MTG Arena Rebalance Update Buffs Samurai and Spirits

UPDATE (January 17, 2023 4:00 PM EST): Added to MTG Arena official patch notes.
UPDATE (January 19, 2023 11:20 AM EST): Added to MTG news.

After MTG Arena’s latest Alchemy and Historic patch for January 18th, 2023, a Twitter user and fellow MTG player Robert Taylor noticed some interesting new data within the update. All without any prior announcements at the time the changes went live. It seems that at least 18 cards, mostly Samurai and Spirit creatures, will have changed their casting costs, effects, and sizes.

Here is a summary list of the altered cards below.

 

Goblin Trapfinder

• Changed from “this spell costs 2 less to cast” to “this spell costs 1 less to cast”

 

Binding Geist // Spectral Binding

• Mana cost from 2U to 1U
• Size from 3/1 to 2/1
• Ability Disturb 1U to Disturb U
• Changed from “-2/0 until end of turn” to “-2/-0 until your next turn”

 

Brine Comber // Brinebound Gift

• Size from 1/1 to 2/2

 

Devoted Grafkeeper // Departed Soulkeeper

• Size from 2/1 to 2/2
• ETB trigger mill 2 to ETB mill 4
• Remove “Departed Soulkeeper can block only creatures with flying.” from back

 

Dorothea, Vengeful Victim // Dorothea’s Retribution

• Ability Disturb from 1WU to WU

 

Dreamshackle Geist

• Size from 3/1 to 3/2

 

Obsessive Collector

• Size from 4/3 to 4/4

 

Gutter Skulker // Gutter Shortcut

• Mana cost from 3U to 2U
• Ability Disturb 3U to 2U
• Back now grants +3/+0

 

Lantern Bearer // Lanterns’ Lift

• Ability Disturb 2U to 1U

 

Mischievous Catgeist // Catlike Curiosity

• Ability Disturb 2U to 1U
• Catlike Curiosity now grants +1/+1

 

Patrician Geist

• Changed from “Spells you cast from your graveyard cost 1 less to cast” to “cost U less to cast”

 

Phantom Carriage

• Mana cost from 4UU to 2UU

 

Shipwreck Sifters

• Change from “Whenever you discard a Spirit card or card with disturb...” to “Whenever a Spirit or card with disturb is put into your graveyard from anywhere..."

 

Asari Captain

• Mana cost from 3RW to 1RW
• Size from 4/3 to 2/1
• Gains Trample

 

Ancestral Katana

• Now grants First Strike while attacking
• Pump effect +2/+1 to +2/+2
• Reduce from Equip 3 to Equip 2

 

Akki Ronin

• Mana cost from 1R R
• Size from 1/3 to 1/2
• Change from discarding to putting a card on the bottom of library

 

Eiganjo Exemplar

• Mana cost from 1W to W
• Size from 2/1 to 1/1

 

Imperial Blademaster

• Size from 2/2 to 2/3

 

Imperial Subduer

• Mana cost from 2W to 1W
• Size from 3/2 to 3/1

 

Peerless Samurai

• Mana cost from 2R to 1R
• Size from 2/3 to 2/1

 

Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge

• Size from 3/3 to 4/4