MTG Arena Alchemy and Historic nerfs and buffs: May rebalance patch notes and updates

The Alchemy and Historic formats within Magic: The Gathering Arena is getting several rebalance updates in the month of May, targeting meta cards and buffs on build-around cards.

Scheduled to release via MTG Arena for the Historic and Alchemy formats is a new rebalance patch on May 5. The update contains a total of 13 nerfs and buffs, of which four target meta-specific digital-only and previously rebalanced Arena cards. Additional changes were also applied to cards within build-around decks, increasing their relevance in combat while making them harder to kill with removal. 

Here are the 13 MTG Arena Alchemy and Historic nerfs and buffs for the month of May via WotC. 

Big MTG Arena rebalance changes

A total of four big changes were applied to cards within MTG Arena. Each has the potential to have a major impact on the meta within the Alchemy and Historic formats.  

Citystalker Connoisseur

Text on the Mono-Black vampire was changed to add “nonland” upon entering the battlefield. The change, according to WotC, is to protect an opponent’s channel lands from the NEO set. 

Painful Bond

Players quickly began to exploit Painful Bond by placing the Instant spell in builds that predominantly had cheap costing spells. The text has been changed from “mana value of three or greater” to “mana value three or less.”

Omnath, Locus of Creation

Omnath, Locus of Creation was nerfed at the launch of Alchemy, increasing the elementals casting cost while changing its ETB from “draw a card” to “Scry.” The CMC for Omnath, Locus of Creation will remain the same but the Scry change is getting reverted back to draw a card upon entering the battlefield. 

Settle the Wilds

Settle the Wilds is getting a small buff, changing its casting cost from 1GG to 2G, instead. With the release of Streets of New Capenna, this change may make the Sorcery speed spell viable within multicolor decks. 

Small MTG Arena rebalance changes

A total of nine small buffs were applied to digital-only A22 cards with the intention of increasing their resilience in combat while also making them harder to kill via removal spells. 

• Semblance Scanner: Stats buffed from 3/1 to 3/2
• Captain Eberhart: Stats buffed from 1/1 to 1/2 
• Veteran Ghoulcaller: Stats buffed from 2/1 to 2/2
• Artillery Enthusiast: Stats buffed from 1/1 to 1/2 
• Garruk, Wrath of the Wilds: Starting loyalty increased from three to four
• Garruk, Wrath of the Wilds: Third planeswalker ability cost increased from five to six
• Geist of Regret: Stats buffed from 4/5 to 5/5
• Experimental Pilot: Stats buffed from 1/1 to 1/2 
• Tireless Angler: Stats buffed from 1/4 to 2/4 
• Swarm Saboteur: Stats buffed from 2/1 to 2/2

All MTG Arena rebalance changes will go live on May 5 following the update. 

Images via Wotc, Magic: The Gathering Arena.