Wizards of the Coast has kicked off Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty spoiler season in cyberpunk style with a bevy of new spoilers and mechanics.
For starters, Wizards of the Coast debuted a few new Sagas before the stream even started, detailing a twist on the mechanic. These Sagas, once they reach their final chapter, will come back as creatures, truly making history come to life.
Like the original Kamigawa block, Neon Dynasty will feature some fan-favorite cycles. The Kami Dragons, such as Ryusei and Kokusho, aren’t around any more, but instead new Dragons have taken their place. While we saw Atsushi on their last stream, Kairi and Ao are new to the game. Shrine enthusiasts can also rejoice, as they’re back, but now as creatures!
The story of Neon Dynasty was also discussed, with its entire web fiction online now. To keep it brief, Saito, the latest planeswalker of the set, is investigating the disappearance of his childhood friend, who is now the emperor. Kyodai, who helps keep balance between the spirit and non-spirit worlds, also needs the emperor to help maintain balance. With the help of Tamiyo, he finds that the nefarious Tezzeret attacked her, causing her planeswalker spark to ignite and become The Wanderer, a mysterious character first introduced in War of the Spark. However, Tezzeret isn’t working alone – Jin-Gitaxias, one of the Phyrexian Praetors on New Phyrexia, is behind this, and the key to helping The Wanderer stay on Kamigawa may unlock something even worse for the multiverse.
Of course, what are all these planeswalkers without new cards? The Wandering Emperor and Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh offer interesting takes on the card type. Jin-Gitaxias is also back, and when he’s not making you discard to a healthy hand size of zero, he’s countering all your spells. Oh, and if you missed Tamiyo, don’t worry, you’ll see her later… but you may not be happy.
A number of old and new mechanics are also returning. Ninjitsu is coming back, as we all saw in the latest member of the Umezawa clan, with Silver-Fur Master providing the UB signpost uncommon. Channel is also coming back (not the busted GG sorcery), with Boseiju, Who Endures showcasing a powerful land. Artifacts, and more specifically Vehicles, will also be a major theme. Who would’ve guessed in a set with “Neon” in the name?
For new mechanics, “modified” is a new keyword for any creature that’s equipped, enchanted or has a counter on it, with Goro-Goro showcasing just what benefits you could get from suiting up. Additionally, reconfigure is essentially “Equipment creatures,” allowing them to either turn into Equipment to help modify your creatures or just be a body on the battlefield, as shown in The Reality Chip.
We mentioned Tamiyo earlier, and she’s back… but she may want to self-quarantine for a few weeks. Or months. Or just forever. Welcome back, Phyrexian mana!
