Lots of new Ravnica Allegiance (RNA) cards have been spoiled so far, and it's past time we get a discussion thread going. See our site spoilers here: https://www.mtgsalvation.com/spoilers/229-ravnica-allegiance. We also have some previews discussed on Reddit that have not yet made it to the spoilers. This includes Growth Spiral, the Simic instant-speed Explore, and the powerful new Human, Lavinia, Azorius Renegade.
Lavinia, Azorius RenegadeUW Legendary Creature - Human Soldier
Each opponent can't cost noncreature spells with converted mana cost greater than the number of lands that player controls.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.
2/2
Obviously a nice little boost to Humans a big middle finger to decks like Gx Tron. Excited to see where else the set takes us! What other cards are people looking forward to?
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade seems like a strong Human. Or is she? The more I read her text, the worse she looks. The first ability doesn't affect creatures (there go dreams of stopping Wurmcoil Engine or World Breaker out of Tron, or disabling Noble Hierarch or Mox Opal in Affinity), and Storm breaks out of it once they hit 4 lands. The second ability hits Bloodbraid Elf's cascaded card, Living End, Lotus Bloom, Pacts, and Nourishing Shoal. It notably doesn't hit Bloodghast, Arclight Phoenix, Creeping Chill, etc: all the free triggered abilities that you'll see much more frequently than free spells.
Rix Maadi Reveler has Insolent Neonate's ability on ETB instead of sac. It could be a card for Bridgevine, but its mana cost is on the high side for that deck (this matters when you're trying to discard Bloodghast and play a land to reanimate it on turn 2). The mana cost also pushes you towards playing more 0-drops to enable T2 Vengevine reanimations (T2 Reveler, discard Vengevine, 0, reanimate Vengevine). It also has an alternate cost, but you need to hit 4 mana and connect with something. Keeping Insolent Neonate or Walking Ballista around will help with the latter.
Light the Stage is as efficient as Thoughtcast when spectacled (and when you have enough mana to cast any spells exiled). What deck fits the bill? 8 Whack has been spotted using The Flame of Keld, could they use this too? They have Fanatical Firebrand and Mogg Fanatic to store 1 point of damage for spectacle. Or some Affinity/Kuldotha Rebirth deck? Also note that Sunscorched Desert enables it without using up a spell.
Collective Brutality is a better card than Creeping Chill. Not as free when everything goes right, but not as dead when they don't. And Dredge actually plays Brutality in the SB.
This was part of your incredulous response to my saying creeping chill will be a 4-of in dredge back in the last spoiler thread. You said chill wouldn't see play and were very condescending about it. You were very wrong.
Of the cards spoiled so far, imo the most potential is Growth Spiral in amulet titan. Explore is already a thing, and a 4-of in that deck, but spiral being instant speed and being one of a few ways you can play a bounce land at instant speed is NUTS. GU is a bit more restrictive than 1G, but I think it could be worth retooling the mana base a bit to a more simic deck due to the power of spiral. I don't know if the deck would run the full playset of both, but having played it pretty extensively I can think of any number of times Explore's cantrip helped me go off, and having more of that effect aint bad.
Amulet is a deck I could see picking growth spiral up, unfortunately I just don't see it making the cut elsewhere. Ramping, even at instant speed, just doesn't seem very appealing in modern which is already a fairly low to the ground format in a lot of cases.
I am really hopin GU will get some decent control/midrange value cards to bring the archetype into modern (or heck even sultai/bant control variants). convoke the tribunal seems much more playable to me than this, and if growth spiral is the poster child for the guild I'm concerned.
Simic ascendancy seems too gimicky for modern imho. Even with snek and hardened scales 20 is a heck of a hoop to jump through. Hardened scales affinity already has an infect kill to circumvent other win cons so I don't see it making waves there.
I'll try it in my Elf warrior build with metalic mimic and bramblewood paragon but I'm afraid it'll be slow there too. Maybe a marwyn, the nurturer storm style deck could make use of it? If it etb'd to count existing counters I would have liked it a bit more. Meh.
Spectacle as a mechanic can get a ton of mileage in modern if it's on an instant as a cost reduction. I'd keep a serious eye out for something along those lines. Fetchlands shift a ton of the burden off you to trigger them in the early game.
Lavinia is nuts and an easy 2 of for humans 75 imho. The card has a lot of applications against cards that you specially don't want to see vs humans (Ugin, karn (sometimes), suspended rift bolts, terminus miracles, early coco/chord from ANY green deck, the list goes on). Keep in mind that any deck running coco is running something that lets them be play it t3, and she stops that. Many of those decks are land light in the first place and this could be a bigger roadblock than first blush.
She pairs very poorly with path to exile which I find fascinating from a balance perspective.
Here's hoping WoTC doesn't go full limp-d*ck mode with spectacle like they did the last few mechanics that actually had potential to be good but didn't have any good cards printed for them (seriously, not even a Shock with jump-start) I'd love to see a spectacle Lightning Bolt, but I doubt they have the stones to print it.
This was part of your incredulous response to my saying creeping chill will be a 4-of in dredge back in the last spoiler thread. You said chill wouldn't see play and were very condescending about it. You were very wrong.
OK, noted. Well done.
Amulet doesn't have tricks to bluff when passing the turn with UG up. The mana cost is definitely restrictive, hands with Forest + colorless source or land + Amulet + Gruul Turf/Selesnya Sanctuary can cast T2 Explore but not T2 Growth Spiral.
Here's hoping WoTC doesn't go full limp-d*ck mode with spectacle like they did the last few mechanics that actually had potential to be good but didn't have any good cards printed for them (seriously, not even a Shock with jump-start) I'd love to see a spectacle Lightning Bolt, but I doubt they have the stones to print it.
No way. Standard with 3 Bolts + Shock? I cannot image they would. I hope just for something that is a busted kind of draw.
This was part of your incredulous response to my saying creeping chill will be a 4-of in dredge back in the last spoiler thread. You said chill wouldn't see play and were very condescending about it. You were very wrong.
OK, noted. Well done.
Amulet doesn't have tricks to bluff when passing the turn with UG up. The mana cost is definitely restrictive, hands with Forest + colorless source or land + Amulet + Gruul Turf/Selesnya Sanctuary can cast T2 Explore but not T2 Growth Spiral.
Fair enough, good points. I'm just constantly searching for the card that might replace bloom and make that deck good again, but you're right that this ain't it.
Here's hoping WoTC doesn't go full limp-d*ck mode with spectacle like they did the last few mechanics that actually had potential to be good but didn't have any good cards printed for them (seriously, not even a Shock with jump-start) I'd love to see a spectacle Lightning Bolt, but I doubt they have the stones to print it.
No way. Standard with 3 Bolts + Shock? I cannot image they would. I hope just for something that is a busted kind of draw.
I suppose standard burn would be a bit too strong with that, but maybe a nice spectacle cantrip or something to give blue tempo decks a boost. I don't know if that would be enough to bring back Delver decks, but I miss delver decks.
Here's hoping WoTC doesn't go full limp-d*ck mode with spectacle like they did the last few mechanics that actually had potential to be good but didn't have any good cards printed for them (seriously, not even a Shock with jump-start) I'd love to see a spectacle Lightning Bolt, but I doubt they have the stones to print it.
No way. Standard with 3 Bolts + Shock? I cannot image they would. I hope just for something that is a busted kind of draw.
Probably not with risk factor floating around. Would give red decks a lot of juice and the choice is less easy in standard than it is in modern. experimental frenzy could cause some deck building restraints though. Do I load up on card draw spells for velocity or frenzy to have chain spell turns?
Interestingly enough, the spectacle promo can exile cards from the top of the library and you can play them next turn with frenzy out even since frenzy specially stops playing from hand.if this signals any type of future for red based draw, it may only be a matter of time before they print something that breaks frenzy open.
Maybe a mono red goblin list in modern with frenzy. Dirty kitty variant. Chaining these similar effects could help you bypass the hand restriction on frenzy. act on impulse style cards?
You already have the spectacle promo, frenzy and risk factor in standard. Anymore and Phoenix decks could be a horrific pain.
Also, red draw in modern is actually quite potent. faithless looting is literally nuts even if it's card disadvantage. tormenting voice already sees play. risk factor is very playable in the modern landscape imho. chandra, torch of defiance shows up in all sorts of midrange builds that are red heavy (skred, jund for a bit last year, that dragon build that was floating around for a hot minute, ur turns). There are playable options straight up the curve (albeit for different decks).
Lavinia does in fact stop Mox Opal, only with her second ability, not the first. Same goes for Mishra's Bauble, both should help humans in the KCI and Shadow match-ups. She's great against infect, since she disables Become Immense and Mutagenic Growth. She hoses all pacts, most significantly Summoner's Pact in Titan decks. Amulet Titan can't ramp into any noncreature spell, such as Hive Mind. Ornithopter and Memnite are dead to her as well, but they often come down before she does anyway.
The most significant thing i can think of is how she'll slow down Chord of Calling and Collected Company but not AEther Vial. Terminus Miracle is also potentially haulted, until they get 6 lands of course. She laughs at Rift Bolt as well as combos enabled by Simian Spirit Guide and Desperate Ritual.
All in all I'd say she is sideboard material at best. Very good against certain decks, near useless against others.
Lavinia does in fact stop Mox Opal, only with her second ability, not the first. Same goes for Mishra's Bauble, both should help humans in the KCI and Shadow match-ups. She's great against infect, since she disables Become Immense and Mutagenic Growth. She hoses all pacts, most significantly Summoner's Pact in Titan decks. Amulet Titan can't ramp into any noncreature spell, such as Hive Mind. Ornithopter and Memnite are dead to her as well, but they often come down before she does anyway.
The most significant thing i can think of is how she'll slow down Chord of Calling and Collected Company but not AEther Vial. Terminus Miracle is also potentially haulted, until they get 6 lands of course. She laughs at Rift Bolt as well as combos enabled by Simian Spirit Guide and Desperate Ritual.
All in all I'd say she is sideboard material at best. Very good against certain decks, near useless against others.
in legacy she also stops FoW, and in modern she bricks cascade effects and as foretold and living end and ancestral vision. She also shuts down flashback conflagrate from dredge, shuts off all noncreature delve spells, shuts off hollow one, the list probably goes on.
Tithe Taker 1W
Human Soldier
During your tun, spells your opponents cast cost 1 more to cast and abilities your opponents activate cost 1 more to activate unless they're mana abilities
Afterlife 1 - (When this creature dies, create a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying)
2/1
dont think its playable, but showcases the orzhov mechanic. also cant miss the irony that its a human that generates a spirit.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
Spectacle seems much like Raid to me. Spectacle encourages busting burn spells and baiting opponents into cracking fetches when countering earlier spells, though.
Rix Maadi Reveler looks better than I previously thought. Note that its mild ETB trigger involves discarding first, then drawing, so it cantrips when you're Hellbent. I'll test this in Humans--I think it'll complement Militia Bugler well.
Light the Stage looks fairly busted when you get Spectacle active, as you'll probably be able to play both cards you flip by the end of your next turn...of course, you need to get Spectacle active first. It's in better aggro colours than Chart a Course is, but half the reason Chart a Course sees any play right now is because it can discard.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade not hosing creatures sucks more than you'd think: she won't prevent Delve dudes, Hollow One, Bedlam Reveler, or Tron's fatties from arriving early. Hosing Green Tron's walkers sounds fun until they Oblivion Stone her. Her first ability seems at its most effective against Ad Nauseam (they can't quite hit 5 lands fast enough from my experience), Chord of Calling, Conflagrate, and Thoughtcast.
I'm already trying Growth Spiral in UGrx Scapeshift. Hot diggity, I've wanted Explore to be an instant fairly often in that deck.
Lavinia actually does(at least some of the time) stop Hollow One. The second clause counters it being cast for free.
I stand corrected, then. Although Faithless Looting is a common-as-dirt way to discount Hollow One just shy of no mana, this at least prevents them from being spammed off the other 8 mass discard spells.
It's Burn, but tuned heavily towards 1-mana spells. Rift Bolt and Seal of Fire let you store damage for a spectacled Light Up the Stage. Note that Light Up the Stage says "until the end of your next turn", not "until end of turn". I missed that the first time round and was pleasantly surprised that I have more time to cast exiled cards than I expected.
Pros:
Swiftspear and Lavamancer get a bit of a boost, with Bauble and Light Up the Stage to cycle through your deck and feed them.
Slightly better lategame with Light Up the Stage to refill, more Lavamancers for repeatable burn, and Bump flashback if the game goes that long.
Light Up the Stage gives you more chances to draw creatures early before they become outclassed.
Cons:
Very one-dimensional; no Eidolon since it doesn't play nice with draw spells, no Helix to race opposing aggro, no Skullcrack to stop lifegain.
Have to play underpowered burn (Seal) to enable Light Up the Stage.
Can't suspend Rift Bolt off Light Up the Stage.
edit: last burn spell is currently Gonti's Machinations. You have to draw one early, but the nice thing is that any extra counters past the second will feed the next Machinations. And like Rift Bolt/Seal of Fire, it stores damage for Light. When it works, it's better than any other 1-mana burn spell since it gains life. It also dodges Leyline of Sanctity.
Others considered: Vexing Devil (not reliable), Shard Volley (flipping this to Light when you don't want to cast it yet is really bad), Spark Elemental (can be blocked, esp. by first strikers), Searing Blaze (dead in some matchups, strong SB option), Skullcrack (weak unless it manages to catch lifegain, but flipping it to Light telegraphs it), Sovereign's Bite (Helix but sorcery and can't hit creatures). Costing less mana is preferred, but not absolutely necessary.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade UW
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier
Each opponent can't cost noncreature spells with converted mana cost greater than the number of lands that player controls.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast it, counter that spell.
2/2
Obviously a nice little boost to Humans a big middle finger to decks like Gx Tron. Excited to see where else the set takes us! What other cards are people looking forward to?
Spirits
Rix Maadi Reveler has Insolent Neonate's ability on ETB instead of sac. It could be a card for Bridgevine, but its mana cost is on the high side for that deck (this matters when you're trying to discard Bloodghast and play a land to reanimate it on turn 2). The mana cost also pushes you towards playing more 0-drops to enable T2 Vengevine reanimations (T2 Reveler, discard Vengevine, 0, reanimate Vengevine). It also has an alternate cost, but you need to hit 4 mana and connect with something. Keeping Insolent Neonate or Walking Ballista around will help with the latter.
Light the Stage is as efficient as Thoughtcast when spectacled (and when you have enough mana to cast any spells exiled). What deck fits the bill? 8 Whack has been spotted using The Flame of Keld, could they use this too? They have Fanatical Firebrand and Mogg Fanatic to store 1 point of damage for spectacle. Or some Affinity/Kuldotha Rebirth deck? Also note that Sunscorched Desert enables it without using up a spell.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
This was part of your incredulous response to my saying creeping chill will be a 4-of in dredge back in the last spoiler thread. You said chill wouldn't see play and were very condescending about it. You were very wrong.
Of the cards spoiled so far, imo the most potential is Growth Spiral in amulet titan. Explore is already a thing, and a 4-of in that deck, but spiral being instant speed and being one of a few ways you can play a bounce land at instant speed is NUTS. GU is a bit more restrictive than 1G, but I think it could be worth retooling the mana base a bit to a more simic deck due to the power of spiral. I don't know if the deck would run the full playset of both, but having played it pretty extensively I can think of any number of times Explore's cantrip helped me go off, and having more of that effect aint bad.
BG Rock
Modern:
RW Sun & Moon
RBG Dredge
RWG Burn
Legacy:
W Death & Taxes
I am really hopin GU will get some decent control/midrange value cards to bring the archetype into modern (or heck even sultai/bant control variants). convoke the tribunal seems much more playable to me than this, and if growth spiral is the poster child for the guild I'm concerned.
Simic ascendancy seems too gimicky for modern imho. Even with snek and hardened scales 20 is a heck of a hoop to jump through. Hardened scales affinity already has an infect kill to circumvent other win cons so I don't see it making waves there.
I'll try it in my Elf warrior build with metalic mimic and bramblewood paragon but I'm afraid it'll be slow there too. Maybe a marwyn, the nurturer storm style deck could make use of it? If it etb'd to count existing counters I would have liked it a bit more. Meh.
Spectacle as a mechanic can get a ton of mileage in modern if it's on an instant as a cost reduction. I'd keep a serious eye out for something along those lines. Fetchlands shift a ton of the burden off you to trigger them in the early game.
Lavinia is nuts and an easy 2 of for humans 75 imho. The card has a lot of applications against cards that you specially don't want to see vs humans (Ugin, karn (sometimes), suspended rift bolts, terminus miracles, early coco/chord from ANY green deck, the list goes on). Keep in mind that any deck running coco is running something that lets them be play it t3, and she stops that. Many of those decks are land light in the first place and this could be a bigger roadblock than first blush.
She pairs very poorly with path to exile which I find fascinating from a balance perspective.
Spirits
BG Rock
Modern:
RW Sun & Moon
RBG Dredge
RWG Burn
Legacy:
W Death & Taxes
Amulet doesn't have tricks to bluff when passing the turn with UG up. The mana cost is definitely restrictive, hands with Forest + colorless source or land + Amulet + Gruul Turf/Selesnya Sanctuary can cast T2 Explore but not T2 Growth Spiral.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
No way. Standard with 3 Bolts + Shock? I cannot image they would. I hope just for something that is a busted kind of draw.
Spirits
Fair enough, good points. I'm just constantly searching for the card that might replace bloom and make that deck good again, but you're right that this ain't it.
I suppose standard burn would be a bit too strong with that, but maybe a nice spectacle cantrip or something to give blue tempo decks a boost. I don't know if that would be enough to bring back Delver decks, but I miss delver decks.
BG Rock
Modern:
RW Sun & Moon
RBG Dredge
RWG Burn
Legacy:
W Death & Taxes
Outside of that, she draws some pretty obvious comparisons to Gaddock Teeg.
Avatar and Signature by XenoNinja via Heroes of the Plane Studios
Probably not with risk factor floating around. Would give red decks a lot of juice and the choice is less easy in standard than it is in modern. experimental frenzy could cause some deck building restraints though. Do I load up on card draw spells for velocity or frenzy to have chain spell turns?
Interestingly enough, the spectacle promo can exile cards from the top of the library and you can play them next turn with frenzy out even since frenzy specially stops playing from hand.if this signals any type of future for red based draw, it may only be a matter of time before they print something that breaks frenzy open.
Maybe a mono red goblin list in modern with frenzy. Dirty kitty variant. Chaining these similar effects could help you bypass the hand restriction on frenzy. act on impulse style cards?
You already have the spectacle promo, frenzy and risk factor in standard. Anymore and Phoenix decks could be a horrific pain.
Also, red draw in modern is actually quite potent. faithless looting is literally nuts even if it's card disadvantage. tormenting voice already sees play. risk factor is very playable in the modern landscape imho. chandra, torch of defiance shows up in all sorts of midrange builds that are red heavy (skred, jund for a bit last year, that dragon build that was floating around for a hot minute, ur turns). There are playable options straight up the curve (albeit for different decks).
The most significant thing i can think of is how she'll slow down Chord of Calling and Collected Company but not AEther Vial. Terminus Miracle is also potentially haulted, until they get 6 lands of course. She laughs at Rift Bolt as well as combos enabled by Simian Spirit Guide and Desperate Ritual.
All in all I'd say she is sideboard material at best. Very good against certain decks, near useless against others.
Draft My Cube!
in legacy she also stops FoW, and in modern she bricks cascade effects and as foretold and living end and ancestral vision. She also shuts down flashback conflagrate from dredge, shuts off all noncreature delve spells, shuts off hollow one, the list probably goes on.
BG Rock
Modern:
RW Sun & Moon
RBG Dredge
RWG Burn
Legacy:
W Death & Taxes
EDIT-
Sorry, this not a modern relevant post. Mods, feel free to remove.
Draft My Cube!
Human Soldier
During your tun, spells your opponents cast cost 1 more to cast and abilities your opponents activate cost 1 more to activate unless they're mana abilities
Afterlife 1 - (When this creature dies, create a 1/1 white and black Spirit creature token with flying)
2/1
dont think its playable, but showcases the orzhov mechanic. also cant miss the irony that its a human that generates a spirit.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Rix Maadi Reveler looks better than I previously thought. Note that its mild ETB trigger involves discarding first, then drawing, so it cantrips when you're Hellbent. I'll test this in Humans--I think it'll complement Militia Bugler well.
Light the Stage looks fairly busted when you get Spectacle active, as you'll probably be able to play both cards you flip by the end of your next turn...of course, you need to get Spectacle active first. It's in better aggro colours than Chart a Course is, but half the reason Chart a Course sees any play right now is because it can discard.
Lavinia, Azorius Renegade not hosing creatures sucks more than you'd think: she won't prevent Delve dudes, Hollow One, Bedlam Reveler, or Tron's fatties from arriving early. Hosing Green Tron's walkers sounds fun until they Oblivion Stone her. Her first ability seems at its most effective against Ad Nauseam (they can't quite hit 5 lands fast enough from my experience), Chord of Calling, Conflagrate, and Thoughtcast.
I'm already trying Growth Spiral in UGrx Scapeshift. Hot diggity, I've wanted Explore to be an instant fairly often in that deck.
Too bad the closest we've got to Flametongue Kavu, Rakdos Firewheeler, is in crummy and demanding colours.
Sure but the problem isn't free Hollow Ones. It's early free Hollow Ones and you might not have her on the field when that happens.
I stand corrected, then. Although Faithless Looting is a common-as-dirt way to discount Hollow One just shy of no mana, this at least prevents them from being spammed off the other 8 mass discard spells.
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Blood Crypt
3 Mountain
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Bump in the Night
4 Seal of Fire
4 Gonti's Machinations
4 Light Up the Stage
It's Burn, but tuned heavily towards 1-mana spells. Rift Bolt and Seal of Fire let you store damage for a spectacled Light Up the Stage. Note that Light Up the Stage says "until the end of your next turn", not "until end of turn". I missed that the first time round and was pleasantly surprised that I have more time to cast exiled cards than I expected.
Pros:
Others considered: Vexing Devil (not reliable), Shard Volley (flipping this to Light when you don't want to cast it yet is really bad), Spark Elemental (can be blocked, esp. by first strikers), Searing Blaze (dead in some matchups, strong SB option), Skullcrack (weak unless it manages to catch lifegain, but flipping it to Light telegraphs it), Sovereign's Bite (Helix but sorcery and can't hit creatures). Costing less mana is preferred, but not absolutely necessary.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Spirits