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Every set is a Commander set in 2021. If we didn't already know that, Modern Horizons 2 is making it abundantly clear. And I don't just mean that they've included Squirrels in an ostensibly 60-card focused set.
Wizards of the Coast worked with a number of pro players to help in the early design of Modern Horizons 2, and the result is a set with some laser-focused precision cards. You can cards designed nearly to explicitly go into Hardened Scales (Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp), Merfolk (Svyelun!), Jund (Ignoble Hierarch), and so on.
And yet, as amazing as those cards are, that isn't what Wizards led preview season with - it was the huge Squirrel push led by Chatterfang, Squirrel General. This set is targeted directly at Modern, and yet even it is being driven forward by Commander. If the announcements about the future of pro play didn't signal it clear enough, welcome to the new era of Magic.
But like any good supplemental set, Modern Horizons 2 also has some reprints! The best part about this, and the reason I'm highlighting it today, is because an important thing to know about Modern Horizons 2 is that it's not a limited-run set. Unlike the first Modern Horizons, they'll print as much of this as the public wants to buy, and with such a nice mix of powerful Modern cards and juicy Commander goodies after a year of being cooped up, I'm guessing there's plenty of demand for this set.
Which brings me to the reprints we can look forward to!
Fetchlands
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This is obviously the most headline-grabbing reprint in the set, and it's sorely needed.
There's a lot to like here. Not only were the Blue ones starting to push toward $100 yet again, but that was also in a world where no Modern was being played. If they weren't included in Modern Horizons 2, the price was set to skyrocket. As we talk about regularly on my podcast Brainstorm Brewery, it's not like dealers want these cards to cost $50, either. It's a lot harder to sell $200 playsets than it is $80 ones, so there's honestly not really anyone but Wizards who benefits from such important cards costing so much, so providing that top-end of mana fixing to both Modern and Commander players alike is a relief.
Plus we get old-border printings!
Imperial Recruiter
This one took me by surprise. After they broke the Portal Three Kingdoms stasis by reprinting Imperial Recruiter into Masters 25, it felt like a really cool reprint to sell a Masters set, and up until last year the Masters 25 version was pushing $50 itself.
That's a tough situation for a card that's so good in Commander. Especially since Imperial Recruiter is in Red, a color sometimes lacking in effects like this in EDH, it's great to see that Wizards has decided that Recruiter is here to stay. They put it into Double Masters last year and with it now being injected into Modern, we have an exciting scenario for 60-card players and a much-appreciated reprint for Commander players. Excellent choice all around.
Cabal Coffers
I've been outspoken the podcast about how it was an absolute travesty that Cabal Coffers was ever allowed to reach $125+. The card was originally an uncommon, people. It's great that it's getting thrown into Modern - I honestly haven't begun to think through its implications for the format - but it's absurd that it has to come at Mythic due to its price.
With that out of the way, Cabal Coffers! The premier big-mana card in Commander. Best friends with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and the precursor to Torment of Hailfire or Exsanguinate for a billion. I don't need to sell you on the merits of Cabal Coffers, but I will offer one note from my recent experience with the card. I've taken to fetching Swamps whenever possible, and with the advent of the Triomes it's much easier to stuff your deck with Swamp lands than it's ever been before. That means it's actually much easier than you think to get yourself to a spot, even in multicolored decks, where Coffers is making three or four or five mana.
Coffers is a Commander classic, and it's better than ever. Finally, reprinted.
Ephemerate
I honestly doubt that Wizards imagined that Ephemerate would be such a powerful card when it was printed. Before Ephemerate, even random cards like Cloudshift could be worth a little bit of money, because blinking creatures is just so popular. I have a friend who says that at its core every Commander deck is a Blink deck, and it's hard to argue he's wrong when you look at Ephemerate.
It's played in a ton of decks on EDHRec, and it's easy to see why. It protects your creatures when you need it to, it repeats their enter-the-battlefield abilities when you want it to, and it can play into all kinds of shenanigans in EDH. The fact it has rebound is what truly sets it apart, and it's at home in many a Bant Blink deck across the format. We already had access to a Mystical Archives printing, but there are a ton of people out there like myself who can't wait to get their hands on an old-border version!
Hall of Heliod's Generosity
I love this card! I don't know that Hall of Heliod's Generosity will make many waves in Modern, but I'm ecstatic to get ahold of an old-border version of the card.
Like Volrath's Stronghold before it, Hall is something that will be relevant in Magic so long as the card type is relevant, and in Commander we know how incredibly relevant enchantments are. Not only is the Hall amazing for the obvious things like buying back Rhystic Study after a removal spell and helping to negate the cumulative upkeep of Mystic Remora, but in a world where we are getting more and more Sagas every set (and seriously, keep them coming, they're great), Hall of Heliod's Generosity gets better and better with each passing set.
The First Sliver
I could be wrong, but it's my understanding these old-border-only cards are available in sets boosters and therefore eligible for this list!
The First Sliver is a huge reprint. The original had only been printed once and spiked to over $40 earlier this year. This is a huge reprint not just because of the cost, but because previously there was only a normal-border version of the card available! People with Sliver decks really love their Sliver decks, so giving a cool alternate printing to an iconic legendary Sliver is much appreciated!
I'm sure we just have the tip of the iceberg with the reprints for Modern Horizons 2, but I have to say I'm encouraged so far from everything I've seen in the set - it looks like a hit for Commander and will upgrade many of Modern's favorite archetypes. What are your favorite cards from the set so far?
Thanks for reading,
Corbin Hosler
