Ravnica block

Not to be confused with Return to Ravnica block.

The Ravnica block is the 11th 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 10 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 11 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 Ocular Halo	Tattered Drake Roofstalker Wight	Nettling Curse Kill-Suit Cultist	Ghor-Clan Bloodscale Gruul Nodorog	Transluminant Votary of the Conclave	Shadow Lance Ostiary Thrull	Torch Drake Hypervolt Grasp	Mortipede Elves of Deep Shadow	Ordruun Commando Screeching Griffin	Simic Ragworm Silkwing Scout
Description and notes: 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 Court Hussar	Induce Paranoia Ribbons of Night	Crypt Champion Squealing Devil	Tin Street Hooligan Gruul Scrapper	Dryad's Caress Seed Spark	Shrieking Grotesque Revenant Patriarch	Steamcore Weird Ogre Savant	Vigor Mortis Rolling Spoil	Flash Conscription Boros Fury-Shield	Patagia Viper Plaxmanta
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: Each of these rare spells has at least two hybrid mana in its mana cost.
Common Gold Cards	Plumes of Peace (or Azorius First-Wing, or Overrule)	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
Description and notes: Each of these common gold cards uses the guild's ability. Dimir and Gruul have two such cards.
Unbalanced Gold Cards	Azorius Ploy Swift Silence	Clutch of the Undercity Mindleech Mass	Anthem of Rakdos Rakdos Augermage	Skarrgan Skybreaker Rumbling Slum	Congregation at Dawn Phytohydra	Souls of the Faultless Culling Sun	Goblin Flectomancer Invoke the Firemind	Drooling Groodion (or Woodwraith Corrupter) Grave-Shell Scarab	Flame-Kin Zealot Firemane Angel	Omnibian Voidslime
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: Each of these common artifacts has ", : Add (one mana each of the respective guild's color) to your mana pool."
Guild Artifacts	Walking Archive	Bloodletter Quill	Rakdos Riteknife	Gruul War Plow	Crown of Convergence	Moratorium Stone	Mizzium Transreliquat	Plague Boiler	Sunforger	Evolution Vat
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: When each of these common nonbasic dual lands enters the battlefield tapped, its controller returns a land he or she controls 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
Description and notes: 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
Description and notes: Each of these rare nonbasic dual lands has two basic land types and enter the battlefield tapped unless its controller pays 2 life. Each card's artwork was illustrated by Rob Alexander.