Modern Horizons 3 (MH3) Limited Set Review: White

Hey everyone! Are you prepared to broaden your horizons before crushing some dreams in the newest set? That’s right, it’s somehow already new set time with Modern Horizons 3 preparing to drop on MTG Arena on June 11^th.  I’m not getting much time outside of the content creation dungeon with this crazy release schedule, but at least my wife promised to slide food under the door every time I finish an article.

Per usual, I’ll be grading the entire set for limited purposes. Maybe one day I’ll get to see sunlight again, but today is not that day.

Here’s the usual grading scale:

• 5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
• 4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
• 4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion's Messenger)
• 3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
• 3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
• 2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
• 2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
• 1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
• 1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
• 0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
• 0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)

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Aerie Auxiliary

Rating: 3.0/5

This is some heavy artillery. Yeah, I already started with the dad jokes. Wanna fight about it?

This is potentially 5/5 worth of stats with three of it being evasive for only four mana. It’s a pretty small ask for a white deck to have two creatures out when you play this so its often going to get full value. There will be plenty of complaints about people curving out with this.

Ajani Fells the Godsire

Rating: 3.0/5

Exiling a creature can matter with Umbra Armor and recursion running around and it’s a lot easier to pick one off when it’s only asking for three or greater power than the usual four on situational removal. Getting a 2/1 and a vigilance counter is a nice bonus on top of the removal, but you’re also five mana deep into it. The third part can be relevant, but they can see it coming from a mile away. It’s a decent amount of value though and can really shine if you have a way to keep replaying it like Essence Reliquary.

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah

Rating: 4.5/5

Starting off with 3/3 worth of stats for two mana across two bodies is pretty solid. You just have to find a way to flip it before Ajani dies. There aren’t many other cats in the set (Ocelot Pride and Thriving Skyclaw) so you are usually going to have to flip it off of the token.  

Ajani puts your opponent in a tough bind because they don’t want to attack into or block your cat token leaving them reliant on evasive combat. The other option is to sacrifice the token with something like Eviscerator's Insight or Lethal Throwdown.

Once you get your Planeswalker rolling, it will be an easy path to victory especially if you have another red permanent.

Argent Dais

Rating: 1.5/5

You’re five mana into exiling a nonland permanent that also lets them draw two cards. You need to be truly desperate for removal to want to be doing that. Being able to do it multiple times makes it slightly more tempting.  

You do get the oil counters when they attack as well as when you do so it can keep removing things. If you’re planning for a long game and need a way to deal with some specific problems then this can get the job done. If you’re ever using it as random removal, it’s pretty bad unless you’re trying to deck them.

Charitable Levy

Rating: 1.0/5

Getting to ramp and draw a card for two mana seems like a bargain. Unfortunately, your order from Temu never shows up looking like the picture. You don’t want to be taxing yourself and relying on your opponent to do it is pretty foolish when they can just play out creatures leaving you with a do nothing.

Dog Umbra

Rating: 3.0/5

While a Pacifism is significantly worse than an Arrest, the instant speed along with the versatility of being able to protect your creature makes this a very good boi. Always pet the dogs.

Envoy of the Ancestors

Rating: 3.0/5

While you usually have to wait an extra turn outlasting it to get the lifelink going, its still worth the investment. There are plenty of ways to modify your other creatures to get them in on the fun too.

This is basically unraceable if you have a couple of other modified critters so curving this into an Aerie Auxiliary might make them flip the table.

Essence Reliquary

Rating: 1.5/5

While not quite as silly as Crystal Shard could get in limited, this can help rack up an insane amount of value in the right deck. The problem is that it is really bad in the wrong deck. Make sure you’re on the correct side of the equation.

Expel the Unworthy

Rating: 2.5/5

Two mana Swords to Plowshares is still really solid, but to deal with pricier threats it jacks itself all the way up to five. It’s a nice fallback option to have, but you probably don’t want too many of these.

Flare of Fortitude

Rating: 1.0/5

Four mana is too pricy to use as a trick and you’re not much better off when you use this while sacrificing another creature for the effect.

I want to say that this is a sideboard card against mass removal, but even then, it is really situational. I’m sure that I’ll get got by it a couple of times because I forgot it existed, but I’ll still be better off than I would be if I was playing it.

Glyph Elemental

Rating: 3.5/5

Cheap bestow creatures can be busted in limited because they take away most of the risks of playing auras. Even without that, a bear that stacks counters on landfall is great especially with modified synergies running around.

Guardian of the Forgotten

Rating: 3.0/5

A decent vigilant body that helps you reap some value out of any of your modified creatures that bite the dust.

Guide of Souls

Rating: 3.5/5

Even without other energy generators this can produce enough gas on its own especially with cards that generate multiple bodies like Inspired Inventor. It gets much better when you have cheap enablers such as Tune the Narrative running around.  

It’s wonderful that this doesn’t need to attack to trigger the ability, just any attack and three energy to get the angel train started.

Hexgold Slith

Rating: 1.5/5

The one in the butt means that it is almost always going to need to use the ability to get through and its far from a guarantee that even that will do the trick. You can look at it as a 2/1 that incentivizes a trade and gives you two energy counters. If that’s a card you want, then go ahead and pick these up.

Indebted Spirit

Rating: 2.5/5

This might not seem like it does much, but it does a lot of little things. A 1/1 that dies into a 1/1 flyer is a fine deal for one mana. Great with sacrifice synergies or just anything that wants to flood the board. Of course, there’s a lot more value when you bestow it, but I’m grading this off of the versatility it provides.

Inspired Inventor

Rating: 2.5/5

You’ll be inspired to make the right decision with this crazy little artificer. The classic 2/2 and a 1/1 for three mana deal is always a crowd pleaser. The option to do that, get three energy, or just drop a +1+1 counter lets this fill a lot of roles without asking much in return.

Jolted Awake

Rating: 1.5/5

An interesting take on Unearth (the card, not the ability) that can only hit a two drop on its own. If you have other energy producers it can really up its game, but you probably don’t want to be playing this if you don’t.

Mandibular Kite

Rating: 2.0/5

While Scryb Sprites isn’t up to snuff in modern limited, this does throw in the expensive equipment to toss on something else you want to send at them in the skies.  

Metastatic Evangel

Rating: 3.0/5

Depending on your deck, this can be completely absurd or a card twenty-three. If you have cards handing out multiple +1+1 counters such as Aerie Auxiliary then you are going to party like it’s 1999. If you are only getting a couple of energy counters off of it, then it’s passable.

Muster the Departed

Rating: 1.5/5

You really want to play this after you already traded a creature this turn so that you can end up with at least 2 1/1 flyers off of it. With the right token makers this can do a lot more, but it is really limited when you are on the defense.

Nyxborn Unicorn

Rating: 2.5/5

It seems like most cheap unicorns end up being good limited cards and this is no exception. Bestow is a powerful ability and Mentor does some real work too.

Ocelot Pride

Rating: 2.5/5

This is an odd card as you really need some other ways to gain life to take advantage of it since a 1/1 isn’t going to survive cracking in that often. Can help snowball a game quickly if played on turn one, but a pretty bad top deck later on.

Pearl-Ear, Imperial Advisor

Rating: 3.5/5

I’m happy dropping a 3/4 lifelink for three mana. The other abilities might come up if you have some bestow creatures, but don’t forget that the creature already needs to be modified to get the card draw.

Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd

Rating: 3.5/5

This says shepherd, but it sure looks like a Corgi to me. Great for racking up some value or just clearing the way while your opponent’s creatures are like “Oh look, a dog!” Keep in mind you can target your own creature that you played precombat to keep growing this adorable pup.

Proud Pack-Rhino

Rating: 2.5/5

A Centaur Courser that lets you choose between a shield counter or a Proliferate is a pretty solid card. This will be one of those cards that will usually contribute more towards you winning than you realize.

Razorgrass Ambush

Rating: 2.5/5

MDFCs are almost always solid additions a long as they are played in the proper amounts. I tend to start with cutting two lands for three MDFCs and adjust from there. This is one of those on the edge of playable cards that the option to play as a land ensures that it almost always makes the cut.

Rosecot Knight

Rating: 1.5/5

Obviously, you need to adjust this for how likely it is to hit and how powerful your potential hits are. If it’s just a dude, then a 4/5 vigilance for five is basically filler.

Solstice Zealot

Rating: 2.0/5

This grade really depends on your decks ability to produce other energy or potentially use this energy for something else. The body isn’t great, but a tapper that doesn’t cost any mana can cause some problems.

Static Prison

Rating: 1.0/5

I’m not really looking to go down a card to remove a creature for a couple of turns or need to find another source of energy.

Thraben Charm

Rating: 2.5/5

This is almost always going to be using the first mode which is a decent conditional removal spell. If you’re happy with that then feel free to run these and enjoy the times the other options pop up.

Voltstorm Angel

Rating: 3.5/5

A decent sized flyer that can either pump your side or cause some serious issues with the vigilant lifelinking shenanigans. That’ll cause your opponent to be storming on the other side of the table.

White Orchid Phantom

Rating: 2.5/5

Its ability is usually going to be flavor text, but it could occasionally come up. It’s a 2/2 flying first striker for two and that’s just fine.

Wing It

Rating: 2.0/5

I love tricks that leave something behind and making your creature permanently airborne is certainly something. Getting a scry on top of your newly modified creature is just the cherry on top.

Witch Enchanter

Rating: 2.5/5

The creature is really one mana too expensive for what it does, but the usual MDFC rules apply where that’s just fine because it can also be a land instead.

Wrath of the Skies

Rating: 4.0/5

If you’re playing things like Tune the Narrative then you can actually wreck their side earlier than expected. Basically, you are going to want to be one energy ahead if you’re on the play and two energy ahead if you’re on the draw to be able to almost guarantee a full wipe.

A sweeper is a sweeper and this one picks off a lot of incidentals floating around. It can also only pick off smaller creatures while you keep your big ol beaters. It takes a bit more of a setup than a generic sweeper, but it’ll be great as long as you plan it out.

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Wrap Up

The white cards of the set are mostly what you would expect. We have some cheap efficient creatures running around with some ways to enhance them. It’s also rocking removal that leaves you wanting a little more, but can certainly get the job done in the right places. I fully expect white aggro to be one of the early successful archetypes especially in bo1.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with my limited review of the blue cards from Modern Horizons 3. Until then, stay classy people!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.

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