Pioneer Set Review: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty

With some delay (I was planning to deliver this review before Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was out on Magic Online), I'm bringing my review of the new set for Pioneer today!

Looking at the bigger picture, I believe Neon Dynasty can amplify, diversify and bring a massive array of new strategies to Pioneer, with most of them based around the set's main theme: Artifacts.

Between Kaladesh and other sets legal in the format, we have a very relevant mechanics and abilities that care about artifacts or that interact positively with them, creating a multitude of options and potential for archetypes that want to take advantage of them and getting to the point that makes it impossible to map all possibilities.

But it's not just Artifacts that Neon Dynasty lives for, and the new set also brought new options for several other strategies, ranging from Auras to Azorius Control, from Niv to Light to Boros Burn, and many of its additions to the format will have to be extensively tested to assess how much they are worth in the current Metagame context, and what are just interesting additions, but not good enough.

I think this has been the most difficult set to review for Pioneer since I started my reviews because it opens up so many possibilities at once, while it doesn't seem to have the potential to totally reshape the Metagame to the level of how Modern Horizons II did to Modern, putting it in a zone where I feel mild skepticism about some cards, while also seeing enough potential in them to do something in the right strategies, and this is a point that is constantly reflected in my review today.

Farewell deserves an honorable mention for being an extremely selective sweeper that also handles graveyards, serving as a good maindeck answer for any occasion on any list that has enough mana to cast it.

It can be worth a slot as one-of on the Azorius Control maindeck or sideboard.

Hotshot Mechanic is an aggressive one-drop for Ensoul, but it doesn't carry a Ghostfire Blade or is enchanted by Ensoul Artifact as well as Gingerbrute, or Ornithopter.

However, its crew ability could be significantly relevant if vehicles become a viable option in the format, as its can crew almost any of the most relevant vehicles on its own.

Light-Paws is a very decent upgrade to an archetype that is underplayed in the format these days: Auras.

Most of the Auras played in Orzhov variants cost a maximum of two mana, enough to unleash powerful combinations with Light-Paws on the battlefield, such as enchanting it with an All That Glitters and searching for an Ethereal Armor, or enchant it with any Aura and ensure its survival by searching for a Kaya's Ghostform.

Would it be enough to take Auras back to the top of the format? I don't think so (as much as I'd like to), but it's an extremely efficient addition that might be even better than Sram, Senior Edificer, although both are likely to be on the list together.

Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice also offers one more reason to try other non-Orzhov variants such as Azorius or Selesnya.

A white Scavenging Ooze that also doubles as a gear is another powerful Neon Dynasty addition and can also find its way into the Sideboard of more aggressive white decks that can't waste too much time casting Rest in Peace or can capitalize from it on maindeck.

Also, Lion Sash gets counters whenever it exiles any permanent from a graveyard, which means it's not entirely bad in matchups where there are few creatures, as it also feeds on Planeswalkers.

March of Otherworldly Light is the Prismatic Ending we have at home, and as I already mentioned in my Standard review, you can see a lot of play for its flexibility ​​to deal with different categories of permanents, which in Pioneer means dealing with some compelling engines and winconditions like Jeskai Ascendancy, Witch's Oven, Trail of Crumbs, as well as removing tokens and manlands for just one mana.

As the costs in Pioneer don't tend to be too high for most decks, I think the new white removal has plenty of room to see play alongside Fateful Absence in Azorius Control, and probably also on the sideboard of other decks.

Michiko's Reign of Truth is one of the most powerful uncommons of the set for giving a pseudo Cranial Plating to aggressive artifact decks, or even on Auras.

While it's not a permanent buff, these archetypes don't usually need to focus on defensive plays, and any creature with minimal evasion on an already crowded board can win the game with one or two triggers from the new Saga.

If that wasn't enough, the creature left by it also cares about the number of artifacts and enchantments in play, creating a powerful mid to late-game threat.

The Wandering Emperor is, for me, one of the best cards in the new set for Pioneer, and it definitely fits perfectly into a Draw-Go strategy that can take advantage of its abilities for both proactive and reactive purposes.

Since you can also use her ability for the first time at Instant-Speed, I can imagine many situations where playing her at the End Step or opponent's Combat and exiling a creature and then casting Teferi, Hero of Dominaria may make a huge difference, just like the turns where you can keep your mana untapped for occasional counterspells and if nothing is threatening you can cast The Wandering Emperor and create a token and increase its power in the next turn.

She certainly looks worth a copy or two in Azorius Control, and can see occasional play on other Midrange decks.

Digging the top five cards for a removal or counterspell and being able to cast it for free is a significant advantage and is certainly worth the three mana investment.

However, I don't know if Discover the Impossible really has much space in the current Metagame because it competes with Pieces of the Puzzle and Narset, Parter of Veils on Izzet Phoenix or Control.

However, archetypes like the Four-Color Ascendancy, and especially Lotus Combo, can make great use of Discover the Impossible to find certain combo pieces, while they can cast other ways to dig even deeper or untap lands if they don't find what they're looking for.

So, I think this new Instant could easily become an instant staple for Combo Decks, and it symbolizes another step towards making them possibly too efficient for the format.

I'll put Mindlink Mech as an honorable mention because I believe it makes an insane number of creatures better by copying them with a 4/3 body with Flying.

I'm not certain that Pioneer has the space to utilize it as well as I think it does, but the fact that it makes any creature a bigger threat makes it worthy of being in this review.

Honorable mention. Mana acceleration by one mana is a powerful thing and cards like Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy exist in Pioneer alongside Paradox Engine to do some crazy things with cheap ways to generate mana.

Also, there are many content creators and players seeing high potential in this card, and I'm very curious to see how far Moonsnare Prototype can go on Pioneer.

The Reality Chip is in a weird category on my list because it looks very powerful on the right basis, but the ideal deck for it just doesn't want a 0/4 creature, and will hardly want to pay three mana to attach it.

However, this equipment offers a completely absurd level of Card Advantage for a low cost (consider that Future Sight and Magus of the Future cost five mana), and despite it having the same cost to make the same effect, the fact that you can “parcel” it between the cast and reconfigure it makes it worth the effort, in addition to also allowing it to be played alongside Lurrus of the Dream-Den.

I don't know where exactly it might fit in today, but The Reality Chip is too powerful to just ignore once it hits the battlefield with another creature.

We've seen some recent lists looking to take advantage of tokens like Blood or Treasure to cast spells that care about artifacts, and while none of them run blue so far, I can imagine Reality Heist becoming the mainstay of a deck that fully cares about artifacts and proposes a longer game.

Like Reality Heist, I can imagine Tameshi becoming a powerful piece of attrition and value if low-cost artifacts become a standard in Pioneer, as his ability to return artifacts or enchantments from the graveyard can be widely leveraged in longer matchups.

Evaluating Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh is much more difficult than it seems because there is no established place for it in the format currently for it, but the support of Neon Dynasty artifacts, together with the most diverse possibilities that Pioneer can give light to this strategy is capable of making him one of the most powerful Planeswalkers in the format.

I think Mono Black Aggro has enough two-drops, and many of them are recurring threats, which makes them superior to Blade of the Oni, but its Reconfigure ability is capable of changing the course of a game instantly, and therefore I believe that this artifact deserves an honorable mention.

With new lists looking to take advantage of Blood Tokens emerging, how useful can a one-drop that makes them a “draw 1” for two mana really be?

Dockside Chef has some potential to see play on certain lists for turning any artifact or creature into a potential draw for a low cost, without any limitation on how many times its ability can be used in a turn.

Mukotai Soulripper is a strong enough vehicle to consider as an inclusion in Mono-Black Aggro or other aggressive lists that can take advantage of its abilities and a body that, for two mana, can become a gigantic creature that manages to dodge some removals and, mainly, sweepers.

It's worth to consider situations with it where a player returns Scrapheap Scrounger at the End Step to crew it, sacrificing Scrounger again to then return Bloodsoaked Champion since they attacked with a creature, and thus restores their game, still backed up with a Scrapheap Scrounger to repeat the process if possible or needed..

I believe Nashi can offer an absurd amount of value to Aggro or Midrange archetypes that can keep the opponent's table clean for a turn or two.

Its ability to deal damage is comparable to that used by Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, and the discount of paying life instead of casting with mana means you can save your resources to protect yourself or to deal with threats in the table.

Although at a higher cost and without as much immediate impact, Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion is so powerful on its own that it vaguely reminds me of broken cards from other formats like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, and this is reason enough for me to put it as a potential staple that I definitely want in my collection, even though I am absolutely aware of how fragile a 3/2 body is in the current scenario.

I might be overrating Nashi, but he is certainly my favorite card from Neon Dynasty for Pioneer.

Soul Transfer is a very efficient removal for three mana, even though it's not an Instant, as it permanently deals with troublesome creatures like Arclight Phoenix.

Its second ability to return creatures or Planeswalkers from the graveyard might be relevant, given that their specific conditions arise in some decks that do occasional results, such as Doom Foretold.

Naruto, I mean, Tatsunari, probably has a place in the Enigmatic Fires, as an individual threat capable of adding a lot of power to the board and establishing a threat quickly through the deck doing what it already naturally does: Playing enchantments that will be later sacrificed to search for creatures.

Atsushi, the Blazing Sky can be a useful addition to Chonky Red, but it rivals Chandra, Torch of Defiance, of which I believe Chandra is infinitely better on most occasions, and Torbran, Thane of Red Fell, which I believe the choice between the two depends solely on what you're trying to aim for with your list.

It might be worth the test if the archetype still has room for a 4/4 Flying without as much immediate impact.

Goro-Goro and Thundering Raiju are great payoffs if you naturally want creatures with +1/+1 counters, such as Hardened Scales, or the Gruul Stompy variants that bet on creatures with Riot as Gruul Spellbreaker and Zhur-Taa Goblin.

Thundering Raiju can get out of hand easily if left on the board for more than one turn in an archetype that already uses creatures with +1/+1 counters, while Goro-Goro has certain advantages in giving Haste to all of your creatures, but it requires a greater investment of mana to make its inclusion worthwhile.

Although the main versions of Ensoul decks are currently Azorius, Lizard Blades is a fascinating choice for the Izzet or Jeskai versions, as either equipping another creature or being enchanted with Ensoul Artifact, or as a target from The Blackstaff of Waterdeep, its Double Strike becomes extremely threatening in combat.

Also, it is significantly devastating with Mindlink Mech.

Reinforced Ronin is one of Kamigawa's main additions to Pioneer, for its role as an aggressive one-drop that interacts absurdly well with Lurrus of the Dream-Den.

I would very much like to say that this Samurai is an automatic inclusion in Boros Burn, but it specifically competes with Ghitu Lavarunner in this slot, and the Dominaria wizard is needed to consistently reduce Wizard's Lightning to one mana, which is essential spell for Burn's strategy.

The weight in the balance here is how much Reinforced Ronin's interaction with Lurrus really is worth it, given the amount of added value in being able to discard it to draw a card, then cast it from your graveyard, attack, and then return it to your hand to repeat the process on the next turn, and I particularly think Boros Burn benefits more from having access to a Lightning Bolt when needed and not having to invest more mana to cast its attackers and spells on the same turn.

However, some lists still run a copy or two of Zurgo Bellstriker, and the replacement with the new Samurai seems pretty much obvious to me.

The day we find the right creature to break Indomitable Creativity, Careful Cultivation will allow us to cast our bomb on turn 3 by creating a token that adds mana on turn 2 (and on your opponent's End Step).

I believe it's only a matter of time before the Design Team make some mistake and create a giant creature in a Standard set that becomes the payoff for this strategy. (Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant is pretty close, but I suppose it won't be enough yet.)

Generous Visitor and Kami of Transience are another reason to try a Selesnya variant of Auras on Pioneer, as they can grow exponentially in a few turns. However, they don't fix the crucial flaw of the green versions of this archetype: the lack of good draw effects to interact with Auras.

Tamiyo's Safekeeping deserves an honorable mention for the ability to protect any permanent for just one mana, and still give you 2 extra life.

Might be worth a slot or two on the Sideboard to protect important combo pieces like Jeskai Ascendancy.

There are some archetypes that have as a strategy to play as many lands as possible to cast bombs that end the game and, without Explore in the format, I can imagine situations where Azusa's Many Journeys joins Growth Spiral as a turn 2 ramp.

How useful can a Regrowth coupled with an Unsummon be?

Colossal Skyturtle can be a useful piece in the Lotus Combo maindeck or sideboard to obtain a means of recovering important pieces from the graveyard and delaying the opponent's game and/or removing a specific hate from the battlefield, such as Archon of Emeria with a single card.

I really want a Greasefang, Okiba Boss strategy with Parhelion II to work, and I can imagine a dozen different bases for it, and the fact that Greasefang has good stats for a low cost helps to its viability.

My initial vision fits an Orzhov/Mardu version, where you can count on Hotshot Mechanic to crew Parhelion II, in addition to Collective Brutality and Thrilling Discovery to discard the artifact, and the possibility of returning it to the battlefield with Refurbish.

My issue with this strategy is that it feels too fragile, especially in a format where graveyard-based decks have a huge target on their backs, and it doesn't feel consistent enough in the face of the plethora of removals and interactions present today.

NOTE: I totally forgot that Thirst for Knowledge is now Pioneer-legal. Esper could most likely be the way to go with Greasefang and Parhelion II.

Hinata, Dawn-Crowned is absurdly powerful if we dedicate part of the deck to it, and that would naturally also involve the inclusion of Magma Opus, as it allows you to cast it for up to two mana, and has a good enough body to be viable as an individual threat, and could make room for a Jeskai Opus variant with Torrential Gearhulk.

There are many other cards that also benefit from its abilities, but which I would disregard for not doing as many things without its presence in play, such as Meteor Swarm, Aurelia's Fury, Descent of the Dragons and Shatterskull Smashing.

In summary, I see huge potential Hinata, Dawn-Crowned in allowing a more proactive proposal for Jeskai, but which requires some setup to really work.

I'm giving an honorable mention to Isshin for, despite not being in the right colors, it's an absurd combination alongside Winota, Joiner of Forces for practically doubling her trigger for each attacking creature.

I don't think a Mardu Winota would be superior to the current version (especially since speed is key to its explosiveness and the mana dorks are impressive in that regard), and Isshin doesn't seem to be worth a splash either as his ability an added bonus that Naya Winota doesn't seem to need these days, being basically a "win more".

Kaito Shizuki is a support piece in non-dedicated archetypes, but it seems to me to be an awful option to get card advantage when coupled with a conditional effect and in the same format as Narset, Parter of Veils exists for the same cost.

For Kaito to work, an archetype is needed that can attack with creatures while having the means to protect him in later turns, similar to Tempo Decks, maybe lists like Dimir Rogues or Mono-Blue Tempo with some splashes can take better advantage of him, but is there room for these strategies in the format today?

Kotose is probably worth a maindeck or sideboard slot on archetypes that have a good toolbox, like Niv-to-Light or the Engimatic Fires because it's a Surgical Extraction attached to a 4/4 body that can be played with either Bring to Light and Enigmatic Incarnation.

The Mythic Enchantment of the set is simply too powerful to ignore, and I can imagine several situations where a single turn untapping with it can send its controller back into the game: Imagine being able to sacrifice a Sylvan Caryatid that is no longer needed to return a Niv-Mizzet Reborn to the battlefield, for example.

The only obvious problem with Spirit-Sister's Call is that you need a full turn to extract value from it, and it's possible that this turn will never happen when you're tapping five mana to cast a permanent that does nothing when it comes into play.

On Pioneer, the new Tamiyo just seems like an overpriced version of Regrowth effects, but the fact that it creates a copy straight to the battlefield can have some important applications and recursion with some combo pieces, so I'm giving an honorable mention.

Like Mukotai Soulripper, I think Reckoner Bankbuster can have a home in some aggressive decks because it offers a good body for a low cost and an acceptable crew cost, with the difference that this vehicle offers Long-term card advantage by investing mana, if necessary, rather than establishing a gradually growing body.

I'm mentioning this artifact because I know many people will try to make Bard Class to work with it, and I need to warn them that it's probably not worth the effort: Mirror Box costs three mana, doesn't generate immediate value and Gruul Legends really wants to be proactive and explosive.

If a vehicle-focused strategy comes along, I suppose Mech Hangar would be a great inclusion to crew them without good creatures, and it's important to point out that there are some strong vehicles with high crew costs, such as Colossal Plow and Consulate Dreadnought, and it might be worth trying something absurd with them.

Have you ever wanted to make a powerful tribal deck and couldn't because manabase wouldn't allow it? Secluded Courtyard is the solution to this problem.

Alongside Unclaimed Territory, the new land allows "full creature" archetypes to have a more stable and consistent manabase when casting their spells, giving the opportunity for various tribal lists that might not exist so well for account of mana requirements to spawn, such as three or four-color Humans, or Elementals, among other diverse options that may arise eventually.

Perhaps, by some irony, I saved the best for last: the much talked about Channel Lands

This cycle is basically an “upgrade” to any list that uses at least one basic land (and few or no Check Land), and will probably be present as one or two-of in most archetypes that can support its inclusion.

Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire is basically a removal in the form of a land and deals with several creatures among the main decks of the format today. Of course, the fact that it doesn't damage anything that isn't attacking and blocking has serious downsides, but we can't have everything, right?

Otawara, Soaring City is probably the most overpriced of the cycle, but it allows any blue deck to deal with a problematic permanent for one turn, or return it to its owner's hand to counter it afterwards.

Takenuma, Abandoned Mire is sure to be useful for Black-Based Midrange, especially Rakdos variants that can benefit from its ability both to return a useful creature to the hand and to increase the number of cards in the graveyard for Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger.

Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance is just another way to have one more way to bring creatures into play, and that makes it the best land of the cycle for Pioneer as it doesn't need specific conditions to be useful, and probably makes it fit into virtually any red deck.

Boseiju, Who Endures probably won't be as impactful in Pioneer as it is in other eternal formats, but it does offer a maindeck and no-spending extra slots way of dealing with very troublesome cards like Jeskai Ascendancy, or Witch's Oven, or manlands, among others.

Therefore, it is evident that they will be widely played on Pioneer.

That was my review of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty for Pioneer, and I conclude that the new set has brought a multitude of powerful options that could significantly alter the Metagame, especially if strategies emerge that can take advantage of the new artifact themes.

Kamigawa definitely brought a higher power level than expected for a Standard set, diluted in a way that brings numerous possibilities for the future and can reformulate a part of the format, but I don't believe it has enough to take away all the main archetypes off the top, but it definitely has enough to shake things up.

Therefore, prepare your Ingenious Smiths, if you intend to play with Artifacts, and thanks for reading!