This is easily the most powerful single set since Alpha. This comes as no surprise given that MH1 did hold that title and since then power creep has been fairly intense. Indeed I am almost relived nothing individually too horrific was spoiled given recent past form. Obviously the dust is a long way from settling so there is plenty of opportunity for things to be broken... Ragavan is still far too much for my liking but perhaps it is somehow fine? Most things do at least kill him with ease.
There are a lot of things I want to pickup from this set although many of them will never set foot in the drafting cube as they are narrow in some way. Most modern archetypes had a couple of custom built cards for them in MH2, some others got many multiples like affinity. All of this direct support from a high powered set ensures that there are lots of things that are great in the decks they have been designed for and as such a bunch of things for the constructed reserves. It seems to be the case that in modern now your deck either contains MH2 cards or is not very good any more.
The cards with draft cube potential are high in number but not off the charts high. The difference to usual releases is more in the power of those cards rather than the quantity. Just a really foolishly high power level across quite a number of cards. As was noted in the comments, I barely ever give 9/10 or higher ratings. Force of Negation and Prismatic Vista got 9s from the last MH set but lands kind of don't count in quite the same way. Deathrite and Smuggler's Copter would have had 9s too had I rated them in the same way. Oko should of course also have had a 9.5 rating but I totally missed how broken he was on initial review. In over a decade of reviews that is a handful of 9+ cards and rightly so. I'm not sure you want these format warping cards that often. Well, MH2 has more 9+ cards than the last decade of magic so that is quite the claim. We shall see how it pans out with MH2 having five cards rated 9 or more. Luckily cube is highly resilient to such things so while other formats may suffer cube should take it in it's stride.
Much as I dislike the pricing on MH2 and I am wary of the power I do really appreciate the good design. I am not such a fan of the gimmick cards. Those that are clearly top down designed based on some daft word play. Lets keep that kind of thing for the silver boarded releases mostly. Beyond that the cards are generally really top draw stuff. I don't know if the designers getting to take the gloves off brings out the best in design or if more resources are thrown at getting these MH sets good but there is certainly something at play. Well thought out, interesting and sensible card design is again the real champion of these sets. As ever, here are the cards I will be getting from MH2 and what I will be doing with them.
Additions (best to worst)
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
Subtlety
Ignoble Hierarch
Grist
Solitude
Dauthi Voidwalker
Fury
Grief
Urza's Saga
Svyelun, God of the Sea and Sky
Rift Sower
Prismatic Ending
Damn
Flametongue Yearling
Esper Sentinel
Hard Evidence
Tourach, Dread Chanter
Breya's Apprentice
Test with high hopes;
Ravenous Squirrel
Master of Death
Nested Shambler
Clattering Auger
Dragon's Rage Channeler
Lose Focus
Myr Scrapling
Mine Collapse
Test with low hopes;
Rishadan Dockhand
Sword of Hearth and Home
Dakkon, Shadow Slayer
Priest of Fell Rites
Obsidian Charmaw
Monoskelion
Flame Blitz
Verdant Command
Sylvan Anthem
Persist
Legion Vanguard
Resurgent Belief
Geyadrone Dihada
Blazing Rootwalla
Strike it Rich
Tireless Provisioner
Tideshaper
Bloodbraid Marauder
Blossoming Calm
Unholy Heat
Out of Time
For the Constructed Reserves;
The Artifact Dual Lands
The Underworld Cookbook
Asmoblahblahblah
Glimpse of Tomorrow
Arbound Mouser
Step Through
Dress Down
Gaea's Will
Thought Monitor
Ornithopter of Paradise
Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
Sanctum Weaver
Faithless Salvaging
Chatterstorm
Terrirtorial Kavu
Dermotaxi
Endurance
Brainstone
Diamond Lion
Unmarked Grave
Profane Tutor
Timeless Dragon
Squirrel Sanctuary
Kaldra Compleat
Squirrel Sovereign
Chitterfang, Squirrel General
Fractured Sanity
Void Mirror
Kitchen Imp
Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
Carth the Lion
Arcbound Shikari
Academy Manufacturer
Liquimetal Torque
Scurry Oak
Fae Offering
Road // Ruin
Sanctifier en-Vec
Harmonic Prodigy
Calibrated Blast
Abiding Grace
General Ferous Rokiric
Sudden Edict
Lonis, Cryptozoologist
Scuttletide
Nettlecyst
Archon of Cruelty
Timeless Witness
Vile Entomber
Necrogoyf
Skyblade's Boon
Barbed Spike
Power Depot
Sythis, Harvest's Hand
Foundation Breaker
Arcbound Javelineer
Sol Talisman
Glimmer Bairn
Inevitable Betrayal
Blacksmith's Skill
Magus of the Bridge
Terminal Agony
Tragic Fall
Arcbound Prototype
Murktide Regent
Break the Ice
Kaleidoscorch
Goblin Anarchomancer
Sojourner's Companion
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