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Magic: the Gathering |OT| Core Set 2019 - In the midnight hour, she yelled "Core! Core! Core!"
- Thread starter SigmasonicX
- Start date
- Status
Looks like I'm drafting tomorrow, supposedly Core or Dominaria. Will be my first time ever. Any tips?
I have checked some of the ratings posted online and for the most part it feels like my gut feeling on what's a good pick works to some degree. Been also practicing with draftsim to get the hang of it.
I have checked some of the ratings posted online and for the most part it feels like my gut feeling on what's a good pick works to some degree. Been also practicing with draftsim to get the hang of it.
If you've got a handle on the absolute basics (land count, color balance, creature to spells ratio) that's generally accepted for draft--which it should be noted can be pretty far off from what constructed decks look like--the main thing is just knowing how to read the table.
There's no hard and fast rules to it, because the "best practices" assume everyone else also knows and follows best practices (and isn't trying to yomi a level to juke other drafters), when it's entirely possible and not uncommon one or more people in your pod will not adhere to them and completely befuddle you as a result. Basically, you want to know the basic signs on when you're being cut on a color, but in actual practice you've got to feel out the table by gut.
biggest thing about limited is making sure you can cast your spells. you'll rely on basic lands, so aim for 2-color decks for your first few drafts. drawing 3 of one basic land and 1 of another will be pretty common, so pay attention to the color requirements in the casting costs
those sets have enough decent cards, so you don't have to decide what colors you want to be immediately. it's okay to pick strong cards in different colors early on and end up not using some of them.
you only get to use about half the cards you draft (40 card deck. almost half of it is lands), so spending picks on non-basic lands and rares/mythics you want to collect is fine. don't worry about getting tons of options. usually only the best 15 cards matter anyways.
Thanks Imperfected & i hate cheaters
I have been studying the format, but I'm probably going to end up going "oooh shiny" with my picks anyway, but it's okay. I'm sure it'll be great fun!
I have been studying the format, but I'm probably going to end up going "oooh shiny" with my picks anyway, but it's okay. I'm sure it'll be great fun!
Last edited:
It's okay to do some rare drafting and have a crappy deck. Like some suggestions above, I try to avoid making a commitment to a color until after my first 6-7 picks. Also don't be like me and draft four highland game that I didn't intend to play and probably won't ever put into a deck. I'm still not sure what I was thinking...
OP
OP
Yeah, trading cards are fundamentally an exploitative product that preys on people's worst impulses. I don't get how straight up selling a product - albeit overpriced pieces of cardboard - is somehow worse.
Yeah, that looks like a late Nexus of Fate commentary. The Mythic Edition thing is... basically "skins" in Games as a Service terms. It's a means of having players with obviously too much money subsidize the game for everyone else without actually giving them any competitive advantage whatsoever.
The arguments against the Ravnica box are more about selling it direct and cutting out stores than anything to do with "exploitation".
WOTC just saving LGS from buying super expensive boxes that will sit on their shelves for months and months before they finally have to heavley discount them to free up shelf space.
Wizards: "We are doing buy-a-box promos to support local game stores!"
Also Wizards: *Mythic Edition only available via Hasbro Website that won't support local game stores and will cost $90 above a Masters boxsets for maximum profit and 16 of the 24 boosters are regular standard Guilds of Ravinca packs*
Also Wizards: *Mythic Edition only available via Hasbro Website that won't support local game stores and will cost $90 above a Masters boxsets for maximum profit and 16 of the 24 boosters are regular standard Guilds of Ravinca packs*
OP
OP
TBF, right now, they don't know how much demand there will be. If there wasn't any, then these would rot on LGS shelves until they had to cut the price. Now, if they keep doing this after it succeeds, then I'll be more upset.
MaRo doesn't directly address the LGS point here, but he talks about that demand part.
serialrobinson asked:
Isn't it a little disingenuous to say that the test of whether people want things like the Masterpiece Planeswalker set is if it sells? The issue people have isn't that they think the product isn't cool or isn't something they want, it's that it is so exclusive and it's distributed in such a way as to make it extremely difficult to obtain, even for those willing to spend the money on it. Of course it is going to sell well, but it will also make lots of other people without access very unhappy.
I think I did a poor job of explaining my point, so let me take a second shot at it.
Magic is a game, but it's also a collectible. Now, we prioritize its status as a game over its status as a collectible, so when we make collectible items we tend to make them alternate versions of cards. Yes, the planeswalkers are cool looking, but you can get the normal versions of them in sets. You don't need the alternate versions to enjoy playing the game.
The problem with collectibles is the entire point of collectibles is to make things that are special partly because they're hard to get. You get to show off you have it because not everybody was able to get it.
Whenever we do a limited collectible, we get a lot of negativity because we have a passionate and invested fan base that would like many of the cool things we make. But if we printed them in the volume needed so everyone could have them, the specialness of the collectibility would disappear.
So, I was pointing out that people being upset that something is limited happens every time we announce it. There simply isn't a way to make things that not everyone can get without stirring up some negativity, yet the nature of a limited quality is what collectibles are all about.
The Mythic Edition is an experiment. Many collectible companies make high ticket collectibles for their super invested fans. We've never made a product with a $250 MSRP before. Is there an audience for that? We honestly don't know. I mean we think there is, because we're doing it, but it very well could turn out that there isn't.
Because it's something we've never done before, we're taking baby steps. We're selling it at one time from one seller in a place we're familiar with where we take all the inventory risk. Yes, there are things about it that can be improved, and we are listening to all the feedback from players about how future versions could be better.
My original point was that this is a test. If this product doesn't sell, none of the feedback will matter because we won't do it again. If it does sell, we will figure out what worked and didn't work about it. It's very possible that it will sell, but there are qualities about it that prove to be mistakes and we will fix them.
Our goal is to be a company that is fan focused, but also successful as a business. If there is money to be made because there's a segment of the audience that would enjoy something that we could sell them, we're going to explore those possibilities.
This means, a comment like "I want to buy this product, but I can't" is taken very much to heart while "I don't think you should make a product that costs $250" is more going to be judged by seeing if there's an audience that wants to do that.
That is what I was trying to get at in my previous post.
132 notes
I just watched a TCC video on the issue aswell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DHqpHJhzNY
He makes a few good points as usual.
The Planeswalkers could of been just Masterpieces in regular booster packs which alot of people want. Failing that why not include the Masterpiece promos AS Buy-A-Box promos? It would of solved the issue of exclusive cards like Nexus of Fate and local game store sales would be booming. The other point the professor makes this actually takes away sales from LGS even if it's only 24 booster packs. Also US and Canada only is a big fuck you to the rest of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DHqpHJhzNY
He makes a few good points as usual.
The Planeswalkers could of been just Masterpieces in regular booster packs which alot of people want. Failing that why not include the Masterpiece promos AS Buy-A-Box promos? It would of solved the issue of exclusive cards like Nexus of Fate and local game store sales would be booming. The other point the professor makes this actually takes away sales from LGS even if it's only 24 booster packs. Also US and Canada only is a big fuck you to the rest of the world.
"Magic is a game, but it's also a collectible. Now, we prioritize its status as a game over its status as a collectible, so when we make collectible items we tend to make them alternate versions of cards."
Except this other product we literally started a few months ago.
Except this other product we literally started a few months ago.
Some spicy thoughts from Jesper Myrfors re: Ravnica Mythic Edition:
They are 100% right. Just the fact alone that this is next to impossible for non-North American players to get them is dumb, but they are a company that has decided to finally kill their whales...Eventually, something will break.
they couldn't really pretend to respect players once they added mythic rarity, so they don't really have any respect to lose
OP
OP
Magic Story - Unbowed, Part 3
Cassandra Khaw
The vampires of Luneau learn why you shouldn't cross Vivien Reid.
* Dumping this early because of the Guilds of Ravnica story starting next week, I suppose.
* Vivien is asked to demonstrate her ability to record creatures into her bow with the nearly dead monstrosaur. The Baron uses a device to generate a barrier around them.
* After she records the dinosaur and it dies, she uses Giant Growth on a spider near the device, destroying the barrier.
* She then goes on a rampage with the summoned version of the dinosaur, killing the Baron.
* She releases the Menagerie, spamming Giant Growth on every creature.
* The entire city is destroyed in an overly long sequence. She's satisfied and leaves, deciding to add a Shivan Dragon to her collection before she confronts Bolas.
I suppose this is setting up that there are random wild dinosaurs in vampire country too for Return to Ixalan.
Story was alright, but the amount of detail didn't seem necessary for such a simple tale.
Cassandra Khaw
The vampires of Luneau learn why you shouldn't cross Vivien Reid.
* Dumping this early because of the Guilds of Ravnica story starting next week, I suppose.
* Vivien is asked to demonstrate her ability to record creatures into her bow with the nearly dead monstrosaur. The Baron uses a device to generate a barrier around them.
* After she records the dinosaur and it dies, she uses Giant Growth on a spider near the device, destroying the barrier.
* She then goes on a rampage with the summoned version of the dinosaur, killing the Baron.
* She releases the Menagerie, spamming Giant Growth on every creature.
* The entire city is destroyed in an overly long sequence. She's satisfied and leaves, deciding to add a Shivan Dragon to her collection before she confronts Bolas.
I suppose this is setting up that there are random wild dinosaurs in vampire country too for Return to Ixalan.
Story was alright, but the amount of detail didn't seem necessary for such a simple tale.
OP
OP
Is there a site that compiles spoiled cards but makes it very clear which ones are Planeswalker Deck-specific? Back in the day mtgsalvation was where I went, but now it's super frustrating reading a card and halfway through realizing it will never show up in the formats I care about (limited)...
the cards that aren't in the set have a collectors number that is higher than the size of the set
so anything above 259 in guilds of ravnica won't be in limited
Yeah, but the pics on mtgsalvation aren't high enough quality to make the collector's number out clearly. And even if it weren't an image quality issue, the size the cards tend to be displayed at make the collector's number uncomfortably small.
Even better: got any specifics?
OP
OP
I use Mythic Spoiler, since they're generally up to date... except when they aren't. They don't leave out Planeswalker Deck cards, though.
I know Planeswalker Deck PWs aren't supposed to be playable, but goddamn. You didn't have to do Vraska that dirty, WotC.
OP
OP
Draft of the next thread OP. I'm way behind on creating the new assets.
Previous thread
Current set info
Product info
Next set: Ravnica Allegiance
Story archive
Welcome to the Multiverse!
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. You and your opponents play the role of dueling planeswalkers, wizards able to travel between dimensions known as planes to gather unique magic. Using customized decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other planeswalkers you can call in to help out, you try to defeat your foes.
Previously, the Gatewatch learned that Nicol Bolas has his sights set on the city world of Ravnica. Jace, the Living Guildpact tasked with keeping the guilds of Ravnica at peace, has gone ahead of them and attempts to ready for Bolas's arrival. However, it's hard to tell who is already working with Bolas.
Ravnica is a world ruled by ten guilds, each representing two pairs of colors. Guilds of Ravnica focuses on five of these guilds: Dimir (blue-black), Izzet (blue-red), Golgari (black-green), Boros (red-white), and Selesnya (green-white). Each has their own mechanic and focus. For the prerelease, you can choose a guild-themed prerelease pack that replaces one booster pack of the six provided booster packs with a seeded booster pack just of cards in that guild's colors, and you'll get an additional rare card in that guild.
Note that the majority of discussion happens on Discord now, but we'll be available for any questions here.
GETTING STARTED
Official guide to starting Magic
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] battles various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
Though it's now discontinued in light of the upcoming Magic Arena, Magic Duels is still available to download for a single player Magic experience, and it can help a lot for figuring out the rules.
For the physical card game, there are many ways to get on board. If you go to a local game store (LGS), the owner will give you a simple Welcome Deck for free, after demonstrating how to play the game. Releasing October 5, the Spellslinger Starter Kit has two simple decks that you do not shuffle so you and a friend can get a guided tour through how a game of Magic can work. Planeswalker Decks are pre-constructed decks with four brand new cards, including unique planeswalker cards and one additional booster pack, going for an MSRP of $10.99. While not particularly strong, they will allow you to actually play casual games.
If you want to build your own deck, a Deckbuilder's Toolkit will give you a decent starting collection of cards for an MSRP of $19.99, including 125 semi-random cards, basic lands, four booster packs, and perhaps most importantly, a good box for your cards. Challenger Decks will allow you to compete in Standard tournaments for an MSRP of $29.99, and the total card values (before release) are far beyond that. Note that with this set's release, the current decks won't be Standard legal anymore.
Game stores will hold Magic Open House events specifically meant for new players, with people there to give you Welcome Decks and play teaching games. Experienced players are also encouraged to participate and help beginners, and everyone will get a promotional card for attending.
The big thing to look forward to, however, is the Prerelease event held for every set. You play using the Sealed format, where every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. For Ravnica sets, you can choose a guild-themed prerelease pack that replaces one booster pack with a seeded booster pack just of cards in that guild's colors, and the additional rare will be in that guild too. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Magic Open House events will be on September 22 - 23, 2018. Prerelease events will be held on September 29 - 30, 2018. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register for the Prerelease, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
Number of Cards: 264
Magic Open House: September 22 - 23, 2018
Prerelease Weekend: September 29 - 30, 2018
Draft Weekend: October 6 - 7, 2018
Card image gallery
Mechanics
The five factions of Guilds of Ravnica are Dimir (blue-black), Izzet (blue-red), Golgari (black-green), Boros (red-white), and Selesnya (green-white). Each has their own mechanic and focus.
Dimir: Evil Mailmen (blue-black)
Video
Once upon a time, House Dimir was believed by the general population to not actually exist. In the shadows, they spied on, infiltrated, and sabotaged the other guilds, but after a botched takeover attempt, the secret was out. Currently, the guild's public-facing side acts as private investigators and couriers, but in private, their work continues. As they've kept a watchful eye on the other guilds, they've started to notice some are making odd allegiances with a force they don't know. And they hate not knowing.
Surveil allows you to look at what's coming up and either allow it or take it out. You look at the top N cards of your library, put any of them back on top in any order, and put the rest in your graveyard. Basically, this is scry, except you put cards in your graveyard instead of the bottom of your library. A simple change, but one that has huge implications.
Izzet: Mad Scientists (blue-red)
Video
The Izzet League is all about pushing the science of magic to its limit, often resulting in things blowing up. Collateral damage is no problem if you bring something new to the table. Their leader and namesake is the ancient dragon Niv-Mizzet, but he now leaves Ral Zarek in charge as he attends to a personal experiment, unaware that Ral is an agent of Nicol Bolas.
Jump-start allows you to get some more use out of a seemingly dead spell. Instants and sorceries with this ability can be cast again from the graveyard if you discard a card in addition to paying its normal costs. Then, exile that card, whether it resolves successfully or is countered. Basically, it's flashback, except you also discard a card and the mana cost is always the same as its normal casting cost. You aren't gaining any innate card advantage like you would with flashback, so look at this more as swapping out an undesirable card for one from your graveyard.
Golgari: Poop Farmers (black-green)
Video
The Golgari Swarm is focused on the cycle of life, and how it can grow from death. They live in the vast sewers of the plane, and use the waste and refuse of the city to grow food for the poor and power ancient magic. While they accept the homeless and needy, there are still clear hierarchies, and their treatment of gorgons and the kraul insect people have earned the ire of the Planeswalker Vraska. Thanks to a favor by Nicol Bolas, she has now taken over the guild and works as his agent. What she doesn't remember is that she and Jace have become lovers and hatched a plan to defeat Bolas; knowing Bolas would read her thoughts, she had Jace lock away these memories until the right moment.
Undergrowth is an ability that looks at the number of creatures you have in your graveyard and does something based on that. What this is varies card by card, but no matter what, more is better. It might be helpful to take advantage of the previous two guild mechanics to fill up.
Boros: Justice League Cops (red-white)
Video
The Boros Legion cares so strongly about justice that they fight it wherever it occurs. Now laws... their relationship with those is a bit more complicated. While Azorius (more on them in a few months) cares about the letter of the law, Boros cares about what's right, and that often includes punching. Still, they care very much about having a disciplined and orderly fighting force, with a heavy focus on training and working together. It's unknown what their relationship with Bolas is at this point.
Mentor is an ability that allows one stronger creature to show a weaker one how it's done, and improve the strength of your unit as a whole. Whenever a creature with this ability attacks, choose another target attacking creature with lesser power and put a +1/+1 counter on it. Remember to do this in the right order if you have multiple creatures with mentor; you want to resolve the weakest creature's mentor ability first, then the second weakest, and so on.
Selesnya: Super Hippies (green-white)
Video
The Selesnya Conclave wants everyone to come together in peace, and they work together to promote harmony, both between individuals and with nature. Granted, they don't seem to allow uggos in and the food they grow doesn't seem to reach the poor. But yeah, harmony, woo. In Ravnica's cityscape, they maintain vast gardens that contain humongous creatures that they use to defend themselves. Though we don't know what connection Bolas has to this, the leaders of Selesnya are in discord, threatening the unity of the conclave.
Convoke is a returning ability, with your creatures working together to pay for your spells. As you cast a spell with convoke, you may tap your creatures to pay for (1) or a mana of that creature's color. Note that you can't both do this and activate any tap abilities. This time around, some cards have abilities that care about you convoking.
Also split and hybrid
This is Ravnica, so you're getting split cards. And also because this is Ravnica, you're getting hybrid mana! Split cards are two cards in one. Pay for one side to cast it; you can't cast both sides. Hybrid mana costs have two different mana symbols in one, meaning the costs can be paid with either type of mana. In Guilds of Ravnica, the split cards have one hybrid spell and one multicolored spell.
OTHER PRODUCTS
If you buy a box of Guilds of Ravnica from your local game store, you will get an exclusive Buy a Box Promo card that's Standard legal. You can't get this in booster packs.
Guilds of Ravnica Mythic Edition is a special limited edition booster box you'll be able to purchase exclusively in the US from Hasbro's online store for $249.99 on October 3. There are 16 normal booster packs of Guilds of Ravnica, and 8 booster packs that contain special Planeswalker Masterpiece cards. You're guaranteed to get all 8 cards. These planeswalker cards aren't Standard legal.
In retail stores like Wal-Mart, you'll be able to get Guilds of Ravnica Theme Boosters on October 5 based on one of the five guilds. They have 35 randomized cards all from that guild, with one rare or mythic rare card, for $6.99.
Releasing October 5, the Spellslinger Starter Kit has two simple decks that you do not shuffle so you and a friend can get a guided tour through how a game of Magic can work for $14.99.
The Guilds of Ravnica Guild Kits are decks based on each of the guilds in the set, but aren't Standard legal, as they contain cards from previous Ravnica sets. They release November 2 for $19.99.
Magic Game Night is an introductory product for $39.99 with five person multiplayer right out of the box, for those who want to bring Magic to their board game meet ups. There's a deck for each color, counters, and rules reference cards. These are not Standard legal. This releases November 16.
Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica is a Dungeons & Dragons product allowing you to explore the world of Magic in their first every officially released crossover. This contrasts with previous web crossovers in that this is has been fully playtested.
SCHEDULE
Premier events schedule
Guilds of Ravnica
Start of reveals: September 10, 2018
Magic Open House: September 22 - 23, 2018
Prerelease Weekend: September 29 - 30, 2018
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Draft Weekend: October 6 - 7, 2018
Spellslinger Starter Kit
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Ravnica Guild Kits
Release Date: November 2, 2018
Magic Game Night
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (DnD Product)
Release Date: November 20, 2018
Ravnica Allegiances
Release Date: January 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
Previous thread
August 28 - Impervious Greatwurm
August 30 - Mechanics reveal
August 31 - Promos leak
September 1 - PAX West reveals
September 3 - Golgari Guildgate
September 4 - Mechanics article
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Magic Story, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Play Design, written by various Magic developers. The other articles generally discuss deck building.
Card image gallery - Best way to see all of the spoiled cards together, but only updates once a day.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Reddit - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled, updates throughout the day.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has autocomplete.
Scryfall - The better search method, with bigger cards, but it doesn't have autocomplete.
Game store locator
OTHER THREADS
Core Set 2019
Dominaria
Arena Closed Beta on Gaming side
Rivals of Ixalan
Great Designer Search 3
Hangouts OT
Last GAF thread - Ixalan
Previous thread
Current set info
Product info
Next set: Ravnica Allegiance
Story archive
Hidden content
Magic: the Gathering is a Trading Card Game, the first of its kind, developed by Richard Garfield and his playtesters for the gaming company Wizards of the Coast in 1993. You and your opponents play the role of dueling planeswalkers, wizards able to travel between dimensions known as planes to gather unique magic. Using customized decks made up of your spells, the creatures you can summon, your mana bonds with lands, and even other planeswalkers you can call in to help out, you try to defeat your foes.
Previously, the Gatewatch learned that Nicol Bolas has his sights set on the city world of Ravnica. Jace, the Living Guildpact tasked with keeping the guilds of Ravnica at peace, has gone ahead of them and attempts to ready for Bolas's arrival. However, it's hard to tell who is already working with Bolas.
Ravnica is a world ruled by ten guilds, each representing two pairs of colors. Guilds of Ravnica focuses on five of these guilds: Dimir (blue-black), Izzet (blue-red), Golgari (black-green), Boros (red-white), and Selesnya (green-white). Each has their own mechanic and focus. For the prerelease, you can choose a guild-themed prerelease pack that replaces one booster pack of the six provided booster packs with a seeded booster pack just of cards in that guild's colors, and you'll get an additional rare card in that guild.
Note that the majority of discussion happens on Discord now, but we'll be available for any questions here.
GETTING STARTED
Official guide to starting Magic
To see what a game is like, check out Geek and Sundry's Spellslinger series, where Day[9] battles various geek celebrities, often losing, using simple and easy to follow decks.
Though it's now discontinued in light of the upcoming Magic Arena, Magic Duels is still available to download for a single player Magic experience, and it can help a lot for figuring out the rules.
For the physical card game, there are many ways to get on board. If you go to a local game store (LGS), the owner will give you a simple Welcome Deck for free, after demonstrating how to play the game. Releasing October 5, the Spellslinger Starter Kit has two simple decks that you do not shuffle so you and a friend can get a guided tour through how a game of Magic can work. Planeswalker Decks are pre-constructed decks with four brand new cards, including unique planeswalker cards and one additional booster pack, going for an MSRP of $10.99. While not particularly strong, they will allow you to actually play casual games.
If you want to build your own deck, a Deckbuilder's Toolkit will give you a decent starting collection of cards for an MSRP of $19.99, including 125 semi-random cards, basic lands, four booster packs, and perhaps most importantly, a good box for your cards. Challenger Decks will allow you to compete in Standard tournaments for an MSRP of $29.99, and the total card values (before release) are far beyond that. Note that with this set's release, the current decks won't be Standard legal anymore.
Game stores will hold Magic Open House events specifically meant for new players, with people there to give you Welcome Decks and play teaching games. Experienced players are also encouraged to participate and help beginners, and everyone will get a promotional card for attending.
The big thing to look forward to, however, is the Prerelease event held for every set. You play using the Sealed format, where every player is given a box with six booster packs and a random additional rare card. From this pool of cards, all of which you keep, each player builds a deck of 40 cards and participates in a Swiss-system tournament. For Ravnica sets, you can choose a guild-themed prerelease pack that replaces one booster pack with a seeded booster pack just of cards in that guild's colors, and the additional rare will be in that guild too. This is a fun and casual event, where everyone is still trying to figure out the set, so don't worry about messing up. In addition to normal duels, there are also Two-Headed Giant events, where you pair up with another player and face off against another team.
Magic Open House events will be on September 22 - 23, 2018. Prerelease events will be held on September 29 - 30, 2018. Call your local game store a few days ahead of time to register for the Prerelease, or they might just run out of room. Find local game stores here.
Number of Cards: 264
Magic Open House: September 22 - 23, 2018
Prerelease Weekend: September 29 - 30, 2018
Draft Weekend: October 6 - 7, 2018
Card image gallery
Mechanics
The five factions of Guilds of Ravnica are Dimir (blue-black), Izzet (blue-red), Golgari (black-green), Boros (red-white), and Selesnya (green-white). Each has their own mechanic and focus.
Dimir: Evil Mailmen (blue-black)
Video
Once upon a time, House Dimir was believed by the general population to not actually exist. In the shadows, they spied on, infiltrated, and sabotaged the other guilds, but after a botched takeover attempt, the secret was out. Currently, the guild's public-facing side acts as private investigators and couriers, but in private, their work continues. As they've kept a watchful eye on the other guilds, they've started to notice some are making odd allegiances with a force they don't know. And they hate not knowing.
Surveil allows you to look at what's coming up and either allow it or take it out. You look at the top N cards of your library, put any of them back on top in any order, and put the rest in your graveyard. Basically, this is scry, except you put cards in your graveyard instead of the bottom of your library. A simple change, but one that has huge implications.
Izzet: Mad Scientists (blue-red)
Video
The Izzet League is all about pushing the science of magic to its limit, often resulting in things blowing up. Collateral damage is no problem if you bring something new to the table. Their leader and namesake is the ancient dragon Niv-Mizzet, but he now leaves Ral Zarek in charge as he attends to a personal experiment, unaware that Ral is an agent of Nicol Bolas.
Jump-start allows you to get some more use out of a seemingly dead spell. Instants and sorceries with this ability can be cast again from the graveyard if you discard a card in addition to paying its normal costs. Then, exile that card, whether it resolves successfully or is countered. Basically, it's flashback, except you also discard a card and the mana cost is always the same as its normal casting cost. You aren't gaining any innate card advantage like you would with flashback, so look at this more as swapping out an undesirable card for one from your graveyard.
Golgari: Poop Farmers (black-green)
Video
The Golgari Swarm is focused on the cycle of life, and how it can grow from death. They live in the vast sewers of the plane, and use the waste and refuse of the city to grow food for the poor and power ancient magic. While they accept the homeless and needy, there are still clear hierarchies, and their treatment of gorgons and the kraul insect people have earned the ire of the Planeswalker Vraska. Thanks to a favor by Nicol Bolas, she has now taken over the guild and works as his agent. What she doesn't remember is that she and Jace have become lovers and hatched a plan to defeat Bolas; knowing Bolas would read her thoughts, she had Jace lock away these memories until the right moment.
Undergrowth is an ability that looks at the number of creatures you have in your graveyard and does something based on that. What this is varies card by card, but no matter what, more is better. It might be helpful to take advantage of the previous two guild mechanics to fill up.
Boros: Justice League Cops (red-white)
Video
The Boros Legion cares so strongly about justice that they fight it wherever it occurs. Now laws... their relationship with those is a bit more complicated. While Azorius (more on them in a few months) cares about the letter of the law, Boros cares about what's right, and that often includes punching. Still, they care very much about having a disciplined and orderly fighting force, with a heavy focus on training and working together. It's unknown what their relationship with Bolas is at this point.
Mentor is an ability that allows one stronger creature to show a weaker one how it's done, and improve the strength of your unit as a whole. Whenever a creature with this ability attacks, choose another target attacking creature with lesser power and put a +1/+1 counter on it. Remember to do this in the right order if you have multiple creatures with mentor; you want to resolve the weakest creature's mentor ability first, then the second weakest, and so on.
Selesnya: Super Hippies (green-white)
Video
The Selesnya Conclave wants everyone to come together in peace, and they work together to promote harmony, both between individuals and with nature. Granted, they don't seem to allow uggos in and the food they grow doesn't seem to reach the poor. But yeah, harmony, woo. In Ravnica's cityscape, they maintain vast gardens that contain humongous creatures that they use to defend themselves. Though we don't know what connection Bolas has to this, the leaders of Selesnya are in discord, threatening the unity of the conclave.
Convoke is a returning ability, with your creatures working together to pay for your spells. As you cast a spell with convoke, you may tap your creatures to pay for (1) or a mana of that creature's color. Note that you can't both do this and activate any tap abilities. This time around, some cards have abilities that care about you convoking.
Also split and hybrid
This is Ravnica, so you're getting split cards. And also because this is Ravnica, you're getting hybrid mana! Split cards are two cards in one. Pay for one side to cast it; you can't cast both sides. Hybrid mana costs have two different mana symbols in one, meaning the costs can be paid with either type of mana. In Guilds of Ravnica, the split cards have one hybrid spell and one multicolored spell.
OTHER PRODUCTS
If you buy a box of Guilds of Ravnica from your local game store, you will get an exclusive Buy a Box Promo card that's Standard legal. You can't get this in booster packs.
Guilds of Ravnica Mythic Edition is a special limited edition booster box you'll be able to purchase exclusively in the US from Hasbro's online store for $249.99 on October 3. There are 16 normal booster packs of Guilds of Ravnica, and 8 booster packs that contain special Planeswalker Masterpiece cards. You're guaranteed to get all 8 cards. These planeswalker cards aren't Standard legal.
In retail stores like Wal-Mart, you'll be able to get Guilds of Ravnica Theme Boosters on October 5 based on one of the five guilds. They have 35 randomized cards all from that guild, with one rare or mythic rare card, for $6.99.
Releasing October 5, the Spellslinger Starter Kit has two simple decks that you do not shuffle so you and a friend can get a guided tour through how a game of Magic can work for $14.99.
The Guilds of Ravnica Guild Kits are decks based on each of the guilds in the set, but aren't Standard legal, as they contain cards from previous Ravnica sets. They release November 2 for $19.99.
Magic Game Night is an introductory product for $39.99 with five person multiplayer right out of the box, for those who want to bring Magic to their board game meet ups. There's a deck for each color, counters, and rules reference cards. These are not Standard legal. This releases November 16.
Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica is a Dungeons & Dragons product allowing you to explore the world of Magic in their first every officially released crossover. This contrasts with previous web crossovers in that this is has been fully playtested.
SCHEDULE
Premier events schedule
Guilds of Ravnica
Start of reveals: September 10, 2018
Magic Open House: September 22 - 23, 2018
Prerelease Weekend: September 29 - 30, 2018
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Draft Weekend: October 6 - 7, 2018
Spellslinger Starter Kit
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Ravnica Guild Kits
Release Date: November 2, 2018
Magic Game Night
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (DnD Product)
Release Date: November 20, 2018
Ravnica Allegiances
Release Date: January 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
Previous thread
August 28 - Impervious Greatwurm
August 30 - Mechanics reveal
August 31 - Promos leak
September 1 - PAX West reveals
September 3 - Golgari Guildgate
September 4 - Mechanics article
RESOURCES
Official articles - Nicknamed the Mothership, these articles are the primary source of news. Recommended columns are Making Magic, written by the head designer, Mark Rosewater (aka MaRo); Magic Story, which tells the story, written by various authors; and Play Design, written by various Magic developers. The other articles generally discuss deck building.
Card image gallery - Best way to see all of the spoiled cards together, but only updates once a day.
Blogatog - Tumblr ran by Mark Rosewater where he answers questions, updates very frequently.
Drive to Work - Mark Rosewater's weekly podcast about Magic that he literally records as he drives to work. Two episodes are released every Friday.
MTG Reddit - The best place to get new card information. The community sucks, though.
Mythic Spoiler - A good way to see what cards have been spoiled, updates throughout the day.
Gatherer - The official method of searching through released cards. Has autocomplete.
Scryfall - The better search method, with bigger cards, but it doesn't have autocomplete.
Game store locator
OTHER THREADS
Core Set 2019
Dominaria
Arena Closed Beta on Gaming side
Rivals of Ixalan
Great Designer Search 3
Hangouts OT
Last GAF thread - Ixalan
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Looks good.
Signed up for Golgari for my pre-release. I like the potential that Undergrowth has, so we'll see how that goes. Hoping to get some good Dimir cards too for the synergy between it and Surveil.
Signed up for Golgari for my pre-release. I like the potential that Undergrowth has, so we'll see how that goes. Hoping to get some good Dimir cards too for the synergy between it and Surveil.
OP
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Updated draft with new assets and an additional "OTHER PRODUCTS" section.
I'll make the new thread in about five hours.
I'll make the new thread in about five hours.
I'm convinced WotC goes out of their way to stream tournament drafters who will convince even the most average player they could do a run on the table.
OP
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