[Update #2]: MTG Arena's next big Standard set, Dominaria United, will be launching on September 1st, 2022.
[Update]: MTG Arena is getting the Commander focused Battle for Baldur's Gate set on July 7th.
Even though it feels like Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty has landed only a couple weeks ago, MTG Arena has just unleashed a brand new set! The freshly launched Streets of New Capenna brings with it a variety of cards themed after organized crime, gangsters and the five triple-color families running it all, as well as a brand new format for everyone to enjoy!
The new Explorer format is essentially a smaller version of Pioneer that will be gradually built up over the months and years until all of the semi-competitive cards have been ported over. So if you're in the mood for a true-to-tabletop eternal format, give Explorer a try as it promises to be a good bit of fun.
As for the Streets of New Capenna set, it brings with it five new mechanics to play around with, as well as one thematic old one. Here's a brief rundown of what each of them does:
Connive - When a creature Connives you first draw a card, and then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, you can then put a +1/+1 counter on the creature that Connived.
Casualty - As an additional cost to cast a spell with casualty, you can sacrifice a creature with a specific amount of power in order to copy the spell.
Blitz - This is an alternative costing cost for a variety of creature cards that puts them onto the battlefield with haste and the "When this creature dies, draw a card" ability. And then, at the beginning of the next end step, you have to sacrifice that creature.
Alliance - A very simple mechanic that gives you some sort of benefit when a creature enters the battlefield.
Shield counters - These are permanent counters that either prevent a single source of damage to a creature with a Shield counter, or prevent a permanent with the Shield counter from being destroyed. Afterwards, the Shield counter itself is removed.
Hideaway - This returning mechanic works pretty much the same as it did before. You first look at the top N cards of your library depending on the card in question, and then you exile one face down and put the rest at the bottom of your library. Then if you complete a separate requirement written on the card with Hideaway, you can play the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
What these mechanics look like in action, as well as what sort of theme each of the crime families is going for, that you can check out in the Streets of New Capenna card gallery. As always, Wizards of the Coast has sorted them all neatly by color, so you should be able to get the gist of things fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, the servers are a little bit unstable right now, so don't be too surprised if you aren't able to jump into a game immediately. Wizards of the Coast is on the case, however, so hopefully this issue will be sorted out by the time you're reading this.
The final thing worth mentioning is that Wizards of the Coast has also released some stylish new sleeves themed after the five families. Simply input the following codes in the MTG Arena store and you'll be able to snag them for free, along with three extra packs. Enjoy!
Brokers - ReadTheFinePrint
Cabaretti - FunIsntFree
Maestros - CrimeIsAnArtForm
Obscura - InformationIsPower
Riveteers - AlwaysFinishTheJob
Three free packs - PLAYSNC