Upcoming Magic: The Gathering set Streets of New Capenna is introducing a new twist on the game's formula, emphasizing a world inspired by early 1900s New York. While the new MTG expansion will feature plenty of familiar faces like Elspeth and Ob Nixilis, it will also coat its fantasy world in art deco gangster aesthetic, providing some innovation to what's become one of tabletop gaming's most recognizable brands.
During a preview presentation, Screen Rant was shown several new Streets of New Capenna cards, including one of its planeswalkers. One of the most notable elements of the preview was just how much emphasis is being placed on the intricacies of the new MTG expansion's narrative - a lot of careful plot threads have been laid in the background of card arts, and the machinations at play behind New Capenna speak to one of Magic's oldest and most interesting worlds, Phyrexia.
Beyond story is gameplay, however, and Magic: The Gathering appears to have brewed up a very interesting approach to Streets of New Capenna mechanics. The mechanics are tied to the five factions that control New Capenna, and each has a flavorful blend of that group's primary motives and impact on board states when actually playing MTG.
Streets of New Capenna Mechanics, Explained
The preview demonstrated each mechanic that would be tied to a given Streets of New Capenna faction. The Obscura are a White-Blue-Black group that feature Connive as a mechanic, which allows players to draw a card, then discard a card. If they discard a nonland card, the creature gets a +1/+1 counter. The Maestros are a Blue-Black-Red faction that has Casualty, which allows players to pay an additional cost of sacrificing a creature with power equal to or greater than the number beside Casualty. If they do so, they can copy the spell they're casting.
The Riveteers, who are Black-Red-Green, have the new Streets of New Capenna mechanic, Blitz. Casting a spell for its Blitz cost gives it haste and "when this creature dies, draw a card," while also requiring that the card cast for its Blitz cost be sacrificed at the next end step. The Cabaretti, New Capenna's Red-Green-White faction, have Alliance, which triggers an effect specific to the card possessing the mechanic whenever another creature enters the battlefield under that player's control. Finally, the Brokers, Green-White-Blue as colors, have shield counters, which prevent one instance of damage or destruction at the cost of removing a shield counter.
One thing that immediately jumps out about the new Streets of New Capenna mechanics are that they're intricate in nature. These aren't simplistic representations of each gang's motivations - they're also powerful in-game abilities that will reward players for tracking them wisely.
Streets of New Capenna Planeswalkers
While players know which planeswalkers will be on New Capenna, what they did wasn't previously available. As part of the presentation, Wizards of the Coast showcased the Elspeth Resplendent card, featuring the powerful planeswalker in New Capenna-appropriate attire and nursing a glass of Halo, the plane's controversial substance. The above image also demonstrates one of the new art styles in Streets of New Capenna, Art Deco, which imagines the card's subject as though they were painted in the style that was popular in the 1920s and 30s.
Elspeth's abilities also have some complexity to them, allowing players to choose how to modify a given creature on board, which plays nicely with the Neon Dynasty cards that receive bonuses for creature modification. She'll likely slot into a lot of different strategies given her broad range of abilities, and it will be interesting to see how popular Magic: The Gathering formats like Commander and Pioneer are affected by her presence.
There's a lot to unpack from the new Magic: The Gathering expansion, and the art style and mechanics of Streets of New Capenna are captivating at first glance. Those looking for more cards to ponder before the expansion releases should stay tuned to Screen Rant, as we'll have our own exclusive preview card live on our website on April 13, 2022.
Magic: The Gathering Streets of New Capenna releases globally on April 29, 2022.