Be sure to check out the first two parts of this series: Alpha to The Dark and Fallen Empires to Weatherlight.

If the mid 90's were a power level low point in Magic's life, the late 90's were about as high as they could ever go. With the Rath Cycle that included Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus followed by the ridiculously overpowered Urza Block, there's tons of insane cards to go around. Even the Mercadian Masques Block, a block generally recognized for low power - and rightfully so - had a number of ridiculously powerful cards. As such, there's an absolutely mind boggling amount to cover this week in terms of potentials for Modern Horizons so let's go ahead and dive right in!

Tempest

Let's kick things off with a bang. Wasteland has tons of history throughout Magic. It's big claim to fame today is its roleplaying use in Legacy but it was once used even in Standard! Taking out cards like Tolarian Academy is a pretty big deal, after all. That said, I'm going to echo a lot of people and say that Wasteland almost certainly won't be in Modern Horizons. It just does a ton of unfun things and locks people out of games too easily. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw an offshoot though, like a Wasteland with a 1 mana activation cost or something.

Similarly, I wouldn't expect these classic cards. As I mentioned last week with Elvish Spirit Guide, Modern wants to slow down, not speed up. Ancient Tomb and Lotus Petal especially would be backbreaking. Grindstone also just ends games far too swiftly with the help of Painter's Servant. These are also classics that have seen play for literal decades, but probably shouldn't be in the format, at least for the time being.

On the other hand, here are a few other classic cards that have some sweet potential. Reanimate in particular would be really sweet. Up until now, our only real Reanimator style deck has been the Gifts Ungiven deck using Unburial Rites or else Grishoalbrand. Reanimate could make a whole new archetype for the format along with any of the other reanimation spells.

On a more utilitarian basis, Diabolic Edict could be an excellent effect. We already have a few edict effects in the format that are so-so, but having one that costs one colorless and one Black at instant speed is huge. I'd rather see another Edict that I'll talk about next week, but this would also be very welcome.

We don't have Top in Modern for a myriad of reasons, but why not a simpler one in the form of Mirri's Guile? The card largely does what Top sought out to do in that it helped set you up with better draws. The difference is that it isn't an effect you might activate multiple times a turn and also doesn't have the complexity of the added draw to worry about. Time constraints were a big factor of banning Top and I think Mirri's Guile would be far more acceptable.

Although Modern wants to slow down quite a bit more, I do think the Medallion cycle would be fine. They're truly a bit slow to hit the board by the time their effect is relevant and are always casual favorites. Commander players love them, so why not put more out there?

When it comes to some classic cards, it's hard not to mention Jackal Pup. The card was used in numerous Mono-Red Aggro decks at the time and for good reason. Heck, we even saw a similar card in the form of Firedrinker Satyr see major play just a few years ago. If you add cards like this and Mogg Conscripts, it could fuel a sweet Mono-Red Weenies style deck. Kindle on the other hand, another classic, wouldn't realistically see any play but would still be a welcome addition from a historical perspective.

Goblin Bombardment provides us with an engine that can repeatedly be used. It also gives reach to a few decks that might want it, like giving Eight-Whack a way to push extra damage through for the kill. Propaganda, however, could help slow down games a bit more. We've already seen a Mono-White Enchantment Control deck with pillow fort effects like this, and it's not a stretch to see it in Azorius. After all, you can then start adding things like Detention Sphere to the mix.

Did you know Tradewind Rider isn't on the Reserved List? Neither did I! Like many cards on this list, it was one I absolutely thought would be. After all, many of the cards on the list actually saw a tremendous amount of play in their Standards and Tradewind Rider is very much remembered for being a premier card from the days of Tempest. It's not nearly as good today and I could easily see it making an appearance.

Another slam dunk for the Modern Horizons would be Slivers. If I haven't said it yet, I genuinely feel one of the main mechanics of the set will be tribal. This is both because of the history of many tribes throughout Magic and that there are a number of tribal decks that are close to being good in Modern but not quite there. Slivers are in that category and Tempest especially has a number of really notable ones worth revisiting.

Lastly, I'd love to see some new versions of some classic Reserved List cards. We've already seen a new Humility in the form of Overwhelming Splendor, but why not something like Aluren, which is a very unique effect? We already have Magus of the Scroll for Cursed Scroll, but something not on a creature but a higher cost artifact or enchantment would be welcome. On the lore side, Eladamri is a classic character. Wizards can't reprint his original card, so why not something new?

Stronghold

With the second set in the Rath Cycle came a handful of sick multicolored Slivers. We already got Spined Sliver in Time Spiral, but I think we could see a number of these. Crystalline Sliver especially could really push Slivers to be more viable, especially with a Humans-style mana base. I'd be very excited to give the ol' Meathooks a try if we got this card and many people feel it seems like a great choice.

With Stronghold comes some more sweet utility cards. Soltari Champion is a great attacker as it basically reads unblockable most times and pumps weenies all day long. At a reasonable rate, I could easily see it showing up, even if it is a bit outclassed by more recent cards like Benalish Marshal.

Tortured Existence is another amazing engine card. Look, the card has an entire deck named after it in Pauper. There's tons of things you could do with it, and certainly more so in Modern where you have tons of value creatures. Using Tortured Existence with something like Eternal Witness, for example, just seems like a value firestorm.

Lastly is a sweet cycle of walls spearheaded by Wall of Blossoms. The card already sees some Modern play in the form of Wall of Omens, but it would be great to have the classic in our hands. Other walls from the set, like Wall of Essence and Wall of Tears have fantastic play for a good rate. They might not break the format wide open but could offer welcome new utility to the format and could be great downshift potentials for Pauper.

There's also some really busted things in the set. Hermit Druid in particular is stone cold broken. It doesn't seem bad at first until you don't put a single basic land in your deck and then you flip your whole deck over and combo off. While I don't expect the Druid himself, I'd certainly expect a fairer off-shoot of the effect. Burgeoning has been showing up a bunch in supplementary sets and could be a great inclusion here. Constant Mists is a great Fog option, especially as it's a card that hasn't been reprinted since Stronghold and is commanding a solid price these days.

Portal: Second Age

Portal: Second Age, much like the first set, really didn't bring a whole ton to the table as far as competitive options. It does, however, have some really sick goblins in it. Goblin General is a great lord and Goblin War Strike is a finisher on its own. I didn't realize the version in Scourge was a reprint until recently, but it's definitely welcome here. The real prize, however, would be Goblin Matron. A key card in numerous goblin decks, it would be something that could help push the deck as a proper archetype in Modern.

Then there's these three cards. Realistically, none of these is particularly great. False Summoning is basically another version of Remove Soul or Essence Scatter, both already Modern legal, and the appeal of this card is its weird Portal wording. It wouldn't make huge waves and would be a harmless addition to Modern. Similarly, Righteous Fury and Sea Drake are more casual cards with solid prices due to their scarcity. A one-time reprint to get more copies into the hands of players wouldn't be unwelcome.

Exodus

The ever-popular mode of discussion with Modern Horizons is what Legacy roleplayers will show up. Cataclysm and Sphere of Resistance both have histories in the format, and in the greater game of Magic as a whole. The former shows up currently in Death and Taxes these days while the latter makes appearances in prison decks. I don't think either would be particularly broken but would offer excellent options for archetypes already in the format, as we already have versions of these kinds of decks.

What I don't expect, however, is Price of Progress. Nonbasic lands define Modern, to the point that Blood Moon is a key player in the shape of the metagame. Price of Progress would make Burn hands down the format's best deck without question and absolutely should not be allowed to make an appearance. I could see a weaker version showing up that deals only one damage per nonbasic, though, or else one that costs more mana.

Buyback was a big mechanic in the Rath Cycle. While I think Tempest cards like Capsize might be a bit much, I think Forbid and Shattering Pulse are a bit more reasonable. I doubt Pulse would even see much play but has a lot of excellent history with the game as it was played in Standard once upon a time. Forbid is excellent as a repeating Cancel, but the card disadvantage required for it is real. I think it would be a great tool for Blue decks without breaking things.

For something a bit different, why not Culling the Weak? Rituals are probably a bit too strong for Modern, like Dark Ritual or Cabal Ritual, but Culling the Weak requiring you to sacrifice a creature is a real cost. It can be mitigated through certain means, but is likely fine for Modern. Carnophage is largely just a classic and effective beater in Black. It won't make a big splash, but would be great for decks to have, especially if Zombies gets a bit of a push. Spike Weaver, on the other hand, would be great for slowing down aggressive decks and could even create a soft lock by controlling the board.

Talking about broken cards, what about some of these? Hatred and Recurring Nightmare are both on the Reserved List, and for good reason. New versions, however, would be incredibly welcome. A new Survival of the Fittest would be nice as well, but we already have a few of those like Fauna Shaman and Evolutionary Leap. Oath of Druids may not be reserved, but it's absolutely broken, to the point of having defining archetypes in Vintage! A direct reprint is unlikely, but I could certainly see a version with a higher mana cost.

Urza's Saga

Ah yes, the Urza block. One of the strongest string of sets ever printed, there's tons of wild cards that could show up. Many of the most powerful cards are on the Reserved List, but there's still plenty of craziness that could still appear.

Take these cards for example. Argothian Enchantress, or a similar card is something people have been hoping for to make an Enchantress deck more viable in the Modern format. A direct reprint may be a bit too strong, but something similar (like a version without Shroud) would be great. Exhume, much like Reanimate and Animate Dead, would be an excellent way to kickstart Reanimator in the Modern format. It might even be arguably the most fair because it's a symmetrical ability.

As for cards that stand to make a whole archetype playable, it's hard to talk about Goblins without mentioning the possibility of Goblin Lackey. The classic 1-drop is one of the primary cards that makes Goblins function as well as it does in Legacy and would be an excellent option. It doesn't break anything, just enables goblins to hit the board at an accelerated rate, and is easily removed as a 1/1, so I find it hard to imagine that it wouldn't be fine.

On the broken side of archetype defining cards, there's Show and Tell and Sneak Attack. There's been a lot of talk about bringing these cards into the format. After all, with very little fast mana compared to Legacy, these cards may be a bit more fair. Both have answers but provide very unfun matches that end as quickly as they begin. It's possible, but I feel it's unlikely we'll see either card. Exploration, on the other hand, might be a little more reasonable. After all, the card largely saw play in Legacy Lands, but without a number of the pieces that make the deck so good (like Punishing Fire, Dark Depths, or Manabonds, another sweet card from Exodus that could show up) it isn't quite as ridiculous. It could pose the problem of pushing Valakut decks a bit too much.

Looking to the more fair side of playables, Priest of Titania would be a great card for Elves. It allows a number of the Pauper version's explosive plays by generating ridiculous amounts of mana. The card isn't even played in Legacy because there's just better mana engines that don't require you to be able to untap with the Priest. Since it's easily removable it could be a reasonable option if we don't see something like Quirion Ranger or Wirewood Symbiote.

Stroke of Genius was a card that actively defined games in Standard, being the finishing kill piece of the Tolarian Academy-based decks of the day. Amazingly, it's not on the reserved list, and would be a great inclusion. We already have Blue Sun's Zenith, after all, and given that that card is often times just better it wouldn't be unreasonable to see this classic enter Modern. What might be a bit of a shock though would be Turnabout, a card that largely enables Legacy High Tide lists. Given the potential of using it in Storm decks and the fact that Wizards actively wants to slow down Storm, I don't see it happening, but it is a sweet possibility.

One of the mechanical themes I expect to see in Modern Horizons in addition to tribal synergies is Cycling. It's a great mechanic with a lot of build around options and support in older sets (especially once you hit Onslaught) and works well with a number of cards already played in Modern, like Living End. With the support, I expect one cycle of Cycling lands to show up in the set. I'd rather have the Onslaught ones, but they may be too good so these ones would be great instead.

In terms of more utility cards, Curfew is a great answer for dealing with specific cards. It handles hexproof creatures especially well, provided there's only one on the field, which is often how Bogles ends up going about things anyways. Skirge Familiar is a classic engine from Bargain decks that can generate a large amount of mana while providing with a discard outlet. While there aren't so many things to draw cards and burn the mana with, it would be a useful tool for a lot of decks. Carpet of Flowers is another great massive mana producer that's meant to hate specific decks, namely Blue ones. It may be too strong, but would be a great option to make dedicated Green decks a bit better.

On the rougher side, we've got these three crazy cards. Smokestack is a card that's been used in various Prison decks throughout the years and even has a whole archetype named after it: Stax. The unfun play it generates doesn't bode well for it to make an appearance in Modern Horizons but it would be an excellent tool for Prison fans. Similarly, Back to Basics is just a hard no, despite how many people love playing the card in various formats. On the other hand, Phyrexian Processor could be a bit more fair and saw a tremendous amount of history and play in Standard.

Lastly, it'd be hard to talk about Urza's Saga and not bring up old Superman himself: Morphling. Unfortunately, Morphling is on the Reserved List himself. What's more, the one-time best creature ever made took quite a beating in power level when damage being put on the stack was removed. What has been happening over the last decade or so, however, is that we've seen the printing of these excellent cards:

By now, we've had a -ling creature in every color except Black. Maybe it's time we saw one and finally finished off this amazing mega cycle.

Urza's Legacy

Believe it or not, while a few of the Urza's Legacy's most clearly broken cards are rares like Grim Monolith and Memory Jar, the majority of playables that define the set are commons and uncommons. If Rancor wasn't already in Modern by now, it would be the easiest mention by far.

Even without the classic Green aura, we still have plenty more to choose from. Mother of Runes, for example, would be an insane inclusion for Modern Humans as well as the various "& Taxes" builds out there. Almost certainly a bit too strong, I'm not sure we can expect to see Mom anytime soon, but it's a notable card worth looking into.

One of the block's defining mechanics was the "free" mechanic, whereby the player untaps lands equal to the spell's converted mana cost after being cast. Palinchron, Time Spiral, and Frantic Search are arguably the most well known, but either being on the Reserved List or banned in various formats, it's unlikely we'll see them anytime soon. What we may see, however, would be the likes of Snap or Cloud of Faeries. Even still, these may prove to be quite a bit too powerful.

What might not be, however, is Unearth. The reanimation spell is quite limited in what creatures it can bring back, but would offer a lot of sweet potentials. Think about how you could bring back a Tarmogoyf or Thing In The Ice with ease, for example. In the worst case, even if you don't have a target for it, you can always Cycle it away.

Crop Rotation is an excellent card for finding exactly what you need when you need it. You sacrifice a land to get a land. Not just a basic or anything either but literally any land at all! This can fetch up Shocklands, Pendelhavens, Vesuvas, and most importantly Tron pieces. This would be a great reprint as well if solely on the basis of how expensive foils are. A good condition one can run you $200 easily and given that it only had one foil printing, it seems like a great opportunity to put it in the hands of players once again.

Miscalculation is like a happy medium between Quench and Mana Leak. In some ways it's even better since at some point your opponent can pay for any of these spells easily. If that happens, you can easily Cycle the card away. A staple of Cubes everywhere, it would be a sweet addition to Modern's counterspell repertoire. Bone Shredder fills a similar role for removal spells, offering another option in the vein of Shriekmaw, Nekrataal, and Ravenous Chupacabra. Like all of these, a fresh foil version would be more than welcome for the EDH and Cube staple and would be completely fine for the Modern format.

In spicier reprints, Defense of the Heart is one that we haven't seen since its first printing aside from a one-off judge foil. It's got plenty of demand behind it and it's not hard to see why, as it allows you to cheat out massive creatures at a relatively affordable rate. This allows plenty of brewing and metagaming potential. Forbidden Orchard would go fantastically with the card but it could also be used effectively against many creature-based decks in general.

Goblin Welder is another card with the potential to create whole archetypes. After all, it saw plenty of Legacy play in the past with decks like MUD that would use it to cheat large, unstoppable artifacts into play. With cards like Faithless Looting, it's not hard to fill your yard and make the most out of the little Welder that could. One way you could deal with him, his brethren, or other tribes could be Engineered Plague. If I'm right and tribal is a big player in the set, then Engineered Plague just seems like a slam dunk foil to that ideal and would be a great tool for Black decks.

(*side note: please don't play Engineered Plague vs. Goblin Welder decks.)

It wouldn't be right to not get some great hate cards for Modern and these provide some excellent options. When discussing Antiquities, I mentioned Energy Flux as a great foil to artifact decks. Aura Flux does the same but for enchantments. Speaking of artifacts, though, Rebuild is a great budget Hurkyl's Recall. It does hit your own cards, yes, but if you build around it it's not an issue. Even better, it can be Cycled. Finally, No Mercy is a great way to deal with pesky creatures as they try chipping away at your life total.

Portal: Three Kingdoms

Portal: Three Kingdoms is one of those sets distinct from the other Portal sets as having all new versions of certain cards. Imperial Seal is a redo of Vampiric Tutor and Capture of Jingzhou is Time Warp. These, along with Zodiac Dragon, make up some of the rarest and most expensive cards in the game. While I don't expect Imperial Seal and Zodiac Dragon due to power level and general mystique, respectively, I do feel Capture of Jingzhou might make it in, especially with Taking Turns being a deck in Modern. It might be a bit much for Wizards to throw at us now, though.

What I do genuinely feel could make it are cards like these:

Three Visits is an especially great choice. It's basically a Nature's Lore that's got the price tag of a Surgical Extraction. That's ridiculous and it would be great to see the card here and then Nature's Lore in the second Horizons set. Loyal Retainers and Xiahou Dun could both open up potentials for whole decks, though they're still likely a bit on the slow side for the format as a whole.

Urza's Destiny

Urza's Destiny, when compared to the sets that preceded it, was a relatively tame set. Yes it contained a few absolutely busted cards like Yawgmoth's Bargain, but comparatively less than the others. It does have a few great ards in it, however.

Opposition is a great card that's used in EDH and Cube to control the game once its online. It saw a bit of competitive play as well, and for good reason. Once you're locked under an Opposition, it becomes tremendously difficult to come back. It would be a sweet option for certain creature-based control lists.

Speaking of creatures, Urza's Incubator is one that could be useful for certain tribal decks. Make no mistake, decks like Elves and Goblins won't want this card. The cost reduction barely has any impact on those cards, after all. You might see it on bigger, crazier tribes out there or as ways to lower the cost of expensive finishers. In the worst case, it's an excellent inclusion to put more copies into the hands of players. Another way to get big creatures down quickly is Pattern of Rebirth. The only reason I can see this card not showing up is because it was just printed into Ultimate Masters but it would be an A+ inclusion.

For some more utility options, Junk Diver seems like a totally fair choice. If Myr Retriever is fine for the format, so is this little guy. It might not be my first pick, but it seems like a rock solid inclusion. Attrition is another engine to wipe out problem creatures with the help of some tokens from your side of the field, mowing down monstrosities like no one's business. Aura Thief, on the other hand, provides another sweet, if inventive, way to deal with enchantments. It won't do much against Bogles, but can handle certain decks, like Enchantment Control, quite effectively.

Above all else, if there's one fantastic card I'd like to see from this set, it's the flawlessly designed Yavimaya Elder. It won't break Modern wide open, but would almost see some degree of play. It's a great card for a variety of circumstances and would be more than welcome in the format.

Starter 99

Starter 99 was basically a renamed Portal set. As such, virtually all of the cards are reprints, but there are a couple that could use a serious reprint.

Goblin Settler alone is roughly $40-50 right now. Much like Three Visits in Three Kingdoms, there's no real reason the card should be this price and would be very welcome here. It's much too slow for the format and if we really want this kind of effect, Avalanche Riders is just better. What would see play, though, is Grim Tutor. Three mana is huge compared to Diabolic Tutor's four. It's not Demonic Tutor, but who cares when you're still getting exactly what you need? The card commands a massive price tag and desperately needs a reprint.

Beyond that there isn't much else. Maybe this?

The card is basically just a reskinned Befoul and that already is nonexistent in the format. I just don't see it, so I wouldn't exactly expect Starter 99 to be tremendously represented, if at all.

Mercadian Masques

If there's one thing players will often tell you about the Mercadian Masques block, it's how tremendously underpowered the sets are. To their credit, they're car from wrong. If you've never seen just how bad it is, I'd recommend hunting down some footage of players playing the block draft on Magic Online if you can find any. It's a downright miserable format with one abysmal card after another. Despite that, the sets offered more than their fair share of straight up busted Magic cards. One needs not look too far to find this card to see what I mean:

Rishadan Port is a card that tore up Standard in its own way after multiple cards were banned from the Rath cycle and Urza blocks. To this day it continues seeing play in Legacy with Death and Taxes as well as certain Lands builds. The card is probably safer than something like Wasteland, but likely still at too high of a power level for the format.

Speaking of high power levels, if there's one thing Wizards liked to do back in this era of Magic, it was free spells. The Masques block featured plenty of these, often with either pitch effects like that of Force of Will or else by fulfilling a special condition. Some were far too strong. Here's a few you definitely won't see in Modern anytime soon.

If we'd see anything in Modern on the strong end of the scale, it'd probably look closer to these:

Even then, these cards are still likely a bit too strong, but they each provide some sweet options for a number of decks. We could also see some weaker, yet still potent ones like Delraich or Land Grant. It's also possible that we could see something brand new using the mechanic, like how Unwind used Urza block's free mechanic in a fair way, though that's probably a bit less likely.

Another awesome mechanic from Masques block that we later saw once again in the Time Spiral block was the Spellshaper creature type. These creatures took classic spells and allowed you to tap the creature, pay a cost, and discard a card to turn any card in your hand into the classic spell. Checking out these three, you might notice they cast Dark Ritual, Unsummon, and Disenchant repeatedly. Not only are there a number of great cards like these that are easy to reprint, but there's tons of potential for the type to make a new appearance with newer spells as the focus this time around.

As far as cycles go, there's also an excellent group of lands that could reasonably show up. That's what's commonly known as the depletion lands. Each of these lands can be used for two mana at a time, but only twice before they go away (unless something like Proliferate is utilized). These cards are a great way to offer fast mana in a fairer way.

As far as non-cycle cards go, Ancestral Mask would be a bombshell for Bogles and other enchantment decks, offering a way to take opponents out at an even faster rate than ever before. Crackdown is a great option like Meekstone that does it a bit differently for a fairer mana cost. If locking down your opponents' boardstate isn't your thing, perhaps comboing them out is instead. Food Chain does just that, going infinite with cards like Misthollow Griffin and Eternal Scourge.

Cards like Rishadan Port, Wasteland, and Ancient Tomb might all be too strong for Modern, but maybe one of these cards could be useful instead. None of them are too overtly broken, though Dust Bowl arguably pushes the envelope a bit. However, they offer extra utility for a number of archetypes to benefit from. Tower of the Magistrate gets especially great if we ever see a Stoneforge Mystic unbanning.

Nemesis

If there's one card people remember from Nemesis, it's Daze. The card has left a tremendous impact on the Legacy and Pauper formats and for good reason. It's a free counter and a huge tempo play. There's been a lot of debate about whether the card is fine for the format. I'm not convinced it is, but it's definitely one that people will be talking about even after this set drops, if only in anticipation of the second Horizons set.

One mechanic from the set that brought with it some sweet cards was Fading. Make no mistake, Fading is often a mediocre mechanic and was even redone as Vanishing in Planar Chaos because it was too confusing in Nemesis. If they're willing to let a few slide in, though, I'd love to see the above. Parallax Wave would be especially awesome for various control lists if nothing else.

Like in Mercadian Masques, Nemesis features a number of free spells. Each of these has a tremendously powerful effect. Massacre and Submerge have even been fairly notable roleplayers in various Legacy sideboard and could provide a few powerhouse options to the Modern format.

Accumulated Knowledge is a card that saw tons of play in the past and still does to this day thanks to the Pauper format. It would be a great addition for some card draw in Modern. Rootwater Thief should be in Modern just on the basis that we should get each of the Invitational cards in if possible. We might not get Mike Long's face this time around, but it would be wrong to not have it in the format. Finally, Rising Waters is a solid option if we don't get something as powerful as outright Winter Orb.

If tribal is indeed a thing, each of these creatures would be excellent options to have. I don't expect Skyshroud Poacher or Seahunter would do too much, though Moggcatcher has inspired whole decks in Legacy before. Fantastic casual options and potential competitive underdogs, they'd make excellent choices for printing.

Like finishing a few cycles such as the -ling cycle started by Morphling, I'd love to see these seals show up to round out the reprint cycle started with Seal of Fire and Seal of Doom in Guildpact. We've even already seen a color shifted version of one in Planar Chaos (Seal of Primordium) so why not bring in the originals?

Prophecy

Homelands and Fallen Empires may have a reputation of being some of the weakest sets in Magic's storied history, but few are as downright awful as Prophecy. Homelands cards were at least playable, they were just poor and week. With Prophecy, however, you get mechanics that rely on players sacrificing lands and spells/abilities that can be countered by an opponent paying some mana. While Rhystic Study is a Commander all-star (no, we won't see it here), you also have cards like Rhystic Cave. Players often joke the text box of the card effectively just reads "tap" because it almost never taps for actual mana.

Despite this, there's still a handful of cards that could be worth making an appearance in Modern Horizons.

Of all the "free" spells in the Masques block, these are actually two of my favorite possibilities. Foil, as we've been seeing tear up Pauper, is surprisingly better than it reads on its face. A good friend of mine used to use it in Reanimator in Legacy and it's easy to see why. Being a pitch spell as well as a counter ensures you're able to enact your gameplan. Abolish does something similar, allowing you to blow up an artifact or enchantment at the low, low cost of a single Plains. Got a problem with an Ensnaring Bridge, a Blood Moon, or even a Cranial Plating? Look no further.

The set also has a few sweet off-color cards. Keldon Firebombers is a pet card of mine that's shockingly underrated, offering mass land destruction in a slightly more fair manner than something like Armageddon. Spore Frog has long been popular as a small Fog on a stick, which is excellent for being recurred repeatedly. Finally there's Greel, Mind Raker. Really, I could talk about each of the so-called mega Spellshapers, but Greel is especially sweet because it's basically Mind Twist on a stick. Offering players the ability to use such a powerful effect just seems sweet and would pretty much beg to be utilized in some way.

With that, we're now three-fifths of the way through the History on the Horizon series! Thanks for sticking with me through this especially lengthy piece. Be sure to check back next week when I cover the last few pre-Eighth Edition sets: Invasion through Scourge. What absolutely busted cards do you want to see that I failed to mention here? Let me know in the comments below!