Modern Horizons 3 reveals one of MTGs strongest one drops in history

Ocelot Pride combines Lifegain strategies with token duplication to provide an incredible amount of value for just one white mana. 

Modern Horizons 3 has been pushing MTG forward with a host of incredibly powerful new designs. Ocelot Pride continues that trend as one of the most pushed, low-cost cards in Magic’s history. 

Ocelot Pride can be cast for a single white mana. This Cat Creature is a 1/1 that comes in with both First Strike and Lifelink, making it able to deal with a wide range of low-level threats and slowly add onto its controller’s life total in the process. 

WotC

In the end step, if you have gained life this turn (which is very likely from the get-go, thanks to Lifelink), Ocelot Pride will create a 1/1 Cat Creature token, building up a wall of blockers to protect your ever-increasing life total. 

This card also comes with the iconic Ixalan ability Ascend. When Ocelot Pride’s controller controls ten or more permanents, they gain the city’s blessing for the rest of the game. Once the city’s blessing has been acquired, Ocelot Pride’s real power comes into play.  

With the city’s blessing, during the end step, Ocelot Pride allows its owner to create token copies of any token that entered the battlefield this turn, including the potential 1/1s generated by this card. 

MTG fans have been quick to point out the sheer power of Ocelot Pride compared to its cost, making this mana-cheap Mythic one of Modern Horizons 3’s stand-out cards.

As said by Reddit commenter Temurtron: “I know it got leaked early but it’s wild to me they didn’t have someone spoil this. I think it’s one of the best cards in the set. Snowballs incredibly quickly and is absolutely nuts in multiples, plus plays excellently well with New Ajani.” 

Ocelot Pride comes with so many impactful abilities that are almost unprecedented for a one-mana Creature to possess all at once.

Not only good in the game’s starting turns, this card’s token duplication will see it put to great use in a huge number of white decks, especially those making use of X-cost token summoners like Grand Crescendo and Finale of Glory.