Top Reprints from Ravnica Remastered

Hello and welcome back. While I’m going to do the usual top cards from the set Ravnica Remastered, I want to take a moment and write a preamble about the setting itself. Despite what you think of the mechanics, the politics of the world or the guilds and their representation, no one can ever say Ravnica as a world and the associated sets hasn’t had a large impact on the game of Magic itself.

The first sets that introduced the plane, Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact and Dissension, were all very well received. They were so well received in fact that not only was the Standard environment considered one of the best at the time (along with other sets obviously), many of the guilds playstyles became the defining way to play those color combinations for a long time. Beyond that, the names of those factions also became shorthand for any deck that are those colors, like Green and White being Selesnya or Black and Red being Rakdos.

While the sets that followed that featured the world were loved or loathed for various reasons, the magnitude and gravity of the plane of Ravnica has become something almost akin to Dominaria as far as location is concerned. I’d go so far as to say if the Multiverse was a country, Dominaria would be its name with Ravnica its capital. There isn’t, in my opinion, another plane with the name recognition and impact on this game that can compare except for Dominaria.

Now, with a small amount of fan-boying out of the way, let’s get down to business. The following, in no particular order, are my top twenty non-legendary* pickups for your commander decks.

Honorable Mention: The Shock Lands

Alright, it’s basically an obligation to mention the Shock Lands, a cycle of lands that started with the original Ravnica block and are the spiritual successors to the original dual lands of Alpha. While a lot of people are sick of seeing these things, there are probably more that are always looking for a price drop, and we can’t forget the players who came after that need access to these fantastic lands.

Divine Visitation

This card is only really good in token decks, but making an army of flying, beefy tokens is not something to take lightly. Easily slotted into such strategies, this card wins games. It’s also been slightly pricey at ~$10 before the spoils began. While it is often outshined by some other cards, I’d consider this if you have the space in your deck.

Ghostway

A protection spell and a great way to reuse ETBs, this card isn’t as general use as something like Teferi’s Protection, but in decks that love their ETBs this card is better, at least for the creatures.

Rootborn Defenses + Unbreakable Formation

Okay, cheating a bit, but I thought these are similar enough in use that I could include them together. Much like Ghostway, these are great at protecting your board. Rootborn can get you ahead with an extra creature, and Formation can make combat much easier if you don’t want to trade a chunk of your field. There are similar effects to these of course, but having redundancy and a little extra oomph for some strategies can turn the tide.

Copy Enchantment

Ravnica may be my favorite world, but I forgot this even existed from those sets. Largely better when you can copy your own thing, it still offers a lot of flexibility if you know your meta well. A well played one of these can turn the tide, and I specifically like the idea of taking Monarch away by copying one of the Courts or some kind of taxing effect (tell me you run Rhystic Study but you actually don’t).

What’s even better about this card is that if you don’t like this particular art, you can grab the art of the Wilds of Eldraine bonus sheet instead.

Muddle the Mixture

Okay, this is a narrow counter spell, and I’m not making an argument against that. While it is still a decent one, the real juice here is the Transmute ability the card has. Dimir in the original block had a number of cards with this ability, and each was a tutor for a specific Mana Value. This one in particular is great for a number of combo pieces, or potentially protecting a combo.

Spark Double

While having been reprinted a few times already, this card is handy to have in a number of decks. It gets around the legendary rules, and helps double up on a good planeswalker you have, or a good creature. Since it gets around the legendary rule, you can then make even more copies of whatever this happens to be and become a real nuisance to the table.

House Dimir Guard

The mana value of this card is a bit high if you want a sacrifice outlet but redundancy is always nice. Like Muddle the Mixture however, we’re here for the Transmute ability. This card can also fetch us a number of nice things, like The One Ring, Something Tithe, Roaming Throne, etc. While Black has much better tutors, this gives you that extra body and of course the sac outlet.

Golgari Thug

An oldie-goodie here, this card can perform well with top deck shenanigans or as a way to feed to the graveyard, ideally both. I use one in The Ancient One to help get things rolling, and I’m sure others can put this interesting fellow to good use as well.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General

Yes, I’m technically cheating here, BUT when I say non-legendary I usually mean cards that can be your commander. That aside, this is a great planeswalker and great reprint and I’m going to enjoy a hopefully great price drop. I know a few decks I want this to go into, and the planeswalker does “generic Black effects” well enough that I think most decks would consider it in a deck with Black as part of its identity.

Utvara Hellkite

As a fanboy for Red, this is the only card that made the list. While that saddens me, the card doesn’t. It helps finish games, and with the love Dragons got over the last year and this being hopefully more available to those dragon lovers and their decks, it will see a decent time in the light again.

While playing it with other dragons is probably the better option, if left on its own it will win games regardless.

Guardian Project

Not that Green needs more card draw, I’d not be doing my job if I didn’t mention this card. It’s not hard to get your hands on a copy but I haven’t seen it used in a while. Perhaps the other options are just better and more numerous, or perhaps people erred away from it for power reasons or perceptions thereof. Whatever the reason, having a more resilient piece of card draw in your creature heavy decks with Green is going to be valuable.

Life from the Loam

Ah, good old Dredge. Much like Golgari Thug, this card can help fill your graveyard and get some stuff back. I largely see this in land based and reanimator decks, but it can be a good general use card if you play with a deck that does a heavy amount of digging for stuff.

While the card has been reprinted a bunch, it still commands a decent price, so keep an eye on it if only to have it on hand later.

Perilous Forays

A sacrifice outlet you have to pay some mana for, but you get lands. With the initial cost to cast, it isn’t the best or most efficient, BUT it can fuel a number of loops, including some with Omnath Locus of Rage or other land or creature based decks. The best part of the card is that it also gets you a land with a basic land type, meaning you can grab those Shock Lands like Overgrown Tomb with it. Pair this with an Amulet of Vigor, Spelunking or similar effect to grease the gears of the loop and tada! Profit!

Protean Hulk

Another good card for combos and one of the reasons Flash got banned in Commander. This meat and eggs lets you tutor for stuff when it dies, making use with cards like Sneak Attack or VIllage Rites a good combo. While it is a bit slower these days with the cost to cast it, cheating it into play to tutor up other stuff is largely the play pattern you want with it, and it will usually end the game with the right cards.

One thing about the Hulk is that being a creature is an upside since that type of card is easily abused and reused.

Wilderness Reclamation

People who use Seedborn Muse are a kind of player who might enjoy this card as a backup, or people who don’t like Seedborn Muse might like this as a more acceptable substitute. Being able to have extra access to mana is always potent in this game especially if you’re playing with a lot of activated abilities, at instant speed or control.

Azorius Guildmage

Alright, the cycle of guildmages from the original block aren’t the best. I’ll admit that. This one however holds a special place in my own history as being super annoying but the looks on peoples faces were too good when I used it. It can be mana intensive, but when it might save your butt to counter an activated ability to tap something down, the 3 mana is worth it (better with Training Grounds out).

*Old man voice* Back in my day, we didn’t have any planeswalker cards, so this card’s ability to stop those activations wasn’t that relevant. Tapping down creatures, that was the stuff. Nowadays though with all these ‘walkers and crazy abilities, Azorius Guildmage smacking them over the head seems good to me.

Also, new art.

Debt to the Deathless

Not flashy and a bit expensive on mana initially, do not underestimate this card’s ability to swing or win a game. The doubling of X is potent, and frankly I think people forget about how strong this card can be. No, it’s not Torment of Hailfire or The Meathook Massacre, but it’s not trying to be. It’s Debt to the Deathless, and the table is going to pay. Combine this with Vizkopa Guildmage and watch the table kneel.

Rhythm of the Wild

No secrets kept here; this card is pretty good. A reprint of the card is even better, even if it isn’t that expensive to grab a copy. This has a lot to do with exposure, like the Shock Lands. Newer players might not have seen this card before and sometimes reprints serve the purpose of saying “hello, I exist”.

That aside the card is a great enabler for a variety of smashing good times. Modifying creatures, general +1/+1 counter strategies, haste for aggression, and protection from counter magic. Very Gruul, very good.

Supreme Verdict

Board wipes have fallen to the wayside in recent years, and there are plenty of ways to protect against them outside of counter magic. Still, this card could really screw up someone’s day, and unlike other cards like Cyclonic Rift or Farewell that have fallen out of favor due to the experience produced by using them, this card is much more acceptable at a table. It may be uncounterable and sorcery speed, but if you have a need to boom a board, look no further.

Cloudstone Curio

Combo piece extraordinaire, this card enables some really busted stuff. The only reason this card was ever really expensive was because of its age. Also because the only other printing of it was in the Masterpieces, but I don’t count those. Luckily we get another shot at the card in Ravnica Remastered.

From Spires to Streets and Back Again

Maze's End - Cliff Childs

We’ve been to Ravnica a lot over the years, and it’s still one of my favorite places. More stories still need to be told, especially after the Phyrexian invasion and the Dimir and Golgari being somewhat “irrelevant” on the plane at the moment. With Ravnica Remastered, we focus on our previous times there and get a decent dose of nostalgia.

What memories might this world hold for you, or what cards might you get that didn’t know existed before? Let me know below.

Until next time, be cautious when haggling on Tin Street and mind the signets hanging in the shops.