Modern Horizons is finally here and spoilers began dropping earlier today! Two new rare cards have been previewed so far. We already wrote about the biggest reveal of the day: Force of Negation. The other rare to drop today was a card that promises to support Squirrel tribal: Deep Forest Hermit!
Deep Forest Hermit bears a striking resemblance to Deranged Hermit from the set Urza’s Legacy (1999). The cost and rules text are completely identical, with the only differences being that Deep Forest Hermit has the druid creature type and has Vanishing 3 instead of Echo. The callback to this Urza’s Legacy rare is sure to be a hit with veteran players.
Breakdown
Unfortunately for those looking to build a squirrel tribal deck, there are no squirrel cards legal in modern. In fact, the only legal card that even mentions “squirrel” in its rules text is Swarmyard. It is also unfortunately 5 mana, making it highly unlikely to see play in creature decks that play Collected Company. Deep Forest Hermit is highly reminiscent of Hornet Queen, albeit a bit cheaper and with less threatening tokens.
The lighter mana cost alone might be enough to make it see niche play as a one of in some decks. Chord of Calling or Prime Speaker Vannifar could be used to pull it out of the deck and straight onto the field for some squirrely tricks.
There’s also the possibility that Deep Forest Hermit being printed signals that more squirrel tribal cards will be in Modern Horizons. Acorn Harvest, Chatter of the Squirrel, and Squirrel Mob are all likely possibilities to be imported from legacy. If enough are imported, there is a possibility that a janky squirrel tribal deck might be possible. At the very least, the card could be a limited bomb if paired with the aforementioned cards. If you feel like speculating, they might be worth picking up before they spike in price.
Stay Tuned!
Modern Horizons spoiler season is starting up and Daily Esports is dedicated to bringing you the latest cards! You can keep up with everything on our Magic: The Gathering news page. What do you think of Deep Forest Hermit? Do you think it’s good enough to see play in modern, or is it just a fun callback card meant for limited? Let us know in the comments below!
