Category: Return to Ravnica


The Dollar Bin: Precinct Captain

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
March 19, 2013

precinct captain

This is the first entry in what I hope will become a fairly regular series: the Dollar Bin. For now, I’ll be focusing on cards in Standard that you can easily get for about a dollar that are actually quite playable in the right deck. I need to get back to continuing my other series, but with my recent experiences at FNM, I’d like to share some cards that I’ve been finding helpful.

Precinct Captain is a card from Return to Ravnica that I feel doesn’t get a lot of love. I understand that in the current Standard environment, we’re not seeing a ton of mono-white decks, and it seems that there are better uses for the 2-drop slots in most Boros and Selesyna decks. One thing about Precinct Captain, though, is that he has very good synergy with cards like Silverblade Paladin. Let’s take a look.

For one, a first strike 2/2 for only 2 mana is pretty solid right off the bat. He also has a nice nifty effect. Whenever he deals combat damage, you get a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield. I must say, that if those tokens were Humans as well, this would be a pretty ridiculous card in the format. As it stands, though, Captain of the Watch just doesn’t see Standard play these days to make those 2/2 Soldiers with Vigilance. But the Captain is a Human Soldier himself, which helps out about any human deck.

What I find particularly good about Precinct Captain, though, is his interaction with Silverblade Paladin. If you get a Precinct Captain with double strike, that’s the potential for two 1/1 tokens if his attack gets through. For that reason alone, I’m running a play-set of him in a mono-white brew that I’m working on which is also utilizing a future Dollar Bin feature card, Glaring Spotlight.

I do think that with the October 2013 rotation that the Captain will see more play. You could easily get a play-set of these guys for under $3, and if you’re thinking about running a mono-white deck, he’s pretty good. The sad thing is that there won’t be a Silverblade Paladin to make his effect better. Still, I think this guy is pretty good and gets overlooked. I’m hoping to see him be a star at this week’s FNM Standard tourney.

 

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Mages of the Guild: Rix-Maadi Guildmage vs Rakdos Guildmage

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
February 22, 2013

rix-maadi-guildmage-return-to-ravnica

 

Rix Maadi Guildmage is a very interesting card. While he’s not seeing much play at the time being, he has a couple of very interesting mana abilities that will make him considerably more useful in a post-Thragtusk format. When all of the life-gain effects (save Centaur Healer and Sphinx’s Revelation) commonly seen into today’s Standard meta-game go away, you’ll see more of this guy. Why’s that you say? Well, he can give you combat advantage, and deal a little extra damage.

While you might say, oh, target blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn doesn’t sound like a big deal, it can indeed be so. While it’s not the most impressive mana sink ability around, if you have open mana, it can actually save you a burn card later, or let you save that Dreadbore for something more threatening. It also means that you can get through just a little more often.

His second ability is actually fairly relevant, though, too. Say you have one card in hand and it’s not anything you’ll use on this turn. While you may not want to tap out to use Rix Maadi’s ability, making a player lose 1 or 2 extra life can indeed be relevant (it will be more in the future). In a format where you will no longer have access to Stromkirk Noble, you may find room for these guys. He’s not the best of the guildmages, but you have to watch out for him.

rakdos-guildmage-uncommon

So let’s compare the new Guildmage to his old counterpart. Pretty freaky looking guy, isn’t he? While his abilities may not see Constructed play today, they are interesting. His first ability is a nice little combat trick. For 3B you discard a card and target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. At the cost of a card in hand and four mana, though, it’s clear that Rix Maadi’s ability is actually a bit better. So the new Guildmage has the advantage here.

However, this older Guildmage has a very interesting second ability. For 3R, you can make a 2/1 red Goblin creature token with haste onto the battlefield, which you then have to exile at the beginning of the next end step. In EDH, you can make a lot of little hasty Goblin guys to annoy your opponent, certainly. (Infinite mana = infinite tokens, as well.) But what’s most interesting about this ability is that you can create chump-blockers on your opponent’s turn, as well as create potential problem hasty attackers on your own turn. Still, though, the ability is a bit more costly, and you have far more effective removal in the formats in which this Guildmage is legal.

Overall, Rix Maadi Guildmage is a bit more useful than his older counterpart. While he’s not flashy, the RTR version is a bit more flexible in combat situations, and has a useful ping ability. I have to go with the new kid on the block here.

 

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Charmed! Rakdos Charm

Filed under: Articles, Card Reviews, Charmed!, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
February 22, 2013

rakdos-charm

At first blush, Rakdos Charm doesn’t appear all that impressive. Remove all cards from an opponent’s graveyard? Okay, nice little sideboard against Reanimator, but Tormod’s Crypt does the same thing for zero, although this can do it at instant speed in response to an Angel of Glory’s Rise trigger. Destroy target artifact? Okay, but not as relevant in the current Standard format (besides the pesky Grafdigger’s Cage sideboards). So what about it’s last effect? Each creature deals 1 damage to its controller. Hmm, now that’s interesting!

Why is that you say? Isn’t that going to hurt me, as well? Well, yes, but think about it. Rakdos Charm is the perfect sideboard against token decks, and in decks that already inflict lots of damage (Rakdos and Jund), this is a pretty sweet way to finish off an opponent that thinks that they have the same in hand. For only 2 mana, you can potentially deal a finishing blow to your opponent on their turn! It’s also a fantastic sideboard in Modern against Splinter Twin decks (let’s see you go infinite now, buddy! Infinitely dead!)

So why is Rakdos Charm simply not good at the moment? Well, it sort of is, and it sort of isn’t. We still have Thragtusk in the format. There’s still Sphinx’s Revelation. Not only that, you still have Huntmaster of the Fells, Cathedral Sanctifier, and Centaur Healer to give you life-gain. Burn damage isn’t quite as relevant right now. The only reason Rakdos and Boros can win right now is because they’re often quick enough to take out the mid-range decks before they can muster a comeback. Yes, this card doesn’t help versus control, but that’s what Rakdos’ Return is for!

While Rakdos Charm is certainly not the best of the Charms, it’s useful against certain archetypes in your sideboard. When Innistrad block rotates out of Standard and people start throwing a lot of Gruul and Boros aggro decks at you, you can make them pay (as long as this card doesn’t kill you in the process!)

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Charmed! Azorius Charm from Return to Ravnica

Filed under: Articles, Card Reviews, Charmed!, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
February 7, 2013
Azorius Charm - Return to Ravnica Uncommon

Azorius Charm – Return to Ravnica Uncommon

In this new series, Win Target Game will be looking at the various Charm cards from Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash, and will also look back at Charms from earlier sets, as early as Mirage!

Azorius Charm is a pretty sweet card. As with all Charm cards, it can do any one of three different things that you can choose from. For only a single blue mana and a single white mana, you can have all creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn, or draw a card, or put target attacking or blocking creature on top of its owner’s library.

Let’s analyze these possibilities one at a time. The first one is particularly noteworthy, as if you have a good number of creatures on the board, the potential lifegain can be well worth the two mana investment. It can give you the life to be able to stabilize and stay in a game you would otherwise be out of, and counteracts many burn strategies. In EDH, this card can gain you a disgusting amount of life, as well.

The second possibility is pretty simple: draw a card. We already have Think Twice in Standard for this at 1 colorless and a blue, and that card has Flashback for 2 and a blue. Depending on just how badly you need card draw, it’s probably worth it once in a while, but there are better options for card draw. If you happen to know just what card you’ll draw, say off of Index, or in Legacy you play Brainstorm, Ponder, or Preordain and want to dig for that card, by all means, this is a way to do it. But it’s the weakest of the three options on this card.

The third option can be very relevant. The great thing about this option is that you can put either an attacking or blocking creature on top of its owner’s deck. There are many great applications for this option and is perhaps the one you will utilize most often. In EDH, I shouldn’t have to explain why this is good (who doesn’t want to put an opposing general on top of its owner’s deck or interrupt a potential game-ending combo?) In any Constructed format, this allows you to save one of your own creatures, if need be, but most often you’ll be doing it to put back an attacking creature and force your opponent to have to draw it next turn (perfect for control purposes.) You could also potentially put away a blocker in your final push for game. In any case, it’s a perfect compliment to any control strategy because now you know what your opponent will be drawing for turn, and if you put back an insignificant creature, it may buy you a turn or two to stabilize or draw the cards you need.

Azorius Charm is one of the better Charm cards out there and is a card you want to collect and play. Believe it or not, though, there are Charms in this series that actually do far more to the game-state than this one, so stay tuned!

NEXT UP: BOROS CHARM!

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Rakdos, Lord of Riots – Return to Ravnica Mythic Rare Card Review

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
January 28, 2013
Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Rakdos, Lord of Riots

First of all, let me preface this review by saying that this is  one of the cards that finally got my best friend to like Magic. So this card is now very special to me, but I think there’s more to this guy than most people realize, so I feel I have to write about it.

I really like Rakdos. Yes, Rakdos is a very good deck these days, but specifically I mean the guild leader himself, Rakdos. While he hasn’t seen too much competitive play and seems best reserved for an EDH deck built specifically around him (very doable, in fact), I think Rakdos himself is a better card than most people realize.

A 6/6 Flyer with Trample for only 4 mana is downright ridiculous. His only real downside is that you can’t cast him unless an opponent has lost life this turn. OK, in EDH, there are about 2 million ways for that to happen. In Standard, perhaps not so much, but it’s most certainly doable given how aggressive Rakdos decks are. This guy is very playable. On top of that, his secondary ability is extremely interesting, which is what make this card a truly good boss monster in a Rakdos deck.

Being able to make creature spells cost less is always a good thing. Considering how often it is that a Rakdos deck causes damage to opponents, you’re likely going to be casting a LOT of cheap monsters. In EDH, considering his ability reads OPPONENTS, this allows for even more deadly tactics. Still, using a simple burn spell like Searing Spear, then dropping a Thundermaw Hellkite for TWO RED MANA is slightly absurd. Not to mention it makes Moonveil Dragon and Balefire Dragons costs suddenly far less intimidating. In the right situation, you could drop a lot of big scary stuff in one fell swoop. Heck, you could potentially make GRISELBRAND cost only 4 black (if you’re playing Standard, Modern, or Legacy, that is, as Griselbrand is banned in EDH and for good reason).

Rakdos makes a very good EDH general when used alongside great cards like Olivia Voldaren (another fine Rakdos card) and other cards like Chandra of the Firebrand that can consistently ping players. His cheap casting cost makes playing two or three in a Constructed deck very manageable. Are we going to see any top-tier lists running Rakdos? I don’t think it’s impossible. This guy will hang around for a bit. In the meantime, try him out here and there at a local tournament. In the long run, at worst, he’s an excellent EDH general/commander or a very useful EDH tool to swarm the board quickly and efficiently with big bad boy monsters. Don’t overlook him, cause a 6/6 trampling flyer alone can be enough to wreck your day.

 

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Are You Shocked? The Return of Shock Lands in Return to Ravnica

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by elspethftw — Leave a comment
September 3, 2012

All Magic players rejoice, we have shock lands! AGAIN!

That’s right, folks. Once again, Standard will be graced by the likes of Blood Crypt, Hallowed Fountain, Overgrown Tomb, Steam Vents, and Temple Garden. And they have new artwork to boot! Let’s take a look…

Blood Crypt is the B/R shock land that counts as both a Swamp and a Mountain. This is obviously very good for players that want to build a little bit of red into their other-wise mono black control decks, as it still counts as a Swamp. It also helps you throw a bit of black in an otherwise red deck, as it also counts as a Mountain. Originally from Dissension, Rakdos players can rejoice as the guild is featured in the very first set of the block. With Dragonskull Summit still in Standard and the new tap lands in Return to Ravnica, red/black is once again a very playable color combination.

Hallowed Fountain is probably one of the most anticipated of all of the shock lands. U/W control is obviously still very playable and now losing Seachrome Coast in Standard won’t be quite as bad. It’s a great card for fixing that mana early game, and is still relevant late game because of its ability to still come into play untapped. Paying 2 life may be an issue late game, but mana fixing is often worth the cost. The greatest impact this reprinting will have is ultimately in the cost of the original Ravnica copies. Of all of the shock lands, this may be the one everyone was hoping for. That isn’t to say that the next three aren’t important, but this is the one that a lot of people are pre-ordering with reckless abandon.

Overgrown Tomb is obviously a Golgari staple. It’s a great companion to the B/G dual already in Standard from Innistrad, and makes an off-color combination like B/G as playable as ever. Modern Birthing Pod players really love this card, and now it’s easy as ever to obtain! I think Golgari players are going to be pretty happy that they have one of the first shock lands in the October 2012 Standard format!

 

I have one word for you: Niv-Mizzet. Steam Vents is his best friend. As if Sulfur Falls weren’t enough, classic counter-burn is now back in full swing! Of all of the shock lands, this is the one I am most personally excited about. Yes, Hallowed Fountain and Temple Garden are far more vital to me currently for my Rafiq of the Many Commander deck (really fun deck to play, by the way) but this is the card that makes Counter-Burn yet again a force to be reckoned with in Standard. With all of the new U/R Counter-Burn happy cards in Return to Ravnica, the Izzet guild may soon be reigning supreme atop the Top 8. I can dream, can’t I…?

Considering that G/W Humans is still going to be an awesome deck, Temple Garden is going to be highly sought after. Losing Razorverge Thicket doesn’t seem too bad with this coming back to Standard. Obviously, a lot of Commander players will be quite happy to not have to go searching for Ravnica packs or hunt down Ravnica copies for their Ghave and Rafiq decks any more. But it’s an amazing card in any format. And it’s got pretty awesome new artwork to boot.

And if you thought these shock lands were enough to whet your appetite, look at the rest of the set… More to come!

 

 

 

 

 

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Return to Ravnica Spoilers – Deadbridge Goliath

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by solemnparty — Leave a comment
August 17, 2012

This card was spoiled yesterday:

 

A very far-away picture of a card from our new set, Return to Ravnica! Here’s the card itself:

Deadbridge Goliath 

 2gg
Creature – Insect Rare
Scavenge 4{G}{G} (4{G}{G}, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is this card’s power. Scavenge only as a Sorcery.)
5/5

Credits goes to mtgsalvation for posting this on their site. You can find their spoiler page for Return to Ravnica here.

Now, Deadbrdige Goliath is a 5/5 for 2GG; a pretty solid card in my opinion. With Rampant Growth he’s an easy turn 3 drop. On top of his 5/5 for 2GG, he introduces the new mechanic for the Golgari, Scavenge. Unlike Selesnya’s Populate (which appears to be confirmed) Scavenger exiles the creature from the graveyard to make the ones you control bigger; in that they give +1/+1 counters equal to his power. In this case, it’s 4GG to put 5 +1/+1 counters on a creature you control.

Sadly, it does have to be all to one creature, but this could be interesting if Birds is reprinted in Return to Ravnica, as our mana-bird didn’t get printed in the core set like usual. I like Deadbridge Goliath, and it appears to be the first FNM promo for the set. I like the card, and I hope the rest of the set will be even better.

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Return to Ravnica Spoilers/Izzet vs Golgari Duel Deck Spoilers – Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind

Filed under: Card Reviews, Product Review, Return to Ravnica by solemnparty — Leave a comment
August 8, 2012

While this is technically a spoiler for the Izzet vs Golgari Duel Decks, it is assumed he will also be printed in Return to Ravnica.

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord is a 2/2 Legendary Zombie Elf for BBGG; which doesn’t seem all that impressive. Though, his first of three abilities makes up for his low power for a 4 drop; he gets +1/+1 for each creature card in your graveyard. With the older Golgari mechanic, Dredge, he quickly becomes a monster. However, we still don’t know what the new mechanic for Golgari is going to be in Return to Ravnica.

His second ability is an activated ability for 1BG and sacrificing a creature; each opponent loses life equal to the sacrificed creature’s power. Essentially, it’s a fling to all of your opponents. If you’re playing him in Black/Green/Blue EDH, you could deal infinite damage with Grim-Grin + Gravecrawler + Rooftop Storm.

His last ability is a nice touch; you can sacrifice a swamp and a forest to return him from the graveyard to your hand. I personally don’t like sacrificing my land, but green can usually spare it with the amount of ramp.

I doubt he’ll see Standard Play when he comes out, personally; however, I expect him to see quite a bit of play in EDH/Commander, due to being a legendary creature and being a Ravnica one at that. I like him myself.

The other card I’m going to mention is Niv-Mizzet’s reprint, that I’m a little disappointed about.

As Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind is the same is ever, it’s missing one thing.

“(Z->)90° – (E-N²W)90°t=1″

This version doesn’t have any flavor text, which I’m a little disappointed in. While the Champs one not having flavor text makes sense, it doesn’t even have the alternate flavor text shown in From the Vault: Dragons.

I’ll get to Niv-Mizzet in my Generally Speaking series when I get to him.

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Rootborn Defenses? – Return to Ravnica Spoiler?

Filed under: Card Reviews, Return to Ravnica by solemnparty — Leave a comment
August 8, 2012

While the Validity of this card is still in question at the moment, I thought I should at least mention this card.

For 2W, Rootbound Defenses introduces what seems to be Selensnya’s new mechanic, Populate, which I see to be a very abuse-able mechanic. It creates a copy of any token you control. And then, it makes all of your creatures indestructible, for a whole turn, for only 2W.

Personally, I don’t know if this card is real. It seems rather overpowered for only 3 mana, and in Green/White Tokens (which will be good in standard if this is real) will be broken, dodging board wipes and fatal blocks, and populating their tokens. You can find discussion on the legality of this card here.

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