Magic: The Gathering has already seen quite the eventful start to the new calendar year as the release of the long-running card game's newest set approaches. The cyberpunk Japan-themed Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is set to release in just over a week and has already seen loads of promotions from collaborations with well-known artists from the gaming industry to even seeing a collaboration song with massive Japanese virtual singer Hatsune Miku. Now, Wizards of the Coast is gearing up to introduce plenty of new strategies for players to try out.

Challenger Decks are presented by the Magic: The Gathering team as competitive-minded decks that are sold ready to play for the game's Standard format. Past years have featured a variety of strategies for players to experiment with, with decks focused on a wide range of playstyles from 2021's Azorius Control focusing on counterspells and removal to 2018's Vehicle Rush focusing on quickly killing your opponent. Now, Wizards of the Coast has officially revealed the newest set of Challenger Decks for 2022.

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A post on the official Magic: The Gathering website on Tuesday officially unveiled the four strategies that would be featured in this year's Challenger Decks. Decks like Mono White Aggro and Gruul Stompy offer options for players to quickly take the offensive in matches, between Mono White allowing players to quickly generate tokens and counters and Gruul Stompy creating massive creatures. Dimir Control provides powerful cards like Blood on the Snow and Hero's Downfall to control the opponent's board while Rakdos Vampires focuses on manipulating life and cards to take control of a game.

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One notable inclusion in the newest Challenger Decks comes with Mono White Aggro's inclusion of the Faceless Haven land, a card that was recently banned in Standard with the January 25 banlist. Wizards announced alongside the Challenger Decks that a special exception will be made for tabletop play, allowing Faceless Haven to only be used with the full Challenger Deck with no alterations. However, the same exception will not be made through either of Magic: The Gathering's digital platforms, Magic: The Gathering Arena and Magic Online.

As Magic: The Gathering approaches its first major release of the year with Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set to arrive on February 18, many fans have looked at the newest set as an opportunity for Wizards of the Coast to expand on Magic's older planes. Two of the game's most recent sets have focused on some of the game's classic storylines in Kamigawa and Innistrad, and many fans have clamored for a return to worlds like Alara or Lorwyn. Between new sets and new strategies, 2022 looks to be an eventful year for the classic card game.

Magic: The Gathering is available now in game shops and digitally through Magic: The Gathering Arena. Challenger Decks 2022 will release on April 1.

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Source: Wizards of the Coast