The Best of Magic: The Gathering in 2022

It has been another adventurous rollercoaster ride for Magic: The Gathering in 2022.  

From one perspective, many updates have been mired in various dramas and controversies. WotC and Hasbro’s questionable economic decisions on its development made players question the game’s immediate future quite a lot of times.

But, it is also undeniable that we have yet again seen some of the most exciting releases for certain sets. Sets with the perfect combination of nostalgic flair and modern flavors. Releases that shake the meta just enough for healthy adaptation and change. And perhaps most notably, play designs that allow for a somewhat wider variety of decks to be viable in the same format.

The result of these conclusions is, of course, the cards themselves. And, so we take a look back to see some of the best things for Magic: The Gathering in the year 2022.

 

Best MTG Set of 2022

Kamigawa Neon Dynasty – Flavor, Gameplay, Variety, All in One

The direction to push forward the timeline of Kamigawa, combining the themes of technology, magic, and tradition, was nothing short of being graceful. But more than story, themes, and aesthetics, is the combination of clever effects and flavorful synergies that resulted in probably the most fun set to play, and that's amidst all the other highly rated sets for this same year.

In addition, due to its well-integrated mechanics and new abilities, Kamigawa Neon Dynasty offered one of the best Limited play experiences in a very long time. The synergy and potential of cards are there, and the excitement to see a very wide variety of combos and interactions made playing the set one of the most memorable experiences of this year.

Thus, in conclusion, it is the undisputed best set release for 2022.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Streets of New Capenna

 

Like Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, it was fun poking with the possibilities of modern and pre-modern timelines for several new planes. The tri-color themes were also quite exciting, though unfortunately the popularity of related cards didn't last as long.

Dominaria United

A push for nostalgia done just right, never tried to be too complex, and had the best iteration of Kicker in the game yet. Many classic players compared it to the feel of Invasion's release, which would perhaps be what WotC had originally intended all along.

Double Masters 2022

Its reprints had some of the best value seen yet. Though, to be fair, this is just the second time we've seen it being released as a series. Quite a lot of stunning borderless cards that doubles its investment factor even further as well.

Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate

Gave a lot of new usable toys in Commander for everyone to absolutely enjoy, even if you aren't familar with the franchise in the first place. Some of the reprints are also quite welcome, if only from an availability standpoint. Prices for all of its products may have been a tad too steep though.

 

 

Top 10 Most Popular MTGA Cards in Standard 2022

(Among sets released in 2022, from 5,000+ user decks, does NOT include reprints)

1. All Channel Lands

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 24.6% average all lands

Of course, being lands, the viability of these cards for all kinds of decks would inevitably be universal. Even more so with their versatile Channel abilities. That being said, not all Channel lands enjoyed the same treatment. Only Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire and Takenuma, Abandoned Mire exceeded 30% player usage due to Mono-black Midrange Aggro and Soldiers, of course, while Boseiju, Who Endures probably shouldn’t even be on this list, clocking at “just” 10%.

2. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

(Dominaria United)

Deck inclusion rating: 26.1%

Befitting of what color dominated the Standard meta for quite some time, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse eventually became the most popularly played card of all time when compared to the rest of what was released this year. This is kind of ironic too, since during previews and sneak peeks, the card was not really taken seriously by players at first.

Well, it didn’t turn out as bad as the prediction on Oko, Thief of Crowns, at least.

3. Cut Down

(Dominaria United)

Deck inclusion rating: 25.2%

One mana that slices through almost anything? What’s not to love? Even if it can’t hit planeswalkers and pumpers, this eventually became one of the key cards that power Mono-black Midrange Aggro decks. It kept the theme of threat-dealing efficiency in any board state, and at any turn development.

4. Reckoner Bankbuster

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 19.7%

Artifact? Check. No colored-mana ability requirements? Check. Draw engine? Check. Just with these very basic elements alone, Reckoner Bankbuster immediately rose to be a key staple for just about any deck that has even the slightest "affinity" for pay off builds. It doesn’t help that it also has a multitude of synergies with Vehicle-optimized plays, or any of the multiple artifact supports of the following two Standard-legal sets.

5. Mishra’s Foundry

(The Brothers' War)

Deck inclusion rating: 19.1%

Mishra’s Foundry found its way in too many aggro decks simply because it was easy to use, and a straightforward asset for when it needed to be animated. A tried and tested strategy for all land cards with more or less the same design. Plus using its retro-artifact border version always seems so anachronistic in a twisted way.

6. The Wandering Emperor

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 16.5%

Going all out but your opponent still has white mana untapped? That’s right, everybody always expects the “flashy” appearance of The Wandering Emperor during these situations. That’s just how good of a card she is as a staple. And even if her Samurai tokens can’t protect her right away, her play value was already gained as she materialized on the battlefield during the opponent's turn.

7. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 16.3%

It feels so satisfying to see Saga enchantment cards mature as they did with each new iteration. For Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki, every step is just too good to pass up, and so it became an obligatory staple for anything that needs a good amount of cycling and fixing. As a bonus, you even get to unlock a lot of copy shenanigans when you get to the very end.

8. Invoke Despair

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 16.2%

Ah yes, the Invoke cycle card that creates the very emotion of its namesake. Even if it can’t sacrifice anything at all, it basically still drains a quarter of your opponent’s total life and draws you three cards. The best part? Those three draws might end up giving yet another copy, repeating the same cycle of frustrating misfortune. Its mana limitations prevent it from being as broken as The Meathook Massacre, though.

9. Kumano Faces Kakkazan

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

Deck inclusion rating: 16.0%

Another card that provides a ton of value while only requiring one mana. Thus, it is often easily considered the best one-drop card for the year. Even better perhaps, opponents don’t nearly feel as bad facing it compared to other cards of similar high board value. A very balanced card with a lot of potential combos and plays, yet one that would never feel worth banning.

10. Tenacious Underdog

(Streets of New Capenna)

Deck inclusion rating: 15.3%

Basically an efficient aggro creature that can poise itself for late-game plays. Not exactly as useful as Bloodtithe Harvester, but it has its uses. In fact, it is still one of the core elements that make up the better Mono-black Midrange decks out there right now.

Honorable Mentions:

• Make Disappear (Streets of New Capenna, 14.9%)
• Siege Veteran (The Brothers’ War, 14.1%)
• Valiant Veteran (Dominaria United, 14.0%)
• Recruitment Officer (The Brothers’ War, 14.0%)

 

Best New Commander of 2022

Rank 10th: Isshin, Two Heavens as One

(Kamigawa Neon Dynasty)

In terms of sheer popularity alone, Isshin, Two Heavens as One is undoubtedly the most successful legendary for Commander this year. It rose through the ranks of Commander decks pretty quickly, and is now sitting at rank #10 in EDHREC.

As to why, well… he's Obi-Wan Kenobi dual triggers generally hit pretty big in a multi-player format like Commander. The versatility is endless, but given that it also has Mardu colors, the chance of such juicy effects always hitting during combat becomes far more likely.

Honorable Mentions:

 

  

Rank 15th: Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm (Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate) – All the sweet dual copies of dragons you could ever have, which is like, another Dragonstorm-esque power play for dragon lovers.

Rank 20th: Shorikai, Genesis Engine (Neon Dynasty Commander) – The obligatory commander for all the mech fans out there. Pretty sweet on advantage generation side too play-wise.

Rank 57th: Jodah, the Unifier (Dominaria United) – He's basically begging for a superfriends build. After all, he is, in every sense of the word, the unifier. Plus he's a five-color commander.