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Welcome back, everyone. Yesterday we went over the Blue cards from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and today we will be going over the Black and multicolored cards. We have a lot to go over, so let's just right in. Feel free to go over how I'll be doing m set review below.
I will not be going over cards that I believe will not see play in Standard and I will not be going over the Commander cards that will not see Standard play. For example, cards like Ancestral Katana and Golden-Tail Disciple will be omitted since they are just Limited cards and saying, "This is just a Limited card" repeatedly gets old rather fast. Do not worry though, I will be covering all the rare and mythic cards in the actual Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set. So, if you like a certain rare or mythic, it will be mentioned in the review.
Keep in mind I'm rating all these cards for Standard playability. I will mention Modern applications if I believe the card has some.
Each card will be listed by color, then alphabetically by name.
Each card will be given a rating of 1-5. If a card would receive a 0, meaning it will see no play in that format ever, its rating is left off the list.
Rating | Explanation | Standard Examples
0 - Will never see play in this format (0 ratings are not listed).
1 - Unlikely to see play. (Divine Gambit)
2 - Could see fringe play, or occasional sideboard card. (Disdainful Stroke, Annul, Candletrap, Shadows' Verdict)
3 - Commonly played, staple in a single deck, or frequent play in several decks. (Righteous Valkyrie, Behold the Multiverse, Farewell)
4 - Format staples. Sees play in multiple decks, one of the best cards in the format. (Saw it Coming, Werewolf Packleader, Elite Spellbinder, Ranger Class)
5 - Format warping. If you are in these colors, you play that card or keep that card in mind when building decks. (Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Hullbreaker Horror)
Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin!
Black
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Biting-Palm Ninja - 3 - This Ninja would bite the hand that fed him. If Dimir Ninjas ends up being a good deck, then Biting-Palm is a great one. Similar to Concealing Curtains // Revealing Eye. |
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Blade of the Oni - 3 - 2 mana 3/1 with menace that later gives you a 5/5 Black Demon. I like this on for Mono-Black aggro or as a cheap creature to trigger Ninjutsu. |
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Debt to the Kami - 2 - Just a sideboard option for Black decks to get enchantments. |
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Dockside Chef - 3 - If Skullport Mechant is good, there's no reason Dockside Chef shouldn't be. Sure, it's a 1/2 but it is also costs 2 mana less. Unlike Skullport, the Chef can sacrifice itself to draw a card. |
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Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos - 2 - A legendary creature that is doing a lot but costs a bit too much mana for a sacrifice deck. Another sweet commander to build around though! |
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Invoke Despair - 3 - I really love this cycle and Invoke Despair is my favorite. It's an extremely grindy one, though, and sometimes it will be way too slow against aggressive decks. But if you can get the opponent to sacrifice two or more things, that is when it will really shine. |
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Junji, the Midnight Sky - 2.5 - The best of the dragon cycle but even still, it isn't quite good enough. If you want to reanimate a creature, we have better ways of doing that. Black has access to better finishers too like Ebondeath, Dracolich. |
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March of Wretched Sorrow - 3 - I'm a fan of Erebos's Intervention and Battle at the Bridge, so I really like March of Wretched Sorrow since you can exile cards to make it cheaper and it hits planeswalkers. Great way to stabilize against aggressive decks too. |
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Mukotai Soulripper - 3 - I think this card is great for sacrifice decks and aggressive strategies. This thing will kill you very quickly if left unanswered and it fits in perfectly in Lurrus decks. |
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Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion - 2.5 - Another sweet one that sadly I only see being played in Commander. Thief of Sanity is not good enough anymore and Nashi has no evasion what so ever. |
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Okiba Reckoner Raid // Nezumi Road Captain - 3 - One-mana 2/2 creature with that drains your opponent twice and gives vehicles like Reckoner Bankbuster. Seems super sweet to me in a vehicle deck. |
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Reckoner's Bargain - 3 - Awesome alternative to Deadly Dispute for decks that go a little bigger. For example, it works well with Wrenn and Seven tokens in a bigger GB/x deck. |
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Soul Transfer - 2 - Sorcery Speed Hero's Downfall with another option. It is asking a lot of you though; in that it wants you to control an artifact and an enchantment then have a creature or planeswalker in your graveyard too. A bit too much. |
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Tatsunari, Toad Rider - 2.5 - Yes, another cool card for commander but I can see this one sneaking into a Abzan enchantment deck since it makes the toad every time you do not have one. Not a four-of by any means, but could see it as a 1- or 2-of there. |
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Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail - 3 - Not quite sure where this one fits but I love it. 2 mana for a 3/3 flier that can draw cards and two 1/1 rats? Seems powerful to me, especially against non-aggressive decks. |
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You Are Already Dead - 69 - Best card in the set because you can name it with Tamiyo, Collector of Tales, and other cards like it for BM... Nice! |
Top 5 Black Cards
- Mukotai Soulripper
- Okiba Reckoner Raid // Nezumi Road Captain
- Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail
- Reckoner's Bargain
- Soul Transfer
Black got some alright cards but nothing that really stands out. This is because most of these cards that are good, ask for new archetypes, not existing ones. I don't mind that at all. I actually prefer it and it'll be cool to see people trying to build around those cards. All right moving on, let us go and look at the multicolored cards!
Multicolor
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Eiganjo Uprising - 2 - Not sure what the point of this card is. I understand that the tokens you create have menace but I'd rather not give my opponent any creatures if I can help it. |
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Enthusiastic Mechanaut - 2.5 - With another artifact set coming out, we'll want to keep an eye on Enthusiastic Mechanaut. Don't think it's quite good enough right now. |
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Gloomshrieker - 2.5 - Gloomshrieker seems awesome in a   midrange deck with some enchantments or other permanents to bring back. Works well with Binding the Old Gods and Tamiyo, Compleated Sage. |
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Greasefang, Okiba Boss - 4 - Greasefang has too many good stats to not find a home in Standard. He has an ability the turn he comes onto the battlefield and gives whatever vehicle you get back haste. All that on a 4/3 body for 3 mana. Lots of value on this little rat pilot. |
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Hidetsugu Consumes All // Vessel of the All-Consuming - 3.5 - Amazing card in older formats and even in Standard if low to the ground aggro becomes relevant. |
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Hinata, Dawn-Crowned - 4 - Hinata seems extremely powerful in a Jeskai control shell. Making all your opponent's spells cost one more to target your stuff and making things like Magma Opus only cost 2 mana. Also works well with March of Swirling Mist. |
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Isshin, Two Heavens as One - 2.5 - A good body for the mana cost, but the mana we have isn't good enough for an aggressive Samurai deck. I also don't think the ability is worth it but then again, I think the best aggressive decks are no more than two colors. |
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Jukai Naturalist - 3 - Solid card for  Enchantments and I love that the creature itself is an enchantment so it will trigger the cards that care about enchantments in your deck. |
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Kaito Shizuki - 4 - Kaito seems amazing for 3 mana. Giving you the creature the turn he comes into play to make his plus ability good. He reminds me of a different and stronger Jace Beleren. Great with ninjas and just by himself. |
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Kotose, the Silent Spider - 2 - Not exactly sure where you want Kotose as paying her full mana is a bit much. The best I can think of is a Sultai Storm the Festival Deck where you can just hit her off Storm the Festival for value. |
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Oni-Cult Anvil - 3 - Oni-Cult Anvil is a huge puzzle that is fun to solve if you are a sacrifice player. A puzzle to solve deck-building wise and while it is on the battlefield. I'm sure someone will find a sweet list for this one. |
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Raiyuu, Storm's Edge - 2 - I've seen Winota and Winota you are not, Raiyuu. I'm sorry buddy, but I can't see this one being played in Standard. |
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Risona, Asari Commander - 2 - Risona seems all right against control decks if they become big. Even then though we have so many ways to exile or bounce creatures that the indestructible counter isn't all that good. |
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Satoru Umezawa - 2.5 - Love this one for commander and spicy brews. Maybe get in Jin-Gitaxias or Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. Looks like a fun one to brew around but it asks a lot of your opponent. Mostly, "Please have no interaction with any of my creatures." |
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Satsuki, the Living Lore - 3 - Finish those sagas faster! Love it with Binding the Old Gods and The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration. |
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Spirit-Sister's Call - 2.5 - This is like an Orzhov Enigmatic Incarnation. Unlike Oni-Cult Anvil, I want to solve this puzzle. It seems sweet in Historic to trade your Stitcher's Supplier for some massive creature, trade the enchantment itself for Omniscience, or trade a card like Narset, Parter of Veils for Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. |
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Tamiyo, Completed Sage - 4 - Tamiyo is my favorite in the set. She is going to be absolutely insane with Esika's Chariot since her -X makes tokens. This means you can copy things like planeswalkers, Binding the Old Gods, Esika's Chariot itself (so it makes more tokens) or whatever non land permeant you want! |
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The Kami War // O-Kagachi Made Manifest - 2.5 - More expensive than The Eldest Reborn, Elspeth Conquers Death, and Binding the Old Gods. On top of being more expensive it is also color intensive. It is powerful but hard to find a home for it. Luckily, we do have The World Tree to help it out. |
Top 5 Multicolored Cards
Nice! We have a ton of powerful multicolored cards from Kamigawa, my favorite being Tamiyo but the others are equally fun. I want to build a Hinata control deck, a Greasefang beep beep deck, and something with Kaito. I don't know about you, but I am ready to brew!
Tomorrow we will go over the Red and Artifact cards!
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As always, thanks for reading
Ali Aintrazi
Follow me @AliEldrazi
