Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Limited Set Review: White and Blue

Posted on February 9, 2022

Welcome to day one of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Limited set review! People have been gunning for a return to Kamigawa, so now that we're returning I expect to see some really amazing cards in it.

This article is the first of four, and in it I will be evaluating every White and Blue card - scoring them on a scale of 1-5. These ratings are purely based on Limited formats and have no bearing on Constructed play. I would also like to note these ratings are based on how I believe the card will perform in an AVERAGE Sealed or Draft deck. Often this means a lower score for cards with great potential in a highly synergistic deck.

Rating - Explanation

1- Ideally not making the cut in any of my Limited decks.

2- Not good, but a necessity for curve filling and smoothing out draws.

3- Value cards I am happy to fill my deck with.

4- Cards to get excited about and Premium Removal.

5- Reserved for cards that will win the game if left unanswered.

White

	Ancestral Katana - 2 - The equip cost is higher than I would typically want to play in Limited, but this has a nice bonus for Samurais and Warriors - so it averages out. Playable in the right deck.
	Ao, the Dawn Sky - 5 - This is the first legendary dragon in a cycle of 5, and they are all Limited bombs. Huge flying threats that can leave a lasting effect on the board even after they are removed are always going to be game winners. Ao getting two keywords on top of everything else is insane.
	Banishing Slash - 4 - I like my White removal spells to be instant speed, but this one offers so much flexibility it does not matter. I will likely play as many of these as I can get my hands on when playing White. The cost is a little sketchy for three color decks.
	Befriending the Moths // Imperial Moth - 3 - Creature-heavy decks will want to play this Saga. Getting to Mighty Leap two creatures might just be enough to kill someone on its own. The creature on the back is also decent, so overall this is a fine 4-drop.
	Blade-Blizzard Kitsune - 3 - With so many auras and +1/+1 counters in the set I see no reason not to get excited about a reasonably-costed double striker.
	Born to Drive - 3 - Aura spells are very vulnerable to removal, because getting 2-for-1ed is often too hard to recover from. The Channel ability on this card mitigates some of the risk typically associated with these cards. Late in the game, when the opponent has expended most of their resources, cast this as a huge aura, or channel it early to go wide and crew fast. There is no down side here.
	Brilliant Restoration - 2 - The casting cost on the card is horrible. The deck needs to be 75% White to cast this reliably, and even though the payoff variance is the size of the Grand Canyon. It is powerful... and I plan to make this a goal card for this set, so screenshot and tag me on twitter if you get a kill with it!
	Cloudsteel Kirin - 3.5 - This equipment is well above rate on its own. 3-power 3-drops will close out games extremely fast if an opponent can't find an answer to it. The reconfigure cost is a bit high but it has a lot to offer. It is also an artifact and there are a lot of ways to return this to the battlefield in the set. Definitely a lot of value here.
	Dragonfly Suit - 2.5 - Who can say no to crew 1?! 3 power on a 3-drop is really nice. Any token deck will want to run as many of these as it can find.
	Eiganjo Exemplar - 3.5 - A 2-drop that attacks as a 3/2 is great value on its own. This creature is everything White wants to be doing - It's aggressive, its an enchantment, and has a relevant creature type.
	Era of Enlightenment // Hand of Enlightenment - 3 - The first two chapters on Era of Enlightenment are far from exciting, but it does offer one of the few first strike creatures in a set full of counters and equipment. This is a 2-drop I am happy to play.
	The Fall of Lord Konda // Fragment of Konda - 3 - Chapter one is where most of the value is on this Saga. Exiling a creature, becoming one (albeit a small one), then drawing a replacement card is quite a bit of value. This is a great target for any card that can get enchantments back from the graveyard.
	Farewell - 3.5 - Flexible removal is always worth having. Getting to name any card type you own fewer permanents of, effectively makes this a one-sided board clear. Getting to exile cards is a huge bonus with all of the graveyard recursion in the format - especially for artifacts.
	Go-Shintai of Shared Purpose - 3 - All of the Shrines in the format are worth playing on their own, but this one is by far the best one. Getting another Shrine out with this one will get out of control quickly.
	Golden-Tail Disciple - 2.5 - Nothing about this fox is super exciting, but it is a well-rounded curve filler. It offers a lot with it both having lifelink and being an enchantment creature. White wants to have a lot of enchantments and artifacts.
	Hotshot Mechanic - 2.5 - Very few 1-drops make the cut in my Draft decks, but Hotshot Mechanic is definitely going to be one of them. This little aggressive creature is a great enabler for both artifact and vehicle themes, and that is everything White wants to be doing.
	Imperial Oath - 2.5 - 6 mana is a bit steep for a Samurai deck that wants to be very aggressive, but this will work as a one-of if the rest of the deck isn't too expensive. Getting relevant creature types spread over three bodies is exactly what the Samurai deck wants to be doing.
	Imperial Recovery Unit - 3.5 - It is extremely rare to find a vehicle worth getting excited about that isn't a rare, but this one definitely is. The power of Imperial Recovery Unit depends heavily on the number of 2-drops in the deck, but it will be worth playing in any deck.
	Imperial Subduer - 3 - This is one of the better Samurai enablers at common. Getting to tap down a blocker each round is very aggressive and will help push through a lot of extra damage.
	Intercessor's Arrest - 3.5 - We always expect to see a Pacifism effect in White and this one definitely goes above and beyond. Including "creature cannot crew vehicles" was definitely an important addition in this set. Kamigawa has scaled back on sacrifice mechanics like exploit so this is definitely considered white's premium removal.
	Invoke Justice - 2.5 - I hate the casting cost on this card cycle. 4 mana of the same color is an insane requirement in Limited. Even with the heavy mana cost, this effect is still fairly strong and begrudgingly worth playing in two-color decks that have a heavy white side.
	Kitsune Ace - 2.5 - Not every White deck will want many vehicles, but the downside with Kitsune Ace is minimal. Every deck needs 2-drops and this has a decent amount of value with even one vehicle.
	Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa - 4.5 - The rating for the card is 100% ignoring the ability and it is still insane. The flexibility on a flash creature that can give indestructible is off the charts. Flashing this in during blocks is going to be the cause of so many blowouts. I'm going to be scared to attack into open White mana for the next 2 months. Settle the Wreckage PTSD all over again...
	Light the Way - 3 - 1-mana combat tricks are always nice because they are very tough to play around. Light the Way is a very flexible spell that can always find a spot to gain some value. It can return Sagas, save creatures, and win combats - all for the low, low cost of 1 mana. What's not to like?
	Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice - 2 / 3 - Auras are cool. As a "bear" on its own this is fine in any White deck, but the ceiling is quite high in aura decks.
	Lion Sash - 3.5 - Scavenging Ooze has always been a strong card. There are a pair of uncommons that can repeatedly bring things back from the graveyard and Lion Sash laughs at them. This is a great card.
	Lucky Offering - 2 - Lucky Offering has a lot to offer! The number of artifacts this can target is incredibly high in this set. Ideally every White deck should have two or three of these in the sideboard. This would even be playable in moderation in best-of-one.
	March of Otherworldly Light - 3.5 - I doubt I will ever want to exile a White card from my hand to make this cheaper, but it is a solid removal spell regardless.
	Michiko's Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko - 1 / 3 - It will not be hard to decide what decks want to run this Saga and what decks don't. This is a huge payoff card for the enchantment decks and will be great in multiples.
	Mothrider Patrol - 3 - Being a warrior means that this cheap flier will benefit from all of the Samurai abilities. This will also be a premium target for any ninjutsu abilities.
	Norika Yamazaki, the Poet - 3.5 - Getting to cast an enchantment card from the graveyard is amazing! With so many enchantment creatures and Sagas in the format this will likely punch way above its weight class in most decks.
	Regent's Authority - 2.5 - One-mana combat tricks are easy to keep open and always difficult to play around. There is also some nice upside here for the enchantment deck that will come up a lot more often than you might think.
	Repel the Vile - 3.5 - Flexible removal is always welcome. This particular spell gets worse in multiples, but I will always want more than one in the sideboard.
	The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - 4 - I love everything about this Saga. Getting a bonus land early is super important and it even fuels chapter two later in the game when the land is not needed. The creature side is not only an amazing rate for only 3 mana but also comes with a kick butt ability. The Restoration of Eiganjo is not game breaking, but it is powerful.
	Selfless Samurai - 3 - The upside for Samurais is amazing. Stacking multiples of these different abilities will be key to the Boros win condition, and getting to start that on turn two is great.
	Seven-Tail Mentor - 3 - Four-mana 3/4s are filler on their own, but this amazingly dressed fox has a relevant creature type and leaves a lasting effect on the board after he dies. Definitely worth picking up.
	Sky-Blessed Samurai - 3 - With so many Sagas and enchantment creatures in the format this will easily be cast for two or three less. A 5-mana 4/4 flier with a relevant creature type - Yes please!
	Spirited Companion - 2.5 - Any creature that draws cards to replace itself is good enough. Cards like Sky-Blessed Samurai and Norika Yamazaki, the Poet make this more than worth picking up.
	Sunblade Samurai - 2.5 - I like that this creature allows you to run a slightly higher curve in the deck. Getting to Channel this guy away will make it a lot harder to get stuck with a bunch of uncastable cards in the early game while also increasing your impactful bodies late in the game.
	Touch the Spirit Realm - 4 - Banishing Light is always welcome. The channel ability on this card is actually a huge upside to help protect your most valuable creatures when needed.
	Wanderer's Intervention - 3.5 - White premium removal. I always try to pick up as many of these as I can when playing White. These are often underrated and getting passed these late is a good sign you should be in White as well.
	The Wandering Emperor - 5 - The Wanderer means business. This planeswalker is incredibly flexible and can create a huge impact on the board the turn she comes out. This is easily one of the biggest bombs in the format.
	When We Were Young - 1.5 - Lifelink is fine. 4 mana is a lot.

Top 3 White Commons

Wanderer's Intervention

Intercessor's Arrest

Eiganjo Exemplar

Blue

	Acquisition Octopus - 3 - This card has three of my favorite words on it - Draw a card. It cannot possibly be bad! I love that the reconfigure cost is only mana.
	Anchor to Reality - 1.5 - The deck would need two game winning Equipments in it before I would consider playing this. The cost is far too high for this type of tutor effect.
	Armguard Familiar - 3 - Cheap artifact creatures are great in this format. Cards like Heiko Yamazaki, the General and Covert Technician make me really excited about these smaller value artifacts.
	Awakened Awareness - 3 - This buff aura doubles as a removal spell and I love that flexibility. Blue struggles to get enough removal and though this is not premium removal - it will do in a pinch.
	Behold the Unspeakable // Vision of the Unspeakable - 4 - I gave this a 4 because it is a 5-mana "do very little for 2 turns", but between the card draw and the solid creature on the back this will be a game winning card. Honestly, even played when behind on board this card is kinda great...
	Covert Technician - 2.5 - This ninja is super cool. There are a lot of +1/+1 counters in the format, so the ceiling on this card is really high, but there are also a lot of valuable 2-drop artifacts in the format as well.
	Discover the Impossible - 2 - Cards that dig into the deck for specific cards are nice to have if the deck has some extra space. I find that I end up cutting them most of the time.
	Disruption Protocol - 2.5 - Cancel with some cost reduction is playable. It is important to remember that you cannot counter Channel or ninjutsu - they are abilities and not spells. Look for Mirrorshell Crab when trying to catch those decks off guard.
	Essence Capture - 2.5 - I actually like creature specific counter spells. They are always going to find a target and this one leaves something behind as a bonus. In a format with uncommon bombs like Replication Specialist, a counter is always welcome.
	Futurist Operative - 2.5 - Futurist Operative is surprisingly good. Getting in some early chip damage is nice when attacking with a 1/1. Being able to threaten blocks while you hold back countermagic and draw spells like Thirst for Knowledge is great. This is also a neat way to sneak in key ninjitsu abilities.
	Futurist Sentinel - 2.5 - Crew three is often a bit expensive in multiples, but in a format with Pilots, this will be a decent creature. The 2.5 rating is for the avg deck, in Azorius vehicles this will have a fair amount of upside.
	Go-Shintai of Lost Wisdom - 2.5 - This is likely the weakest Shrine in the cycle. This is fine in the early game and 0/4s are great against aggressive decks. If games are going long this is a neat alternate win condition.
	Guardians of Oboro - 2.5 - With so few defenders in the format it is not worth considering this as a build around card. If you can reliably modify this card with equipment or cards like Seven-Tail Mentor, this will be worth picking up.
	Inventive Iteration // Living Breakthrough - 4 - Excuse me? Tempo, card advantage, enchantment synergy, and a slightly above-rate creature all rolled into one card? What's not to love here?!
	Invoke the Winds - 4 - Permanently gaining control of an opponent's creature is always a powerful move. With one card you are both removing a creature while also gaining one making this an easy 2-for-1 effect. The fact that artifacts are included in the lists of targets will also be incredibly powerful.
	Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant - 5 - There is a lot of text on this card and it is all good. This tyrant is difficult to remove and provides an insane amount of card advantage. Definitely one of the biggest bombs in the format.
	Kairi, the Swirling Sky - 5 - Each and every one of these mythic dragons are insane. 6 mana is a lot, but this more than makes up for it because it is a game winning bomb that gives a ton of value even if it is killed - and thats a BIG if.
	March of Swirling Mist - 3 - Getting value won't be hard, and the upside on this card is decent. Definitely worth picking up but it's not a blowout.
	Mindlink Mech - 4 - Stats at 4/3 and only needing crew 1 is insane for this card. Every Blue deck will want to pick this up even if they are not in a vehicle theme.
	Mirrorshell Crab - 3 - I love this crab. This is the only counterspell in the format that can counter Channel and Ninjutsu abilities, and in the off chance you didn't need to use it, you have a nice haymaker on the top end. I would be willing to run multiple of these with the expectation of using them as counterspells.
	Mnemonic Sphere - 3 - Neat. This is a Divination spell that can be returned to the battlefield with cards like Heiko Yamazaki, the General and Covert Technician. It will also trigger any other artifacts-matter cards you might have in the deck.
	Mobilizer Mech - 3.5 - The stats and flying on this vehicle are great for only 2 mana. The upside of getting to crew a bonus vehicle is a lot of what Blue wants to be doing. Exciting to pick this up even with minimal vehicle synergies.
	The Modern Age // Vector Glider - 3 - I am seriously impressed with these common Sagas. This 2-drop smooths your draws and offers you a well above-rate creature on the back side. Definitely playing this in any Blue deck.
	Moon-Circuit Hacker - 2.5 - One free draw and some bonus looting is enough to make me want to play this sweet looking Ninja. As an added bonus it is also an enchantment creature and it is not hard to find synergies with those in this set.
	Moonfolk Puzzlemaker - 3 - This is a great addition to any deck that wants a lot of artifact creatures. Getting to scry each turn is going to add up to some decent card advantage as you smooth out your draws over several turns.
	Moonsnare Prototype - 2 - The Channel ability is by far the best part of this card. The tap ability is far too specific. Due to the expensive channel cost, this will be cut from most decks.
	Moonsnare Specialist - 3 - I love creatures that offer a tempo bonus by bouncing creatures or spells back to their owner's hands. Some neat stuff can be done with ninjutsu on this card, but I am perfectly happy casting this for 4 mana to time walk my opponent.
	Network Disruptor - 2 / 3 - A one-mana flier in the Ninja colors? YES PLEASE! Also, another neat creature to get back with Covert Technician.
	Planar Incision - 2 - Flicker spells are always neat to have but are often played from the sideboard. These are great to bring in against heavy removal decks, but this might see some play to help enable Modified and cards like Replication Specialist.
	Prosperous Thief - 3 - Prosperous Thief is one of the few cards in the format that creates treasure tokens. In a format that cares a lot about artifacts and sacrificing them, that is super important.
	The Reality Chip - 4 - Future Sight has always been a bomb in Limited, but its one weakness was that it cost 5 mana and didn't advance your board. The Reality Chip lets you pay for that effect in installments, while also providing an early blocker, giving you time to get value out of having an effectively unlimited hand size. Plus, it's a legendary computer chip jellyfish, how can you not like that?
	Reality Heist - 1 / 2.5 - Some heavy artifact deck will want to run this card, but it will not likely see much play. This is far more of a Constructed card.
	Replication Specialist - 4 - This creature is not only a decent rate on its own, it also offers a game-breaking ability. Not all spells will leave you with two extra mana to duplicate, but there are enough cheap artifacts in the format to make me very excited to play Replication Specialist.
	Saiba Trespassers - 2.5 - Nothing exciting about Saiba Trespassers but it does offer some flexibility when needed. Blue cares a lot about artifacts so this will likely see a fair amount of play in Limited.
	Short Circuit - 2 - This is a low impact removal spell. This will sometimes be a solid 1-for-1, but other times it will miss the mark and simply not be enough. Short Circuit will see some play but I will never be excited about running it.
	Skyswimmer Koi - 3 - This amazing looking Koi is an above rate creature that helps you smooth draws. This is a good creature and will make the cut, possibly in multiples, in any Blue deck.
	Spell Pierce - 1 - Never interested in counterspells that get weaker in the mid-late game. This is far too restrictive in Limited to be worth playing. There will be some matchups where I MIGHT bring this for games two and three, but that is a BIG if.
	Suit Up - 2.5 - I never like these types of cards because they represent card disadvantage, but this one changes the game and lets you replace it! Your opponent will never expect a combat trick in your Blue deck, and you get to draw so there is no downside.
	Tameshi, Reality Architect - 3.5 - Tameshi is an interesting creature. She offers a lot of long game card advantage while also being a perfectly reasonable curve filler on her own. The floor on this card is filler and the ceiling on this card is very high.
	Tamiyo's Compleation - 3.5 - We typically see this sort of Blue aura removal in every set, and they are always worth playing. Getting to cast this as an instant is a fair amount of added value and I would definitely consider playing multiple of these.
	Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh - 4.5 - Slightly slower than The Wandering Emperor, but still a great planeswalker. Tezzeret gives you a lot of card advantage and we all know that extra cards win games.
	Thirst for Knowledge - 3 - Drawing cards at instant speed is the best. This allows you to hold up countermagic, creature abilities, and draw spells on the opponent's end step if they were not needed. There is so much potential value here.
	Thousand-Faced Shadow - 4 - I think they might have forgotten to add "until end of turn" at the end of this card. This card is great. It even has flying so it will be easy to get back with other ninjutsu creatures. This is by far one of the coolest ninja cards in the set.