Sliver LegionSliver Legion | Art by Ron Spears

Hey, everyone! After I covered one of current set Reality Fracture's progenitor card files Planar Chaos last week, today I'm wrapping up my coverage of the experimental and exploratory Time Spiral block with the most-played cards from Future Sight.

Like the two sets before it, FUT came with a bonus sheet with a time-themed twist: it contained cards with rules text, mechanics, themes, and even flavor that didn't exist yet!

Since then, many of these "preprints," like Bloodshot TraineeBloodshot Trainee, NarcomoebaNarcomoeba, and the enchantment creature type have come out in regular, non-futureshifted frames, in settings that they feel more or less at home in.

I wasn't playing Magic: The Gathering when Future Sight came out, but it's one of the sets that's always top of mind when a new release is coming, because I can't wait to see which futureshifted cards will enter the game's contemporary continuum. Anyway, that's enough of a history lesson, let's get to the cards!

10. Nimbus MazeNimbus Maze - 91,116 decks

Fans of matching sets and tidy card cycles can't have been too happy with what is probably my favorite Future Sight twist: the five rare dual lands in the set are all futureshifted and have pretty disparate rules text beyond their mana abilities.

Our first look at this cycle actually comes across as pretty mundane in 2026: it enters untapped and only produces both colors if you control either two different basics or a Hallowed FountainHallowed Fountain variant that carries the correct basic types. It's quite good at fixing your mana because it adds the opposite color to the one you control, but that comes at the cost of making it harder to get double pips early in the game.

It's still quite useful, and it made DougY's list of best budget dual lands, so keep this little oddball in mind when you play Azorius ().

9. Horizon CanopyHorizon Canopy - 97,177 decks

This is such a cool design, because it's basically a Tranquil ThicketTranquil Thicket that produces two colors and that lets you cycle it from play.

That means you don't have to choose between developing your mana early and finding action in the late game — you just have to pay a little bit of life for the privilege. Its ability also makes it pretty well suited to mana bases for The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom and in decks that have ways like Crucible of WorldsCrucible of Worlds to put lands back into play from the graveyard.

8. Rites of FlourishingRites of Flourishing - 107,232 decks

This is an important role player in group hug decks, seeing up to 70% play in builds led by Kynaios and Tiro of MeletisKynaios and Tiro of Meletis, Gluntch, the BestowerGluntch, the Bestower, and Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower. Rites also helps lock opponents out of damaging you alongside land-drop multipliers Ramunap ExcavatorRamunap Excavator or Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking and Glacial ChasmGlacial Chasm:

That sort of combo feels more like suffocation than a warm hug, but it's that ability to shift gears that makes what is essentially a free explore every turn for each player so worthy of a spell slot.

7. Dakmor SalvageDakmor Salvage - 123,113 decks

A card that essentially lets you mill yourself every turn — and often multiple times per turn — is incredibly potent in a huge range of decks playing and . Dedicated lands-matter builds like The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster, with whom Salvage forms a very popular self-mill combo, run it at rates approaching 76%, while it also does great work in other graveyard-oriented and Reanimator decks.

Like Horizon CanopyHorizon Canopy, it's totally fine to just play it early when you have to in decks that can easily sacrifice it to get the chain going, while Lord WindgraceLord Windgrace and other effects let you bin it straight from your hand. Most conveniently of all, you'll often just incidentally mill it with abilities like Sidisi, Brood TyrantSidisi, Brood Tyrant or Grist, the Hunger TideGrist, the Hunger Tide's.

It takes so little effort to get it going and the upside is huge.

6. Aven MindcensorAven Mindcensor - 126,117 decks

One of Commander's best Birds makes you feel like a winged apex predator on the prairie when you cast it in response to an opponent sacrificing a fetch land or casting an Enlightened TutorEnlightened Tutor. You also give them a chance to feel like the luckiest little jackrabbit in the biome when they escape Mindcensor's talons and find exactly what they need off the top four cards. It never happens to me, but that's okay.

I prefer my complaint equity to keep rising, thank you very much.

Aside from typal decks like Choco, Seeker of ParadiseChoco, Seeker of Paradise and Birds, it can often be found helping pick a Human out of your library with Winota, Joiner of ForcesWinota, Joiner of Forces and synergizing with other Stax pieces in Grand Arbiter Augustin IVGrand Arbiter Augustin IV.

5. Akroma's MemorialAkroma's Memorial - 130,907 decks

Turning all your creatures into Akroma, Angel of WrathAkroma, Angel of Wrath is a pretty exciting way to get your team past any blockers.

This doesn't augment stats, so you're best served putting this in a deck already playing big creatures. This could mean using this as a finisher in Zhulodok, Void GorgerZhulodok, Void Gorger and Eldrazi or The Capitoline TriadThe Capitoline Triad and big artifact creatures.

If acorns and going wide are more your thing, you can assemble The Unbeatable Squirrel GirlThe Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Cryptolith RiteCryptolith Rite to create infinite 1/1s then slam this to swing in for the kill:

4. Dryad ArborDryad Arbor - 184,922 decks

I'll always remember how where you played this became a hot topic on Magic: The Gathering social media a few years ago. As you can see, first edition looks pretty distinctive, whether you kept this in line with your lands or your permanents.

Some reprints, however, like those from From the Vault: Realms and Time Spiral Remastered, had this looking too much like a Forest and not enough like a 1/1 for some. Have you ever had a game of Commander derailed by missing that an opponent had a creature tucked into their mana base?

Appearances aside, Arbor's typing makes it ideal in delirium-themed decks like the one released in Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander with Rendmaw, Creaking NestRendmaw, Creaking Nest and Winter, Cynical OpportunistWinter, Cynical Opportunist, or in Baba Lysaga, Night WitchBaba Lysaga, Night Witch.

3. Cloud KeyCloud Key - 225,585 decks

At first glance, this might look like just another Coalition RelicCoalition Relic variant, but this has the potential to generate much more mana in decks built around a specific type.

The fact that you can choose what you get discounted makes this so versatile in theory, though EDHREC data does show this is mainly utilized in artifact decks such as Karn, Legacy ReforgedKarn, Legacy Reforged and Ultron, Artificial MalevolenceUltron, Artificial Malevolence. Just imagine the curve of this on turn 3, followed by both Gilded LotusGilded Lotus and Thran DynamoThran Dynamo on turn 4!

2. Graven CairnsGraven Cairns - 246,064 decks

Without knowing which precons these lands got reprinted in, I'm surprised to see Cairns in more decks than Canopy, because the life loss the latter entails doesn't matter much in Commander and drawing a card later in the game is huge upside.

Either way, this is a pretty useful dual land that isn't fussy about the type or number of other lands you have in play. As long as something can produce a red or black pip, this unlocks gold cards and double-pipped spells, and it still produces colorless mana as a fallback. Nice.

1. Pact of NegationPact of Negation - 321,724 decks

Free spells are fantastic, and this one is right up there with the best. Pact lets you tap out on your turn — hopefully to set up a win now or on your next turn — and keep up a get-out-of-jail-free card, whether it's to protect your combo or prevent opponents from assembling theirs.

This use case is evident in the types of decks it appears most commonly in: Kraum, Ludevic's OpusKraum, Ludevic's Opus + Tymna the WeaverTymna the Weaver, Silas Renn, Seeker AdeptSilas Renn, Seeker Adept + Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh, and Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy combo piles. Just don't forget to pay the upkeep cost!

Those gifted with the sight have one eye in the present and the other in the future.Those gifted with the sight have one eye in the present and the other in the future.

Given I have been gifted with continuing to write for this site, I'm eyeing returning to the future — or, er, the recent past, depending on how you look at it — to continue the reverse-chronological set coverage I detoured from with my Adventures in the Forgotten Realms list. In keeping with the theme of time, next week is going to be positively Modern. But, until then, let us know what your favorite card out of Future Sight is!