Everything you should know about MTG Modern Horizons 3

Ajani from MTG Modern Horizons 3
(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

We’ve had a year jam-packed with Magic: The Gathering releases so far and MTG Modern Horizons is the next to join the lineup. You might remember the first Modern Horizons set back in 2019 or Modern Horizons 2 from 2021, but either way you’ll still benefit from a full rundown of what’s in this brand new straight-to-modern set. 

Part of what keeps MTG one of the best card games is its strong competitive scene and the balancing of its formats is a vital element of that. Straight-to-Modern sets like Modern Horizons 3 are created with the aim of introducing powerful, versatile cards to Modern without disrupting the Standard metagame. 

Previews have just begun and we’ve already seen plenty of exciting new additions and valuable reprints that are set to be included in the release. So, now is the perfect time to roundup everything we know about MTG Modern Horizons 3 including its release date, products, new mechanics, and more.

MTG Modern Horizons 3 release date

MTG Modern Horizons 3

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

Debut and previews begin: May 21
Card image gallery and previews complete: May 31
MTG Arena launch: June 11
Global tabletop launch: June 14


Debuts and previews for MTG Modern Horizons have already started and will continue until the end of May. Two weeks after previews complete, we’ll see the full release of the Modern Horizons 3 set including the Modern Horizons 3 Commander decks. 

MTG Modern Horizons 3 products

  • Commander decks 
  • Collector boosters
  • Play boosters

While Modern Horizons 3 is a primarily booster-focused product line, it does have a set of Commander decks releasing alongside it. As usual, you can pick up cards from this set in Collector Boosters or Play Boosters, both of which are available as singular packs or as part of a box or bundle. 

Commander Decks

Despite the Modern Horizons name, these Commander decks are not Modern-legal. Like the Commander decks that have been released alongside Standard-legal sets, these pre-cons are meant to be played and enjoyed in the ever-popular casual format of Commander. 

As with most Commander releases, Modern Horizons 3 has four pre-con decks available to purchase. However, you can also pick up Collector’s Editions of each one too. These Collector’s Editions have a special Ripple Foil treatment on all 100 cards and each deck has a Borderless Profile of two Legendary Creature cards. Not to mention, they also have really, really pretty box art. 

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Graveyard Overdrive | $70.00 on Amazon

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Tricky Terrain | $70.00 on Amazon

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Creative Energy | $70.00 on Amazon

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Eldrazi Incursion | $119.00 on Amazon

Collector Boosters

If you’re on the hunt for shiny foils and special alternate arts, Collector Boosters are for you. Each Collector Booster has 15 cards in it with 10-12 Traditional Foils as well as a chance to draw an Etched Foil, Textured Foil, or even a serialized card. Collector Boosters can be picked up as a single or as part of a box of 12 (180 cards total).

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MTG Modern Horizons 3 Collector Booster box | $504.00 on Amazon

Play Boosters

Play Boosters are primed for use in Draft. Each Play Booster contains 14 cards, 1-5 of which are of Rare or higher rarity and 1-2 of which are Traditional Foil cards. Play Boosters come in single packs, boxes of 36 Boosters (504 total cards), or in bundles. 

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MTG Modern Horizons 3 Play Booster box | $378 on Amazon 

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MTG Modern Horizons 3 Bundle | $94.50 on Amazon

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MTG Modern Horizons 3 Bundle: Gift Edition | $114.99 on Amazon

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MTG Modern Horizons Prerelease Pack | $69.99 at Zavvi 

MTG Modern Horizons 3 story

MTG Modern Horizons 3

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

We haven’t yet received full confirmation of Modern Horizons 3’s place within the Magic Story, if any. However, the return of the Eldrazi titans Emrakul, Ulamog and Kozilek does imply some continuation from the Zendikar storylines. Although whether or not their return in Modern Horizons 3 has larger canonical implications is yet to be seen. 

MTG Modern Horizons 3 mechanics

All in all, there are 40 returning mechanics coming to the Modern Horizons 3 set. Depending on your history with the game, these will probably elicit reactions ranging from “nice, they’re finally bringing that back” to “wait, what does that one even do?” Thankfully, cards in the set will likely have helpful reminder text to

If you’re keen to do a bit of research in advance though, the other abilities and actions included in Modern Horizons 3 are: Adapt, Annihilator, Affinity, Afterlife, Ascend, Bestow, Collect Evidence, Connive, Cycling, Devoid, Devotion, Dredge, Emerge, Energy, Entwine, Escalate, Eternalize, Evoke, Evolve, Extort, Fabricate, Flashback, Kicker, Kindred, Living Weapon, Madness, Mentor, Modified, Morbid, Outlast, Overload, Proliferate, Prototype, Flashback, Reconfigure, Reinforce, Shield Counters, Spelunking, Storm, Support, Umbra Armor, and Unearth.

MTG Modern Horizons 3 spoilers

We’ll see plenty of developments in MTG Modern Horizons 3 spoilers, particularly this month while we’re receiving a continuous influx of preview cards. For now, these are all the cards we’ve gotten a look at. 

Modern Horizons 3 Commander spoilers

MTG Modern Horizons 3 deals

Abigail Shannon
Tabletop & Merch Writer

Abigail is a Tabletop & Merch writer at Gamesradar+. She carries at least one Magic: The Gathering deck in her backpack at all times and always spends far too long writing her D&D character backstory. She’s a lover of all things cute, creepy, and creepy-cute.