The Guilds

One of my favorite parts of the recent Magic sets are the Ravnica Guilds. There's a great series of articles on the pre-made decks out there on how to tweak/meddle them to win using cards any player can get their hands on with these sets: Magic 2013, Gatecrash, and Return to Ravnica. This makes sure that new/returning players have their hands on cards they can easily get. The decks built are casual but well balanced and fun to play. Also, they don't break the bank.

Meddling Rules: build decks on a budget with no added rares or mythics. Each pre-made deck comes with 2 rares that form the backbone of a deck. Other rares can be added, but the idea is to build a better base deck using commons and uncommons as they are easier to trade for or get singles for under 50 cents. Rule 2-only draw cards from sets already represented in the deck, namely Return to Ravnica and Magic 2013 + Gatecrash.

~ THE GUILDS ~  

 

 

• Pre-made Guild Deck ~ (Color Combo) ~ Guild Name ~ Deck Types
• Guild Abilities: Special abilities specific to each guild (Original / Return)
• Featured: Set Guild made a major appearance with cards that supported it  

• Azorius Advance ~ (Blue/White) ~ Azorius Senate ~ Aggro-Control ~ Control ~ 
• The lawmakers of Ravnica, the Azorius Senate are a hierarchical bureaucracy obsessed with order, stability, and the rule of law.
• Guild Abilities: Forecast / Detain
• Featured: Dissension / Return to Ravnica

• Boros Battalion ~ (Red/White) ~ Boros Legion ~ Aggro ~ 
• The Boros Legion is the guild of righteous law and fierce justice. The most formidable military force on Ravnica, the Boros are efficient, self-assured, and zealous. Anyone who disagrees with them is an enemy.
• Guild Abilities: Radiance / Battalion
• Featured: Ravnica, City of Guilds / Gatecrash

• Dimir Dementia ~ (Blue/Black) ~ House Dimir ~ Control ~ 
• House Dimir is Ravnica’s dark but open secret: the populace knows Dimir exists but they pretend it doesn’t. The Dimir’s role in Ravnica is to provide covert services that other guilds can’t or won’t. The House Dimir seeks to control Ravnica from the shadows, gathering intelligence until the time is right for their agents to strike.
• Guild Abilities: Transmute / Cipher
• Featured: Ravnica: City of Guilds / Gatecrash

• Golgari Growth ~ (Black/Green) ~ Golgari Swarm ~ Aggro Token Flood Deck ~ 
• Members of the Golgari Swarm lurk in the fungus-encrusted tunnels of Ravnica’s undercity, and revere the natural cycles of life and death. They are the scavengers and decomposers at the fringes of the food chain, but yearn to be the predators at the top.
• Guild Abilities: Dredge / Scavenge
• Featured: Ravnica: City of Guilds / Return to Ravnica

• Gruul Goliaths ~ (Red/Green) ~ Gruul Clans ~ Red/Green Aggro Deck ~ 
• The Gruul are savage clans who squat in Ravnica’s alleyways and overgrown ruins. Only the strong should survive and rule.
• Guild Abilities: Bloodthirst / Bloodrush
• Featured:  Guildpact / Gatecrash

• Izzet Ingenuity ~ (Red/Blue) ~ Izzet League ~ Control ~ 
• The impulsive and reckless inventor-mages of the Izzet League create magics that power Ravnica’s infrastructure and, sometimes, lay waste to city blocks.

• Guild Abilities: Replicate / Overload
• Featured: Guildpact / Return to Ravnica

• Orzhov Oppression ~ (Black/White) ~ Orzhov Syndicate ~ Control
• The Orzhov Syndicate is founded on the beliefs that wealth is power, that structure breeds wealth, and that guilt creates structure. Extortion and backroom dealings are all in a day’s work for the Orzhov Syndicate, where everything has a price and strings are always attached.
• Guild Abilities: Haunt / Extort
• Featured: Guildpact / Gatecrash

• Rakdos Raid ~ (Red/Black) ~ Cult of Rakdos ~ Aggro Midgame Deck ~
• The Rakdos Cult combines an instinctual bloodlust and desire for power. They want Ravnica to bow to their whims and anything that gets in their way—or happens to be walking by—is fair game.
• Guild Abilities: Hellbent / Unleash
• Featured: Dissension / Return to Ravnica

• Selesnya Surge ~ (White/Green) ~ Selesnya Conclave ~ Aggro-Control ~ 
• The Selesnya guild sees itself as the voice nature itself. All within the guild are considered mouthpieces of that singular voice, and they seek to expand their guild by evangelizing their message and adding members. 
• Guild Abilities: Convoke  / Populate
• Featured: Ravnica: City of Guilds / Return to Ravnica

• Simic Synthesis ~ (Green/Blue) ~ Simic Combine ~ Aggro-Control ~ 
• The Simic Combine is Ravnica’s steward of nature and the wild; its mission is to preserve and advance the natural world.
• Guild Abilities: Graft / Evolve
• Featured: Dissension / Gatecrash