Thread by @StarCityBen

(Thread) Innistrad: Crimson Vow is almost on us, so let's talk about Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty! Yesterday, @wizards_magic put up all of the important launch and release dates for KND on their website (articles.starcitygames.com/news/important…). #MTG (/1)

The original Kamigawa block was not a success for Wizards of the Coast. While some facets were popular (Shrines, Ninjas, Dragons), several parts of the set fell flat. At the time, the set was designed to pull in a rapidly-growing Japanese #MTG audience. (/2)

This made the names a little hard to parse for non-Japanese audiences. Every rare creature in the set was Legendary. This is back when this was viewed as strictly a drawback, as Commander wasn't really a thing yet. This made it discouraging to open most Rares in multiples. (/3)

While the Spirit and Splice themes were ok, they didn't really land well with players. In addition, Saviors of Kamigawa may be one of the most mechnically badly designed sets of Modern #MTG. Building a set around not playing cards / keeping cards in your hand was a mistake. (/4)

Suffice it to say, Kamigawa block was not very successful for Wizards, after the really popular Onslaught and Mirrodin blocks. While Mirrodin may have been problematic for constructed play due to broken cards (Artifact lands, Skullclamp), it was still extremely popular! (/5)

Time and time again, Mark Rosewater has said how it was unlikely that Wizards would revisit Kamigawa. With so many successful worlds under their belt, why would Wizards go back to a block that way underperformed for them?
(/6) markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/175768851…

https://twitter.com/maro254/status/1212160564362825728?lang=en

With all that said - here we are! We're getting Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty in February of 2022. I think this set is going to be a huge success (both flavor and design), and there are a number of reasons why this is the case. Let's go over them. (/7)

1) Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty has to be a passion project. We know how badly original Kamigawa did, and it takes someone really fighting for a set like this for it to see the light of day. This means whoever (singular or plural) is being the set has a vested interest in success. (/8)

2) KND is far enough out from Throne of Eldraine that WOTC has a better handle on play design knobs to make a set powerful, but not overboard. #MID (and likely #VOW) were steps in this direction. I expect the 2022 sets to have a LOT of good cards (unlike #STX) (/9)

3) KND is being billed as the first Science Fiction-themed set for #MTG. This is another risk that Wizards is taking. In the past, Wizards tends to overcompensate (rather than under) for these types of sets. See: Time Spiral Remastered timeshifted sheet, Modern Masters. (/10)

4) Commander is a thing now. I don't think that Neon Dynasty will have a "every rare creature is Legendary" dynamic that the original Kamigawa block had, but leaning heavily into this sort of dynamic is seen as more of a boon than a hinderance in the present-day #MTG. (/11)

5) As stated above, there are parts of the original Kamigawa block that were really popular. I expect Wizards to lean into that part of the nostalgia - Ninjas, Shrines, decendents of popular characters (Umezawa clan). I expect a lot of new, but some space devoted to these (/12).

I expect Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty to be a huge hit for Wizards. I'm personally most excited for Streets of New Capenna (I love wedges and crime themes!), but I think people at #WOTC are making KND a labor of #MTG love and a proof-of-concept to Hasbro. (/13)

@sushiske