MtG: 11 Best Core Set 2020 Cards for Modern

Goblins and Vampires will rule Modern this season, and all because of the number of new cards designed for Core Set 2020 in MtG.
Goblins and Vampires will rule Modern this season, and all because of the number of new cards designed for Core Set 2020 in MtG.

Modern Horizons, which was released a month ago, introduced a lot of great cards for the Modern format in Magic: The Gathering. But it looks like Wizards of the Coast haven't said everything with that set, and decided to continue releasing great Modern cards in the new Core Set 2020.

Some of the most anticipated reprints, such as Leyline of the Void and Leyline of Sanctity have arrived bringing the prices down significantly. Luckily there is also a hefty number of new cards that will surely give new hope to such archetypes like Vampires and Goblins.

If you're new to Modern in MtG, and looking for a way to dive into the format, then check out some of the best new cards in Core Set 2020.

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Colossus Hammer

The equip cost of the new artifact in Core Set 2020 is quite high at eight mana, but you can combine it with Sigarda's Aid and equip it on turn two already.

This kind of approach fits decks like Bogles and Infect that can instantly kill their opponents. But there is also room for Colossus Hammer in other decks that run Puresteel Paladin or Kor Outfitter.

For example, if you manage to equip the Hammer and attack with Kor Duelist on turn two, then it's 22 points of damage, which is lethal.

There is definitely more than one way of breaking this card in Modern, and all of them look really exciting.


Elvish Reclaimer

Maverick players will definitely have a lot of fun playing Elvish Reclaimer alongside Knight of the Reliquary. They can support and feed each other with more lands in the graveyard than ever before.

With the help of a new Wrenn and Six planeswalker it will be really easy to cycle lands in and out of your graveyard. This can make Ghost Quarter and Bojuka Bog turns really effective.

The last but not least two possible applications for Elvish Reclaimer are Titan Amulet decks and mono-green Tron that runs Crucible of Worlds, where it can easily fetch for Tron lands.


Scheming Symmetry

Esper Miracles players are always on a lookout for cheap effects that can help them set up Miracle turns. If you wonder how to deal with the opponent's pick, then just use Thoughtscour to mill them, and the problem is solved.

Scheming Symmetry will most likely see play in Ad Nauseam and Lantern Control decks, too. The Tutor effect is just too powerful and too valuable to pass up here.

All these combos look really tempting, but there is one that will be especially good. It involves Archive Trap in a Mill shell, which can lead to some very spicy brews in Modern.


Brought Back

The most obvious combo for Brought Back is the ramp with Lotus Field and two fetchlands. If you have these cards in your opening hand, then you'll have five mana on turn three.

This spell could also be very useful in blue-white control decks that could return planeswalkers from their graveyard, which don't care about being tapped or not. The loyalty abilities will work anyway, and can be activated twice in a turn.

But that is only a very short list of what one could do with the help of Brought Back. This card is really versatile and will definitely see a lot of play.


Fry

Burn decks really needed a way to get rid of Jace and Teferi planeswalkers in blue control decks. Fry is both very effective and elegant solution to that problem.

Jund players will most likely include a copy or two of Fry as well. It can remove all those Angels with Lifelink that often make a life of any aggressive player miserable.

The only card that can deal with Fry is Spell Queller, since it doesn't counter the spell but exiles it instead. If you see that opponent has at least three untapped mana sources, one of which is blue, then there is a chance that your Fry won't go through.

But besides that, it's a must-have spell in Modern right now.


Legion's End

Here is one of the best solutions to Bloodghast, Death's Shadow, Gravecrawler, and a whole army of tokens. Snapcaster Mage would be a great target for Legion's End as well.

The only drawback of this card is the sorcery speed, which is a bit slow for such an important effect. But even then there is no doubt that Legion's End will save you a ton of games that would've been easily lost if not for this card.

This is obviously a card designed to hit Dredge, and time will show how effective it is against other archetypes. So keeping it in sideboard would be the best idea for now.


Thunderkin Awakener

Here's a card that will give a new definition to the Burn decks.

Thunderkin Awakener synergizes with Ball Lightning, Groundbreaker, Lightning Skelemental, and Ashenmoor Liege. All these cards are meant for fast damage, which the Awakener can easily double up.

If Thuderkin gets killed, then just use Unearth to bring it back and attack once again for another seven points of damage.

The only thing that could prevent this plan from working is the graveyard hate, such as Leyline of the Void. But that doesn't prevent Dredge decks from being in the top tier, so why worry?


Chandra, Acolyte of Flame

The first ability on Chandra is both zero and plus one, since it puts the counter on itself. This means that you don't need to play Acolyte of Flame with other red planeswalkers for it to be useful.

The second ability is a nice way to push damage without spending any loyalty counters. So think of it as a free bonus, which can be really useful on an empty board.

The minus two ability is where things get really spicy. It's basically a Snapcaster Mage ability, which can be activated twice in a row or more if you can wait a turn here and there.

All in all, this is a very effective planeswalker that costs only three mana, and serves well in almost every red deck.


Rotting Regisaur

Jund players could definitely find a spot or two for this cute dinosaur that can potentially activate the madness mechanic with the help of its discard feature.

Since Zombie tribal decks are doing pretty well right now in the Modern meta, Rotting Regisaur looks to be more than a decent inclusion into one of those decks, too.

It's a simple yet strong card that will work in any black aggro shell that looks for quick damage. But control players could benefit from Rotting Regisaur just as well in the role of a finisher in Esper or Sultai archetypes.


Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord

Sorin's ultimate ability and Arcane Adaptation will allow you to put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or any other excessively overpowered creature on board on turn three or four.

But if combo with Arcane Adaptation seems too far fetched for you, then consider playing Morophon, the Boundless with other vampires that will get instantly buffed and their cost reduced.

Vampire tribal decks in Modern always lacked that one small push to get into the top tier shelf, and it looks like Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord will do just that.

So prepare for the new Vampire meta in Modern!


Goblin Ringleader

One of the most surprising reprints in Core Set 2020 was Goblin Ringleader, a staple Legacy card, which was banned in Modern. Now it's officially unbanned, and you can try out all the combos in Goblin tribal decks with the help of Goblin Ringleader.

Just imagine that Goblin Ringleader can potentially draw you four cards at once. This one little trick will instantly refill your hand, which is exactly what you want in an aggressive Goblins deck.

Of course, there are still plenty of powerful Goblins left out, but with this reprint Goblins can return into Modern with a serious claim for the top-tier spot.

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For more Core Set 2020 card guides, check out the list below:


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Serhii Patskan
Serhii is the Writer at GameSkinny. He's been writing for GameSkinny since 2015. Before that, he's been writing for various outlets and playing video games, which eventually turned into a passion. The video games that have contributed the most to his enthusiasm for writing about this industry are Magic: The Gathering, Dark Souls, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.