It’s the week before the New Capenna Championship, and it’s going to flip the meta. The goal of this article is to outline how Streets of New Capenna is affecting MTG Standard right now, and compare that to what the meta will look like after the Pro Tour level event coming up. Is MTG’s newest set too weak and swallowed up by the other legal sets? If there aren’t a ton of changes, this is probably the case. Hopefully, what we see is a breakthrough that shakes up the meta all over again.
Ob Nixilis, the Adversary
Speculation for Ob Nixilis’s dominance at the release of this set was at an all-time high. Everyone was concerned it was going to wash up the entire meta in Standard and make a big impression in other formats. This is partially due to
Esika’s Chariot
Esika’s Chariot
When Esika's Chariot enters, create two 2/2 green Cat creature tokens.
Whenever Esika's Chariot attacks, create a token that's a copy of target token you control.
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‘s ability to make copies of the Planeswalker since its Casualty ability makes a nonlegendary token copy of itself. At this point, it feels like Ob Nixilis is a powerful card to be playing, but isn’t the meta dominating force that everyone was afraid it was going to be. Jund lists playing the Planeswalker did sweep the last MTGO Standard challenge, and decklists are submitted for the New Capenna Championship now. Maybe this is a look into what’s in store? It will be interesting to see what the best minds in the game do with this card.
Riveteers Charm
Jund is a major new player that popped up in the metagame following Streets of New Capenna’s release, and this is a huge reason why. This card will be good in any matchup because of how versatile it is. It can fight for board presence through a lot of targeted protection spells. This is pretty relevant because of the presence that
Goldspan Dragon
Goldspan Dragon
Flying, haste
Whenever this creature attacks or becomes the target of a spell, create a Treasure token.
Treasures you control have "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add two mana of any one color."
and
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
Spells can't be countered.
Each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard has flashback. The flashback cost is equal to that card's mana cost.
have had in the Standard meta in the Jeskai Storm deck. Being able to exile graveyards also lines up well against Storm, and can get rid of any
Tenacious Underdog
Tenacious Underdog
Blitz—{2}{B}{B}, Pay 2 life. (If you cast this spell for its blitz cost, it gains haste and "When this creature dies, draw a card." Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard using its blitz ability.
s that are trying to blitz your face. In a matchup or situation where your opponent doesn’t have any creatures making a big impact, choose
Riveteers Charm
Riveteers Charm
Choose one —
• Target opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker they control with the greatest mana value among creatures and planeswalkers they control.
• Exile the top three cards of your library. Until your next end step, you may play those cards.
• Exile target player's graveyard.
‘s first mode and try to find some more gas for following turns.
Raffine, Scheming Seer
This card is so powerful that it created a whole new archetype altogether. Esper Planeswalker control was a major deck in MTG Standard before the release of New Capenna and likely will still hold a presence in Magic Arena ladder play even after the New Capenna Championship passes. Now, Esper can get aggressive. Connive synergizes well with cards that care about the graveyard like
Tenacious Underdog
Tenacious Underdog
Blitz—{2}{B}{B}, Pay 2 life. (If you cast this spell for its blitz cost, it gains haste and "When this creature dies, draw a card." Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard using its blitz ability.
and
Malevolent Hermit
Malevolent Hermit
{U}, Sacrifice this creature: Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {3}.
Disturb {2}{U} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
, while also tightening the clock. Your board can scale very quickly with Raffine, and the card selection ensures that you will find tools that can help deal with whatever your opponent is throwing at you.
Tenacious Underdog
This card reminds me of
Reckoner Bankbuster
Reckoner Bankbuster
This Vehicle enters with three charge counters on it.
{2}, {T}, Remove a charge counter from this Vehicle: Draw a card. Then if there are no charge counters on this Vehicle, create a Treasure token and a 1/1 colorless Pilot creature token with "This token crews Vehicles as though its power were 2 greater."
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from the Neon Dynasty Standard. It sees play in just about everything, but it probably isn’t supposed to.
Tenacious Underdog
Tenacious Underdog
Blitz—{2}{B}{B}, Pay 2 life. (If you cast this spell for its blitz cost, it gains haste and "When this creature dies, draw a card." Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
You may cast this card from your graveyard using its blitz ability.
can function as a draw engine, an early drop for tempo purposes, and makes sure that you always have something to do. Because it can do everything, every deck seems to want it. I think tempo or aggressive decks that can play this card should do so, but I wonder if there are better options for control players out there. Alternatively, this could be an excellent sideboard card for a control mirror.
Sanctuary Warden
The cards above this one on the list are making much bigger waves than
Sanctuary Warden
Sanctuary Warden
Flying
This creature enters with two shield counters on it.
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may remove a counter from a creature or planeswalker you control. If you do, draw a card and create a 1/1 green and white Citizen creature token.
is. The main place where standard is seeing this card are as a win condition in the Mono White Control lists that began popping up right before Streets of New Capenna released. Otherwise, its being used as a resurrection target in the new Velomachus Combo deck.
Sanctuary Warden
Sanctuary Warden
Flying
This creature enters with two shield counters on it.
Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may remove a counter from a creature or planeswalker you control. If you do, draw a card and create a 1/1 green and white Citizen creature token.
is great against other decks that care about the board a lot and are a little more aggressive. Unfortunately, a lot of the removal in standard right now doesn’t really care about shield counters.
Riveteers Charm
Riveteers Charm
Choose one —
• Target opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker they control with the greatest mana value among creatures and planeswalkers they control.
• Exile the top three cards of your library. Until your next end step, you may play those cards.
• Exile target player's graveyard.
,
The Wandering Emperor
The Wandering Emperor
Flash
As long as The Wandering Emperor entered this turn, you may activate her loyalty abilities any time you could cast an instant.
+1: Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature. It gains first strike until end of turn.
−1: Create a 2/2 white Samurai creature token with vigilance.
−2: Exile target tapped creature. You gain 2 life.
and
Vanishing Verse
Vanishing Verse
Exile target monocolored permanent.
all have removal abilities that don’t destroy. I wouldn’t be surprised if this card doesn’t make a huge impact in the Championship coming up.
READ MORE: Monster Tourism is Booming in MTG, But Who’s the Best Guide?
Obscura Interceptor
Another Esper Aggro card, this one seems to be riding on Raffine’s coat tails. Raffine is the card that made those styles of decks possible, and
Obscura Interceptor
Obscura Interceptor
Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, it connives. When it connives this way, return up to one target spell to its owner's hand. (To have a creature connive, draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.)
fits into the mold pretty well. The option of being able to hold up four mana and bluff both this and a Wandering Emperor can trip up your opponent. Before
Obscura Interceptor
Obscura Interceptor
Flash
Lifelink
When this creature enters, it connives. When it connives this way, return up to one target spell to its owner's hand. (To have a creature connive, draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.)
, holding up mana to cast Wandering Emperor was a pretty televising play. Even just playing it as a one-of to catch your opponent’s off guard makes your Wandering Emperors so much better.
Titan of Industry
The last card on this list,
Titan of Industry
Titan of Industry
Reach, trample
When this creature enters, choose two —
• Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
• Target player gains 5 life.
• Create a 4/4 green Rhino Warrior creature token.
• Put a shield counter on a creature you control.
is showing up in Jund lists as a one, or two-of to top off the curve. This card aims at making a huge impact when it enters play. It demands an answer from your opponent before swallowing the game whole. Titan of Industry’s ability to create a token means that it can also give
Esika’s Chariot
Esika’s Chariot
When Esika's Chariot enters, create two 2/2 green Cat creature tokens.
Whenever Esika's Chariot attacks, create a token that's a copy of target token you control.
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another target to copy. If you’re within lethal range of this bad boy, it might not even have to hit you. Ob Nixilis can sacrifice this to its copy and immediately use its Ultimate, killing you in the process.
Final Notes
There are still some major decks in Standard that don’t rely on any New Capenna cards at all. Naya Runes and Mono White should be archetypes on people’s minds going into this tournament. The fact that there’s so much diversity in the current Standard is really exciting. It should give players a canvas to create something spectacular. I’m looking forward to seeing what the meta looks like after the Championship.