Hogaak proved too strong to ignore, I abandoned the archetype, but it’s time for another look.

The main weakness for traditional Azorius Control is that it must hold control over a game for far too long. It instead needs a knockout punch in the mid-game that you can shape a plan around. Cryptic Command plus Mystic Sanctuary is close, but still comes online a bit too late.

With the addition of Narset plus Echo of Eons, you can set up a play on Turn 6 that leaves your opponent near hellbent and you with a full grip. At that point, it doesn’t really matter what your opponent does on the next turn (though you’re apt to have Force of Negation regardless). This setup is back online with an Echo of Eons in your graveyard should your opponent manage to somehow rebuild. With the rise of Uro, Path to Exile is again excellent in the format, but the white decks haven’t manifested quite yet. An Azorius Control rebuild is a nice first step.

How many of you even remembered Flusterstorm was Modern-legal? A former Legacy staple, Flusterstorm’s defensive capabilities don’t quite line up against the format. We tend to worry about permanents much more than instants or sorceries. Time for an offensive Flusterstorm!

One day, Nivmagus Elemental will release me from its grasp, and I won’t have to go through this every few months. But it really feels like this time is different.

Making huge Nivmagus Elementals is an afterthought this go-round, and Flusterstorm has the potential to protect your key threats. You’re forgoing very little of the explosiveness of the typical Mono-Red Prowess decks in exchange for a key defensive tool. The downside is a notable decrease in consistency, as is often the case when the effectiveness of your cards relies on combining with others. Ground Rift is never going to be a fun topdeck in the late-game, but in fairness, neither was Soul-Scar Mage.

The very first card we ever saw from Modern Horizons, Cabal Therapist inspired a bunch of excitement and then was never cast once by anyone. Unsurprisingly, I’ve got some thoughts.

I fundamentally misunderstood how to build Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger decks when the card was first previewed. I thought it possible to deny my opponent all resources and wasted way too much energy diminishing hands at all costs.

Kroxa is supposed to slam closed the door in a game that is tenuously controlled. The goal shouldn’t be to deny all resources; it should be to deny the key resource. This is why Liliana of the Veil doesn’t make the cut here. Cabal Therapist fits this play pattern, as do Magus of the Moon and the rarely seen maindeck Ashiok, Dream Render. This deck has some commonality with the Aggro Loam deck I showed off earlier, but packs way more relevant disruption. Fair Simian Spirit Guides are a rare breed, but with Seasoned Pyromancer and the ability to cash them in to Cabal Therapist, they can do good work here.

This is just a jumping-off point for a re-exploration of Modern Horizons. The power level really is there in these cards, even if they don’t have the same wow-factor they did in a pre-Throne of Eldraine world. Checking back in with the set just makes sense at this juncture. Let me know what cards have captured your attention, and let’s see if we can shake up Modern yet again.