Summary
Modern Horizons 3 isn’t a particularly bombyMagic: The Gatheringset, instead concentrating most of its power on archetypal synergies atthe common and uncommon level. That’s not to say there aren’t any bombs in the Limited format, rather that the lower-rarity cards keep pace with the average power level at rare.
This set can be a little sneaky with its rares, though. Some of the Limited bombs have walls of text that can be hard to decipher, and some feel out-of-place for the color or color-pair they represent. There’s still enough raw power packed into these cards that you should probably consider taking them over just about anything else, especially early in a Draft.
11Kappa Cannoneer
Turtley Awesome, But In The Wrong Colors
The only thing holding Kappa Cannoneer back is its color.Red-blackis the explicit artifact color pair in the set, with little support in other colors to create a true artifact deck. The colorless artifacts don’t even help much, since they’re either deck-specific or altogether bad.
Cannoneer was planted in the set asa new-to-Modern card, but an astute drafter will go out of their way to splash it if possible. Mana fixing’s plentiful in the set, and once on board, this creature’s nearly impossible to kill or even block. Take it and find a way, no Kappa.
10Kozilek, The Broken Reality
Close To An Instant Win For Colorless Decks
Eldrazi ramp is a top-tier deck, and the expensive Eldrazi creatures are feasible to cast with a little work. That means having a realistic plan to make sure you don’t die early on, and ensuring you haveample sources of rampin your deck.
Kozilek, The Broken Reality is the best of the three Eldrazi Titans, and a fantastic finisher for your ramp decks. Kozilek will build a board on its own while drawing some cards. Sometimes you’ll have enough colorless creatures already that the +3/+2 from Kozilek will end the game on the spot.
9Detective’s Phoenix
Great Card, No Evidence Needed
It doesn’t take an undercover detective to see how great this Phoenix is. A 2/2 flier with haste is a good place to start, though it leaves some room to be desired. But desire not! Detective’s Phoenix has massive upside with its powerful bestow ability.
With bestow, you may pay a single red mana to give a creature you control +2/+2, flying, and haste, thoughyou’ll have to collect some evidenceto do so. Even better, the Phoenix can be bestowed from the graveyard, making it a recursive threat your opponent’s going to have a tough time dealing with.
8Genku, Future Shaper
Tamiyo’s Husband Puts In Work
Genku’s the type of card that just gets better every time you read it. It’s a little off-theme forthe intended blue-white deckof the format, which is billed as ‘energy fliers,’ but Genku’s inherently good enough to be worth playing without any archetypal synergy.
Once you have a Genku in your pile, look for permanents that naturally put themselves in the graveyard, like Landscapes, or even something as simple as a Vexing Bauble. Make as many tokens as you can, then lean on Genku’s activated ability to put your creatures over the top.
No Wrenn Here
6
Short names don’t award any bonus points, but being an immovable force in a Limited format certainly does. Six isn’t unbeatable, but it needs to be beaten immediately. Allow Six to persist into the lategame and there’s no chance you’re keeping up with its retrace ability.
Retrace essentially lets Six turn any land in your hand into a permanent from your graveyard, which can grind out just about any game. Six also plays defense well with four toughness and reach, and also has an attack trigger that can stockpile extra lands for retrace.
5Ugin’s Binding
Mass Bounce For No Cost
Ugin’s Binding isan overpriced bounce spellon the front end, followed by a freeoverloadedCyclonic Rift from the graveyard. It can definitely lead to some hopeless games, where you see it in the graveyard and know it’s coming, but have no real counterplay to it.
The real issue is just how easy it is to trigger the graveyard ability. There are tons of colorless spells with mana value seven or greater, and the means to cast those spells reliably. That goes from powerful rares to several common creatures that fulfill this graveyard condition without even trying.
4Aether Revolt
Roll Credits!
If you’ve read Aether Revolt and decided it wasn’t worth the early pick, you’ve been missing out on a top-tier buildaround. It’s only a true buildaround in the sense thatyou need a lot of energyto support it, but that’s plentiful in the set.
All you have to do is generate energy and your opponent will die in quick order. A simple Galvanic Discharge allows you to throw around three damage wherever you please on top of the original effect. Fulfilling the revolt requirement will amplify your damage, letting a single Discharge deal five damage to two targets.
3Eldrazi Linebreaker
Great Solo, Awesome With Others
Eldrazi Linebreaker skirts past the other bombs because it doesn’t look like a stone-cold killer at first glance. 3/3 for three, difficult mana cost to manage, you have to be loaded up on Eldrazi to make it matter… what’s so great about it?
Turns outt that last part’s a bit of a lie. With no additional creatures in play, Linebreaker’s already a 4/3 haste/trample for three since it always counts itself. Add in any number of other Eldrazi and the card becomes certifiably broken, granting an even larger buff to itself, or one of those other creatures.
2Phlage, Titan Of Fire’s Fury
No Escape From This Titan
Phlage is an easy nut to crack. Many players have experience playing with Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath and Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger. Phlage follows the same exact design parameters as its predecessors, trading out the specific color requirements and its enter-the-battlefield effect.
Phlage’s three-damage ability gives you some powerful inevitability in a Limited game. You can control the board early on, then ride it to victoryonce you’re able to escape it. A 6/6 attacking with a free Lightning Helix each turn will make quick work of any opponent.
