Perpetual spoilers season never ends! And in two days of this article (published 02/08/2022) Magic the Gathering players will get their first taste of the cyberpunk-fueled set Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty on Magic the Gathering Arena. Heralded as both underpower and overpowered, the new set is shaping up to both destroy and have no impact on all formats. Whether you gather all truth and face from Reddit, Twitter, or the old guy at your LGS, Kamigawa Neon Dynasty is going to have an impact on your favorite ways to play magic. I am simply here to remind you that it is not as all powerful or completely lacking, but somewhere right in the middle.

After the most recent bannings in the Standard format, Magic the Gathering Arena’s ladder has been rife with all manner of deck concepts running from pure aggro to durdly control. Midrange decks have even fastened footholds in the fray as everyone tries to decipher the ultimate, read as most-winningest, deck. In these midrange piles you will likely find me pressing onward and upward with an Orzhov deck focused on tokens and outvaluing my opponents. When I’m not getting overrun by aggro based strategies it seems to work out well. And honestly Standard has been, dare I say, fun? After Alrund’s Epiphany was banned, it felt like a brand-new format. I was seeing cards I had forgotten about, strategies I hadn’t considered, and most importantly variety. The meta felt diverse and interesting, and I have to commend WotC for the bans, however late they were. As someone who feels priced out of Historic and to a lesser extent Alchemy, I find joy in a healthy Standard format. It is with this in mind that I commend Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty as the cards spoiled don’t lend themselves to anything I find un-fun to play against. With that said let me introduce you to the top five cards I can’t wait to build around from the newest Magic the Gathering Set.

5. The Legendary Channel Lands

That’s right, I’m starting with the land cycle that many believe to be multi-format all stars that will find their way into decks ranging from Legacy to Commander. These five lands, one of each color, all contain the ability Channel. This makes all of these lands into pseudo spells, much like Shatterskull Smashing and Jwari Disruption. Pay X mana and discard the land to do X, Y, or Z. Granted all of these effects are powerful but I hesitate to label them overpowered. I imagine most of these will be one-of’s/two-of’s in decks and provide marginal benefits. I do not anticipate them breaking formats but that could speak to my lack of knowledge of Modern, Legacy, etc..  As a value-focused deck builder, I love these lands. Their design is slick and any time I can turn a land into a spell to accrue overall value in my battle of attrition, I’m going to do it. These lands will find a home in all of my decks akin to cards like Emeria, Shattered Skyclave, and Hagra Broodpit.  

One last note: I think the amount of these lands will decrease overtime, especially in the Standard environment. With the prevalence of man-lands, and the response of Field of Ruin, I can’t see people running more than two, maximum. The “Legendary” type may also provide some hesitancy.

4. Tatsunari, Toad Rider

Oh Sultai, my favorite color combination in all of Magic the Gathering. I am well aware that the Commander player in me picked this card, and Standard me will suffer for it. At least my ladder ranking will. I will be making a Sultai, enchantments matter deck in Standard and I will have a great time doing it at the small price of my mental wellbeing. I think with the enchantments that are seeing play now in standard, along with the influx of Sagas from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, there may be just enough to make a deck that isn’t explicitly awful. And as soon as my win rate drops below 30%, catch me at my kitchen table building Tatsunari in Commander.   

Take a look at what the Star City Games team thinks! Commander Deep Dive: Tatsunari, Toad Rider.

3. Reckoner Bankbuster

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty sees the return of the vehicle card type, which thematically just knocks it out of the park. Using your creatures to pilot mechs, and attack your opponent? Where do I sign to play Gundams in Magic? A ton of vehicles have been spoiled but my heart landed here on Mazemind Tome the pilotable robot. I am certain that a vehicle deck will make waves in Standard, aggro focused with some recurring graveyard value from Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Best case scenario with Reckoner Bankbuster is being able to draw three cards before you die. I am simply here to temper expectations and say you will have time to draw one, maybe two, cards from this but that’s not going to stop me from trying to squeeze out all possible value. 

I think I am going to try this in a slower, more control focused Azorius artifacts deck. Between Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset, Teleportation Circle, and all of the control accouterments, you may be able to squeeze all of the value out of Reckoner Bankbuster. 

2. Kaito Shizuki

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the brand new ninja Planeswalker makes the list at my penultimate card to build around in Standard. Kaito Shizuki is a cleverly designed three mana value planeswalker that has multiple ways to protect itself. “At the beginning of your end step, if Kaito Shizuki entered the battlefield this turn, he phases out.” This built in protection is amazing and will lead to Kaito Shizuki making waves in the meta. His plus one allows you to draw a card, the most powerful three words in magic, and his ultimate, while nothing to write home about can still accrue an insane amount of value. You will see this card a lot, and you will probably play this card a lot.  

I am building Kaito Shizuki in a shell similar to the Rogue deck of Standard old. Cheap creatures that can accrue value, chip in damage, and stall the board as I use counterspells and targeted removal to outlast my opponents. I do not think there are enough strong ninjas to make a dedicated tribal deck but it’s only my lift of things to try.

1. Spirit-Sister’s Call

The top card I want to build around in Standard from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is Spirit-Sister’s Call. This five-mana value enchantment already slots into my current favorite deck; Orzhov Midrange. Being able to swap tokens for permanents is a surefire way to grind your opponent to dust. Turning a token creature, like the vampire from Sorin, the Mirthless into Edgar, Charmed Groom seems insane. This goes double for turning blood tokens into actual artifacts, and any of the new sagas into enchantments. I will probably end up splashing green to make use of Binding of the Old Gods, but this is the first deck I’m building on Arena.    

Orzhov Soul-Sisters (Standard) – Archidekt 

(The two missing cards are in fact Spirit-Sister’s Call) 

And there you have it, my top five cards to build around in Standard from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. With how healthy the current standard environment is, I’m excited for the influx of new decks and strategies. As always you can find me grinding it out with Orzhov midrange under the Arena name: Oran#75218. Cheers and hope to see you on the ladder.