Pick Up These Cheap Modern Horizons 3 Cards Now
The Modern Way
Welcome back for another History, Restapled, a Commander-focused column that attempts to validate a newer card’s status as a staple by looking at how cards that are similar, synergistic, or competing have fared in the past financially. Prices of
Chthonian Nightmare
Chthonian Nightmare is an attempt to fix Recurring Nightmare and usher it into a powered-up Modern. The card now runs on energy and contains an ETB to which opponents can respond and destroy Chthonian Nightmare outright. Fair enough, though I don’t think Wizards of the Coast neutered it as effectively as they’d hoped. The card plays out like the original so long as you recur a 1-2 mana value creature first, bouncing Chthonian Nightmare so it can start accumulating energy beyond the initial three.
Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chthonian Nightmare is banned in Modern in the foreseeable future, but it can slot into plenty of Commander decks without breaking the format wide open—or so it would seem. Grab one for $2 before the rest of the player base wises up to its true strength.
STATUS: New black staple
| Chthonian Nightmare | ||
| Chthonian Nightmare (Retro Frame) | ||
| Chthonian Nightmare (Borderless) |
Wight of the Reliquary
This new Golgari handsome lad ticks all the boxes of what that color combination wants to do: sacrifice creatures, put lands onto the battlefield, grow swole from death, and delight in a deliciously punny name, all with vigilance to boot, unlike its spiritual predecessor,
Wight of the Reliquary is fantastic, but likely won’t live far outside dedicated aristocrats-type strategies. It offers a repeatable ramp source at the cost of tokens, sure, but requires a turn cycle to get going, slowing its roll significantly. I’d imagine most decks want something like a mana dork or a
STATUS: New Golgari staple
| Wight of the Reliquary | ||
| Wight of the Reliquary (Extended Art) |
Siege-Gang Lieutenant
Unfussy and uncomplicated, Siege-Gang Lieutenant does its thing with little hassle, paying homage to its
STATUS: Red token staple
| Siege-Gang Lieutenant | ||
| Siege-Gang Lieutenant (Extended Art) |
Copy Land
The Nitpicking Nerds YouTube channel made a great point about Copy Land, a new Modern Horizons 3 Commander card: in a roundabout way, it’s a blue
STATUS: Blue staple
| Copy Land | ||
| Copy Land (Extended Art) |
The Nightmare is Over?
So, is the horror of Recurring Nightmare never to be repeated, and Chthonian Nightmare a fair substitute? Am I overestimating its impact on the format? I hope I’m wrong and the card becomes a fun role-player, but I have my suspicions. Let me know what you think!
Further Reading:
Checking in on the Modern Meta After Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3
Steve Heisler is a writer and pop culture journalist covering comedy, games, television, film and the tech industry. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, GQ, Variety, The AV Club, Fast Company and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began collecting Magic cards during Fourth Edition and plays Commander and Modern primarily. He also enjoys tennis, the Dark Souls family of video games and supporting live comedy. He lives in Chicago with his cat, Rosie.
