This year saw the transition from the old 15 mythics and 53 rares print sheet (totals to exactly 121 slots on the print sheet) to the new system, which sets the goal to be 1 mythic in 7 packs instead of 8.

We don’t get right there just yet, we instead do this awkward middle of using that normal print sheet for the 121 cards and a 5 mythics and 11 rares secondary sheet for the DFCs, totalling to 20 mythics and 64 rares, or a 1 in 7.4 pull rate for the mythics. What an awkward number.

One theory to why the numbers work out like this is because the packs oscillate between a DFC uncommon and a SFC rare and vice versa, so you no longer get two rares for this reason in these sacredly balanced draft boosters. That works under this premise: Split the uncommons into 4 sections, the DFCs are the last 4th. For 3/4th of the packs, fill the first two uncommons with the first 3 sections (let’s say AB, AC and BC), and the rare is taken from the SFC sheet. For the last quarter, the uncommons are ABC and the rare is taken from the DFC sheet. Which would have required the DFC rares sheet to be 1/3rd the size of the normal sheet, which the size we got certainly isn’t. I guess, maybe for a good reason because Arena grinders would be screaming. Like they should already be screaming with this set size.

I suggest reading this site if you want to keep diving into this nonsense, this rule Magic don’t even follow anymore: https://www.lethe.xyz/mtg/collation/znr.html

2.1. Mythics

Monocolored wise, it’s probably the cleanest division into three cycles we’ve ever seen: One cycle of MDFCs we’ve already talked about, one cycle of characters and one cycle of normal creatures.

• The cycle of characters has four commanders and one planeswalker, being Jace. The Esper trio should be pretty famous at this point, while the red one is brand new and the green one used to be a token Nissa summons. There’s a Jeskai trio of set mechanics present, and a trio of Abzan 5 drops. Only Tarzi lacks a second devotion in her cost, that’s because she puts the interesting mana symbols in the text box with some twobrids, that must have been novel back then.
• The cycle of normal creatures has the two 2 drops to 7 we’ve talked about, and also three more 2 devotion creatures costing an average of 5 mana. Each creature has one keyword, a relatively passive ability and a flashier ability justifying the mythic status. There’s only one piece of flavor text in this whole cycle, while there are two cards being six liners that certainly could have used some.

The planeswalkers selection is quite the throwback to the Gatewatch era, because well, that’s where they first bond together. All of these costs an average of 4 mana 2 devotion (i.e. you kick Jace about half of the time), has 4 loyalty, and has a +1 ability.

• We get two members here: Jace and Nissa, each bearing a set mechanic. The twist this time is Nissa picks up the color black. I think you can get rid of two logic gates and two words to get her card out of black.

https://www.tumblr.com/markrosewater/810139256841502720/hi-mark-were-there-ever-any-alternate-names

• And outside of the Gatewatch, we get Nahiri, who technically never had a card in a Zendikar set (I know, her C14 card is definitely on Zendikar). She’s the most normal functioning planeswalker card of the three with the classic three abilities structure, this time focusing on Equipments and the top two abilities also for Warriors, and this one outside of the damage mode, I’m not too sure what is so red about her card.

With Omnath, that’s all the few multicolored cards here. So there’s room left for two colorless artifacts, one being basically the only nod to the Eldrazi, and the other is the new stuff to find in this adventure world. Each card has three different abilities, all heading to the same goal but focused on different aspects. Like giving different resources or caring about different card types.

Thought experiment: If I wanted the ultimate color balance for this set, I would want an enemy pairs cycle. How would I come about it? Let’s say we want all the enemy pairs. Then Omnath could use Simic after a heavy nerf like many replace the direct damage with scrying, or not needing to produce four mana. Lithoform would be the Izzet card, and that leaves the Monument to Orzhov, where creating mana feels questionably Black.

2.2. Rares

Monocolored wise, green is missing one card, definitely not due to the Pathways, right? Well, let’s try to split everything to find the truth this time:

While the cycle of Inscriptions is definitely easily thought as incomplete, just this time, we can find a way to complete the cycle. Look for two permanents that can let you make choices, not necessarily always three options that’s each individual solid, just you can make a lot of them over time. So that’s pretty in spirit right? Well, chances are you’re just gonna cling onto the Lorwyn reference over the actual modes presented. The second cycle, as I found, is extremely loosely about hating on specific decks, prime for the sideboard. The Izzet enchantments are probably the most obvious, then the white hate creature, the black one is a boardwipe to everything small anyways, and the green one is more of a ward lord than actually hating anyone in specific, per say. The third cycle is about novel ways of either getting cards out of decks, or getting cards into your hand. Granted, the green one might be the least novel of the bunch, but well that typeline makes up for it. The white angel feels like a teaser for what Learn in Strixhaven (two sets later) would do, and for that white has never touched the sideboard like that ever again. The fourth cycle is about kicker costs that serve a major role within their cards, as in they’re basically French vanillas without the kickers. Well, the white weapon doesn’t have kicker, but I’m desperate so let’s call that equip cost one, pretend like it’s an Aura that can return indefinitely.

Over here, may we continue with set mechanics that tied two cards of the same color together? Party for white, creatures go draw cards for blue, flying scalers for black, impulse draw for red and landfall for green. And you might notice within the first four colors that each class got their two cards in their respective color, except there’s this one enchantment that surely isn’t a Warrior, because well I surely have shoved those to the top half. And then we get a cycle of creatures that can’t fit in the party. Three are references to things that came out either conservative or actually good so it’s annoying that you have to wait the animation that exiles your creature away to kill it to get some stat back. Lastly, we get four loose cards that I don’t know where to fit in. By their logic, we’re missing a Warrior. But I don’t know, that good removal stands out like a sore thumb in this filtered view.

Multicolored wise, there’s a cycle of commanders for the set’s archetypes. We already know that the Breya colors are where all the Party members are, so what can green do? In the allied pairs, there are Elementals that mentions land whether just half of their abilities or all of it. The enemy pairs have 0/0s that function by +1/+1 counters that both have something to say about death, whether by a token of the same size or by counting the commander tax to the counters. I would say Clerics and Wizards’ commanders are probably the simplest of the bunch, followed by a Boros card draw commander, while maybe I could give that Selesnya stax one a honorable mention for the flavor text. The rest are definitely setting the tone for these commander cycles in draft sets: they’re wordy, at times really so. One of the reasons could be the fact that back in this time, they preferred to just spell out weird mechanics rather than actually use them, on top of my head, these cards use: detain, ninjutsu, deathtouch to planeswalker, soulshift. Last fact about this cycle: only two characters returned from other sets: One is Linvala, who used to be mono white and a mythic, that says something about power creep. The other is Akiri, who used to be a partner commander in C16. Colorless wise, we get two artifacts with kicker for exactly 3 mana, and two lands each having an effect that give two of something. Within each pair, one card is clearly meant for a more specific situation (your archetype, or your opponent’s) than the other.

2.3 Uncommons