Explore the depths of Modern Horizons 3 with this comprehensive draft guide, designed to enhance your strategy and card selection skills for a competitive edge.
Discover top commons, color synergies, and archetype overviews to dominate your drafts and sealed events with confidence and precision in this dynamic set.
1.1 Overview of Modern Horizons 3 Set
Modern Horizons 3 introduces a fresh wave of cards designed to invigorate Limited formats, blending nostalgia with innovation. The set is tailored for draft enthusiasts, offering a diverse pool of strategies and synergies. With a mix of powerful commons, intriguing archetypes, and balanced mechanics, MH3 promises dynamic gameplay. Its design emphasizes accessibility while rewarding strategic depth, making it a favorite among both new and seasoned players. The set’s popularity is further amplified by extensive coverage from top MTG content creators and communities.
1.2 Importance of Drafting in Modern Horizons 3
Drafting is a cornerstone of Modern Horizons 3, offering a dynamic way to experience the set. It challenges players to adapt strategies based on available cards, fostering creativity and skill development. By mastering the draft format, players gain deep insights into the set’s mechanics, synergies, and power levels. This expertise translates to improved deck-building and gameplay in both Limited and Constructed formats. Drafting also encourages competitive engagement, making it a key component of the MH3 experience for players seeking to refine their skills and dominate in tournaments.
Top Commons in Modern Horizons 3
Discover the essential commons in Modern Horizons 3, crucial for drafting success across all colors, and learn how to leverage them effectively in your strategies.
2.1 White Commons
White commons in Modern Horizons 3 are potent and versatile, offering impactful plays for draft decks. Cards like Luminous Bonds and Hallowed Respite shine, providing disruption and protection. These cards excel in aggressive and midrange strategies, ensuring white remains a formidable color in any archetype. Their synergy with lifegain and flicker effects makes them indispensable in Selesnya or Azorius builds, allowing for consistent value and board control. Prioritize these commons to strengthen your draft deck’s foundation and adaptability in various matchups.
2.2 Blue Commons
Blue commons in Modern Horizons 3 are highly versatile, offering card advantage and tempo plays. Cards like Consider and Moon-Circuit Hacker shine, providing manipulation and value. These commons excel in Azorius and Dimir strategies, enabling control and evasion. Their ability to disrupt opponents while generating card advantage makes them crucial pickups. Prioritize blue commons that offer immediate impact or long-term value, as they often dictate the flow of the game. Their consistency ensures blue remains a powerful force in any draft archetype.
2.3 Black Commons
Black commons in Modern Horizons 3 excel at enabling aggressive and sacrifice-based strategies. Cards like Vicious Slug and Grim Guide provide early-game aggression and later-game value. These commons are crucial for Rakdos and Jund builds, offering removal, disruption, and synergy with sacrifice themes. Their ability to curve out into more powerful spells makes them highly desirable. Prioritize black commons that support your archetype’s game plan, as they often serve as the backbone of aggressive and midrange decks. Their consistency and versatility ensure black remains a key color in any draft strategy.
2.4 Red Commons
Red commons in Modern Horizons 3 are aggressive and synergistic, enabling powerful starts and explosive finishes. Cards like Sparkhunter Magma and Furious Assault shine in Boros and Rakdos builds, providing early pressure and late-game punch. These commons excel at dealing direct damage and enabling Sacrifice payoffs, making them excellent for aggressive decks. Their ability to curve smoothly into heavier hitters ensures red remains a formidable force in any draft, offering both consistency and high-impact plays throughout the game.
2.5 Green Commons
Green commons in Modern Horizons 3 are versatile, offering a mix of creatures and removal to fuel midrange and ramp strategies. Cards like Gilt-Leaf Archdruid and Lys Alana Huntmaster provide consistent value, while Wing Steak serves as a reliable removal option. These commons excel at enabling creature-based game plans, with many featuring relevant abilities like trample or card draw. Their ability to curve into heavier threats makes green a cornerstone for midrange and ramp decks, ensuring a strong foundation for your draft strategy.
Color Rankings and Synergies
Modern Horizons 3 offers a balanced color pie, with each color excelling in specific roles. Synergies between colors like Azorius and Dimir create powerful combinations, shaping draft strategies.
3.1 White-Blue (Azorius)
Azorius combines white’s defensive prowess with blue’s flying creatures and counterspells, creating a versatile strategy; Top commons like Skyhunter Skirmisher and Count the Winds enable early-game dominance. This archetype thrives on protection effects and evasive threats, making it ideal for players seeking consistent, controlling gameplay. Drafting toward Azorius requires prioritizing flyers and interaction to build a cohesive, hard-to-beat deck. Its synergy and card quality make it a top-tier choice in Modern Horizons 3 drafts.
3.2 Blue-Black (Dimir)
Dimir excels at card advantage and removal, leveraging blue’s counterspells and black’s creature removal. Commons like Lochwalker and Dismiss shine in this archetype, which thrives on tempo plays and value trades. Dimir’s strength lies in its flexibility, allowing players to adapt to metagame shifts. Focus on drafting evasive creatures, removal spells, and card draw to build a cohesive, controlling deck. Dimir’s synergy and depth make it a formidable choice in Modern Horizons 3 drafts.
3.3 Black-Red (Rakdos)
Rakdos is a high-impact archetype centered around sacrifice synergies and aggressive creatures. Commons like Carrion Feeder and Slaughterhouse enable explosive starts and consistent value. The archetype thrives on low-toughness, high-power creatures and removal spells to clear the way. Rakdos rewards players who prioritize efficiency and synergy, making it a top choice for those who enjoy aggressive and interactive games. Focus on drafting sacrifice outlets and cheap removal to maximize this archetype’s potential.
3.4 Red-Green (Gruul)
Gruul is a midrange archetype that leverages big creatures and trample effects to overwhelm opponents. Commons like Prowess of the Fair and Giant Growth amplify your threats, while Beast Whisperer provides card advantage. The archetype excels at curving out with efficient creatures and protecting them with fight effects or counterspells. Gruul rewards players who focus on larger creatures and battlefield manipulation, making it a strong choice for those who enjoy trample and value in the mid-game.
3.5 Green-White (Selesnya)
Selesnya is a token and lifelink-centric archetype that thrives on generating and protecting an army of creatures. Commons like Soul’s Attendant and Dauntless Bodyguard provide early-game value, while Conclave Cavalier and Flyers dominate the late game. The archetype excels at token generation and synergy, with cards like Flux Channeler amplifying your board presence. Selesnya is ideal for players who enjoy value and defensive strategies, making it a consistent choice in Modern Horizons 3 drafts.
Draft Archetype Overviews
Explore the top archetypes in Modern Horizons 3, including Boros Aggro, Simic Value, and Rakdos Sacrifice, each offering unique strategies for success in your drafts.
Learn how to identify and leverage these archetypes to build cohesive decks and maximize your chances of winning in this dynamic Limited format.
4.1 Boros (Red-White) Aggro
Boros Aggro is a fast-paced archetype centered around low-toughness creatures and burn spells to quickly reduce opponents’ life totals. Key cards include Boros Reckoner and Lightning Helix, which provide both offense and defense. This strategy thrives on early aggression, using cheap creatures like Soldier of the Pantheon to apply pressure. Drafters should prioritize low-cost red and white spells to maintain tempo. Pairing burn with lifelink creatures creates a powerful synergy, allowing for explosive starts and resilient finishes in the late game.
4.2 Simic (Blue-Green) Value
Simic (Blue-Green) Value focuses on generating card advantage through efficient creatures and card draw engines. Key cards like Gyre Sage and Harvest Season enable mana acceleration and consistent card draw. This archetype thrives on drafting cheap, evasive creatures alongside powerful mid-game spells. Early picks should prioritize creatures with upside, while later picks focus on card draw and recursion. The synergy between blue’s card draw and green’s mana acceleration creates a formidable mid-game presence, allowing for sustained pressure and adaptability in long games.
4.3 Sultai (Blue-Black-Green) Midrange
Sultai Midrange combines the strengths of blue, black, and green to create a versatile deck. It focuses on controlling the board with removal and counters, then taking over with powerful creatures. Key cards include Drown in the Loch for interaction and The Ozolith for value. Drafting a balance of cheap interaction, mid-sized threats, and card advantage is crucial. This archetype excels in longer games, leveraging card draw and recursive threats to outlast opponents. Early picks should target removal and counters, while mid-to-late picks focus on creatures and card draw.
4.4 Rakdos (Black-Red) Sacrifice
Rakdos Sacrifice is a highly aggressive archetype that thrives on synergistic card advantage. It utilizes cheap creatures and sacrifice outlets like Bloodthirsty Aerialist to generate value. Key cards include Carrion Feeder and Bone Appétit, which enable repeated use of sacrificed creatures. The strategy involves flooding the board early and using removal to clear the way. Drafting priorities include low-toughness creatures, sacrifice triggers, and removal. Mid-game, look for payoff cards like Tevesh Szat, the Blinder to capitalize on your board.
4.5 Jund (Red-Green-Black) Midrange
Jund Midrange is a versatile archetype that balances removal, creatures, and card draw. It excels at controlling the board with efficient removal like Brutal Suppression and Putrid Imp. Mid-sized creatures such as Gilt-Leaf Archdruid and Elvish Rejuvenator provide sustained pressure; Drafting focuses on maintaining a balanced curve, prioritizing removal and high-impact creatures. Look for synergies with cards like Harvest Shekaret to amplify card draw and fuel late-game threats, making Jund a consistent choice for players favoring midrange strategies.
Draft Strategy and Tips
Mastering Modern Horizons 3 drafts requires balancing early pick priorities, adapting to mid-draft shifts, and completing your mana curve late. Focus on high-impact cards and synergies to build a cohesive deck, ensuring flexibility and consistency across all phases of the draft to maximize your chances of success in competitive matches.
5.1 Early Pick Prioritization
Early picks in Modern Horizons 3 drafts are crucial for setting the tone of your deck. Prioritize high-impact, versatile cards like removal spells, evasion creatures, and card advantage engines. These cards provide consistency and flexibility across multiple archetypes. Pay attention to signals from other players to identify underdrafted colors or strategies. Focus on cards that excel in their role, even if they don’t immediately suggest a specific archetype. A strong early pick lays the foundation for a cohesive, competitive deck, so weigh each selection carefully to maximize value and synergy potential.
5.2 Mid-Draft Adjustments
Mid-draft adjustments are key to refining your strategy. Stay flexible and reassess your deck’s direction based on the cards you’ve picked and the signals from others. If a color or archetype is underdrafted, pivot to capitalize on its strengths. Focus on rounding out your curve with efficient creatures and removal, while also grabbing high-impact cards that fit your strategy. Adaptability during this phase ensures your deck remains cohesive and competitive, even as the draft landscape shifts.
5.3 Late-Game Picks and Curve Completion
During the late-game picks, focus on completing your mana curve and rounding out your deck. Prioritize cards that fill gaps in your strategy, such as removal, creatures, or utility. If you’ve drafted a cohesive archetype, look for synergistic pieces to enhance your deck’s power. Be flexible and grab high-value cards that fit your needs, even if they weren’t your initial targets. This phase is crucial for ensuring your deck is well-rounded and competitive for the matches ahead.
- Focus on completing your mana curve.
- Grab removal or utility to strengthen your deck.
- Stay adaptable to late-round opportunities.
Mastering Modern Horizons 3 draft requires strategy and adaptability. Focus on top commons, synergies, and archetype alignment to build competitive decks consistently.
Practice, stay flexible, and enjoy the dynamic gameplay MH3 offers for a rewarding Limited experience!
6.1 Summarizing Key Draft Strategies
Success in Modern Horizons 3 draft hinges on prioritizing high-impact commons, understanding color synergies, and adapting to the draft’s flow. Stay flexible, adjusting your strategy as packs reveal the metagame. Early picks should focus on powerful, versatile cards, while mid-draft adjustments ensure archetype consistency. Manage your mana curve carefully and balance creature and spell ratios. Avoid overcommitting to low-impact cards, and seize opportunities for late-game upgrades. By mastering these strategies, you’ll build cohesive, competitive decks and elevate your draft performance.
- Prioritize versatile, high-value commons.
- Adapt to the draft’s evolving metagame.
- Balance mana curves and deck composition.
- Seize opportunities for late-game upgrades.
6.2 Final Tips for Success in Modern Horizons 3 Draft
To excel in Modern Horizons 3 drafts, stay flexible and attuned to the draft environment. Prioritize high-impact commons and build around synergistic archetypes. Adapt your strategy as the draft unfolds, ensuring cohesive deck construction. Manage your picks to maintain a balanced mana curve and optimize creature-to-spell ratios. Capitalize on late-game opportunities for upgrades, and avoid overcommitting to low-value cards. By mastering these principles, you’ll craft competitive decks and enhance your overall draft performance.
- Stay adaptable to the draft environment.
- Focus on high-impact, versatile cards.
- Build around synergistic archetypes.
- Optimize mana curve and deck balance.
- Seize late-game upgrade opportunities.
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