Guilds of Ravnica: Spoilers and Speculation
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Aug. 27, 2018, 12:04 p.m. by landofMordor
It's spoiler season!
There have been a few recent threads talking about new cards we might see in the new Guilds of Ravnica, but there's no central location yet.
So, enjoy: please discuss official spoilers as they become available, and until then, throw your hat in the ring for characters/cards/mechanics you think we'll see!
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #2
Unsurprisingly, it looks like the guildgates will be making a return. Always good to see fixing at low rarity.
September 4, 2018 10:22 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #3
Sinister Sabotage looks like a fine replacement to Disallow in Standard.
Thought Eraser gets me excited but finding a place for it in my deck will be a bit of a challenge
September 4, 2018 10:25 a.m.
Check out these beauties. I swear I'll swipe ~10 of each if they have nonfoil versions.
September 4, 2018 10:58 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #5
Makes me wonder if drafting rules will be in play; that these cards will be part of the draft unlike basic lands
September 4, 2018 12:20 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #6
I absolutely love the templating on the mana symbol....but why did they have use such a cool idea on Ravnica lands? I know there are a lot of people who love the artwork for Ravnica lands, but I personally find them hideous. Call me old school, but I want my forest to look like a forest and not some cityscape with shrubs (good ol' Portal lands were the best!).
On another note, I was just thinking about how GRN and the following two Ravnica sets will be drafted. Are they going to follow the traditional 3 packs from one set route, or will they mix in packs from each of the sets as they are released?
I could see a problem of stale draft environments if they limit drafting to 3 packs from the current set as that leaves potentially only 5 available archetypes (one per guild in the set). It could also lead to the 'Ixalan problem' where unless you achieved a critical mass for your tribe(archetype), you were generally screwed. Now, if they just flood each set with reliable fixing at low rarity then you can avoid that problem as other color combinations become viable then (kind of like the Khans limited environment).
I wasn't playing magic during the other Ravnica sets, how were those limited environments? Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
September 4, 2018 1:34 p.m.
landofMordor says... #7
Anybody have a guess on how to pronounce the newest split card, Status // Statue? Status or Statue?
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor Gatecrash was extremely aggressive. Dragon's Maze was pretty unfocused. I started in RTR, though, so I'm not the Limited expert here(:
September 4, 2018 2:14 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #8
Quick question to the Ravinca vets
I know this is mostly spitballing; but during the last Ravnica standard, which of the guilds were OP and which were complete and utter garbage?
September 4, 2018 2:51 p.m.
Not actually playing back then, but from what I’ve heard, RTR was slow, Gatecrash was super aggressive, with Dimir, and Dragonsmaze was a weird mashup of the 2, where you find a wedge to draft, and there are way to many cluestones (like 3+ of pretty low picks/pack)
Aside from a Boros aura deck and a 5-color defender deck, it was mostly the supported guilds.
Heard all this on a podcast on what is now Face-to-Face gaming.com talking about RTR flashback drafts on MTGO
September 4, 2018 3:17 p.m.
landofMordor says... #10
AgentGreen, Azorius control was huge back then with Sphinx's Revelation, Jace AoT, and Detention Sphere. That's the one I'm most familiar with, and I'm not sure any other guild was that powerful in Constructed. It really depends on the meta, though, because Elixir of Immortality was in Standard at the time, which pushed Azorius over the top.
September 5, 2018 7:12 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #11
The reprints of the guildgates are not too bad; I would have preferred the "lifelands" (i.e., Tranquil Cove, Dismal Backwater, and so forth), but at least WotC is not reprinting the worst dual lands of all again (i.e., Meandering River, Cinder Barrens, etc.).
Also, the reprinting of the guildgates suggests that the gate type will be mechanically relevant, again.
As long as I am mentioning lands, the basic lands with the frames that correspond to specific guilds are awesome, and I would not mind having some, unless are are more expensive than are normal basic lands.
I am especially fond of firemind's research, and I wonder if the artwork is suggesting that Niv-Mizzet somehow steals a planeswalker's spark, or artificially creates one for himself?
September 6, 2018 12:28 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #12
Also, on the subject of Niv-Mizzet, does anyone here think that Niv-Mizzet, presuming that he survives the battle against Bolas, will create his own planar portal after seeing Bolas's planar portal? We know that Niv-Mizzet is researching planes beyond Ravnica and is suspicious of Ral Zarek, so that seems to be too good of a plotline for WotC to not explore.
September 6, 2018 12:32 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #13
While I think the idea of Niv-Mizzet somehow stealing/gaining a spark and potentially leading the "sparkless" to war against the Planeswalkers (post Bolas battle) would be a really cool story idea, I don't think they will go that route. Basically they would be trading one super old, smart dragon for another super old, smart dragon as the antagonist. That seems like poor story telling at this point in the greater Magic story (though later on it could be cool).
What they could do along those lines is to have Niv-Mizzet acquire a way to move between planes after the battle. On his first planeswalking experience, which is generally at random, he goes to New Phyrexia, becomes corrupted and now the Phyrexians have a way to move between planes. That would set up a whole slew of different story paths.
September 6, 2018 11:33 a.m.
I actually love lands that have buildings in them (showing once again that everyone is different) so I'm excited for these new basics.
To me jump-start is a perfect name. You get your first jump-start card into your Graveyard then, if you want, you play it by discarding another jump-start card etc.
Of course if they include a card in the set that can easily return itself from the Graveyard then that will make the mechanic work exceptionally well.
September 6, 2018 12:14 p.m.
landofMordor says... #15
Good point Argy -- let's just hope it's not a Gravecrawler reprint (:
September 6, 2018 1:57 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #16
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor, why would Niv-Mizzet turn evil simply because he became a planeswalker?
However, the idea of Niv-Mizzet being corrupted by Phryexia is definitely a very cool idea, so I would have no objection to that happening.
September 6, 2018 4:37 p.m.
landofMordor something like Squee, Goblin Nabob would be worse!
It would be Torrential Gearhulk turned up to 11.
September 6, 2018 4:39 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #18
I believe Niv-Mizzet is a jerk, but I don’t think he’s evil. Ral is the one working for Bolas. Although it’s too early to tell how and if he’s been coerced or what not. He did test the waters with Jace about Gideon, talking about Project Lightning Bug unless that was part of Bolas’ plans too.
It makes sense that Lord Bolas would start the gatewatch just to have some opposition. What good is everything if there’s no one to keep it away from.
September 7, 2018 12:52 a.m.
I wonder if we're going to get signets/cluestones this time around. Maybe a new design like signets that etb tapped or a 4 mana rock with :.
September 7, 2018 10:35 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #20
Normally I don't comment on random filler cards (though this seems solid in convoke limited), but come on Wizards do some research. Okapi are related to giraffes, not antelope.
September 8, 2018 12:08 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor - I am amused by this as well. I understand why they did it from a gameplay perspective. They’d have to invent an entirely new creature subtype with limited future use. From a developer perspective, it’s better to add to an existing tribe.
But if we apply this biological logic to other creatures, Colossal Whale should be subtyped Antelope.
September 8, 2018 12:56 p.m.
They could have just said 'Beast' and avoided any problems...
September 8, 2018 1:29 p.m.
Real-world biology has limited influence on this game. Entire kingdoms have been reduced to Creature - Plant and Creature - Fungus, but Theros brought us Creature - Sable. As an analogy, think about seeing Creature - Cedar next to Creature - Animal.
September 8, 2018 3:56 p.m.
Not to mention the questionable typing of Giant Solifuge and Clinging Anemones or Glowing Anemone.
September 8, 2018 4:23 p.m.
Having now built a test deck and played around with jump-start it is going to be REALLY good, and here's why:
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The first card you discard to it should be another one with jump-start
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You then just use all your jump-start cards like you would normally use non-creature spells
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Then, in the mid to late game, you start discarding lands you no longer need, to use your jump-start spells from the Graveyard
To this end I would recommend running at least 25 lands in a jump-start deck. That will stop you from being mana/colour screwed early on, and extra lands won't be wasted in the late game.
September 9, 2018 9:52 a.m. Edited.
Crucible of Worlds would be an interesting addition to the jump-start play I suggested above, although I think it would just take up space from a more relèvent spell.
The flip side of Conqueror's Galleon Flip would also work in a jump-start deck.
September 9, 2018 10:30 a.m. Edited.
DemonDragonJ says... #27
It was already all but certain that Vraska would appear in this set, but it is nice to now have confirmation of that, and I see that both she and Ral Zarek now have cards that interact with them.
On that subject, Ral, caller of storms is nice, but I believe that he could have cost 1 mana less and still been balanced, and actually been playable. Has anyone here noticed that many of the planeswalker cards in the planeswalker packs cost 6 mana, which is rather expensive, considering that they are typically less powerful and less complex than the planeswalkers in the sets?
Also, I have noticed that the spells that can find a planeswalker in a library seek only a specific planeswalker card when they would be much more useful if they could find any planeswalker card with a certain type. What does everyone else say about that?
September 9, 2018 6:14 p.m.
I own a lot of premade decks--I find them useful for really casual/new players, since they're all around the same power level, so I can mix and match for a diverse set of games--so I think I can provide an answer to your questions.
In any premade pack, you have to evaluate the cards not against the metagame as a whole, but against the power level of other premade decks--in my experience, Duel Decks, Clash Packs, and Planeswalker Packs are all kept around the same power level. Looking just at the Planeswalker decks, if you make the planeswalker too powerful, or too efficiently costed, then the entire game comes down to luck--whoever draws their planeswalker first wins. If you expand it to all of the prefab decks, the same applies--the planeswalker would be an instant win card.
High mana costs means the game has to have gone on quite a while before the card can be played--this means both players will likely have drawn into their planeswalker, and will be able to cast them at similar times.
Low power means that, if one player draws into their planeswalker and the other does not, the other player is not going to lose the game on the spot, and will have a couple more turns to respond or possibly draw into their own planeswalker.
Further, by not printing desirable cards in these decks, that ensures speculators will not buy out the planeswalker decks, making it impossible for new players to obtain a copy.
With regards to seeking out specific planeswalker cards, the reasoning is the same--it keeps the card from being overly desirable. (I'm sure they don't want a repeat of Divine vs. Demonic containing Demonic Tutor.) It has the added benefit of keeping the game nice and linear for new players, and having some fun flavour.
September 9, 2018 6:37 p.m. Edited.
User:DemonDragonJ For the planeswalker searching cards, they're supposed to search out the weaker planeswalker only to give the PWPs some consistency. Really, they're intro level, sort of a "My First Planeswalker" approach. I'm not sure they're even mythic rarity-level, due to their simplicity and ease of access. Of course, searching out any walker of a given type would be more powerful, but that's not what their purpose is.
September 9, 2018 6:43 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #30
Today is the first day of spoiler season
I think alot are looking forward to this because of rotation. Does anyone feel that KLD and AKH blocks have been in Standard since forever?
September 10, 2018 9:16 a.m.
landofMordor says... #31
Yes AgentGreen! I'm sick of The Scarab God, despite having jammed him into more than a few Ux control decks. I think it'll be a much-needed way to shake up the format.
September 10, 2018 10:43 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #32
Well we are off to a good start:
Also, note the subtle name change and rarity shift. I wonder if that has some story implications (probably not though).
September 10, 2018 11:08 a.m.
Well you know, we had Abrupt Decay last time... We needed a new instant removal this time :)
September 10, 2018 11:38 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #35
Unconditional permanent removal is scary.
To whack walkers at 2CMC....scary stuff
September 10, 2018 11:42 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #36
Forgot to mention on Niv
I can see why he's rare and not mythic. In limited....you can't get him down unless you go all-in on Izzet.
In constructed.....whooooo boy look out
September 10, 2018 11:43 a.m.
JoeNathan37 says... #38
Chromatic Lantern is back!!! As a commander player I’m pumped, I need as many of these as I can get my hands on
September 10, 2018 12:10 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #39
wipes a tear from his eye...it's...it's so beautiful.
September 10, 2018 1:03 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #40
So if I get a lantern
Should I shoot a video about burning it and watch the commander players cry in despair?
Sorry; that's the in me talking
September 10, 2018 1:03 p.m.
Yeesh, that Trophy is nuts, but will this make the cut in EDH? Idk if I want to cut Beast Within for it, as the drawback is harsher. That said, I don't deny that it's literally going to be in every BG deck ever.
Also, THANK MOTHER OF BOLAS for that Chromatic Lantern Reprint. I'll be getting several more.
September 10, 2018 5:32 p.m.
Honestly in modern it's probably best to play all 3 and keep some in your sideboard for certain matches. Like Abrupt Decay is probably good against a lot of decks, but if you're facing a deck with Ghalta or Tron in play, you're probably gonna want the trophy. Not to mention, like Beast Within will work better against with Blood Moon or similar cards that care about land type.
Also, y'all miss the kinda cool commander card Bounty Agent? It's kinda cool.
September 10, 2018 5:43 p.m.
@dbpunk: I'm calling it now that she'll become a staple in all formats. Not only does she deal with cards like Goryo's Vengeance and Sneak Attack that like to dump Griselbrands into play, she also deletes things like Umezawa's Jitte.
Not to mention, the odd legendaries that see play, like Krenko, Mob Boss and Vendilion Clique.
You can basically throw her into the mainboard of any white weenie deck, while keeping Containment Priest in the side.
September 10, 2018 6:50 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #44
Why are the guild leaders only regular rares in this set? They were mythic rares in the Return to Ravncia block, so I believe that they should be mythic rares in this set, as well.
Sumala woodshaper is very nice, except that 4 mana for a 2/1 creature is never a good bargain, no matter how good its ability is; if it was a 2/3, or even a 2/2, I would like it much more.
On a more positive note, I am overjoyed that Chromatic Lantern is being reprinted, as I need it for an EDH deck that I am building! I do wish that it had new artwork, but the fact that it is being reprinted shall definitely lower its price, which is always a very good thing.
September 10, 2018 10:56 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #45
Mark Rosewater said today that five of the guilds fall under the control of Nicol Bolas, which I dislike, due to its imbalance, and I worry that this shall lead to those guilds being utterly destroyed, which is bad for the plane, because all ten guilds need to be in balance for the plane to have harmony.
As for which guilds fall udner his control, the obvious choices are Izzet, Rakdos, and Dimir, due to them sharing Bolas's colors, except that the Izzet really have little in common with Bolas, and I am certain that Niv-Mizzet will not tolerate another dragon whose power and intellect rival his own; other likely candidates are the Azorius and Orzhov, due to them being very fond of control and order.
What does everyone else say about this?
September 10, 2018 11:03 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #46
That is a hard thing to predict due to how good Bolas is at manipulating pawns. They could easily be acting in accordance to what they think is right, but still fulfill Bolas' wishes. But here are some guesses:
Golgari is pretty much already confirmed to support Bolas since Vraska is working for him.
My guess is Boros will also join Bolas based off of the set trailer.
Judging by some of the cards spoiled so far, I think Dimir and Selesnya will stand against him.
Izzet is interesting becausee of Niv-Mizzet and Ral Zarek. Going off both of their card names though, I suspect Ral will usurp Niv-Mizzet in some form. How it occurs I can't guess.
The others we don't have enough info on but, with Vraska killing Isperia (see Assasin's Trophy), I could see Azorius aligning against Bolas. Then again, if an agent (say Mr. Tezzeret?) fills the power vacuum atop the Azorious guild, they could side with Bolas.
Also, some other spicy spoilers.
March of the Multitudes seems reeeeeally good. Also, can you spot Flblthp in the art?
My EDH golgari senses are tingling.
September 11, 2018 12:19 a.m.
I'd say the 5 guilds are:
Izzet, because of Ral. Golgari's confirmed. I get a hint that Orzhov will be one of them (Why else would Kaya show up?). With Isperia kicking the bucket, I can see Azorius heading that way. As for the fifth, maybe Gruul, considering their hatred of cities?
September 11, 2018 6:25 a.m.
"Why else would Kaya show up?" - To slay Karlov of the Ghost Council at the behest of Teysa, Orzhov Scion? This seems like the evident subplot.
September 11, 2018 7:34 a.m.
landofMordor says... #49
Phaetion I think you're on point for this set's guilds. Izzet and Golgari are all-but-certainly confirmed, given that MaRo said each Bolas-aligned guild is led by a planeswalker that serves Bolas. With Vraska and Ral confirmed henchmen, there's really no other options.
For next set, I agree that Azorius will probably go to Bolas. Orzhov seems a little dubious (despite Kaya showing up in some artwork), since what I know of Teysa tells me that she has a genuinely good streak, but I could be wrong here. I doubt that Gruul would ever let themselves be controlled by an outsider, which leaves Simic and Rakdos to fall under Bolas's control. Rakdos just follows the bloodshed, which makes sense, and I could see Simic slipping into the "serve Bolas in exchange for limitless experimental subjects" mentality all too easily.
September 11, 2018 9:54 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #50
IIRC, Kaya is more of a ghost bounty hunter
However; the cover of the Ravnica book has Kayla and another planeswalker standing beside Chandra and Gideon; which tells me that Kayla will join the Gatewatch.
Aside from Izzet and Golgari; it's difficult to determine which of the other 3 will be against Bolas; Rakdos is likely to join Bolas in my opinion
multimedia says... #1
Wizards announced that things are going to be different for Guilds of Ravnica spoiler season. This is taken directly from the announcement located here.
"As such, a few things during the Guilds of Ravnica preview season are going to look a little different:
The full Card Image Gallery for Guilds of Ravnica will be posted on DailyMTG on Wednesday, September 19, rather than the traditional Friday before Prerelease weekend when the full CIG has typically gone live.
The LoadingReadyRun Pre-Prerelease will be taking place on Wednesday, September 19, rather than on the weekend."
The full image gallery meaning all cards will be revealed Sept. 19. If daily spoilers start Sept. 10 then that's only 7 days of spoilers (not counting weekends) and I can't see Wizards doing this. My guess is daily spoilers start today Sept. 4. That's 11 days (not counting weekends) of spoilers.
September 4, 2018 7:01 a.m.