Guilds of Ravnica Overview

The full set list has been revealed!

Let's get crackin', shall we?

White
My biggest disappointment is the way Convoke is used. Flight of the Equenauts is what I was hoping they would avoid, Conclave Tribunal what I hoped they'd explore.

But no: the cards that might reward us for rendering ourselves nearly defenseless for a turn just read: The regular creature you'd get, but more expensive!

Meh. At least there are a few vigilance creatures to help support it. And it has the most interesting card in the color for me: Venerated Loxodon. THAT is a risk worth taking.

On the other hand, the Mentor mechanic here seems well executed and with more depth or support than I had thought it would have. Demotion is a cool bit of flavor and mechanic; as a matter of fact, there's a lot of cool nods to worldbuilding/expansion in this set that I appreciate.

Blue
Surveil got quite a bit more support than I had thought it would. On the one hand, that's good-Blue/Black mechanics have been notoriously poor in previous Ravnica blocks-but on the other hand, you have a lot of what I called out the first time: card + mechanic stapled on. Still, it's no wonder Narcomeba got upshifted to rare in this set: having to deal with a free 1/1 flier on top of whatever spell you've just cast is a little heavy.

The Jump-Start stuff isn't very interesting but gets some decent support with cards like Murmuring Mystic-a card that could have a place in nearly any U/x spell deck, since 1/5s are good blockers. It also meshes decently with Surveil, since you can use a Jump-Start card you have milled.

Of the rest: Veldalken Mesmerist is an effect executed in a way I'm surprised I haven't seen in Blue before. The closest we come is Merrow Grimeblotter, and I expect more of this in the future. It's too elegant to ignore.

Also, what is it with the lameness of Dream Eater? Six mana for a 4/3 flier with flash sounds about right, but those other abilities just don't...blend together at all. It's a mishmash and an ugly one.

Black
The Surveil continues...did Gruesome Menagerie really need to be a rare? Bestial Menace and Cone of Flame didn't really set things on fire. I dig the card, though and it fits really well with the U/B mechanic.

The Undergrowth mechanic has landed where I though it would: underwhelmingly. Mausoleum Secrets is exactly the kind of card I was saying we'd get: timid. Why does it have the color limitation it does? There is no good reason. It's already limited by the Undergrowth mechanic. Plus it's a flavor fail: shouldn't Mausoleum Secrets get a card from the graveyard? It's right there in the name!

Price of Fame is a thumbs up though, so is Plaguewalker and Severed Strands. Viscous Rumors seems really interesting and remarkably strong for the cost. Definitely going to keep an eye on that.

Red
The support for Mentor deepens here and with Red's firebreathing mechanic that's perfect. I'll note the flavor win of Inescapable Blaze-having that be uncounterable was a good call.

Why doesn't the flavor text on Street Riot finish with: "So we will not obey." ? It's an equation: not happy + not safe = disobedience, not "not happy + not safe + disobedience =....."?

Goblin Cratermaker is the kind of uncommon card I want to see: not too powerful, but definitely has some toolbox effects that could make it an excellent sideboard card.

Also: Experimental Frenzy is great. Just awesome. Something new and cool to build around without being obviously broken.

Green
Convoke is used to even less interesting effect here, heck, the most obvious card to add convoke to, Bounty of Might, is just a not good thing.. but at least we get a decent modal spell in Sprouting Renewal.

And what could add to a dull mechanic but a second one, which again, we see a color limitation on the Undergrowth mechanic on Hatchery Spider that it just doesn't need. The card costs seven mana! Let me get whatever I want!

Golgari Raiders has some potential though, Nullhide Ferox looks weird enough to work, Vigorspore Wurm has a nice bridge for some Convoke effects.

Also: Fuck Impervious Greatwurm. Buy a box promos suck. Full stop.

Multicolor
Here's the treasure, I hope...

Camaraderie: great card for G/W. Why doesn't it have Convoke? As a sorcery, tapping 4 creatures for 4 life and 4 cards and giving creatures +1 means that you have to make choices. Choices are interesting!

But no.

Chance for Glory gets a thumbs up (great last ditch effort card for the guild), Charnel Troll does not (why does this card work AGAINST the guild's mechanics?)

The Guildmages all seem notably not impressive this time around. Having their abilities require tapping, but with the exact same P/T stats makes them a lot less cool and those tap abilities certainly aren't more powerful to make up for it.

The 4CC guild cards have some nice flavor/power to them.

It's about here where I am noticing that Dimir cards especially have a 'modern' naming feel to them. Disinformation Campaign is not an idea I would associate with high fantasy-but the world of Ravnica allows for some space here, so I find these things fun and less immersion breaking.

Etrata the Silencer will likely be banned in Commander. It is unblockable, in colors that can protect it, with a 'you lose' condition. I love it, I think the card is super interesting and I think that it will create degenerate states for Commander.

I would love to be wrong about this: Commander games need ways to end.

I'm also so glad to see Lazav back! I thought he got killed in the last Ravnica set. No, that was Szadek and I just have a bad memory.

I hate everything about Izoni, Thousand Eyed. A 6 casting cost creature has WAY better base stats on average in the modern age, the ability is an "okayest ability" so the reward is...? This is a card designed for Commander and it will totally suck to play against. While also being entirely useless in any. other. format.

I hate it.

Skyknight Legionnaire is back! That card is great.

I'm glad the new split cards are not Fuse cards: allowing them to have their own identities means they can be more powerful and useful.

Lands
Are mechanically boring in this set. But HOLY COW are the basics beautifully reflecting the plane we're visiting in a way that few basics have before. Good job!

Overall, I feel like this is a whole lot of misses with just a few hits. Red/White seems strong, Blue/Black seems interesting and everything else feels like it's holding the hands of the stronger guilds to be worthwhile. White/Green with Mentor seems helpful. Green/Black with Surveil seems useful. Blue/Red dabbles with everyone just a touch. But W/G and G/B don't seem valuable by themselves. Convoke isn't getting much out of Red or Blue (none or few tokens to generate), Undergrowth doesn't get much out of Jump-Start so...what we have is a set that feels timid, wrapped in a package that everyone loves.

It's ok. But it isn't great.