Last updated on February 9, 2026
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord | Illustration by Chase Stone
Historic is an exclusive format to MTG Arena, a mix of Pioneer and Modern with some Legacy-only cards as well as digital cards. With the release of Arena Anthologies 1 and 2, as well as some digital rebalances to strong cards, the Historic metagame was recently shaken.
Now is a good time as any to get into the format, so let’s go through the best cards in the format, with some comments on each card’s best home and its function in the meta.
What Is a Historic Staple in MTG?
Ugin's Labyrinth | Illustration by Mark Poole
Historic cards are cards legal in the Historic format on MTG Arena. All Standard-legal cards released from Guild of Ravnica onwards are legal in Historic, and there are some sets like Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth, Modern Horizons 3, or several sets’ bonus sheets that, although they weren’t legal in Standard, were greenlit in Historic. There are also digital-only cards and cards that were added to Brawl. Additionally, there are Historic Anthologies, Explorer Anthologies, and small card collections that have been added to Arena.
In short: All cards released on MTG Arena are legal in Historic, except those that were banned from the format or cards that weren’t ever legal in the first place.
For example, high-powered cards like Dark Ritual and Strip Mine are on MTG Arena, but WotC made an effort to prevent them from bringing power level spikes in Historic and ruining the format. Agent of Treachery, on the other hand, was legal at some point, and it’s currently banned in Historic.
One last thing: Don’t mistake “historic-legal cards” with cards that mention “the historic mechanic“, which refers to artifacts, legendaries, and sagas. This is an entirely different matter.
How Do I Know a Card Is Historic Legal?
One of the best ways to check for card legality in Historic is through Scryfall.com. Whenever you search for a card there, you can check its legality in every MTG format. You can also use Scryfall’s powerful search engine and the keywords “legal:historic” to filter for only historic-legal cards.
However, if we search for Dark Ritual, we’ll see that it is in fact banned there.
Source: Scryfall.com
You can also search for Historic-legal cards only on MTG Arena when you’re in deckbuilding. If you try to register a Historic deck with illegal cards, Arena will show you. There aren’t any restricted cards in Historic, so they’re either legal, not legal, or banned.
Honorable Mention: Mana Base
Before we get to Historic’s best cards, it’s fair to talk about the mana base. Historic is home to excellent dual lands, like the fast lands, shock lands, pain lands, and triomes, among others. But it doesn’t have the fetch lands. In fact, the only Constructed format on Arena where fetch lands are legal is Timeless. Shock lands will be your mana base’s bread and butter, unless you play a mono-colored deck.
Eldrazi Temple was another very good reason to play Eldrazi. A land that generates 2 mana instead of 1 is broken, and it’s not even legendary. Before it was banned, games in which you started with two of these in your hand were very busted.
#38. Consign to Memory
I know it’s weird to talk about a niche card as one of the best cards for the format, but Eldrazi and colorless decks are a menace. This card is one of the best hopes to deal with strong colorless spells that, even if countered by conventional counterspells, do their thing. Consign to Memory offers you a way to deal with the card and its effects, and it's best when your opponent taps out for that huge Eldrazi titan that’ll leave them in a winning position.
#37. White Orchid Phantom
White Orchid Phantom is your way to fight against an ultra-powerful land like Ugin's Labyrinth, while also letting you pull off a trick and “attempt” to destroy your own indestructible land. White ramp, guys!
#36. Skirk Prospector
Skirk Prospector is a card that turns goblin decks into competitors. If you have goblins around, it’s a free sacrifice outlet that also generates mana. Combine this with goblin tokens and a card like Rundvelt Hordemaster, and you can cast a good chunk of your deck.
#35. Calim, Djinn Emperor
Ever since its creation, Calim, Djinn Emperor has been a mainstay of blue control decks, allowing you to cycle it, tap something, and still create a copy of it (conjure) into your deck, which makes your endgame better. In a small defense of digital-only cards, it’s something that only digital games like MTG Arena or Hearthstone allow you to do (although you could try to make this work in paper). Some control decks favor interaction over win conditions, and you can have both here. You can also synergize with cycling-matter cards. The card is low just because blue control hasn’t been running all that hot lately.
#34. Rundvelt Hordemaster
Rundvelt Hordemaster lets you play goblins with impunity, knowing that they’ll be stronger, When your goblins are removed, you have another spell to play. It’s a very strong combo with Skirk Prospector.
#33. Goblin Anarchomancer
Goblin Anarchomancer gives you a pretty charged-up Goblin Electromancer, effectively reducing all green and red spells by 1 mana, and RG spells by 2.
#32. Counterspell
Counterspell is one of the best tools for almost any blue deck, allowing you to say no for just 2 mana, no questions asked. It’s often the base for blue control decks.
#31. Archmage’s Charm
A different take on Counterspell, Archmage's Charm is a mix of countermagic and draw two. The third mode is often relevant in the face of good 1-drops or tokens.
#30. Balmor, Battlemage Captain
Balmor, Battlemage Captain buffs your guys while you’re casting instants and sorceries, and it’s also a wizard for typal synergies (like Wizard's Lightning). One of the main reasons to play Izzet () Wizards.
#29. Juggernaut Peddler
Juggernaut Peddler is a disruptive 2/2 creature that turns one of your opponent’s cards into the classic Juggernaut. Yes, giving a 5/3 creature isn’t nice, but considering the combo you disrupt or the huge threat you handle, it’s not the end of the world. Sometimes, you’ll get a clean removal spell for it later, like Witch Enchanter or Reclamation Sage.
#28. Kappa Cannoneer
Kappa Cannoneer is a huge, mostly unblockable threat that you can cast for cheap if you have artifacts lying around. It’s enabled by artifacts, and it’s a huge payoff for playing artifacts later on, and the turns when you play an artifact land and attack with your 8/8 unblockable creature are very strong.
#27. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is a very efficient 2-drop creature, with the “free tax” effect added. It’s best in a heavy creature deck, typically human-typal or white weenie, and against control or combo. It’s worse in a creature-centric meta, but this card alone can put a halt to spellslinger decks or combo decks.
#26. Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord’s ability to cheat big vampires into play can’t be overlooked. It’s been nerfed digitally so it can’t work with Saint Elenda anymore, but there’s still plenty of good targets like Vein Ripper or other good low-mana vampires to buff.
#25. Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria is the planeswalker of choice for WU control in many Constructed formats. Its ability to draw a card while untapping lands is pretty powerful on an empty board, allowing you to hold up counters or removal on the next turn while you deal with something using its -3 right away. It’s not the best metagame for it, but once blue control gets better, Teferi gets better as well.
#24. Ugin’s Binding
Ugin's Binding is a weak bounce spell at 3 mana. But when it’s in your graveyard and you cast a heavy hitter while you Cyclonic Rift them, you’re in business. It’s best when you can loot it away, but sometimes in a slower matchup, you can get value twice. This card is one of the Eldrazi deck’s pillars.
#23. Fatal Push
Fatal Push’s been one of black’s best removal spells, taking down 2- to 4-mana threats for just 1 mana. We lack fetch lands in Historic, so revolt isn't as easy to enable, and the “reactive decks” aren’t that strong in the format.
#22. Ribald Shanty
In the right deck, Ribald Shanty is a real “chorus engine”, going from a serviceable Play with Fire to so much more. Combined with cards like Hymn to the Ages, it makes a nice blue-red spellslinger base, and its mana value of 2 means you don't have to put much work in to combine it with Dreadhorde Arcanist.
#21. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury
After the success of Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath, WotC printed this gem. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury offers removal, stabilizes the board with its lifegain, and acts as a finisher that can hit for 9, which is also hard to race. Did I mention you can cast this card from the graveyard? Lightning Helix is a very good card, but a 6/6 that hurls Helixes is even better.
#20. Val, Marooned Surveyor
Val, Marooned Surveyor is an infinite win condition with Trelasarra, Moon Dancer. Just gaining 1 life or scrying triggers the chain. Considering that the card was just printed in Alchemy: Edge of Eternities, it’s a serious candidate for a ban.
#19. Eldrazi Linebreaker
Eldrazi Linebreaker is one of the reasons to take on a more aggressive Eldrazi route. It can hit as a 4/3 hasty trampler by itself, but it’s better used to give, say, +3/+0 and haste to a bigger threat.
#18. Thought-Knot Seer
Thought-Knot Seer is also a huge reason to play Eldrazi, considering that the deck folds to specific interactions and you can strip them from your opponent’s hand. Imagine this coming down on turn 2 thanks to colorless mana, and you can imagine how strong this card is.
#17. Starting Town
Starting Town isn't a broken land to begin with, but it has a role to play. This card fixes mana very well, and in a world of shock lands, having this land enter play untapped in the first few turns is excellent.
#16. Psychic Frog
Psychic Frog does a good modern Psychatog impression. It profits from all the cards that naturally go to the graveyard in a long, drawn-out game, and it’s a good evasive beater. It’s hard to block profitably, but at the same time, it’s risky not to block it.
#15. Guide of Souls
Guide of Souls combines two strong themes in one card: energy and lifegain. And all of this in a nice 1-mana 1/2 package. It’s an energy enabler and a payoff if you accumulate energy in the late game.
#14. Pyrogoyf
Pyrogoyf is one of the weirdest entries on this list as a Commander card that just joined MTG Arena. It’s a nice fusion between Tarmogoyf and Flametongue Kavu: It gives you the immediate impact of FTK and extends this ability to other lhurgoyfs you might play, and at the same time it’s a nice beatstick like Tarmogoyf has always been. Alongside Disa the Restless, Historic gives you the tools to Jund them out.
#13. Esper Sentinel
Esper Sentinel is probably the most played 1-mana white creature. It’s versatile, it’s an artifact, and your opponent can’t simply ignore it or you’ll draw more cards. It's even more effective if you slap an aura or equipment on it. Even if it eats a removal spell, you probably draw a card off Esper Sentinel.
#12. Fragment Reality
Fragment Reality occupies Path to Exile’s place as a cheap, versatile, catch-all removal spell with a downside. It’s bad if you hit a huge creature and they get another one, but many times, you’ll get rid of a 1-drop in a clean way or transform a very important creature into a mana dork. It also hits enchantments and artifacts, which is huge.
#11. Malevolent Rumble
Malevolent Rumble is an MH3 card that’s very simple but does so much. It fills graveyards, gives you card selection, and adds an Eldrazi Spawn to boot. With so many mechanics that use the graveyard these days or care about mill, this card fits plenty of green decks.
#10. Delighted Halfling
One of the best mana dorks ever printed, Delighted Halfling is legal in Historic. You can generate a colorless mana without any downside, or fix colors while casting a legend, not to mention the “can’t be countered” clause. Considering that most midrange decks play 3+ colors and a fair share of legendary creatures, this card is excellent in those scenarios.
#9. Green Sun’s Zenith
If there’s a good, viable green creature deck, Green Sun's Zenith will make an appearance. The card is an excellent creature tutor, and you can tutor up mana dorks in the early game or late-game finishers. It’s also a nice way to combo with creatures.
#8. Amped Raptor
Amped Raptor is an energy generator and payoff card. Sometimes this card whiffs, but most of the time it doesn’t. You’ll probably want a low curve – mainly 1- to 3-drops – and more proactive than reactive spells, so you won’t put this into just any deck. But a 2-drop that “cascades” into another 1- or 2-drop is what aggressive decks usually need, which shows the flexibility of this card in aura builds, for example.
#7. Underworld Breach
While Thassa's Oracle isn’t legal in Historic, its partner in crime, Underworld Breach is. This card is so ridiculous in many decks, and you can mill yourself or simply get a lot of value by playing spells over and over.
#6. Kozilek’s Command
Kozilek's Command is a very flexible Eldrazi spell that naturally fits the Eldrazi archetype in Historic. X-spells synergize with mana production capabilities, and between production fromGlaring Fleshraker and Eldrazi Spawn tokens, you can fire off a very powerful spell. You’ll usually want a removal spell tied to a card draw effect, but the other modes are very relevant depending on the matchup and the game state.
#5. Mox Amber
The best features of Mox Amber is that it’s a card that you can cast for free, and it generates mana if you control a legendary creature. With cards like Underworld Breach, you cast it indefinitely. It’s also a good combo with Kethis, the Hidden Hand.
#4. Lotus Field
What looks like a land with a lot of downside can generate a huge amount of mana in the right shell. Lotus Field is usually paired with cards like Stifle or Tale's End to circumvent the drawback, and you can untap it with Hidden Strings. And sacrificing lands isn’t that bad if you follow with Splendid Reclamation.
#3. Thoughtseize
Thoughtseize is your staple black discard spell at 1 mana. I daresay it’s better in Timeless than Historic, considering that the former has scarier combos that need disruption. Even then, getting information from your opponent’s hand is always strong, and outside of hyper-aggressive burn or creature decks, this is good enough as a 4x main deck card.
#2. Lurrus of the Dream-Den
The number of formats in which this card is banned is a testament to Lurrus of the Dream-Den’s power. Lurrus shines in low-to-the-ground decks with lots of 1- and 2-mana cards, usually aura decks in Historic. The ability to replay a card every turn from your graveyard is just broken.
#1. Ugin's Labyrinth
Ugin's Labyrinth is one of the key cards that allow players to play with expensive colorless spells, be it an Ugin planeswalker or an Eldrazi titan. It solves two problems: mana acceleration and having expensive, uncastable cards in your starting hand. You can even retrieve the exiled card later.
Why Are They Called Historic Staples?
Staples are cards that make up the backbone of Tier 1 and 2 decks in a format. The cream of the crop, if you will. Staples are cards that see a lot of play overall, maybe because they’re just strong in a vacuum and fit lots of decks, or they’re essential to a top-tier build.
Will My Historic Cards Hold Up in Timeless?
It depends on the cards, of course. Many Historic cards are good enough to see Timeless play, like Thoughtseize. But you can’t copy and paste any Historic deck into Timeless and hope that you’ll do fine there; it’s like playing a Pioneer deck in Modern, or a Legacy deck in Vintage. You can have a good record with a Historic aggressive creature deck, or a mono-red burn deck in Timeless, because these decks don’t rely that much on Timeless-only cards, but the competition will be fiercer, and Timeless is home to many broken combos as well.
What Sets Have Lots of Historic Staples?
Many of the Historic staples come from Anthologies, like Historic Anthologies or Arena Anthologies. Other staples come from Alchemy sets, but each set usually has one or two Historic-playable cards. These sets are a cut above due to their contributions to Historic overall:
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth introduced many high-powered cards to plenty of formats, changing Modern in a big way. Historic allows WotC to change cards digitally, considering that the format only exists on Arena.
Cards like The One Ring and Orcish Bowmasters dominated the Constructed scene until the digital nerf took place. You also have plenty of support for spellslinging wizards with cards like Flame of Anor, or for control decks with cards like Stern Scolding and Reprieve.
- MAGIC MEETS THE LORD OF THE RINGS—Experience the beloved story of The Lord of the Rings with the strategic gameplay of Magic: The Gathering, facing off against opponents in thrilling magical battles
- JOIN THE FELLOWSHIP—Immerse yourself in Middle-earth with unique game mechanics and stunning art that draw you into this epic tale
- EXPLORE WITH SET BOOSTERS—Designed for a fun pack-opening experience, if you want to explore the set by opening packs just to see what you get, Set Boosters are for you
- ART CARD, RARE CARD, AND FOIL IN EVERY PACK—Every Set Booster includes at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card, at least 1 card of rarity Rare or higher (with up to 4 ), and 1 Art Card showcasing a piece of art from the set
- ALTERNATE-ART CARD IN EVERY PACK—Whether it’s a Borderless Scene card with art that’s one piece of a larger, multi-card scene or a Showcase Ring card with art circled by the inscription from the One Ring, every Set Booster contains at least 1 special alt-art, alt-frame card
Strixhaven Mystical Archive
Strixhaven introduced many staple cards across Constructed formats in its bonus sheet: Strixhaven Mystical Archive. It was such a greedy move that many of these were introduced at rare, and some are banned in Historic: Brainstorm, Lightning Bolt, and Dark Ritual.
But we also got Historic-legal cards and staples, like Faithless Looting, Tendrils of Agony, Inquisition of Kozilek, and Counterspell.
- 36 Strixhaven (STX) Magic: The Gathering Draft Boosters
- 1 Mystical Archive card in every pack
- 1 Lesson card in every pack
- Total of 15 MTG cards in each Draft Booster
- Just add lands and draft with up to 12 players
Modern Horizons 3
Modern Horizons sets have changed lots of formats in a permanent way. The latest iteration, Modern Horizons 3, was a Draft-legal set on MTG Arena, and this set alone put powerful archetypes such as Eldrazi and energy into the top tier, not to mention isolated designs like Psychic Frog or Nethergoyf.
- YOUR NEW FOREVER FAVORITES—Introducing a heaping helping of exciting cards for Modern, one of Magic’s most celebrated formats, plus the return of competitive favorites, there’s something for everyone to love in Modern Horizons 3
- POWERFUL CARDS FOR MODERN CONSTRUCTED, LIMITED & COMMANDER PLAY—Spice up your deck with powerful New-to-Modern cards, host a supercharged Booster Draft with friends, or discover Legendary Creatures with striking special treatments to inspire your next Commander Deck
- MODERN’S NEVER BEEN MORE MARVELOUS—Expand your horizons with novel twists on classic mechanics and more cards for beloved Modern strategies
- FUN TO OPEN. FUN TO PLAY—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of Art cards, striking alt-frame cards, and more
- MODERN MIGHT THAT SHINES BRIGHT—Both powerful and flashy, every MH3 Play Booster includes 1-5 cards of rarity Rare or higher and 1-2 shining Traditional Foil cards
Wrap Up
Val, Marooned Surveyor | Illustration by Cristi Balanescu
Historic is a high-powered format and somewhat diverse, often compared to Modern or Legacy-lite. It’s facing a weird meta now after some nerfs to dominant decks like energy, but with Eldrazi emerging unscathed from bans.
It’s not a surprise that Eldrazi decks are dominant in various archetypes – aggro, midrange, and control – but rest assured, it’s not a too dire of a situation. Also, the competitive scene is different in Historic rather than Standard, and pros don’t have the incentive to test the format, which is why we see it slowly evolve.
What do you think about Historic, guys? Any cards that you deem essential to the format? Let me know in the comments section below, or let’s discuss it over on the Draftsim Discord.
Thank you for reading, and say Hello! on the Historic ladder.
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