From the time of this writing, it has been nearly a week since the launch of MTG's Modern Horizons 3. Some argue that it is the most powerful set to come out in recent memory. Having that kind of sentiment from fans, many cards from the set are sure to get banned.

True enough, MTG Arena already banned several cards from the latest expansion. Here's everything players need to know.

Which Modern Horizons 3 Cards are Banned in MTG Arena?

With Modern Horizons 3 having a strong set of cards, it's inevitable that some of them will be banned from one of the game's formats. In MTG Arena, Wizards of the Coast pre-banned several cards from the Historic format. This was due to the anticipation of certain spells getting out of hand.

For newer players who are unfamiliar, Historic is a format in MTG Arena that allows players to use old and new digital-only cards. Many of these cards are rebalanced versions of existing spells. Having that said, it's likely that Wizards of the Coast might relaunch the pre-banned cards after rebalancing them.

Here's a full list of all banned Modern Horizons 3 cards in MTG Arena:

  • Bloodstained Mire
  • Endurance
  • Flare of Cultivation
  • Flare of Denial
  • Flare of Duplication
  • Flare of Fortitude
  • Flare of Malice
  • Flooded Strand
  • Fury
  • Grief
  • Harbinger of the Seas
  • Polluted Delta
  • Solitude
  • Subtlety
  • Windswept Heath
  • Winter Moon
  • Wooded Foothills

Bloodstained MireBloodstained Mire - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Bloodstained Mire is a nonbasic land card that allows players to search their library for a Mountain or Swamp land in exchange for 1 life.

While it may not seem too valuable to some, players can easily abuse the card's abilities. It's a good card for decks that utilize landfall triggers. Then there are other mechanics wherein whenever the controller loses life, their opponents lose twice as much. In addition, it's also a good way to reshuffle one's deck especially if they're getting mana screwed. To add the cherry on top, the Mountain and Swamp don't enter tapped.

Endurance

Endurance is a handy card to have depending on the situation. It's a three-cost (one generic and two green) creature spell that has Flash, meaning players can cast it anytime. This Elemental Incarnation creature has reach and has an ETB trigger that allows controllers to put their entire graveyard on the bottom of their library.

It's a good spell to have when there are certain cards one would want to protect from graveyard deck users. At the same time, it's an effective way to give players access to cards that have either been milled from the library or destroyed from the battlefield.

As a creature, Endurance is a good early-game card to have. It has Reach and a power and toughness of 3/4. This creature is a good blocker and attacker to have in the first few turns.

If players are only in need of its triggered ability, they have the option to pay its Evoke cost. The cost requires players to exile a green card from their hand instead of paying the mana cost. However, the drawback is that Endurance will immediately leave the battlefield after the ETB trigger resolves.

Seeing how such a low-cost spell gives powerful effects in the early stages of the game, it's no wonder Wizards of the Coast immediately prevented players from abusing it in Historic.

Flare of CultivationFlare of Cultivation - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Flare of Cultivation may seem like a simple fetch-land card, but it's more powerful than it looks. The idea of not having to spend mana to add more lands to one's mana pool is ideal. While this sorcery spell is technically a three-cost (one generic and two green) card, controllers can sacrifice a nontoken green creature instead of paying the mana cost. Having more mana in exchange for not using any mana is a serious threat.

Flare of Denial

Flare of Denial is arguably one of the strongest counterspells in the game right now. While it's technically a three-cost (one generic and two blue) instant spell, controllers can sacrifice a nontoken blue creature instead of paying the mana cost. It's kind of like Force of Will but better in our opinion.

Force of Will isn't legal in Historic format. Given how Flare of Denial is arguably better than Force of Will, it makes sense for Wizards of the Coast to ban the new counterspell card entirely in Historic.

Flare of DuplicationFlare of Duplication - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Flare of Duplication is a good card to have if one is running a spell-slinger deck. For one generic and two red, controllers can copy a target instant or sorcery spell on the stack and choose new targets. They can also sacrifice a nontoken red creature instead of paying the mana cost.

Flare of Fortitude

Another solid card among the new Flare spells is Flare of Fortitude. It's the ultimate protection card next to Teferi's Protection. For two generic and two white, controllers can protect themselves from dying while giving their permanents hexproof and indestructible. Instead of paying the mana cost, players can also sacrifice a nontoken white creature.

Some might wonder why Teferi's Protection is legal in Historic but Flare of Fortitude isn't. After controllers cast Teferi's Protection, they exile the instant card, making it nearly impossible to recast the spell. Unlike Flare of Fortitude which goes to the graveyard and has a chance to be recast.

Flare of Malice Flare of Malice - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Flare of Malice is a four-cost (two generic and two black) instant spell that forces the controller's opponents to sacrifice a creature or Planeswalker with the highest mana value. It's a good control spell to have considering how some creatures or Planeswalkers with high mana value typically create the most chaos on the board. To add the cherry on top, controllers can cast the instant by sacrificing a nontoken black creature instead of paying the mana cost.

Flooded Strand

Flooded Strand is a nonbasic land card that allows players to search their library for an Island or Plains land in exchange for 1 life.

Like Bloodstained Mire, while it may not seem too valuable to some, players can easily abuse the card's abilities. It's a good card for decks that utilize landfall triggers. Then there are other mechanics wherein whenever the controller loses life, their opponents lose twice as much. In addition, it's also a good way to reshuffle one's deck especially if they're getting mana screwed. To add the cherry on top, the Island and Plains don't enter tapped.

FuryFury - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Fury is a menacing five-cost (three generic and two red) creature spell that has an ETB trigger that allows controllers to deal 4 damage divided among any number of creatures and Planeswalkers. Despite it being a 3/3 creature, it has Double Strike which can easily deal 6 damage to an open opponent. While it may not seem too valuable given its mana cost, Fury's Evoke ability is what makes it scary during the first few turns.

GriefGrief - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Grief is a four-cost (two generic and two black) 3/2 creature with Menace. The valuable ability it has is revealing a target opponent's hand and discarding a nonland card from it. It's a good card to have to check if the opponent has a game-winning card on hand. In addition, it also has an Evoke ability.

Harbinger of Seas

One MTG Modern Horizons 3 card that could potentially break the game is Harbinger of Seas. For only three mana (one generic and two blue), controllers can turn nonbasic lands into Islands. This will limit their opponents who don't run blue cards in their decks. Having this kind of mana advantage in Historic could cause lots of problems if left unbanned.

Polluted DeltaPolluted Delta - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Polluted Delta is a nonbasic land card that allows players to search their library for an Island or Swamp land in exchange for 1 life.

Like Bloodstained Mire and Flooded Strand, while it may not seem too valuable to some, players can easily abuse the card's abilities. It's a good card for decks that utilize landfall triggers. Then there are other mechanics wherein whenever the controller loses life, their opponents lose twice as much. In addition, it's also a good way to reshuffle one's deck especially if they're getting mana screwed. To add the cherry on top, the Island or Swamp don't enter tapped.

Solitude

If a player is looking for a removal spell that they can technically cast for free, Solitude might be the perfect card. When Solitude enters the battlefield, it exiles a target creature on the board. That creature's controller then gains life equal to the power of the exiled creature. It's a good removal spell to have especially if there's an annoying creature that's affecting the whole board. While Solitude technically costs five (three generic and two white) to cast, it has an Evoke cost wherein the controller can exile a white card from their hand instead.

SubtletySubtlety - MTG Modern Horizons 3

Subtlety is a good bounce card that can send a target creature to the top or bottom of the owner's library. While technically a removal spell, it's also a good way to delay the opponent from hitting their combos. Like Solitude, it also has an Evoke ability which allows controllers to exile a blue card from their hand instead of paying the mana cost (two generic and two blue).

While bouncing a card doesn't sound like much of a threat, controllers can always combine it with mill mechanics. After sending an annoying creature on the board to the top of their opponent's library, they can make them mill their library, sending that creature to the graveyard. On top of it all, controllers of Subtlety can do it at instant speed thanks to its Flash ability. Not something Historic players would want to deal with in a match.

Windswept Heath

Windswept Heath is a nonbasic land card that allows players to search their library for a Forest or Plains land in exchange for 1 life.

Like Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand, and Polluted Delta, while it may not seem too valuable to some, players can easily abuse the card's abilities. It's a good card for decks that utilize landfall triggers. Then there are other mechanics wherein whenever the controller loses life, their opponents lose twice as much. In addition, it's also a good way to reshuffle one's deck especially if they're getting mana screwed. To add the cherry on top, the Forest or Plains don't enter tapped.

Winter Moon Winter Moon - MTG Modern Horizons 3

The only artifact from MTG Modern Horizons 3 on this list is Winter Moon. This two-cost (two generic) artifact slightly delays opponents by not allowing them to untap more than one nonbasic land during their untap steps. This won't sit well for Historic players who run decks with lots of nonbasic lands.

Wooded Foothills

Wooded Foothills is a nonbasic land card that allows players to search their library for a Forest or Mountain land in exchange for 1 life.

Like Bloodstained Mire, Flooded Strand, Polluted Delta, and Windswept Heath, while it may not seem too valuable to some, players can easily abuse the card's abilities. It's a good card for decks that utilize landfall triggers. Then there are other mechanics wherein whenever the controller loses life, their opponents lose twice as much. In addition, it's also a good way to reshuffle one's deck especially if they're getting mana screwed. To add the cherry on top, the Forest or Mountain don't enter tapped.

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