Top 10 Commander Cards In Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty drifts onto shelves February 18th, where we get to revisit the Legendary plane 1200 years in the future. The friction between modernity and tradition is portrayed in the set’s themes, having both thematic and powerful ties to Artifacts (the new) and Enchantments (the old). Fan favourite elements return with plenty of Ninjas, Samurais, Legendary places and Legendary individuals to brew around.
Beyond specific upgrades, what other cards should you be scouting to deck out your Commander decks with? Well buckle up, as there are some that will redefine the future.
A little bit of fixing and potentially ramp in Mono-White? While this won’t ramp you as effectively as a Kodama’s Reach or Cultivate, having land based ramp options in White is never a bad thing. It is a bit on the slower side, but it can return any permanent from your Graveyard to play, offering some added resilience. If you manage to flip The Restoration of Eiganjo, you’ll also have a decent Creature that can generate some blockers.
Wow, Replication Specialist is a spicy uncommon. Akin to Bramble Sovereign, this Moonfolk Artificer will let you create copies of an artifact that enters play under your control. While limited, getting a second Sol Ring or even The Great Henge could create quite an advantage.
What is going on with this set?! Efficient removal at Common that replaces itself seems too good to be true. With the name You Are Already Dead, this will likely be the default named card for Tainted Pact combos in cEDH. Properly using this Instant requires proper timing, but having a Creature take damage should be an easy enough hoop to jump through. Drawing a card as well means you won’t have to worry about being down a card either, which can make the difference in a tight game
While nowhere near as busted as Kodama of the East Tree, Kodama of the West Tree has some potential to rocket you ahead or act as a finisher in the right deck. Broad applicability is quite limited, needing to meet the Modified requirement, but in decks that are pushing Auras, +1/+1 counters or Equipment, this last of the Kodama cycle could pack a punch. The closest parallel I can draw is Harvest Season with extra steps, but it should make for a memorable story when you pull five plus lands out of your deck. If Kodama of the West Tree manages to stick around though, you’ll quickly become the archenemy.
Modal cards are fantastic and modal cards that hit functional requirements are a cut above. Colossal Skyturtle delivers on the latter acting as an uncounterable Regrowth or Unsummon, providing some recursion or removal. There’s also the option of beating your opponents down with a resilient Flying Turtle, who wouldn’t love that?
Are you sick and tired of your opponents beating you up with tokens or casting 8 drops on turn five? Well, do I have an exceptional Saga for you! Hidetsugu Consumes All starts by removing all low cost permanents from the board, getting rid of very fast mana rocks (like Mana Vaults and Mox Amber) as well as mana dorks and combo enabling Enchantments. If another lore counter gets added, all of those destroyed permanents will be exiled, along with the other contents of Graveyards. Then if this Saga completes, you’ll get a Creature that continues to grow, and may even threaten to end the game.
I can’t think of a more Voltron card than Mechtitan Core, and I can’t wait to see how many Mechtitans I can make. We would temporarily lose the Artifacts used to create the Mechtitan, but they’ll come back if our opponents remove our big beater. The only real hiccup with making multiples is the core itself remaining exiled, so copying tokens and removing the legend rule may be the best approach. Either way, I’m excited to assemble a Mechtitan or two.
8. Mirror Box
Speaking of the legend rule, Mirror Box is the third instance of a permanent that removes this restriction for you. This is a significant upgrade to Mirror Gallery, which has a higher mana value and does less. For decks that want this effect though, it’s probably still right to run both alongside Sakashima of a Thousand Faces. The last line often won’t do much in Commander since it doesn’t apply to tokens, but it could find some use in “any number” decks like those that use Shadowborn Apostle, Relentless Rats, or Persistent Petitioners.
Is Boseiju, Who Endures a Commander staple in Green decks, almost indefinitely. Uncounterable removal that will likely cost 1 and not take away a non-land slot is extremely powerful. This will likely see play for the foreseeable future unless it receives a ban for being too ubiquitous (which I think is unlikely in Commander), so you should aim to get one of these while the set is being drafted. The rest of this cycle is worth checking out even if the effects aren’t quite as strong, because it’ll make your mana base more functional.
10. Roadside Reliquary/Secluded Courtyard
Another slot in the top ten list is dedicated to lands, with some other great utility options in Roadside Reliquary and Secluded Courtyard which are both Uncommons. Roadside Reliquary opens some options for card draw in colors that lack that strength, and most Commander decks should be able to get two cards out of it with the support permanents that are run. Secluded Courtyard on the other hand, is an upgraded Unclaimed Territory since the colored mana can also be used to activate Creature abilities. Decks that care about tribes will probably run both, and more consistency in functional effects can lead to better play experiences.
There we have it, the top ten (really fifteen) cards you should grab for Commander when Kamigawa Neon Dynasty releases. There are tons of fun new cards in this set to explore, whether it be toad riding Ninjas, or cool Vehicles. Sagas also make a splash capturing the rich history of Kamigawa as a plane, and we can’t overlook the fact that we now have a Phyrexian Planeswalker. Were there any cards you’re excited about that you were surprised didn’t make the list? Drop a comment below with your thoughts or reach out to me on Twitter or in the Chimera Discord. Hope to see you out at Chimera’s next Commander night, which is every Tuesday starting at 7pm. Happy brewing!
