Ravnica block

Ravnica block

 

Preconstructed theme decks

 

The Ravnica block is the eleventh Magic: The Gathering block, comprising of the large expansion Ravnica: City of Guilds () and the two small expansions Guildpact () and Dissension (). The block was released in 2005–2006.

Sets

Details

Development codenames

The development codenames for Ravnica block expansions are "Control", "Alt", and "Delete".

Marketing

Dissension Life Counter featuring Rakdos the Defiler art

Ravnica block fat packs featured specially designed life counters with artwork from the sets instead of the spindown life counters normally found in fat packs.

Themes and mechanics

Themes

Thematically, the Ravnica block was multicolor-centered and, thus, was the spiritual successor to the Invasion block of 2000–2001. The Ravnica block was the first block to introduce the "guild model", wherein a number of guilds, each of which with its own cards and abilities and/or keywords, would be as introduced in an expansion and be as developed and complex as they would be (until returning to the plane with Return to Ravnica block), rather than the traditional model of expansions, wherein abilities and/or keywords would be introduced in the first of usually three expansions and then progressively increase in complexity throughout the block. Four guilds (Boros, Dimir, Golgari, Selesnya) were introduced in City of Guilds, three more (Gruul, Izzet, Orzhov) were introduced in Guildpact, and the final three (Azorius, Rakdos, Simic) debuted in Dissension.

Mechanics

The keywords introduced in the Ravnica block are:

Guild	Azorius	Dimir	Rakdos	Gruul	Selesnya	Orzhov	Izzet	Golgari	Boros	Simic
Keyword	Forecast	Transmute	Hellbent	Bloodthirst	Convoke	Haunt	Replicate	Dredge	Radiance	Graft

In addition to these ten keywords, the Ravnica block was the first block to feature hybrid mana costs and hybrid cards. Each of Ravnica's 10 guilds featured three hybrid cards, one at each level of rarity as of then; common, uncommon, and rare.

Mega cycles

Ravnica block features eleven 10-card guild mega cycles, with one card per guild, and one 20-card guild mega cycle (the "imbalanced gold card" cycle) distributed across Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, and Dissension.

Cycle name	Azorius	Dimir	Rakdos	Gruul	Selesnya	Orzhov	Izzet	Golgari	Boros	Simic
Off-color activated permanents	Soulsworn Jury	Tattered Drake	Nettling Curse	Ghor-Clan Bloodscale	Transluminant	Shadow Lance	Torch Drake	Mortipede	Ordruun Commando	Simic Ragworm
	Ocular Halo	Roofstalker Wight	Kill-Suit Cultist	Gruul Nodorog	Votary of the Conclave	Ostiary Thrull	Hypervolt Grasp	Elves of Deep Shadow	Screeching Griffin	Silkwing Scout
	Each of these monocolored permanents has an activated ability that use their guild's other mana symbol. Elves of Deep Shadow is the only spell of this cycle that doesn't have mana as an activation cost.
Allied boosting spells	Azorius Herald	Induce Paranoia	Crypt Champion	Tin Street Hooligan	Dryad's Caress	Shrieking Grotesque	Steamcore Weird	Vigor Mortis	Flash Conscription	Patagia Viper
	Court Hussar	Ribbons of Night	Squealing Devil	Gruul Scrapper	Seed Spark	Revenant Patriarch	Ogre Savant	Rolling Spoil	Boros Fury-Shield	Plaxmanta
	Each of these mono-colored spells does something extra if you use its guild's other color to pay its mana costs. Those in Ravnica are spells with additional effects, those in Guildpact are creatures that gain enter-the-battlefield abilities, and those in Dissension are creatures with enter-the-battlefield abilities that are sacrificed unless paid for with the other color.
Common Hybrid Spells	Minister of Impediments	Lurking Informant	Riot Spikes	Wild Cantor	Centaur Safeguard	Mourning Thrull	Petrahydrox	Gaze of the Gorgon	Boros Recruit	Shielding Plax
	Each of these common spells has exactly one hybrid mana in its mana cost.
Guildmages	Azorius Guildmage	Dimir Guildmage	Rakdos Guildmage	Gruul Guildmage	Selesnya Guildmage	Orzhov Guildmage	Izzet Guildmage	Golgari Guildmage	Boros Guildmage	Simic Guildmage
	Each of these uncommon 2/2 creatures costs two hybrid mana of its guild's colors and each has two abilities, each of which requires mana of one of the guild's colors. They form vertical cycle with common and rare hybrid spells.
Rare Hybrid Spells	Dovescape	Shadow of Doubt	Avatar of Discord	Giant Solifuge	Privileged Position	Debtors' Knell	Djinn Illuminatus	Gleancrawler	Master Warcraft	Biomantic Mastery
	Each of these rare spells has at least two hybrid mana in its mana cost.
Common Gold Keyword Cards	Plumes of Peace	Perplex (or Dimir Infiltrator)	Gobhobbler Rats	Scab-Clan Mauler (or Burning-Tree Bloodscale)	Guardian of Vitu-Ghazi	Blind Hunter	Leap of Flame	Shambling Shell	Rally the Righteous	Vigean Hydropon
	Each of these common gold cards uses the guild's ability. Dimir and Gruul have two such cards.
Unbalanced Gold Cards	Azorius Ploy	Clutch of the Undercity	Anthem of Rakdos	Skarrgan Skybreaker	Congregation at Dawn	Souls of the Faultless	Goblin Flectomancer	Drooling Groodion (or Woodwraith Corrupter)	Flame-Kin Zealot	Omnibian
	Swift Silence	Mindleech Mass	Rakdos Augermage	Rumbling Slum	Phytohydra	Culling Sun	Invoke the Firemind	Grave-Shell Scarab	Firemane Angel	Voidslime
	Each of these cards are one of 2 gold cards for every guild (Golgari has 3 cards) that have 2 of one color and only 1 of the other, with rarity varying.
Guild Champions	Isperia the Inscrutable	Circu, Dimir Lobotomist	Lyzolda, the Blood Witch	Ulasht, the Hate Seed	Tolsimir Wolfblood	Teysa, Orzhov Scion	Tibor and Lumia	Savra, Queen of the Golgari	Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran	Experiment Kraj
	Each of these legendary multicolor creatures rewarded players for playing with cards of their two colors, often doubly so for using multicolor cards. Isperia and Kraj are different, but this is clearly the result of their effects and cost having been swapped with those of their respective guildmaster at some point.
Guildmasters	Grand Arbiter Augustin IV	Szadek, Lord of Secrets	Rakdos the Defiler	Borborygmos	Chorus of the Conclave	Ghost Council of Orzhova	Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind	Sisters of Stone Death	Razia, Boros Archangel	Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
	These legendary multicolor creatures, almost all of which cost a certain amount of colorless mana plus two mana each of their respective colors, produced powerful effects thematically tied to their respective colors.
Signets	Azorius Signet	Dimir Signet	Rakdos Signet	Gruul Signet	Selesnya Signet	Orzhov Signet	Izzet Signet	Golgari Signet	Boros Signet	Simic Signet
	Each of these common artifacts has ", : Add (one mana each of the respective guild's color)."
Guild Artifacts	Walking Archive	Bloodletter Quill	Rakdos Riteknife	Gruul War Plow	Crown of Convergence	Moratorium Stone	Mizzium Transreliquat	Plague Boiler	Sunforger	Evolution Vat
	Each of these rare artifacts have an activated ability costing both of its guild color.
Bounce lands	Azorius Chancery	Dimir Aqueduct	Rakdos Carnarium	Gruul Turf	Selesnya Sanctuary	Orzhov Basilica	Izzet Boilerworks	Golgari Rot Farm	Boros Garrison	Simic Growth Chamber
	When each of these common nonbasic dual lands enters the battlefield tapped, its controller returns a land they control to its owner's hand. Each of these lands can tap to produce two mana, one of each of the its associate guild's colors. Each card's artwork was illustrated by John Avon.
Guildhalls	Prahv, Spires of Order	Duskmantle, House of Shadow	Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace	Skarrg, the Rage Pits	Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree	Orzhova, the Church of Deals	Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind	Svogthos, the Restless Tomb	Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion	Novijen, Heart of Progress
	Each of these uncommon nonbasic dual lands taps for and has an activated ability costing mana of the associated guild's colors for a thematically related effect. Each card (all illustrated by Martina Pilcerova) represents the associated guild's headquarters within Ravnica.
Shock lands	Hallowed Fountain	Watery Grave	Blood Crypt	Stomping Ground	Temple Garden	Godless Shrine	Steam Vents	Overgrown Tomb	Sacred Foundry	Breeding Pool
	Each of these rare nonbasic dual lands has two basic land types and enters the battlefield tapped unless its controller pays 2 life. Each card's artwork was illustrated by Rob Alexander.

External links

• Mark Rosewater (December 12, 2023). "City Highlights, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (December 18, 2023). "City Highlights, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.