Kamigawa Neon Dynasty: Upgrades Unleashed

In terms on non-creature spells, we’ve got [scryfall 518e4f19-04c4-4829-980b-a2052e9f11b9] and [scryfall 0c20d8d5-a54a-4d81-9211-e82a10abdde2] as some targeted removal, while [scryfall a99f8c13-c4bd-4e6c-8059-ef5e6ad30331] comes back to provide a really devastating blow to your enemies boards, blowing up four permanents for a mana value of four. Great value.

[scryfall 35edb95a-a293-45bc-bee8-9ce3000aa013], [scryfall 89572b1f-f65a-4bd4-b52a-4e84eb373e90] and [scryfall 1dcd904c-fac6-490d-a9dd-ccdf39cbe597] form part of the ramp package while [scryfall fdbbbe4a-976c-4eb3-b32c-eef892b7699d] provides synergy with our +1/+1 counter strategy and helps us ramp into two extra lands.

And then there’s [scryfall 70d13ff4-e6ba-4bfe-9668-d11f7facb8d3], a great reprint for this kind of deck. Allowing you choose whether your now un-counterable creature spells ETB with a +1/+1 counter on them, or with haste to just go smash somebody.

Some new cards that really play into our counters strategy are [scryfall 59a118d1-30b8-42c0-ac42-6fba0778200a]. The Hot Spring ETBs with four +1/+1 counters on it, grants all modified creatures haste – so Rhythm can now just add those +1/+1 counters, and has the sorcery speed ability to move a counter from Hot Spring to another creature you control once per turn.

The too-cute [scryfall 45ea5ead-9fd8-4909-96aa-d4e970891c93] helps ramp by attacking as a creature or it can be reconfigured as an equipment on a bigger body to make sure we can swing with it to generate green mana we don’t lose. To play a little into the goad line but still within the overall modified strategy, there’s [scryfall d6ecab4b-fcff-4cf9-8e26-f3c609179050] which can be a 2/2 creature with menace, or it can be reconfigured as an equipment and attached to another creature. In both cases when it deals combat damage to a player you goad each creature that player controls, if it’s an equipment at the time, the equipped creature gets +2/+2 as well.

[scryfall 16b06b17-f256-428f-9bed-f115af270f27] is just a big plant hydra that ETBs with two +1/+1 counters on it – which you can obviously increase through Rhythm or Grumgully or both and then some – but when it dies you can fetch X basic land cards where X was the Rejuvenator’s power. Those lands ETB untapped. Nice. [scryfall c3e38dec-178b-497a-bfbd-371905690a39] is wonderful enchantment that gives you three super effective options every turn that you can choose or more each time, while [scryfall db6b3f71-d833-4548-8d66-1d51da08d8b9] is an aura that just won’t go away. Whenever the enchanted creature attacks, Fury deals X damage to the defending player’s face, where X is the number of cards that player has in hand. Also, if it would be put into a graveyard, Fury simply returns to your hand, so you can do it all over again. Recursion. Good.

But the cherry on the cake for me in this precon was this card: [scryfall 918a9e38-29ec-4279-8cf6-f01141497cab]. This card is terrifying to see as an opponent. It ETBs with a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number of +1/+1 counters among creatures you control, and in this deck that could be a bazillion! And then… at the beginning of your upkeep Acolyte doubles the number of +1/+1 counters on it. It is a must answer card for your opponents. Once it is on the board it’s two turns from one-shot-kill and opponent. Love this card.