Throughout 2022, it’s safe to say that Wizards of the Coast has released a lot of MTG products. So much so that throughout the year, a consistent complaint amongst the community was the near-ceaseless release schedule. Much to many players’ chagrin, this overwhelming tide of releases has little time to digest and enjoy a set. For better or worse, as 2022 draws to a close, players are finally getting their much-requested break. Dominaria Remastered doesn’t release for another month, and with Wizards shutting up shop for the holidays, there’s no promise of news until 2023. Subsequently, MTG players can finally sit down, relax, and contemplate the year just gone.
And the Winner Is…
Kicking off this contemplation, MTG players have been taking to Reddit to discuss what makes 2022 worth remembering. Specifically, Reddit user u/_metal-master recently asked the community, “in conclusion of 2022, for you, what was the best MTG expansion of this year?” To answer their own question, u/_metal-master went on to state that “personally I enjoyed Kamiwaga: Neon Dynasty and Unfinity, but I think the best cards are from The Brothers’ War.” After getting the ball rolling, u/_metal-master once again posed their question to the community, asking, “how about you?”
While Reddit can be somewhat of an echo chamber, it’s clear that one set stood out as 2022’s shining star. Highlighted by innumerable players across u/_metal-master’s post, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is the clear fan favorite. Reddit users such as u/Llim0na, u/YarokElementalHorror, u/RWBadger, and u/Strayed_King, for instance, all agreed that 2022’s best set was “Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty for sure.” Beyond just proclaiming that Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was excellent, players sensibly explained what made the set so good. Reddit user u/YarokElementalHorror, for instance, highlighted the “awesome flavor and aesthetics,” as well as the fact the set “gave us Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, The Wandering Emperor, and Reckoner Bankbuster.
Beyond just having a few solitary interesting elements, players proclaimed these factors created an outstanding Draft environment. Reddit user u/meganeyangire even stated that KamigawaL Neon Dynasty was “the best Drafting experience of my f*cking life.” Similarly, u/Jack13515 agreed that “the Draft environment is the best out of all the sets released this year. The set mechanics (Reconfigure, Ninjitsu, and Channel) feel very very thematic and fun to play.
The Best of the Rest
While Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty seems to be the people’s champion, it’s far from the only set players enjoyed in 2022. Throughout u/_metal-master’s post, players stated they enjoyed every set for a variety of reasons. Reddit user u/themikker, for instance, stated that their favorite 2022 set was “Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate.” While players such as u/kuroyume_cl noted that the set is “full of playable commons and uncommons,” u/themikker’s reason for liking the set is more personal. “I like dragons, okay.” Surprisingly, u/WookieManScape attested that Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate’s dragons was quite the enticing selling point. “I’m a sucker for dragons. I’ve got so much Baldur’s Gate because I wanted the dragons. I’ve got all of them now in every rendition.”
Alongside enjoying 2022’s Commander-focused set, many players claimed that Streets of New Capenna deserved the best set crown. This marks quite a stark change in player opinion, to say the least. Just a few months ago, the MTG community lambasted Streets of New Capenna with claims that it’s one of the worst MTG sets ever printed. Supposedly, on par with Dragons Maze and Unfinity, players seemed to hate Streets of New Capenna’s unique stylings. Players such as u/xHANYOLOx even stated, “the factions didn’t feel distinct, the draft format was awful, and the story was not very good.”
Despite the criticism Streets of New Capenna previously received, to some players, the set was 2022’s best. Reddit user u/tronwithchron, for instance, stated they “loved New Capenna! Fantastic art and world. I hope to see more.” While several players would agree with this suggestion, u/The_FireFALL suggested that Streets of New Capenna’s dismissal may not be its own fault.
“In any other year Capenna would have been the absolute high point but we’ve been spoiled so damn much this year that somehow it only comes out in the middle of the pack when compared to the others. That all said Capenna is the plane I now most want us to return to sooner rather than later.”
u/The_FireFALL
Is There Really a Best Set?
Ultimately, when it comes to answering the question of ‘what is the best MTG set of 2022?’ there isn’t one easy answer. As we’ve highlighted, different players enjoy and despise other elements of each set, after all. Judging by player opinion on Reddit, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty was by far the most popular. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it the best. Unfortunately, looking at financial data doesn’t provide an easy answer. While players enjoyed Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, even old data suggests it sold nowhere near as well as Double Masters 2022, for instance. Despite this impressive sales record, many players ranked Double Masters 2022 surprisingly poorly when listing 2022’s best sets. Reddit user u/CaptainMarcia even suggested it was the second-worst set of the year.
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