I've written a lot of articles recently about 17lands data. Not today, though. This is pure vibes. Here are my favourite Limited formats since the launch of MTG Arena.

Duskmourn

This one might not come as a surprise to anyone but me. The thing is, I didn't play any Duskmourn at all when it was the current set. I was on a bit of a break after a few sets in a row soured me on Limited for a while. But I listened to the hype, and now I always do a few flashback drafts whenever this set comes back. It's great! Everyone knows it's great, but it took me a while to get it.

I think a large part of this set's popularity is due to the fact that decks feel so synergistic. While there are a few power-level outliers in terms of individual cards, few games of DSK limited feel deterministic in the way more bomb-driven formats do. I feel that, if my plan comes together, I can win almost any game. Yes, some build-around cards are better than others, but every colour pair gets to shoot the moon, and most of them can get there with a bit of luck and good play.

That last factor - good play - is crucial, too. The decisions you make at all stages of a DSK draft matter, from pack one, pick one to the final turn of a 6-2 sweater. I rarely feel like I have no chance of success, and if I do, it's probably because I did something wrong. Similarly, though, even my best decks need to be piloted properly. Should I hold my removal for a bomb or do I have to kill this Gremlin Tamer? That kind of tension is an important part of any good Limited set, and DSK has it in spades.

March of the Machine

This one might seem like your classic "deliberately spicy" take, but I stand by it. March of the Machines had a lot going on. Some might argue too much, and I think that's a reasonable take, but I found it to fall just about on the right side of Kaldheim's gods when it comes to having too many words on the cards.

Battles were a really fun and evocative new card type, but they didn't dominate the format. The legendary bonus sheet was one of the best ones yet, especially bringing back the companions to a format where they're actually fun and interesting. Again, though, not overpowered. The best of them, Yorion, had an A- win rate of 62%. Very good, but not oppressive.

Most strategies were viable, which always helps. Orzhov was an outlier at the bottom, and the Blue duo of Azorious and Dimir were a decent amount better than the rest, but the middle of the pack was evenly contested so it rarely felt like you had no chance if you didn't open a bomb in the best colour.

There were a lot of cool mechanics in the set and all of them had at least some number of cards that played well in Limited. I mentioned battles and companions above, but Incubate was great and they managed to make some phyrexian mana cards that weren't busted. The flip cards with phyrexian mana activations were a very neat way of making splash-able gold cards without making the cost trivial. Convoke was there, too. Not the most exciting of mechanics, but it was on some cool cards like Hoarding Broodlord.

In the end, I think what some people disliked about MOM is exactly what I liked about it: the complexity. With the bonus sheet being so broad, it meant that there were a lot of mechanics from older sets appearing, giving the Limited format a Masters/Horizon set vibe. Well, since original Modern Masters is my favourite Limited environment of all time...

Kamigawa Neon Dynasty

This is a similar story to DSK, but with the added bonus of my favourite colour pair (Dimir) being the strongest in the set. This was a set where value and attrition mattered a lot, and that kind of grindy, nuts and bolts kind of Magic is what I live for. Sagas being three-for-ones, but maybe even more if you could ninjutsu them back to your hand? Chef's kiss. Gold signposts that (mostly) work? Sign me up. Circuit Mender? Just Circuit Mender. Hell, yeah!

It's almost eerie, appropriately, that this set has so much in common with DSK, but it makes sense that both would make a list of my personal favourites, right? The fact that this one was all wrapped up in a very cool cyberpunk aesthetic helped, but even if you removed the art from the cards, this would still be a great Limited set. There are just so many fun cards that perfectly mesh the spikiest spike mechanics with the johnny-est johnny combos. NEO gives you all the toys, promises that you can make them even more fun to play with if you put in a little bit of effort, and then delivers on the promise if you do it.