Ravnica Allegiance: Spoilers and Speculation
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Dec. 17, 2018, 11:52 a.m. by AgentGreen
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/card-preview/ravnica-allegiance-promos-and-packaging-2018-12-17
Let's start the talking now :D
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #2
The new Teysa and Spawn of Mayhem! Be still my beating heart!
.
.
Actually, if we get one more decent demon (Rakdos himself maybe?), Liliana's Contract becomes very interesting in Standard.
January 3, 2019 10:45 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #3
Spawn of Mayhem = auto spectacle
Then the game becomes a race as he is a massive threat
January 3, 2019 10:49 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #4
Why do I feel like Wizards figured out how to put "double __ effects" in legal terms and now they're just loving life over there?
January 3, 2019 11:07 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #5
Also Bolrac-Clan Crusher and Biomancer's Familiar are both very exciting card for counter players like me. Might just play Temur in standard!
(sorry idk how to link a photo, just look on mythicspoiler)
January 3, 2019 11:56 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #6
Wilderness Reclamation seems broken.....for an uncommon
Wilderness Reclamation
Enchantment
Uncommon
At the beginning of your end step, untap all lands you control
January 3, 2019 12:37 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #7
Assuming Teysa K. is real: I wonder if she works with leaves-the-battlefield effects like Wormfang Manta if the creature left by dying?
Assuming Kaysa is real: complementing her with other graveyard hate could be pretty spicy. From an EDH standpoint I'm kinda sad that her ultimate doesn't say "each opponent" though.
Training Grounds is a pet card of mine so having it grow legs is welcome within singleton limitations
Kinda disappointed with Judith (also, pretty mundane name). Sure, having a weaker Zulaport Cutthroat in the command zone could be strong but it doesn't tickle my Johnny sensibilities.
January 3, 2019 12:59 p.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #8
The card is fun. I want to build hell tribal now.
January 3, 2019 1:29 p.m.
Does Adapt happen at instant or sorcery speed? I can't seem to find a ruling on that yet but I may have overlooked it
January 3, 2019 1:44 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #10
Since there's nothing that says otherwise in the spoiled cards or the mechanics spotlight I'm going to assume you can adapt at instant speed, which is intuitive since it means you could e.g. save a creature from dying due to Boltage.
Also I actually hope that Rakdos is fake; imagine it showing up after a March of the Multitudes. So many coins to flip!
January 3, 2019 3:20 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #11
Never mind.
https://twitter.com/day9tv/status/1080871410006781952
Sigh.
January 3, 2019 3:23 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #12
Ha, looks like Wizards just printed Birthing Pod on a stick. Nothing degenerate will ever come from this :p :
New Rakdos is pretty cool and so is this little gem:
We also get another 'fixed' Craterhoof Behemoth in End-Raze Forerunners...to bad it doesn't have the new Riot mechanic...
January 3, 2019 3:40 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #13
I guess actually requiring colored mana + summoning sickness is supposed to make it okay? Also, elves definitely needed another legend.
And I find the Spirit disproportionally amusing since I made a custom Instant for BB that only targeted a single spell and worried that it would be too powerful due to e.g. Blazing Volley
January 3, 2019 4:09 p.m.
I would have loved to see Vannifar in Rakdos colors.
However the thought of Adapt being instant speed and the combination of Biomancer's Familiar with Zegana, Utopian Speaker is a delight. Turn 4 8/8 Trample, Turn 5 12/12 Trample, etc...
Add a Wilderness Reclamation and you can add 4 +1/+1 counters during your opponent's turn starting Turn 4
January 3, 2019 4:34 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #15
Vannifar is nearly as far from the flavor of Rakdos as one could possibly get, FSims81.
However, I, too, am very excited for the Simic Combine in this set. All they need to add now is more adapt and plenty of counter removal! Imagine how much value that would be!
January 3, 2019 9:20 p.m.
I know Vannifar is not Rakdos flavor-wise but I have a Rakdos Steal/Sac deck that she would be absolutely lovely in. I could make it work but I'd need to swing over to Temur most likely
January 3, 2019 10:01 p.m.
Honestly Pestilant Spirit gives me hope for a red creature with "Instant and sorcery spells you control have trample" or something similar.
Just imagine: Casting a Banefire or a Crater's Claws at a Llanowar Elves and dealing extra damage.
January 3, 2019 10:31 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #19
Teysa is my favorite character from Ravnica, and this new card of hers is nice, but too situational for her to be truly spectacular.
End-Raze Forerunners are very nice, but not quite as good as Craterhoof Behemoth, unfortunately, because they do not provide their bonus to themselves and the bonus is a fixed value.
Wilderness reclamation is nice, but, for one more mana, I would much rather have Seedborn Muse, because that card untaps all permanents, not merely lands, and does so every turn.
I was eagerly anticipating a black/white Orzhov angel in this set, but seraph of the scales is not worthy of being a mythic rare; it should have been merely a regular rare. This is now twice that the Orzhov has had an underwhelming angel, with the previous example being Deathpact Angel, which has a cool name and awesome artwork, but a very mediocre ability; the best Orzhov angel, by far, is still the very first, Angel of Despair.
I very much like Rakdos, the showstopper, and he perfectly embodies his guild's ideology (as he should, since the guild is named in his honor; actually, it would be more accurate to say this his guild embodies his ideology), as well as the general philosophy of red/black.
Vannifar is very nice, and I expect that she shall be a very popular EDH general, since she has the ability of Birthing Pod, with no additional mana cost and easily accessible.
Also, is it not rather weird that the leaders of each guild in this set have been revealed, but the guildmages have not been?
January 3, 2019 10:35 p.m.
Darkshadow327 says... #20
It is weird DemonDragonJ to not have seen the mages yet. We haven't seen Gruul either, so I'm thinking we'll see that tomorrow.
I agree that Teysa is situational, but she is so awesome that I don't really care. I'm definitely making an EDH deck with her based on Afterlife and other ETB (Exit The Battlefield) effects.
The new Rakdos is sweet too, he is definitely becoming the commander in my demon tribal EDH.
January 3, 2019 11 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #21
I personally disagree with the Rakdos Cult as a whole being a good example of the red/black color philosophy, but it's a subjective matter, I suppose.
I agree with you wholeheartedly on the Angel and Yannifar though. Love Yann, was bummed with the angel.
However, I love the idea of a Teysa/Elenda/Krav & Regna/Athreos EDH aristocrats deck! I love having multiple commander options in the 99. Keeps my friends on their toes!
January 3, 2019 11:10 p.m.
Prime Speaker Vannifar - Modern Player: Spellskite -> Deceiver Exarch -> Crypt Champion -> Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker -> Oops I win.
January 4, 2019 2:40 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #23
Also Modern players: FOUR TURNS!?!? I'LL HAVE LOST THE GAME BY THAT TIME! (they're right, of course, but that doesn't mean modern isn't toxic)
January 4, 2019 8:36 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #24
Before someone gets heated, I play modern too. It was just a joke.
The Also, gotta change my opinion on the angel. Not particularly flavorful or buildaround so it's sad to see at mythic but it's way too powerful to be a rare. It is wicked strong. Actually there's a lot of good limited stuff in this set (peep the Spectacle, Riot, and Afterlife mechanics).
I am not a huge fan of this set's mechanics (except Riot, Riot's good), but they appear to be doing the very best with what they have.
January 4, 2019 8:47 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #25
Yeah the angel is pretty busted in limited, which is why it is most likely at mythic status. Here it is for the interested:
Now this right here is a very exciting card:
My guess is that Smothering Tithe probably will end up in just about every white EDH deck that is not running green (especially mono white and Boros). It nets you at least 3 treasure on the first turn cycle of a 4 player game (note that it is anytime your opponent draws a card). On top of that, I suspect other players will let this card stick around for far too long as the ramping will seem superfluous compared to the card advantage generated by something like Rhystic Study. Plus the 2 mana tax is high enough that I doubt anyone will really care to pay it. This thing will be a monster in EDH. My Boros Angel reanimator list is chomping-at-the-bit for this card.
January 4, 2019 10:43 a.m.
Coward_Token says... #26
From someone who favors EDH that Tithe is neat, but I'm a bit worried about this trend of bending the color pie within the main formats that seem to have started with Dawn of Hope.
January 4, 2019 11:15 a.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #27
Coward_Token - I completely disagree that both Smothering Tithe and Dawn of Hope are bending the color pie. The first is a tax card, which is quintessential white. The latter is a life gain payoff, which is also right in white's wheelhouse. I actually commend WOTC on both of those cards because they found a way to address an issue white has always faced (card draw and ramp), but each card is payoff for playing to white's traditional strengths.
January 4, 2019 noon
ZendikariWol says... #29
"Elf Ooze Wizard", and combo with Young Wolf/Zameck Guildmage
I adore the Simic.
Side note, why does gruul have a sum total of ONE rare spoiled? All the other guilds have four or five (most of them, five)!
January 4, 2019 1:37 p.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #30
I was thinking the same thing. I thought for sure today would be a gruul spotlight day.
Don't get my wrong the new enchantment that gives all your nontokens riot and uncounterable might as well be rare, freaking love that card. But I still want my splashy fun cards! The new Domri should be interesting but im more curious about who the new legend is, I was never a fan of Borborygmos so im kinda hoping he's gone.
January 4, 2019 1:41 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #31
I am the hypest kind of hype for Temur +1 Counters. I'm a +1 counter nerd in general, but with Riot and Adapt and two INSANE enchantments getting dropped? Standard will feel my power! Unless I never go off and die in the early game.
Still, in EDH, with Ferocious, Formidable, behemoths of Naya, and the like, I am excited to see where Temur Counters can take us.
Anyhow, LittleBlueHero, I never really got the flavor of Borborygmos. He was just an angry giant. I would love to see a legend that captures both the aggressive and shamanistic sides of Gruul.
January 4, 2019 2:04 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #32
We got ourselves a mana-leak light in Quench
Counter target spell unless its controller pays
January 4, 2019 2:21 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #33
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor: Okay so I certainly agree that the mentioned mechanics are within white's domain, and I'll stress that I think they're pretty great for EDH. But just so we're all on the same page here, Dawn of Hope was explicitly made to address an EDH issue:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/more-stories-city-2018-10-01
Maro himself expresses concern over the card, which I find kind of remarkable since it seems to me they could have easily included it in a non-Standard legal set if they were so worried about balance issues. I'm a power creep kind of guy and not very invested in formats outside of EDH so it's not really going to affect me; I'd just feel kinda bad if my interests would be catered to at the expense of the game's core.
January 4, 2019 2:35 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #34
Oh and on another note, check out Gruul Guildgate (b) to find out who's Domri's right hand.
January 4, 2019 2:37 p.m.
High Alert is all the fun of Arcades, the Strategist without the body of a giant dragon?
Each Creature you control assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than it's power.
Creatures you control can attack as though they didn't have defender
: Untap target creature
January 4, 2019 2:41 p.m.
I definitely like that Ruric Thar is getting a new legendary. I really loved playing his original card in my first EDH deck and used it for a long time.
Also, rules question, would teysa double effects of things like Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest?
January 4, 2019 4:05 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #37
I can't say for sure, but it seems likely to me since leaves the battlefield effects work with her if the creature in question left by dying:
https://twitter.com/EliShffrn/status/1080970560236969984
January 4, 2019 4:10 p.m.
Teysa would double the effect of Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest only when the sac'd permanent was a creature.
January 4, 2019 4:15 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #39
Coward_Token - I see your point there (and interesting article!). However, in a vacuum, I don't see any problem with giving colors access to abilities outside of their color slice (i.e. card draw in white) as long as the barrier to do so falls in line with that color's strengths.
That being said, I think what Maro (and you) are getting at is that the unique needs of EDH can negatively impact other formats. I totally agree with this concern and sentiment, which is why the Commander products are so important. The problem however, arises when you produce an inferior product like Commander 2018 (and to an extent Commander 2017). In doing so you starve the commander community of exciting new cards or needed reprints prompting complaints when new regular sets don't have anything for EDH. If they just threw the kitchen sink at Commander products in terms of reprints and new cards they could lessen the risk of more commander centric cards messing with the color pie in main sets.
TL/DR: I agree with Maro's/your concern, and I think the best way to avoid that issue is to roll out better Commander products (like pre-2017 products) so they don't have to try to fit more EDH type cards into main sets.
January 4, 2019 5:39 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #40
Smothering tithe is essentially a white version of Rhystic Study, but not quite as overpowered, so I like it very much.
Frilled mystic is almost the same as Mystic Snake, but with a slightly stricter casting cost for increased power, and two creature types with much support. Again, I like it, and the redundancy is much appreciated.
Electrodominance has a rather uncreative name, in my mind, but its effect will be awesome in decks with a focus on instants and sorceries.
Quench is strictly worse than Mana Leak, but it still is very awesome in its own right, so any decks that contain counterspells will be glad to have it.
Bankrupt in blood is a fairly mediocre card, but it has awesome artwork; Seb McKinnon is awesome, and definitely one of my favorite artists who illustrates for WotC.
I have said this, before, but I shall say again that I wish that WotC would keep life loss in black, rather than damage, because it is more appropriate for that color, so I hope that there is some way to convey that message to them.
January 5, 2019 2:08 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #41
So has anyone seen Humongulus yet? This might hint that we finally do get a Fblthp legend :)
January 5, 2019 3:23 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #42
seshiro_of_the_orochi, I have seen it, and I think that its name is ridiculous, even more so than those of Lavalanche and Electrickery.
January 5, 2019 10:10 a.m.
ZendikariWol says... #43
Actually, seshiro_of_the_orochi, I think what humongulus implied was that fblthp is THICCC, and that's him. May have been getting the wrong signals though, idk.
Fan theory: Fblthp is the one who singlehandedly stops Bolas' invasion.
January 5, 2019 12:15 p.m.
Darkshadow327 says... #44
Lol, ZendikariWol. That would be funny. Seriously though, that would be great. Just watch it happen.
January 5, 2019 12:34 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #45
Awe ZendikariWol you beat me to posting that theory haha. I truly wish that is how the story plays out. Maybe, just maybe, Bolas is looking for him and that is why he is hiding out with the Selesnya). Sadly though Humongulus isn't a story spotlight card...
Unfortunately, it feels like Fblthp is reaching Urza's or Yawgmoth status where no card will do it justice, relegating it to a story only character. But I am enjoying this "Where's Waldo?"-esq way they are treating the character.
January 5, 2019 1:59 p.m.
I think the theory of Fblthp being with the selesnya is wrong tbh. Obviously he Planeswalker away and is now building an army against Bolas
Calling it: third ravnica set we're getting a Fblthp Planeswalker.
January 5, 2019 2:12 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #47
I would DIE if Fblthp appeared as a 0/1 for . The WotC version of antihumor.
So is anyone going to address that dbpunk outright stated that Ruric Thar is getting a new card? Is that true? It hasn't been on any of the spoiler sites I've visited.
January 5, 2019 2:14 p.m.
Also I feel like Bankrupt in Blood would be good if they had made it instant speed, but they ruined it by making it sorcery speed. Like that's all it needed to make it good.
January 5, 2019 2:15 p.m.
Darkshadow327 says... #49
ZendikariWol, the trend with the guild gates has been that the A art (the main gate) has a quote from the main guildleader. The B art (the "back" gate) has a quote from the secondary legend for the guild. I.e. The Orzhov A has Kaya while B has Teysa.
If you look at the flavor text for the Gruul gates A has Domri and B has Ruric Thar, indicating that we will be getting Ruric.
January 5, 2019 2:43 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #50
I would only want a Fblthp planeswalker if it could be used as a commander. However, a 0/1 for that has some busted ability (like the first half of Tooth and Nail since everyone is looking for it, or a tuck ability since it always seems to be getting lost) would be hilarious.
Also,
there is our Ruric Thar confirmation if the trend from GRN and RNA holds true. However, the more concerning thing for me here is how pointless that "gate" is. That being said, the card has magnificent artwork.
LittleBlueHero says... #1
Finally a really cool commander to build around!
January 3, 2019 10:33 a.m.