Return to Ravnica: Azorius Advance Review (Part 1 of 2)
Sometimes things are simple. As we saw in our last review, the Izzet guild presented few hurdles to Wizards R&D, either in its initial conception or its Return to Ravnica iteration. Both Red and Blue had a natural affinity for instants and sorceries, so the ‘design space’ the Izzet occupied virtually carved itself out. The Izzet’s first mechanic, replicate, was fairly straightforward, and didn’t cause any headaches in development (that we know of). When it came time to create their second mechanic, for Return to Ravnica, lead designer Ken Nagle already had the perfect fit- from a mechanic he’d come up with some years back in the Great Designer Search. Sometimes, everything just comes together.
Other times, well…
Return to Ravnica: Izzet Ingenuity Review (Part 2 of 2)
Jimi’s back, and ready to roll with Golgari Growth and awaiting me at the other side of the table. The objective: to put Izzet Ingenuity through its paces, to see how well it performs under battlefield conditions. Can the spell-centric guild hold its own against its nemesis from the most recent Duel Decks?
Return to Ravnica: Izzet Ingenuity Review (Part 1 of 2)
The concept of the guilds was the glittering foundation the entire set of Ravnica was built upon, and it gave the game one of its most enduring identities. Even as late as Scars of Mirrodin block, some half a decade later, it wasn’t at all unusual to hear folks refer to Red/White decks as “Boros,” even if some of the other guild names had fallen from common parlance. They were one of the game’s greatest flavour innovations, but they didn’t all come easily.
Return to Ravnica: Rakdos Raid Review (Part 2 of 2)
Halfway through the Return to Ravnica, it’s now time to showcase the wicked bacchanal of the Rakdos! A guild which received a very welcome image makeover from the original with tons of added style, the only question left to answer is how well they play. To find out, Sam joined me at the table with Izzet Ingenuity.
Return to Ravnica: Rakdos Raid Review (Part 1 of 2)
Each year, designer and all-around face of Magic Mark Rosewater uses his weekly column over at the mothership to look back on the previous year and reflect on its highs and lows, failures and successes. These annual “State of Design” features are insightful reading, giving an insider’s perspective into the block gone by. A year on it’s easy to overlook, but buried within last year’s feature was this little gem: 2011 Goal #2: Combine nostalgia with innovation.
Return to Ravnica: Golgari Growth Review (Part 2 of 2)
Jimi’s back at the table for another round, and she’s packing some Azorius muscle to boot! Meanwhile, we get another look at one of Ravnica’s most prominent guilds, the Golgari. Because hey, every guild gets an Intro pack, but not every guild has an upcoming Event Deck and a Duel Deck appearance under their belt!
News: Return to Ravnica Event Decks Revealed!
Those watching the mothership yesterday found an unexpected and early treat- the decklists for the two upcoming Event Decks for Return to Ravnica have been spoiled!
Return to Ravnica: Golgari Growth Review (Part 1 of 2)
2010’s Scars of Mirrodin was an exciting and inspiring set. Although not universally loved, of course, even its detractors had to be pleased with the basic question that the set’s existence raised. If we can return to Mirrodin, the thought went, where else could we go? Some strands of thought emanating from this question went a little further than others- there weren’t many clamouring for a return to Sarpadia, the setting for Fallen Empires, for example. But there were two names that kept coming up over and over in the Magic community.
Return to Ravnica: Selesnya Surge Review (Part 2 of 2)
It’s always fun when the payoff arrives after tremendous anticipation, and Sam and I both are eager to get to playing with the new Return to Ravnica Intro Pack decks. For her part, Sam’s grabbed the Rakdos Raid deck, a Black/Red brew with only one thing on its mind- aggression. Can the Conclave withstand the thundering force of their brutal bacchanal?
Return to Ravnica: Selesnya Surge Review (Part 1 of 2)
Like all things, language is subject to change and evolution over time. Words that mean something now may not mean the same thing later, and tracing the origin of words can be an intriguing experience. You don’t have to go back to Greek and Latin to find interesting origin stories- sometimes there’s a story behind the original meaning of a word that’s come to mean something else.
Ertai's Lament 