Modern Masters 2: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Uncommons

The holidays are over, the new year is upon us, and Fates Reforged spoilers are now in full swing. In no time at all we’ll be knee deep in a new standard and limited format, and we’ll forget about Modern Masters 2 until it gets closer to the event in May. It’s for that reason that I would like to put out my picks for uncommons that I think will show up in MM2. There are a lot of great uncommons that weren’t reprinted in the first modern masters, and quite a few that might deserve to become rares. Lets take a look at the most obvious cards that will be seeing a reprint in the set this May.

 

Uncommons

 

 

Probability: 80%

Aven Mindcensor is an obvious target for a reprint in MM2. The card sees a lot of play in tier 2 white decks such as Death and Taxes and GW Hatebears, and holds a price tag of close to $10. Now I said that I thought that Leonin Arbiter would see a reprint as well in the rare slot, but if this card is reprinted I could see the cards possibly switching rarities with Aven Mindcensor becoming a rare. It definitely has the power level to do so I think. I also don’t see this card popping up in a full release set like Khans of Tarkir either just yet.

 

Probability: 65%

Beast Within is pretty popular in the EDH crowds, as well as in casual circles. There aren’t too many modern deck playing it at the moment, but that could change. Green usually doesn’t get powerful destroy effects at instant speed, especially with NO drawbacks. You can destroy a creature, planeswalker, land, enchantment . . . anything goes. This card is really good, and deserves a reprint I think.

 

Probability: 70%

Dismember is another prime candidate for a reprint. The card sees tons of sideboard play in a variety of modern decks thanks to its Phyrexian mana. Affinity, Merfolk, Zoo . . . any deck could play it. It’s a sideboard staple which to me means it will be featured in the new set.

 

Probability: 50%

 

Harmonic Sliver is a tough one. On one hand it sees play in Birthing Pod decks from time to time. However, the printing of Reclamation Sage in M15 has supplanted it in some player’s decks. On the other hand, there are definitely a lot of casual players out there, people with Sliver EDH or modern decks, and getting a reprint of this card would be a boon. It seems like Wizards has been printing a lot of new slivers in the last 2 core sets, so perhaps they are building towards making Slivers playable in various formats. It’s possible!

 

Probability: 55%

 

If Karn is getting a reprint, then you can be sure Wizards will supply us with some of the cards needed to put together a Tron deck in limited. The Urza Lands seem like they could be back in MM2 to help with Eldrazi and Karn Liberated, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a card like Chromatic Star as well.

 

Probability: 65%

 

I’m betting heavily that Affinity will be a theme in MM2. Mox Opal is sure to be in the set, and Cranial Plating needs a reprint as well, so I think Memnite will be back in the set as well. It’s a staple of Affinity decks everywhere, so there is a good chance it will be reprinted.

 

Probability: 40%

The reprint of Remand in the Jace Vs Vraska set did little to quench the demand for it. In fact, it probably made it an even more desirable card. It sees heavy play in UWR control, UR/RUG Delver, UR/RUG Twin . . . pretty much any blue deck plays a few of these. I wouldn’t be surprised if they reprinted it in MM2, though I think the chances are pretty low. Perhaps it should be reprinted at rare if it does get reprinted though? That would help protect its price while still giving players more supply.

 

Probability: 70%

 

Shattering Spree is another sideboard all star that sees play in a variety of decks (mostly brought in against Affinity). Red decks that want to be fast and hit hard such as Naya Zoo, Delver, and Twin will use this. Of course Shatterstorm is another possiblity, but the low mana cost make this a much better overall card. With Affinity looking to show up in MM2, this card definitely has a chance of seeing play too.

Probability: 60%

 

Sylvan Scrying is a key part of GR Tron’s set up, letting you search for one of the Urza Lands you need so it’s possible this card will get a reprint.  We had cards like Kodama’s Reach in Modern Masters, so this card could fill that land search issue.

 

Probability: 60%

 

Signal Pest would fit in nicely with Modern Masters 2. It works in Affinity, Infect, and tokens for starters. It’s another staple of Affinity decks in modern, and it wouldn’t hurt to print some more, especially if the lower price of Mox Opals allows more people to play affinity in modern. I think there will be renewed interest as the cost of deck drops, as it’s a somewhat inexpensive but powerful tier 1 choice. There’s a good chance we’ll see it in May.

 

Probability: 65%

GR Tron, Eldrazi . . . you’re going to need lots of mana to get out these huge threats early. I’m guessing that will be done partly by the Urza Lands. While it might be hard to do in sealed, I could definitely see somebody collecting all 3 in a draft to assemble the Urzatron early or putting out an Eldrazi on turn 5 or so. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised to see these card be reprinted for the first time since 9th edition.

 

Probability: 60% 

 

My last pick for uncommons is Whipflare. It’s a great card to use if you’re playing against fast decks like Infect or GW Hatebears, especially if you’re an Affinity deck. GR Tron could also use it in a limited environment to stop fast decks (other than affinity) from killing it before it can push out a big creature. I think it would also be really effective against Token decks, especially if we’re talking about 1/1 flying spirit tokens. Sure it saw a reprint in Commander 2014, but I think it would still be a solid card in MM2.

 

Other Possibilities

 

There are tons of other uncommons that I think could be reprinted in Modern Masters 2015, but they are less obvious and also not staples in the format. These are the cards that Wizards could be reprinting to fill casual or EDH demand, or possibly just to strengthen/create new archetypes so that they are more competitive in the modern environment. I won’t go into depth as much about these cards as I did with the ones above, but I will discuss why I think they will be present in MM2.

 

• Artisan of Kozilek – it sees a lot of play in EDH, and with Eldrazi being reprinted, why not throw this in at uncommon?
• Deceiver Exarch – it’s a key part of Splinter Twin lists, so I think there is a possibility it will be reprinted. 
• Dispatch – another New Phyrexia card that will probably be back. If we’re playing with a lot of artifacts, hitting metalcraft should be no problem. 
• Forked Bolt/Fatestitcher – I’d like to see these get reprinted again as well, but these cards really didn’t start seeing play until Treasure Cruise/Jeskai Ascendancy were printed. If WoTC saw those combos coming, then we’re safe. Otherwise, you can expect them in a future set. 
• Go for the Throat – much better than Doom Blade in most people’s opinions. Not good against affinity, but hits everything else. 
• Gut Shot/Noxius Revival/Mental Misstep – if they’re going to reprint Gitaxian Probe (perhaps at uncommon) and Dismember, then there’s a good chance that Gut Shot, Mental Misstep and Noxius Revival will be back too. 
• Inquisition of Kozilek – even though it was reprinted in the Modern Masters Token deck, it still is in high demand. We might see more in MM2. 
• Kird Ape/Loam Lion – I could see these two cards being reprinted if there is a Zoo theme in MM2. Otherwise I wouldn’t count on it. 
• Mind Funeral – this card has high casual demand, and if Wizards wants to appease that demand they might reprint it. 
• Suppression Field – this card sees some sideboard play in a variety of decks. It’s anywhere from 2-3 times more expensive in Japan than in the USA as well, selling for upwards of $5-6. Could work well against Affinity decks in limited too. 
• Twisted Image – it’s a key card of Splinter Twin decks, and if they reprint Remand and Deceiver Exarch, you might be able to put together a combo deck in limited like Modern Masters 1 did with Storm. 
• Viridian Corrupter – lots of people are saying infect could be a possible theme in MM2, and I really like the Corrupter in limited if this is true. Not only does he fit into the infect archetype, but he also deals with artifacts which will be a big part of the set. 

In the Home Stretch

I had a few other speculative guesses such as Harmonize, more slivers, Hedron Crab, Mortify, etc., but after taking a good look at these card I don’t see what would stop WoTC from releasing these in a regular set like KTK. Today’s list is about 30 cards, but you can be sure there will be around 30 more in the final set. Some of these will be lands, some of these will be casual cards to entice non hard core players, and some of them will just be filler as part of a cycle like the Phyrexian mana cards. I left a lot of leeway in this article, so I’d like to get some input from you guys as well. Which cards do you think will be reprinted at uncommon rarity in MM2? Will some rares cease being rares? Will some commons become uncommons (like Gitaxian Probe)? I’d like to hear what you think before we start getting spoilers in about 3 months. 

We’re almost finished with these series of articles. Make sure you stop by in a few days to see my final article about which commons I think will be appearing in Modern Masters 2015. Until then, happy holidays and enjoy your winter vacation!