by Johnny Cycles, January 10th, 2026
Here are my top cards from Lorwyn Eclipsed for Modern! Let me know what you think in the comments!
Rather Watch?
10.
Ashling Rekindled
Lorwyn Eclipsed brings a new kind of flip card to Magic and this is the first one to make the list. Time will tell if further mana investment to flip a card
is good or bad, but I’m inclined to think it’s good, particularly if both sides of the card bring value.
Ashling Rekindled has the sweet upside of paying for its own flip by giving us 2 mana of any one color once it becomes Ashling, Rimebound. Meanwhile, it’s front side is aggressively priced at 2 mana for a 1/3 that loots.
The ramp we get from the backside, meanwhile, can be used to cast ANY spell of 4 mana or more. This feels very abusable and plays nicely with the new Evoke Elementals.
If we flip Ashling the first chance we get and make a land drop that then we’ll have 4 mana to spend on turn 3. Sure, not that impressive compared to the ramp available in Modern, but if it sticks around, the advantage we’ll get from both sides will quickly snowball.
9.
Boggart Mischief and Boggart Cursecrafter
Rakdos Goblins get a lot of sweet cards to build around, but I think these two can help fuel either an Aristocrat strategy built around Goblins or give an aggressive
Goblin deck an alternate win condition, perhaps from the board. Couple these two cards with Goblin Bombardment and Rundvelt Hordemaster and we’re seriously cooking.
Goblins are already on the fringe of tier 2 and Lorwyn Eclipsed gives the tribe some powerful new additions that should make Goblins much more competitive.
Like our next card…
8.
Hexing Squelcher
Boy that’s a lot of text, but all of it is super relevant, particularly in an Aggro or Burn deck. This is a powerful way to put your opponent in the proverbial rock
and hard place…until they bring in their Pyroclasms for games 2 and 3.
7.
Formidable Speaker
The power of this card is mainly in its tutoring ability upon entering. Then again, paying 1 to untap any permanent has tons of upside and is begging to be abused.
6.
Requiting Hex
This 1-mana instant is competing against Fatal Push for a spot in the 60, but I think it’ll have a home in some decks. It also synergizes well with all the new cards from this set that care about removing counters from creatures. Note that we don’t have to Blight 1 to kill the creature with mana value 2 or less.
5.
Rhys, the Evermore
Another new card that plays well with all the counters matter creatures in this set, this Elf Warrior is a reasonably priced protection spell for our best creature
on a body. That we can untap and remove that -1/-1 counter from the protected creature is great and all, but that’s not where the power of this effect is truly at.
But we’ll have to wait until further in our countdown for its true ceiling.
4.
Twilight Diviner
This card is busted in all those reanimator decks running around the format. Not only does it fill the graveyard, but it lets you get back two Archons of Cruelty…
or two Abhorrent Oculi. Or two Phlages for that sweet double Lightning Helix. Heck, even two Bloodghasts with this card is value.
I don’t think I’ve even touched on all the ways this card will get abused, but I can’t wait to see it in action.
3.
Oko, Lorwyn Liege
Okay, truth time. Oko making the list is as much about Oko’s reputation as it is about his stats. Well, his reputation and his abs.
I like that the front side has only +’s, one that synergizes with its flipside and one that protects it.
Oko, Shadowmoor Scion, meanwhile, can draw us a card or make two 3/3 Elks to attack or block. And if we learned anything from Oko, Thief of Crowns…it’s fear the Elk.
As a 3-mana Planeswalker, it can come down early to take over a near empty board. Having two sides to it means that if left unchecked, it will quickly take over a game with all those abilities.
2.
Evoke Elementals
Magic players love Ephemerate and we just got 5 new targets. They may seem overcosted for what they do, but I’m not sleeping on the power of evoking a big beater on turn 3 to get a land, or Thoughtseize or opponent, or draw some cards, then cast Ephemerate to keep it around.
Wizards avoided the pitfall of an enters effect not tied to a mana cost, which is good. On the flipside, these Elementals only get more powerful as the game goes long, each offering two relevant effects on legitimate threats. I really like these and if I had to guess which would see the most play, I’d put my money on
Vibrance and Wistfullness, with Deceit a close third.
And finally, our number 1 card is…
1.
Moonshadow
Remember Rhys, the Evermore… Yeah, these two cards are buddies.
But Moonshadow‘s best friend is…Psychic Frog.
This card reminds me of Pack Rat and Death’s Shadow. We spend our first turn or 2 clearing the way via hand disruption to ensure Moonshadow doesn’t get killed. Then we grow it large via fetchlands, surveil lands, the Malevolent Rumbles and Faithless Lootings of the world, and put our opponent under enormous pressure.
What do you think? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading and watching!
