A couple of weeks ago I wrote a short article on my initial impressions of some of the first previews from Modern Horizons 2 (linked here). Now that the whole set has been previewed, it’s time to take a more in-depth look at some of these new toys! Unlike previous sets, this time around I won’t be going with my traditional Top 10 template. Instead, I’ll be writing two articles centered around the set; one talking about new Oathbreakers & Signature Spells, and a second about generally solid new staples for the format.
Since I already discussed the new Dakkon, Shadow Slayer in my previous article, I won’t be going over him again here. As far as Signature Spells go, I’ll also only be looking at new options that I, personally, find the most appealing or interesting. Now without further ado, let’s get into Modern Horizons 2!
New Signature Spells
Blacksmith’s Skill & Late to Dinner
Sometimes it’s the simplest of spells that can prove to be the handiest, and I think there’s a bit of that hidden strength with Blacksmith’s Skill. Although this card isn’t a perfect catch-all in terms of planeswalker protection, it can still be very useful in a variety of scenarios. Just holding up this one-drop instant from the command zone can discourage your opponents from slinging spot removal your Oathbreaker’s way, and the fact it can target any permanent in play means it can even be used for political benefit! Artifact decks are also pretty popular in Oathbreaker, so I’m sure there are plenty of lists that could take advantage of that buff effect. I don’t expect Blacksmith’s Skill to become a particularly popular Signature Spell, but I do believe it’s a bit of a hidden gem from the set that will at least prove to be a solid budget-friendly option.
Although white does not receive unconditional reanimation effects very often these days, we have seen such cards before in the forms of Breath of Life and Resurrection. Late to Dinner is the latest addition to this line of mono-white reanimation spells, and it also appears to be the best iteration yet. The added bonus of creating a food token isn’t an especially huge perk, though it is certainly still worth noting. Incidental lifegain has always been deceivingly strong in the format, and there are other ways to take advantage of a random artifact token laying around. I wouldn’t say that white reanimator strategies are especially prevalent in Oathbreaker, but I’m still sure Late to Dinner will prove to be a solid new addition to white’s recursion roster.
Fractured Sanity & Rise and Shine
As far as multiplayer mill effects come, it doesn’t get much more efficient than Fractured Sanity. Three mana to mill about a quarter of each opponent’s deck is a pretty ridiculous rate, even if the color cost is a bit restrictive. I personally would be most excited to try this sorcery out as a Signature Spell, but it’s also worth noting its effectiveness in the 58. This card’s cycling cost provides a much more modest amount of milling at a lower (and less restrictive) cost, meaning it will never just be stuck in your hand. Regardless of whether it’s played as a Signature Spell or in the 58, I’m certain Fractured Sanity will prove to be a very fun and powerful new addition to mill strategies in Oathbreaker.
Have you ever wanted to play March of the Machines as a Signature Spell? Well, the effect on Rise and Shine comes pretty close! This new sorcery can be cast for its normal cost to animate one of your noncreature artifacts, but its most deadly use is when it is overloaded in order to animate all of your noncreature artifacts. Six mana is certainly on the higher end of what is commonly considered castable in Oathbreaker—particularly for non-green decks—but I think both the fun factor and power level of this effect makes it worth the cost. As I previously mentioned, there are plenty of different types of artifact decks one can play in Oathbreaker, and this sort of spell offers a very interesting and hilarious deck-building direction.
Echoing Return, Persist & Unmarked Grave
Usually effects that care about having multiple copies of a single card aren’t very useful in singleton formats like Oathbreaker, and I initially wrote off Echoing Return for this very reason; however, that was before I remembered that cards like Shadowborn Apostle, Rat Colony, and Relentless Rats exist. I personally haven’t seen many Oathbreaker decks built around such cards, but a card like Echoing Return could act as a much-needed Signature Spell option for such strategies. There aren’t many other options for similarly helpful Signature Spells in these archetypes, and there certainly isn’t one as efficient as Echoing Return. I’m not sure exactly how many players will find uses for this new sorcery, but I’m sure those players will very excited for this new support piece.
Graveyard synergies are nothing new as far as black’s slice of the color pie is concerned, but Modern Horizons 2 did bring a noteworthy number of toys for reanimator decks in particular. Unmarked Grave is one such card that can act as an alternate option to Entomb or Buried Alive for certain decks; however, I’m even more excited about Persist. This two-drop is essentially a sorcery version of Animate Dead, although it can only target creatures in your graveyard. Aside from good old Reanimate, these sorts of effects don’t get much cheaper than two mana. I’ll also take a -1/-1 counter and pay one extra mana over losing a bunch of life any day—at least in Oathbreaker. Assuming this card stays within an affordable range for most players, I suspect Persist will end up becoming quite the popular Signature Spell.
Unholy Heat, Smell Fear & Chatterstorm
There are plenty of flashy, powerful Signature Spells out there, but sometimes it can be nice to just have some solid source of removal handy in the command zone. Unholy Heat is one such card designed to fit in well with graveyard-centric strategies. Six damage will often be enough to take down most Oathbreakers, and it is certainly priced at a fair rate of only one mana. That being said, this card definitely needs to be paired with decks that won’t have much trouble getting delerium online (Dack Fayden and Nahiri, the Harbinger are two Oathbreakers that come to mind). Smell Fear, on the other hand, is a removal spell that is better made to synergize with planeswalkers, rather than remove them. This card is essentially a two-mana Prey Upon in most decks, but the added bonus of proliferate (which notably occurs before the fight effect) can be a big boon to certain decks. Aside from being able to lightly buff an Oathbreaker’s loyalty, proliferate pairs pretty well with +1/+1 counter strategies as well as poison counters. I don’t expect either of these cards to end up being particularly popular, but I’m always a fan of new budget-friendly card options for the format.
I’ll be totally honest about this next one—I have no idea whether or not Chatterstorm is actually a good card, but boy does it look like a fun one! This miniature Empty the Warrens is the perfect way to suddenly unleash an army of squirrels against the rest of the board. The biggest barrier to entry for this card as a Signature Spell is simply the fact that it’s a mono-green card, and green isn’t exactly known for storming off in most formats. That being said, there is certainly a handful of Oathbreakers I could see being paired with Chatterstorm. Lord Windgrace and Sarkhan Unbroken are two planeswalkers that simultaneously support one’s mana development and grants one access to colors better suited to storm strategies. I’d also be curious to see what a deck built around Chatterstorm and Xenagos, the Reveler might look like. I don’t expect this card will prove to be very busted in terms of power level, but I look forward to seeing Oathbreaker players go nuts with Chatterstorm (also, that art and flavor text is simply A+ work).
New Oathbreakers
Grist, the Hunger Tide
This new planeswalker may be my personal favorite card from the whole set. We’ve seen some interesting static abilities on planeswalkers since War of the Spark was released, but nothing quite as wild as Grist’s! The way this particular ability is worded does still allow one to play Grist as an Oathbreaker, but it also makes Grist double as a 1/1 insect as long as it isn’t in play. This fact means that cards like Unearth, Victimize and Recurring Nightmare can all be used to bring Grist back to the battlefield from the graveyard. On top of being able to circumvent commander tax in this manner, Grist’s activated abilities are all pretty solid on their own; the first one makes a body on board, the second can remove opposing Oathbreakers, and the third scales pretty well into multiplayer. Combine all that with a very efficient mana-cost and you got yourself a solid new Oathbreaker! I’m looking forward to seeing what graveyard-based brews are going to be built around Grist, and I’m even more excited to play with it myself!
Geyadrone Dihada
I know I’m not the only player that’s a bit disappointed to not see any new three-color combos introduced to the format with this set, but there are some upsides to seeing a new Grixis Oathbreaker. For one thing, players no longer need to default to some version of Nicol Bolas in order to play Grixis, and Geyadrone Dihada has the lowest mana value of any Grixis planeswalker ever printed. Geyadrone’s individual abilities also function pretty well in the format, if a bit oddly. Lifegain has always been a solid side-benefit in Oathbreaker, and draining the whole table for two is even better—particularly as a plus ability. Being able to shield Geydrone from opposing Oathbreakers through her first two activated abilities is a perk that shouldn’t be ignored either, and she’s even capable of stealing opposing Oathbreakers all on her own! I would say Geyadrone definitely isn’t the flashiest new card out of Modern Horizons 2, but I wouldn’t underestimate this new card as an Oathbreaker. I personally plan on trying out some Grixis burn/drain lists with her at some point, and I look forward to seeing the various other ways the Oathbreaker community finds to build around her!
That’s it for new Oathbreakers and Signature Spells from Modern Horizons 2! I’m pleasantly surprised by just how many cards from this set I ended up becoming interested in. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised—Modern Horizons is where WOTC lets themselves get a little weird with the card designs, and they definitely stayed true to that pattern on this go-around. Grist’s static ability in particular still boggles my mind a little and I’m excited to find as many ways to capitalize on it as possible!
I’m going to have another article on new cards from Modern Horizons 2 coming out in the near future, so keep an eye out for that! I don’t have a set date for it, but expect it to come out sometime in the next week or two. In the meantime, please share with me all of the cards you’re excited to brew with from the set!
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only began writing content about a year ago. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com