This week in Magic: Modern Masters 2015

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Welcome to another week of “This week in Magic.” This is going to be a really fun issue because we get to talk about the upcoming Modern Masters 2015 release coming this weekend. While some of you will be playing Legacy at this weekend’s SCG Open, I’m going to be cracking packs of Modern Masters hoping to open that Foil Tarmogoyf. Although, even if I don’t open it, I’ll still be happy with a majority of the cards (common and uncommon).

Should I draft Modern Masters 2015?

Now that Modern Masters 2015 is only a few days away some of you out there are wondering if it’s worth drafting. I know some of you are new to the game and have had these kind of questions. My initial answer would be that it’s all up to you.

Modern Masters 2015 is a set that is really set up for those who have already been playing the game for a while. I mean it’s called Modern Masters for a reason. That’s because it has cards that are mostly staples for the Modern format. So if you’re into Standard, you may want to think a little bit more about investing the money into Modern Masters 2015.

Modern Staples

Now that we’ve got the question of drafting out of the way, let’s talk about what to keep an eye out for. Whether you’re new to the Modern format or not, here are some staples you should keep an eye out for.

Commons

As far as commons go, Vines of Vastwood is a card those interested in playing Infect decks should look for. Not to mention, it’s also a solid draft pick as it pumps your creature up and gives it hexproof until the end of turn. Another great common to keep an eye out for would be Vapor Snag. This was a card that was last printed during the Innistrad block and is played in a lot of decks. Best known for being a one mana instant that can deal with almost any creature, it’s seeing the most play in Modern control decks like UR Delver, Grixis Delver, and Grixis Control.

Can you believe that they reprinted Smash to Smithereens? Before it was announced to be in Modern Masters 2015, Smash to Smithereens was a $4.00 common from Shadowmoor. That price has obviously dropped and drop some more base on how many are opened in the next couple of weeks. This is a very solid side board card for any decks that are running red and don’t need to worry about dealing with Affinity.

Other great cards include Mana Leak, Gut Shot, and Thoughtcast. Besides Remand, Mana Leak is one of the most used counterspells in Modern. Most decks run two to three copies of this card in their lists. Gut Shot has gone into a bit of hiding, but a free burn spell is always nice to own. Those looking for pieces of Affinity, Thoughtcast is a card you may want to pick up. Nothing beats drawing more cards than what you paid for.

Uncommons

For uncommons, let’s start with Spectral Procession. Token players will want to grab a set of this card if they want to stay in the game. Of course, Remand is back! This is the best counter being played in Modern right now. While it doesn’t provide a permanent answer to spells, it buys you time and draws you a card. Infect players will want to pick up a playset of Mutagenic Growths as well. Paying life to cast a spell in a deck where your life total is insignificant almost makes that spell free. That’s why it’s is one of the best pump spells Infect players can have in their decks in the Modern format.

I think Lightning Bolt was a card many didn’t expect to be reprinted at all. It may never be reprinted in the Standard format ever again, but seeing it in a set like Modern Masters 2015 makes sense now that we know it’s there. Three-for-ones have been the epitome of Magic, and, therefore, spells like Lightning Bolt have been considered some of the most powerful spells in the game, ever. Another example of a powerful three-for-one is Ancestral Recall.

Finally, some other cards to keep an eye on are Flashfreeze, Celestial Purge, and Combust. These aren’t cards that are played in many main boards, but these are side board staples you may want to pick up and store away for a rainy day.

Rares and Mythics

This is a list I’m really happy about. There are a lot of useful cards that are being reprinted. If they weren’t in this set, some of them would be really hard to get. At the top of this list has to be Noble Hierarch. This was last seen in Conflux and many saw it as just “another Birds of Paradise.” At the time I have to agree, but it’s gone on to become more than that. Thanks to its exalted ability, it’s a card that must be played in decks that use mana accelerants. It’s a must have in decks like Infect and Abzan. It just comes to show you how powerful this card is – it only provides two of the three colors needed and yet you need four of them!

Splinter Twin is another great card to see reprinted as it’s one of the most popular decks being played right now in Modern. So, of course, give everyone a chance to get their hands on a copy of this card.

Cards that were in the original Modern Masters that are are a great sight to see are Cryptic Command, Dark Confidant, and Tarmogoyf. These are cards that while individually are quite the investment, they make buying a booster well worth the cost.

Well that’s it for now. This weekend is going to be a blast and it’s going to be more exciting to see what people open up in their boosters. Do me a favor and take some pics then tweet them our way @battlground_gh. Hope to see you all this weekend! Until next time…

About the author

Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!

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Tags: Magic, Magic the Gathering, modern masters 2015, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
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