Magic: the Gathering’s biggest set (in our eyes) for the year has just hit the shelves, and they certainly leave anything to be desired. Modern Horizons 3 was made for the Modern format, so the set’s cards are generally on a higher power tier and their preconstructed Commander decks are designed to turn up the heat. Not only are there regular editions for the precon decks, the four also come in fully-foiled Collectors Editions for those that want bling.
The decks play the same regardless of foil or non-foil, and if you’re having trouble picking one out of the bunch to start with, our beginner-proof review will clear the horizon for you.
Here at Tap & Sac, we’ll be rating the precons based on the following metrics:
Power Level – How does the deck fare against other preconstructed Commander decks?
Value – What are the reprints of value in the deck, and are they still going to retain value?
Upgradability – How easily can a player upgrade the effectiveness of the deck without splurging on expensive cards?
Beginner Friendliness – How easy is it for a beginner to pilot the? Does it utilize exceedingly complex mechanics?
Before we start breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of each deck, here are the full card lists for the 4 Modern Horizons 3 Commander decks!
Graveyard Overdrive – Modern Horizons 3 Commander Precon Deck
Overview
Are you a fan of the once almighty Tarmogoyf? If you answered yes, then Graveyard Overdrive is a precon deck match made in heaven. It’s helmed by Disa, the Relentless, a black-red-green Commander that brings Lhurgoyf brethren back from the Graveyard to the Battlefield, and even creates Tarmogoyf tokens as easy as making morning breakfast.
Graveyard Overdrive is all about rearing an army of hungry, Godzilla-like Tarmogoyfs. Let’s see if the deck is as strong as it claims to be.
Power Level
Most of the Lhurgoyf creatures, and Tarmogoyf itself, has shifting Power and Toughness based on the number card types in your Graveyard. Because of that, it’s ideal to have a nice spread of card types in your deck, however Graveyard Overdrive has only 3 Planeswalkers and Enchantments each, so the chances are putting them into your Graveyard is going to be low.
The deck doesn’t have enough self-Mill cards to take advantage of Disa, the Relentless‘ ability. There’s Stitcher’s Supplier, Grapple with the Past and Grisly Savage, but that’s about it. Without more ways to dump cards from the Library to the Graveyard, your Tarmogoyfs are going to be little critters rather than scary monsters.
There also aren’t enough Lhurgoyf creatures to fit the deck theme. Out of 31 creatures in Graveyard Overdrive, only 6 are Lhurgoyfs. Instead, you get a mix of decent stand-ins in the form of Ziatora, the Incinerator, Sawhorn Nemesis and more. The bigger question is how are they helping the Tarmogoyf cause?
Graveyard Overdrive is far from being a pushover, especially when you have powerful creatures such as Archon of Cruelty alongside strong removal cards like Kolaghan’s Command, Chandra’s Ignition and the new Final Act. It’s just clunky to get things going, and the Commander’s value engine hasn’t been tuned enough to convince us that this will stand up well against the other precon decks.
Value
Graveyard Overdrive is pretty average when it comes to reprint and resale value of cards. Archon of Cruelty is an unexpected inclusion but will delight many players as the price has been on an upward trends in recent months. Selvala, Heart of the Wilds and Reaver Cleaver are both highly playable in Commander, raising the value meter for this deck. All three cards are just around the $10 mark each and will hopefully stay that way even though one would expect a huge supply of MH3 precon decks in the market.
One notable new card in Graveyard Overdrive is Final Act, the black cousin of Farewell. It also costs 6 Mana and lets you pick as many modes as you want. The results aren’t exactly the same, but it does wipe out Planeswalkers, something that Farewell could not. Its last mode of removing all counters from an opponent is especially brutal to one other MH3 Commander precon deck – Creative Energy (see below).
Graveyard Overdrive isn’t the worst when it comes to money value in its cards (we’ve seen a lot worse), but it’s not the greatest either. Unfortunately, even good reprints can be overshadowed by new, powerful cards in more popular deck archetypes and themes.
Upgradability
There needs to be more avenues to put cards into your Graveyard. Doing so will have amazing long-term benefit as each Lhurgoyf or Tarmogoyf will be serious menaces. Glowspore Shaman follows along the lines of Sticher’s Supplier. Kagha, Shadow Archdruid is an overlooked card that can Mill cards with every attack. She also lets you play any permanents that will Milled that turn. Skull Prophet also provides the consistency of Milling one each turn cycle, or you can just tap him for Mana.
What makes upgrading very difficult is that, in the entire MTG history, there are only 13 Lhurgoyfs in these colors. Many of them are already included in Graveyard Overdrive. Nethergoyf is understandably missing because it is a Mythic Rare in the main set, but if prices fall (and they should), that might be a good time to pick up a copy since Nethergoyf is the spiritual successor to Tarmogoyf and enjoy clear advantages.
Another upgrade option is Splinterfright. Even though it is not a Lhurgoyf, it fits nicely into the theme of the deck and also provides complimentary Milling each Upkeep.
Beginner Friendliness
Graveyard Overdrive is a fun throwback to a time when Tarmogoyf shaped the competitive meta and was the creature that every player feared most. Now, veteran players who remembered that time and new players who have no clue, can relive those treasured moments.
The deck itself is rather straightforward to pilot, simply because the lack of a core purpose and cards to support that purpose means you’re playing whatever cards come to hand. For a beginner, that’s easy to handle.
Final Score
Tricky Terrain – Modern Horizons 3 Commander Precon Deck Review
Overview
Tricky Terrain is led by Omo, Queen of Vesuva, a tough 1/5, blue-green creature that costs only 3 Mana. Its special ability is to make your Lands every land type and creature every type as well. Being blue green, the deck ramps up on Lands fast and has many cards that take advantage of having more Mana.
Once you have lots of Lands on the Battlefield, big creatures come easy, and Basilisk Gate and Desert Warface will generate incredible value thanks to Lands being every single land type.
Power Level
Similar to many other Land-focused precon decks, Tricky Terrain will get very big, very fast if not kept in check. However instead of the usual ramp package such as Farseek and Cultivate, the deck wants to increase the amount of Mana you can produce through multipliers from Dryad of the Ilysian Grove, and Mana Reflection. Reprints Satyr Wayfinder and Ramunap Excavator help bring Lands into your hand either from the Library or Graveyard.
So what’s the payoff for having so many Lands and Mana? Giant monstrosities that generate crazy value. Avenger of Zendikar is the expected inclusion here because it create so many plant tokens that grow into swinging branches. You’ve got a bunch of Hydras that will outclass any other creature (perhaps except the Eldrazis). Then there’s Hydroid Krasis that lets you draw cards to refill your hand and gain life!
With 18 Instants and Sorceries in Tricky Terrain, the deck is going to have plenty of interaction outside of hitting senselessly with massive creatures. Some, like Summary Dismissal and Evacuation may have some people scratching their heads, but cards Pongify, Arcane Denial and Beast Within are premium interaction cards in this format.
Value
Tricky Terrain is presently number one among all the Modern Horizons 3 preconstructed decks when it comes to reprint value. Apex Devastator is reprinted here for the first time since its introduction in Commander Legends, and it fits the deck strategy very well. Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath may have been banned in some constructed formats, but it’s still in high demand in Commander.
In the Lands department, Tricky Terrain shines (rightly) because of the new Planar Nexus Land that can be classified as every Land type. We shared in our analysis of early leaks that this new card would be on many people’s want list – the high price reflects that. Vesuva makes an apt appearance in this deck too, being able to copy any Land, and is a worthwhile reprint. Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth rounds off this impressive list of reprints that keep Tricky Terrain as the most valuable among the preconstructed decks.
Upgradability
Tricky Terrain’s ramp package is so comprehensive that there isn’t much else you can improve on. Sure, a Three Visits and replace Sylvan Scrying for a price of a few dollars, but the deck will be ramping fast either way.
There should be more cards that take advantage of Omo, Queen of Vesuva‘s ability to make creatures every single type. The Bears of Littjara can turn all Shapeshifters into 4/4s permanently, and perhaps utilizing powerful Party conditions from Nimble Trapfinder can help you draw even more cards.
And when you have so many Lands in one deck (44!), you really do need to have Sylvan Awakening as a potential late-game finisher. All your Lands become 2/2 Indestructible creatures so there really isn’t much to complain about that.
Beginner Friendliness
The hardest part of the deck is just figuring out how to take advantage of Commander Omo, Queen of Vesuva‘s ability to turn things into every creature/land type. The deck isn’t exactly tuned to make the most out of it, but it does a killer job of ramping up Lands, getting Landfall triggers, and pumping out world beaters to overpower the opponent.
Beginners will enjoy having Mana to cast spells, drawing lots of cards and having fun with 10/10 creatures. They could get somewhat disoriented when they have too many options in their hand, but that’s always a better alternative than not having Mana to do anything or being pulverized by the opponent’s commander.
Final Score
Eldrazi Incursion – Modern Horizons 3 Commander Precon Deck Review
Overview
Arguably the most hyped-up Commander precon deck in Modern Horizons 3, Eldrazi Incursion is a 5+1 color deck that relies heavily on colorless spells and Mana for synergy. Since it can tap into all 5 colors as well, it is a very flexible deck for upgrades.
Ulalek, Fused Atrocity is also a very high impact Commander that lets you make copies of Eldrazi spells and any other activated or triggered abilities by just paying 2 colorless Mana. You can spend either 5 colored Mana or 5 colorless Mana to get Ulalek out – difficult but increasingly easier with today’s flexible Mana base.
Power Level
Hands down, if Ulalek, Fused Atrocity is on the Battlefield and you have enough Mana to cast Eldrazi spells and copy them, Eldrazi Incursion will pulverise the playing field. Every Eldrazi creature is massively huge, with perhaps the Hydras from the Tricky Terrain deck being able to compete. Thankfully for the other precon decks, the Eldrazis here are not the most broken (since they would cost a pretty penny). There’s World Breaker that provides free removal of a troublesome Artifact, Enchantment or Land, then there’s Ulamog’s Crusher which has Annihilator 2 but costs 8 Mana.
However, once you’re able to copy any of these Eldrazi’s or their associated triggers, that’s where things go out of hand. Ulalek triggers off Eldrazi spells, so the new Eldrazi Kindred Instants also work. Eldritch Immunity is a powerful spell with Overload (though there’s no point copying that), and you can get 10 tokens instead of 5 from Skittering Invasion.
Eldrazi Incursion does well in its inclusion of various Talismans and Mana rocks to help you cast Eldrazis faster. There 18 creatures, including the Commander, that cost 5 Mana or more, so having that ramp package is crucial for this deck to do well. The deck also has an impressive array of removal options, from Warping Wail, Kozilek’s Return and the brand new (and excellent) Eldrazi Confluence.
The precon deck without upgrades is vulnerable to board wipes, so it’s best not to overcommit to many Eldrazis to the board. If you’re able to apply pressure with just a few behemoths, this deck is unstoppable. There is also a very real chance that you get stuck with insufficient Lands or Artifacts that generate Mana, hence a perfect score here just wasn’t likely.
Value
Despite being the most sought after, Eldrazi Inclusion doesn’t have the most valuable reprints. It still packs some useful colorless cards such as Eldrazi Conscription, Eldrazi Monument and Morophon, the Boundless that are all close to $10 each in value. However, these are really only in demand for other Eldrazi-focused decks, so selling them might not be as easy.
Like the other decks in MH3, the reprinted Land cards are rather pitiful, even though a 5-color deck would need faster speed and options to cast spells. The most valuable ones are actually a full cycle of Pain Lands (Karplusan Forest, Underground River etc). Ouch.
Upgradability
Eldrazi Incursion has two problems when it comes to upgrades. Firstly, the all-powerful Eldrazis don’t come cheap. Even the original, well-known Eldrazis are still pretty pricey. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger is over $20 and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre is already way past $35. Upgrading this precon deck for more raw power will simply not be friendly to your wallet.
The other problem is that you can’t bring in cheap Dual Land alternatives since most don’t tap for colorless Mana. For example, Drowned Catacombs or Deathcap Glade only tap for colored Mana. Putting these Lands in could result in a situation where you need colorless Mana but have no way to generate enough of it.
Beginner Friendliness
There’s nothing really complicated when it comes to casting big monsters. The tricky part is how to really take advantage of Ulalek, Fused Atrocity‘s crazy copy abilities. Also, knowing when to keep a good hand with enough ramp options will be important. These are nuances that a beginner would likely not be able to pull off.
That said, everyone loves giant, world-eating creatures so you can be assured that a free-casting beginner will have bucketloads of fun.
Final Score
Creative Energy – Modern Horizons 3 Commander Precon Deck Review
Overview
Creative Energy focuses on the returning keyword from Kaladesh – energy counters. Gain and store energy to later unleash them in explosive ways. The blue-red-white Commander – Satya, Aetherflux Genius – can create token copies of creatures you control, provided you have sufficient energy to sustain them. The more energy counters you have, the better this precon deck is going to perform.
Power Level
Apart from the obvious energy theme going on in Creative Energy, the deck’s true power comes from Commander Satya, Aetherflux Genius when he creates tokens of the more powerful creatures. You do need lots of energy counters to keep those copies around, so you can’t neglect the energy theme, but it’s certainly more than doable to at least hold onto a one or two copies.
Some of the juicy copy targets in the deck are Combustible Gearhulk, Angel of Invention and Goldspan Dragon, none of which are Legendary so there’s no worry about having two of them on the Battlefield. Satya also has Haste and Menace, so he is already well geared for attack. As long as you’ve stored a good amount of energy, you’re going to benefit whenever he attacks. Him giving you two energy is pretty neat too.
If you can get the secondary Commander Cayth, Famed Mechanist on the board, she can also tap each turn to Populate (creating a token of another token). After Satya creates the first token, there’s no obligation to attack if unable. When that happens, simply use Cayth to create more tokens of the original.
One glaring weakness with Creative Energy is the lack of Instant interaction. There are only three Instants in this precon deck and only one of them (Swords to Plowshares) removes a threat. The Land base is terribly lackluster, with an amazing 10 Plains, 5 Mountains and 5 Islands. They could have at least added some dual-colored lands for better Mana fixing. However, Creative Energy does include a robust arsenal of Mana rocks, with Decoction Module and Conversion Apparatus even able to generate energy too.
Value
Creative Energy possesses a couple of valuable reprints, but as a whole it lacks behind the other decks in overall numbers. Goldspan Dragon and Akroma’s Will are gold in this deck, especially since they are versatile and can easily fit into other Commander decks of the same color. Farewell is another extremely useful card, even though its price has tanked in recent months.
That really is pretty much it for eye-catching reprints. As we had covered earlier, there are no notable Lands. The last glimmer of hope comes from some of the new cards that are found in this Creative Energy precon deck. Stone Idol Generator looks mean as it can create a 6/12 creature every turn (provided you have six energy to spend). Aether Refinery is another energy enabler, doubling all energy you earn. It also has the ability to generate creatures that are as big as how much energy you’re willing to spend.
Upgradability
Unfortunately, the energy mechanic has not gotten much support over the years since its introduction in 2016. While it did show up in the recent Universes Beyond: Fallout set, there really aren’t that many upgrade options to choose from. There are even more options among Eldrazis than cards that use energy counters.
That said, there are still some cards that will fit in smoothly compared to what’s included in the precon deck. Liberty Prime, Recharged from Fallout is an excellent option to have and make copies from, since you skip the two energy requirement if it comes in tapped and attacking. Electrosiphon can serve as the deck’s single counter spell that also adds energy to your collection. Synth Eradicator provides flexibility in getting more energy or some card advantage,
From the main Modern Horizons 3 set, Aether Revolt is worth the cost just for its triggered ability that can deal damage to any target equal to the amount of energy you gain. Guide of Souls provides so much value despite costing only 1 Mana. It gains you life, energy and can turn any creature in a beefy, flying angel.
Beginner Friendliness
Energy as a concept is fun, as every players loves charging up for one big release. Creative Energy does that extremely well since most cards are in line with that strategy. Having Satya, Aetherflux Genius and Cayth, Famed Mechanist both costing only 4 Mana also means the fireworks can start sooner than later. The power level is not through the roof, but beginners to the game will not even notice.
With 20 Basic Lands out of a total of 38 lands in the deck, you could either be drawing too many lands or just not drawing the right ones. That could cause a bump in the playing experience. However, with a higher number of Artifacts that also tap for Mana, we’re confident that this would be a rare occurrence.
Final Score
