The latest expansion set for Magic: The Gathering, Streets of New Capenna takes things up a notch, with five mobster-themed families introducing new mechanics to spice up gameplay. While fun, the tri-color themes may feel a tad daunting for new players to jump into, as it requires a bit more complex land management that newbies may not have mastered yet.

The setting for New Capenna is pretty simple, with each of the five families, Obscura (white, blue, black), Maestros (blue, black, red), Riveteers (black, red, green), Cabaretti (red, green, white), and Brokers (green, white, blue), fighting to win control over the city. You have magicians versus vampires versus craftsman versus druids versus lawyers. Fun. The new mechanics are interesting. The strongest is possibly Blitz (Riveteers), which can let creatures come into play to attack and die. It also lets a player draw a card when it dies, which encourages a faster-paced style.

Connive (Obscura), lets you draw and discard a card, and if it's a non-land card, you can put a +1/+1 counter on the conniving creature. Then you have Casualty (Maestros), which lets you sacrifice a creature to copy a spell. Alliance (Cabaretti) triggers unique effects everytime another creature enters the battle. Meanwhile, Shield keeps your creatures alive with a Shield that absorbs damage to prevent damage or death.

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Overall, the expansion adds a bit more versatility to the game. There are lands that let you cycle through your deck to pick the land you need. And you will need to do so, because playing tri-color decks means you'll need versatility in mana options. This means lots of ways of playing your dual- and tri-color decks, though constructed formats like Standard or Modern will make this a little tough to pull off. Commander players, though, will have a good time, I think.

Artwork is great, and features more modern elements such as guns and skyscrapers. It's a nice change from your usual sword and sorcery, though maybe not as nice as the earlier Kamigawa Japanese cyberpunk aesthetics. Sadly, this set may not be a good one for investing in, but the fun elements for advanced players should make up for it. Get Magic: The Gathering Streets of New Capenna from Shopee or Lazada, with prices starting from S$13 for a 3-booster draft to S$320 for the Collector Booster set.

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Note: Review cards provided by Wizards of the Coast. Our MtG experts Alex and Raye contributed to this review, too.