Modern Horizons 2 has already made quite the impact on the Modern format. In fact, MH2 even has welcomed a few cards that are strong players in Legacy and Pauper as well. While there are plenty of cards that players thought would be standouts from day 1, there are still a few cards that just may breakout and become all-stars. Keep an eye out for deck lists featuring these cards, as they may find themselves performing well in tournaments in the future.
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Prismatic Ending
Prismatic Ending is a card that really stands out from the rest of the removal introduced in Modern Horizons 2. Plenty of people will be talking about cards like Damn or Sudden Edict, but this uncommon removal in white may skyrocket in popularity soon enough. It’s ability to hit nonland permanents without a downside is incredibly powerful for a white card. Yes it does have a restriction of what it can hit depending on the Converge cost, but Prismatic Ending still has the ability to hit threats that Path to Exile or Solitude cannot.
Overall it’s the flexibility this card provides that makes it a breakout contender. In Jeskai decks, it can hit noncreature threats like Liliana of the Veil, Ensnaring Bridge, and Amulet of Vigor. Then of course it’s a one-mana answer to almost every threat in the Izzet Prowess deck, as well as a one-mana answer to gigantic construct tokens. Whether it be Jeskai, Abzan, or some new Mardu brew, Prismatic Ending can slot into most three color decks and have an immediate impact.
Dragon’s Rage Channeler
Delver is back and she’s pissed. Dragon’s Rage Channeler caught the eye of aggro players everywhere as a one-mana threat that provides value almost instantly. While it doesn’t have prowess, DRC is a welcome additional to the UR Prowess decks that are terrorizing Modern. It’s rare that a red card allows a player to filter their draws to avoid unnecessary lands. As a turn one play, Dragon’s Rage Channeler can really put in the work in a couple of different archetypes.
The strength of the card lies in its ability to be a threat at every stage of the game. A 3/3 flier is almost always relevant. By saving any noncreature spell in hand, players can drop a flying threat and set up their next turn. The one downside of Dragon’s Rage Channeler is that it can only fit into certain types of decks. Even though it does need the right deck to excel, Dragon’s Rage Channeler is an excellent beater for any aggressive red deck.
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
Writer’s Note: There’s no chance I am writing Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar every time I want to mention this card. Going forward, this hellish chef will be known as “Asmoran”.
Food continues to be one of the weirdest cards to find ways to be busted. When Oko was first revealed, players were skeptical about a token that just gains life when activated. Little did they know that Witch’s Oven and Cauldron Familiar would be one of the most consistent combos in multiple formats. Now with the introduction of Asmoran and The Underworld Cookbook, Food is back to wreak havoc on the Modern format.
Asmoran is a little less of a potential breakout, and more of an immediate player among the top deck lists. The deck combines the powerful synergies of the discard from The Underworld Cookbook, and the recursion from Ovalchase Daredevil. The list generates a ton of value from creating food tokens and utilizes Feasting Troll King to serve as a powerful threat to quickly end the game. Obviously what artifact deck would be without Urza’s Saga. Asmoran and her book are going to force decks to pack boatloads of artifact hate for several months to come.
Tireless Provisioner
Tireless Provisioner just provides too much value for it to not find a home in Modern. Tireless Tracker is a mainstay in most Collected Company decks thanks to it’s similar ability to creature clue tokens. Having the choice to create either a Food token or a Treasure token is powerful, but tricky to break. As a 3/2, Tireless Provisioner dies to a lot of common removal found in the format. The fragile nature of the card makes Tireless Provisioner a turn 4 play more often than a turn 3 play. In order to get the actual value from the card, Tireless Provisioner needs to come down on a turn where a player can follow it up with a land.
It may be hard for this value-centric 3-drop to find the right home right away. Other decks that are utilizing Food tokens are much too streamlined for a grindy card like Tireless Provisioner. Then other decks that would want Treasure tokens to ramp out a threat don’t really need a creature to provide even more ramp. With the prevalence of fetch lands, there is plenty of potential with this card to generate solid value. It’ll take some time but there just may be a perfect list for the Tireless Tracker clone.
Gorilla Shaman
With all of these artifact decks running around, it’s important to always have some hate cards laying around. The Pauper all-star makes its debut in Modern at the perfect time. Gorilla Shaman is a unique take on artifact hate as it doesn’t rely on an “enters the battlefield” trigger like most creatures. Players can pick and choose the proper time to activate its ability, making it tricky for opponents to play low-cost artifacts while Gorilla Shaman remains on the board.
Overall the efficiency of this card is just incredibly solid. It’s a strong sideboard option that can fit in both aggro decks and midrange decks that struggle against certain artifacts. Better yet, it can also serve as a maindeck option in incredibly niche decks. It combos really well with effects that turn lands into artifacts, acting as a miniature Stone Rain effect.
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