Magic: the Gathering |OT| Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty - Ninja Turtles vs. Biker Mice

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Bringing Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Designs to Life | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

This Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty preview shows why it's sometimes important to ride out and meet challenges head-on.

magic.wizards.com

First, it includes a card previewed elsewhere

Really solid common

Among other details, they brought on people from the Duel Masters team in Japan and asked what people in Japan would want in this set. One of them was a card for Jiraiya (who was an existing folk character before Naruto).

It's odd that green can activate the fake flying ability, since MaRo has been pretty adamant that that shouldn't be in green, but this is a base black card, so I suppose that's fine.

It also mentions a Shoal-like cycle, which I believe is what we see with these cards

Note this can exile artifact lands and enchantment lands for W. Other than that, it always costs more to exile things than they cost or puts you down in card advantage. Might still be worthwhile, though.

March of Reckless Joy - XR
Instant - Rare
As an additional cost to cast this spell, exile any number of red cards from your hand. Each card exiled this way reduces the cost of this spell by 2.
Exile X cards from the top of your library. You may play up to two of them until your next turn.

This is pretty crazy card draw. At X=2, it's on par for a card you'd see normally.

Here's the titular ninja turtle! I know some people were worried that kappa would be a new creature type. Though the first Kamigawa block explicitly said all the kappas were dead. I suppose the rat ninja saved them.

As a card, this seems alright. Notably, this is one you'll probably cast normally a lot.

Kind of surprised to just get the normal version of this effect again, after Cry of the Carnarium.

Good for Limited
This is the first example we've seen of black caring about both artifacts and enchantments, I believe

I remember we got this art and somehow didn't consider the "creatures transform into equipment" idea
Seems solid in Limited

Highly dependent on what the Limited environment looks like

Pretty solid in Limited

Pretty nice. Note that you can crew for defense.

Futurist Agent - 3U
Creature - Human Ninja (Uncommon)
As long as ~ is tapped, it is a Human Citizen with base power and toughness 1/1 and it can't be blocked.
2U: Untap ~.
3/4

Futurists are a faction in Kamigawa
Some have complained this is overly complicated, but it tells a neat story

1R
Creature - Human Samurai
~ gets +2/+0 for each modified creature you control (Equipment, Auras you control, and counters are modifications.)
1/3

Oh damn, now that's some delinquent art
Looks solid for Limited. It gets the boost if it's modified itself, too.

Prowling Nezumi 1B
Artifact Creature - Rat Ninja (Uncommon)
Ninjutsu 1B
When ~ enters the battlefield, target creature you control gains deathtouch and lifelink until the end of turn.
3/1

Pretty neat effect
Also, it's Fox McCloud!

Pretty strong

 

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Does it work the same way with this guy?

Click to shrink...

It is true that Clue isn't a creature type, but Myr is. With the Shrines, I think the fact that you're expected to have multiple will make the "not actually a creature type" issue a bigger deal than usual.

~~~

Pretty good in Limited. By turn 5, getting an artifact and enchantment shouldn't be too tall an ask, and then it just keeps going.

White Scavenging Ooze equipment. It doesn't gain life, but while it's equipped, it can dodge wraths. And you can keep exiling while it's an equipment. Seems really good. Some are saying it could see sideboard play in Stoneforge Mystic decks.

Incidentally, it's been confirmed that "attach target Equipment" effects do work with reconfigure cards.

 

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Likely means no Ninja of the Deep Hours reprint. This seems pretty solid, especially since you get straight up card draw when you ninjutsu it.
Keep in mind this is an enchantment creature, which more than any other example this set, feels really arbitrary.

Interesting card. For UU, this is a transformation spell that could be solid in Limited. For X cost, I feel like that's more a desperation maneuver, either to get a large creature or just get a modified creature.

 

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The Making of a Dynasty, Part 2 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Dave Humpherys introduces the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Set Design team, and Mark shows off another preview card.

magic.wizards.com

* Bushido is a fine mechanic, but it really only needs to be on a few cards in a set
* They initially left out ninjutsu in order to have ninja designs that didn't rely on sneaking in attacks, but it was brought back in Set Design. There's also the way it works with modified, as mentioned here.
* MaRo isn't a huge fan of how broad channel is, but it's a fine tool.
* Modified was originally from Kaldheim.
* Ninja and samurai wouldn't be in any of the surrounding sets, so they had cards that care about ninjas also care about rogues, and same with samurai and warriors.

Kiki-Jiki card! Seems decent

Striding Skyscraper - 8
Artifact Creature - Construct
Striding Skyscraper costs (1) less to cast for each modified creature you control.
Trample
Striding Skyscraper has hexproof as long as it's untapped.
8/8

There are plenty of cards in Standard that spread around counters, so this could work there

Otawara, Heavenly City
Legendary Land
T: Add U.
Channel - 3U, Discard Otawara, Heavenly City: Return target artifact, creature, enchantment, or planeswalker to its owner's hand. This ability costs (1) less to activate for each legendary creature you control.

This is really strong. Note that this can bounce creaturelands.

We got a combiner mech! Alt art is way cooler, but it's likely that the normal art assumes that the full mech is on the token.

Pretty solid reanimation effect

This is a really strong common, especially with the threat of activation combined with ninjutsu.

This is pretty solid. Note that the channel ability is instant speed.

This seems pretty strong in Limited

This could be pretty solid in Commander, since this takes out Sol Rings and tokens.

Affinity for artifacts
Thankfully, the card draw is fairly restrictive

Another MMMM card in white? I wonder if there's another cycle of these cards.
Anyway, not viable in Standard, I think, but it could be useful in Commander

Also got the basic lands in the image gallery now

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Card Image Gallery | Magic: The Gathering

The Card Image Gallery is updated each day following the latest card previews. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on February 18, 2022.

magic.wizards.com

 

[SigmasonicX]

Solid common

"Invoke Gales"
Sorcery
Gain control of target artifact or creature. Untap it.

Not super exciting, but this is powerful in Limited.

Reprint, should be solid in Limited

"Inventive Iteration" {3}{U}
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Return up to one target creature or planeswalker to its owner's hand.
II — Return an artifact card from your graveyard to your hand. If you can't, draw a card.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.

"Living Inspiration"
Color Indicator: Blue
Enchantment Creature — Moonfolk
Flying
Whenever you cast a spell, your opponents can't cast spells with the same mana value as that spell until your next turn.
3/3

Front is alright, and the creature on the back is pretty strong

Soul Transfer 1BB
Sorcery (Rare)
Choose one. If you control both an artifact and an enchantment while casting this spell, you may choose both.
- Exile target creature or planeswalker
- Return target creature or planeswalker from your graveyard to your hand

If you get both clauses, this is very strong. It's solid removal for Limited regardless.

Pretty good. Note that this only triggers once, unless you have a first strike ninja/rogue.

Not that great, unless you're specifically getting Skysovereign or something, which won't happen in Limited.

The second ability makes this pretty solid

Go-Shintai of Hidden Cruelty
3B
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Shrine
Deathtouch

At the beginning of your end step, you may pay 1. If you do, destroy target creature with toughness X or less, where X is the number of Shrines you control.
2/2

Pretty strong

Not as strong as certain others, but there's zero reason to not run it, and it'll be solid

Solid common

Once you sacrifice an artifact, you can keep draining each turn, so this is solid in Limited. In a pinch, it can sacrifice itself.

Pretty good. The activated ability is mainly for Sagas.

Really strong

Given this is four mana for the base case of damaging one creature/planeswalker, this likely isn't great in Limited.

This is on the weak end of the cycle, I think

Interesting build around card

Solid common

 

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Isshin, Two Heavens as One | Magic: The Gathering

Take a trip through a top-down design of this exciting new card in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

magic.wizards.com

In Standard, this can trigger the Samurai attack triggers again, but on his own, he doesn't do much. For Commander, note that his ability triggers for any creature attack triggers you control, including for helping creatures attacking other opponents and for punishing creatures attacking you.

Solid card filtering, and can potentially cheat things out

Moonsnare Adept 3U
Creature - Human Ninja (C)
Ninjutsu 2U
When ~ enters the battlefield, return up to one target creature to its owner's hand.
2/2

Given the ninjutsu bounce happens after blockers, it's less useful for that purpose. There are other uses, of course.

Okiba Ambusher 3B
Artifact Creature - Rat Ninja
Ninjutsu 1B
Lifelink
3/2

This is a pretty solid common when you cheat it out with ninjutsu
It is odd how it's very similar to that one rat that grants lifelink and deathtouch to a target, though

Shiga, Okiba-Gang Leader 1WB
Legendary Creature - Rat Pilot
At the beginning of combat during your turn, return target Vehicle card from your graveyard onto the battlefield. It gains haste. Return it it's owner's hand at the beginning of your next end step.
---
It's hard to say which is more deadly; her front wheel or her front teeth
4/3

Interesting effect, though it could be hard to set up. Also, that's a big difference in designs between arts.

Tales of Master Seshiro
4G
Enchantment - Saga
[1/2]: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature or vehicle you control. It gains vigilance until end of turn.

3: Exile Tales of Master Seshiro, then return it to the battlefield transformed.

---

Seshiro's Living Legacy
Enchantment Creature - Snake Warrior
Vigilance, haste

Pretty weak on the front, but for common, the back is a big beatstick. Also, appearance from a legged snake.

Boon of Boseiju 1G
Instant Uncommon
Target creature gains +X/+X until and of turn, where X is the greatest mana value among permanents you control. Untap it.

Decent, though note if you aren't casting this on the greatest mana value permanent, that can get destroyed and the X value will be lower, thus leading to a potential blowout.

Kura, the Boundless Sky - 3GG
Legendary Creature - Dragon Spirit
Flying, deathtouch

When Kura, the Boundless Sky dies, choose one -

* Search your library for up to three land cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.

* Create an X/X green Spirit creature token, where X is the number of lands you control.
4/4

The last ability is pretty solid

Go-Shintai of Boundless Vigor 1G
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Shrine
Trample
At the beginning of you end step, you may pay {1}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target Shrine for each Shrine you control.
1/1

This is the first one that doesn't work as well with old Shrines, but it can keep piling on on itself.

Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Snake Druid (Rare)
1G, Tap, return ~ to it's owner's hand: Reveal the top four cards of your library. You may put a land among them onto the battlefield tapped. Put the rest into your graveyard.
Channel - XXGG, discard Shigeki: Return X target non-legendary cards from your graveyard to your hand

Unusual mix of effects, but it could make for an interesting engine.

tap add G
if it's modified, tap add GG

Seems solid. However, the art is very similar to Shikegi's.

Artifact Creature - Equipment Spider (Uncommon)

Reach
Equipped creature has +1/+4 and reach.
Reconfigure 4

1/4

Seems decent in Limited

reanimate target creature or vehicle from GY, then put 2 +1/+1 counters on it if you control artifact and enchantment

Seems decent

Pretty neat

Well this is a pretty significant reprint

Callback to Reito Lantern

Artifact Creature - Human Samurai
Haste
At the beginning of your end step, return ~ to its owner's hand.
Channel 1R- Draw a card

Pretty interesting

Solid in Limited

Interesting effect for common

 

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Got a Miku song to tie into the set, no cards

Connected by Mwk feat. Hatsune Miku

Hatsune Miku sings "Connected" by Mwk, an original song created especially to celebrate the release of "Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty", an upcoming card set from th...

www.youtube.com

~~~

Planeswalker's Guide to Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty | Magic: The Gathering

Setting foot in Kamigawa is an exciting—and perilous—step.

magic.wizards.com

Notably, one of the art pieces is for Thornwood Falls, so those are the common dual lands we're getting

~~~

Dokuchi Silencer
1B
Creature - Ninja
Ninjutsu 1B (1B, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.)
Whenever Dokuchi Silencer deals combat damage to a player, you may discard a creature card. If you do, destroy target creature or planeswalker that player controls.
2/1

Seems pretty good

Invigorating Hot Springs
1RG
Enchantment
Invigorating Hot Spring enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it.
Modified Creatures you control have haste
Remove a counter from Invigorating Hot Spring: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery and only once per turn.

Pretty solid

This was one of the early leaks. Good Limited removal.

Rabbit Battery
R
Artifact Creature - Equipment Rabbit
Haste
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and haste.
Reconfigure R (R: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)
1/1

This is really good for red aggro.

Ogre Helmet
1R
Artifact Creature - Equipment Ogre
Equipped creature gets +2/+2.
Whenever Ogre Helmet or equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice it. If you do, discard your hand and draw 3 cards.
Reconfigure 3 (3: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)
2/2

This is pretty solid, including as a 2/2 for 2 that can sacrifice to draw cards

Really nice effect with channel cards. You can even channel a legendary land and still play it! A great one to use this with is that red 2/2 one-drop that channels to draw a card and returns to your hand at end of turn.

Pretty neat

Seismic Wave
2R
Instant
Deal 2 damage to any target and 1 damage to each non-artifact creature target opponent controls.
"Beware where you step, Imperial. Even earth rebels against you."

Pretty nice, though I'm not sure it'll find a place in Standard. Note if you target a non-artifact creature, it'll get 3 damage total.

I guess Kamigawa has insect people now
This is pretty solid

Pretty solid

One drop sacrifice outlet
However, Wizards continuing to flavor chefs as using gross ingredients has resulted in them hitting against the stereotype of Asians using gross ingredients

Explosive Singularity
8RR
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may tap any number of untapped creatures you control. This spell costs (1) less for each creature tapped this way.
Explosive Singularity deals 10 damage to any target.

Convoke card, to represent a Spirit Bomb
Red convoke direct damage has seen play before, but this is 10 mana

Solid haste creature

Got a white ninja. Just as a 2/2 double strike for 3 in a set all about boosting creatures, this seems pretty strong.

 

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Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Card Image Gallery | Magic: The Gathering

The Card Image Gallery is updated each day following the latest card previews. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on February 18, 2022.

magic.wizards.com

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Variants | Magic: The Gathering

The Card Image Gallery is updated each day following the latest card previews. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on February 18, 2022.

magic.wizards.com

Full reveal is up. Lots of interesting stuff.
We still have Commander reveals next week.

High scry for white

Got one of those welcoming cats

Got Jin-Gitaxias eating shit

Could be something

Also could be something, especially since it counters abilities

Interesting variation of this effect

Pretty strong common I think

Seems solid if the opponent doesn't have sac outlets

Interesting for this Limited environment

Surprised to see discard tied to an aggressive effect like this

Now this is a weird looking guy

Discard with an aggressive failsafe

Altar's Reap further powercrept

Art is unusual in that it could just be stylized, but it also looks like the draft art we've seen for other art pieces

I like auras that have sorcery ETB effects

Great art + flavor text

Ah, got some land into creature auras after all. There's another one in green like this. This seems solid.

Weird card, but could be solid in Limited

This could be a thing

Got the DJ

Also could be a thing

Lots of choices to make with this common

Could be a thing

This was leaked, but I don't think it was officially revealed until now. Got a single bushido card.

Some decks may use this over Snakeskin Veil. Also, that safekeeping sure worked out well...

Interesting effect

Really interesting, but hard to say how to make best use of it

Got a better than modular creature. Also better than Star Pupil, which has been seeing some play, though this isn't a Human.

Forgot that Drone is already a creature type

Shrine fetching

Big common beatstick

We got all the ETB tapped gain one life common dual lands, and also this

Some of the new alt art

 

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Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander Decklists | Magic: The Gathering

Check out the new and returning cards included in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander decks!

magic.wizards.com

"Upgrades Unleashed" Full Deck Reveal | Kamigawa Commander!

"Upgrades Unleashed" is the newest preconstructed deck from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. This deck is all about adding interesting modifications to your creatures...

www.youtube.com

(Editor's Note: The Upgrades Unleashed Commander deck was inadvertently printed with two copies of Mossfire Valley instead of an additional basic land. Players wanting to play the deck in Commander should swap out the extra copy of Mossfire Valley for a basic land or the land of their choice.)

Reference to Princess Mononoke

Direct reference to Spirited Away
You want to put this on your opponents' stuff; they get the damage, you get the Treasure

~~~

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Vision Design Handoff, Part 1 | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

Mark uses the vision design handoff document to comment on changes that happened during the making of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

magic.wizards.com

* This has been brought up a lot, but ninjutsu wasn't originally going to be in the set due to it not playing well with modified
* Modified originally came from Kaldheim; there are still some cards that care about being enchanted or equipped
* How the Sagas used to look, as one-sided cards
Boseiju Rises Above
4G
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter, Sacrifice after III.)
I-II: Target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
III: This permanently becomes a Spirit enchantment creature.
Creature — Spirit
5/5

* The REDACTED part is for sets that have come out already, so what could it be referring to?
The intent is that these are single-sided cards with a tweaked Saga frame communicating the creature aspect of the card, but the Set Design team is free to look into double-faced card executions. The Vision Design team avoided this path due to the high volume of DFCs in sets leading up to this ("Diving" through "Clubs" all use some form of double-faced cards and [REDACTED]), but we acknowledge it's an exciting execution possibility in a vacuum.

* Mechtitan used to be Liontron

Assembly Squadron
2
Artifact — Vehicle
3/4
Crew 2
3: Create Liontron, a legendary 15/15 Construct artifact creature token with vigilance, flying, lifelink, haste, and trample. Exile five artifact creatures you control until that token leaves the battlefield.

~~~

New story

The Blade Reflected and Reborn | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

In a quiet country village on the outskirts of Towashi, a wandering swordsman faces down a past he cannot outrun.

magic.wizards.com

 

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“Buckle Up” Full Deck Reveal - Neon Dynasty | Command Zone 445 | Magic: The Gathering Commander

Support the show and become a Patron! Be a part of our community, receive awesome rewards, and more! http://www.patreon.com/commandzone---------- Show Notes:...

www.youtube.com

Better way to view the deck lists

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander Decklists and Previews

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander Decklists and Previews!

www.mtggoldfish.com

The new cards here are more interesting than in the other deck

~~~




Wild new combo




Repeated card name from those old Theros event decks

 

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Updated the OP

Commander deck image gallery includes new art for some cards

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Commander | Magic: The Gathering

The Commander Card Image Gallery is updated each day following the latest card previews. Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty releases on February 18, 2022.

magic.wizards.com

MAGIC: THE GATHERING

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magic.wizards.com

The new Challenger Decks have a lot of value. Plus, there are a lot of cards that won't rotate in two sets, including Neon Dynasty cards.

Although note:
The Mono White Aggro Standard Challenger Deck set to release on April 1, 2022, will contain three copies of the now-Standard-banned Faceless Haven. In terms of what this means for tabletop and digital formats, please see below.

1. For tabletop formats: This deck will still be legal for tournament play in tabletop Magic: The Gathering formats, but only as is. Specifically, the 60-card deck and 15-card sideboard will be legal as long as no changes are made to it.
2. For digital formats: Both Magic: The Gathering Arena and Magic Online will be handling these bans in the same way they normally handle Standard bans. Since the challenger decks are not offered as a product on either platform, there will not be an exception to Standard legality to allow that precise list of cards in Standard play.

 

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Exclusive: Street Fighter MTG Crossover Cards and February Secret Lairs Revealed - IGN

First looks at a whopping 41 cards and a conversation with Wizards of the Coast.

www.ign.com

Street Fighter

Introducing: Kaito Shizuki by artist Rorubei

Kamigawa: The Manga: The Cards by artist RIYOU KAMEI (so now we know who drew the manga)

Li'l Walkers by artist UTA NATSUME

Pictures of the Floating World by artists AMAYAGIDO, AOJI MAIKO, Nagano, SHIE NANAHARA, and TOMOHITO

These are the Hideaway lands, which notably are now written as "Hideaway 4" and the "enters the battlefield tapped" part is now a separate line of rules text. This could mean hideaway returning with different numbers and without ETB tapped being an innate part of it. New Capenna makes sense.

Shades Not Included by artist Ben Schnuck

Showcase: Neon Dynasty by artists AI NANAHIRA, ESUTHIO, SENNSU, and ZOUNOSE.

Special Guest: Yuko Shimizu

Posting this again:
The Hideaway lands notably are now written as "Hideaway 4" and the "enters the battlefield tapped" part is now a separate line of rules text. This could mean hideaway returning with different numbers and without ETB tapped being an innate part of it. New Capenna makes sense.

Anyway, this is a generally nice looking set of cards

 

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Launch Party Promo

Set Booster Magic-ified Stranger Things cards
They follow an Innistrad theme

At the bottom of the card, there's an "=SLD (number)" which indicates it's the same as the specified Secret Lair card

 

[i hate cheaters]

March 7, 2022, Banned and Restricted Announcement | Magic: The Gathering

Announcing changes to Pioneer, Pauper, and Modern formats effective March 7, 2022.

magic.wizards.com

Pioneer:


Lurrus of the Dream-Den is banned.


Modern:


Lurrus of the Dream-Den is banned.


Pauper:


Galvanic Relay is banned
Disciple of the Vault is banned.
Expedition Map is unbanned.


Tabletop Effective Date: March 7, 2022


Magic Online effective date: March 7, 2022

Click to shrink...

noteably, it's not banned in historic

one of the strongest magic cards printed since 1993, even after nerfing it by 3 mana

it took 22 months and 21 days to ban it

i would rather see the mechanic gone because the games vs yorion are even more miserable than vs lurrus, but this is a step in the right direction

 

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Battlebond dual land reprints; these are all expensive right now

Another expensive reprint

New cards

Same Boo token

Reprints

 

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Episode 1: Homecoming | Magic: The Gathering

New Capenna: city of angels and demons, dripping in chrome and crowded with wonders. It's exhilarating, but Elspeth discovers that the angels are gone and only demons remain.

magic.wizards.com

* Opens on Elspeth's death to Heliod, though when we next see her in the story, it's past the events of Theros: Beyond Death.
* We see the head of the Maestros, Xander, and the head of the Cabaretti, Jetmir, separately discuss the current state of New Capenna. There's a new upstart named The Adversary that's drawing away disloyal family members with the promise of Halo—a powerful source of magic. They wonder where he's getting all this Halo, especially with the supplies for everyone else running low.
* Xander collects all kinds of artifacts, including writings about the founding of New Capenna from a past he should remember, but everything before his "deal" is murky.

* Vivien Reid is looking around Riveteers territory. She notes how the plane is completely lifeless outside the barrier surrounding New Capenna, and the only plants here are surrounded by concrete. She doesn't think this city has much longer before it splits at the seams.
* She comes across the Riveteers leader, Ziatora, giving a speech to a crowd.
* A man covered head to toe in heavy clothing approaches Vivien, noting that she's a planeswalker.
* He introduces himself as Tezzeret, though they notably don't describe his appearance other than saying there's a metal clanking sound when he walks, and he doesn't act much like Tezzeret.
* He explains that they aren't the only planeswalkers here. Vivien wonders why so many are interested in this plane. It has something to do with Halo.

* "Tezzeret" wants to introduce Vivien to Urabrask (the red Phyrexian praetor who betrayed the others). He says they're all on the same side: freedom. Personally, I strongly suspect he's Koth.
* Elspeth arrives on New Capenna. This is where Ajani said to go, but how could this possibly be her home plane?

~~~

The Contract Breaker | Magic: The Gathering

People forget Perrie has a brain behind his brawn, but he doesn't mind—easier to get one over on them. But when he's in a bind, he'll need both to find a way out.

magic.wizards.com

Haven't read this one yet.

~~~

Deciduous | Magic: The Gathering

Mark explains what it means for something to be "deciduous" in Magic design and walks readers through all the current deciduous mechanics.

magic.wizards.com

Notably,
* Cycling is now officially deciduous, and can appear on just a few cards in any set
* They're more willing to make mechanics deciduous now, specifically pointing out common effects they already have keywords for. For me, the biggest example that comes to mind is surveil.

~~~

Maro’s Streets of New Capenna Teaser

Before previews for Streets of New Capenna officially begin, I thought it would be fun to do another of my Duelist-style teasers where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I’m only giving...

markrosewater.tumblr.com

Before previews for Streets of New Capenna officially begin, I thought it would be fun to do another of my Duelist-style teasers where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I'm only giving you partial information.

First up, here are some things you can expect:
• five mana costs, using existing mana symbols, that we've never used before
• a spell that costs 13BB
• a mechanic we've tried to get in numerous sets finally finds a home
• a creature type theme for a draft archetype that's never been used before
• a red creature that can make token copies of creatures you control

• a card that adds WWUUBBRRGG
• a mechanic which first premiered in a Standard-legal set in the 00's sees a return to Standard
• a card that makes Cat and Dog tokens
• a draft theme caring about a threshold in the graveyard we haven't cared about before
• multiple white cards capable of drawing a card each turn

Next, here are some rules text that will be showing up on cards:
• "Then if you control ten or more creatures, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost."
• "Copy target spell you control that wasn't cast."
• "As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature, discard a card, or pay 4 life."
• "If exactly three colors of mana were spent to activate this ability,"
• "Create a 1/1 blue Fish creature token"

• "When you cast this spell, copy it."
• "WUBRG, T, Sacrifice CARDNAME:"
• "where X is the number of permanents you've sacrificed this turn."
• "Count the colors of the sacrificed creature,"
• "You may cast any number of the copies without paying their mana costs."

Finally, here are some creature type lines in the set:
• Creature – Devil Warrior
• Creature – Raccoon Rogue
• Creature – Bird Assassin
• Creature – Plant Dinosaur
• Artifact Creature – Treasure Dog

• Artifact Creature – Angel Warrior
• Legendary Creature – Sphinx Demon
• Legendary Creature – Cat Citizen
• Legendary Creature – Cephalid Advisor
• Legendary Creature – Vampire Demon Noble

Check out the Streets of New Capenna debut on April 7th​ at 9:00 am PT on Twitch and YouTube.

My notes
• a mechanic which first premiered in a Standard-legal set in the 00's sees a return to Standard
• "Then if you control ten or more creatures, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost."

Definitely hideaway, seemingly used the same way as before. I would imagine there are more than five cards this time.

• "Create a 1/1 blue Fish creature token"
Guessing a card named Sleep With the Fishes

• "Copy target spell you control that wasn't cast."
• "When you cast this spell, copy it."

Seems like spell copying is a theme again, especially since that first rules text doesn't make sense unless there's a ton of it.

• Creature – Raccoon Rogue
• Artifact Creature – Treasure Dog
• Legendary Creature – Cephalid Advisor

Great creature types!

 

[SigmasonicX]

Mainly you'll use the last mode, with the others as fallbacks. Doesn't seem good for Constructed, but it'll be solid in Limited.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Episode 2: Dirty Laundry | Magic: The Gathering

In the city, but not yet of the city, Elspeth works to learn how the city works. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's a long climb from the Caldaia to Park Heights; in that case, it helps to have friends in high places.

magic.wizards.com

* Elspeth is working odd jobs in New Capenna while trying to figure out what's going on in the city.
* Through flashbacks, we see her reuniting with Ajani. The Gatewatch and Karn are assembled on Dominaria to figure out how to deal with New Phyrexia.
* Ajani informs her that he found her home plane, but much happened there since she left. That said, they were clearly able to survive the Phyrexian threat on their plane, so he'd like her to go and find out how. At the same time, she should see if this can fill the hole in her heart.
* Elspeth is working at a cleaners with a rude boss, but when some Maestro enforcers beat him up and wreck the shop after he doesn't provide protection money in time, she draws them away and defeats them with a rod from a construction site. Notably, the enforcers fire magic out of their fingers, like finger guns.
* Seeing this, a Maestro leader, Anhelo, offers her a chance to join the family. She initially refuses, but he offers Halo, which she is curious about.

* She asks what she'd do with Halo. He notes that she's clearly not from around here, since everyone has a reason to get Halo. He also calls her name a couple generations out of date.
* He points out a statue depicting an angel fighting what Elspeth recognizes as a Phyrexian. Anhelo mocks them, saying that these statues are everywhere as though they're supposed to revere the angels for some ancient battle, when all they did was leave them with scraps to fight over.
* Anhelo says the Maestros have hundreds of statues like this and tons of information. That's enough to get Elsepth to join the Maestros, though she doesn't plan to be used by them.
* In the epilogue, we see that the Adversary mentioned in the first story is in fact Ob Nixilis. He plans on doing something big during the big Crescendo party.

~~~

What You Expect to See | Magic: The Gathering

A strange prophecy grips the fortune-tellers of New Capenna. Investigator Kamiz smells a con, but her rookie partner thinks there's more to the story.

magic.wizards.com

I haven't read this yet, but this is about a Cephalid detective.

How Cephalids look now

They are boneless and take humanoid shape to fit in. The story mentions tentacles, so I suppose they have multiple tentacles tucked into their pants.

~~~

Pretty solid charm

 

[SigmasonicX]

No modes are particularly great, but it's never a dead card

~~~

Both stories today are for the main story

Episode 3: Tests | Magic: The Gathering

As dark forces gather and threaten New Capenna from below, Elspeth hurries to climb the ranks of the Maestros and gain access to Xander's archives.

magic.wizards.com

* Elspeth does jobs for the Maestros in exchange for information about the past from Xander. None of them involve killing anyone, though she does have to fight off some raccoonfolk while tailing someone else. It seems like they're replacing goblins in this set.
* Xander explains that the city was founded on a deal between archangels and demonlords. They went to fight some other enemy and drafted a pact with five families to run the city while they were gone. He's one of the people they made the pact with, but he has little memory of it. That's why he seeks artifacts.
* After one job, Xander gives Elspeth some Halo to drink, which she does.
* She runs into Vivien. They decide to meet again later, when Elspeth isn't being tailed.
* Xander sends Elsepth to a Cabaretti cabaret to investigate their Halo source, having her wear a fancy dress. She tries to get a job working to set up the Crescendo, but is bad at being subtle. She does get the attention of Jinnie, second in command of the Cabaretti, who asks Elspeth to do some other jobs first.

The Side of Freedom | Magic: The Gathering

Vivien follows Tezzeret down to the root of New Capenna, where a greater mystery awaits her . . .

magic.wizards.com

* Viven is with Tezzeret, who is indeed Tezzeret after all and not Koth. He was covered up because the planar bridge in him is glowing and corrupted from having to transport Phyrexians.
* He explains that he wants something from Elesh Norn, but he won't be able to actually use it if the Phyrexians' plan succeeds.
* He takes her to Urabrask, who is injured after having used the Planar Bridge. He needs Halo to recover and Vivien will bring it to him.
* Vivien does work for Obscura, siphoning off the small amounts of Halo she gets to give to Urabrask; she doesn't like the substance herself.
* She's forced to stab another Obscura agent at one point and has to go into hiding.

* She has the scene with Elspeth above.
* Vivien tells Urabrask about Elspeth. For some reason, Elesh Norn is worried about her in particular.
* Urabrask says it's soon time for him to return to New Phyrexia. The trip here destroyed his body and the trip back will do the same, but it's necessary. He also mentions that Tezzeret told him that the Adversary is "the demon".
* Vivien needs to get back to Elspeth, and she hopes to do that at the Crescendo.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Judge promos, not Standard legal

Both expensive reprints. Parallel Lives shows that even with the rift between Urza and Mishra, they still share the same green heart.

 

[SigmasonicX]

RIP Magic Esports

Return of the Pro Tour: Your Path to Playing Magic at the Highest Level

From your local game store to international competition, tabletop play returns with the Pro Tour.

magic.gg

The first Regional Championship Qualifiers will begin July 2 and can be run as Standard, Pioneer, Modern, or Limited. The first round of Regional Championships will be Pioneer, and the first Pro Tour will feature Pioneer and Limited! Start practicing and prepping your deck now!

Welcome back Pro Tour! Details in the article. Also RIP Alchemy as a competitive format.

Events are going to be paper, but there will also be a digital pathway to be announced later.

 

[i hate cheaters]

some more previews from the next set

from here:

 

[SigmasonicX]

Secret Lair Knows Its Left from Its Other Left

30 years in the making, Secret Lair is proud to introduce the world's first left-handed Magic cards!

magic.wizards.com

Secret Lair - Finally! Left-Handed Magic Cards

Actually going to be on sale

Pricing:

• Non-foil: $29.99/€34.99*/£29.99*/CN¥238.00/SG$43.88
• Traditional foil: $39.99/€44.99*/£39.99*/CN¥318.00/SG$58.88
  *Inclusive of local VAT

There's also going to be an April Superdrop later

 

[SigmasonicX]

Especially compared to the other charms, this looks damn good. Note that for the second mode, you'll want to cast it on your opponent's turn, since if you cast it on your turn, you only have that turn to play cards.

~~~

Episode 4: The Font | Magic: The Gathering

Undercover with the Cabaretti, Elspeth prepares for the Crescendo. It's sure to be a party like no other—which is exactly what Elspeth is worried about.

magic.wizards.com

Haven't read yet

The Family Man | Magic: The Gathering

On this, the day of his daughter's wedding, Anhelo discovers that New Capenna has plans for him—messy ones.

magic.wizards.com

Haven't read yet

~~~

Where to find previews

Where to Find Streets of New Capenna Previews

What's been previewed, what's going to be previewed, and where you can find all of it for Streets of New Capenna, right here!

magic.wizards.com

 

[signal]

 

[SigmasonicX]

Episode 5: Hymn of the Angels | Magic: The Gathering

Elspeth, Vivien, and Giada run as New Capenna rages with inter-family war. To save the city—and find answers—Elspeth must escort Giada to safety.

magic.wizards.com

* Elspeth leads Vivien and Giada to an abandoned warehouse but they're attacked by Cabaretti; Giada had a tracking device in her bracelet.
* They're taken to an Obscura hideout, where Jetmir and other Cabaretti members are hiding out with Obscura support. Kamiz from the Obscura side story is there too.
* Riveteers, or rather agents working with Ob Nixilis, suddenly appear and attack. Elspeth is hurt, but Giada heals her with Halo. After taking it, Elspeth notices that Giada is glowing; Giada is surprised Elspeth can see it too.
* Kamiz leads them to the main Obscura stronghold to escape, but it's a trap and was just meant to separate them from the Cabaretti forces.
* The stronghold is in a cathedral, and looking around, Giada suddenly realizes this is where she's meant to be; this is her home.

* Ob Nixilis arrives and fights Elspeth while Vivien holds off everyone else.
* Ob is faster than expected and Elspeth's sword is large and bulky, so she's defeated.
* Elspeth tells Giada to run, but she says it's her turn to protect her now. With a blast of light, she ascends or something and fades away, telling Elspeth that she already had everything she needed. Elspeth's sword has been replaced by a lighter one with an orb of Halo on the hilt.
* Using this, she easily defeats Ob and he planeswalks away.
* In the epilogue, they go to the Maestro museum, where Anhelo reveals that he's the Maestro leader now and that Xander gave Elspeth full access to his archives.

* There, there's an exposition dump about how the angels and demons went off to fight the Phyrexians long ago. The demons betrayed the angels and turned them into Halo, which they then used to defeat the Phyrexians. Then the demons disappeared, leaving only the family heads.
* Elspeth decides to take some of Xander's hidden stash of Halo back to Ajani and the Gatewatch.
* Vivien says that if Urabrask is to be believed, then there's a revolution on New Phyrexia that might give them an opportunity to attack.
* Until I refreshed just a moment ago, there was a mistaken allusion to Elspeth's childhood being imprisoned on New Phyrexia ; though it still says she was imprisoned there at some point, which isn't supported by her Fandom wiki page.
* Elspeth and Vivien head back to Dominaria.

This was a really rushed final story, especially that exposition dump about what happened in the past; which still didn't explain why the family heads don't remember it well or what's the deal with the Phyrexian prison Elspeth spent her childhood in. There's barely any followup regarding what happened to the gangs. And if Giada was this important, it's baffling that they didn't make her more of a focus in earlier parts. And also... is Urabrask still just sitting there waiting to meet Elspeth?

I thought the first three or so parts were solid, but the fourth and fifth parts clearly had to rush to fit in all the remaining plot beats.

Alley Cat Blues | Magic: The Gathering

Before Kitt Kanto was the darling of the Cabaretti and diva of the Rose Room, she sang in subways. With luck, timing, and hustle, she grabbed her star.

magic.wizards.com

* This follows Kitt Kanto, a singer for Cabaretti. Which yes, means there are no side stories following a Riveteer.
* She sang in the subway for money then one day caught the attention of Jetmir. He offers her a gig at The Red Room on the condition she delivers some Halo for him.
* She takes the subway to the location. She's carrying a bag that only has a dress in it; she moved the Halo to her coat.
* "There was a single open seat, but no one was sitting there because an unknown individual had left behind a puddle of glistening goo. By its blueish color, the culprit was probably a cephalid."
* The train stops as Riveteers attack it, wanting to intercept Kitt's delivery. She escapes out the window and they give chase.

* As a subway singer, she befriended pigeons, so with her song, they come to her aid and she escapes, but she loses her bag with her dress.
* She makes it to the Red Room in time for her performance, though she has to make due with small adjustments to what she has on, with so little time until the show.
* The Riveteers that were chasing her are in the audience, but they can do nothing but seethe as she sings.
* She ends up being a big hit and Jetmir brings up on full time.

This was a fun story, but again, it's weird that we don't have a Riveteer perspective story.

Looking at New Capenna's story overall, though, I can't help but be disappointed. We don't get nearly enough insight into how life works here or how the different families work, and with the main story, it's super rushed by the end.

 

[signal]

Some new Secret Lair Drops

Secret Lair | Official Online Store

Official Online Store

secretlair.wizards.com

The Secret Lair April 2022 Superdrop Is the Cat's Pajamas | Magic: The Gathering

Celebrate the release of the Streets of New Capenna with a Superdrop you can't refuse!

magic.wizards.com