Guilds of Ravnica Set Review - White

We're back on the city plane of Ravnica. It's tall spire-tipped buildings reaching up through the clouds housing many a delegate of different guilds, people bustling past each other along the bridges and streets below and, even further down, the underbelly of Ravnica, dwell nefarious, shadowy figures that are probably best to avoid if you value your life.

Welcome to set review week guys! You know how this works by now: an article for you lucky people every day starting with all of the white cards from Guilds of Ravnica. So, without further ado let's jump right into the action.

Blade Instructor

Blade Instructor feels like a great limited card in a go-wide type of deck. It’s on a good power level, if a bit fragile, and the Mentor mechanic gives this creature value longevity. It could have pushed a little more with an extra toughness or maybe First Strike but it’s good as it is and will see limited play.

Bounty Agent

This is a fairly defensive creature, Bounty Agent is cheap and comes with Vigilance so it can get in for some damage but I feel the Vigilance is there so it can block and use its ability as well. Bounty Agent’s ability only hits legendary creatures, artifacts or enchantments which is good enough, - a removal spell on a white creature is nice even if it is narrow - if it could hit planeswalkers then it would be way too good. It’s going to be good in limited as an early bear and a way to deal with your opponents legendary bomb creature and depending on what the metagame looks like it could find a home in standard in a weenie deck.

Candlelight Vigil

Four mana is a lot but it’s a good pay off for the Vigilance and +3/+2. Candlelight Vigil is good in limited, just don’t fall into the easy two-for-one trap.

Citywide Bust

At first I thought this was quite reminiscent of Slaughter the Strong from Rivals of Ixalan but the more I look at it the more different they look. Where Slaughter the Strong gave players a choice of keeping creatures dependent on how much power they had Citywide Bust is much more like a Wrath of God, the one less mana is the reason there’s a caveat of toughness 4 or more which is fair. I’m not sure where Citywide Bust fits in to standard, control decks probably don’t want it as the creature decks they will come up against are going to be playing faster, higher powered creatures. A tempo deck could like Citywide Bust but it’s still a bit of a coin flip on actually hitting anything, I think Citywide Bust will sit in sideboards as long as the format is creature based and slower than it is now. In limited it’s in much the same situation, it will be good sometimes and terrible at others.

Collar the Culprit

Collar the Culprit takes many forms, this effect has been around for a while and is there to keep the larger creatures in check. Limited likes this because it sits well on the curve but there’s no room for Collar the Culprit in constructed.

Conclave Tribunal

Oblivion Ring effects have proved very good over the years as white doesn’t tend to get permanent removal and let alone at a cheap cost. Conclave Tribunal isn’t the cheapest this effect has been at but the Convoke can help you power it out, so playing it in a lower to the ground deck can increase its power. My one problem with Conclave Tribunal is that you have to target a permanent your opponent controls, so unfortunately you can’t pull any quirky little tricks like you could with O Ring.

Crush Contraband

I like this spell because of the modal choices it gives you, though I think Crush Contraband is costed a little high for constructed. It’ll be great in limited especially when you can get both an artifact and enchantment.

Dawn of Hope

This could end up being a pretty great card advantage engine as well as a reusable token generator. Dawn of Hope costs two mana so it’s not to intensive there, you will be waiting a couple of turns to make your first token but the later you get into the game and the more mana you have lying around the more you can pump into this two mana enchantment to net cards. I like this in limited as it gives you longevity and isn’t reliant on other mechanics or guilds. As for constructed, I would like to see Dawn of Hope and it doesn’t have much restricting its playability but it does need the right deck.

Demotion

This effect used to cost three mana most commonly, reducing it to one mana makes it a real player in constructed as well as limited. If the format is creature based enough then playing Demotion won’t be crazy, it’s super cheap and stop utility creatures as well as problem combat creatures.

Divine Visitation

This is a limited bomb, there are so many ways to make tokens in Guilds of Ravnica that Divine Visitation will take over a game if left unchecked. I would love to see it make headway in constructed and the effect is powerful enough for sure but the mana cost and lack of immediate effect could hinder that.

Flight of Equanauts

The steep mana cost here is balanced out by the Convoke. Other than that it’s a pretty decent late game limited creature.

Gird for Battle

This gives you great value, improves your board position and is super cheap. One mana for up to two +1/+1 counters is always playable in limited even if you only end up targeting one creature.

Haazda Marshal

This will fit right at home in a tokens/tempo deck. A Haazda Marshal on turn one followed by creatures on turns two and three and the tokens will flow, the best part is that if you can start making tokens with Haazda Marshal they can help attack alongside the one drop and make even more tokens. The 1/1 tokens having Lifelink is a big thing, Lifelink can offset life totals and bring you back into the game late on and multiple Lifelinkers attacking at once makes for some awkward maths for your opponent.

Healer’s Hawk

A great one drop creature with some brilliant keywords. Flying allows Healer’s Hawk to get over the

top and the Lifelink can help put some distance between you and your opponent. With the Mentor mechanic making an appearance in Guilds if Ravnica I think Healer’s Hawk will have added value as you increase its power. Good limited card.

Hunted Witness

Doomed Traveler was a decent one drop back in the day, it came down early and was a good chump blocker that replaced itself. Hunted Witness is pretty much doomed Traveler except with one small difference: where Doomed Traveler gave you a 1/1 token with Flying, Hunted Witness gives you a 1/1 token with Lifelink, which is much better. You can drop Hunted Witness on turn one and possibly get some damage in for a couple of turns, then when the time comes that it needs to valiantly sacrifice itself the 1/1 token can take up the mantle and bet you life at the same time. Drop an equipment or enchantment on the token and it then has the potential to take you so far away from your opponent’s grasp. Great in limited.

Inspiring Unicorn

This is a brilliant limited tempo creature. Inspiring Unicorn sits well on the curve and loves go-wide strategies, it is a bit fragile but with enough creatures this 2/2 will make combat hell for your opponent.

Intrusive Packbeast

Good top end guy, good mana cost, and Intrusive Packbeast can really help you push damage through. After that it becomes a good attacking and blocking creature thanks to its Vigilance. Limited only as the effect isn’t powerful enough for constructed.

Ledev Guardian

Decent mid game creature that can be powered out early thanks to the Convoke. Ledev Guardian blocks well and if dropped early enough could give you a decent attacker though it’s not going to run the combat zone in limited.

Light of the Legion

Great late game creature in limited, it’s going to grow your board gradually and if Light of the Legion ends up dying then all of your white creatures get the benefit. I don’t think Light of the Legion will see play outside of limited but it will win you games in limited quite often I think.

Loxodon Restorer

It’s ok in the late game but Loxodon Restorer won’t win many one on ones there. The life gain could pull you back into a game but the real power of this 6 mana elephant cleric is being able to drop it much earlier than it should be dropped. Convoke is a great mechanic on cards like this because if you get off to a fast enough start Loxodon Restorer becomes a great tempo creature, 3 power and 4 life on say, turn 4 is good and can put a bit of pressure on your opponent. I like it in limited but probably only as a one of unless I could consistently power it out earlier than turn six.

Luminous Bonds

It’s nothing special but Luminous Bonds is good in limited to stem some damage or force some damage through.

Parhelion Patrol

On curve, Parhelion Patrol can help boost other creatures on your side of the board. In the late game however it’s a sub-par Flying creature, 4 mana for 2 power even if it does have evasion isn’t the most threatening. In multiples Parhelion Patrol can pose a decent threat while giving you two Mentor triggers and remember if you use a combat trick or pump effect of any kind before you attack the Mentor trigger just gets better and better.

Righteous Blow

White doesn’t tend to get combat tricks so Righteous Blow gains a bit of value in limited as you won’t often expect it. It’s cheap and can deal with some early creatures nicely.

Roc Charger

Good limited creature, comes down early and blocks well while also providing another creature evasion. Roc Charger can be a good tempo creature if you can ensure it hangs around and pair it with a decent attacking creature, having a 4/4 fly over each turn can be backbreaking in limited.

Skyline Scout

Skyline Scout is a good early drop limited creature that can get some damage in over the top. It can be a bit mana intensive early on in the game but when you have some mana to sink later on it can become a good flying creature.

Sunhome Stalwart

This bear is great and will see play in limited and constructed. It stands strong with almost anything on par and can help strengthen your other creatures early as well this is another creature that wants to be in a weenie type deck to get maximum output from the Mentor mechanic and really loves combat tricks thanks to the First Strike.

Sworn Companions

Three mana for two 1/1 Lifelinkers is a pretty decent rate. The fact that the 2 power is split over two bodies is really effective especially if you can utilise the Lifelink with auras or pump spells.

Take Heart

Great combat trick for those group attacks, you can get an opposing creature and bet some life at the same time.

Tenth District Guard

This is an ok bear. I don’t think the +0/+1 is really relevant because early on in the game your opponent wouldn’t block if they aren’t going to get value in at least a trade, and late on in the game it’s fairly negligible.

Venerated Loxodon

A great late game creature in limited that rewards you for playing a go-wide strategy. You can power out Venerated Loxodon early thanks to Convoke and it actually promotes the use of Convoke in its ability so you’re looking to go a bit lower to the round playing this elephant, other than that it’s a five mana 4/4 which is fine. 

A lot of bomb rares, utility creatures and cards to get your Johnny minds racing I bet, and we're just getting started. We're going to be going even bigger as the week goes on, remember to head back tomorrow for a look through all of the blue cards from Guilds of Ravnica and check us out on Twitter at @gcgamingtank.