Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty brings a mix of genres to Magic: The Gathering – Interview with the Magic designers and artists

gamepur.com:

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, the latest card set in the Magic: The Gathering game, released last week and features new mechanics and varied artistic styles. Inspired by both traditional Japanese art, sci-fi, and anime, this set is a magical blend that brings characters to life. We had the chance to chat with senior UX designer Daniel Holt and senior art director Zack Stella from Wizards of the Coast for the new set.

The new set features a return to things not seen in other sets. According to Holt, “Kamigawa offers creature types like ninjas, samurai, kitsune, [and] moonfolk, that don’t really appear on other planes.” The set is rich in history, playing on the lore from the original Kamigawa plane, set 1,200 years prior. “We got to tap into that to make exciting callbacks to the original set in the form of character mentions that fans will remember.”

Holt said the return to the Ninjitsu and Channel mechanics are exciting to see back in this set. Ninjitsu allows Ninja creatures to play already attacking, letting them return an unblocked creature to its owner’s hand. Channel allows players to discard a card from their hand and gain a temporary effect.

These two mechanics are likely to change the game a little. Holt said the set “offers a lot of legends and fun spells from Commander play”. While he couldn’t say for sure what’s going to shake up Standard, Holt said he hopes to see ninjas and samurai running around for the first time in 18 years. He also expects to see “cycles like the dragons, marches, and legendary lands make an appearance.”

The cards released as part of the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set are colorful and fantastical. There’s also the return of Sagas,