Mono-colored decks in Magic: The Gathering can be very strong as proved by mono-red, mono-black and even colorless decks before. But then Ravnica plane was introduced that offered a different approach that focused on color combinations, which prompted players to combine different colors in order to achieve much stronger effects.
The latest Guilds of Ravnica expansion marks the return to color pairs with their distinctive names: Selesnya, Boros, Golgari, Izzet, and Dimir. Each of the five guilds offers its own special ability: Convoke, Mentor, Undergrowth, Jump-start, and Surveil.
The House Dimir looks to be the strongest one with its Surveil ability, but you may want to check a few other options as well. So here you will find 15 of the most powerful MtG cards from Guilds of Ravnica for Limited formats, such as Draft and Sealed, in the following order:
- 5 common cards
- 7 uncommon cards
- 3 rare cards
Darkblade Agent
In the Guilds of Ravnica set Dimir color pair, which is blue-black, creates many opportunities for players with the help of the Surveil mechanic, which works similar to Scry, but instead of putting cards on the bottom of your library, you put them into your graveyard.
Darkblade Agent benefits greatly from this mechanic and acquires deathtouch and card draw abilities every time you Surveil, and not just once when it enters the battlefield. This makes it one of the most valuable build-around cards in the Dimir color pair.
Skyknight Legionnaire
Here is a good ol' reprint of the card that can wreck some havoc in the Boros (red-white) decks. If you have a card on the battlefield with the Mentor ability and at least three points of power, then whenever Skyknight Legionnaire attacks it'll get the +1/+1 counter.
This means that it'll potentially keep growing as it attacks, which means a swift victory for you. But this should be no surprise, as Boros color pair has always been one of the most aggressive combinations in the history of Magic: The Gathering.
Hypothesizzle
We've seen plenty of spells that draw cards and deal damage to creatures before, but we've never seen them put together in one card at instant speed. This is definitely an interesting design, which will see plenty of play in both Draft and Sealed formats.
On the other hand, having both of these effects in one card will be less exciting if it gets countered, meaning that you will lose both the card draw and the damage. But thankfully, counterspells are rarely played in Limited, so 9 out of 10 times it won't fizzle.
Watcher in the Mist
When you see the Surveil mechanic on a blue card, you know it goes into your Dimir deck. The mechanic is just too strong to ignore, and the 3/4 flier is something you would play anyway.
Watcher in the Mist is actually very much reminiscent of Cloudreader Sphinx from Dominaria that saw play in almost every blue deck. The effect was too powerful to ignore, and so is the Watcher in the Mist -- just pick it up every time you see it in your Draft.
Siege Wurm
Those who haven't had the chance to play during the original Ravnica block with this card, will have the chance to experience one of the strongest green commons this time around.
At first glance, a seven mana 5/5 doesn't look particularly exciting. But then you will notice that it has the Convoke keyword, which basically works like creature Affinity. So, if you have at least two more creatures on board, then this will coast five mana. The more creatures you have, the less it costs, up to two green mana. Now that is powerful!
League Guildmage
Here is another exciting blue-red card with double effect. Guildmage can repeatedly draw you cards and create copies of your spells. Its only weakness is that it's not very tough so it's going to be very easy to remove.
The second ability also works like a counterspell. Imagine that you're casting a removal, which gets countered by your opponent, and then you activate the second ability of the Guildmage to copy your removal. It's a really flexible card that will be seen in most Izzet decks.
Conclave Cavalier
This is a true Limited bomb! Basically, you have 8/8 stats for four mana, which is incredible for an uncommon card. Conclave Cavalier could easily be a rare card and no one would ever question its rarity slot. But here it is and ready to take both Limited formats with a storm.
The elf tokens also synergize very well with Siege Wurm and other cards with Convoke mechanic. This card alone puts the Selesnya guild in a very good spot this season.
Conclave Tribunal
There are plenty of removal spells in MtG, but there are only a few that really grab your attention. Conclave Tribunal is one of those cards, which can be potentially cast for just one white mana.
That is a very powerful effect, which will probably become one of the strongest removal spells in Guilds of Ravnica. Of course, you will rarely be able to cast it for one mana, but even for two or three mana it's going to be absolutely amazing.
Crackling Drake
Here's a slightly more powerful version of Enigma Drake, and slightly more expensive as well. But it doesn't make it any less attractive. On the contrary, Crackling Drake will be an awesome addition to any of your Izzet or Grixis builds.
There won't be too many spells in exile while playing Limited, but the fact that it draws you a card is just fantastic. It also synergizes perfectly with Jump-start ability that lets you put more spells into your graveyard, and thus giving it more power.
Nightveil Predator
Although there is nothing new in terms of abilities on Nightveil Predator, it is the first creature in the Magic's roster that has Flying, Deathtouch and Hexproof slammed on one card.
This combination is undoubtedly a mighty one. You can't kill it using your removal spells, and the only thing left is blocking it with your fliers that will die no matter how big they are.
This means that having it in your Dimir deck will be great, almost game-winning, and it will be miserable to play against.
Price of Fame
Price of Fame is a slightly improved reprint of Cast Down that cost two mana and could remove non-legendary creatures. Now you can remove both legendary and non-legendary creatures with different paying costs. On top of that, it has Surveil, which is a welcome addition to an already great card.
Cast Down was one of the most dominant removal spells during the Dominaria Limited season, and it looks like Price of Fame will take that spot alongside Conclave Tribunal.
Citywatch Sphinx
Limited Players rarely choose cards that cost more than five mana. But the exceptions include bombs that can change the outcome of the game. Citywatch Sphinx is one of those cards: a massive flier that lets you Surveil for two when it dies.
It can be safely picked up in Draft, if you can't find a good rare headliner. In this case it will take the lead as your number one card. It obviously fits the blue-black archetype the most, but don't be shy to include it in your other blue-based decks.
Assassin's Trophy
This instant spell includes three words that will terrify any Magic player: destroy target permanent. This is unconditional removal for only two mana that can remove any card from your opponent's side of the table (excluding Hexproof permanents, of course).
Assassin's Trophy will also probably get quite expensive as it's already going into many other formats, such as Standard and Modern. So opening it in your Draft or Sealed packs would be great not only for your gameplay, but also your wallet.
Thief of Sanity
You have probably guessed already how strong House Dimir is in this set. The card above defines the control aspect of the blue-black pair by siphoning three cards out of your opponent's library, one of which you can even play if needed be.
If you've ever played Gonti, the Lord of Luxury, then you know how convenient it can be to play additional cards from your opponent's deck. And it doesn't matter if Thief of Sanity survives or dies, you can cast the exiled card anyway.
Light of the Legion
A list of best Limited cards would not be complete without a white Angel that buffs all of your other creatures. Well, Guilds of Ravnica is not an exception, as it offers Light of the Legion -- a new Boros lord that has Flying and Mentor abilities.
Put it in your red-white or green-white decks and be sure that your opponent can kill it through blocking or other means while you have lots of smaller creatures on the battlefield that will get instantly buffed.
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Let us know about your favorite Limited cards from Guilds of Ravnica in the comments below, and come back soon for more Magic: The Gathering guides here at GameSkinny!
Published: Sep 24, 2018 09:51 am