Oof. That's a mixed bag, and mostly not great. Brothers' War is a great idea. New Capenna seems perfectly reasonable. But man, that Kamigawa art is NOT promising. They're really taking the "neon" bit literally.
Seeing Chun Li and Fortnight present really makes my stomach turn (as a fan of street fighter). Fortnight especially-- the aesthetics are intentionally rediculous.
And more D&D?? Already??
Unfinity might be fun.
The Street fighter, Lord of the Rings, and especially Fortnite are probably WOTC's attempt at bringing in new younger players which honestly shows how little current WOTC understands why they were successful. It wasn't these flashy gimmick products or IP cross overs that made people interested, it was the existing player base introducing the game on a one to one level.
Art wise it is a mixed bag for me. While I like the color palette for Neon Dynasty, the hyper realistic face is triggering a bit of the uncanny valley. I was hoping they would use similar art like they did for Japanese cards where style was more important than look as realistic as possible. At the very least I am hoping for some full art lands for the Kamigawa set simply for the unique esthetic they will give.
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Never forget whose grace and favor led to your success and always give your thanks, otherwise you might be doomed to loose it.
Art wise it is a mixed bag for me. While I like the color palette for Neon Dynasty, the hyper realistic face is triggering a bit of the uncanny valley. I was hoping they would use similar art like they did for Japanese cards where style was more important than look as realistic as possible. At the very least I am hoping for some full art lands for the Kamigawa set simply for the unique esthetic they will give.
That reminds me - my first impression for that Kamigawa Neon Dynasty art was that they put the head of a human on a robot body. Kinda startling to look at.
With that being said, given the neon-soaked Tokyo 2020 Olympics commercials I got exposed to at home, Kamigawa going neon fits right in.
I like the Gangs of New York/Sin City feel of Streets of New Capenna (Al Capone reference? Street Wraith reprint?, but if it's a shard theme then I think I'd have liked to see us go back to Alara in that case.
BUT I'm curious to see how this goes down.
'buster
Calling it now, but New Capenna is a city on Alara. Please note that they said that the city has special significance to Elspeth. With Alara merging the demons of Grixis will have infiltrated the other shards that were once separate. Demon led gangs and a city that was built by Angels (the city on Bant no doubt). With there being 3 colour factions I'm guessing this is what Alara has become and after Elspeth escaped Theros she decided to head back to her adopted home only to find how much it had changed.
Not impossible, but there are some issues. The demon we've seen does not resemble a Grixis demon and they showed some art that shows way more development than I'd expect for 10 years or so, assuming there's not a time jump for it.
Edit: On further investigation, Aaron Forsythe distinctly says "new plane" when discussing it, so not on Alara.
wait a minute.... guys maybe this is her home plane?
It was old phyrexians on her homeplane yawgmoth died so they clearly deactivated with to little angels to protect (the ones the phyrexians killed) the demons took over.
and the brothers wars maybe its karn having a flashback telling the story to all the walkers whos gonna be involved of the war. (the story is how the phyrexians became a planar threat in the first place)
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
30's Anniversary, and they don't even bother to go beyond bland fonts for logo?
It's likely the set's logo and branding aren't finished yet. Remember that we had this very showcase last year and all we had to go for the fall set was "Innistrad Vampires" and "Innistrad Werewolves".
Don't you find it funny how every storyline for the spring set always revolves around 5 of something based on color, and each of those somethings have to be color balanced with the other 4 because the Spring set happens to have the major annual Commander deck release? Before the major annual Commander deck release being tied to the Spring set, the sets weren't color based because there were no Commander Decks to be made for them. The story of those sets weren't based on color identity, and now, with Ikoria, Strixhaven, and Capenna, it is all about color identity.
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
I feel about this just like I've felt about everything in Magic in the past year. I'm going to follow the release of these products and their spoiler seasons, but won't spend money on any of them.
The third-party IP products are disappointing. I already knew this was going to happen, but it really seems like they are doubling down in it. I could live with reprint-only products like the Fortnite (blech) Secret Lair, but tying whole supplemental products and expansions to outside IPs just sucks, no matter how much the things they choose fit the Magic aesthetic.
I'm most interested in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and New Capenna, from a pure world design perspective. They both look like actual creative challenges that could be potential trainwrecks/flops if not handled carefully. I started playing MtG with Kamigawa and really love the creative of plane, so I'm looking forward to being either impressed of incredibly put off by their new vision for it. I don't mind a GitS-type feel, I just hope they blend the fantasy and sci-fi elements well and don't go further than Kaladesh-level technology. The promotional art is ... eh?
All the other products are boring safe bets, so they're whatever to me. People are going to get wet for Dominaria and the Brothers War for sure .
Don't you find it funny how every storyline for the spring set always revolves around 5 of something based on color, and each of those somethings have to be color balanced with the other 4 because the Spring set happens to have the major annual Commander deck release? Before the major annual Commander deck release being tied to the Spring set, the sets weren't color based because there were no Commander Decks to be made for them. The story of those sets weren't based on color identity, and now, with Ikoria, Strixhaven, and Capenna, it is all about color identity.
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
They do 5 faction sets pretty commonly, so it could be a coincidence or they could have simply shifted the 5 faction sets to match the commander products.
wait a minute.... guys maybe this is her home plane?
It was old phyrexians on her homeplane yawgmoth died so they clearly deactivated with to little angels to protect (the ones the phyrexians killed) the demons took over.
and the brothers wars maybe its karn having a flashback telling the story to all the walkers whos gonna be involved of the war. (the story is how the phyrexians became a planar threat in the first place)
Yawgmoth died 300+ years before Elspeth was born, so not sure that lines up, but it definitely makes sense that the Brothers' War is tied to the coming phyrexian invasion 2.0.
Don't you find it funny how every storyline for the spring set always revolves around 5 of something based on color, and each of those somethings have to be color balanced with the other 4 because the Spring set happens to have the major annual Commander deck release? Before the major annual Commander deck release being tied to the Spring set, the sets weren't color based because there were no Commander Decks to be made for them. The story of those sets weren't based on color identity, and now, with Ikoria, Strixhaven, and Capenna, it is all about color identity.
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
They do 5 faction sets pretty commonly, so it could be a coincidence or they could have simply shifted the 5 faction sets to match the commander products.
I was wondering if Commander had any influence as to how the story is told for the Spring sets. Sure, every set has 5 factions, but some aren't as big of a deal as others, while Ikoria, Strixhaven, and most like Capenna, the 5 factions are a big deal. For Ikoria and Strixhaven, rather than something are these colors, like Werewolves are Red Green, it is Red White is Lorehold. Color combination is a certain faction because of the Commander influence in these sets.
I predict that, as long as the major Commander set release is tied to the Spring set, every spring set will have a storyline involving "these colors are a specific faction".
Don't you find it funny how every storyline for the spring set always revolves around 5 of something based on color, and each of those somethings have to be color balanced with the other 4 because the Spring set happens to have the major annual Commander deck release? Before the major annual Commander deck release being tied to the Spring set, the sets weren't color based because there were no Commander Decks to be made for them. The story of those sets weren't based on color identity, and now, with Ikoria, Strixhaven, and Capenna, it is all about color identity.
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
They do 5 faction sets pretty commonly, so it could be a coincidence or they could have simply shifted the 5 faction sets to match the commander products.
I was wondering if Commander had any influence as to how the story is told for the Spring sets. Sure, every set has 5 factions, but some aren't as big of a deal as others, while Ikoria, Strixhaven, and most like Capenna, the 5 factions are a big deal. For Ikoria and Strixhaven, rather than something are these colors, like Werewolves are Red Green, it is Red White is Lorehold. Color combination is a certain faction because of the Commander influence in these sets.
I predict that, as long as the major Commander set release is tied to the Spring set, every spring set will have a storyline involving "these colors are a specific faction".
Ikoria's factions weren't particularly story relevant, they corresponded to a geographic region with a 3 color apex predator while the story was about humans fighting/bonding with monsters. The commander product wasn't even tied to the apex monsters particularly, just came in the colors.
Don't you find it funny how every storyline for the spring set always revolves around 5 of something based on color, and each of those somethings have to be color balanced with the other 4 because the Spring set happens to have the major annual Commander deck release? Before the major annual Commander deck release being tied to the Spring set, the sets weren't color based because there were no Commander Decks to be made for them. The story of those sets weren't based on color identity, and now, with Ikoria, Strixhaven, and Capenna, it is all about color identity.
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
They do 5 faction sets pretty commonly, so it could be a coincidence or they could have simply shifted the 5 faction sets to match the commander products.
I was wondering if Commander had any influence as to how the story is told for the Spring sets. Sure, every set has 5 factions, but some aren't as big of a deal as others, while Ikoria, Strixhaven, and most like Capenna, the 5 factions are a big deal. For Ikoria and Strixhaven, rather than something are these colors, like Werewolves are Red Green, it is Red White is Lorehold. Color combination is a certain faction because of the Commander influence in these sets.
I predict that, as long as the major Commander set release is tied to the Spring set, every spring set will have a storyline involving "these colors are a specific faction".
Will the Commander release be tied to New Capenna and not the Universe Beyond Warhammer 40k precons?
So, Unfinity. You mentioned it will have full-art "spacic" lands which sounds awesome. You also mentioned space-themed shocks though! Can you confirm that they're the Ravnica shocks we all know and love? And will they be full art?
They are the Ravnica shock lands, they are full art and they are in space.
For nearly all of you, here's the actual reason you are interested in the Un-set.
Theory for New Capenna: Given that they said "Three-Color Factions" but didn't specify arcs or wedges, and that the Three-Color Factions all correspond to Demon run gangs, and Demons are specifically Black's signature creature, we might be looking at a redo of Torment.
Instead of Arcs or Wedges, some combination of the three colors that include black. I think, balance wise, it'd probably be something like: WUB, UBR, BRG, RBW, GBU. Black getting the most representation, followed by Red and Blue, then White and Green.
Or, as with the dragon sets, we're going to be getting Demons in colors other than black, which could be fascinating in it's own right.
Additionally, based on that other piece of art we got for Ob Nixilis and the set, it looks like we might be seeing the start of the Anti-Gatewatch here.
EDIT: Also meant to say that if not the above combination, almost assuredly Arcs, as it's been some time since we've seen those three color combinations.
Another UNprofitable set, Future ninja Japan, racist Italian block, dominaria 2.0, commander crap, other people’s IP turner into magic product…so much let down.
Only one saving grace. Returning to the brothers war story.
When are we getting a Dora the Explorer UB set?! Maybe Caillou? I know, SESAME STREET!
EDIT: Rumour was real. KAMIGAWA NEON DYNASTY! Hello FF7 Remake in MTG
Streets of New Cappena. Gangs of New York + Sin City? Al Capone yoooo.
Dominaria United Football Club...I mean Dominaria United...was true as well.
Brothers' War. Wow, well, if you wanted to represent the 30th anniversary in such a memorable way, that's pretty much it. Phyrexian Tribal will become a thing?
'buster
I'd say New Capenna is more LA then New York, at least partly, I mean New Capenna is literally the city of angels (a city built by angels), run by Demons. The weirdest thing about this set is it means at least 1 crime family of Demons that are in Bant Colours, White, Green, and Blue. All Demons till now are at least party black or red, this will be the first Demons that are Neither.
I predict the return of both Bard (but with more Jazz singer then D&D flavour) and Azrs creature types.
I wonder how they're going to justify the lore we've already seen from current day Kamigawa. Because we know that there are sections that aren't all cyberpunked from the stories about Tamiyo and her children.
Theory for New Capenna: Given that they said "Three-Color Factions" but didn't specify arcs or wedges, and that the Three-Color Factions all correspond to Demon run gangs, and Demons are specifically Black's signature creature, we might be looking at a redo of Torment.
Instead of Arcs or Wedges, some combination of the three colors that include black. I think, balance wise, it'd probably be something like: WUB, UBR, BRG, RBW, GBU. Black getting the most representation, followed by Red and Blue, then White and Green.
Or, as with the dragon sets, we're going to be getting Demons in colors other than black, which could be fascinating in it's own right.
Additionally, based on that other piece of art we got for Ob Nixilis and the set, it looks like we might be seeing the start of the Anti-Gatewatch here.
EDIT: Also meant to say that if not the above combination, almost assuredly Arcs, as it's been some time since we've seen those three color combinations.
Kaldheim had mono Red Demons so it's not unheard of.
I wonder if Elminster was held off to Baldur's Gate to help sell it.
I rarely buy MTG anymore, but Brother's War is something I had hoped they would do for years. I'd love to have Ashnod and Tawnos as cards, and would be a great way to get a black-bordered Urza card. There were no other planeswalkers thro, so they might invent a couple in the background just to have more than one in the set.
I wonder how they're going to justify the lore we've already seen from current day Kamigawa. Because we know that there are sections that aren't all cyberpunked from the stories about Tamiyo and her children.
Could Tamiyo be the Emperor?
Seems a little out of character, but it does pretty much have to be a planeswalker (or Yuriko, I suppose) since the non-immortal Kamigawans are all dead. My guess: Oko.
Theory for New Capenna: Given that they said "Three-Color Factions" but didn't specify arcs or wedges, and that the Three-Color Factions all correspond to Demon run gangs, and Demons are specifically Black's signature creature, we might be looking at a redo of Torment.
Instead of Arcs or Wedges, some combination of the three colors that include black. I think, balance wise, it'd probably be something like: WUB, UBR, BRG, RBW, GBU. Black getting the most representation, followed by Red and Blue, then White and Green.
Or, as with the dragon sets, we're going to be getting Demons in colors other than black, which could be fascinating in it's own right.
Additionally, based on that other piece of art we got for Ob Nixilis and the set, it looks like we might be seeing the start of the Anti-Gatewatch here.
EDIT: Also meant to say that if not the above combination, almost assuredly Arcs, as it's been some time since we've seen those three color combinations.
The Brother's War novel will have a re-release to go along with the set, perhaps? Hardcover edition?
Think about it: What better way to pump new juice into a flagging storyline than a revisit to a tried and true classic, released again for a new generation of players? Especially as Phyrexia starts looming again over the story.
The best thing about The Brother's War Expansion is that Urza and Mishra will cease to be just names from "way back in the old lore." Players who weren't even alive during the Artifacts Cycle/Weatherlight Saga will get to experience and connect with their epic story firsthand.
If they can do a Gangster setting then a Western set is more possible. It will show us how they will creatively work around the guns aspect of a genre that predominantly features guns.
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The Street fighter, Lord of the Rings, and especially Fortnite are probably WOTC's attempt at bringing in new younger players which honestly shows how little current WOTC understands why they were successful. It wasn't these flashy gimmick products or IP cross overs that made people interested, it was the existing player base introducing the game on a one to one level.
Art wise it is a mixed bag for me. While I like the color palette for Neon Dynasty, the hyper realistic face is triggering a bit of the uncanny valley. I was hoping they would use similar art like they did for Japanese cards where style was more important than look as realistic as possible. At the very least I am hoping for some full art lands for the Kamigawa set simply for the unique esthetic they will give.
That said, I'm very excited for Neon Dynasty. I'm hoping Ghost in the Shell reference there. New Capenna should have Batman crossover!
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
That reminds me - my first impression for that Kamigawa Neon Dynasty art was that they put the head of a human on a robot body. Kinda startling to look at.
With that being said, given the neon-soaked Tokyo 2020 Olympics commercials I got exposed to at home, Kamigawa going neon fits right in.
Not impossible, but there are some issues. The demon we've seen does not resemble a Grixis demon and they showed some art that shows way more development than I'd expect for 10 years or so, assuming there's not a time jump for it.
Edit: On further investigation, Aaron Forsythe distinctly says "new plane" when discussing it, so not on Alara.
wait a minute.... guys maybe this is her home plane?
It was old phyrexians on her homeplane yawgmoth died so they clearly deactivated with to little angels to protect (the ones the phyrexians killed) the demons took over.
and the brothers wars maybe its karn having a flashback telling the story to all the walkers whos gonna be involved of the war. (the story is how the phyrexians became a planar threat in the first place)
Current EDH Decks:
Dakkon Blackblade 2WUUB
Looking forward to the Middle Earth cards but I couldn't care less about WarHammer and Street Fighther garbo.
Pumped about Dominaria and Brothers War.
Baldur's Gate I am happy to see.
Jumpstart 2 is good.
Double Masters 2 will be another cash grab I'm sure.
Witholding judgement on Neon Kamigawa and New Capenna. Getting Alara like shards back could be good if they go that route.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Do you think Ikoria and Strixhaven are "specific color combinations matter" sets? Even if gameplaywise, color does not matter, the story still revolves around 5 of something based on color, because of Commander.
What I'm saying is, the storyline of those sets isn't influencing the Commander decks. Commander is influencing the story of the set.
It has been done where Commander didn't influence the story of the set, and that set is the D&D set.
The third-party IP products are disappointing. I already knew this was going to happen, but it really seems like they are doubling down in it. I could live with reprint-only products like the Fortnite (blech) Secret Lair, but tying whole supplemental products and expansions to outside IPs just sucks, no matter how much the things they choose fit the Magic aesthetic.
I'm most interested in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and New Capenna, from a pure world design perspective. They both look like actual creative challenges that could be potential trainwrecks/flops if not handled carefully. I started playing MtG with Kamigawa and really love the creative of plane, so I'm looking forward to being either impressed of incredibly put off by their new vision for it. I don't mind a GitS-type feel, I just hope they blend the fantasy and sci-fi elements well and don't go further than Kaladesh-level technology. The promotional art is ... eh?
All the other products are boring safe bets, so they're whatever to me. People are going to get wet for Dominaria and the Brothers War for sure .
They do 5 faction sets pretty commonly, so it could be a coincidence or they could have simply shifted the 5 faction sets to match the commander products.
Yawgmoth died 300+ years before Elspeth was born, so not sure that lines up, but it definitely makes sense that the Brothers' War is tied to the coming phyrexian invasion 2.0.
I was wondering if Commander had any influence as to how the story is told for the Spring sets. Sure, every set has 5 factions, but some aren't as big of a deal as others, while Ikoria, Strixhaven, and most like Capenna, the 5 factions are a big deal. For Ikoria and Strixhaven, rather than something are these colors, like Werewolves are Red Green, it is Red White is Lorehold. Color combination is a certain faction because of the Commander influence in these sets.
I predict that, as long as the major Commander set release is tied to the Spring set, every spring set will have a storyline involving "these colors are a specific faction".
Ikoria's factions weren't particularly story relevant, they corresponded to a geographic region with a 3 color apex predator while the story was about humans fighting/bonding with monsters. The commander product wasn't even tied to the apex monsters particularly, just came in the colors.
Instead of Arcs or Wedges, some combination of the three colors that include black. I think, balance wise, it'd probably be something like: WUB, UBR, BRG, RBW, GBU. Black getting the most representation, followed by Red and Blue, then White and Green.
Or, as with the dragon sets, we're going to be getting Demons in colors other than black, which could be fascinating in it's own right.
Additionally, based on that other piece of art we got for Ob Nixilis and the set, it looks like we might be seeing the start of the Anti-Gatewatch here.
EDIT: Also meant to say that if not the above combination, almost assuredly Arcs, as it's been some time since we've seen those three color combinations.
Only one saving grace. Returning to the brothers war story.
I'd say New Capenna is more LA then New York, at least partly, I mean New Capenna is literally the city of angels (a city built by angels), run by Demons. The weirdest thing about this set is it means at least 1 crime family of Demons that are in Bant Colours, White, Green, and Blue. All Demons till now are at least party black or red, this will be the first Demons that are Neither.
I predict the return of both Bard (but with more Jazz singer then D&D flavour) and Azrs creature types.
Could Tamiyo be the Emperor?
Kaldheim had mono Red Demons so it's not unheard of.
I rarely buy MTG anymore, but Brother's War is something I had hoped they would do for years. I'd love to have Ashnod and Tawnos as cards, and would be a great way to get a black-bordered Urza card. There were no other planeswalkers thro, so they might invent a couple in the background just to have more than one in the set.
Seems a little out of character, but it does pretty much have to be a planeswalker (or Yuriko, I suppose) since the non-immortal Kamigawans are all dead. My guess: Oko.
I doubt it's Torment 2, but arcs makes sense.
Think about it: What better way to pump new juice into a flagging storyline than a revisit to a tried and true classic, released again for a new generation of players? Especially as Phyrexia starts looming again over the story.
The best thing about The Brother's War Expansion is that Urza and Mishra will cease to be just names from "way back in the old lore." Players who weren't even alive during the Artifacts Cycle/Weatherlight Saga will get to experience and connect with their epic story firsthand.