Following two prior releases and the one-off Eternal Masters, we return once again with the third and final Modern Masters set: Modern Masters 2017. This set brought us cards from all the previously utilized sets and blocks (which took us up through New Phyrexia) while also including cards from Innistrad and Return to Ravnica blocks. With a wider card pool than ever, I want to take a look through all the mythics of the set and see just how well it stacks up compared to the other Masters releases of the time. Ready? Let's dive on in!

Number Fifteen

If you read my Avacyn Restored mythic rankings article, you might remember how I noted this rather highly. In it, I stated the fact that it was "an ever-present and looming threat" when it came to Standard. That remains true as ever, but now we're several years removed from the set being in the format and Bonfire is nowhere to be found anywhere. Despite the high profile nature of the card when it was released, this time around it was a head scratcher inclusion because no one was interested in it any longer.

Number Fourteen

Domri Rade was basically included in this set to help round out the typical Modern Masters inclusion of two planeswalkers. Here it was included on the back of its tenure in Standard where it was a key player in aggro decks of the time. Unfortunately, since then it never made a splash in other formats and has a much lesser effect even in casual spaces such as Commander. As such, the card's price tanked quickly and it fell into relative obscurity.

Number Thirteen

When Avacyn Restored came out, the idea of getting to actually cast a straight up Time Walk for a whole two mana blew people away. As it happened, it was much harder to pull off than it seemed. While it still had appeal to plenty of people who like taking extra turns, it wasn't anywhere as good as most people wanted it to be.

Number Twelve

Dragon's Maze was an unmitigated disaster of a set, but it still happened to have some nuggets of gold in the set. One such card was Voice of Resurgence, which quickly rose to become the most valuable card in the set - and by a lot at that. The card didn't quite have the degree of power most players expected it to, but it was still a great role player in certain decks across numerous formats.

Number Eleven

Arguably one of the most defining cards of Standard ever, Sphinx's Revelation defined what control decks were about for years. Even after it left the format, control players would be pining for something just as good for more than a decade. As such, it was a no brainer to see it included here as a callback to the bygone era of Standard. Unfortunately, it now saw almost no play outside of Commander and Cube, making it a rather ho-hum inclusion compared to several other cards.

Number Ten

In this era of Modern, Olivia was seeing a fair amount of play as a finisher for Jund decks. Additionally, she was a beloved card in various Commander decks given her utility at controlling the board by stealing your opponents' best creatures. Sadly, her usefulness waned pretty quickly following this set's release, with her appearances in Modern all but evaporating by early 2018, leading to her being a solid hitter without much lasting power.

Number Nine

If there's one thing players really love to do, it's playing Storm decks. Past in Flames enables these strategies heavily by enabling you to buy back all your cheap ritual and cantrip spells, leading up to a massive Grapeshot or Empty the Warrens for lethal damage. With only one printing prior to this, the reprint in Modern Masters 2017 - alongside Pyromancer's Ascension - was strongly welcome by Storm players everywhere, though it wasn't exactly the most in-demand card elsewhere.

Number Eight

Miracle was treated as a truly mixed bag upon release, but as time went on it proved to be huge for a variety of formats. While Bonfire of the Damned lacked any real lasting impact, Entreat the Angels provided Miracles and various other control decks a powerful finishing move to close out games with. The card was pretty heavily played in the era, as well as being a favorite for Commander players to go nuts with, and as such was highly welcome here.

Number Seven

Over the years, Linvala, Keeper of Silence has been a huge role player in the Modern format. This was because it provided players with a creature of respectable stats that also happened to shut down whatever nonsense their opponents were trying to engage in. As time has gone on, the card's utility has diminished a bit, but it remains a veritable threat in Commander and Cubes to this day, making it an excellent inclusion in this set.

Number Six

Few rares have so clearly read like mythics as Cavern of Souls. As such, it wasn't much of a surprise at all to see this one get included at the mythic rarity. While only truly potent in kindred decks, Cavern still has plenty of usefulness in various creature decks. Getting to make your creatures uncounterable provides a ton of power to fight against counter-heavy control decks.

Number Five

So powerful it was swiftly banned in Commander, Griselbrand is one of the most powerful creatures of all time. It also happened to still be an absolute staple in decks that sought to cheat in huge threats, particularly of the Reanimator variety. The card wasn't the hottest ticket item of the set financially, but it was very welcome to get more copies into players' hands.

Number Four

Modern Masters 2017 marked the third time in four years that Tarmogoyf was reprinted. Make no mistake: the card was still one of the most expensive cards in the Modern format and it certainly needed another reprint. By this point, though, the excitement level wasn't there quite as much, particularly with the then-new printing of Fatal Push. It was one of the best, but it wasn't quite number one anymore.

Number Three

At this point I'm not really sure what I even need to really say about Craterhoof Behemoth. If you've played casual Magic in any capacity over the last decade or so, odds are good you've been on the receiving end of death by the 'Hoof. The card was an instant staple in Commander and was hurting to get more copies into the hands of players everywhere.

Number Two

Throughout the 2010s, few cards were as defining as Snapcaster Mage. Lauded almost instantly as one of the greatest creatures of all-time, Snaps became a staple of almost every format from the moment it was released. Flashing back spells like Lightning Bolt, Fatal Push, Spell Snare, Path to Exile, and more while getting a body to attack and block with was massive and proved monumental for this era of the game. While the upgrade to mythic in this set was seen as disappointing to many, others felt it was well deserving given its power at the time, and it was a huge get as a reprint in this set.

Number One

These days with Liliana going for a little under $20 and seeing minimal play, it can be hard to remember just how good the card was. At the time, there was an argument which planeswalker was better, Liliana of the Veil or Jace, the Mind Sculptor and there were very real arguments for both. Lili was pushing $100 and an absolute staple in both Modern and Legacy that even only a few years removed from Innistrad desperately needed the reprint it got here.

Paige Smith

Twitter: @TheMaverickGal

Twitch: twitch.tv/themaverickgirl

YouTube: TheMaverickGal