MTG upcoming Modern announcement: What do we think it is?

[WWolfe]

Tolarian Community
@TolarianCollege
20 hours ago
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Wizards says "Modern fans should pay attention at the end of February." New Modern product? Other? https://clips.twitch.tv/AgreeableAttractiveTrayANELE

Magic Playing Magic: The Gathering - Twitch Clips
Wizards says "Modern fans should pay attention at the end of February." New Modern product? Other? - Clipped by TolarianCommunityCollegep.

[Morganator 2.0]

Either a rebranded Modern Masters, or something similar to the Challenger Decks that we saw for Standard.

[MonteTribal]

I'd like another Modern Event deck. The BW token one was pretty cool. Maybe merfolk this time? Those cards had been reprinted a lot, so less gripes from collectors. Powerful tribe that has dropped in popularity recently (in modern because of humans and spirits). Good excuse to put a single Aether Vial or Cavern of Souls in something. Also in standard, so could print some of those newer cards in as well. Plenty of bad lords to fill the deck. Could be Mono Blue, UW, UG, or Bant. Aggro, some decent combo potential, can be controlling with decent blue instants and flash creatures. Lots of options for Merfolk.

[WWolfe]

There's some speculation on Twitter that it will be a "skip Standard, straight to Modern" product with new cards. Not sure how I feel about that.

[Soren841]

Side sets usually start at legacy, maybe they're just starting at Modern for this one. Doesn't seem like a huge idea.

[ORCH1D]

Hopefully, Arclight Phoenix ban. 

But seriously, I think that modern challenger decks are more likely than just a modern masters replacement. One of the problems with modern masters is that it just required too many cards to reprint and wasn't something they could sustain for a yearly release. Printing 4 played (probably not optimized, but at least played) decks is just scratching the surface of the modern format, and as the meta shifts with new sets it will generate more decks that they can print. This makes it very sustainable for future products.

But please, please, let it at least resemble something that is played. I'm not expecting fully pimped out jund, just a budget mono-red version of burn would be fine.

[ApothecaryGeist]

There's some speculation on Twitter that it will be a "skip Standard, straight to Modern" product with new cards. Not sure how I feel about that.

The Professor (Tolarian Community College) asked Gavin Verhey about this exact thing.  I believe that Gavin stated that it was highly unlikely that we would ever have new cards printed for Modern that never enter Standard.

[WWolfe]

There's some speculation on Twitter that it will be a "skip Standard, straight to Modern" product with new cards. Not sure how I feel about that.

The Professor (Tolarian Community College) asked Gavin Verhey about this exact thing.  I believe that Gavin stated that it was highly unlikely that we would ever have new cards printed for Modern that never enter Standard.

That must have been when I fell asleep (seriously) during that video. I'm going to try to watch it tonight.

[WWolfe]

Mark Rosewater
‏3 hours ago
Mark Rosewater Retweeted Magic: The Gathering
To answer a bunch of questions all at once. Yes, this is when the announcement of the Modern related product is happening. Yes, this is one of the three things for the year I've extra excited about. Yes, this is the Hackathon product I've discussed. #WotCStaff
 
@

wizards_magic
In a little over four hours now at 2:00 PM PT we're going live with Weekly MTG on http://twitch.tv/magic  with special guests @KingCash_7191 and Magic Pro League player @MatthewLNass! We've got a special announcement for a product we're really excited about. Don't miss it!

[WWolfe]

http://epicstream.com/news/JakeVyper/New-Magic-The-Gathering-Product-Modern-Horizons-Revealed

Today, Wizards of the Coast have revealed a new Magic: The Gathering product made for the Modern format, and it's called Modern Horizons. NFL star Cassius Marsh, Magic pro player Matt Nass, DailyMTG content manager Blake Rasmussen, and Magic product architect Mark Heggen made the announcement on Twitch.tv./magic.

Modern Horizons is a Modern legal set that skips Standard, and includes  "a bunch of new cards, new designs, never before seen", and will include reprints that are new to Modern. This is a full-sized set made for booster draft and there will be a buy-a-box promo for the new set. The buy-a-box promo will be a reprint that's new to Modern. The buy-a-box promo will be available at the prerelease.

It's a paper product coming to Magic Online but not Magic Arena. There will be 254 cards.
Earlier this month, Magic head designer Mark Rosewater called it this year's "innovation product"

They also revealed a new card called Cabal Therapist:

They also revealed a new Planeswalker called Serra the Benevolent:

"This set isn't about changing modern or fixing modern," Heggen said.
Modern Horizons will be released on June 14 (Cassius' birthday). Prerelease events will take place on June 8 and 9. The prerelease events will be Draft, not Sealed. Previews will begin at the end of May.
Are you excited about the new Magic: The Gathering product?

[WWolfe]

There's some speculation on Twitter that it will be a "skip Standard, straight to Modern" product with new cards. Not sure how I feel about that.

The Professor (Tolarian Community College) asked Gavin Verhey about this exact thing.  I believe that Gavin stated that it was highly unlikely that we would ever have new cards printed for Modern that never enter Standard.

About that...

[ApothecaryGeist]

About that...

Seems we shouldn't really listen to Gavin Verhey about such things?

[WWolfe]

I guess maybe he was smoke-screening? Usually though he toes the line pretty while when talking about upcoming products without giving too much away.

[Judaspriester]

Hmm.. I'm not really sure what to think about this. Yes, there could be some really interesting reprints (especially for me as EDH player), but since the complete modern pool (including horizon cards from previous releases) is out of the reprint pool, im not sure this will work for more than just a few years.
The possible reprint pool is limited by powerlevel (I don't think they want to increase the modern powerlevel on the same level as Legacy/Vintage) and the reserved list (even if I think that at least some cards could get removed here).

[WWolfe]

On the positive side, at least people are finally getting the Serra planeswalker they've always wanted.