New Broken MTG MH3 Land has Limitless Potential!

Modern Horizons 3 spoilers are coming out in full force, and we’re starting to get a sense for what this set is all about. In my eyes, one of the cooler aspects of the set is the clear focus on full card cycles. For instance, following in the footsteps of Modern Horizons 1, we have another cycle of “free” mono-colored spells with alternate casting costs. While some might not look super promising, others like Flare of Denial Flare of Denial You may sacrifice a nontoken blue creature rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell. have multi-format potential right out of the gate.

In addition to spell cycles, there are also groups of Lands present in MH3. Each individual color is receiving a neat “Checkland” variant with unique upside. The red and black versions were leaked a few days ago, both showcasing interesting activated abilities beyond basic mana production.

Very recently, the green one was officially previewed by Mason Clark. When I read the text on the card, my jaw instantly dropped. Despite being part of a cycle, Shifting Woodland Shifting Woodland This land enters tapped unless you control a Forest.
{T}: Add {G}.
Delirium — {2}{G}{G}: This land becomes a copy of target permanent card in your graveyard until end of turn. Activate only if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard. is extremely abusable in ways that immediately make it stand out. As we will see, there are a lot of different shells across multiple formats that Shifting Woodland can slot into.

Low Opportunity Cost

What makes Shifting Woodland such an incredible card is its ability to act as a win condition. Over the years, plenty of Lands have been printed that can almost singlehandedly take over a game. Cards like Urza’s Saga Urza’s Saga (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains "{T}: Add {C}."
II — This Saga gains "{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost {0} or {1}, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. are immune to Thoughtseize Thoughtseize Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life. yet can build out a board of threats that the opponent has to deal with. Some other top-tier Lands that give off similar vibes, like Field of the Dead Field of the Dead This land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {C}.
Whenever this land or another land you control enters, if you control seven or more lands with different names, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. and Dark Depths Dark Depths Dark Depths enters with ten ice counters on it.
{3}: Remove an ice counter from Dark Depths.
When Dark Depths has no ice counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, create Marit Lage, a legendary 20/20 black Avatar creature token with flying and indestructible. , remain banned in Modern for good reason.

Shifting Woodland isn’t quite as easy to fully maximize, but frankly, the opportunity cost of putting it in your deck is very low. Shifting Woodland taps for colored mana, and as long as you’re playing green, has a good chance of entering the battlefield untapped. For a card with such a high ceiling, it really doesn’t ask that much of you.

To prove it, let’s look at Shifting Woodland in the context of two elite Modern decks: Amulet Titan and Golgari Yawgmoth. In Amulet Titan, even though there aren’t many natural Forests in the deck, the presence of Dryad of the Ilysian Grove Dryad of the Ilysian Grove You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
Lands you control are every basic land type in addition to their other types. and Amulet of Vigor Amulet of Vigor Whenever a permanent you control enters tapped, untap it. means there’s a good chance you can tap the Land for mana right away. Enabling Delerium isn’t super easy, but Dryad and Urza’s Saga counting for two card types each makes it not impossible.

From there, the card can play a huge role in attrition battles. When you resolve Primeval Titan Primeval Titan Trample
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may search your library for up to two land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. , if you suspect the opponent has removal at the ready, tutoring up Shifting Woodland is a great option to have. Now, you can copy Primeval Titan on the following turn if it’s killed, attack, and tutor up more Lands. Shifting Woodland also lines up well against counter magic, providing a clear path to victory in games where you can’t stick Primeval Titan.

Likewise, Shifting Woodland can play a similar role in Golgari Yawgmoth. Being able to copy Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Protection from Humans
Pay 1 life, Sacrifice another creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature and draw a card.
{B}{B}, Discard a card: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.) and draw a bunch of cards at will is a great line to have access to. The activated ability of Sbhifting Woodland certainly won’t come up every game, but it doesn’t have to. You still get all the benefits of an untapped Land that produces green mana, so adding a couple copies of Shifting Woodland to these decks seems well worth it.

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Dark Depths Combo

Interestingly, Shifting Woodland isn’t restricted to copying non-Land permanents. Of course, in most cases, copying a Land doesn’t accomplish too much. With Dark Depths Dark Depths Dark Depths enters with ten ice counters on it.
{3}: Remove an ice counter from Dark Depths.
When Dark Depths has no ice counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, create Marit Lage, a legendary 20/20 black Avatar creature token with flying and indestructible. in the mix, however, Shifting Woodland becomes a very scary card.

Dark Depths decks in Legacy are very powerful. Right now, players use Dark Depths in conjunction with Thespian’s Stage Thespian’s Stage {T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}: This land becomes a copy of target land, except it has this ability. as a simple way to make a 20/20 with Flying and Indestructible. See, when you copy Dark Depths, your copy automatically has no ice counters on it, so you’ll get to sacrifice it immediately and get your reward.

Shifting Woodland combos with Dark Depths in a similar way, so long as Dark Depths is in your graveyard, and you have Delerium. With this in mind, Shifting Woodland seems like a great fit for Legacy Lands decks. Once you find Dark Depths, at any point, you can use Crop Rotation Crop Rotation As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a land.
Search your library for a land card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. to get Shifting Woodland and make a 20/20 out of nowhere. Mox Diamond Mox Diamond If this artifact would enter, you may discard a land card instead. If you do, put this artifact onto the battlefield. If you don't, put it into its owner's graveyard.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. provides an easy way to get Dark Depths into your graveyard for the combo, too.

Shifting Woodland’s presence even helps you beat hate cards. Having redundancy in your combo can make it easier to refuel versus Wasteland Wasteland {T}: Add {C}.
{T}, Sacrifice this land: Destroy target nonbasic land. . Now, an opposing copy of Pithing Needle Pithing Needle As this artifact enters, choose a card name.
Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can't be activated unless they're mana abilities. naming Thespian’s Stage isn’t much of a problem. Simultaneously, if the opponent were to get rid of your 20/20 after you sacrificed Dark Depths, you just need to find Shifting Woodland to make another 20/20 (you don’t have to worry about getting both Stage and Depths into play multiple times).

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Digging Deeper

So far, we’ve mentioned some of the shells where Shifting Woodland seems like a clear consideration. That being said, Shifting Woodland can copy anything under the sun, so it’s worth thinking outside the box.

In Modern, if you can get a big fatty into the graveyard yourself, Shifting Woodland can copy it at will. Players have had success adding a Persist Persist Return target nonlegendary creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it. package to their Indomitable Creativity Indomitable Creativity Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle. decks, letting them discard and return Archon of Cruelty Archon of Cruelty Flying
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, target opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker of their choice, discards a card, and loses 3 life. You draw a card and gain 3 life. to play. Perhaps players will be in the market for using Shifting Woodland to copy Archon and get some nice attack triggers in.

Beyond Archon, copying other bombs like Griselbrand Griselbrand Flying, lifelink
Pay 7 life: Draw seven cards. or even Emrakul, the Aeons Torn Emrakul, the Aeons Torn This spell can't be countered.
When you cast this spell, take an extra turn after this one.
Flying, protection from spells that are one or more colors, annihilator 6
When Emrakul is put into a graveyard from anywhere, its owner shuffles their graveyard into their library. could be backbreaking. This would take some innovation, but seeing Shifting Woodland appear in a unique Goryo’s Vengeance Goryo’s Vengeance Return target legendary creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
Splice onto Arcane {2}{B} (As you cast an Arcane spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that spell.) shell wouldn’t be too surprising.

While not exactly a traditional fatty, copying Phyrexian Dreadnought Phyrexian Dreadnought Trample
When this creature enters, sacrifice it unless you sacrifice any number of creatures with total power 12 or greater. can end the game in short order in Legacy. Stiflenought is a popular strategy in Legacy, utilizing the power of Stifle Stifle Counter target activated or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.) to keep Dreadnought and Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath When Uro enters, sacrifice it unless it escaped.
Whenever Uro enters or attacks, you gain 3 life and draw a card, then you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Escape—{G}{G}{U}{U}, Exile five other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.) on the battlefield and bypass their downsides. Shifting Woodland gives the deck a cool angle of attack. Dreadnought even gets you halfway to Delerium in an efficient manner, which is nice.

It’ll be interesting to see how far players go down the rabbit hole. Copying Omniscience Omniscience You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs. can let you win the game on the spot if you’re lucky. Using Lion’s Eye Diamond Lion’s Eye Diamond Discard your hand, Sacrifice this artifact: Add three mana of any one color. Activate only as an instant. as a quick burst of mana and Delerium enabler for Shifting Woodland is spicy as well. Shifting Woodland’s potential is truly boundless, so get ready for some neat shenanigans in Constructed and Commander alike.

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