Like a lot of things that started in original Kamigawa block, Channel has an interesting history. Designed to play nicely with one of the worst mechanics of all time in Sweep, Channel isn't a mechanic that many players remembered, let alone loved. When it returned in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, though, it appeared on some of the most important cards in the set. This is a mechanic that has had very pronounced peaks, fairly low lows, and a lot of mediocre middle.

Mechanics of Magic: Channel

Appropriately, Channel is a fairly straightforward ability. You discard the card from your hand, pay the mana cost, and then you get an effect. A simple example from Saviors of Kamigawa is Ghost-Lit Redeemer. You can pay two and discard it to gain four life.

It's easy to see why this was a forgettable ability back in the day: It's mechanically very similar to a lot of other abilities, particularly Bloodrush and Reinforce, and it wasn't on a lot of interesting cards. The best rare featuring Channel, Jiwari, the Earth Aflame, was pretty good (and has an awesome name) but the commons and uncommons were uninspired. For example, Ghost-Lit Raider was a solid Limited card but far from memorable, and it is emblematic of the mechanic in general.

In its defence, Channel did play well several mechanics in Kamigawa block, not just the much-maligned Sweep. Originally, Channel was supposed to represents the spirits of Kamigawa channelling their energy towards a one-shot effect and that worked nicely with Soulshift. Once you had discarded your Ghost-Lit Nourisher you could get it back with a Burr Grafter later on. Channel also allows you to keep doing something if you cast an Epic spell if that's something you're interested in doing.

Return of the Thing

Channel's return in Neon Dynasty left a much deeper impression. Like before, it had a number of solid limited cards to its name, such as Colossal Skyturtle and Touch the Spirit Realm. It even had an interesting Alchemy card in Kami of Bamboo Groves, which still sees play in Timeless.

Where it really shone, though, was the cycle of rare lands - one in each color. All five of them saw play in Standard and most of them still see play in non-rotating formats. This success makes perfect sense when you think about it: What card type are you most likely to want to discard and turn into something more useful, especially later in the game? Land! Of course, you'd rather have two 1/1 creatures over your sixth land in a mono-Red deck.

But these designs still left room for interesting decisions and tension. Do you play Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire and keep developing your own board, or do you need to kill that opposing creature in order to stay alive? How important is your opponent's Oblivion Ring compared to making your land drop with a Boseiju, Who Endures? These are real issues that can arise when playing these cards. They don't always come up, but when they're do, they add to the texture of the game in a fun, interesting way.

Looking Forward

Channel's future is somewhat uncertain. Mark Rosewater has called it a "perfectly fine mechanic that plays well," but also put it at a seven on the hypothetical storm scale. Hardly ringing praise, but not a damning indictment either. He also admitted that it's "too generic" in a similar vain to Kicker. Indeed, the "everything is Kicker" problem is apparent in Channel, in the sense that you could argue "discard this card" is just an additional cost. There are situations where it plays out differently enough to be its own thing, but the similarities are stark.

One thing I found interesting during my research for this article is that not a single card in Neon Dynasty's commander precons featured Channel. That's probably not a great sign, but it wasn't exactly a flagship mechanic for the set, to be fair. Besides, those decks are supposed to be flashy and exciting, aimed at a crowd to whom an ability that has them discarding cards is a tough sell.

In a weird way, this all puts Channel in a decent spot to return at some point. It can make a big splash where a big splash is needed, when it is pushed deliberately to do so. But it can also return as a workhorse mechanic that leaves plenty of room for more interesting mechanics to shine. Channel, really, is as exciting as the cards it is printed on. In its original appearance, it was quite low-key; on its return, it had cards at all levels of impact, from the mundane to the format-defining. Channel is such a blank slate that almost any set can carve its own lore into it.