And a bunch of cards, too
Magic is constantly adding to its repertoire of keywords, and even in standard when sets rotate out, it’s knowledge you’ll always need to be accumulating. Here are the Magic: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty keywords and mechanics you’ll need to navigate in February.
Modifications
Equipment, auras you control, and counters are modifications, which can impact different ways modifications can interact with specific cards. For instance, one card (Goro-Goro, a Legendary Creature) can create a 5/5 red Dragon Spirit creature token with flying for 3 colorless mana and two mountains. You can only activate this if you control an attacking modified creature. As a side note, it’s auras you control.
Ninjutsu (returning mechanic)
For a cost, return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking. This is a familiar concept, as some current/recent cards already have something similar to this.
Channel (returning mechanic)
For a cost, discard [x]: then do an effect. Examples shown so far include “search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle,” and “the owner of target nonland permanent puts it on the top or bottom of their library.” Wizards notes that this can smooth out mana issues as a secondary option of sorts.
Legends (returning mechanic)
Wizards says it has more “fertile ground” for legendary creatures and multi-color commanders, so there will be a large swath of legendary creatures in this set.
Cycles
Some cards will provide extra options, like Ao the Dawn Sky, which can put up to seven nonland permanent cards with a total mana value of four or less from among seven cards onto the battlefield, or put two 1+/+1 counters on each permanent you control that’s a creature or vehicle after it dies.
DFC Sagas
Sagas will return with the main purpose of “causing stories to come to life,” and representing “tradition” in the set. One saga will transform into a 3/3 haste trample creature after it expires.
Reconfigure (new)
For a cost, attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn’t a creature. Wizards says this is going to be one of the main “cybernetic” enhancement fantasies in the set.
Artifacts and enhancement synergy will also play a part in the set, as well as samurai and warrior traits.
You can check all the Kamigawa Neon Dynasty keywords out in the gallery below!
