Last updated on July 22, 2022
Swarm Saboteur | Illustration by Alexey Kruglov
Alchemy is one the newest formats that’s exclusive to MTG Arena alongside Explorer. The format is composed of Standard cards as well as digital-only cards.
Things are constantly changed because WotC made the decision to regularly “rebalance” the cards. So you have a Standard format that’s true to paper and the Alchemy format, where cards are balanced for the digital-only format.
Every Standard set is now released together with an Alchemy-specific mini set. Today I’m going to go over the Alchemy release that went along with Neon Dynasty, Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty.
Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Basic Information
Jukai Liberator | Illustration by Michele Giorgi
Set Details
| Set Symbol | |
|---|---|
| Set Code | YNEO |
| Hashtag | #MTGY22 |
| Number of Cards | 30 |
| Rarities | 5 uncommons, 20 rares, 5 mythic rares |
| Mechanics | Channel, Conjure, Intensity, Modified, Ninjutsu, Perpetually, Reconfigure, Seek, Spellbook |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Release on MTG Arena | March 17, 2022 |
| Available on Arena Tutor | March 17, 2022 |
About the Set
Futurist Spellthief | Illustration by Michele Giorgi
Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty consists of 30 new cards, most of which were created to buff certain aspects of Standard play in Alchemy or that make sense in Historic. It’s important to mention that these cards are subject to rebalancing as all digital-only cards are. Some of these cards could end up being nerfed or buffed if WotC makes that call.
Card Legality
Cards from Alchemy sets are only legal on MTG Arena in all Alchemy-related modes: Alchemy Standard, Alchemy Historic, etc. These cards aren’t available anywhere else, be it in paper Magic or on Magic Online.
Digital-Only Set Mechanics
Conjure
To “conjure” a card, you put a card in your hand that’s equal to the card conjured. This is a way to explore the possibilities of Magic in a digital environment since it would be very difficult to mimic this in paper MTG. You’d need a lot of copy cards for it to happen.
Dragonfly Pilot conjures Dragonfly Suit to your hand, which is a card that already exists in the regular Neon Dynasty set.
Intensity
“Intensity” cards have “starting intensity,” which is a parameter of the card. The intensity of the card raises because of some game triggers, like attacking or tapping a land.
When Bellowsbreath Ogre attacks it deals damage equal to its intensity to any target. After that its intensity increases by one.
Perpetually
“Perpetually” is a term used on digital-only cards to show that the card (or a category of cards) will change permanently, until the end of the game. Painful Bond, which became one of the staples of the Alchemy format, is a good example of this. You draw two cards and all cards in your hand with mana value 3 or greater gain this ability: if you cast it, you lose one life.
These changes follow the card in other zones too, like your hand, graveyard, and even your library.
Seek
Seek is basically tutor, a reference from Demonic Tutor. The effect can be seen on a lot of digital-only cards like Artillery Enthusiast, which states that you discard a card when it ETBs and then search for a card in your library with the same mana value. Various cards let you seek specific cards, like those with a lesser or greater converted mana value, or of a certain type.
Spellbook
Some Alchemy cards tell you to draft a card from its spellbook. These cards basically have a list of spells, usually up to 15, that compose the card’s spellbook. Whenever you’re required to draft the card, Arena will generate three random cards from the spellbook and you choose one of them to put into your hand.
This isn’t considered a draw effect. Each card with the spellbook mechanic has its own spellbook. These spells are thematic, like with Boseiju Pathlighter where they’re all nonbasic lands with a different effect.
Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Card List and Gallery
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green
- Kami of Bamboo Groves
- Chronicler of Worship
- Boseiju Pathlighter
- Jukai Liberator
- Runaway Growth
- Forceful Cultivator
Multicolored
Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty Packs
The Alchemy: Kamigawa booster packs are different than regular set packs. Each booster has a rare or mythic rare from the set, and two uncommons from the Alchemy set while the common cards are from the normal Neon Dynasty set.
You can get these packs as rewards in specific Alchemy events, redeemed with Arena codes, or bought in the Arena Store. Speaking of codes, you can get three Alchemy: Kamigawa packs using the code “PlayNEOAlchemy”.
Buying Packs
Each Alchemy: Kamigawa booster pack can be bought just like you’d buy any other pack in the MTG Arena Store.
You can but one pack for 1,000 gold or 15 packs for 3,000 gems. You can also buy the 20 pack bundle in the Store’s “Bundle” section for 15,000 gold or 3,000 gems, a better deal since you basically get 20 boosters for the price of 15.
Duplicate Protection
Each Alchemy: Kamigawa Neon Dynasty booster comes with duplicate protection, meaning if you have four of a given rare or mythic from the set, you won’t open it again.
If you have all the rares of the set and would open a rare, instead you get a rare from the Standard Neon Dynasty set. If you happen to have all the rares or mythics from both sets, you get gems instead; 20 for a rare and 40 for a mythic.
Wrap Up
Kami of Transmutation | Illustration by Mirko Failoni
This set adds a little variation to MTG Arena’s new Alchemy format. Alchemy has been a love-it-or-hate-it format since it was introduced. Here’s hoping that Wizards finds a way to integrate it better into the platform, because it’s been a pretty polarizing as it stands now.
I always found the digital designs cool and hope to see more diversity and creativity as WotC explores more of the digital realm. I’m primarily an Arena player but I understand people that want MTGA to be true to paper.
What are your experiences with MTG Arena and the Alchemy format? Love it or hate it, every Standard format will have an Alchemy release. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or over in Draftsim’s Discord. And make sure you’ve got Arena Tutor before you start playing with these new cards. It provide stats, tracks your collection, and much more, all for free.
That’s all from me today, I’ll see you in the next one!
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