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Modern Horizons is quickly approaching, and we have literally no idea what the set is going to contain. One of the facts we do know is that the set is a sizable 254 cards, just like normal Standard sets, and that all of the cards are cards that have never been legal in Modern before.
Someone in chat today was wondering if the set might have new art versions of the Tron lands, and we had to mention that it wouldn't be possible based on the description of the set, because Tron lands have indeed (much to my regret) been legal in Modern. That being said, the set solely contains cards that have never been Modern legal. I mentioned this in a YouTube video I posted, that the set is going to introduce 254 completely "new to Modern" cards. When you draft the set, none of the cards you open will have ever been legal in the format before, and that's pretty crazy. That's a lot of new cards.
So, the thing I want to do today is go over a handful of cards that I would love to see make an appearance. Cards that I don't think are too powerful for the Modern format, but rather would help shore up some archetypes that aren't quite top tier right now.
Vindicate
Anyone who has watched my Modern streams or videos for any amount of time will know how much of a fan I am for 
decks in Modern. I always worry that they won't perform, but then a Control list or a Superfriends list always exceeds my expectations. In Modern specifically, I think Black and White have some of the best tools to deal with almost anything that the format can throw at them: artifacts, enchantments, combos, graveyards, hands, creatures, burn, and planeswalkers. It has some of the strongest, most common tools in the format for narrowly focusing in on specific strategies. Tools like Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Surgical Extraction, Leyline of Sanctity, Timely Reinforcements, Leyline of the Void, Collective Brutality, and numerous more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
The color combination is literally able to dispatch almost any threat that it's presented with, though one problem it has always faced is that you don't have a very good main deck catch-all; an Assassin's Trophy or Maelstrom Pulse type card. Most of the cards I mentioned above are great for sideboards, but they don't see a ton of main deck play. Sure, we have things like Anguished Unmaking, but it can't hit problematic creature-lands and you end up taking a good amount of damage in a format where you're already starting the game at a lower life total than, say, Legacy. (To be fair, though, it is in instant.)
If there were any threat that Vindicate would slide into some preexisting mana-denial deck, where people would use it to destroy your land on turn three, I would be against it. I'm more convinced, though, that it will just be a versatile tool in a fairly restrictive color combination.
Council's Judgment
I could see adding either Council's Judgment or Vindicate, but not both. They essentially fill the same roles, but with some different caveats. If a card like True-Name Nemesis ends up in Modern, I could definitely see Council's Judgment also making an appearance as one of the most efficient cards to deal with it. (Worth noting, I do not think True-Name Nemesis will end up in Modern.)
One issue with adding Council's Judgment to Modern is that you end up having to add the voting mechanic to the format. This isn't a big deal, but only having one card with this mechanic, that was introduced in a supplemental set, that was meant to be utilized with more than two players, isn't the most elegant decision. It seems more likely that Wizards would create a functional reprint that eschewed using the awkward voting mechanic (especially since there's really no point to a vote, other than giving your opponent a chance to mess up by misunderstanding how the voting works).
Leovold, Emissary of Trest
When people ask me what my favorite card in Magic is, I usually have one of three answers: Mystic Snake, Cryptic Command, or Leovold, Emissary of Trest; it doesn't hurt that Magali Villeneuve is one of my favorite artists and people (I actually have a signed Leovold playmat she sent me out of the blue from France; she's wonderful). Leovold basically does everything I would want a powerful creature to do: he disrupts our opponent's card advantage and he provides us with our own.
While he's reasonably costed as a 3/3 for 3 mana, he also has a somewhat prohibitive, three-color casting cost. Not only that, he's vulnerable to nearly every single popular piece of removal in Modern: Path to Exile, Lightning Bolt, Dismember, Fatal Push, Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy, you name it! Make no mistake, Leovold is an extremely powerful card, but he's just a creature, and a legendary one at that, which leaves you running the risk of having multiples in your hand that you can't cast. Furthermore, Leovold is much more oppressive in older formats where cards like Ancestral Recall and Brainstorm are legal.
Palace Jailer
This is another White card, which actually surprises me as much as you, but I think White-based midrange decks could definitely use some tools in Modern, and Palace Jailer is a good one. Again, it requires the integration of a new Conspiracy mechanic into the format (the monarch), but at least this one is more fitting for 1v1 play.
While Palace Jailer is totally awesome in Cube, he does cost 4 mana, which isn't cheap. In Modern, 4 mana cards are things like Bloodbraid Elf, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Cryptic Command, Collected Company, and Scapeshift. A lot of times they should completely turn the game around or win it on the spot. Palace Jailer doesn't do that, per se, but it does remove nearly any permanent available, ala Oblivion Ring, and the upside here is that you can't simply Assassin's Trophy the Jailer to get your card back, so it has some nice security built it.
Instantly making you the monarch is a great perk for midrange White decks that don't often have a ton of card advantage, while also penalizing the decks that like to solitaire against you, like Storm. The decks where you'll usually be able to remain the monarch are decks like Tron, Storm, and grindy artifact decks, like Lantern and Whir Prison. Against those decks, I don't think drawing an extra card a turn is really going to ruin the matchup; in fact, it gives you a great main deck answer to Ensnaring Bridge. Conversely, Palace Jailer could almost be looked at as a liability against more aggressive decks. The card would provide a lot of tension in Modern, while remaining a versatile tool in the decks that can utilize it.
Baleful Strix
I got into a discussion on Twitch about Baleful Strix recently. They thought it was too powerful for Modern, asking me such questions as, "How would you feel about it when it's added to Grixis Death's Shadow?" Honestly, who cares about that? I'm more interested in all the midrange 
and Sultai lists that are able to trade with Tarmogoyfs profitably while not putting themselves completely far behind if this dies to any of the omnipresent removal we've already mentioned in the format. I mean, if we're looking for comparisons, aren't cards like Dark Confidant and Young Pyromancer two-drops that are just as strong?
Like Vindicate, Baleful Strix requires two colors, limiting the number of decks it could easily fit into, but it's also an artifact, which means that maybe some sweet Tezzeret brews could get a little boost. The Seeker, the Schemer, the Agent of Bolas, or the Artifice Master, I don't really care. I just think it would be cool to see an artifact-based deck - that isn't utterly broken or miserable to play against, like Krark-Clan Ironworks - get a new tool.
Ancient Tomb
Okay, this one is just a joke. Please don't add Ancient Tomb to Modern. I won $10,000 at a Pro Tour with eight copies of Ancient Tomb in my deck. Trust me on this. Same with Sol Ring. Or City of Traitors. Or unbanning Eye of Ugin. Let's move on.
One thing to keep in mind is that Modern Horizons isn't an excuse for Wizards to just start printing all the broken cards that you love and putting them into the Modern format. I hear people talking about things like Hymn to Tourach or Wasteland, both of which are likely too powerful and wouldn't really do much to improve Modern, which is a big deal. One of my biggest complaints about Legacy is that players so frequently have fewer than four lands in play thanks to the ubiquity of Wasteland (and multiple Wastelands per game, at that). I would hate for Modern to mirror that.
Thanks again for reading, everyone, and I would love to hear some of your predictions or preferences for Modern Horizons in the comments! Feel free to let me know what you thought of mine as well! Until next week...
Frank Lepore
