Hey all, I hope you have a fruitful and enjoyable weekend. For today’s blog post topic, I am sharing a Magic: the Gathering Standard deck tech on the Streets of New Capenna card Fight Rigging. Based on my experience back in Lorwyn’s first introduction of the Hideaway mechanic, it is a good card advantage source given that you only need to satisfy its conditions for you to be able to cast the hidden card for free.

In today’s Standard deck version, all you need is some beefy but cheap casting cost creatures for the Fight Rigging to put on a +1/+1 counter on it and trigger the Hideaway ability. I have chosen the Sultai colors as the most efficient lineup of creature options to hide on the enchantment or just purely hard-cast them in the late game.

Please do check out the Standard deck tech video below.

Hello guys, welcome to the blog and today’s Magic: the Gathering Standard deck feature is from the recently concluded New Capenna Championships. The deck build was included in the list of best-performing decks in the Standard portion of the event, having a five matchup wins in total. The deck is 4C-Reanimator and was played by Kevin Mittertreiner.

What is interesting about the deck is that it utilizes a reanimation spell from an unusual color theme: White. The card is Invoke Justice from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty and it has two major beefy targets in the deck that can be reanimated into the battlefield by as early as turn four. Titan of Industry has an impactful ETB effects aside from its 7/7 Trampling power, and the Strixhaven Dragon Velomachus Lorehold can run in both reanimated or hard-casted. Its attack trigger can basically let you cast Invoke Justice from the top card of your library for free and maybe return a Titan in the process.

The deck also has several ways to mana ramp via Treasure-generation effects with cards like Big Score, and Seize the Spoils. To prevent board setup, mass removal spells were also included in the main and more spot removals as additional options in the sideboard.

Check out the full decklist below and stay tuned as I might do a more detailed deck discussion video in the coming days.

Reference: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=36375&d=473540&f=ST&show_pts=Y

It has been a regular event for me to tune in to live selling posts of Magic: the Gathering products by Manila-based LGS on Facebook. The prime reason maybe is me trying to hit the good Rares and Mythics from the booster packs, and the recent trend, List cards. These rare and expensive cards can, later on, be used for trading and reselling in case some of them may increase in price value in the long run.

The recent Live Sell package arrived with the combination of the two LGS, Forge Hobby Place and MTG Allegiance. It consists of various Set Booster packs and some cards from the Color Game events in which I tried my luck if I can get Colorless that will max out the value on lands, artifacts and colorless cards. Unfortunately, that was not the case. MTG Allegiance also included some raffle repacks as introductory product for their upcoming event. It was definitely worth the value.

Check out on this video below the unboxing of the Magic: the Gathering Live sell package. if you are planning to join in the repack raffle, just contact Sir Sylvester Scott Gaerlan or search MTG Allegiance page on Facebook.

Opening some new Magic: the Gathering products is like opening a box of chocolates (with reference to the movie Forrest Gump). What is exciting is not only having the chance to open the good chased Rares and Mythics for Standard gameplay use, but also having the probability of revealing some money-worthy List cards they included in the Set Booster packs. I have experienced it from FB live sells of game stores where you have them choose which packs to open on the box.

For today’s blog post, I am sharing the product unboxing video of the Streets of New Capenna Set Booster Box and I have divided it into three parts by which each pile of ten packs is opened by batch.

Please do check out the first part unboxing video below.

The card pool updating continues as we gear up for the weekly Magic: the Gathering Saturday Standard tournament at our LGS Pro Reis place. That is aiming for the best deck currently in the format and it is the Ob Nixilis-based aggro midrange decks.

This time, we were able to secure some card pieces for both Black-Red and the Mono White decks which are very hard to buy from the common online store I think. That said, Facebook groups such as MTG Tambayan are essential in checking for the specific card components which you can buy from other players in their online card album.

Check out from the video below what cards we bought.

One of the deck archetypes that I am looking to build in the Streets of New Capenna Standard is the Naya or Cabaretti Aggro. The current support lands to these colors are already stable enough, and with the new tri-land inclusion and some Treasure-producing creatures, it is now possible to curve an aggressive start for an aggro deck build. That is also with fewer worries about the color screw.

Here below is what I think the decklist would look like. Do take note of the new Capenna cards added.

The main deck’s typical lineup of mana dudes to ramp out the best creatures and Esika’s Chariot as early as possible. With the same enough mana, various cards can be combined and more tokens can be generated.

Jetmir, Nexus of Revels is the superstar creature in the deck, providing pump effects and more so if you control six or more and nine or more creatures. Jinnie Fay acts as a major token converter with the choices of 2/2 hasty Cats or 3/1 vigilant Dogs. Having spare Treasure tokens turned into creatures is just a good advantage.

The deck’s utility cards such as Cabaretti Charm, Valorous Stance, Fable of the Mirror Breaker, Wedding Announcement, and The Wandering Emperor are to be used for various board scenarios i.e. spot removal, generating more creature token threats, etc.

Overall, the Cabaretti Aggro is a recommended aggro deck build for a new look and feel of the cards from the Streets of New Capenna set. Let me know what you think of this list and what you would recommend in the comment box below.

That is a wrap for now, until the next blog post.

Based on the video done by Gavin Verhey in opening a Streets of New Capenna Prerelease kit, the promo foil card is random and won’t likely align with the crime family you have chosen. In the video which I watched the morning before going to work, he got a foil PR promo Titan of Industry wherein the Green color is not aligned to the family he chose, though in the deck-building he can try to add it to the list.

This change was already reflected during the Strixhaven Prerelease where the school factions can be chosen from the kits. Before, during the latest Ravnica block Prerelease, guild color aligned promo packs including the promo rare so the players usually were choosing the one with the strongest or most expensive card in the set. Remember choosing Golgari for the chance of opening Assassin’s Trophy? Yes, I am one of them.

Anyhow, having this minor upset on the Streets of New Capenna Prerelease kits is not a big deal if you can still open cards from the draft booster packs that can synergy well with a definite deck build. Best of luck and enjoy your Prerelease this weekend guys and gals.

Until the next blog post.

The main reason for doing the preorder of sealed Magic: the Gathering products and single cards is to securely acquire the cards first-hand on their release dates. For my take, I did some preorders so I could do an unboxing video for each of them and also as an update for my YT channel. New unboxing content perhaps?

Recording them as you do the opening is quite fulfilling to value that moment that you had the first cards of the newly released Magic: the Gathering set. It may not be the case though if the products are delayed but yes, the main feature is to have them recorded for the first opening experience.

A few of the local game stores have their Streets of New Capenna Preorders posted on their hobby shop website which their customers can check and transact. One example is the Block 101 Hobby shop where they have a segment on their website & online store for the new set’s cards and sealed products. You can sort them by date and price from highest to lowest and vice versa.

You can check out this short video below on the Pre-order setup at the Block 101 Hobby shop website.

Single card components especially the Mythics may appear to be pricey depending on their use, but that is the purpose of it. You will need to pay extra to get the cards at the first release. It is a risk to buy some of the high-priced cards as the market price may not yet stabilize on the release date. In my case, I usually check for the low-priced cards that may have potential in Standard and buy a playset of it if possible. It is more of a miss as revealed per the previous sets but the money loss is tolerable. I was still able to sell some of them after the rotation.

Aside from the pre-orders, you might want to join a local Prerelease of your fave LGS or just some hobby shop nearby that is hosting the event. Neutral Grounds is the biggest chain of LGS currently in Manila and nearby provinces, so you have a lot of options to choose from based on your location.

The Streets of New Capenna is nearing its completion and maybe by this weekend, it will be complete. As I remembered, the Prerelease event for the set will on the 22nd and 23rd of the month. Wow, that is basically just days away. I guess we needed to prepare the budget for that one.

Covering a card-by-card discussion may become a chore to finish on a daily basis and even the first two batches I have published are not enough. Anyhow, let us just continue what cards we can present and as many as we can discuss if possible.

Let us start with Lagrella, the Magpie.

It leans to be more effective in a multiplayer EDH game but in a typical Standard match, this is a good removal and maybe a tempo effect if you have creatures that benefit from their ETB abilities and the bonus of having two +1/+1 counters on it. You will cards with ‘blink’ effects to be able to execute this.

Next up is the Green Mythic, Titan of Industry.

I initially thought of it as a good target for reanimation spells but hard-casting it is not impossible for a Mono-Green deck build. If given multiple choice answers, it has all of the above benefits written on it. Exile effects would be the only solution for its opponents.

Third, up is Structural Assault.

With the expected Vehicle-based decks as catered by Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, this card will be a good sideboard choice to wipe them including their creature crew. The five mana is reasonable as it is a good upgrade and in line with today’s board sweep cards.

Fourth on the list is Soul of Emancipation.

It is a three-colored Brokers version of the Terastodon, first printed on Worldwake. It is sort of a friendlier version as non-land permanents are only destroyed as compared to non-creatures but this route is more to benefit you as you can be more on dealing with their best creatures and giving them 3/3 Angel tokens instead. In a more perfect scenario such as having a tokens deck build, for example, your random 1/1 dudes are converted into 3/3 Flyer threats, and is a good thing to have evasion creatures in board stall matchups.

The fifth card preview is Ominous Parcel.

We always call the bomb squad if we see some suspicious bag left in a market, plaza, or any other populated area, and this card perfectly represents it. It is a mana-fix at the least and in the late game can be a good spot removal for the four-toughness threat. This would also be a good artifact recursion target if your deck build strategy is aligned to it.

The sixth card preview discussion is Crew Captain

This Human Warrior is a good card to curve for the three-drop going the aggro route but the issue is the consistency of three-colored mana by that time. This may be possible if you have a tribal deck built with a Secluded Courtyard naming Warrior.

I am wrapping up this batch with the card that is the newest addition to my list of Black-Red lands collection, Tramway Station.

Being only a Common, it is still a good way to see cards with the utility of getting your card drawn in the late game. It can slow the progress in an aggro deck but it is a small hindrance if you would want a mana-fix nonbasic and card draw later on all-in-one.

To conclude this batch of Streets of New Capenna card discussions, I will line up my topics in the coming days with some Standard deck brews with the new set. If you have missed one previously posted, you can check it here. I might also do some short guide for your first prerelease in a New Capenna theme so also stay tuned on that one.

While checking on the card spoilers of the upcoming Magic: the Gathering Set, Streets of New Capenna, I came upon one Red creature card in one of the batches of previews. The card is Devilish Valet and upon first look, I somewhat got a glimpse of its potential which can win you games with just an attack of it.

The core colors I have used for the deck build are Red-Green which I think are the right colors to fit the strategy. Here below is the deck tech video I made and uploaded to my Youtube channel.

A variety of websites and social media platforms have been releasing a barrage of spoilers from the upcoming Magic: the Gathering set Streets of New Capenna. While I try to check card-by-card on this downpour, we will also foresee some new Standard deck archetypes derived from this set & if the components are enough to complete it.

Let us start the second batch of Streets of New Capenna card spoiler reviews by checking on this uncommon Naya Legend tutor creature: Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer.

It is a 3/1 body by itself if you’d need to curve an aggro start. In the late game, it is a good mana sink for fetching the best creature to help deal with a given situation whether it is a semi-spot removal like Brutal Cathar or something to destroy a certain artifact or enchantment. In a Naya deck build, I would have three to four copies of the card if not for the 3-color mana cost. Maybe three copies are enough.

Next up, is the Shadow of Mortality.

The Netizens call it the “Fixed Death’s Shadow” as the mana cost is initially higher and would be lesser to cast of X where it is the difference of the current life total from the starting life total. The deck build goes with the same life-paying strategy in Modern, but I do not see if it is possible in the current Standard format i.e. the lack of Shocklands in the land components.

Third on this lineup is the Mythic Angel of Anguish.

The Angel of Anguish has the ability you surviving the battle with the cost of milling cards from your library. It is not then necessary for you to build a 200-card deck ala Battle of Wits. Also, a good flying hitter for five but the three toughness is a major setback with most of the burn spells catering at least three damage.

The fourth card is a Human Rogue with a fitting flavor on the card name and ability, Expert Rescuer.

Getting back a two-drop dude back to the battlefield is a good way to redevelop your board, but alas, it is not that case on this one. The returned creature is “Pacified” as long as Expert Rescuer is around. The good thing to make use of this is to return two-drops with ETB effects or passive abilities that disrupt opponents. Examples are Thalia, Meddling Mage, and Phyrexian Revoker.

Next up is the Grixis sort-of-a-board wipe, Hostile Takeover.

It is a five-mana, three-color, three damage to each creature but it has a way to deal with the opponent’s best creature by making it into a 1/1. Also, making your dude a 4/4 is sure to have that one threat after the wipe. It is only the issue though if they have multiple X/4s that can survive and by this time, you’d need a more efficient mass removal.

The sixth card is the newest uncounterable spot removal for Esper, Void Rend.

Running four copies in the Esper deck build is an automatic choice because of the “nonland” term. Destroying Auras, artifacts, creatures, and Planeswalkers at instant speed sounds just too good. The mana color might be an inconvenience at times but it can be overcome by a sufficient land distribution in the deck.

Next is another tool for the Humans deck in Modern which probably will also see play in Capenna Standard, Scheming Accomplice.

At first look, it is an improved version of the Meddling Mage. Disabling a certain card may be a major delay but if it is on a creature, still you cannot prevent it from attacking. However, you can have your other cards interact with their threats such as destroying spells or exiling them with Brutal Cathar. I am looking at an Esper Humans Tribal deck with this component and given the current mana fixers in the format so stay tuned for a deck tech video on this one.

That is a wrap for now on the second batch of Streets of New Capenna Card Previews, until the next blog post.

The Streets of New Capenna is coming this April 29^th and what I am most excited about aside from the flavor and the mechanics is to try out the new cards in the Stanard format. There are now a few relevant Standard tournaments scheduled in the local setting and also online and we are looking forward to what will be the impact of this upcoming set.

For today, we will go with the card analysis of each spoilers that started Thursday last week. If you have been checking on some of the Magic: the Gathering card spoilers website, there have been a whole batch of new cards revealed and some has been quite interesting in the combination of the card name, flavor, and what it does in the gameplay. This may not be officially the first since we had already discussed the two family charms in an older blog post.

For this batch, we will begin with the card Arcane Bombardment. This Red Mythic enchantment goes with a six mana but it will be worth it if it sticks on the board.

Izzet Spells is the automatic Standard deck build and while it may took the long game in most the matchups, this card is  fit for the job. At that time, the graveyard is likely filled with the cards that were cast the previous turns and the likes of burn spells and card draws are good spells to copy and recast. The only drawback is probably having it at random and you won’t know what you’d hit. In which case, you adjust the deck build for composing more of a utility spells such as Commands for example. I’d assume this might not be a hit right away in Standard but its EDH potential is highly considered.

Next up is Corpse Examiner, the Maestro’s utility three-drop creature.

A 3/3 body for three with ETB ability is worth it but the only requirement is a target creature card from the graveyard. Exiling it is then needed for the other “Ponder” ability to resolve.  Flavor-wise, it fits really well with the card name and its ability. Much more is its worth in the late game, removing opponents’ recurring creatures from their yard.

The third on this batch is  Cut the Profits, a Black card draw at the cost of life with the chance of double casting it.

For two Black and X, you can get to play it at the least at turn four for two cards and two life.  The Casualty option is good to fit in a deck with cards like Meathook Massacre and other ways to gain life to recoup the life loss effect of the card. This will favor more if you have creatures that have Dies trigger effect. In the deck build, two copies may be enough as this requires more mana to be efficient and the life loss may be situational as it can be a drawback in certain board state.

Next up is Green’s version of a “Treasure” utility card. Check out Courier’s Briefcase.

It gets you a 1/1 Green White Citizen creature token and later on lets you ramp or fix your mana cost in a three-color deck, for example. The draw three cards ability will mostly not happen in a common deck setup but if you have ways in the deck to recur casting artifacts from your graveyard (i.e. Second Sunrise) then this is a good inclusion. I am expecting this to be a staple component of Green-based midrange decks in Standard.

This next card is probably the newest version of a creature tutor Artifact. It is called the Evolving Door.

Forum users called it as “color pod” because of the creatures gauged according to the colors of its mana cost. Basing on the popular Birthing Pod, it virtually has the same mana cost if the Phyrexian mana is paid. Its ability’s efficiency relies on the deck build that support at least three colors. With the family theme in Capenna, it is highly to support the ability with more creature card options. Casting the card, however, is not free and so by the time you activate its ability, you make sure that you have enough mana fix to be able to resolve casting the tutored card.

The last for this batch of Streets of New Capenna card spoiler discussion is the not-so-lucky dude who saw a crime but could not report it to the authorities right away. The card is Unlucky Witness.

At first glance, this is automatically Rakdos sacrifice’s new fodder target. Letting you cast more of one of the top two cards of your library when it dies get an advantage and much more if you used it for cards like Deadly Dispute. The phrase “play” means that you play a land if one of them are available from the top two cards. Unlucky Witness can trade early on for other X/1s if the matchup gets aggressive, or can just chump-block big creatures in the late game. The Rakdos or Mardu Sacrifice deck can get this upgrade and maybe replace a few one-drops to give the deck more variance in its gameplay.

That is a wrap for this batch. For the next one, I will try to do a video discussion of the cards to make it more interactive-looking as possible. I will also try to be more clear and precise in my voice. Maybe gargle some Bactidol before the recording. Lol.

Until the next blog post.