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Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Standard Set Review: White

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We finally went back to Kamigawa and boy has it progressed since the last time we visited! Briefly going over all the cards from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, I can tell you that this set is huge for Standard and will impact it a lot. Let us see how the White cards fair in Kamigawa, but before we start, let us go over my grading scale!

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!

White

Ao, the Dawn Sky
Ao, the Dawn Sky - 2 - No enters-the-battlefield ability and it is a death trigger not a leaves the battlefield trigger. Creatures have just creeped way stronger than these dragons. Doesn't help that it also gets hit by Vanishing Verse.
Banishing Slash
Banishing Slash - 2 - I could see this one in a Sideboard if you are running a lot of artifacts but even still, sorcery speed and double White really hurt it. Worse than Lucky Offering overall.
Born to Drive
Born to Drive - 2 - Three-mana Raise the Alarm, but could be great for a vehicle deck if you need some creatures to pilot them.
Brilliant Restoration
Brilliant Restoration - 2 - Just way too much mana for this effect. Maybe as a finisher in a Doom Foretold deck or a deck with a ton of sagas.
Cloudsteel Kirin
Cloudsteel Kirin - 2 - Fringe playable Platinum Angel but not really a competitive card for a top tier deck.
Farewell
Farewell - 3 - Best Planar Cleansing we have ever seen? Love the exile text so it does not trigger death triggers and kills indestructible creatures.
Hotshot Mechanic
Hotshot Mechanic - 3 - Savanah Lions for your vehicle deck, solid card and an aggressive one to boot. Sign me up!
Invoke Justice
Invoke Justice - 2.5 - Really mana intensive card. The only place I really like this card is in a Invoke Justice shell with Omniscience as your target in Historic. That'll easily win some games!
Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa
Kyodai, Soul of Kamigawa - 2 - A more expensive Guardian of Faith, feel like this one is more so for commander than anything else.
Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice
Light-Paws, Emperor's Voice - 2.5 - I love this for commander and even Constructed. It might even be good enough to improve uw auras in Historic, if not now, then definitely in time as the format grows. This is a type of card that only gets better as time goes on and more cards are added. Definitely keep an eye on this one.
Lion Sash
Lion Sash - 3 - Just a White Scavenging Ooze. Excellent card and easily a staple in Standard.
Lucky Offering
Lucky Offering - 2.5 - A nice option for White decks for the Sideboard, especially with The Brother's War around the corner.
March of Otherworldly Light
March of Otherworldly Light - 3.5 - This time Prismatic Ending at home is good enough, especially at instant speed! A very versatile removal spell for any midrange or control deck.
Michiko's Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko
Michiko's Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko - 4 - Staple in your enchantment deck in Standard if you are playing creatures. Especially since when this card transforms it should be massive. Kind of like a White Tarmogoyf for enchantments/artifacts.
Spirited Companion
Spirited Companion - 3 - Enchantment Elvish Visionary will be great an any enchantment deck! Pick up your common good boys!
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration
The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration - 5 - IF you are playing White, you better have an extremely good reason to not play this card and even if you do, you should probably still play this one. It even nets you mana alongside card advantage making it essentially cost 1 mana if you reanimate a permanent with mana value two. One of the best if not the best saga in the set!
The Wandering Emperor
The Wandering Emperor - 4 - Wow, what a powerful planeswalker. This will be the new Settle the Wreckage, where if you see you opponent with 4 mana up, you will need to respect The Wanderer. Super cool design and looks powerful but balanced.

Top 5 White Cards

  1. The Restoration of Eiganjo // Architect of Restoration
  2. The Wandering Emperor
  3. Michiko's Reign of Truth // Portrait of Michiko
  4. Farewell
  5. Spirited Companion

White got a lot of great cards in this set and I think it is the color that has gained the most for Standard: Great enchantments, planeswalkers, and removal. These White cards are awesome and I'm excited to see what else Kamigawa has in store for us. Let's hope Blue does better for us tomorrow!

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As always, thanks for reading

Ali Aintrazi

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