It's pretty funny now that people were mockingly calling Modern Horizons "Commander Horizons" in an attempt to make fun of Wizards of the Coast for making a Modern set with so few playable Modern cards in it; Magic players are notoriously awful at evaluating new cards. But even after Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis being banned, Urza, Lord High Artificer crafting an entirely new archetype, and Wrenn and Six completely wrecking Legacy, there's one card whose effect we are going to be feeling for a very long time.

Force of Negation is one of the most important cards in Modern, full stop.

With Faithless Looting finally banned and graveyard decks no longer putting things into play for free over and over again, decks in Modern for the most part are actually playing Magic again. There's a wide variety of broken things one can do in Modern and most them involve casting non-creature spells. For the ones that want to cast creature spells, traditional removal will usually be fine in those spots regardless.

Force of Negation puts a hard stop to most of the shenanigans that unfair decks can do, while also doing so as early as turn one and while allowing you to develop your board. It's not like we haven't seen this before as Force of Will is the most important card in Legacy, but Force of Negation was little hard to use at first because of all the graveyard decks. It also wasn't entirely clear exactly which decks wanted Force of Negation, but it's starting to look like "any deck with Blue cards in it."

The most obvious place for Force of Negation is control decks, which have been coming in many varieties.

Azorius Control | Modern | WhiTe TsaR, 8-1 Magic Online PTQ

• Creatures (6)
• 2 Vendilion Clique
• 4 Snapcaster Mage

• Planeswalkers (8)
• 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 2 Teferi, Time Raveler
• 3 Narset, Parter of Veils

• Instants (17)
• 1 Fact or Fiction
• 2 Cryptic Command
• 2 Force of Negation
• 2 Mana Leak
• 2 Spell Snare
• 4 Opt
• 4 Path to Exile

• Sorceries (3)
• 1 Winds of Abandon
• 2 Supreme Verdict

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Detention Sphere

• Lands (25)
• 2 Plains
• 6 Island
• 1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 2 Glacial Fortress
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 3 Celestial Colonnade
• 4 Field of Ruin
• 4 Flooded Strand

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Ashiok, Dream Render
• 2 Celestial Purge
• 2 Ceremonious Rejection
• 1 Disenchant
• 2 Monastery Mentor
• 2 Stony Silence
• 2 Surgical Extraction
• 2 Timely Reinforcements

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In traditional control decks, Force of Negation keeps you safe on those crucial early turns, where staying alive is more important than card advantage. You're happy to go down a card if it ensures that turn three Karn Liberated or Neoform doesn't resolve because you know you'll get it back later. Force of Negation can also allow you to tap out safely for a planeswalker like Jace, the Mind Sculptor, knowing you can defend yourself so you can untap. Lastly a control deck is also fine just hard casting Force of Negation in the mid to late game, when mana efficiency is no longer important and Cancel frankly isn't that bad.

Mono-Blue Tron | Modern | MagicDevil666, 9-0 Magic Online PTQ

• Creatures (5)
• 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
• 1 Nimble Obstructionist
• 1 Treasure Mage
• 1 Walking Ballista
• 1 Wurmcoil Engine

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 4 Karn, the Great Creator

• Instants (17)
• 1 Cyclonic Rift
• 2 Force of Negation
• 3 Remand
• 3 Repeal
• 4 Condescend
• 4 Thirst for Knowledge

• Artifacts (8)
• 1 Chalice of the Void
• 1 Mindslaver
• 2 Talisman of Dominance
• 4 Expedition Map

• Lands (24)
• 6 Island
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 1 Field of Ruin
• 1 Gemstone Caverns
• 1 Tectonic Edge
• 2 Tolaria West
• 4 Urza's Mine
• 4 Urza's Power Plant
• 4 Urza's Tower

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Chalice of the Void
• 1 Crucible of Worlds
• 1 Dismember
• 1 Ensnaring Bridge
• 1 Mycosynth Lattice
• 1 Oblivion Stone
• 1 Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
• 2 Spatial Contortion
• 1 Spellskite
• 1 Tormod's Crypt
• 1 Walking Ballista
• 1 Witchbane Orb
• 1 Wurmcoil Engine

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Look, if Force of Negation can make career Tier 4 deck Mono-Blue Tron able to go 9-0 in the tough competition of a Magic Online PTQ, that's quite the showing. Force of Negation can help decks that are powerful but a turn too slow help turn the corner and get that extra turn back so they can do their thing. I don't know if this deck is good or not, but with the format swinging more fair I'm very interested to try it. Again we also see the allure of being able to tap out for something nice with Force of Negation backup.

Which leads us to the real beneficiary of Force of Negation: tempo and midrange decks.

Azorious Stoneblade | Modern | Alvas, 9-0 Magic Online PTQ

• Creatures (9)
• 4 Snapcaster Mage
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic
• 1 Vendilion Clique

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Teferi, Time Raveler
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Spells (24)
• 2 Mana Leak
• 4 Cryptic Command
• 4 Force of Negation
• 4 Opt
• 4 Path to Exile
• 4 Spell Snare
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

• Lands (24)
• 1 Plains
• 4 Island
• 3 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Celestial Colonnade
• 4 Field of Ruin
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Seachrome Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Celestial Purge
• 4 Ceremonious Rejection
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Disenchant
• 2 Supreme Verdict
• 4 Timely Reinforcements

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While the list is a bit unorthodox (FOUR Spell Snare!) Stoneforge Mystic is a clear compliment to Force of Negation. In a deck full of counterspells in a format as hostile as Modern it can be difficult to tap out on turn two, especially on the draw, but Force of Negation lets you feel very safe about doing so. In a deck full of threats Force of Negation operates even better, especially with hard to remove ones like planeswalkers.

Bant Stoneblade | Modern | cheesfactory, Magic Online PTQ 7-2

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Eternal Witness
• 1 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Restoration Angel
• 3 Snapcaster Mage
• 3 Spell Queller
• 3 Stoneforge Mystic
• 4 Noble Hierarch

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 2 Teferi, Time Raveler

• Instants (16)
• 1 Familiar's Ruse
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 2 Spell Snare
• 4 Force of Negation
• 4 Opt
• 4 Path to Exile

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Winds of Abandon

• Artifacts (2)
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

• Lands (21)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Plains
• 3 Island
• 1 Gavony Township
• 1 Horizon Canopy
• 2 Breeding Pool
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Waterlogged Grove
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Misty Rainforest

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Ceremonious Rejection
• 1 Collector Ouphe
• 2 Damping Sphere
• 2 Dovin's Veto
• 1 Eladamri's Call
• 1 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Knight of Autumn
• 1 Remorseful Cleric
• 1 Scavenging Ooze
• 3 Veil of Summer

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More threats, same idea. Force of Negation is going to need to make us reevaluate how we think of threats in Modern, as cards like Geist of Saint Traft that are very powerful but often too risky to cast on turn three get a whole lot better in conjunction with free countermagic. A deck like this looks more like a Legacy deck than a Modern deck, which is something we're going to need to get used to.

They Said Snow! | Modern | Jim Davis

• Creatures (18)
• 4 Abominable Treefolk
• 4 Ice-Fang Coatl
• 4 Noble Hierarch
• 2 Boreal Druid
• 4 Ohran Viper

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Teferi, Time Raveler

• Spells (17)
• 3 Force of Negation
• 2 Dead of Winter
• 3 On Thin Ice
• 3 Spreading Seas
• 2 Marit Lage's Slumber
• 4 Arcum's Astrolabe

• Lands (22)
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 Windswept Heath
• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 4 Prismatic Vista
• 1 Snow-Covered Plains
• 1 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 3 Snow-Covered Forest
• 3 Snow-Covered Island
• 3 Scrying Sheets

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Damping Sphere
• 1 Dead of Winter
• 2 Stony Silence
• 3 Rest in Peace
• 1 Negate
• 3 Knight of Autumn
• 3 Geist of Saint Traft

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It really is impressive what kind of fair decks Force of Negation can prop up, as you can build a deck that is good in fair matchups but also have decent unfair matchups almost directly because of it. This is often the crux of deck-building in Modern; you can build a deck with good fair matchups or good unfair matchups, but it's hard to do both. Force of Negation lets you focus more on your fair matchups.

Jeskai Saheeli | Modern | Jim Davis

• Creatures (6)
• 2 Snapcaster Mage
• 4 Felidar Guardian

• Planeswalkers (10)
• 2 Narset, Parter of Veils
• 4 Saheeli Rai
• 4 Teferi, Time Raveler

• Instants (15)
• 1 Lightning Helix
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 4 Force of Negation
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Path to Exile

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Serum Visions

• Artifacts (4)
• 4 Arcum's Astrolabe

• Lands (21)
• 1 Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1 Snow-Covered Plains
• 2 Snow-Covered Island
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 4 Arid Mesa
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Scalding Tarn

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 3 Rest in Peace
• 2 Stony Silence
• 2 Geist of Saint Traft
• 2 Timely Reinforcements
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 1 Celestial Purge
• 1 Narset, Parter of Veils
• 1 Wear // Tear

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The biggest difference between Force of Negation and Force of Will is that you can't use it to defend your own combos, a great design because it almost forces it to be a fair card. However, that doesn't mean Force of Negation isn't good in combo decks. In a deck like Jeskai Saheeli, using Force of Negation to defend yourself after you resolve your early planewalkers can bridge you easily into untapping safely and setting up your combo. Force of Negation also plays very well with Teferi, Time Raveler, as if you can defend it properly that one turn and get to untap, now your opponent can't interact with you.

Blue Living End | Modern | Losilla, Magic Online League 5-0

• Creatures (25)
• 1 Simian Spirit Guide
• 4 Curator of Mysteries
• 4 Desert Cerodon
• 4 Glassdust Hulk
• 4 Street Wraith
• 4 Striped Riverwinder
• 4 Windcaller Aven

• Instants (8)
• 4 Force of Negation
• 4 Violent Outburst

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Living End

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Ardent Plea

• Lands (20)
• 1 Island
• 2 Spirebluff Canal
• 2 Temple Garden
• 3 Steam Vents
• 4 Arid Mesa
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Misty Rainforest

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Dead // Gone
• 2 Dismember
• 2 Fulminator Mage
• 2 Ingot Chewer
• 4 Leyline of Sanctity
• 1 Mystical Teachings
• 2 Ricochet Trap

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Wait I thought you said you couldn't defend your combo with Force of Negation? Well, if you can find a way to combo on your opponent's turn you can! Using Violent Outburst to Living End on your opponent's turn is a great way to do this, and Force of Negation brings an element of interaction to Living End that it's never had before. You get a great interactive card you can cast as early as turn one, without breaking the deck-building restriction of playing cards that cost less than three. You even have tons of bad Blue cards to pitch! This deck really impressed me on stream this week.

Dredgevine | Modern | darthnius, Magic Online League 5-0

• Creatures (29)
• 2 Bloodghast
• 3 Carrion Feeder
• 4 Gravecrawler
• 4 Hedron Crab
• 4 Narcomoeba
• 4 Prized Amalgam
• 4 Stitcher's Supplier
• 4 Vengevine

• Sorceries (11)
• 3 Memory Sluice
• 4 Creeping Chill
• 4 Glimpse the Unthinkable

• Lands (20)
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Marsh Flats
• 3 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Bloodstained Mire
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Damping Sphere
• 4 Fatal Push
• 4 Force of Negation
• 1 Gnaw to the Bone
• 1 Leyline of the Void
• 2 Thoughtseize

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Even if you're not defending a combo exactly, having a free piece of interaction available to your aggressive synergy deck is an amazing option. You aren't going to want such interaction in the maindeck of a deck like Dredgevine, but with all the random Blue cards it becomes a phenomenal sideboard option. Anytime you can interact and still execute your own plan you are going to be very happy in Modern, and it can even tag hate cards like Rest In Peace!

We've Been Here Before

Soon enough we will realize that Force of Negation is going to be much closer to Force of Will than we thought. It has many similar features and play patterns, while doing a lot to help prop up fair decks of all types. Put simply, Force of Negation must be respected. Yes, it is card disadvantage and you can feel that in fair matchups sometimes, but as long as Modern is, well... Modern, Force of Negation is going to have a serious role.

However unlike Force of Will, Force of Negation does have a blind spot. This means that we can build our decks with Force of Negation in mind. Engine cards that are creatures go up in value significantly; if your combo piece can't be counter by Force of Negation that's a great plus. Card advantage engine creatures like Goblin Ringleader and Tireless Tracker also start looking quite nice too.

Whether you plan to beat em or join em, if you're going to play Modern make sure you understand Force of Negation's role in the new format!