Can we talk about unbanning the MH3 Flares in Historic?
Now that the dust has settled on the fon fov unban, I think it’s time we revisit the pre-banned MH3 cards—specifically the Flare cycle.
This format actually absorbed it pretty well. It added a layer of interaction that Historic honestly needed. I’d argue that most of the Flares would do the same, making the environment more dynamic rather than breaking it.
Here’s my breakdown of why we should give them a chance:
Flare of Denial: Tempo have been struggling to keep up with some of the faster, more proactive decks. Having a free "hard" counter at the cost of a creature is a fair trade-off in a format this fast.
Flare of Malice / Fortitude / Duplication (Black/White/Red): These are arguably the safest of the bunch. They are highly situational and require a board presence to even function. They provide "clutch" moments without being inherently oppressive.
Flare of Cultivation: I’ll admit, this one is the most dangerous. Free ramp can lead to some degenerate Turn 2 or 3 plays that Historic might not be ready for.
The TL;DR: If Historic can handle Teferi, it can handle free interaction. I think unbanning the Flare cycle (maybe keeping the Green one on the watch list) would actually improve the meta by rewarding deck-building that values creature-based interaction.
Is the format ready for free spells, or am I huffing too much hopium?I apologize for the translation as I am not a native speaker and have used AI assistance.