Timeless Set Review: Modern Horizons 3

The previews of Modern Horizons 3 have finally come to an end, and with it, we begin our review season at Cards Realm, where we analyze the set for competitive formats.

In this article, we cover the additions that MH3 brings to the Timeless format, exclusive to Magic Arena and where cards from the base set and the Special Guests series bring important additions that can, together, change the entire competitive Metagame!

Flip Walkers

At first glance, the new Flip Walkers don't seem very exciting for Timeless, but two or three of them deserve special attention: Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Grist, Voracious Larva.

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah may be the card with the greatest potential to see play among the Flip walkers in Timeless by putting two bodies on the board that trigger Winota, Joiner of Forces, establishing decent pressure and, additionally, making his Planeswalker side matter.

Furthermore, both he and Grist, Voracious Larva have some important interaction with Lurrus of the Dream-Den, basically making her serve as support and a means of triggering the transformation into Planeswalkers while Lurrus is already a powerful card on its own.

Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student also interacts with Lurrus of the Dream-Den and can be transformed on the second turn with Brainstorm, but none of her abilities as a Planeswalker are relevant enough to justify her inclusion in the Tempo or Control lists.

Ral, Monsoon Mage seems unreliable for Storm, and we already have more consistent cards in that role today, while Sorin of House Markov does too little as a Planeswalker to justify its use and its body is unimpressive as a creature.

Evokers

Originally launched in Modern Horizons 2, the Evokers arrives at Timeless through the Special Guests slots and have the greatest potential to change the competitive landscape, in the same way as they did with Modern and Legacy.

Aside from Fetch Lands, they are the safest investment of the expansion and are certainly worth their cost as Mythic Wildcards in most competitive decks over the next few weeks, with some, like Grief, being able to define and permanently change the Metagame.

Flares

The Flare cycle is very strong, but requires more specific setups to work. It's very likely that most of them see Timeless play in some way, but none of them as staples finmultiple archetypes.

Flare of Cultivation is probably the strongest of the cycle. With it, creatures like Arboreal Grazer or any green one-drop that accelerates our mana automatically turns into a free Cultivate, accelerating us to play cards like Yawgmoth, Thran Physician or Primeval Titan.

Flare of Denial could see some play in more specific Tempo-oriented archetypes and/or decks like Merfolks, which gained some support in this expansion and is one step closer to entering the format's Tiers.

Flare of Malice is relatively easy to enable and should fit in as an answer to Atraxa, Grand Unifier and other bombs that players have run with Indomitable Creativity, Show and Tell and Reanimate.

Flare of Fortitude requires a specific white Aggro shell to function, and Timeless lacks that type of archetype today. Perhaps, with Recruiter of the Guard and White Orchid Phantom, a Death & Taxes list could emerge in the coming weeks and give it a home.

Finally, Flare of Duplication has everything it takes to find a broken combination, or do absolutely nothing in competitive formats - only time and very extensive research into mechanics can define what will happen to it in the first few weeks after MH3.

Medallions

The medallions shouldn't have much impact on Timeless, but they are a good addition for new Storm variants that break out of the core if, at some point, we have access to Rite of Flame and other red rituals.

Eldrazi Titans

Without access to Urza lands or Cloudpost, it is very difficult to have enough mana to cast the Eldrazi titans on Timeless, and their abilities specifically require them to be cast to work - so I have little expectation that we'll see them in the format's competitive scene

Double-Faced Lands

The new cycle of double-facedlands that come into play untapped are a notable improvement for Goblin Charbelcher in Timeless, who can now have more speed and consistency in its access to the right colors to close the combo one or two turns eariler.

There is a lot of speculation surrounding a possible Aluren build using Primal Prayers, Acererak, the Archlich and Guide of Souls or Metastatic Evangel to create Infinite ETB or LTB and eventually infinite damage with Acererak.

As it is a three-card combo that requires two creatures and four mana, it may take a while for players to find more efficient ways to build their lists around the enchantment, and it may not reach the format's tiers.

With the absence of Silence and similar effects on Magic Arena, Orim's Chant can become the safety valve that some combo decks require to make their plays without being interrupted, complementing Veil of Summer even in matchups where the main concern is a Lightning Bolt removing your main combo piece.

Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd allows reusing ETB effects repeatedly whenever it attacks and, added to its low cost, it can become one of the main staples alongside Evokers, especially when reusing Solitude, Grief or Fury every turn.

Recruiter of the Guard is one of MH3's strongest additions to Timeless and enables a dozen toolbox variants for the archetype, perhaps collaborating with creatures in , or searching for Solitude or Grief, among several other possibilities enabled by this card.

Unfortunately, the absence of Aether Vial could hinder its progress in the format's Metagame, but its flexibility makes it one of the cards with the greatest potential in competitive Magic.

White Orchid Phantom is an excellent Sideboard answer against Field of the Dead for white decks, and we can also use it to reduce the number of Domain Zoo land types in crucial turns while maintaining a 2 /2 with First Strike to block.

It seems like a solid investment for white decks, but it requires a more mana-greedy Metagame to see play.

Timeless doesn't have Engineered Explosives to destroy low-cost permanents, and waiting for a turn that cards like The Filigree Sylex require can be too late against some archetypes - In these cases, white decks gain Wrath of the Skies as an excellent response against low-cost drops, especially one-mana cards, where its cost is .

This is an excellent card against Grixis Shadow and Lurrus of the Dream-Den lists in general, and can work well against other archetypes with plenty of low-cost permanents, like Domain Zoo.

Prismatic Ending is a flexible removal with a lot of presence in Modern and Legacy and should have the same effect in Timeless, where strategies like Domain Zoo can use it in the Sideboard as a comprehensive response while other strategies, like Azorius Control, can be interested in running itin the maindeck if low-cost noncreature permanents become prevalent in the Metagame.

Harbinger of the Seas can become a Sideboard staple for blue decks against a Metagame where several strategies rely on the extensive use of multicolored mana bases, however, Timeless has Deathrite Shaman and a greater cadence of archetypes with blue than Modern and, therefore, it is possible that its space will be relatively limited in the Metagame.

Kappa Cannoneer is one of the excellent reasons to revisit Affinity in Timeless, but the archetype still lacks some artifacts and creatures to enable the explosive plays we see in Modern or Legacy.

Perhaps, a variant focused on Patchwork Automaton would have more success with it than a version focused on interactions between Myr Enforcer and other artifacts.

Strix Serenade is a new variant of Swan Song that deals with creatures and Planeswalkers. It's nothing very impressive, but it could deserve maindeck or sideboard slots in the right Metagame.

Tamiyo Meets the Story Circle would gain more potential if we had cards like Frogmite or Sojourner’s Companion in Timeless, basically allowing us to “explode” our hand with Affinity spells alongside Kozilek’s Unsealing. Without this possibility, this enchantment becomes significantly worse.

Triton Wavebreaker might deserve a slot in Prowess lists if those become more popular at some point. It doesn't seem very viable in an Orcish Bowmasters format, but it deserves an honorable mention.

Tune the Narrative is the best Energy resource who works on its own on MH3, and if there is any possibility of Aetherworks Marvel existing in Timeless, it certainly starts with four copies of this cantrip.

Volatile Stormdrake has some useful interactions in Timeless and can steal key creatures from the opponent. Stealing a Lurrus of the Dream-Den or even a Yawgmoth, Thran Physician can be useful for its controller, and on other occasions, we can use it as a blue removal against Atraxa, Grand Unifier and other high-cost bombs.

Kozilek's Unsealing and Ugin's Binding clauses are strong enough to deserve attention in Timeless, but with the absence of better enablers, they don't seem to do much in Affinity - the main archetype to cast seven-mana creatures early is possible.

Eldrazi may want this card, but they also suffer from the lack of Eldrazi Temple to speed up the game, although they can take advantage of Ugin’s Labyrinth.

Boggart Trawler is a graveyard hate, pitch for Grief and a land that comes into play untapped on a single card. It may deserve some slots on Black midranges.

Buried Alive can enable a new version of Arclight Phoenix where we use it with Dark Ritual and other effects to return three copies of the bird to the battlefield, attacking for nine damage as early as in the second turn.

I believe there are still some setups left for this strategy to be viable in Timeless, but it is worth trying one build or another if a player already has access to the main rare and mythic cards of this strategy (Dark Ritual, Arclight Phoenix).

Consuming Corruption may find a home in some Mono Black Midrange variant, be it the Vampires version with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord or the Necropotence variant. It's not a big staple, but it serves the purpose of these strategies.

Emperor of Bones is a new enabler of Reanimate strategies in the format, and despite being a little slow, it doesn't have the same restrictions as cards like Persist, being able to bring back legendary creatures like Atraxa, Grand Unifier.

It's difficult to imagine that Necrodominance can do much in a format where Necropotence is legal. However, its effects are specific enough and interact with Borne Upon a Wind to deserve an honorable mention.

Nethergoyf looks like an excellent one-drop to complement Dragon's Rage Channeler on the many Aggro variants existing in Timeless, whether with Death's Shadow, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer or Underworld Breach.

It has the potential to become a staple. After all, a 4/5 creature for one mana should be respected.

Ripples of Undeath is a good variant of Sylvan Library which interacts with decks that want cards in graveyards. It can complement the Delirium package with Nethergoyf and Dragon’s Rage Channeler while also offering top filtering and life loss for Death’s Shadow.

If there is a scenario where creature-based lists start to dominate the format too much, Toxic Deluge will be an option to complement or even replace Path of Peril, depending on the type of creature we are facing.

Today, it should deserve a space in Dimir Control's Sideboard or maindeck for games against Yawgmoth, or Naya Winota.

Warren Soultrader has been speculated alongside Putrid Goblin and First Day of Class to create powerful interactions and even infinite damage and mana if we have Blood Artist in play.

Today, it looks like a worse version of Yawgmoth, Thran Physician as a combo enabler, but it won't be surprising if Sultai Yawgmoth or other archetypes find a way to exploit the new card.

Dismember is easy to become a Timeless staple and one of the biggest problems is that it will come as a mythic and share Wildcards with the Evokers, but it's worth the investment in your collection if you need to deal with Harbinger of the Seas without access to conventional removals.

Without Archon of Cruelty, Persist loses a lot of its value because most of the cards we want to reanimate in Timeless are legendary creatures. It helps to complement the Scam strategy with Fury and Grief, but in these cases, it seems better to play Not Dead After All.

Perhaps a Reanimator base with Troll of Khazad-dûm and Waker of Waves in addition to Grief creates ways to get the most out of this card, or a version with Serra's Emissary and other good creatures, but not as impactful as the legends available in the format.

Amped Raptor is a fair creature with the potential to generate a lot of value in the right list, which will usually include Lurrus of the Dream-Den and, consequently, several cards with mana value two or lower.

It will probably be the strongest low-cost value card in the format and deserves space in several archetypes, from Mono Red to Death's Shadow lists, in addition to enabling other variants of low-cost Aggro decks.

Just like Tune the Narrative, Galvanic Discharge will be a mandatory card in any archetype more focused on Energy in its colors. The potential to deal with Primeval Titan or even larger creatures in the right build will have players exploring the potential of the mechanic for a while.

Laelia, the Blade Reforged offers a lot of value on its own, but its cost is high, and its body is too weak to do much early. Playing it on turn 2 after a Deathrite Shaman or Delighted Halfling certainly puts its controller ahead in the game and is comparable to Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, but the card has even greater potential with its interaction with Necropotence, where we can exile cards from the top to turn it into an immediate combo piece.

It's certainly worth testing in new versions of Necro, or as a value engine in Jund Midrange.

Eladamri, Korvecdal is a direct upgrade from Realmwalker for Elves, with an ability that allows casting Craterhoof Behemoth from the top. With it, Priest of Titania and Wirewood Symbiote, it is possible that the archetype will find more space in the format.

Fanatic of Rhonas requires a specific setup, but it's easy to achieve in green decks, and a four mana ramp is certainly worth some testing, especially with a body that dodges Lightning Bolt, but I'm not sure which current archetypes could actually run it efficiently.

Among eight mana dorks, Elvish Archdruid and a series of other cards already available in the archetype, Priest of Titania and its combination with Wirewood Symbiote will help in further leveraging the speed at which Elves manages to dominate the game in the first few turns, and while this archetype is susceptible to Orcish Bowmasters and other removals, it certainly received excellent supports to maintain itself in the Metagame.

Primal Prayers is the closest to Aluren that Modern and Timeless have and enables some powerful combos around the enchantment, such as the combination of Guide of Souls with Acererak, the Archlich or Kor Skyfisher with Guide of Souls and Dina, Soul Steeper or Altar of the Brood.

There are a dozen possibilities that we can take advantage of with this card, and it will be up to the format to adapt the best possible version and analyze how well it fits against the rest of the Metagame.

Six is another powerful value engine, one that allows us to reuse our creatures or Planeswalker indefinitely as long as it remains in play, but it competes for space with other potentially more powerful cards like Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.

It certainly deserves a test in green decks, such as Jund Midrange, Yawgmoth or even Titan Field due to its ability to reuse powerful permanents, and it can have its potential amplified alongside MH2's elementals, where we can pay its Evoke cost and cast them from the graveyard on a later turn.

Sylvan Safekeeper may deserve a slot on the Titan Field to protect Primeval Titan from removal when it is in play, and the cost of sacrificing lands can be easily overlooked later in the game.

Sowing Mycospawn is another potential target for Titan Field, but one that interacts poorly with Natural Order as it cannot be sacrificed or fetched for it, but paying four mana to find Field of the Dead and still have a 3/3 in play can have advantages that make it worthy of a slot.

The fact that Thief of Existence requires colorless mana may limit its space in the maindeck of most green lists, but it is a potential powerful staple in the Sideboard of green decks due to its ability to deal with low-cost cards present in the format, such as Necropotence, Teferi, Time Raveler, among others.

There is something potentially broken about a card that allows other creatures to accelerate mana and draw cards every turn. With the right combination of triggers or spells and low-cost creatures, Nadu, Winged Wisdom is capable of creating mighty interactions that will culminate, in the end, in Thassa's Oracle winning the game.

Abilities that target when creatures and/or lands come into play are your best friends, and cards like Omnath, Locus of the Roil and Risen Reef take the first steps towards making Nadu one of the most broken spells from Modern Horizons 3.

Knight of the Reliquary hasn't had much of an impact on Timeless so far, and may continue to do so as long as Dark Depths doesn't show up in Magic Arena. Its new variant can find space in lists focused on creatures or sacrifice them for specific occasions (such as seeking a Bojuka Bog or Shifting Woodland).

Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury is an excellent payoff for several strategies while helping to hold back aggressive decks and/or speed up the clock. Like Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, Phlage can help define games, but by controlling the opponent's board while adding pressure against them, or setting a clock of two to three turns on its own.

Nulldrifter is an excellent payoff for Ugin’s Labyrinth and all cards that concern themselves with 7 mana spells. It shouldn't break the format on its own, but it will be a deckbuilding motivator for archetypes that want to take advantage of the new land.

Start of the game abilities are often powerful on their own: Once Upon a Time was banned from almost all competitive formats for a reason, and Gemstone Caverns is an occasional staple of some decks for accelerating mana in the first turn.

Devourer of Destiny is a terrible topdeck outside a dedicated list, and top filtering doesn't have the same value as putting a card directly into its controller's hand, but we can't overlook its competitive potential and the ways its effect can change the course of some games.

Disruptor Flute seems like the ideal hate against cards like Yawgmoth, Thran Physician and other permanents with activated abilities, especially with combo pieces. It's a solid Sideboard choice, and crafting at least one for your collection will be worth it.

Frogmyr Enforcer is the second payoff that Affinity has to enable Ugin’s Labyrinth and requires its controller to have at least one red mana to play it early. It doesn't offer the same explosive potential as Frogmite for interacting with Simulacrum Synthesizer, but it is a first step towards making this a more competitively viable archetype.

Solar Transformer can complement potential Aetherworks Marvel lists in Timeless, in addition to any other Energy-oriented archetypes in the format, if necessary.

Vexing Bauble seems less impactful in Timeless than in other formats, but it could gain more space with the presence of Evokers in the Metagame, serving as a great safety valve in case they dominate. Furthermore, it is a highly efficient hate against Omniscience and other mechanics that play spells for free today.

Winter Moon is an efficient hate against decks with a greedy mana base. Maybe not as powerful as Blood Moon or Harbinger of the Seas, but its ability to lock down players for entire turns and the ability to play it in any list should make it a potential staple.

Archway of Innovation may be the most interesting method to cast Eldrazi in Timeless currently, with an efficient artifact shell, it is possible to ramp the cast of Emrakul, the World Anew with no major issues and still have an efficient game plan with Kappa Cannoneer and Thought Monitor, as well as other cards like Esper Sentinel.

Arena of Glory has some inherent advantages in giving Haste to a creature, especially if it has some immediate impact when it attacks. It shouldn't become an instant staple, but its ability can create great synergies.

Spymaster’s Vault allows some interactions that theoretically lead to infinite draw or lethal damage if we sacrifice a creature repeatedly, either with Yawgmoth, Thran Physician or with Warren Soultrader. It shouldn't be a card made to “play around”, but it is a powerful addition to sacrifice and/or removal strategies.

Shifting Woodland may be the most broken land in the set and one of the easiest to build around. Ideally, you want to use it to copy a card that has an immediate impact without specifically needing to come into play.

Spells like Omniscience are the most popular to enable a deck around it and will probably be the main archetype to be built, tested and improved coming from a card released exclusively in Modern Horizons 3.

Barbarian Ring offers more reach to red aggressive decks and is easy to enable with low-cost Fetch Lands and Burns. It could be worth a spot on Rakdos Burn or even Prowess lists.

Ugin's Labyrinth is the first Sol Land that Timeless will have access to and can leverage Eldrazi variants alongside Thought-Knot Seer and other low-cost creatures released in MH3, especially if combined with Devourer of Destiny and other cards that have uses beyond their costs and that can be imprinted on the land.

Urza’s Cave should deserve space as a one-of in Titan Field as a complementary means of finding Field of the Dead or any other utility terrain. It shouldn't have much space outside this archetype due to its high activation cost.

That's all for today.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!