Earlier today, we saw the official debut of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty spoilers. WOTC revealed new story, new mechanics, and most importantly, new cards. There’s a lot to break down, so let’s get right into it!
Worldbuilding
First, we got to learn more about what exactly modern Kamigawa looks like. Meris Mullaley, the Worldbuilding Design Manager for Magic, explained that technology is the central conflict in Neon Dynasty.
Essentially, the people of Kamigawa disagree on how technology should be integrated into society, or whether or not they should even use technology. These different schools of thought can be broken down into five factions which (surprise, surprise) each seem to line up with a different color.
The Imperial Court (White) is the ultimate authority on Kamigawa. The Emperor is part of the Imperial Court, and they oversee the relationship between spirits and mortals. They also regulate the use of tech on the plane and can be slow to accept new advancements.
Saiba Futurists (Blue) are a secretive group that focuses on developing new tech as fast as possible. Their headquarters in the sky, Otawara, is also the home of the plane’s Moonfolk.
The Reckoners (Black) represent organized crime on Kamigawa. They use their tech for their own nefarious purposes, and they reside in the plane’s largest city, Towashi.
The Asari Uprisers (Red) see tech as a liberating force on Kamigawa. They believe that all people should have equal access to technology, so they oppose any form of regulation.
The Order of Jukai (Green) are the only group which don’t use the futuristic tech on Kamigawa. They live on the roots of Boseiju, the plane’s oldest tree, and represent a more traditional way of life.
Card Treatments
With new cards, we also get new styles to personalize our decks. If you love the Japanese or sci-fi aspects of this set, you’ll want to get a good look at these treatments.
Borderless
Borderless cards are returning! This gorgeous treatment gives plenty of room for the art to shine. The art for these cards was also made by renowned Japanese artists, including Hara Tetsuo and Terada Katsuya.
Ninja Frame
There’s also going to be a special frame specifically for ninja, as well as Kaito Shizuki. Every ninja in the set will be available in this treatment, so Yuriko players everywhere can rejoice!
Samurai Frame
If ninja are getting their own special frame, then samurai have to get one, too. Not only will this treatment show up on every samurai, but also on The Wandering Emperor.
Soft Glow Frame
Of course, not every card in the set can be a ninja or samurai, but there are still some sweet cards that deserve sweet aesthetics. Any rare or mythic that doesn’t have one of the previously mentioned card frames will have a soft glow version. This frame really emphasizes the cyberpunk aspects of modern Kamigawa.
Neon Ink Frame
Lastly, only one card will be available in the Neon Ink frame: Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos. It will come in four different colors, three of which (blue, green, and red) can be found in collector boosters. If you’re looking for a yellow version, you’ll have to go to a WPN premium store.
Mechanics
Of course, this debut also showcased the mechanics of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. We saw both new and old mechanics, some of which have an interesting new flare.
Ninjutsu
It’s no surprise that ninjutsu will be returning to Kamigawa. It was perhaps the most popular mechanic from the original block, so plenty of people would’ve been upset if it were missing.
To preview this mechanic, WOTC showed us Silver-Fur Master. Not only does it make ninjutsu cheaper, but it also buffs all of your ninjas and rogues. It appears to be the signpost uncommon for blue/black, so you can look forward to drafting powerful ninja decks around this card!
Channel
Channel is also returning from the previous block. To use a card’s channel ability, pay the ability’s cost and discard the card. This is a way for permanents to have spell-like abilities so they have even more uses.
Our example is Boseiju, Who Endures. You can play Boseiju as a land, or you can use its channel ability to get an effect similar to Acidic Slime. You might be ramping your opponent, but you’re also getting a land that can also work like a spell. If you really need to blow something up, you’ll be happy to draw Boseiju.
Sagas
Sagas are back, but this time with a new twist. When you reach chapter three for any of these sagas, they’ll transform into an enchantment creature. Keep in mind: the saga exiles itself and returns transformed. This means that the creature won’t be able to attack right away unless it has haste.
This is really cool design space for sagas, but perhaps the splashiest of them all is The Kami War. It costs WUBRG and one generic, so it’ll be challenging to play. If you manage to get it out, you get removal and a huge, flying threat! There’s certainly a high ceiling here, even if the setup might be tricky.
Vehicles
The final returning mechanic is vehicles. With so much advanced tech flying around (literally), this makes perfect sense.
Surgehacker Mech really rewards you for playing lots of vehicles. Normally, vehicles are useless without creatures to crew them. Surgehacker Mech can use those vehicles for creature removal, though, so you can get some extra value from them.
RELATED: MTG Artifacts – Everything You Need To Know
Modified
Now we have our first new mechanic of the set: Modified. It works a lot like Historic did in Dominaria by grouping together equipment, artifacts, and counters. If you have a creature with any of those on it, it’s considered modified.
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei really wants you to upgrade your creatures and get them in the red zone. As long as you control an attacking modified creature, you can spend five mana to make a 5/5 flying dragon spirit. That’s an amazing mana sink for later in the game, and it really encourages you to attack with a modified creature every turn.
Reconfigure
Lastly, we have a mechanic that changes what equipment are capable of. Cards with reconfigure can either be creatures on their own, or they can be an equipment for another creature. Instead of having an equip cost, you pay its reconfigure cost to either attach it or unattach it.
As an example, let’s look at The Reality Chip. On turn two, you can play it as a creature. It might not do much, but it’s a good blocker. Once you can reconfigure it, though, you get to play cards from the top of your library. It has two different uses, which shows how reconfigure gives you more lines of play.
Preview Highlights
We also got to see lots of exciting new cards, some of which show off important characters for the set’s story.
For example, we learned just who The Wanderer is! She’s the Emperor of Kamigawa, and her card is the first planeswalker to have flash.
We also got to see our villains of the story: Tezzeret and Jin-Gitaxias. Tezzeret synergizes with artifacts, of course, and has a powerful static ability. He can save you mana, draw you cards, and turn your artifacts into beaters. What more could you want?
Jin-Gitaxias, on the other hand, works with instants and sorceries in addition to artifacts. He copies your first spell of those types each turn, and counters your opponents’. Against slow control decks, this is a threat well worth seven mana.
If you skipped the end of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty spoilers, you might’ve missed the last planeswalker. We’ve seen her before, but she’s never been so… complete. Tamiyo has been corrupted by Jin-Gitaxias, and the result is disturbingly good. Not only does she have a more fair version of phyrexian mana, she also provides so much value. She really wants to slow the game down and eke out every advantage she can.
We also got to see two new dragons with powerful death triggers. Ao, the Dawn Sky is particularly strong. It can either buff up your entire
Important Dates
If these spoilers has left you wanting more, don’t worry! Preview season has officially started, and you can find those previews here.
There are also some key dates you should keep in mind if you want to stay up to date on the newest set. On February 10th, the set will be on MTG Arena, and the webcomic will also release on that day. In store prerelease events begin on February 11th, and the set will fully release on February 18th.
End Step
That’s all the Kamigawa news we have for now! The set already looks promising, so here’s to a great year of Magic in 2022!
