Now that the Magic: The Gathering Assassin’s Creed set has been spoiled, we’re diving into the very best cards for the Modern format.
That’s right, just like the Lord of the Rings set, the Assassin’s Creed crossover set is Modern-legal. However, the set isn’t draftable. It will still be released in the form of booster boxes, collector boxes, a bundle, and a starter kit. There will be no Commander precons this time.
Most of the Assassin’s Creed cards appear designed for the Commander format rather than Modern, and nothing here looks particularly overpowered. Compared to MH3, Assassin’s Creed is rather tame, with a few potentially playable cards. We would be surprised if anything became a format staple.
Here’s our take on the Top 5 Best Assassin’s Creed MTG Cards for Modern:
#1 Tax Collector
First up on our list of the best Modern playable cards from Assassin’s Creed is Tax Collector. He’s a hate bear that makes all spells cost 1 more for your opponents to cast.
Against combo decks, this buys an extra turn and gives you a 2/2 body to beat face with. Against aggro decks, you can detain a creature for a turn and use it as a chump blocker.
To get the most out of Tax Collector, run it in builds with flicker effects like Ephemerate. The later the game goes, the less relevant his abilities become, but sometimes all you need is that extra turn.
#2 Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector
Next up on our list, and potentially very playable in Modern, is Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector.
My favorite Modern synergy here is pitching Senu, Keen-Eyed Protector to Solitude. Then, if you have any legendary creatures in your deck, you can potentially get Senu back from exile for free.
Senu is a solid life gain and card advantage card for decks with legendary creatures. Gaining two life and scrying two every few turns adds up over time.
#3 Reconnaissance
For the first time ever, Reconnaissance is in the Modern format. It was first printed way back in June 1998 when the Exodus set was released.
Reconnaissance is a card that can potentially assist the Nadu, Winged Wisdom combo deck that is gaining popularity. It gives you another 0 mana way of targeting creatures you control. You can also attack with impunity, as any blocked creatures can be untapped and removed from combat.
#4 Black Market Connections
Black Market Connections was originally a Commander card and is now reprinted into Modern with some sick new artwork.
This value engine has seen some fringe play in Legacy decks, and the power level is here. The life loss is a serious disadvantage though, and the card may be too slow for Death’s Shadow decks.
There really aren’t many cards in Modern at the 3 drop slot that offer this type of flexible value of treasure tokens, card draw, and creature tokens, other than say Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. That card turned out pretty good.
#5 Smoke Bomb
Smoke Bomb is a sideboard tech card with a few applications. The first application is that it gives you a way to protect your creatures and push through damage. At three mana, that’s a bit pricy for the Modern format.
The second application is much more interesting. Plenty of decks need and want to target their creatures to gain card advantage. Think about the Nadu, Winged Wisdom deck, which needs to target its creatures to draw cards. Smoke Bomb will give all creatures shroud, so your opponents can’t even target their own creatures!
Unfortunately, regardless of which way you use it, it is sacrificed at the beginning of your upkeep. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting effect and is another artifact that Karn, the Great Creator can fetch.
Overall, our impression of the Magic the Gathering: Assassin’s Creed set is that it’s mostly casual Commander upgrades and not going to affect Modern to a great degree.
That’s likely for the better, as many players have grown skeptical of Universes Beyond products’ overwhelming competitive formats. The LOTR set introduced dozens of highly playable cards that have altered modern forever, such as Orcish Bowmasters and The One Ring.
Magic: The Gathering – Assassin’s Creed products will be released worldwide on July 5th, 2024.
READ MORE: The Most Expensive Cards from MTG Assassin’s Creed Set
