The 38 Most Expensive and Must-Have Cards in Modern Horizons 3

Last updated on March 12, 2025

Ulamog, the Defiler | Illustration by Chase Stone

Modern Horizons 3 is packed full of powerful cards, cool throwbacks, and reprints of multi-format all-stars. But what are you looking to open from your packs if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck? With the first Horizons MTG set to come along in the world of Play boosters, it’s worth taking a look!

For the purposes of this list I’ll be looking at base versions of cards, so no alt-arts or special treatments in the main list (I’ll touch on them at the end, though). I’m also going to look specifically at anything that can be found in Play boosters, which includes the main set, Special Guests, and a selection of Commander precon cards, but I’ll mention when these cards pop up!

Prices were all recorded on June 4^th, 2024.

#38. Windswept Heath – $15.50

Starting out with the cheapest fetch land in the set, Windswept Heath seems like a great jumping on point. It’s a good few dollars cheaper than the rest of the cycle, as it had a printing in a Standard precon back in the Khans of Tarkir era, but it’s still a nice hit. Seeing the whole allied fetch land cycle hit this Magic set is a good way to bring the mana base cost of decks in multiple formats down, especially if you look to Modern Horizons 2 to see what it did for the enemy fetches.

#37. Kozilek’s Command – $15.50

As a colorless entry in the Commands cycle of cards that we’ve seen before, Kozilek's Command is probably a little inflated due to the Eldrazi fever that’s hitting the player base at the moment. This colorless instant does have some nice modes on it, but I don’t see it holding this prerelease price much after packs start being opened, unless the big spaghetti monsters really start jumping into multiple formats.

But you're always happy to see this one on your MH3 Sealed or Draft pool – as noted in our Modern Horizons 3 Limited Set Review, Kozilek's Command is a very strong card for your Limited deck.

#36. Herigast, Erupting Nullkite – $16

Herigast, Erupting Nullkite is a pretty cool card, even if it’s not likely to see a ton of high level play actually in the command zone. Emerge can be a powerful mechanic, as Elder Deep-Fiend has shown us in the past, and there are probably some shenanigans you can do by giving all your stuff emerge. I can’t see how this is broken quite yet, but people are definitely speculating on just that with a $16 price tag.

#35. Strix Serenade – $16.50

Strix Serenade is giving people memories of Swan Song, and it’s not hard to see why. While the original is generally used as a way to protect a combo going off, Serenade doesn’t hit instants or sorceries, so it’ll have a different use case, probably more as a tempo card. 1-mana counterspells often get people excited though, and this blue instant could bump up a number of decks in Constructed formats as well as see cEDH play,

#34. Nadu, Winged Wisdom – $18

People are getting excited to brew around Nadu, Winged Wisdom in Commander, and it's one of the best commanders from Modern Horizons 3. A 3-mana 3/4 body is already solid, and nice and cheap to get out of the command zone, but Nadu does something very Simic () (drawing cards and ramping) in a unique way, which is getting all those value lovers in a flutter. It’s not often that a card destined to be mainly played leading a deck keeps its price, and unless this sees play elsewhere it’ll likely drop in price, no matter how much hype there is.

#33. Ulalek, Fused Atrocity – $18.50

One of the two Eldrazi commanders from Modern Horizons 3 Commander, Ulalek, Fused Atrocity is the face of the Eldrazi Incursion precon. All the Eldrazi are popping off in some way, and that deck is proving super popular in the early orders, so it might be good that you can get Ulalek in Play boosters, too!

#32. Wooded Foothills – $19

Wooded Foothills is another fetch land, and we’re going to see a few grouped together now. These obviously see tremendous play as a group wherever they’re legal, and getting the first real reprint in around a decade is welcome for pretty much everyone; these reprints may end up being the best cards in MH3 as far as popularity goes.

#31. Harbinger of the Seas – $19

Harbinger of the Seas is a very exciting twist on Blood Moon and potentially an even better version. There’s the perpetual hype around merfolk, which this blue creature can help with, but it can also just give Izzet () builds of Moon Prison additional copies, or even allow redless builds to be put together. While the original Blood Moon has fallen out of favor (and been reprinted a lot), Harbinger has the chance to hold a solid price, although maybe not quite what it is now.

#30. Polluted Delta – $19.25

Sometimes the most expensive of the allied fetches, Polluted Delta is going to be a nice pull for a lot of players. Blue fetches are often the most in need, and dropping the price of this one is pretty sweet.

#29. Flooded Strand – $19.50

Another fetch with Flooded Strand. Around $19 seems to be where they’re lying at prerelease, but it’ll be interesting to see just how much they drop over the next few months.

#28. Azlask, the Swelling Scourge – $19.50

Annihilator is a mechanic that, while generally balanced in the past, many players flat-out hate. The thing that kept it balanced was that it was on very few creatures and only triggered once. Azlask, the Swelling Scourge throws that right out the window, giving all your Spawn tokens and Scion tokens Annihilator 1 (as well as indestructible). It’s a powerful card overall and an excellent annihilator card, as well as a nice alternative for an Eldrazi build, so it’s maybe slightly more interesting to see where this one ends up than some of the other legendary Eldrazi. And, like Ulalek, it's a 5-color commander.

#27. Bloodstained Mire – $20

The final fetch on the list, Bloodstained Mire, isn’t blue! It’s still pretty close in price to most of the other fetches, though, and is likely to see a similar drop over time.

#26. Eladamri, Korvecdal – $20

Eladamri, Korvecdal does a pretty sweet impression of a combination of Elvish Piper and cards like Vizier of the Menagerie. Value, value, value for pretty much any green deck, this green creature is one of those cards getting people to (incorrectly) call the set Commander Horizons.

#25. Thought-Knot Seer – $20

This is almost certainly not keeping the price tag, but Thought-Knot Seer in the Special Guest slot is pretty sweet. The original is only around $8, however, so more of a reprint, no matter how sweet the art is, is more likely to drop the price than raise it up.

#24. Shifting Woodland – $22.50

Shifting Woodland has the brewers excited. Delirium isn’t super difficult to get online, and if you’ve stocked your graveyard well you’ll have a target for what's one of the best delirium cards. The main question is, do you just go for value with this green land, or go for the full combo-turn and make it a copy of something silly like Omniscience. This’ll see play in multiple formats, so it’s more of a question of how much play it’ll see.

#23. Grist, Voracious Larva / Grist, the Plague Swarm – $22.77

Grist, Voracious Larva is the first “flip walker” on the list, flipping into Grist, the Plague Swarm and following in the footsteps of those planeswalkers we first saw in Magic Origins. That kinda makes Grist a 1-mana planeswalker, which certainly deserves a look! The creature side is a reasonable rate, and in the right deck you’ll be able to flip this pretty reliably, at which point you get a bunch of value. There’s a world where this is the most expensive of the cycle in six months’ time.

#22. Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury – $23

The Titans of Theros Beyond Death were originally meant to be a full cycle, but were cut down when WotC decided to move away from two-set blocks. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury follows the design of its siblings Uro and Kroxa, and while it isn’t as obviously broken as those two elder giants, you can’t ignore that it provides good value. Lightning Helix on a huge body with escape is tempting, but it’s just a question of finding a good home for it.

#21. Ashling, Flame Dancer – $23.50

Ashling, Flame Dancer has some people excited to put together storm-style decks. Keeping unspent mana is something we’ve seen once or twice now, but this version of Ashling is definitely geared up to help you storm off, with a lot of words all pointing in that direction. Exactly where this red creature will see play is still up in the air, but people are desperately trying to find the best home.

#20. Urza’s Incubator – $24

Urza's Incubator is super popular in typal Commander decks. Its reprint in MH3 brings it into Modern, although it's probably not going to see much Modern play except perhaps in some fringe decks. It had a couple of reprints in 2023, both in Dominaria Remastered and the Angels Secret Lair deck, but it has held its price so far. Maybe this’ll be the printing to eventually drop its price?

#19. Sorin of House Markov / Sorin, Ravenous Neonate – $25

Sorin of House Markov / Sorin, Ravenous Neonate is the black member of the flip walker cycle. Gaining 3 life is pretty trivial, and the -1 can just win a game. Will this card eventually bring Soul Sisters back to Modern?

#18. Kozilek, the Broken Reality – $26.50

Kozilek, the Broken Reality is a difficult card to evaluate. It has some strong effects, but enough of a strong effect for 9 mana? It’s quite easily the cheapest of the new Eldrazi titans, and will probably stay there, but there’s a chance that it could actually go up if it finds the right deck.

#17. Echoes of Eternity – $27

Everyone likes a Panharmonicon, even Eldrazi it seems! Echoes of Eternity actually doubles things in two ways, both your Eldrazi themselves and the effects you get when casting them. 6 mana is a lot, but if you can find a way to get this kindred enchantment out early in Constructed formats, it could definitely see some play. In Commander it’s an auto-include in colorless or artifact deck, too.

#16. Phyrexian Tower – $27

Phyrexian Tower is another MH3 reprint that’s new to Modern. This legendary land is highly played in all formats where it’s currently legal, and coming to Modern is only going to increase its play. I think this one will hold its price fairly well, especially if it makes it into a tier one or two deck, which is quite likely for a land that can trivially make 2 mana. It’s not even the only sol-land in the set!

#15. Subtlety – $30

All the evoke elementals are seeing reprints in the Special Guest slot of MH3, and Subtlety is one of the ones that you’re wanting to open for that value! Special Guest printings haven’t affected prices too much in the past, and only showing up in one in every 64 Play boosters, you’re not going to see a lot of these.

#14. Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger – $30.50

Cat fans, rejoice! You finally have a planeswalker, and it’s one you can run as your Commander! Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger comes down as two bodies for 2 mana, which isn’t the worst rate, and if you can trade off the Cat token you get a nice little planeswalker. This has the potential to be powerful, as well as being a cat, which has a history of being a popular creature type in isolation.

#13. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student / Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar – $32.50

The main draw (or dream) for players wanting to play Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student / Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar is casting this, then immediately casting Brainstorm to flip and get the draw-third-card payoff for even more value. It’s a solid plan in blue decks in formats like Legacy, and we know how much Legacy-playable cards can get if they’re popular.

#12. Birthing Ritual – $34

Birthing Ritual is certainly not Birthing Pod, but it’s close enough to get people excited and preordering this green enchantment. Even though it looks like a bad Pod, it’ll more likely see play in a different way if it does, but I certainly don’t expect it to stay over $30.

#11. Ocelot Pride – $35.50

Cat typal is certainly getting support in the set, and Ocelot Pride is a strong 1-drop for that deck. This white creature can run away with a game, no matter which format you’re looking at, and there’s a world where the archetype takes off outside of the memes, which could see this holding good value.

#10. Necrodominance – $34

Necrodominance is another call-back to a broken card, but kinda fixed. This black enchantment does have some scope to be a solid player, though, and if it does it could keep its $30+ price tag.

#9. Nethergoyf – $36

Nethergoyf is a 1-mana lhurgoyf, which has certainly raised some eyebrows. It can provide a pretty huge creature with limited work, and it can even recur itself, which can lead it to become a problem. It could be that a lack of evasion and exile-based removal will just embarrass everyone hyping it up, but like so many cards in the list, if it’s one of the few cards that makes the cut in competitive formats, it has the potential to be worth good money for some time to come. Although probably not the heights of Tarmogoyf

#8. Flare of Denial – $36.50

Surprisingly, Flare of Denial is the only entrant from MH3's Flare cycle of free spells to make the list, but it’s easily the best one coming out of the gate. Free counterspells are always nice enough, and although sacrificing a non-token creature is certainly a cost, it’s not insurmountable in the right deck. Also, the actual cost of this blue instant is only 3 mana, which makes it much easier than other free counters to just cast straight up. Keep an eye on this.

#7. Grief – $44

Grief kept a high price after dodging the ban hammer, so this reprint is pretty great, even if the supply isn’t super high. There's a chance that it can still see a ban, which will affect the price, but it’s still a great pull at least for now.

#6. Endurance – $44

Another evoke elemental reprinted this set, Endurance has steadily risen in price since it was first printed in Modern Horizons 2. This one isn’t really at risk of a ban at all, at least not in current metas!

#5. Ugin’s Binding – $52

If you think that Ugin's Binding doesn’t look like much, you clearly weren’t around when Kozilek's Return saw play in Standard. Sure, it kinda relied on cards like Elder Deep-Fiend to really be great, but with Binding being a Cyclonic Rift for free from the graveyard, it’s worth a look. Rift has had a whole bunch of reprints, so this has the potential to keep the price tag on Commander play alone.

#4. Solitude – $60

Solitude is the last evoke elemental in this ranking (sorry Fury!), and is an incredibly powerful card: one of Magic's best removal spells, one of the best lifelinkers, and overall among the strongest white cards in the game. And it has sweet art this time, too, so it’ll more than likely keep its price here.

It's also bomb in Limited, by the way, so you should be very happy to see it in your MH3 Sealed pool or Draft pick.

#3. Emrakul, the World Anew – $70.50

Eldrazi Titans are usually expensive to cast, but thanks to madness, Emrakul, the World Anew can be cast for only 6 mana if you can discard it, which is an interesting puzzle to solve. As far as I’m aware, there’s no super obvious combo ready to go with Emrakul, but we know people will keep trying for it.

#2. Ugin’s Labyrinth – $82

“Sol lands” (lands that can tap for more than 1 mana) are almost always powerful, and Ugin's Labyrinth is potentially easy to turn on. It’s tailored towards Eldrazi decks, but it can also see play in decks like affinity, or even Tron. There’s not a lot of downside to a card like this: it looks like one of the best cards in Modern Horizons 3, and it’s going to be a powerful addition to multiple formats.

#1. Ulamog, the Defiler – $85

The top card on the list is fittingly one of the Eldrazi Titans. Ulamog, the Defiler is pretty powerful, although I’m not quite sure where the hype is coming from to get this all the way to the top spot. It might not keep the top spot with other big, colorless cards around, although I never expect this to be anything close to bulk.

Promos, Alternate Art, and More

When looking at the alt arts available that are worth pulling, the serialized Eldrazi Titans need mentioning. Each of the three titans only have 250 copies of their serialized versions in existence, which is super-low in comparison to other serialized print runs we’ve seen recently, and these are likely to fetch a pretty penny, and are only available in Collector boosters.

There’s also textured foils returning, as well as a new foiling treatment in ripple foils. If these appear on sought-after cards, I’d imagine a pretty hefty mark-up. Providing they stay flat, of course!

Wrap Up

Ugin's Labyrinth | Illustration by Mark Poole

There’s definitely a lot of value in this set, at least at preorder prices. However, by and large these prices won’t stick. Take a look at the prices from MH2 (which was the most printed set ever until Tale of Middle-earth took it over last year), and you’ll see there’s only a handful of cards there that are worth the price of a pack or more. I fully expect this to happen again with Modern Horizons 3.

What do you think about the prices, though? Anything you’re excited enough to preorder, or are you waiting a while before picking up what you need because you think it’ll crash? Or maybe you even think there’s some sleepers in the set that will jump in price?

Let me know in the comments down below or over at the Draftsim Discord what you’re hoping to pull in the set, and make sure you check out our Modern Horizons 3 Limited Set Review to get the edge at prerelease.

Catch you in the next one!