Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Origins of the Cursed Mirror: Lore, Artifacts, and Set Context
In the warm glow of a red-hot experimental set, a gleaming artifact emerges from the fuse of old-world enchantments and modern mechanical whimsy. The Cursed Mirror arrives with a simple, blistering promise: spend a couple of mana to spark red flames, and on the bargain side, you get the chance to borrow someone else’s greatest creature for a moment. It’s a card that invites a quick, flashy decision—a flavor-as-facet for red’s loud, impulsive heart 🧙🔥💎⚔️.
Mechanically, the card is a compact package: an Artifact with a mana cost of {2}{R} that taps to add red mana. But the real spark lies in its entering-the-battlefield moment. As the mirror slides into play, you may choose to have it become a copy of any creature on the battlefield until end of turn—except that copy gains haste. The mirror’s gleam unsettles the battlefield, catching opponents off guard as you surge forward—usually in a single, dramatic turn. That dual nature—mana acceleration on one hand, a potent temporary clone on the other—speaks to a design philosophy that loves red’s improvisational power and the thrill of a sudden tempo swing 🧙🔥🎨.
Oracle text: {T}: Add {R}. As this artifact enters, you may have it become a copy of any creature on the battlefield until end of turn, except it has haste.
Set Context: Modern Horizons 3 and the Red Artifact Ethos
Modern Horizons 3 (mh3) lands as a draft-innovation product, a space where Wizards of the Coast blends fresh ideas with reprints and reimagined mechanics. The set is designed to push players toward blistering starts, bold plays, and creative reads of the battlefield—perfect soil for a card like Cursed Mirror to thrive. The artifact layout sits within the 2015 frame and the black border that fans recognize, but the art and flavor pull you toward a mythic, almost carnival-like spectacle where a mirror can borrow a creature’s essence for a fleeting moment 🧙🔥🎲.
As a rare, it sits at a juncture in MH3’s rarity spectrum where you want it in a deck that can maximize its tempo. The set’s watermark—set—ties the card visually to the broader MH3 identity, while the card’s reprint status helps it find new audiences who missed it in earlier printings. For collectors and players alike, the rarity badge signals both a certain prestige and practical accessibility in sealed and draft formats. The blend of a mana-producing ability with a one-turn copy effect is quintessentially red: it rewards aggressive plays and cunning sneaks, turning a straightforward ramp into a potential one-turn blowout 💥.
Design Notes: Flavor, Artwork, and the Mirror’s Rhetoric
David Gaillet’s illustration for the Cursed Mirror captures red’s love of heat and hazard—the mirror’s frame shimmers as if molten, while the reflected visage seems to waver with a heartbeat of its own. The art communicates a sense of urgency: a tool that’s both mirror and weapon, offering a glimpse of what happens when desire to "borrow power" collides with the unpredictable consequences of copying a living being—even if just for a single turn. The balance of bright ember hues and darker metallic tones feeds into the flavor of a treasure that’s dangerous to gift to your own side of the board 🎨.
From a design perspective, the card embodies a clean, iconic interaction: an artifact that shores up red’s mana base while delivering a potent, tempo-focused combat trick. The “enters the battlefield” trigger is a familiar rhythm in red artifacts, but combining it with a copy effect that grants haste introduces an extra layer of tactical depth—especially in decks that value combat surprises or spells that push through big damage in a single swing. It’s a tiny engine that can kick off a memorable sequence, a hallmark of MH3’s approach to “what if we gave red a little more glass cannon utility?” ⚔️
Playstyle synergies: how to leverage the mirror on the table
- Temporary board presence: Copying a large creature for a turn can swing combat in your favor, especially if that creature’s power is high enough to threaten lethal damage or force blockers that you can ping with your red mana output.
- Haste is the hook: The haste on the copied creature matters: you don’t need to wait a turn to attack, and you can disrupt opponents’ plans with immediate pressure 🧙🔥.
- Red artifact synergy: Use the mana ability to fuel cheap red spells or activation costs on other artifacts and red creatures you control. The combination of mana acceleration and on-the-fly clone power can snowball into a rapid tempo win with the right cards on board.
- Tempo and bluff: Pending your opponent’s removal, you can flash in a surprising threat or create a mental misstep as they plan around a potential copy of a dangerous blocker or attacker.
Collector’s Perspective and Market Pulse
As a MH3Rare with foil and non-foil print runs, Cursed Mirror sits in a space that’s attractive for both players and collectors. Current market signals show modest value for non-foil prints, with foils commanding a higher premium for those who chase that extra gleam of rarity. For players building red-heavy artifact strategies, the card offers a reliable, repeatable engine that fits neatly into midrange and tempo-oriented builds. The card’s reuse in multiple formats, including its legal status in Modern, Legacy, and Commander, helps keep it relevant beyond standard draft cycles 🏷️💎.
In terms of price anchors, expect the non-foil to hover around the low single digits in casual markets, while foil copies can rise higher as demand for MH3 reprints remains steady. If you’re scouting a budget-friendly way to spice up a red artifact shell, this card’s combination of mana acceleration and a potent temporary clone makes it a compelling slot for a variety of decklists.
In Practice: Thematic and Thematic-Clearing Deck Roles
In a red-focused artifact deck, the mirror acts as both a ramp source and a tactical tool for creating favorable combat exchanges. Its ability to copy a foe’s swarm or a hero’s legendary threat—though temporary—can distort a board state enough to swing momentum your way. The flavor of the card aligns with red’s knack for big, volatile turns: you’re not just playing a mana rock; you’re inviting a performance where one brilliant moment can translate into a game-winning swing 🧙🔥.
For collectors and art enthusiasts alike, the card is also a memorable reminder of MH3’s approach to reprints and the reimagined legacy of quicksilver artifacts: a mirror that shows you exactly what you could be in a given moment, for a single have-it-or-break-it turn 🎲.