Those of you who have been glued to Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty A preview leak may have spotted our exclusive preview card, but I can assure you this is the best quality you’ll ever see for it. Better yet, you can actually read every bit of text and stats on the card. Take that, early packers with terrible potato cameras!
Art by Ekaterina Burmak
Let me introduce you to Risona, Commander Asari. She is a Legendary Human Samurai creature in the Boros/Lorehold colors, costing 1RW to cast. Bringing a solid three-man power and three toughness and Agility to the board, Risona is bringing in a perfect body for her cost, ready to pounce on the attack. Where Risona makes her mark is her rule text that reads: “Whenever Risona, Commander Asari deals battle damage to the player, if it doesn’t have an indestructible counter on it, there, put an indestructible counter on it. Whenever combat damage deals you, remove an indestructible reflector from Risona. The second clause is key to keeping Risona alive. Make sure your board is prepared for protection so that Risona can safely continue killing.
Art by Ekaterina Burmak
I think in any format, Risona would fit into a Samurai deck nicely. With Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Samurais is no longer about Bushido, but about Samurai or Warrior creatures attacking alone; you know, how to fight with honor. Many of the Samurai in this set have a spirit of vigilance, allowing them to attack without touching, which makes it possible for them to block on their next turn. Risona, unfortunately, doesn’t, but her Haste and Indestructible counter gained from draining her opponent’s life points is plenty of motivation for her to take the lead in the fight and continue to be the sole Samurai of the series. the battle activates all other Samurai effects without worrying about losing her in battle. Within limits, make sure to fill your face on the board with creatures like the Imperial Subduer that will knock down athletic roadblocks, the unpopular Selfless Samurai that will add a Lifelink to single attackers, or Peerless Samurai, this will reduce the cost of your next spell casting that turn, effectively giving you a speed boost. We’ll use whatever ramp effect we can get with White/Red, shall we?
As for making Risona your Commander, I haven’t sold it yet. Risona doesn’t do much for a build around other than being a Samurai and making herself a great target for the aforementioned Samurai/Solo Warrior attacks once she’s given indestructible . To get the most out of her powers, you’ll want some tricks to move her Indestructible counter around, like The Ozolith, and a way to exile and return Risona every turn like Round Teleport to dump counters for other creatures. She may be better suited to be instrumental in the 99 of the counter deck, but has better minds to figure that out than I do. However, it does give me an idea of a fun History deck.
Art of / KATO AYAKA
Risona, Asari Commander has three different card treatments. The standard work is by the extremely talented Ekaterina Burmak and can be found in the traditional Magic frame as well as the extended art frame that can only be pulled in collector booster packs. More of Ekaterina’s artwork can be found on Chandra Without Borders, Dressed to Kill from Crimson oath and wishes from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. Like the other Samurai in the series, Risona can also be found in the alternate Samurai frame that comes with amazing art from Kato Ayaka, who is no stranger to card games, submitted the art to Fire Emblem Cipher Former TCG. This version of the Samurai frame can be found in just about any power-up but has a special foil-engraved treatment that can only be found in collector’s boosters. We are fortunate to be able to provide high resolution images for both of these beautiful artworks to give you a clear view of this card.
Art by Ekaterina Burmak
Thank you Wizards of the Coast for giving Game informant participate in the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty preview season. Personally, I’m like a hawk during new series previews, needing to see every new card coming out, so this is exciting to be a part of. If you want to know more about the new series, check out setup mechanic preview to give you details on the new and returning mechanics for the Neon Dynasty.
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty launches Magic: The Gathering Arena on February 10, with pre-releases taking place in local game stores starting February 11. The official tablet release will take place a week later on February 18.
