The 600 - A Review of Modern Horizons

Commander Showdown - K'rrik vs Yawgmoth

The 600 - Predicting the Popularity of Modern Horizons Commanders

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician" href="#" target="_blank">Yawgmoth, Thran Physician</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://markwintersart.com/">Mark Winters</a>)</h6>
<h1>Commander Horizons</h1>
<p>I know, it's cheeky to call the <em>Modern Horizons </em>set "Commander Horizons" instead, but let's be honest, there are some extremely cool cards coming up in this set that we EDH players should be very excited for! We have returning mechanics, awesome lore characters, and even support for cool tribes.</p>
<p>Today I'm lucky to talk about the very best cards from <em>Modern Horizons. </em>Why are they the very best? Because these are the black cards, and black cards are the best! Let's get digging.</p>
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<h2>Mythics</h2>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Yawgmoth, Thran Physician</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yawgmoth, Thran Physician"></div></div></p>
<p>Hold on, I am trying to collect my thoughts that do not just jumble together into drool over this card. It's rare to see a card that checks so many boxes. He's powerful, he's a value engine, and he's a Vorthos home-run, right down to the protection from Humans.</p>
<p>As a card in the 99, expect to see him follow a similar trajectory to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Meren of Clan Nel Toth" href="#" target="_blank">Meren of Clan Nel Toth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Teysa Karlov" href="#" target="_blank">Teysa Karlov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are always happy to have additional sacrifice outlets, especially when those sacrifice outselts also help draw cards, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> couldn't be happier to see all those -1/-1 counters.</p>
<p>At the helm of the 99, look to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder" href="#" target="_blank">Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and friends for inspiration. Creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ophiomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ophiomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pawn of Ulamog" href="#" target="_blank">Pawn of Ulamog</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reassembling Skeleton" href="#" target="_blank">Reassembling Skeleton</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> present excellent choices for sacrifice fodder. Of course, Yawgmoth isn't one to be pigeonholed into a singular strategy. Yawgmoth can turn tokens into card advantage, but with that <em>Proliferate </em>ability, he can also become a home for mono-black superfriends, or a very dastardly <em>Infect </em>commander. I fully expect him and Urza to battle for the #1 spot on the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#pastmonth">Top Commanders</a> pages for quite some time.</p>
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<h2>Rares</h2>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cabal Therapist</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabal Therapist"></div></div></p>
<p>One of the first cards previewed for the set, this card is designed more for Modern than Commander, where it's much more realistic to blindly guess cards your opponents have in hand. It's possible Therapist could find a spot in metas who know each other's decks very well, or in some <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Telepathy" href="#" target="_blank">Telepathy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-inclusive <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sen Triplets" href="#" target="_blank">Sen Triplets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> builds, but it's not really a card for EDH.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Cordial Vampire</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cordial Vampire"></div></div></p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Edgar Markov" href="#" target="_blank">Edgar Markov</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sits as the second most popular commander built in the <a href="https://edhrec.com/commanders#past2years">past two years</a>, and with new cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cordial Vampire" href="#" target="_blank">Cordial Vampire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, I can only imagine he'll maintain that popularity. Not only will your army get bigger as enemy creatures die, but Vampires have many sacrifices outlets built into their decks, which makes this a very deadly new addition. Consider him also for decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elenda, the Dusk Rose" href="#" target="_blank">Elenda, the Dusk Rose</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yahenni, Undying Partisan" href="#" target="_blank">Yahenni, Undying Partisan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Dead of Winter</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dead of Winter"></div></div></p>
<p>Most of us have probably seen snow-covered lands a time or two, especially when someone uses them in conjunction with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Extraplanar Lens" href="#" target="_blank">Extraplanar Lens</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to collect value no one else can take advantage of. Well, now snow decks also have a variant of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one that can work in a multicolored deck with lots of snow-covered basic lands.</p>
<p>I want to believe there is a solid snow deck to be made, but the sad truth is that there are only 40 total snow creatures in the game, so there are very few options to run that will withstand your own <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dead of Winter" href="#" target="_blank">Dead of Winter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Regardless, I can still accept this as a cheaper, more splashable <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Endling</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Endling"></div></div></p>
<p>The end of a cycle! From <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Morphling" href="#" target="_blank">Morphling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torchling" href="#" target="_blank">Torchling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thornling" href="#" target="_blank">Thornling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brightling" href="#" target="_blank">Brightling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can rejoice at the tying up of loose threads. This is a solid battering ram against other creatures. With deathtouch and menace, it will be extremely difficult for your enemies to interact with this creature favorably in combat. Add in the <em>Undying </em>and it's even more of a nuisance. Unlike several others in this cycle, Endling isn't just a Shapeshifter, but has a second creature type: Zombie. As such, this may see play in some classic Zombie tribal decks like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gisa and Geralf" href="#" target="_blank">Gisa and Geralf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as an efficient beater and an especially irksome blocker.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Force of Despair</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Force of Despair"></div></div></p>
<p>Speaking of cycles, the black part of the “Force of” cycle is a doozy. The timing restrictions make it a worse rate than a traditional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hero&#039;s Downfall" href="#" target="_blank">Hero&#039;s Downfall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can kill a creature regardless of when it entered the battlefield, but this is certainly an efficient answer to combos like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker" href="#" target="_blank">Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> + <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pestermite" href="#" target="_blank">Pestermite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or a huge influx of tokens. Look out, bursty token decks! Otherwise, though, this is a niche meta call if you're often up against aggressive decks that summon tons of creatures in one turn, but black has many other removal spells that will occupy this slot and be more effective in the majority of traditional games.</p>
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<h2>Everything Else</h2>
<hr />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Ninjas</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throatseeker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Azra Smokeshaper"></div></div></p>
<p>The community has been hungry for more Ninja cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decks, and <em>Modern Horizons </em>has delivered! Yuriko is very aggressive, often not able to leave blockers behind, which means she can be targeted pretty easily. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throatseeker" href="#" target="_blank">Throatseeker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> helps mitigate some of that life loss, a welcome addition. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Azra Smokeshaper" href="#" target="_blank">Azra Smokeshaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a tricky card that helps protect Yuriko in the combat phase. Yuriko has climbed up to the #3 most-built Dimir commander slot, and with the help of these great new Ninjas, I won't be surprised if she eventually sneaks all the way up to #1.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Zombies</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Undead Augur"></div></div></p>
<p>With a tribe as deep and potent as Zombies, there's always a risk that the tribe is already overcrowded and any new cards won't be able to fight their way into decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Undead Augur" href="#" target="_blank">Undead Augur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is basically <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark Prophecy" href="#" target="_blank">Dark Prophecy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on legs, is potentially amazing but also potentially dangerous. Zombies are always hungry for card advantage, which could easily push this over the top, but lack of control over this ability makes me think there are better options for Zombies.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Goblins</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sling-Gang Lieutenant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Warteye Witch"></div></div></p>
<p>Whenever I see “Goblin” on the type line, I become very interested. Most Goblin synergies wind up in red, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Grenzo, Dungeon Warden" href="#" target="_blank">Grenzo, Dungeon Warden</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wort, Boggart Auntie" href="#" target="_blank">Wort, Boggart Auntie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have well-known followings. Grenzo in particular probably represents the best synergies; Grenzo loves to sacrifice creatures, then put them on the bottom of his deck from the graveyard with things like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reito Lantern" href="#" target="_blank">Reito Lantern</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and cheat them right back into play with his bottom-of-the-library ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warteye Witch" href="#" target="_blank">Warteye Witch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> works amazingly well here too, since she can help scry fun new targets to the bottom of the deck for Grenzo!</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Shapeshifters</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Graveshifter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Changeling Outcast"></div></div></p>
<p>The Shapeshifters of this set pique my interest more than usual. This set has Goblins, Ninjas, Zombies, Vampires, and then some. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Changeling Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Changeling Outcast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work amazingly well to enable <em>Ninjutsu </em>and to trigger Yuriko, a welcome addition. There are probably better options for recursion in black, but it's not impossible that a few tribes would enjoy a tribal <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gravedigger" href="#" target="_blank">Gravedigger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to recur their fallen soldiers, like sacrifice-happy Vampires or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inalla, Archmage Ritualist" href="#" target="_blank">Inalla, Archmage Ritualist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s ETB-triggering Wizards.</p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Spells</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;"><div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defile"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mind Rake"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Return from Extinction"></div></div></p>
<p>Of the remaining spells, the three above strike me as the most interesting in EDH. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Defile" href="#" target="_blank">Defile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has already gotten attention in Pauper, but a single-target version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mutilate" href="#" target="_blank">Mutilate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for one black mana at instant speed seems great for most mono-black decks, possibly as a supplement or a replacement for the occasional <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tragic Slip" href="#" target="_blank">Tragic Slip</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mind Rake" href="#" target="_blank">Mind Rake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s <em>Overload </em>ability is fun in a deck primed to abuse it, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nath of the Gilt-Leaf" href="#" target="_blank">Nath of the Gilt-Leaf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, though it's notable that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delirium Skeins" href="#" target="_blank">Delirium Skeins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only shows up on about 600 total decks on EDHREC. Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Return from Extinction" href="#" target="_blank">Return from Extinction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a decent recursion spell in tribal decks thanks to its low mana cost, possibly budging out any decks still playing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aphetto Dredging" href="#" target="_blank">Aphetto Dredging</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. For these three cards, I predict the order of popularity, from highest to lowest, is the same order the cards are displayed above.</p>
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<h2>The Night is Darkest Just Before the Dawn</h2>
<p>What are your favorite black cards from <em>Modern Horizons</em>? What cards are you putting into your decks? Are there any spicy cards I missed above? What cards are on your radar? Let me know in the comments below!</p>


yawgmoth thran physician

The 600 - A Review of Modern Horizons

Commander Showdown - K'rrik vs Yawgmoth

The 600 - Predicting the Popularity of Modern Horizons Commanders

Modern Horizons Set Review - Black