With the banning of Brainstorm, Blue decks might branch out beyond spellslinger strategies in Historic, and the new Jumpstart: Historic Horizons cards will help push the color toward different directions.
Day three of Historic Horizons spoilers revealed three Blue spells that take advantage of the new digital-only mechanics. Alongside several solid Blue spells, Enchantment and Undying decks received support.
Scheduled for release on Aug. 12, Historic Horizons includes cards from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2, and includes 31 new-to-Magic: The Gathering cards with digital design.
Here are the top spoilers from day three of Historic Horizons preview season. Stay tuned for the exclusive Dot Esports Historic Horizons packet reveal on July 29 at 9am CT.
Shoreline Scout
- Mana value: U
- Type: Creature Merfolk Scout
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Stats: 1/1
- First ability: When Shoreline Scout enters the battlefield, you may exile a Merfolk card or a land card from your hand. If you do, Conjure a Tropical Island card into your hand.
- Second ability: As long as another Merfolk or an Island entered the battlefield under your control this turn, Shoreline Scout gets +1/+0.
One interesting part of digital-only cards is having a creature conjure a $3,000 card. Shoreline Scout is a solid one-drop Merfolk that helps smooth out early land drops. Tropical Island is a great early land drop that lets Ixalan Check Lands untapped.
Shoreline Scout will be a staple in Historic Merfolk strategies and could end up in Blue ramp decks. It’s also just cool to play a Tropical Island, an experience few Magic players have ever done.
Pool of Vigorous Growth
- Mana value: 1G
- Type: Artifact
- Rarity: Rare
- First ability: X, tap, discard a card: Create a token that’s a copy of a random creature card with mana value X. Activate only as a Sorcery.
Momir Vig is a digital-only event occasionally run on Magic Online and Magic Arena. The random nature of the format leads to wild games where anything from a Emrakul, the Promised End to a Frost Lynx could enter the battlefield.
Pool of Vigorous Growth is a card with an activated ability that’s the same as the Momir Vig emblem. This card isn’t that good. It’ll be difficult to build an effective deck around this card in a fast, efficient format like Historic. If this card ends up being decent, it’ll be off the back of untap effects like Corridor Monitor and Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner that help you use the effect multiple times per turn.
Kiora, Wrath of the Tides
- Mana value: 3U
- Type: Legendary Planeswalker Kiora
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Starting loyalty: Four
- First ability: +1: Conjure a Kraken Hatchling card into your hand.
- Second ability: +1: Untap target creature or land. Until your next turn, prevent all damage that would be dealt to and dealt by that permanent.
- Third ability: -3: You may sacrifice a Kraken. If you do, create an 8/8 Blue Kraken creature token.
Kiora, Wrath of the Tides is filled with value. This four-mana Planeswalker isn’t as powerful as other options in Historic but may find a home as a strong support card in control and ramp builds.
The key to Kiora is that the card is self-sufficient. The first +1 ability feeds directly into the -3 ability. There are even other play patterns that work like turning a turn-three Nadir Kraken into an 8/8 on turn four. The second +1 ability is powerful in control decks facing midrange strategies.
Mentor of Evos Isle
- Mana value: 2U
- Type: Creature Bird Wizard
- Rarity: Common
- Stats: 2/1
- Keyword: Flying
- First ability: When Mentor of Evos Isle enters the battlefield, choose a creature card in your hand. It perpetually gains Flying.
Mentor of Evos Isle gives a creature in your hand Flying. This is a strong spell that gives your best threat evasion. This is strictly better than cards like Fly because it comes with a 2/1 body. Mentor of Evos Isle can get in for some chip damage and clear the way for a flying Elder Gargaroth to slam in for lethal.
Sythis, Harvest’s Hand
- Mana value: GW
- Type: Legendary Enchantment Creature Nymph
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 1/2
- First ability: Whenever you cast an Enchantment spell, you gain one life and draw a card.
Selesnya Enchantment is going to be a real deck in Historic. Sythis, alongside Sterling Grove and Sanctum Weaver, revived Enchantment strategies in Modern. In a lower power-level format, this package led by Sythis is ready for top-tier Historic play.
Sythis isn’t flashy. It won’t be attacking for a lot of damage or loaded with activated abilities. Consistently drawing a card and gaining life is a powerful engine that keeps Enchantment decks consistent.
Published: Jul 28, 2021 04:44 pm