Modern Horizons 3 is now fully spoiled, officially this time. We’ve got all 445 cards in our hands, ripe for the brewing. Most of these cards are brand new, and essentially question marks going into the new Modern season. Some are a bit more familiar, however. I refer, of course, to the many reprints of Modern Horizons 3.
Despite their lack of new-card novelty, these reprints are exciting in their own way. Many of them are going to be Modern legal for the first time as the result of this printing. Many more are old, expensive cards that have been crying out for a reprint like this for some time.
Today, we’re going to take a look at the most exciting reprints in the set from a financial perspective. Some more playable cards may get glossed over as a result, but fear not. They’ll have their day in the sun before long.
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The Allied Fetchlands
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Yes, all five Allied Fetchlands have reprints in Modern Horizons 3. Yes, they’re some of the most important reprints in the set, both from a financial and gameplay standpoint. Lands like this are a bizarre paradox. They’re simultaneously exciting because they’re used in so many decks that opening them is always a rush, and boring, because their value is such a foregone conclusion that discussing them is often difficult.
The Fetchlands are arguably the best lands ever printed in Magic, playing extraordinarily well with the Shocklands in Modern and the original Dual Lands in Legacy and Vintage. The ability to grab the exact mana you need while thinning your deck and filling your graveyard is incredibly valuable. As a result, all of these cards are worth a premium.
All five go for anything from $20-40, depending on the version. This applies to the Fetches with less desirable color combinations too, such as Windswept Heath. Their playability is also not in question. If you’re playing any format from Modern back, you can find a use for these cards. Excellent reprints altogether, and a massive value add for MH3 in general.
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Urza’s Incubator
From an obvious spicy reprint to a less obvious one, next on our list is Urza’s Incubator. This is an Artifact from way back in Urza’s Destiny, and it’s had scarce reprints since. You might recognize it from Dominaria Remastered, where it made a surprise appearance, but outside of that, it’s been Commander precons only. Sadly, these few reports have done little to remedy its ridiculous price tag.
Even on the low end, Urza’s Incubator will run you around $30 at the time of writing. That’s a lot of money, especially for a card that really only sees play in Commander. The ability to discount all creatures of a chosen type by two is a big deal in that format, and the fact that Incubator is colorless, and can therefore slot into any typal deck, is a big plus too.
Whether it’s Dinosaurs, Dragons, or Eldrazi, there are plentiful uses for Incubator out there. This will only grow more true over time, as Commander soaks up more and more of the spotlight. Though the card is now legal in Modern, I’m skeptical about its potential there. It feels a bit too slow and ‘fair’ for the format. This reprint should help bring down that chunky price tag, then, but keep an eye on it. If it does take off in Modern, it could well have the opposite effect.
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Phyrexian Tower
Now this one was a real surprise. Somehow Phyrexian Tower managed to dodge the many, many waves of leaks that hit during the run-up to MH3 previews, meaning its debut last Friday was just as impactful as Wizards intended. This is a classic from 1998’s Urza’s Saga and was part of a full legendary land cycle that may well be one of the most powerful in the game’s history. After all, Tolarian Academy, Gaea’s Cradle, and Serra’s Sanctum were all members.
Phyrexian Tower is actually the second-weakest land in this cycle, after the unfortunate Shivan Gorge. That doesn’t mean it’s weak in the grand scheme, however. Far from it. The card can serve both as a sacrifice outlet and a land that taps for two, helping black decks in Commander and Brawl find an edge. It hasn’t seen much success in Legacy or Vintage, but despite that, it’ll still run you just under $40 for a copy, regardless of version.
Now that the card is Modern legal, that price could, incredibly, go even higher. This may be a reprint, but it’s at Mythic, which typically doesn’t do much for a card’s price. Whether Tower actually sees Modern play or not is very much to be decided, but I’m optimistic. Especially with Wight of the Reliquary to tutor it out in a sacrifice deck.
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Flusterstorm
Here’s a reprint that doesn’t need to prove itself in Modern in the slightest. Flusterstorm is one of the most popular counterspells available in eternal formats, seeing play in a huge number of decks in Modern, Legacy, and Vintage. The card is a one-mana answer to all manner of spellslinger shenanigans, as well as opposing countermagic. Basically, if you have an Instant or Sorcery problem, Flusterstorm can solve it.
As a result, you’re not going to find copies of it for less than $25 at the time of writing, and you may very well have to go as high as $30. The lack of a printing in any ‘real’ set, other than Iconic Masters, if you count that, is most likely responsible. This reprint is unlikely to move the needle much either since Flusterstorm is the Modern Horizons 3 Buy-a-Box promo, not a card in the main set. Interestingly, this was also the case for Modern Horizons 1. Just what are they up to over at Wizards of the Coast?
We’ve already discussed Flusterstorm’s playability, but to recap: it’s very, very high. It’s unlikely that the new cards added in Modern Horizons 3, powerful as they are, will change that much. Given how many boxes of this set are likely to be opened, a Buy-a-Box promo version could help with supply. That said, I’d still bank on this being a pricey card by the time the dust settles in six months’ time.
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The Medallion Cycle
The last Modern Horizons 3 reprints on our list are the Tempest Medallions. Not seen since, outside of scattered printings in Commander products, all five are now back, and Modern legal for the first time ever. Whether that’s cause for celebration or not remains to be seen, but for now we can say for certain that these are all welcome reprints pricing-wise.
Due to their lack of reprints, all five Medallions have been steadily creeping up in price over the years. Emerald Medallion is reasonable at around $5, but that’s because it’s the weakest member of the cycle. Pearl is similar, but after that, the others are all $10 or more. Unlike some of the other reprints on this list, getting the Medallions at Rare should actually help bring those prices down significantly.
They’re still very spicy reprints, however, since they bring the cards to Modern for the first time. There’s been some debate as to whether they’ll do much in the format, but mana cheating is a historically broken mechanic, and these let you mana cheat like crazy in the right deck. At the moment, the most likely candidate for Modern play is Ruby Medallion, which many have pegged as a key player in Storm decks. I wouldn’t write off any of them at this stage, however. Even if they don’t see Modern play, these five cards will be Commander staples until the end of time, so they’re more than welcome as reprints in Modern Horizons 3.
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