New Capenna is a gritty metropolis that was built by angels. Yet, five demon-led crime families battling each other for control of the streets, and a magic-enhancing substance called “Halo” rule the city now. Each of these families has a 3-color combination that represents it in the set. Let’s jump right in.
The set features the 3-color “shard” combinations from Alara. Each of the families features its own keyword, gameplay style, and symbol. They are as follows:
- Obscura (White, Blue, Black)
- Riveteers (Black, Red, Green)
- Brokers (Green, White, Blue)
- Cabaretti (Red, Green, White)
- Maestros (Blue, Black, Red)
First, the colors for each family shed some light on what its play style or “interests” could look like. We will also go over the background of each family as well as what we know so far about their mechanics, commander decks and theme boosters.
“Join The Family“- New Capenna Set Motto
Table Of Contents:
The Obscura Family
“Information Is Power”– Obscura Family Motto
The Obscura crime family is a family of apt wizards. They use their powerful magic to pull strings from behind the scenes. Some of the tactics they employ to further their schemes include blackmail, lies, and deception. The family has been known to control both its enemies and allies alike from atop their towers. The family operates in such secrecy that many don’t sense their ever-present shadowy hand over the city.
Colors
White, Blue, Black. Also known as “Esper.”
The Boss
Each of the five crime families is led by a demon. Obscura’s boss is the sphinx demon Raffine, Scheming Seer. He doesn’t have the highest stats, however, he does have evasion and the ability to protect himself. Furthermore, he has tons of utility.
First, he draws you cards. A considerable amount too, depending on your
This means he’s a good draw whether you are ahead, behind, or at parity in the game. This self-sufficient playability is great; Especially in formats like Commander.
Family Symbol
Their symbol consists of a hand, a keyhole, and a dagger.
Iconic Cards For Obscura?
Only a few cards in the set are spoiled as of right now. However, there will certainly be more released soon. So be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them. For now, let’s look at the ones we have.
Raffine’s Tower is a land in the Triome land cycle that started in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. Each family in New Capenna has its own “Triome” that represents the dwelling of that family’s boss.
The Obscura logo can be seen on the card itself and within the artwork. While the tower seems to loom over the city, giving Raffine a stark vantage point from which to watch and conspire.
Related: MTG Triome Lands: How They Work and What They Do
Next, we have Obscura Charm. “Charms” may seem familiar to some veteran players of the game. This is because a charm for each 3-color combination already exists. The first charm for this color combination was Esper Charm.
Obscura Charm represents all 3 of the colors in Obscura’s identity quite well. All the modes are conditional in some way but it features reanimation, countermagic, and removal. The first mode shows the family’s willingness to use things and people as a resource. The second shows their mastery over magic and desire to control situations. While the final mode shows how ruthless they can be to anything that stands in their way.
There is a more in-depth breakdown of Raffine, Scheming Seer above. However, to summarize his ability is quite versatile, as it is card draw, a discard outlet, a way to fill the graveyard, and can bolster your attacks.
Ledger Shredder is a great card that deserves a mention here. In formats like EDH with multiple opponents, this card always generates a ton of value for me. It allows you to draw cards, put cards into the graveyard and grow the shredder into a bigger threat and bigger threat as the game goes on.
Family Mechanic
The family mechanic for Obscura is called connive. It is an attack trigger that allows you to draw, and then discard a number of cards equal to the connive value. So, “connive 2” would have you draw 2 cards and then discard 2. Then you put a +1/+1 counter on the creature with connive for each non-land card you discarded.
It can be seen on the family’s boss Raffine, Scheming Seer here.
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Commander Precon
The Obscura family precon is “Obscura Operation” and will feature the family’s W/U/B color identity. The primary commander is Kamiz, Obscura Oculus. You can find a detailed upgrade guide for the deck here. The deck will feature the connive mechanic of the Obscura Family.
Theme Booster
Theme boosters come with 35 cards and each pack contains only cards within the colors of the theme. As an example, an Obscura theme booster would only contain White, Blue, and Black cards relevant to Obscura’s playstyle or mechanics.
That said, theme boosters aren’t the best packs to buy for just pulling rare cards. For that, you would want to pick up some New Capenna set or collector boosters.
Related: Set Boosters vs Draft Boosters FAQ
The Riveteers Family
“Always Finish The Job”– Riveteers Family Motto
The Riveteers are a group of tough and rugged artisans who destroy buildings just as well as they do skulls. They are a rambunctious, hands-on crime faction whose skills in construction and building also make them experts in demolition and intimidation. Their construction skills allowed them to turn the lower levels of the city into a more than satisfactory abode for their draconic boss.
Colors
Black, Red, and Green. Otherwise known as “Jund.”
The Boss
Like the other families, the Riveteers family is headed by a demon. The boss for the Riveteer’s faction is a dragon demon named Ziatora, the Incinerator.
Ziatora has quite a few great things going for him. First, he gives you a way to sacrifice your creatures at the end of each turn. This trigger coming on the end step is nice because you can get value on the turn he’s cast. Second, he gives you a great payoff for sacrificing a creature. In formats like EDH or even Modern, this can yield tons of damage. Furthermore, it’s pretty versatile since you can send the damage at “any target.”
This is a big upside over just being able to hit a creature, for example. The most powerful bit of text on Ziatora is the fact that he also gives you 3 treasure tokens. This is quite a lot of ramp and will undoubtedly set the deck up for some extremely powerful turns. A jund dragon that likes to sacrifice permanents reminds me a lot of Korvold, Fae-Cursed King. I expect the two to see quite a lot of play together in Commander.
Related: The Best MTG Dragons
Family Symbol
Their symbol consists of a shield, a hammer, and an anvil.
Iconic Cards
The only card spoiled for the family so far is their land. It taps for all three of their colors and cycles if you pay three mana. A Triome for this color combination is going to see a lot of play in decks like Jund in Modern. Let’s take a look at Ziatora’s Proving Ground.
The art depicts a boxing ring in the center of a warehouse of building supplies. Given the card name and flavor text, it seems that the brute force family enjoys going hand-to-hand with each other to prove their toughness. The family also has a charm (Riveteers Charm, an ascendency (Riveteers Ascendency), and a confluence (Riveteers Confluence[/c]) that are worth mentioning.
You can read a more in-depth breakdown of Ziatora, the Incinerator in the section above. However, to summarize, there are a few things that stand out to me. He gives you a sac outlet that can get value the same turn he’s cast. He has the potential to throw around tons of damage and he ramps you by making three treasures.
Family Mechanic
With the reveal of the Riveteers commander precon, it seems we have gotten a look at the Family’s mechanic as well. It’s called “blitz” and here’s what it does. “You may choose to cast [this spell] for it’s blitz cost. If you do, it gains haste and ‘When this creature dies, draw a card.’ Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step. You can find a more in depth read on the ability here.
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Commander Precon
The Riveteers family precon is “Riveteers Rampage” and will feature the family’s B/R/G color identity. The primary commander is Henzie “Toolbox” Torre.
Theme Booster
A Riveteers theme booster would only contain Black, Red, and Green cards relevant to the family’s playstyle and/or mechanics.
The Brokers Family
“Read The Fine Print”– Broker’s Family Moto
The Brokers are a law firm of demons. They have law offices where they conduct business much like any other law firm would. Handling things like civil disputes and small grievances. However, their more sinister contracts erase the signee’s memory; giving the group countless sleeper agents. Furthermore, their aggressive associates have a suspicious habit of turning up anytime there is a problem in the city.
The group also secretly believes that the end of New Capenna draws nigh. They think the city’s doom has been prophesied and when the supply of the magic-enhancing substance called “halo” dries up, it will mean the end of New Capenna.
Colors
Green, White, and Blue. Also known as “Bant.”
The Boss
The boss of the Brokers family is an aven bird demon named Falco Spara, Pactweaver. He is known for throwing members who have betrayed him over his balcony to their deaths.
As far as in-game characteristics go there are a few things to like. First, Falco has a pretty good stat line at 4 mana for a 3/3 with flying and trample with lots of upsides. Second, he protects himself thanks to his “shield counter.” Built-in protection for a creature is always good. Especially through the lens of this being your commander. Lastly, there is the fact that you can look at and cast cards from the top of your library.
Not only does this give you possible card selection but card advantage as well. It does come at the cost of removing a counter from one of your creatures. However, it can be any type of counter. So, this could easily be turned into an upside with things like Devoted Druid or Kitchen Finks.
Family Symbol
Their symbol is a stylized bird.
Iconic Cards
First, we have the Brokers Triome land, Sparta’s Headquaters. It depicts the family’s offices, where if the walls were able to speak they could no doubt tell countless secrets.
Next, we have Brokers Ascendancy. Much in line with the other New Capenna and original ascendancy cards, it is a powerful 3 mana value enchantment. The Brokers ascendancy allows you to bolster your entire
I think Falco has good stats for his cmc. Especially since he can protect himself. He has lots of upsides including, giving you a way to look at and cast cards from the top of your library. Furthermore, the “cost” to cast the spells on top can actually be turned into an advantage at times.
Family Mechanic
Brokers creatures seem to be focused on having counters put on them. They even have their own new counter called a “shield counter.” It says, ” If [the permanent with a shield counter] would be dealt damage or destroyed, remove a shield counter from it instead.”
Related: MTG Proliferate: How Does it Work?
Products
Commander Precon
The Brokers family precon is “Bedecked Brokers” and will feature the family’s G/W/U color identity. It’s primary commander is Perrie, the Pulverizer.
Brokers Theme Booster
Theme boosters come with 35 cards and each pack contains only cards within the colors of the theme. Therefore, a Brokers theme booster would only contain Green, White, and Blue cards that were relevant to the family’s playstyle and/or mechanics.
The Cabaretti Family
“Fun Isn’t free.”– Cabaretti Family Motto
The Cabaretti are druids who love to party. Of course, they do it very well and host the best parties in the city. Therefore, everybody who is anybody wants to get an invitation to their exclusive dance halls. However, they do have a dark side, as they use their ancient magic to manipulate the citizens of the city. Moreover, they are the family who keeps the magical “halo” flowing in New Capenna. They have what everyone wants, but as far as the Cabaretti are concerned nothing is free; Not even fun.
Colors
Red, Green, and White. Otherwise known as “Naya.”
Related: The MTG Color Wheel
The Boss
The leader of the Cabaretti is a cat demon named Jetmir, Nexus of Revels or “Grandfather Cabaretti.” He has two crescent-shaped horns, wears a signet ring and cashmere scarf. He also carries a scepter with a crowned leonin face atop it. As a result of his hedonistic lifestyle, he is quite obese.
Jetmir is a lord that scales with your
With that said, anything past the first line of text is capable of very quickly closing out games. My only concern would be losing creatures at instant speed and thus losing your buffs before damage. That, and the fact that Jetmir needs at least some support to keep him from being a plain four mana 5/4. He has an extremely high ceiling at his best and a mediocre floor at his worst. Overall, a very powerful card if it’s built around correctly.
Fun fact: According to Mtg.fandom.com “Jetmir” comes from Albanian and means “one who leads a good life.” This is a clever nod to the crimelord’s indulgent way of life.
Family Symbol
Their symbol is a leonin “cat” mask.
Iconic Cards
First, we have the Cabaretti Charm to look at. The Cabaretti may be all about partying, but this card means business. In the right build/board state the first mode is capable of taking out some pretty big threats. The second mode has lots of raw power and could close out some games. These two modes incentivize a “go wide” strategy. So, the final mode on the card offers some great support for the first two modes.
Here is a look at the first charm for this color combination for comparison. Naya Charm.
Next up is the Triome land, Jetmir’s Garden for the family. It looks like a luscious garden abode where one could certainly get lost in indulgence. And according to the flavor text, possibly lost in general as well.
There is a more detailed breakdown of the card in the “The Boss” section above. You just can’t have a good party all by yourself and no one knows that better than Jetmir, Nexus of Revels.
Family Mechanic
The Cabaretti mechanic is called “alliance.” Alliance is an ability that triggers whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control. After all, when it comes to parties, the more the merrier. The ability can be seen on Devilish Valet, whose power doubles when you play another creature. This ability is going to get triggered a lot over the course of a game.
Also, keeping in the same vein, the family has their own Charm, Ascendacy, and Confluence – They are Cabaretti Charm, Cabaretti Ascendacy, and Cabaretti Confluence.
Family Products
Commander Precon
The Cabaretti family precon is “Cabaretti Cacophony” and will feature the family’s R/G/W color identity. The primary commander is Kitt Kanto, Mayhem Diva.
Related: Commander Tax: How It Works and What It Does
Theme Booster
A Cabaretti theme booster would only contain Red, Green, and White cards that were in line with the family’s playstyle and/or mechanics.
The Maestros Family
“Crime Is An Art Form”– The Maestros Family Motto
The Maestros are a wealthy, ancient sect of Vampires. They enjoy all the finest things in life and are willing to kill to obtain them. They masquerade as a high-end organization of art connoisseurs who want to preserve the culture of Old Capenna. However, beneath this neat facade, they are a clandestine group of skilled assassins bent on maintaining their rule, influence, and prosperity.
Colors
Blue, Black, and Red. This color combination is also known as “Grixis.”
The Boss
The Meastros boss is a vampire demon named Lord Xander, the Collector. He is a former assassin himself and must have received some injuries at some point, as he now walks with a cane. He is believed to have been alive when Old Capenna was founded.
Lord Xander, the Collector cost seven mana to cast and with good reason. He has extremely powerful enter and exit the battlefield abilities. As well as an attack trigger that can mill an opponent out with only two attacks.
Opposing resources are not safe in any way as Xander can attack the hand, library, and battlefield. These three abilities together is very “Grixis” and very powerful. If this card resolves, you can count on it getting you some serious value no matter what happens after that.
Family Symbol
Their symbol is two daggers crossed over a chalice.
Iconic Cards
Let’s look at Maestros Charm. There are a few things I like about mode one. First, there is no restriction on what card type (instant, sorcery, creature, etc.) you can grab. Second, the remaining cards go into your graveyard. Adding cards to your graveyard to be a resource later can be a big upside; especially in grixis colors.
Mode two is pretty typical of anything to do with vampires and less spectacular. However, it does create a six point life swing. Furthermore, it’s a nice utility option to have against burn decks on a card you would play anyways.
This last mode is the “removal” mode and I think it’s a solid way to deal with opposing boards. Here’s a look at the original charm of these colors. Grixis Charm.
Here is a look at the family’s lair, Xander’s Lounge. Judging by the high-class look of Xander’s Lounge, it would appear he has very good taste in decor as well as blood.
There is a detailed breakdown above but just a look at the image above you can see that here is nowhere that opposing cards are safe from Xander’s insatiable hunger for that which he desires.
Family Mechanic
With the reveal of the general for the Maestros commander precon it seems we have gotten a look at the family’s mechanic as well. The deck’s commander mentions an ability called “casualty.” In this particular case, it says casualty 2 and bestows the ability to instants and sorceries you cast. However, I imagine this and the number value will change from card to card.
Related: MTG Casualty: How It Works And What It Does
The reminder text says ” As you cast [your first instant or sorcery spell] you may sacrifice a creature with power two or greater. When you do, copy the spell and you may choose new targets for the copy.”
Family Products
Commander Precon
The Maestros family’s precon is “Maestros Massacre” and will feature the family’s U/B/R color identity. The deck’s commander is Anhelo, the Painter.
Theme Booster
Maestros theme booster would only contain Blue, Black, and Red cards that were relevant to the family’s playstyle and/or mechanics.
End Step
So, there you have it, an in-depth look at each of the New Capenna Families. This set has some great lore. I also love that the cycles of Triomes, Ascendencies, and Charms are being completed. Each of the families already has some really strong cards spoiled and many more to be seen soon. Personally, I’m most excited to see what the blue vampires from Maestros will be like. Which family are you most excited to brew some new decks around?
