Modern Horizons 3 is finally here! Following prerelease events kicking off, MTG players have finally gotten their hands on 2024’s biggest set. At long last, this means MTG players can finally start cracking packs, en masse.
Whether you’re playing Draft or just opening packs for fun, it’s worthwhile being prepared for what you might find. On top of knowing about the set’s Limited archetypes, it’s well worth keeping an eye on the most expensive cards. Considering the format-warping power of many Modern Horizons 3 cards, to say they’re expensive is an understatement!
To make sure you know what to look out for, today, we’ll be going over all the most expensive cards in Modern Horizons 3. We will only be considering the cheapest variant of each card to give you a good idea of what you could open in a regular Play Booster of Modern Horizons 3.
Now, without any further ado, here are the most expensive Modern Horizons 3 cards. Notably, we will be using the cheapest variant of each card to assess their price.
9 | Phyrexian Tower
Price: $15
At the time of writing, Phyrexian Tower is the only reprint on this list. Considering old versions of this card sell for around $35, it’s a wonder it wasn’t on this list sooner. For better or worse, this reprint is evidently already working, as its price is far lower than older variants.
Phyrexian Tower is fast mana, and as such, is seeing some Modern play. That said, the card is not overly popular or making a big impact on the Modern metagame. Either way, it has found itself in Grief Scam decks as well as Yawgmoth Combo.
Thanks to being a Commander staple, there’s no shortage of demand for Phyrexian Tower. Due to this, even if this card flops in Modern, it should retain a healthy price point. As we’re seeing already, the final resting price for the new Phyrexain Tower will likely be far lower than past variants. That being said, with how good this card is, it likely won’t be cheap anytime soon.
8 | Emrakul, the World Anew
Price: $17
From the moment they were spoiled during the First Look for Modern Horizons 3, Emrakul, the World Anew has been tremendously expensive. Considering this version of Emrakul can steal each opponent’s creatures, this isn’t a surprise at all. In the vast majority of formats, if you play Emrakul, the World Anew, you just win.
Considering this Emrakul costs 12 mana, you’d expect hope for an effect as potent as this one. To set themselves apart, Emrakul can be played for just six colorless mana if you discard this card. So long as you have enough colorless mana, this turns Emrakul into a surprisingly aggressive mid-game threat.
Emrakul has not been able to accomplish much in competitive formats. Maybe post-ban announcement, some decks will emerge utilizing this Titan. For the time-being, however, this seems to be a Commander-only card.
7 | Talon Gates of Madara
Price: $21
We expected Talon Gates of Madara to be one of the better cards in Modern Horizons 3, and it looks like we weren’t wrong. This is the only card on this list that isn’t a part of the main set. It’s also the only card on this list that’s not a Mythic Rare.
Talon Gates of Madara is a fantastic addition to Gates decks everywhere, but it also sees play in the Legacy format. Any decks that use Crop Rotation effects can run Talon Gates as a silver bullet effect. Having a land that doubles as a spell, Phasing something out, is incredibly powerful. The final ability of Talon Gates of Madara allows you to utilize this similarly to a Channel land, but you even get the land in play!
We expect Talon Gates of Madara to be an expensive card for quite some time to come. This is one of the best utility lands in all of Magic: the Gathering.
6 | Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Price: $23
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah is one of the core pieces of the Modern Energy decks. Capable of going wide, and eventually capitalizing on a wide board, an Ajani that flips at an opportune moment can run away with the game. Throwing five-damage bolts at your opponent’s face while generating board advantage is absolutely ludicrous.
At the moment, Energy decks are the only deck that is really keeping up with Nadu, Winged Wisdom combo decks, which is the de-facto best deck in the format. As a result, a lot of Modern players are flocking to this deck, as it will likely still exist past the ban window at the end of August.
Even outside of specifically Energy decks in Modern, Ajani is likely getting a ton of Commander play. Any go-wide decks in Boros want this, and Cat Typal decks are probably losing their minds over it.
5 | Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Price: $24
If you asked us in the past, Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student is one of the most overrated cards from Modern Horizons 3. Recent metagame developments have proven that we were wrong about this card, however.
In decks that run playsets of Mishra’s Bauble and Preordain, flipping a Tamiyo on turn two is rather common. From there, this Planeswalker can run out of control and end the game with an ultimate effect.
While that is the best way to utilize Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, there is a lot more going on with this card than just that. Firstly, Tamiyo is a card advantage machine that can block most turn one threats. This alone gives Tamiyo a lot of strength in the early game, leading to various Murktide decks adopting her over Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer.
Secondly, Tamiyo is a Wizard. Flame of Anor is an incredibly powerful Magic card, and Tamiyo’s existence makes it a heck of a lot better. Between Tamiyo and Snapcaster Mage, getting two modes from this powerful Lord of the Rings addition is trivial.
Lastly, Tamiyo is a blue Legendary creature, which has allowed Grinding Breach decks to make their way back into the metagame. Being able to tap Mox Amber for blue mana without using Emry, Lurker of the Loch creates some absolutely absurd sequences.
Tamiyo is seeing play in both Modern and Legacy at the moment, but the card isn’t dominating either format. We expect Tamiyo to be in fantastic shape following the upcoming ban announcement on August 26.
Ultimately, Tamiyo is definitely worth her secondary market price. While the card is not ruining Modern or anything like that, it’s a great addition for a variety of different blue tempo decks.
4 | Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury
Price: $28
Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury ended up being a much better card than many players expected. Finding spots in Modern Storm, Burn, Energy and Control, Phlage can play a ton of different roles. Ultimately, this is a powerful win condition that also serves as removal. Sure, that removal is a tad bit overpriced the first time around, but being able to win the game with a piece of removal is absolutely broken.
Despite this, the card has come down in price following its initial price spike. Phlage still functions as the premier win condition for Jeskai Control decks, but the card is seeing a little less play in Energy than it was.
Either way, Phlage is still a terrifying threat for many decks to face. The inevitability attached to a card like this can be incredibly demoralizing to try and beat in a longer game.
3 | Ulamog, the Defiler
Price: $30
Ulamog, the Defiler was the most expensive card in Modern Horizons 3 for some time. While its fancier variants are still worth a ton of cash, the base variant of this card has almost lost half of its value. $30 is still quite expensive, but Ulamog is not seeing a ton of play in competitive formats.
Unfortunately for anyone looking to get Ulamog, the Defiler on the cheap, this card is likely going to stay expensive. This is thanks to this Ulamog simply being an absolute powerhouse that does it all. Offering a potent Mill effect, insane stats, Annihilator, and a devastating Ward cost, Ulamog, the Defiler is utterly brutal.
The little Modern play this card does see ends the game on the spot. Thanks to Ulamog checking all cards in exile, its rather easy to grant this card Annihilator 15 on turn three with Haste. This is thanks to cards Imprinted with Ugin’s Labyrinth counting towards Ulamog’s abilities. This means you can Imprint an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and cheat an Ulamog, the Defiler into play with Through the Breach. A hasty 22/22 with Annihilator 15 is generally enough to end a game.
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2 | Ugin’s Labyrinth
Price: $31
To put it bluntly, Ugin’s Labyrinth is an utterly fantastic MTG card and an insane addition to Modern. So long as you can pay the imprint cost, Ugin’s Labyrinth can tap for two colorless mana on turn one. Considering fast mana cards like Mox Opal are banned in Modern, Ugin’s Labyrinth appears to be bonkers.
This, alone, caused Modern Tron decks to adjust. Making the Imprint to turn on the fast mana that Ugin’s Labyrinth provides is harder than you may think. Devourer of Destinies allowed Ugin’s Labyrinth to be a much more natural fit in Tron decks everywhere, allowing the card a powerful seat at the Modern Metagame table.
Outside of Tron, Ugin’s Labyrinth gave birth of a series of Through the Breach strategies. The payoffs for Through the Breach can also be used as fast mana, which reliably allows players to get their haymaker play ahead of schedule.
1 | Ocelot Pride
Price: $44
Energy decks are really taking over the Modern format. Ocelot Pride’s massive increase in price is a testament to that. Now the most expensive card in the set, Modern and Commander players alike want this cat. The card even got nerfed in the Historic format due to how powerful it is.
Technically, Ocelot Pride is a one-mana token doubler. Before you rush out to buy a playset of this card, however, it’s worth clarifying there are several major caveats. For starters, Ocelot Pride needs The City’s Blessing in order to enable this doubling ability in the first place. Beyond this, Ocelot Pride can also only copy tokens that have been created this turn.
The card does happen to synergize incredibly well with the Energy package. Guide of Souls can trigger Ocelot Pride effortlessly, which creates multiple bodies, fueling your Energy for future plays. Wide boards synergize with Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, dealing massive damage to your opponent. It looks like a pile of cards at first glance, but everything seamlessly fits into a puzzle.
