[Monday Musings] Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Analysis, Pt. 2

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     Welcome back to TwistedSpoon Studio! Last week, we analyzed the named mechanics in the latest Magic set, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. This week, we're taking it a step further. 

 

    I've said it several times now, but NEO has a lot going on. A lot. On top of 7 to 8 named mechanics (depending on how you slice 'em), there are enchantment creatures, colored artifacts, tribal themes, and more. All in all, this analysis covers 36 different factors. And on top of that, it's all broken down by color and rarity.

    You can find the results here!

     There are four sheets: one with raw numbers, one with ASFANs, one with the average number per draft pool (24 packs), and one with the average number per sealed pool (6 packs). The final set of columns shows the totals across all columns. As a note, I didn't count Sagas or tokens in the creature counts; for the former, most of this analysis was performed by eye before the set was on Gatherer, and for the latter, I don't think of the transforming Sagas as full creatures. (The number of Sagas is still tracked, so it shouldn't be too hard to make that work.)

 

How to Use this Data

     Data is powerful if you know how to use it. If you're building a cube, or even your own custom set, you can use the ASFANs to help decide how much support these archetypes need. If you want to theory-craft in draft, the draft pool page should give you an idea of what to expect. 

    You might also note that the tribes are listed, even though they aren't supported. This is more for the set designers in the audience as a way to gauge flavor. The wedding theme of Innistrad: Crimson Vow had an ASFAN of about 1.7; here, the races based on Japanese folklore have a total ASFAN of 2.64. Small distinctions like this can have a big impact on how people perceive your set, so it's definitely worth scoping out different approaches.

    Data is fascinating, but it can also be difficult to communicate. My biggest struggle with these analyses is how to present the data in a way that is accessible and digestible. If there's any information that you wanted to see highlighted or explained, please let me know. For New Capenna, we may host a poll to figure out what to focus on.

 

TL;DR

    If you don't want to spend hours digging through spreadsheets, here's what you really need to know. On average, one pack of NEO contains:

  • 3-4 artifacts
  • 1-2 cards that care about artifacts
  • 3-4 enchantments
  • 1 card that cares about enchantments 
  • 3 modifications (equipment, positive auras, and counters)
  • 1 card that cares about modifications
  • 1 card with Channel

     

    That's all we have this week. Let me know what you think of this style of analyses either down below or on the sub. While you at it, how are you liking NEO? How do you feel about Magic's foray into sci-fi?

    Coming up, we've got a Workshop Wednesday this week about player equipment, and FUR Friday is going to tie up Urbestia's story for this creative push. (FUR is going into the Integration stage soon, so stay tuned!) Until then, check out part I of this analysis here,  or the Champions of Kamigawa breakdown here. If you want to learn more about math in game design, there's this oldy but goody here.


See you soon!

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