Magic: The Gathering's next set, Streets of New Capenna, sees the iconic fantasy property visit a world unlike any other it's focused on previously. New Capenna is a plane that's dominated by crime families and a substance called Halo that's a lucrative currency among those vying for power, and the flavor of the set has captured that art-deco, seedy vibe.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of Streets of New Capenna is the way it sets out to redefine a few three-color combinations that have been present in Magic: The Gathering for years. Black-Red-Green, popularly known as Jund, has been a "good stuff" focused archetype for a long time, but the introduction of the Riveteers gives that a new spin with a bit more focus on speed while still looking for value. The new Blitz mechanic is a brilliant marriage of the Red base identity of the Riveteers - going fast, being passionate - and the Black-Green, "grind it out and get some value" approach to deck-building.
Screen Rant's exclusive Streets of New Capenna card is Ziatora's Envoy, an exciting 4 mana value card that offers a tremendous amount of upside for players who are able to deal damage with it. The Blitz mechanic certainly helps with that immediately, but simply casting the card and connecting with it multiple times seems like a viable method of winning games, especially in slower formats like Standard and Limited. Take a look at Ziatora's Envoy in all of its glory here:
Ziatora's Envoy is a lot of value packed into one card. At 4 mana, it's 5/4 statline and trample keyword already make it a bit better than average for its mana value. That's before considering that, for an additional mana, players can Blitz Ziatora's Envoy out, deal damage quickly, and then sacrifice it as part of the Blitz mechanic and draw an additional card.
The main draw to this Streets of New Capenna preview card is wedged between its mechanical keywords, however. In a deck that simply wants to accrue value with powerful cards and grind out opponents with a mix of answers and threats - a very Jund philosophy, to be quite honest - Ziatora's Envoy looks primed to thrive. If it's towards the top end of a deck's curve, it's almost always going to be worth a free card, whether that's an additional land drop or creating a 0-mana spell. If it's in a mid-range deck full of powerful threats, even when it doesn't spike a card it can play for free, it will add a card to hand that can then become a threat on its own.
This mixture of effects is a potent design, and one that could easily make this creature a 4-of in strategies in Standard. Trample with 5 power means a creature will need at least 3 toughness to block this and hope that an opponent hits a card with mana value 3 or higher - not a simple ask by any means, especially for control strategies, while decks trying to go under this card will likely not be interested in blocking or incapable of doing it with enough stats that it makes sense.
Overall, Ziatora's Envoy is an explicitly powerful MTG card. Overcosting its Blitz cost makes a lot of sense, but also gives it immense value as a topdeck in a simplified board state, letting players attack during a topdeck war and get one card off its trigger and another off its Blitz sacrifice. This Streets of New Capenna preview card isn't one people should be sleeping on, and players may want to get used to seeing this creature's face - there's a good chance it's going to be showing up for months to come. Riveteers fans have found a linchpin on top of the already powerful Ziatora, and it's going to be an exciting time when New Capenna releases later this month.
Magic: The Gathering Streets of New Capenna releases on April 29, 2022 globally.