There aren’t that many artifacts in Guilds of Ravnica, 12 to be exact, so this first part is a short one but the land are still to come along with the planeswalker deck cards. Let’s begin on this last day of Set Review week.
The Locket Cycle
Each guild has access to a Locket. The Lockets act as mana rocks with additional late game card draw, in limited they’re fine as they can jump you ahead from turn three to turn five in regards to mana. I don’t like the four cost ability to draw two cards but at least it is split over two colours and you can activate it at instant speed which redeems it a bit.
Chamber Sentry
This is kind of like a fixed Walking Ballista with an un-keyworded Sunburst effect. In a two colour deck being able to have a 2/2 for two that can Shock your opponent or a creature later on in the game. The five colour return to hand ability is nice but unless you have access to every colour consistently and get lucky finding all the colours you probably won’t be activating it in Chamber Sentry. I think Chamber Sentry will only see limited play because it’s nowhere near as good as Walking Ballista but that’s fine, it could turn out to be a limited all star and get you a few games thanks to the reach.
Chromatic Lantern
It helps you fix all of your mana and lets you jump ahead a turn on mana too. Chromatic Lantern is there for those decks that want to be greedy and play three or four colour decks right now, as soon as the rest of the Shock lands enter the format it probably won’t see play as lands are better to fix you mana with. Chromatic Lantern is great in limited because it allows you to splash an additional colour fairly easily but it would put you in a slower lane as you give up your turn three to drop it.
Gatekeeper Gargoyle
This is a top end creature but even with a couple of Gates in play having a 5/5 Flyer is really good for limited. Keep in mind that Gatekeeper Gargoyle doesn’t count Gates with different names so even if you have two or three of the same Gate you still get the bonus.
Glaive of the Guildpact
Good limited equipment even without controlling any Gates. The Vigilance and Menace is good enough to get damage in and make combat awkward for your opponent and controlling Gates for the pump is just gravy.
Rampaging Monument
This card looks nuts in limited, you’re going to have a fair few multicolour spells to trigger Rampaging Monument which will turn this four mana 3/3 into a star play in combat. Imagine using an instant speed multicoloured spell effective as a combat trick thanks to the trigger, it’s going to feel good.
Silent Dart
It’s fine but unless you have no other removal I wouldn’t like to see Silent Dart played in limited. If you can drop it on turn one and wait to blow it then it’s fine but late game 3 damage to a creature feels much worse especially when you’re paying five to do it.
Wand of Vertebrae
This is a great way to fuel your graveyard in limited, Wand of Vertebrae coming down on turn one is super good in a Golgari Undergrowth type of deck. The shuffle effect is nice for those times when you mill a bomb though finding that bomb again may take some time. Activating Wand of Vertebrae at the right times is key, a good parley with this artifact is being able to manipulate the top of your deck to get maximum efficiency.
The Guild Gates
They’re all lands corresponding to the guilds that come into play tapped. There are a bunch of cards that care about Gates but you don’t want to overload your deck with them because you want to utilise your mana well and having lands come into play tapped won’t do that.
Gateway Plaza
This could be the most awkward of Gates as you have to pay for it. Having a land that effectively costs two mana doesn’t feel good but if you need to fix your mana in some way then Gateway Plaza does an ok job.
Guildmages’ Forum
I quite like this land because it can help make your multicoloured creatures threats when they aren’t usually threats. You are paying an additional one mana for that and it’s only a one use per turn thing but that extra 1 power and toughness could be the thing that takes you over the top.
The Shock Lands
All five of these cards have proven how good they are over the years since they first saw print back in OG Ravnica. It’s not only that you can chose to have them come into play untapped by paying 2 life but they all have two land types which allows you to search them up with Fetchlands. They’re always good and always see play in limited and constructed and will for years to come.
The Planeswalker Decks
Ral, Caller of Storms
As always the planeswalkers from the planeswalker decks are always underpowered in comparison to the set planeswalkers. Despite that I like Ral, Caller of Storms because it gives players a nice into to how power planeswalkers can be: drawing a card isn’t the most powerful thing but it’s up there, a divided Lightning Bolt is pretty decent and drawing a new hand and hitting all opposing creatures for 7 is super good.
Ral’s Dispersal
A Boomerang with a tutor attached is ok, this type of spell is always useful in the planeswalker decks but that’s about it.
Precision Bolt
This effect has been done better and cheaper, see Lightning Strike, though most newer players tend to only play there spells in their main phase so having Precision Bolt be a sorcery at least stops any confusion.
Ral’s Staticaster
I actually quite like Ral’s Staticaster and possibly even think it could see standard play. The only planeswalker deck cards used to call out their planeswalker by name exactly so it’s nice that the design has slightly changed and asks for just a Ral planeswalker. Four mana is a little slow but in a blue red deck you want to be on the card advantage plan so if you do ever get to attack with Ral’s Staticaster and you control a Ral Planeswalker it could easily be attacking in for 9 or 10 damage. I think I’m being a bit generous when I say it could see standard play but it definitely has more legs than the other three Ral planeswalker deck cards.
Vraska, Regal Gorgon
Vraska costs a lot but the effects are quite powerful. Being able to force damage through thanks to the Menace is a thing and taking out any creature is always good. Her ultimate allows you to put so much pressure on that will almost inevitably win you the game, having a huge creature is going to be more than enough.
Kraul Raider
A good three drop that would see limited play if it was in the actual set. Kraul Raider blocks well in the early game and if your opponent doesn’t have enough creatures to block it, the Menace slows you to force damage through later on.
Attendant of Vraska
This is an actually possible standard playable card, a three mana 3/3 is just good on curve and having a turn three Attendant into turn four Vraska, Golgari Queen is a great combo, all in all with that scenario you gain 4 life and draw a card but probably after attacking in for 3.
Vraska’s Stoneglare
Slow removal is slow. Six mana is a lot for a sorcery speed Murder + tutor for a specific planeswalker. The only nice thing about Vraska’s Stoneglare is that you can go six into seven with the planeswalker deck Vraska.
So that’s it. The set is done, I know it’s sad now but don’t worry because in three months time we’ll be back with Ravnica looking at the other five guilds. Keep checking back to Game Changers for more gaming news and updates and check us out on Twitter at @gcgamingtank. It’s been a good ride guys and I can’t wait to do it again.
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