Rotation has happened and a flavorful new Standard format for Magic: the Gathering is underway. Two intriguing and very different worlds of the Multiverse now come face to face: the urban majesty and grandeur of the city of Ravnica and the rural isolation and dread of Innistrad. The legislators and bureaucrats of the Azorius Senate will have to contend with bloodthirsty vampires, moon-crazed werewolves, and brain-craving zombies disturbing the peace. The brave and beleaguered villagers of Innistrad must now add the sadistic cultists of Rakdos and scavenging swarms of Golgari to their sources of dread.
What new alliances will form? What fresh enmity will develop? The possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination. What decks will come from the collision of these worlds? I’ve got some ideas on that one.
The deck ideas that follow are just that, ideas. My goal is to include cards with enough competitive power to be effective at your kitchen table or local game store, while mixing in some of the rich flavors Innistrad and Return to Ravnica have to offer. As with any brew, the recipe is open to experimentation. Want to increase the effectiveness? Let your inner Spike knock Vorthos aside and upgrade a few cards. Now let’s take a look at who is up to what in Ravnica and Innistrad.
The Azorius Senate and the Spirits of Innistrad (Blue and White)
New Prahv (The Daily Ravnican) – After a special session held today, the Azorius Senate announced the formation of a task force to manage the growing number of violent incidents involving visitors from the world of Innistrad. The most recent incident, in which an undead visitor was detained for attacking and attempting to consume the brain of an elocutor in the Forum of Azor, is just the latest of dozens of similar incidents reported throughout the city.
Ravnica has seen many tourists from the world of Innistrad since the Type 2 Standard Trade Act went into effect late last week. The act was narrowly approved by the Jelenn Column several months ago as a first step in opening up trade and tourism throughout the Multiverse.
A spokesman for the Senate announced that “friendly spirits from the world of Innistrad will join the task force to help track and manage these threats”.
[Deck title= “Bipartisan Spirits by Nick Vigabool”]
[Creatures]
*4 Doomed Traveler
*3 Azorius Arrester
*3 Drogskol Captain
*2 Phantom General
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*3 Silent Departure
*4 Azorius Charm
*2 Feeling of Dread
*4 Intangible Virtue
*4 Detention Sphere
*4 Lingering Souls
*4 Midnight Haunting
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Glacial Fortress
*4 Hallowed Fountain
*2 Island
*4 Isolated Chapel
*2 Moorland Haunt
*6 Plains
*1 Swamp
[/Land]
[/Deck]
This deck, and the task force it represents, falls solidly under the supervision of the Lyev Column, the part of the Senate that enforces its decrees and laws throughout the city. The task force’s plan is to use Doomed Traveler to sniff out threats to the peace and justice of the city, sort of like a canary in a coal mine. Once foes are found, the plan is to bring in reinforcements through spells like Lingering Souls and Midnight Haunting, provide them leadership through Drogskol Captain and Phantom General, and improve their effectiveness using Intangible Virtue. The Lyev Column believes in giving its operatives the right tools for the job, so spells like Silent Departure, Feeling of Dread, and Detention Sphere are available to control the battlefield as required.
The Cult of Rakdos and the Vampires of Stensia (Black and Red)
Olivia Voldaren sits in an overstuffed arm chair and surveys the private audience chamber of her host. The color palette is suits her mood, dark and bloody, though the décor is far too garish for her tastes. Murals of carnage and debauchery cover every wall and are liberally splashed what appear to be entrails. A preposterously unnecessary display of power, or insanity, she thinks, wrinkling her nose at the sight. This would never do for a gala; blood could get on a guest’s clothing.
“Welcome to Raaaaaavnicaaaaaaa ha-ha-ha-haaa!” says Rakdos the Defiler, extending his gauntleted arms wide, and with a nod to an Azorius Arrester chained to the wall adds, “Care for a drink?” The demon’s booming laughter fills the room, joined by the cackling of his lackeys. Olivia waits patiently for them to get their fill of mirth.
“No, thank you,” she says with a glance at the human. “I’m here to talk business of a sort: my next party. It will be the event of the season in Stensia! I would like to provide Ravnican vintages of blood for my guests, as well as, ah, party favors. I am perfectly willing to pay you for the right to take what I need here, as well as for some foot soldiers to help me shop.”
The room grows silent as Olivia finishes speaking. All eyes are on Rakdos. Some glance quickly to her and back, nervous with anticipation. She sighs inwardly and continues, “You are, of course, invited as my honored guest. You simply must come.”
“Wonderful!” he bellows, the tension in the room evaporating quickly. “You shall have everything you need to make this happen!”
[Deck title= “Rakdos Masquerade by Nick Vigabool”]
[Creatures]
*4 Rakdos Cackler
*4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
*3 Hellhole Flailer
*3 Vampire Nighthawk
*2 Falkenrath Aristocrat
*2 Olivia Voldaren
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*2 Appetite for Brains
*4 Pillar of Flame
*1 Tragic Slip
*2 Dreadbore
*3 Rakdos’s Return
*2 Ultimate Price
*2 Rakdos Keyrune
*2 Sever the Bloodline
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Blood Crypt
*4 Dragonskull Summit
*5 Mountain
*2 Rakdos Guildgate
*9 Swamp
[/Land]
[/Deck]
Olivia has chosen some of the Cult’s best foot soldiers for her shopping spree. Rakdos Cackler and Rakdos Shred-Freak serve her as early attackers, inviting the unsuspecting to a bloodbath. Hellhole Flailer is a brute that keeps the pressure on with a special surprise for any opponent that gets too close. Vampire Nighthawk is a great defender and aerial attacker, and Falkenrath Aristocrat is a hasty finisher. Olivia Voldaren herself is able to help control the battlefield with her 1R ability, consuming small blockers and nuisance creatures, while increasing her power as the true threat of any fight. A suite of hand disruption and removal round out the raiding party’s spells.
The Golgari Swarm and Zombies of Innistrad (Black and Green)
When last we heard from Geralf and Gisa, siblings and rival necromancers in Innistrad, they were bickering and plotting doom for the humans of Gavony. We at ManaDeprived were able to obtain exclusive letters of more recent correspondence between the two involving the return to Ravnica.
Dearest Gisa,
I am still angry with you. My list of grievances is long and just, but I won’t get into it here. I will set aside your lies and cheating, the incompetence of your undead minions, and your utter disregard for the Five Laws of NecroWarfare that we both agreed to (in blood I might add). I will set these things aside so we can focus on a new opportunity: Ravnica.
Have you seen the size of that city? There must be bodies everywhere, more than enough for both of us to share! It is in our best interests to come to an understanding and establish some ground rules on how to divvy up the spoils.
Geralf
Geralf,
You bleat on about these laws of yours like a Thraben shepherd begging for his life. It is so tiresome. Nevertheless, I must admit that your idea has merit, a truly miraculous feat given your mental shortcomings. The shock of it caused me to lose my concentration, ruining an entire crop of ghouls! I shall expect to be compensated for them.
I agree to your plan under the condition that you go and investigate this Ravnica. We need firsthand information to decide how to proceed and I am far too busy with my own much more important plans.
Gisa
Dearest Gisa,
I will scout the city myself. This was my plan all along, and you just happen to agree with me. In return for this service I will take the first pick of its offerings. This is only fair. Also, don’t touch my things in my absence. I WILL know.
Geralf
To Jarad Von Salvo:
Greetings, great guildmaster, I am Gisa from Innistrad, a fellow necromancer and big fan of your work. I write you to begin what I hope will be a long and beautiful partnership between your Golgari Swarm and my own operation here in Innistrad. I can provide a variety of corpses in trade and am particularly interested in your work with zombie trolls.
As a token of good faith I will give you warning of a vile and deceitful necromancer of Innistrad named Geralf, who is even now infiltrating the streets and sewers of Ravnica. He is simple of mind but malicious of intent. I believe a squashing is in order.
Fondly yours,
Gisa
[Deck title= “Golgari Decay by Nick Vigabool”]
[Creatures]
*2 Deathrite Shaman
*4 Diregraf Ghoul
*4 Gravecrawler
*2 Slitherhead
*4 Lotleth Troll
*4 Dreg Mangler
*4 Geralf’s Messenger
*2 Desecration Demon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*4 Rancor
*3 Abrupt Decay
*2 Grisly Salvage
*3 Sign in Blood
[/Spells]
[Land]
*2 Golgari Guildgate
*4 Overgrown Tomb
*12 Swamp
*4 Woodland Cemetery
[/Land]
[/Deck]
Gisa was able to assemble a new undead army through her partnership with the Golgari Swarm, and stealing some of her brother’s stuff. This army has familiar faces: Diregraf Ghoul, Gravecrawler, and Geralf’s Messenger, the heart of any serious zombie force. To this she added new toys from Ravnica: Lotleth Troll really adds some teeth to the deck as a two-drop and is an excellent follow-up to the one-mana 2/2s already on staff; Slitherhead provides options, either as a body to block a foe on the battlefield or bones to scavenge in the graveyard; and despite a lack of legs, Dreg Mangler moves quickly and hits hard early.
Gisa learned some new spells as well. Rancor makes her zombies stronger and scarier over and over. Sign in Blood and Grisly Salvage help dig for the right answer to a problem at hand, and Abrupt Decay kills a lot of things that have it coming.
The Selesnya Conclave and Humans of Gavony (Green and White)
CRUNCH. His hammer makes that familiar and satisfying sound as it meets the skull of this creature, whatever it is. It was human at one point. It seems there is necromancy at work in this world. “BAM”, he caught that one on the backswing, sending it flying. It won’t get up. He trumpets a war call and raises his hammer high, ready for more.
This is probably not what Trostoni had in mind when she provided her mandate: explore the world of Innistrad, interact with its inhabitants, and expand the reach of the Worldmind. But that is for the Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage to worry about. THUD. Another one down, they aren’t very tough, one hit will do, but there sure are a lot of them.
He senses a low rumbling in the ground; horses approaching. He scans the horizon and sees a small column of mounted and heavily armed humans approaching. A young woman leads a charge into the undead ranks. The fight doesn’t last much longer.
The guildmage and the young captain of the humans meet to confer and shake hands. He cannot hear the full conversation but he does hear, “Thraben, the high city of Gavony,” as the woman points in the direction the soldiers were riding, and then “under constant assault” and “would be welcome.” It seems there is more work to be done here, and potential converts to the Selesnya Conclave after all.
[Deck title= “Common Cause by Nick Vigabool”]
[Creatures]
*4 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
*2 Precinct Captain
*2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
*2 Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage
*2 Fiend Hunter
*2 Loxodon Smiter
*2 Wayfaring Temple
*2 Restoration Angel
*2 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
*2 Geist-Honored Monk
*2 Thragtusk
*2 Armada Wurm
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*4 Call of the Conclave
*4 Selesnya Charm
[/Spells]
[Land]
*7 Forest
*1 Gavony Township
*2 Grove of the Guardian
*6 Plains
*2 Selesnya Guildgate
*4 Sunpetal Grove
*4 Temple Garden
[/Land]
[/Deck]
The goal of the Conclave is to help save the humans of Gavony from being overrun. Trostoni, Selesnya’s Voice, has come herself and has brought many of the Conclave with her. Her plan is to overwhelm any foe through the sheer volume of truly powerful creatures on the battlefield. As each creature joins the fray, Trostoni gains a little life for the defenders. Joining her is Loxodon Smiter (who never misses a fight), Armada Wurm, and plenty of 3/3 Centaurs summoned by the Call of the Conclave or Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage.
Restoration Angel works well with all of the great enters the battlefield abilities, especially Thragtusk and Armada Wurm. Trostoni and Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage are both able to populate one of the many creature tokens running around, and both Wayfaring Temple and Geist-Honored Monk get bigger and more powerful as the Allied forces grow.
The Izzet League, Delver of Secrets, and Goblins (Blue and Red)
“It’s the unmitigated hatred that hurts the most,” says the unassuming human wizard standing before the Dracogenius’s towering throne, “I’ve done nothing wrong. All I want to do is investigate the intersection between science and magic. That and insects—insects are fascinating. I am misunderstood.”
Niv-Mizzet mastered a mixture of mirth and annoyance at his guest’s comments. He could be a very useful member of the Izzet League, but only if this conversation were approached diplomatically. Sure, this bald and robed human looks like a common creature, but his experiments led to the creation of a dominant force in the Multiverse. The dragon tamped down his jealousy and, in a tone he knew humans found sympathetic, murmured, “It is truly unfair what you have been through.”
“Oh most definitely!” the wizard exclaimed, encouraged by the support of the 15,000-year-old dragon, “They took my tools, most of them anyway, and destroyed my laboratory. Oh, and my friends abandoned me, a fickle lot they are, nowhere to be found now that I’m back to square one! It’s disrespectful.”
“Most definitely”, Niv-Mizzet responded, “Now, tell me, how is it that the Izzet can help?”
The wizard’s face brightened immediately. He had been waiting for this invitation to make his request: “Great sir, the Izzet League is known for their intelligence, resourcefulness, and brilliant experiments across the Multiverse, even in Innistrad. I request only to be admitted to the League, permitted a lab in which to work, and new tools to replace the ones taken from me.”
The dragon paused to consider for a moment. “We can oblige you there. I will not be able to help you personally. Not yet. But you will need somebody to help you, a partner who knows how to get things done in this city. I know the perfect goblin for the job.” Niv-Mizzet turned to an assistant, “Hire Krenko, he’s always up for some coin.”
[Deck title= “Izzet Krenko? by Nick Vigabool”]
[Creatures]
*4 Delver of Secrets
*4 Goblin Arsonist
*4 Goblin Electromancer
*4 Guttersnipe
*3 Krenko, Mob Boss
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*3 Blustersquall
*4 Pillar of Flame
*3 Desperate Ravings
*3 Izzet Charm
*4 Krenko’s Command
*2 Mizzium Mortars
[/Spells]
[Land]
*5 Island
*9 Mountain
*4 Steam Vents
*4 Sulfur Falls
[/Land]
[/Deck]
In true Izzet fashion, this deck is an experiment. The Delver of Secrets must find his way with new spells and tools. He still becomes a 3/2 insect, though less reliably. The addition of Guttersnipe further leverages the high volume of instants and sorceries, a Shocking development for opponents. Krenko, Mob Boss, helps build a critical mass of goblins to overwhelm your opponent and block incoming attacks. Goblin Electromancer makes things particularly interesting: for 1UR, Desperate Ravings draws two cards and discards one, twice, for example. It also makes overloading spells like Blustersquall and Mizzium Mortars cheaper.
The Future
When worlds meet, things change. We have a new Standard environment, new competitive decks, and more flavorful worlds to combine and enjoy. Do any of these Innistrad and Ravnica alliances have a chance to make it and become true powers in the new world order? Let me know what you think.
Nick Vigabool (@MrVigabool)