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!
DemonDragonJ says... #2
Camaraderie is very nice, as it is almost entirely superior to Collective Unconscious in every way; I am not certain about standard, modern, or legacy, as it may be too slow for those formats, but it will be great for any EDH deck that contains those colors.
September 18, 2018 11:11 p.m.
So... the rest of the spoiler comes out today, right?
September 19, 2018 10:15 a.m.
If i were wotc, I would save 1 awesome rare for the last day card dump. Like Damnation was in mm3.
Reprint Dark Confidant at rare, WOTC. Now is the time.
September 19, 2018 10:33 a.m.
Is it just me, or does the League Guildmage have an infinity gauntlet powered by lightning?
September 19, 2018 10:57 a.m.
To me, it looks Elspeth, Knight-Errant's mask, but with extra lightning. I mean the one from Ravnica Mythic edition:
September 19, 2018 11:13 a.m.
Full spoiler is now up for sure! Check out the WOTC site or mythic spoiler or any other site.
No surprises, a bunch of commons and some random uncommons.
September 19, 2018 11:34 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #8
Doom Whisperer seems very powerful. With Gaea's Blessing, lifegain and Desecrated Tomb, you can do some nasty things.
September 19, 2018 12:51 p.m.
MindAblaze says... #9
I’m happy about new Child of Night art even if I’m probably not going to play her.
September 19, 2018 1:25 p.m.
I just went through all the cards, and I noticed something unusual, something very unexpected and strange. The odd thing is, I didn't see anything Weird. Izzet possible?
September 19, 2018 1:38 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #11
I dislike how Mark Rosewater spoiled key elements of the story before they have been detailed in the articles; first, that there would be two guilds that fall under Bolas's influence in Guilds of Ravnica and three in Ravnica Allegiance, and then that the guilds that fall under his influence have a planeswalker leading them, while those that do not have two legendary creatures. Does anyone else dislike that?
September 19, 2018 5:13 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #12
So after looking through all of the cards, I think Boros will surprise people and be the strongest standalone guild in limited.
September 19, 2018 7:37 p.m.
After looking at all the spoilers, I booked a Dimir box ahead of time with my LGS. Not only is it a my second favorite guild (gogo Orzhov), but it also has the coolest mechanic that plays well with both guilds it shares a color with.
September 20, 2018 2:29 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #14
User:DemonDragonJ We knew Golgari and Izzet would be the two guilds that fall under Bolas's influence. The remaining 3 in Ravinca Allegiance is up in the air; but it is suggested that two of the three would be Azorius (due to Isperia getting off'd by Vraska - DAMN YOU BOLAS), Rakdos (they prefer chaos; so it makes sense), and then the question is either Simic, Gruul or Orzov.
My biggest question of all is this: What makes Ravinca such a tempting target for Bolas?
September 20, 2018 8:43 a.m.
landofMordor says... #15
Here's a question for the group at large: What cards from GRN do you think will have an impact in Standard? Modern?
(And no, you can't just say Assassin's Trophy over and over!)
My guess: Crippling Chill and Charnel Troll might sneak into Modern Dredge, and Mission Briefing might go with Snappy in some Modern control lists.
As for Standard, I know UBx control will appreciate pretty much the entire Dimir guild, especially Price of Fame, Sinister Sabotage, and Thought Erasure. I also am predicting that RB aggro will be replaced by Boros or Ru aggro, 'cuz Tajic and friends are pushed.
And I'm also predicting that, after the initial postrotation shakeup, we'll see a BGx Rock deck (either Sultai or Abzan) utilizing the grindy card selection of Underrealm Lich/Mausoleum Secrets/Midnight Reaper with the power of Nullhide Ferox/Llanowar Elves. That's the deck I'm personally most excited to play on Arena, etc.
September 20, 2018 10:38 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #16
Esper control will be a thing because of Teferi and Chromimum.
There's alot of Dimir (and mono-blue Izzet) cards that will slot in fine (already there is a glimmer and Disallow replacement); and you would complement Cast Down with Price of Fame
I am very excited to see where this deck goes; I can't wait to start brewing a new control deck for the new Standard (and thank god for rotation; it was getting pretty stale lately)
September 20, 2018 12:04 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #17
AgentGreen, Bolas actually prefers order over chaos, so there is not much that he and the Rakdos guild have in common, and lord Rakdos certainly will not tolerate any rivals to his authority.
I personally think that Kaya will ally with Teysa to overthrow the Obzedat, as that is too good of an idea for WotC to not explore.
As for why Bolas is targeting Ravnica, I can only guess at this moment, but my theory is that the plane has power that he wishes to harness for himself to re-attain the near godlike abilities that planeswalkers had before the mending.
September 20, 2018 11:16 p.m.
I think he’ll get Rakdos (with a new Daretti) Gruul (Domri Rade) and Azorius (either Dovin Baan or Tezzeret)
I think the new Snapcaster instant will likely see play despite being considered worse than snapcaster (at least in Standard)
September 21, 2018 2:24 a.m.
landofMordor, 3 of the 5 guilds focus on the graveyard, while the other two are go-wide aggro. So, we will see in standard some of both.
The best cards for standard are Legion Warboss, March of the Multitudes, Deafening Clarion, Knight of Autumn, Swiftblade Vindicator from Boros and Selesnya.
For golgari, Assassin's Trophy and Vraska, Golgari Queen are the top ones, with Charnel Troll close behind.
From Dimir, almost all cards are cool, surveil is super powerful. Thought Erasure is currently the best multicolor card.
For Izzet, it will be the least played guild in standard, with only Chemister's Insight making an appereance.
Ill have to think for modern.
September 21, 2018 3:01 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #20
MWorl91 Tezzeret running the Azorius would be off color for him ( leading a guild). Dovin would be the better choice, though why he would help Bolas is a mystery in itself.
Boza Right now I see Boros argo as the dark horse. We're so focused on Ravnica we're overlooking the cards from Ixalan to M19. I agree Legion Warboss is going to be scary if left unchecked
September 21, 2018 8:52 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #21
I'd be very surprised if Vraska sees play in the long run. I think she will get some run early on until folks realize just how bad she is.
The only cards that I think are surefire to see play post rotation besides the shocklands are: Assassins Trophy, Plaguecrafter, Chemister's Insight, Unmoored Ego (sideboard), and Mission Briefing. While there are ton of other very strong cards that should see play, a lot of them rely on new decks rising out of the rotation chaos so its tough to say which one will actually be able to shine.
September 21, 2018 8:54 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #22
Oh, and Legion Warboss will most likely see play
September 21, 2018 9:03 a.m.
I think Knight of Autumn is going to see Modern play. It's a just sooooooo versatile.
September 21, 2018 9:08 a.m.
My bet for best card of Ravnica 3 is March of the Multitudes. It survives chainwhirler by being an instant and is awesome finisher or even midgame play for any Selesnya-based deck. For standard, if I had the dough, I would build Abzan midrange with a Selesnya base, splashing black for both Vraska's and her trophy.
September 21, 2018 9:12 a.m.
landofMordor says... #25
AgentGreen, my bet is a totally new planeswalker for Azorius, per that key artwork for GRN with some rando person who isn't Kaya.
September 21, 2018 9:25 a.m.
March of the Multitudes does seem pretty wild. As I recall, Secure the Wastes was pretty great, and for two additional colored mana, your warriors get lifelink and you get convoke (so if you have two creatures on the board untapped already, it costs the same as secure the wastes did).
September 21, 2018 9:33 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #27
landofMordor But as person; with Kayla, is standing with Gideon and Chandra, it is suggested that those two will be joining the Gatewatch
September 21, 2018 9:44 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #28
How is it that Collar the Culprit costs more mana than does Citywide Bust when the former card destroys only a single creature, while the latter destroys multiple creature?
Also, how can paying 4 mana to generate a 1/1 creature with Dawn of Hope be balanced? I understand that the ability is repeatable and can be used at instant speed, but the ability of Mobilization costs only 3 mana to generate a 1/1 creature, and that card is from many years ago.
September 22, 2018 1:51 a.m.
DemonDragonJ - Dawn of Hope's second ability is costed higher, because it combos with itself to draw cards compared to Mobilization. Cards tend to that. For example, Anointer Priest costs less when cast compared to embalmed, because it triggers itself.
September 22, 2018 2:11 a.m.
Collar the Culprit is a common. Commons tend to be costed higher than Rares. Also collar is an instant so you’re paying extra mana for the opportunity to cast it whenever you want
September 22, 2018 4:49 a.m.
Also User:DemonDragonJ metas change over time, and Mana costs for spells and abilities also change with the meta.
September 22, 2018 11:47 a.m.
landofMordor says... #32
dbpunk that’s such a good point. To your point, check out recent rarity shifts like M19’s Pelakka Wurm and Narcomoeba, or the downshifting of Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon" and others in A25. Just the environment of a card can change its power level, which really puts the discussion of ability costs into context.
September 22, 2018 3:24 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #33
Boza, I like cards that synergize with themselves; for example, Cradle of Vitality, Boon Reflection, and Wound Reflection all require additional cards for their abilities to work, but Archangel of Thune, Rhox Faithmender, and Archfiend of Despair all have syngery with themselves because they do not require other cards for their abilities to function.
MWorl91, I actually completely missed that one card was an instant and the other a sorcery; if I had noticed that, I would not have even needed to ask that question.
Also, power should determine rarity, not the other way around (that would be akin to saying that the rating of a movie determines its content, when it is actually the content that determines the rating).
dbpunk, yes, but, in general, creatures and cards that relate to creatures have been becoming more powerful as time has passed; for example, creatures such as Woolly Thoctar, Terra Stomper, and Gigantosaurus would have been inconceivable in the early days of this game, but apparently are nothing unusual, now, so I would expect cards that generate creature tokens to become more mana-efficinent, with Luminarch Ascension and Ant Queen being excellent examples of that.
September 22, 2018 7:07 p.m.
But that's part of the of how it works. Also look at the costs you're using as examples though: Woolly Thoctar requires three colors, Terra Stomper requires multiple green mana and Gigantosaurus require five mana all of green. They all kinda need dedicated decks to use them. However, token producers tend to be less mana efficient because you don't have to have a card in hand to activate it. Especially since very few effects could counter a token (there's like 5 or 6 cards that could, but who would use it for a 1/1)?
Also, the examples you used are token producers from sets without high token support, or synergizing token producers. The ravnica sets, especially with Selesnya, tend to have high creature support, which aids token strategies a lot. Those 1/1's created by Dawn of Hope are probably a lot stronger when there's a Benalish Marshal or Trostani Discordant on the field. At least in WOTC's point of view.
Also all the synergistic cards work out, but they either are (generally, since Rhox Faithmender is technically lower) higher mana costs for their synergies or a lot less easy to keep around.
September 22, 2018 7:43 p.m.
DemonDragonJ - I want to add one point to dbpunk’s post - this is a set with Convoke. When every token also can double as a mana rock, you need to cost token generators higher. It would be hell for limited formats otherwise.
September 22, 2018 9 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #36
So now that everyone has had a few days to look over the set, what guild are folks leaning towards?
Pretty sure I am going Boros for my LGS's competitive pre-release. Boros just looks so much stronger than the rest of the guilds in a Sealed environment. If I do a more "for fun" event later in the weekend I think I'll give Golgari a try since they are the best guild and all :) .
September 23, 2018 11:54 a.m.
landofMordor says... #37
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor I’m buying a box, so I’m gonna have time to draft all the guilds, but I’m totally going to force a Surveil deck first, since it’s the new mechanic I’m most excited to try(: and then I’ll play Boros and Golgari over and over, splashing blue in each as needed(: you are right that Golgari is consistently the most fun guild to play
September 23, 2018 7:53 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #38
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor Due to the demand of the pre-release; and the fact that there's only one store in my home town doing it; the store has a rule that you have to pick your top 3 guilds you want to be with.
So my top 3 are going to be Dimir, Izzet, and Golgari in that order. That's for sealed and I agree that Boros may be a sleeper hit, but Surveil is such a fun mechanic.
September 24, 2018 8:56 a.m.
We've had to pre book our local pre release for demand so I've been hooked up with Dimir since before spoiler season. Golgari was my first choice I missed out on but as the spoilers have progressed I absolutely don't mind a bit!
Very excited to get stuck in now
September 24, 2018 10:45 a.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #40
My shop is letting you pick so long as you pre-register. If you sign up day of you get a guild randomly. This is in an effort to avoid any one guild being over represented.
I asked what the spread was for pre registers and he said all the guilds were more or less equally picked so far... except Selesnya which had only one representative. So thats what I went with. I like the color pair anyway and even though they don't have as many limited bombs as dimir or boros, I would rather have a diverse environment to play in than hope i strike gold in my pack.
I also really like the idea of splashing either black for golgari or red for boros cards. I think Selesnya will be a great base for either of those three color pairs.
September 24, 2018 11:01 a.m.
I'm leaning toward Dimir. Besides being one of my favourite colour combinations, its ability works fantastically with both Jump Start and Undergrowth, so you have lots of options for deck-building synergies. That said, my better half also is interested in Dimir and Selesnya--if she picks Dimir, I'll probably pick Golgari for the sake of variety.
Of course, with my recent prerelease luck, I'll probably pick colours I want, and somehow end up in Gruul.
September 24, 2018 11:12 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #42
Since I'm going to two events; I think I'm going to go Dimir first and Izzet second
September 24, 2018 12:30 p.m.
Suns_Champion says... #43
Boros all the way.
Doesn't matter how I feel about Mentor or how the guild is overall. My faith is strong. For the legion!
September 24, 2018 4:58 p.m.
What do you think the best guild for the prerelease will be?
September 25, 2018 6:38 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #45
TuckerMTG, I am not certain about that, but I do hope that the fact that players will need to choose a guild does not mean that WotC will be returning to requiring players to make such a choice at every pre-release, as doing so make sense for Ravnica, but feels too restrictive for any other set.
Also, I hope that it is appropriate to mention this, but does anyone find Emmara, Soul of the Accord to be somewhat suggestive, in that she produces tokens when she is tapped? The Selesnya guild is the guild that celebrates the wonders of life and fertility, after all.
September 25, 2018 8:45 p.m.
DemonDragonJ - MaRo said on his blog that Wizards will periodically be allowing choices in prereleases, but only when it makes sense to do so.
September 25, 2018 9:08 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #47
cdkime, that is very good, as it makes sense on Ravnica, but not on too many other planes.
September 25, 2018 11:02 p.m.
I would guess that if the plane has distinct factions, guilds, or whatever, especially if they are well-established, that will push toward a prerelease selection. In a new plane, or one without that kind of division like Kamigawa or Lorwyn, there wouldn't be a need or desire for one. Tarkir is the only recent counterexample I know of, and that had very well-defined factions.
September 25, 2018 11:20 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #49
TuckerMTG - I would say, in order, from best to worst:
1) Boros
2) Selesnya
3) Golgari
4) Dimir
5) Izzet
That is just my personal opinion though. Others may disagree. However, Boros and Selesnya rely the least on acquiring a critical mass of their mechanic and payoffs to be good, which is why I have them the highest. And I put Boros at #1 because aggro is usually very good in Sealed as everyone is playing slower decks. But at the same time, it's Sealed. Deck strength is entirely dependent on your pool.
September 26, 2018 9:28 a.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #50
Hahaha thats hilarious on the Emmara, Soul of the Accord thing. I had not thought of it that way, which is saying something because the internet has ruined me in that regard.
Would it be in bad taste if every time I activated her I said "I tapped Emmara, her ability resolves, procreate a 1/1 Lifelink token." ?
Gleeock says... #1
As somewhat who plays Rakdos groupslug I highly approve of this card. Just churn-&-burn your most important cards, drop this, play topdecking and never care about your random discard effects.
September 18, 2018 9:37 p.m.