A Type 4 review???? There hasn’t been one of these in years from this blog!
Well Modern Horizons 2 just got fully spoiled and the set looks nuts for the format. Plenty of good reactionary spells, lots of flexibility, and some sick bombs. I’ll mostly be touching on the new cards, with some mentions of notable reprints.
As a reminder, Type 4 is a draft/big stack format where you have infinite mana but can only cast 1 spell a turn. There’re some workarounds to this rule, such as cards with alternative costs not counting as your spell for the turn, and also spells cast because of other spells, but that sums it up well enough for people to get started. So let’s look at these cards!
Break Ties: I guess we have a new best Disenchant in the format? This card does so many things and it’ll effectively never be dead. I don’t anticipate Reinforce coming up too often, but options are options and this card has them in plenty. Staple card for basically every stack.
Out of Time: A bizarre wrath effect that will eventually bring all the creatures back. It can deal with indestructible stuff but there’s plenty of things that do that. Maybe you play this to protect your own stuff? Odd card, but playable if you need wraths.
Search the Premises: Attacking you gets you card draw. An excellent rattlesnake card in the typically multiplayer Type 4 format, there’s other uses for clues but drawing cards is pretty much always going to be the best one. Solid, strong playable for most stacks.
Serra’s Emissary: What the hell. This card is an incredible bomb that will draw countermagic because instant speed stuff isn’t going to do crap. There’s a lot of play here, and knowing what’s in the stack makes this way better, but I’m guessing that in order, Creature Instant Sorcery will be the best types to name. Creature creates an unblockable alpha strike if you have anything else and an unkillable blocker if you don’t. Instant prevents nearly all spot removal. Sorcery stops damage-based wraths. Staple card.
Solitude: Swords to plowshares, with a creature, with the option of having it be free. Possibly the best card in the set for every format, Type 4 not excepting. Staple, but you’ll probably sell it for the $60 it’ll be.
Karmic Guide: sweet reprint, can do some weird combo shenanigans, but getting a reanimate tied to a flyer is great.
Dress Down: I don’t know if this is that great, but it stops Serra’s Emissary and replaces itself, so there’s probably something here. Only sticks around for a turn though, so you can’t play it and some other interaction on the same turn. Probably not good enough, but worth considering.
Lucid Dreams: Typically this will be Harmonize, but it might become Tidings or better. Creature, Instant, Sorcery are all pretty easy to get in the graveyard, and Artifact and Enchantment aren’t much harder. Playable, but not super exciting at sorcery speed.
Mental Journey: Instant speed draw 3 is much more exciting, reloading you on someone else’s turn is always great. Solid playable.
Subtlety: “counters” an uncounterable creature, and can do so for free. Worse than Solitude by a lot, but hard to beat the best card in the set. Playable.
Suspend: There’s better spot removal out there, so don’t bother with this one. Hell, Final Reward is a common that’s just way better unless you’re saving something of yours.
Thought Monitor: a 2/2 flyer is not exciting, but drawing two cards is. Probably not good enough, but a decent bulk rare if you’re just starting out.
Counterspell: The OG, welcome to modern, format staple (though outclassed by a lot of cards)
Upheaval: Bouncing everything is very powerful, though unlike in other formats you don’t get the first crack at playing new stuff, so this isn’t the best. Playable, but dangerous for you.
Archon of Cruelty: A big scary monster in a format with plenty of them. The etb effect is pretty strong and can deal with single big threats as well as reducing resources. Plus draws you a card and gains a little life. Strong playable.
Damn: This is Wrath of God but dodges Iona on white. So it’s Damnation. Wraths are always good, so strong playable/staple.
Grief: Being free is all that makes this card good, thoughtseize on a dude is fine but the body isn’t exciting, 2 for 1ing yourself isn’t great, and it’s sorcery speed. Possibly playable, but unexciting.
Sudden Edict: Split second is a fantastic ability because it removes the ability for people to interact with the spell. That said, this isn’t a super exciting split second card, but it’s probably still good.
Tourach, Dread Cantor: A 4/3 that etbs to hymn is mostly just annoying, but it can definitely wreck people waiting on a combo/trying to get a lot of protection in hand. Playable, but don’t complain to me when everyone hates you.
Greed: Repeatable draw like this is super strong, and often way too strong for most stacks. Would not recommend.
Calibrated Blast: Instant speed is good, and the high CMC of many Type 4 cards is pretty helpful for making the damage good. Flashback makes it worth more than just a one and done. Not a great card, but can be fun.
Chef’s Kiss: A Counterspell for Urza’s Rage that also copies it too. Very interesting spell, though using this on targeted card draw is probably not the best idea. The best case here is probably targeting a Counterspell on someone else’s turn so you can be a free counter. Weird card, not fantastic, but possibly playable.
Flametongue Yearling: With infinite mana this can kill people with 1 card, which is a no-no for most stacks. That said, there exist some people that lean into that and make their entire draft based around the existence of such cards so this might be interesting there as removal and kill.
Deepwood Denizen: In type 4, this is just a bigger Archivist, which I’ve played before. Not the best card, but playable.
Endurance: Flash and a relevant ability, and the possibility of being free. The free-ness is unlikely to be relevant but it might come up. Body isn’t great, but graveyards are dangerous and most people need to play more grave hate in their stacks so play this.
Thrasta, Tempest’s Roar: A 7/7 trample haste is decent size, and this bitey guy starts out with hexproof. Not the largest creature, but definitely playable.
Dakkon, Shadow Slayer: If you give people infinite phantom lands that are what produces their mana, this is a Planeswalker with infinite loyalty. Which might sound scary but this guy is actually rather balanced with that condition. Exiling a creature a turn is no joke and being able to recur artifacts is super strong (Mindslaver comes to mind). Surveil 2 is likely the least used option but still relevant. This might be too strong, but I’m interested in trying it out.
Garth One-Eye: Makes two infinite threats and two defensive options. A silly card to be sure, but might have legs in the infinite stack.
Moderation: This isn’t all upside since this does cut off free spells, but this card is the real deal. Making all your spells cantrip is absolute gas. With stuff like Vedalken Orrery you just go off. Fantastic card and likely staple, though it doesn’t do anything the turn you play it, which makes it a little risky.
Piru, the Volatile: A big flyer with lifelink that can gain you a ton of life when she dies. You even have some control over that if you need a wrath. Playable.
Kaldra Compleat: I’ve always liked the idea of the Kaldratron, but never got it off. This sets you up with Kaldra immediately and then sits around to give anyone else the same stats. Very sweet card, highly playable.
That ends our review of Modern Horizons 2! Solitude is the clear winner here, the card is nuts and should see play in every stack. There’s also a bunch of cool beaters, some solid engine cards, and as always some good removal options. A good set for the format.
Hope you enjoyed, and maybe these will become regular again. In the meantime, party on
