The 45 Best Modern Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on October 17, 2025

Murktide Regent | Illustration by Lucas Graciano

Modern is one of Magic's most diverse and powerful formats, and the right staples can make or break your deck. And today, we’ll break down some of the most important Modern cards and why they deserve a spot on your wishlist.

Let’s dive into these must-have cards!

What Are Modern Cards in MTG?

Chalice of the Void | Illustration by Seb McKinnon

Cards in Magic: The Gathering are legal to play in the Modern format if they were printed in a Standard-legal set from Eighth Edition forward, including expansion sets and specialty sets like Modern Horizons. To be viable in Modern, a card typically needs to be cheap and efficient or offer unique utility, since the format is fast-paced and highly competitive. Cards that see regular play are often flexible and cost-effective, and they appear in multiple archetypes across the metagame.

For this list, I’ll talk about the cards that have a major usage rate across the Modern format along with the cards that fit in multiple archetypes, but I’ll exclude cards that have been banned or cards that belong to only one deck, like Colossus Hammer.

#45. Boggart Trawler / Boggart Bog

Graveyard hate and a potential land drop in one package makes Boggart Trawler a strong value option for black-based decks. You get a creature that immediately exiles a graveyard—which disrupts Dredge or Reanimator strategies—while the land side helps to stabilize your mana. It slots especially well into builds that run Ketramose, the New Dawn, where both parts contribute to a flexible, disruption-heavy game plan.

#44. Witch Enchanter / Witch-Blessed Meadow

Witch Enchanter is a clean answer to pesky artifacts or enchantments that doubles as a land. You get disruption and mana production in one slot, and paying 3 life to have your land untapped can often be the difference in a tight game. Midrange and hatebear decks love to have this kind of versatility without sacrificing slots.

#43. Deafening Silence

Deafening Silence shuts the door on combo decks that rely on chaining noncreature spells. When you limit players to just one noncreature spell per turn, it throws a wrench in the plans of decks like Storm, Living End, or even niche decks like Jeskai Ascendancy. White decks sideboard it as a clean, cheap hate piece that doesn’t disrupt their creature-based gameplan.

#42. Celestial Purge

A clean, efficient answer to black and red threats, Celestial Purge is a sideboard staple against Ragavan, Liliana, or Blood Moon. Exiling instead of destroying dodges recursion, so it’s ideal for Azorius () and Orzhov () decks that want cheap, precise removal.

#41. Wear // Tear

Few cards offer as much sideboard flexibility as Wear // Tear. Whether you need to destroy an artifact, an enchantment, or both, this fuse card gets it done. The fact that it’s cheap to cast each half makes it hyper efficient, and you’ll often see it in Boros () or Jeskai () decks that need to clear key cards like Leyline of Sanctity, Amulet of Vigor, or Chalice of the Void.

#40. Consign to Memory

Consign to Memory is a quirky but clever tool, especially in metas with lots of triggered abilities. It lets you counter things that most spells can’t touch, like cascade triggers or colorless bombs. While it’s a bit niche, it’s perfect for players who love to have silver bullet answers at the right moment, especially in control shells.

#39. Damping Sphere

Damping Sphere is a sideboard all-star that punches combo decks right in the face. It slows down decks that try to cast multiple spells in one turn like Storm, Tron, or Cascade, and it also messes with greedy mana production. It's a staple in midrange and control sideboards, especially in metas full of degenerate combos or big mana nonsense.

#38. Surgical Extraction

Surgical Extraction is the king of graveyard hate when you need to be fast and efficient. You can cast it for 0 mana by paying 2 life, and it strips not just one card but every copy of it from the graveyard, hand, and library. It’s huge against combo decks like Living End or Reanimator, and you’ll often see it in the sideboard of any deck that wants a surprise surgical strike against graveyard strategies.

#37. Sink into Stupor / Soporific Springs

Disruption and mana consistency come together in Sink into Stupor, offering a bounce effect on one side and a blue-producing land on the other. Paying 3 life lets it enter untapped, making it a strong fit for tempo decks that need early interaction without slowing down their curve.

#36. Pick Your Poison

At just 1 mana, Pick Your Poison offers surprising flexibility and disruption, forcing each opponent to sacrifice whichever permanent type—artifact, enchantment, or flier—that hurts most in the moment. That versatility makes it an excellent answer to strategies like Hammer Time, Enchantress, or Murktide, where key threats often fall into those categories. In metas where opponents rely on specific permanent types, this low-cost spell can deliver high-impact plays that feel like sideboard gold.

#35. Spell Pierce

Spell Pierce is the classic tempo counterspell that remains a go-to in Modern. For just 1 blue mana, it counters a noncreature spell unless your opponent pays 2, which is often a back-breaking tempo swing in the early game. It’s great against planeswalkers, combo pieces, and removal, and it forces your opponent to play around it even when you’re tapped low. Control, tempo, and even some aggro decks rely on Spell Pierce to protect their threats and disrupt their opponent’s setup.

#34. Dismember

Dismember is one of the few removal spells that fits into pretty much any deck. Its Phyrexian mana lets even non-black lists use it for just 1 mana and 4 life to kill most creatures outright. It's a go-to sideboard card in artifact decks like Hammer Time or Tron, especially when you need answers but can't afford to play black mana.

#33. Mystical Dispute

Blue mirrors can be grindy, but Mystical Dispute gives you a cheap, efficient way to win on the stack. Against another blue deck, it often costs just 1 mana to counter a key spell, so it’s perfect in Izzet Murktide or control lists that try to tempo out their opponent. It’s mostly a sideboard star but it can swing counter-wars heavily in your favor.

#32. Otawara, Soaring City

With its ability to tap for blue and bounce almost any permanent via channel, Otawara, Soaring City offers flexible, uncounterable interaction that’s perfect against prison decks or surprise threats. It fits naturally in legend-heavy builds and sees play in Murktide, control, and combo decks that value instant-speed answers without sacrificing land slots.

#31. Endurance

Endurance is a game-changer in any matchup that involves the graveyard. Its flash speed and evoke option let you interrupt combos like Living End or Dredge by tucking your opponent’s graveyard into their deck. You can also use it defensively to reshuffle your own graveyard to avoid decking or get value back into your library. It's a common inclusion in green decks like Yawgmoth and Crashing Footfalls because it plays offense and defense at the same time.

#30. Arena of Glory

Aggressive red decks that look to push damage early appreciate what Arena of Glory brings to the table. While it normally taps for red, you can exert it to grant haste to one or two creature spells—perfect for curving into threats that need to swing right away. It’s a niche land, but one that can swing games by making top-end creatures hit the battlefield and the red zone in the same turn.

#29. Chalice of the Void

Chalice of the Void is a format-warping artifact that can shut down entire strategies. It counters any spell with mana value equal to its charge counters. You can set it at one to shut off cheap spells like Lightning Bolt, Thoughtseize, or even Ragavan and hit many Modern decks hard. It’s the perfect sideboard card and main deck to hate on decks with a low curve or to shut down key combo pieces.

#28. Engineered Explosives

Engineered Explosives is one of the best reset buttons in Modern. With sunburst, it enters with a counter for each color of mana spent to cast it: The more colors you use, the more flexible it becomes. You can then pay 2 and sacrifice it to wipe the board of everything at that cost. It’s especially good against low-to-the-ground decks like Hammer Time or Rhinos, so it’s a top-tier sideboard and sometimes main deck tool.

#27. Blood Moon

Blood Moon can win games on its own by turning off opponents’ greedy mana bases. It turns all nonbasic lands into mountains, which completely shuts down decks that rely on fetches, shocks, or utility lands. It's a staple in red prison decks like Mono Red Moon, but even midrange and tempo decks run it in the sideboard to punish slow or multi-color strategies.

#26. Pithing Needle

Pithing Needle is a 1-mana artifact that can blank a huge variety of cards just by naming them. It shuts down activated abilities—think planeswalkers, fetch lands, or combo pieces—without needing to target anything. This card is a sideboard staple for decks that want to deal with specific threats like Karn, the Great Creator or Urza's Saga, and it’s flexible enough to fit almost anywhere.

#25. Psychic Frog

Psychic Frog is starting to make waves as a versatile threat that really does it all. It pressures early with combat damage and card draw, helps fill the graveyard with its discard ability—which fuels delve, escape, or reanimation—and can even take to the skies when needed by exiling cards. That flexibility has made it a strong pick in Dimir Murktide as a value engine, and it even pops up in reanimator shells as a sneaky way to pitch key creatures while it advances your board.

#24. Subtlety

Subtlety is a tempo-lover’s dream in Modern. This flashy blue elemental lets you deal with opposing creatures or planeswalkers before they even hit the board. And like other evoke incarnations, you can pitch a blue card to cast it for free. Subtlety shows up in decks like Temur Rhinos and Izzet Control, where keeping tempo and dodging sorcery-speed threats is everything.

#23. Orcish Bowmasters

If your opponent dares to draw extra cards, Orcish Bowmasters makes them pay. This flashy black creature punishes looting and drawing, and it even pings down targets while amassing an Orc Army. It’s a nightmare for blue decks, and it synergizes beautifully with other cards in Rakdos Midrange or Yawgmoth lists that love incremental value and pressure.

#22. Haywire Mite

Haywire Mite might look harmless, but it’s one of Modern’s sneakiest tech pieces. It’s a cheap creature that doubles as artifact or enchantment hate, and its lifegain death trigger helps to pad your life total against aggro. Decks like Amulet Titan love it for that sweet blend of utility and synergy.

#21. Monastery Swiftspear

Aggro decks don’t get threats much better than Monastery Swiftspear. With haste and prowess, this little monk comes out swinging and scales fast with every spell you cast. In Burn or Izzet Prowess, it’s the early drop that keeps pressure on your opponent while synergizing perfectly with Bolts, Baubles, and cantrips.

#20. Primeval Titan

Primeval Titan is the engine behind Amulet Titan and other ramp strategies. It’s a 6/6 trampler that not only smashes face but fetches up key lands like Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle or bounce lands every time it attacks. With haste enablers or Amulet of Vigor, this giant often means game over the moment it hits the battlefield.

#19. Abhorrent Oculus

Abhorrent Oculus isn’t everywhere yet, but it’s a potent choice for graveyard-centric blue decks. The flying body and manifest trigger make it unpredictable and hard to answer cleanly.

#18. Prismatic Ending

Modern’s most flexible removal spell might just be Prismatic Ending. Thanks to converge, it can hit nearly any nonland permanent at low mana values—planeswalkers, creatures, artifacts, you name it. It’s the go-to removal piece in any deck with multiple colors, especially control and midrange shells like Jeskai Control.

#17. Preordain

Preordain is the classic cantrip that makes sure your next turns are smooth. Scrying 2 then drawing lets you dig deep while you set up the top of your library, which is huge for combo and control decks. While not every Modern deck uses it, blue decks like Murktide or Eldrazi Breach benefit from having a way to find the perfect next play.

#16. Dragon's Rage Channeler

Dragon's Rage Channeler is one of the strongest 1-drops in Modern. The surveil trigger keeps your draws clean and fills your graveyard fast, which enables delirium before you know it. Once that kicks in, DRC becomes a 3/3 flying monster that swings every turn. It shines in Izzet () and Jund () shells that thrive on spell density and graveyard synergies.

#15. Urza's Saga

Urza's Saga is a land, an artifact tutor, and a creature factory all in one card. Over three turns, it ramps you with colorless mana, builds massive Construct tokens, and then fetches a 0- or 1-cost artifact—usually something like Shadowspear or Expedition Map. Many decks in the format rely on it due to how much power it packs.

#14. Force of Vigor

Force of Vigor is a green sideboard staple that shines against artifact or enchantment-based decks. Its alternate casting cost—you exile a green card rather than pay 4 mana—makes it a free answer to cards like Chalice of the Void, Leyline of Sanctity, or Ensnaring Bridge. Because it’s instant-speed and often free, it’s one of the most powerful ways to blow out opposing setups without slowing down your own game plan.

#13. Solitude

Solitude is one of the most powerful removal tools in Modern, especially for decks that want to stay on curve without losing tempo. Thanks to its evoke ability, you can exile a creature at instant speed by just pitching another white card—no mana needed. It’s a staple in midrange and control shells like Death and Taxes or Azorius Control, and the lifelink also helps to stabilize against aggressive decks when you cast it for its full price.

#12. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury

With Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury, you get a massive 6/6 body that brings both burn and lifegain whenever it hits the field or swings. While you can just slam it on turn 3, escape makes it an inevitability in graveyard-heavy strategies. Decks like Jeskai Control or Boros Energy use Phlage as a grindy finisher that’s hard to remove and punishes your opponent each time it shows up.

#11. Thoughtseize

If Modern has taught us anything, it’s that knowing your opponent’s hand is priceless. Thoughtseize lets black decks strip away key threats or answers before they become a problem. You pay 2 life, but it’s often worth it when you dismantle combo decks or make sure your threats stick. You'll see this card in Rakdos, Yawgmoth, and even sideboards across the board.

#10. Fatal Push

Fatal Push is the Modern benchmark for cheap removal. It hits early threats cleanly and can deal with bigger creatures if you’ve triggered revolt—easy to do with fetch lands or creature sacrifices. From Dimir Control to Rakdos Midrange, any black deck that runs creatures or looks to answer them leans on Fatal Push to stay alive in the early turns.

#9. Force of Negation

Control decks love Force of Negation because it gives them a way to stop combo pieces or planeswalkers even when they're tapped out. It’s especially strong in blue-heavy strategies that don’t mind pitching cards to maintain board control. You’ll see it in decks like Jeskai Control and 4-Color Living End, where it’s critical to protect your game plan from threats.

#8. Lightning Bolt

Lightning Bolt is as iconic as it gets—1 red mana for 3 damage to anything. Whether you finish off a planeswalker, burn a blocker, or go straight to the face, Bolt is an all-purpose tool that never goes out of fashion. Red decks of all kinds—Burn, Prowess, or even Jund—make great use of this efficient staple.

#7. Murktide Regent

A true finisher in blue decks, Murktide Regent dominates games once it hits the field. Thanks to delve, it often comes down much cheaper than its 7-mana tag, and it grows fast with every instant and sorcery you exile or play. Izzet Murktide and similar tempo strategies rely on it to close out games in the air, so it’s a centerpiece of Modern’s blue midrange scene.

#6. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

There’s no Modern conversation without a mention of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer. For a single red mana, you get a snowballing threat that generates mana and card advantage if it connects. The dash mode helps to dodge sorcery-speed removal, so Ragavan is hard to answer cleanly. Whether it’s in Izzet Murktide, Jund Saga, or Rakdos Midrange, this little monkey does it all.

#5. Surveil Lands

Thanks to their ability to smooth draws and fill the graveyard, surveil lands like Commercial District have carved out a spot in slower or grindier Modern decks. They come in tapped, but the surveil 1 trigger can be surprisingly valuable—especially in builds that care about graveyard density, like those that run Murktide Regent or delve spells. While not as fast as fetch-shock setups, they make for excellent supplemental fixing when you want a bit of selection without giving up tempo entirely.

#4. Triomes

Triomes like Zagoth Triome and Spara's Headquarters offer incredible flexibility for multicolor decks. They fix three colors, they’re fetchable, and they even cycle when you’re flooded. On top of that, they boost domain payoffs, so they’re key in strategies that care about land types. Despite entering tapped, their utility makes them an easy inclusion in control decks and those with greedy mana bases alike.

#3. Shock Lands

Shock lands like Watery Grave aren’t just mana fixers—they’re often key to a deck’s strategy. Paying 2 life to have them come in untapped helps you to stay on curve, and in decks like Death's Shadow, that life loss is actually a bonus. Their flexibility and synergy make them staples across the format.

#2. Fetch Lands

As the backbone of most Modern mana bases, fetch lands like Arid Mesa let you grab exactly the land you need—whether it’s a shock land or a basic—to make sure your colors are always online. Their benefits go beyond mana fixing too: They thin your deck, fuel graveyard strategies like delve or delirium, and can trigger revolt for cards like Fatal Push. In a format as fast and diverse as Modern, a solid set of fetch lands is almost non-negotiable for any multi-color deck.

#1. Boseiju, Who Endures

Few lands do as much as Boseiju, Who Endures. It taps for green like a simple Forest would, but its channel ability makes it a main-deck answer to artifacts, enchantments, and nonbasic lands—all at instant speed. Since it’s nearly uncounterable and costs less if you control legendary creatures, it fits perfectly into green-based midrange and ramp decks.

What Sets Are Good to Buy for Modern Staples?

The best sets to buy for Modern staples include those with powerful lands and format-defining cards. Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2, and Modern Horizons 3 are top choices, packed with cards like Force of Negation, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, and fetchable dual lands.

Sets like Zendikar and Khans of Tarkir include fetch lands, while Ravnica blocks are essential for shock lands. Triomes can be found in Ikoria and Streets of New Capenna, and surveil lands appear in Murders at Karlov Manor.

Pay extra attention to sets with Special Guests and bonus sheets, as many of them, including Final Fantasy: Through the Ages, are packed with Modern staples.

These sets offer key cards that support mana fixing and competitive play across many Modern archetypes.

Wrap Up

Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury | Illustration by Lucas Graciano

Whether you're building your first Modern deck or fine-tuning a tournament-ready list, these staples are essential to keep in mind—both for brewing new ideas and preparing for what you’ll face in the wide Modern metagame.

What do you think? Did we miss any cards that deserve a spot on the list? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord!

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Take care, and see you next time.