Removal

Removal, the speed/power/flexibility, generally defines a set. There are lots of different iterations (more instant-speed lends itself to defensive, card-advantage decks etc.) but it’s always the first thing to look at. Let’s take a look at what M20 brings us.

So a lot of the greatest hits, not too surprises for a Core set. Enchantment-based removal for white & blue, a good punch card for green, a variety of speed/size/reliability for red and black. 10 common and 3 uncommon. This is much closer to Ravnica Allegiance (10 & 3) than War of the Spark (10 & 12).

Combat Tricks

We’ve had a few sets that are quiet on combat tricks, a streak that looks to be broken. There’s a LOT of action happening here.

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Again, as Core sets are wont to do, a lot of the classics. And these… are all pretty good! But six perfectly quality at common and three at uncommon means you always have to be aware of open mana. Three (in the Naya colors) have very good single-mana options.

Blue nonsense

What is blue up to this set?

So… literally the exact usual nonsense. Interestingly there isn’t a generic counterspell like cancel: you have 2-mana noncreature, 3-mana quasi-conditional, and 4-mana cantrip creature-only. There’s also Unsummon and a strictly-better Divination.

Splashing

What are the tools that are available to us to splash? Artifacts, flex lands like Evolving Wilds? Is there anything special in green?

This is actually pretty interesting. There’s Evolving Wilds and a common tapped dual-land. An uncommon 2/2 mana rock as well as Gift of Paradise in green. This makes me think that splashing is going to be a major part of the format. A lot of synergies look to span across a few colors (the tokens in white, green and black in, elementals in temur, etc.) that looking to maximize value with a splash will be key.