Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty takes place 1200 years after the last Kamigawa sets. That’s a massive time leap. And as one might expect, technology plays a central role in the new, futuristic Kamigawa.
In Magic: the Gathering, technology typically takes the in-game form of artifact cards, which are bountiful in Neon Dynasty.
Some of these Neon Dynasty artifacts are good–so good, in fact, that many are breaking into the Modern format and changing multiple artifact decks.
New Stoneforge Mystic Targets
When Wizards of the Coast finally unbanned
Stoneforge Mystic
Stoneforge Mystic
When this creature enters, you may search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
{1}{W}, {T}: You may put an Equipment card from your hand onto the battlefield.
in Modern, the Kor Artificer immediately became a format staple.
Stoneforge can tutor your deck for any equipment card and add it to your hand. The usual targets for this effect are
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Fire and Ice
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from red and from blue.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, this Equipment deals 2 damage to any target and you draw a card.
Equip {2}
,
Batterskull
Batterskull
Living weapon (When this Equipment enters, create a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ creature token, then attach this to it.)
Equipped creature gets +4/+4 and has vigilance and lifelink.
{3}: Return this Equipment to its owner's hand.
Equip {5}
, and
Kaldra Compleat
Kaldra Compleat
Living weapon
Indestructible
Equipped creature gets +5/+5 and has first strike, trample, indestructible, haste, and "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, exile that creature."
Equip {7}
.
But now, with Neon Dynasty, Stoneforge Mystic gains some new potential tutor targets. Reconfigure is a new mechanic that blurs the line between creatures and equipment. These cards come into play as creatures, but you can pay their reconfigure cost and equip them to another creature you control.
Playing a single copy of Lion Sash in a Stoneforge Mystic gives you easy access to graveyard hate. Lion Sash is like the white version of
Scavenging Ooze
Scavenging Ooze
{G}: Exile target card from a graveyard. If it was a creature card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and you gain 1 life.
; you can pay a single mana to exile a single card from a graveyard.
Stoneforge Mystic can now find a
Future Sight
Future Sight
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
You may play lands and cast spells from the top of your library.
effect directly from your deck. As a creature, The Reality Chip lets you look at the top card of your library, giving you the foresight of what you’ll draw next.
But it gets better once you reconfigure The Reality Chip. That’s when The Reality Chip lets you play lands and cast spells from the top of your library.
Hammer Time
Hammertime is one of the best decks in the Modern format. In the past, it was usually a mono-white deck, but it sometimes splashed black for cards like
Dark Confidant
Dark Confidant
At the beginning of your upkeep, reveal the top card of your library and put that card into your hand. You lose life equal to its mana value.
.
Post Neon Dynasty, Hammer Time looks a little different. The deck plays both Lion Sash and The Reality Chip and has shifted toward a blue color splash.
Read More: Best Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Cards for MTG Modern
The 8th Drum — Moonsnare Prototype
What is the difference between Moonsnare Prototype and Springleaf Drum? Which one should you play?
Springleaf Drum has been a mainstay of Modern for quite some time in decks like Affinity. The card is definitely not being replaced by Moonsnare Prototype, as Springleaf Drum is not restricted to blue decks and can be tutored for by
Urza’s Saga
Urza’s Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — This Saga gains "{T}: Add {C}."
II — This Saga gains "{2}, {T}: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with 'This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'"
III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost {0} or {1}, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
.
But if you are playing a blue-based artifact deck, Moonsnare Prototype has some added benefits:
- Moonsnare Prototype can tap artifacts and creatures to add mana, unlike Drum which can only tap creatures. This small difference is relavent because Moonsnare can tap artifacts like Nettlecyst or
Shadowspear
Shadowspear
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has trample and lifelink.
{1}: Permanents your opponents control lose hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Equip {2} , which otherwise sit on the battlefield untapped. Doing so allows you to put more pressure on your opponent with your creatures, rather than tapping them for mana. - Moonsnare Prototype’s channel ability costs quite a bit of mana but it frequently comes in handy. It’s an uncounterable Totally Lost! This gives Prototype significantly more late-game impact than Springleaf Drum has.
—
You can also play both Moonsnare Prototype and Springleaf Drum to double up on the mana-producing ability. Playing all eight copies of this effect allows you to ramp into impactful spells like Urza, High Lord Artificer, or the new Tezzeret as early as Turn 2.
Read More: Renovating a Classic MTG Archetype with This WIERD, Toad-Riding Kamigawa Commander
Sacrificing Neon Dynasty Artifacts
Players are tinkering with these two cards in a variety of decks in Modern.
Experimental Synthesizer is kind of like an Ichor Wellspring. It essentially draws you two cards in the same way Wellspring does, but Synthesizer costs one less mana.
Oni-Cult Anvil produces a consistent stream of artifact tokens and can sacrifice artifacts to drain your opponent. (This latter ability synergizes with Experimental Synthesizer quite nicely.)
So what decks will play these artifacts?
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar, or Asmo for short, is a central part of Modern Food decks. She finds The Underworld Cookbook which combos with Ovalchase Daredevil to provide an endless supply of scrumptious snacks. This deck grinds value through looping artifacts in and out of play, making Synthesizer and Anvil natural fits for the deck.
Read More: Kamigawa is Officially Out and These Cards are Mega-EXPENSIVE
Other Possibly Viable Modern Cards From Neon Dynasty
There are many more artifact-related cards from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty that have the potential to break into Modern.
Reality Heist is like the artifact version of
Dig Through Time
Dig Through Time
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Look at the top seven cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
and can serve as a great way of finding artifact-based combo pieces like Time Sieve or Grinding Station.
Dragonspark Reactor can make for yet another addition to Food decks. It acts as both a removal spell and a massive burn spell that can outright kill opponents.
Patchwork Automaton synergizes with
Hardened Scales
Hardened Scales
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be put on a creature you control, that many plus one +1/+1 counters are put on it instead.
decks, an aggressive artifact strategy that revolves around +1/+1 counters.
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