Ravnica Allegiance

Ravnica Allegiance
[[File:{{#setmainimage:RNA Logo.jpg}}|250px]]
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	The Guilds of Ravnica symbol upside down, suggesting the horns of Nicol Bolas in negative space.
Design	Mark Rosewater (lead) Jules Robins Jackie Lee Ari Levitch Sam Stoddard Bryan Hawley
Development	Sam Stoddard (lead) Erik Lauer Adam Prosak Dave Humpherys Michael Majors Paul Cheon Peter Lee
Art direction	Cynthia Sheppard
Release date	January 25, 2019
Plane	Ravnica
Keywords/​ability words	Adapt, Addendum, Afterlife, Riot, Spectacle
Set size	259 + 5 + 8 + 1
Expansion code	RNA
Development codename	Meatballs
Non-block expansions
[[Guilds of Ravnica]] '''Ravnica Allegiance''' [[War of the Spark]]
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
[[Ravnica Allegiance Mythic Edition]] Ravnica Allegiance [[Ravnica Allegiance Guild Kits]]

Ravnica Allegiance is the 80th Magic expansion. It was released on January 25, 2019. Officially, it is not part of a block. However, it is part of a series of three that is set on the same world, unofficially called the Guilds of Ravnica block.

Set details

Ravnica Allegiance booster

Ravnica Allegiance contains 259 cards (111 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, and 15 mythic rares), but there are only 254 functionally different cards since all gates have 2 common slots. Boosters may include randomly inserted premium versions of all cards. This set features five of the bi-colored Ravnican guilds: Azorius (), Rakdos (), Gruul (), Simic (), and Orzhov (). Watermarks are used to better identify the guilds.

The 5 basic lands of this set are not included within the 259 cards, meaning that they won't appear in booster packs but only in the planeswalker decks and the Bundle, and are numbered from #260/259 to #264/259. Neither contained in boosters are the 8 additional planeswalker deck exclusive cards - numbered #265/259 to #272/259 - and the Buy-a-Box promo, which has the number #273/259. Like in the previous set, each Guildgate is featured in two common slots, each with different art.

Storyline

“

Defend Your Guild

”

This is the penultimate moment of the Gatewatch's fight against Nicol Bolas. Darkness is coming to Ravnica. A conflict that could tear apart the world itself looms large, and the fragile peace between the guilds is strained to its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, it's time to step up, prove your loyalty, and fight for your guild.

The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in Ravnica Allegiance are: Rampage of the Clans (), Kaya's Wrath (), Ethereal Absolution (), and Emergency Powers ().

Magic Story

Title	Author	Release Date	Setting	Featuring
The Illusions of Child's Play	Nicky Drayden	2019-01-23	Ravnica	Cult of Rakdos
Rage of the Unsung	Nicky Drayden	2019-01-30	Ravnica	Gruul Clans
The Principles of Unnatural Selection	Nicky Drayden	2019-02-06	Ravnica	Simic Combine
The Ledger of Hidden Fortunes	Nicky Drayden	2019-02-20	Ravnica	Orzhov Syndicate
The Ascension of Reza	Nicky Drayden	2019-02-27	Ravnica	Azorius Senate

Marketing

Ravnica Allegiance Theme Boosters

Ravnica Allegiance is sold in regular 16-card boosters (one card being a marketing card), two planeswalker decks, the Ravnica Allegiance bundle and a Deck Builder's Toolkit. As for the previous set, 35-card bi-colored Theme Boosters are connected to the appropriate guilds, containing one or two rares/mythic rares. The set is further accompanied by five guild kits, preconstructed theme decks that combine cards from every Ravnica set released so far.

The boosters feature artwork of Lavinia, Kaya, a Rakdos jester, Domri Rade, and Vannifar.

The Planeswalker Decks of the set contain a code that redeems for that Planeswalker Deck in MTG Arena. In addition, a (non-unique) code was offered to everyone that redeemed for three in-game Ravnica Allegiance packs.

Collector's Boosters

Ravnica Allegiance Collector Booster

For Ravnica Allegiance, Wizards of the Coast also sold "Collector's Boosters" that contain 15 cards for $12.99:

• 2 foils of any rarity
• 3 rares/mythic rares
• 10 uncommons.

This is a very limited experimental test run. Collector's Boosters will only be available in Japan and North America, and even there they won't be widely available.

Events

• Prerelease takes place on January 19, 2019.
• Local stores will be hosting Ravnica Weekend on February 16–17, 2019. Players can come in and play Standard, Draft, or Sealed (decided by the LGS), casual Guild Kit battles, and adventures from the D&D Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica.

Promotional cards

• Magic Open House: full-art Rakdos Firewheeler
• Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare belonging to the chosen guild.
• Draft Weekend Launch promo: Simic Ascendancy
• Magic League: Gate Colossus
• Buy-a-Box: The Haunt of Hightower
• FNM promos: Growth Spiral, Mortify, and Light Up the Stage
• Ravnica Weekend: full-art Lavinia, Azorius Renegade and one of ten special guild-affiliated premium foil promo basic lands. These are numbered B01/10 to B10/10.
  • Non-foil versions of these basic lands appear in the Guild Kits, where they are numbered as part of the deck.

Tokens / Emblem

The sixteenth card in the boosters is a token card or an emblem, with advertisements on the back side. There are thirteen tokens and one emblem in the set:

1. 1/1 Human creature for Hero of Precinct One and Watchful Giant
2. 0/2 Illusion creature with "Whenever this creature blocks a creature, that creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step." for Mesmerizing Benthid
3. 2/2 Zombie creature for Awaken the Erstwhile and Captive Audience
4. 1/1 Goblin creature for Goblin Gathering
5. 3/3 Centaur creature for Rampage of the Clans
6. 3/3 Frog Lizard creature for Incongruity
7. 2/2 Ooze creature for Biogenic Ooze
8. 4/4 Beast creature with trample for Domri, Chaos Bringer and Threat
9. 4/4 Sphinx creature with flying and vigilance for Warden
10. 1/1 Spirit creature with flying for Ethereal Absolution, Knight of the Last Breath and all creatures with afterlife
11. 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying for Dovin, Grand Arbiter and Deploy
12. Treasure artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color." for Smothering Tithe
13. Emblem for Domri, Chaos Bringer

Mythic Edition

Ravnica Allegiance Mythic Edition is a special draft-sized booster box. It contains eight masterpieces.

Themes and mechanics

Each guild features a unique mechanic.

Guild	Colors	Crest	Keyword or ability word	Description
Azorius Senate			Addendum	If you cast a spell during your main phase,... it has an additional or alternative effect.
Cult of Rakdos			Spectacle	You may cast this spell for its spectacle cost rather than its mana cost if an opponent lost life this turn.
Gruul Clans			Riot	This creature enters the battlefield with your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste.
Orzhov Syndicate			Afterlife N	When this creature dies, create N 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token(s) with flying.
Simic Combine			Adapt N	If this creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put N +1/+1 counter(s) on it.

Ravnica Allegiance continues the two cycles of split cards started in Guilds of Ravnica. These guild-based split cards include a hybrid multicolored half and a traditional multicolored half.

Cycles

Ravnica Allegiance has twelve cycles, two of which are reprints.

Cycle name	Description and notes	Azorius	Rakdos	Gruul	Orzhov	Simic
Guild leaders	Five mythic rare legendary multicolor creatures or planeswalkers, each of whom are aligned with a guild and is their leader. Guilds aligned with Nicol Bolas have planeswalkers as their leaders: guilds aligned against, creatures.	Dovin, Grand Arbiter	Rakdos, the Showstopper	Domri, Chaos Bringer	Kaya, Orzhov Usurper	Prime Speaker Vannifar
Guild champions	Five rare legendary multicolor creatures, each of whom are aligned with a guild and are a significant figure in the guild.	Lavinia, Azorius Renegade	Judith, the Scourge Diva	Nikya of the Old Ways	Teysa Karlov	Zegana, Utopian Speaker
Guildmages	Five uncommon multicolor creatures, each of whom are aligned with a guild and have two activated abilities, each ability costing at least one mana of that guild's colors and tapping to activate. They are named after the full title of their respective guilds.	Senate Guildmage	Cult Guildmage	Clan Guildmage	Syndicate Guildmage	Combine Guildmage
MMNN creatures	Five powerful uncommon multicolored creatures, each of which cost four mana, two of each of their respective guild's colors.	Sphinx of New Prahv	Rakdos Firewheeler	Sunder Shaman	Basilica Bell-Haunt	Frilled Mystic
Mechanical commons	Five common multicolor spells which demonstrate the guild mechanic.	Sphinx's Insight	Rafter Demon	Frenzied Arynx	Imperious Oligarch	Aeromunculus
Activated creatures	Five common monocolored creatures with an activated ability of the other guild color.	Senate Courier	Rakdos Trumpeter	Gravel-Hide Goblin	Twilight Panther	Steeple Creeper
Hybrid creatures	Five common creatures which have only hybrid mana and generic mana in their casting cost.	Senate Griffin	Footlight Fiend	Rubble Slinger	Vizkopa Vampire	Scuttlegator
Uncommon split cards	Five uncommon split cards, one side of which uses hybrid mana in guild colors and the other side is multicolor.	Depose // Deploy	Carnival // Carnage	Collision // Colossus	Consecrate // Consume	Incubation // Incongruity
Rare split cards	Five rare split cards, following the same formula as above. The hybrid side depicts the guild champion, and the multicolored side depicts its leader.	Warrant // Warden	Bedeck // Bedazzle	Thrash // Threat	Revival // Revenge	Repudiate // Replicate
Lockets	Five common mana stones for . each of which tap for either color mana of its corresponding guild, and can be sacrificed by tapping and paying four hybrid mana of the same colors to draw two cards.	Azorius Locket	Rakdos Locket	Gruul Locket	Orzhov Locket	Simic Locket
Guildgates	Five common dual lands in guild colors, originally printed in the Return to Ravnica block. Each has the Gate subtype and enters the battlefield tapped. Each is printed twice in the set, with two different sets of art and flavor text. The first shows the guild's "main gate" and has flavor referring to its leader, whereas the second shows a "back door" and has flavor referencing to its lieutenant.	Azorius Guildgate	Rakdos Guildgate	Gruul Guildgate	Orzhov Guildgate	Simic Guildgate
Shock lands	Five rare dual lands in guild colors, originally printed in the Ravnica: City of Guilds block. Each has the respective basic land types, and enters the battlefield tapped unless its controller pays 2 life.	Hallowed Fountain	Blood Crypt	Stomping Ground	Godless Shrine	Breeding Pool

Reprinted cards

• Absorb, first printed in Invasion (first time Modern legal)
• Act of Treason, first printed in Magic 2010, last seen in Core Set 2019
• Concordia Pegasus, first printed in Return to Ravnica
• Gateway Plaza, first printed in Guilds of Ravnica
• Gift of Strength, first printed in Hour of Devastation
• Mammoth Spider, first printed in Dominaria
• Junktroller, first printed in Ravnica: City of Guilds
• Mortify, first printed in Guildpact, last seen in Commander 2018
• Root Snare, first printed in Core Set 2019
• Scrabbling Claws, first printed in Mirrodin, last seen in Commander 2018
• Tower Defense, first printed in Gatecrash
• The guildgates, first seen in Return to Ravnica block
• The shock lands first seen in Ravnica block.

Functional reprints

• Axebane Beast is a functional reprint of Rowan Treefolk and Southern Elephant, save for creature types.
• Civic Stalwart is a functional reprint of Inspiring Captain, save for creature types.
• Haazda Officer is a functional reprint of Herald Of The Fair, save for creature types.
• Feral Maaka is a functional reprint of Defiant Khenra and Falkenrath Reaver, save for creature types.
• Grotesque Demise is a functional reprint of Reaver Ambush.
• Prowling Caracal is a functional reprint of Blade of the Sixth Pride and Oreskos Swiftclaw, save for creature types.

Preconstructed decks

Ravnica Allegiance features two planeswalker decks:

Planeswalker deck name	Colors Included					Planeswalker
Dovin	W	U				Dovin, Architect of Law
Domri				R	G	Domri, City Smasher

Ravnica Allegiance features five Guild Kits:

Guild Kit name	Colors Included
Azorius	W	U
Rakdos			B	R
Gruul				R	G
Simic		U			G
Orzhov	W		B

Notable cards

• Simic Ascendancy is an alternate-win card.
• Gruul Guildgate (#250) breaks the pattern of displaying a quote from the set's lieutenant. Instead Nikya's flavor text appears on Stomping Ground.
• Angel of Grace is a throwback to Angel's Grace
• Collision // Colossus has half the card being Colossal Might, even with the same word root.
• Electrodominance sees some Modern play in decks trying to abuse 0 CMC suspend spells such as Restore Balance.

External links

• Ravnica Allegiance Trailer
• Ravnica Allegiance Full Spoiler
• Mark Rosewater (January 2, 2019). "Building Allegiances, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (January 7, 2019). "Building Allegiances, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (January 28, 2019). "Odds & Ends: Ravnica Allegiance". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Mark Rosewater (February 4, 2019). "More Odds & Ends: Ravnica Allegiance". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Chris Gleeson (February 15, 2019). "Ravnica Allegiance Art Descriptions". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.