The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Top 14 Magic: the Gathering Rares and Mythics from Ravnica Allegiance That Will See Standard Play


Wizards of the Coast

In my last article, I looked at the top 10 Magic: the Gathering cards, plus one Honorable Mention, that defined the Standard format after the release of Guilds of Ravnica. I got some great feedback on the list, with friends and readers making strong cases for the inclusion of other cards they felt were format-defining. Their arguments really showed how fun and diverse this Standard has been, with different decks doing well at different times and against different matchups.

Today, I’ll be looking at Magic’s latest set Ravnica Allegiance, which is already out on Magic Arena and Magic Online, and picking out the rares and mythics I think could see play in the new Standard format.  If Allegiance is anything like Guilds was, we’ll be seeing a lot of new strategies and decks enter the fray in the coming months, especially with the release of the remaining Shocklands like Hallowed Fountain.

While some of my picks may be obvious Standard bombs, others are sweet cards I hope will be played for their unique designs, splashy effects, and potential for synergy

  1. Priest of Forgotten Gods

    The last time we visited Ravnica, Tom Martell won Pro Tour Gatecrash in 2013 with a White-Black-Red aggressive deck powered by sacrifice synergies. It was called the Aristocrats, after the deck’s two key sacrifice outlets, Falkenrath Aristocratand Cartel Aristocrat. It could kill opponents extremely quickly with fast starts involving Champion of the Parish and the deck’s many other humans. It could also win a long game by chipping in for damage with a protected Cartel Aristocrat or by stealing the opponent’s biggest threat with an unexpected Zealous Conscripts.

    Today, brewers find themselves with some similar components to the ones that made the Aristocrats deck so successful. White Weenie decks are already Tier 1, and Ravnica Allegiance has supplied us with more aggressive cards like Tithe Taker that also provide value when they die. The set also gave us Priest of Forgotten Gods, a sacrifice outlet, as well as Orzhov uncommon Pitiless Pontiff. It wouldn’t be difficult to build a Red/White/Black deck that takes advantage of the synergy between these sacrifice effects and creatures with the Afterlife ability.

    On the other hand, one of the key factors of the deck’s success was that the sacrifice abilities were free to activate. Priest, Pontiff, and M19 sacrifice outlet Dark-Dweller Oracle either require mana to activate or come at a significant cost to the player. While Priest of Forgotten Gods pays you off heavily for sacrificing creatures, it might end up being better for deckbuilders to emphasize aggression over synergy in Red/White/Black decks.

  2. Benthic Biomancer

    In my article on the cards that defined Standard before the release of Ravnica Allegiance, I didn’t include any cards from the Mono Blue Tempo deck that made the finals of Grand Prix Lille in October and that has been a popular choice for grinding Ranked mode on Arena over the past few months.

    That may have been a mistake, considering how important the deck’s role has been in this season’s metagame. But with the addition of more cheap blue cards to the format, I don’t plan on overlooking Tempo any longer.

    Benthic Biomancer looks like an interesting option over decent but underwhelming creatures like Warkite Marauder and Nightveil Sprite. It’s not clear whether tempo mages will ultimately opt for this cheap threat or stick with the flying two drops, but Biomancer definitely has advantages. He’s a Wizard for Wizard’s Retort and he provides some midgame utility with his Adapt ability. He also synergizes extremely well with one of my favorite uncommons from the set, Essence Capture. I think he’s worth a try.

  3. Tithe Taker

    By the end of Guilds of Ravnica Standard, white aggressive decks like Boros Aggro were playing cards like Hunted Witness alongside archetype mainstays Dauntless Bodyguard and Adanto Vanguard to avoid getting their board wiped by Deafening Clarion.

    This new rare is similarly resilient to sweepers and removal, producing a flying token when once his last tithe has been taken. His ability of taxing spells opponents cast on your turn is also useful to aggressive decks trying to secure the kill before powerful spells like Settle the Wreckage and Chemister’s Insight swing the advantage over to the other side.

    Tithe Taker’s body leaves a bit to be desired, however, and he faces stiff competition from other two mana creatures like Adanto Vanguard and Ajani’s Pridemate. His true power may lie in the potential new Aristocrats archetype I mentioned earlier, one that builds around sacrifice outlets and Judith, the Scourge Diva. If that deck is any good, expect that Tithe Taker will be a key piece of that puzzle.

  4. Electrodominance

    This card is an absolute beating in Ravnica Allegiance Limited, often dealing with your opponent’s best threat while powering out your own. In Standard, it looks equally devastating but competes for the same role in red control decks as Expansion//Explosion.

    The versatility and card advantage afforded by Expansion//Explosion probably gives it the edge over Electrodominance in control, but a green ramp deck playing red could take better advantage of the insane tempo swing this delivers. In the midgame, the card can deal with smaller creatures and help cast ramp spells; later, it can end help end the game by killing a Planeswalker and dropping a Carnage Tyrant.

    I’m not too confident this will become a Standard staple, because ramp decks can just jam Banefire, but it’s always nice having different options for your deck’s big finisher, especially when the card is also useful in other parts of the game.

  5. Mass Manipulation

    Speaking of swingy spells with X in their casting costs, Mass Manipulation could either be wildly unplayable or it could see play as a singleton in the sideboard of blue control and midrange decks.

    6 mana is a big investment to steal one creature, but this spell has the additional utility of persuading a troublesome Planeswalker to switch allegiance. That’s a lot of upside for one card. It’s worth noting that before rotation, a slightly cheaper but more conditional steal effect, Confiscation Coup, was a very important tool against The Scarab God and Hazoret, the Fervent.

    This is a different format, but it’s one where non-black control decks can struggle to deal with Planeswalkers and resilient creatures without the help of enchantment-based removal like Ixalan’s Binding, which carry their own risks. And while it won’t happen very often, games will be won in stylish fashion by stealing both a Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, and a Niv-Mizzet, Parun.

  6. Skarrgan Hellkite

    Skarrgan Hellkite is a powerful bomb that occupies an awkward spot in Standard. A 5-mana haste dragon’s main role, aside from pressuring the opponent’s life total, is to deal with Planeswalkers that opponents tapped out to cast. But when given haste, the Hellkite is too small to kill either Teferi, Vivien, or Ajani, the three Planeswalkers we’ve seen the most of in Standard.

    Glorybringer had the same problem before rotation, but it made up for its medium size by killing a creature the turn it came into play. Skarrgan Hellkite also has the ability to ping small creatures, but it costs a lot of mana and is only available if you untap with the dragon in play. Opting for the +1/+1 counter is pretty risky in a format with cheap removal spells like Cast Down and Justice Strike.

    It sounds like I’m saying this card is unplayable, but I just want to emphasize that Big Skarg will have to work hard to live up to his older brothers Glorybringer and Thundermaw Hellkite. It still hits hard in the air and will make your opponent pay dearly for not dealing with it as soon as possible. The card seems useful in Gruul decks primarily to clear the way for Carnage Tyrant.

  7. Growth-Chamber Guardian

    It’s been lonely for Merfolk Branchwalker in the Premier Green 2 Drop Club since the rotation of Servant of the Conduit and Longtusk Cub. Fortunately, the Merfolk Scout is joined by this Elf Crab Warrior, who brings friends and +1/+1 counters to the party at very little cost to the host.

    3 mana for its Adapt ability is seriously a great deal, especially when paired with mana creatures like Llanowar Elves or fellow Simic Combine member Incubation Druid. Golgari Midrange is a pretty streamlined list, but midrange mages in the market for more card advantage may be tempted to move Wildgrowth Walkers to the sideboard for aggro matchups and start this efficient creature instead.

    It’s more likely, however, that Growth-Chamber Guardian will be played over Branchwalker in decks looking to beat down more than grind with the Explore Package (Branchwalker, Wildgrowth Walker, Seekers’ Squire, and Jadelight Ranger). A Simic deck playing Hadana’s Climb comes to mind as a possible new archetype that could make full use of Guardian’s aggressive stats and +1/+1 counter synergy.

  8. Judith, the Scourge Diva

    A competitive Rakdos deck hasn’t existed in Standard since the rotation of Kaladesh and Amonkhet blocks, taking Hazoret the Fervent, Unlicensed Disintegration, and Heart of Kiran along with them.

    Judith, the Scourge Diva looks like she wants to change that! Her combination of abilities makes for an equally difficult time for opponents to race or defend against, especially given that her second ability can target other creatures. If you play her onto a board full of creatures on either side, suddenly your 2/2s can trade with their 4/4s or take a huge chunk out of your opponent’s life total.

    While she’s more than capable of putting on a show in a streamlined Black/Red Aggro deck, I’m also interested in seeing what she can do in concert with the Orzhov Afterlife cards and with the new sacrifice enablers from Ravnica Allegiance. Alongside Tajic, Legion’s Edge at 3 mana, Judith can help ensure that the stage she stands alone on is covered with your opponent’s blood.

  9. Dovin, Grand Arbiter

    Dovin, Grand Arbiter, has a lot of things going for it. 3 mana planeswalkers have usually been good in Standard, often coming down and churning out value before your opponent has established decent board presence. His first two abilities work well together, amassing a little Thopter air force and ticking him up quickly in the process. Finally, his ultimate, while not game-ending, is still very good, ensuring that you have a steady stream of cards to help you push your early advantage.

    On the other hand, it’s hard to say where exactly the new Dovin will fit in. Azorius decks in Standard have almost exclusively been Teferi control decks, which would probably rather cast counterspells and removal than tap out early for a Planeswalker that doesn’t do a lot for its gameplan.

    He does seem like an interesting option in the sideboard, however. He can come in for the mirror and spit out some Thopters to pressure a removal-light opponent and eventually reach his ultimate ability over two or three turns. If you do ever get to activate his -7 ability, your best three cards from the top ten should be enough to out-value another control deck.

    His abilities also seem more at home in an aggro deck. Casting two creatures before playing him on turn 3 gets him to his ultimate very quickly. It will be interesting to see whether White Weenie decks make blue another option for their second color, aside from red for Experimental Frenzy and green for tokens cards.

  10. Kaya’s Wrath

    The uncommon kill spell Mortify will be an indispensable tool for Esper Control decks in Ravnica Allegiance Standard, but it isn’t a good enough reason to play black over red on its own.

    Fortunately for control players looking for an alternative to Jeskai, Kaya’s Wrath, alongside the Orzhov split uncommon Consecrate//Consume, are pretty compelling arguments for switching Steam Vents and Sacred Foundries out for Godless Shrines and Watery Graves.

    Kaya’s Wrath is a sweeper that can wipe the board a turn before Cleansing Nova is castable, with Mortify helping make up for the loss of enchantment removal that Nova enables. Being a mana cheaper also makes it easier for control mages to wipe the board and still keep up mana counterspells.

  11. Domri, Chaos Bringer

    I wouldn’t be causing a riot by claiming that the new Domri card was one of the most anticipated cards out of Ravnica Allegiance. His first incarnation in the set Gatecrash was a crucial component of the many Red/Green/X decks that were played in that format.

    It’s also pretty fair to say that Domri, Chaos Bringer seems quite a bit worse than his predecessor. For one thing, Domri Rade cost 1 mana less, and he also protected himself well with his second ability and a board full of creatures (−2: Target creature you control fights another target creature).

    Having said that, I think it would be more prudent to look at where this Domri could fit into the metagame than to compare him to his illustrious predecessor. HIs first ability will allow you to do dirty things like power out a hasty Carnage Tyrant on turn 5 (or 4 if you had an accelerator), as long as he’s still on your side when you untap. Thankfully, his loyalty starts high enough that’s likely to stick around barring a Bedevil or Vraska’s Contempt.

    His second ability seems quite a bit worse than Vivien Reid’s, but it has the upside of potentially finding two creatures to add to your board. To bring it up to par with Vivien’s ability, you’d have to jam a lot of creatures in your deck-probably more than the 24 or so that Golgari Midrange plays.

    His final ability will end the game pretty quickly. All in all, it looks like Domri will play second fiddle to Vivien while they’re in Standard together, but he might also be useful as a cheaper threat to complement her in Jund or Gruul midrange decks.

  12. Bedevil

    Just as having different options for sideboard slots leads to more interesting deckbuilding decisions and more varied gameplay, having lots of efficient removal options in different colors allows players to play the color combination they enjoy the most, instead of the one with clearly superior answers.

    It looks like Jeskai Control will have a lot more competition from Grixis and slower versions of Jund, with Bedevil entering Standard. It gives black decks a cheaper alternative to Vraska’s Contempt that also has utility against problem artifacts like Treasure Map. It will also be excellent in more aggressive decks, provided brewers can find a way to build a manabase that can cast both Bedevil and Goblin Chainwhirler.

  13. Hydroid Krasis

    Hydroid Krasis is the perfect Beast (and Jellyfish, and Hydra) for those strange players out there who enjoy both drawing lots of cards and casting gigantic monsters. Fortunately for those people, Krasis has enough versatility and raw power to see a lot of play in Standard.

    While you really need to be casting Krasis for X=4 or more for it to be good, the format doesn’t look fast enough to make it hard to do so. Mono Red Aggro and White Weenie can certainly pressure your life total, but green decks are well set up to stall with Wildgrowth Walker and Explore creatures until you can play him for a decent return of cards and life.

    Where it really shines is in slower matchups. Anyone who’s played Golgari midrange knows that the mirror can take ages and are all about saving your biggest and best spells for last. The mana is now good enough with Breeding Pool that it will be fairly easy for Black/Green decks to splash blue for Krasis and possibly counterspells in the sideboard.

    Krasis is also one of the best cards imaginable against control decks, because they can almost never prevent the card draw from happening (the cheaper half of the Simic split rare Repudiate//Replicate is the only way to counter abilities in Standard). Combine this inevitability with a recursion engine like Find//Finality, and suddenly Blue/Green/Black decks look pretty unstoppable against Jeskai, Esper, and Grixis.

  14. Angel of Grace

    Angel of Grace is a “pushed” card in just about every way. Her amazing ratio of mana cost to stats, the fact that she has Flash, and her two very relevant abilities all make for a card that’s just begging to be played in any white deck, whether blisteringly fast or ploddingly slow.

    It looks like control decks are best positioned to use her all her abilities. Esper or Jeskai Control can hold up mana for counterspells or removal, then cast her at the end of the opponent’s turn to start getting in for 5. She also provides incredible resilience against aggro decks, with her Angel’s Grace ability giving you one more turn to find removal or a sweeper. She even comes to your aid from the graveyard, with her last ability often gaining you 6 or more life when you need it most.

    Her coolest upside is probably the fact that she basically “counters” a big Banefire to the face, getting the job done where counterspells are dead cards. For all these reasons, she’ll surely see play in the maindecks and sideboards of white control decks, but I think she also has what it takes to top the curve of decks like Selesyna Tokens or Boros Angels, where she also works incredibly well with Lyra Dawnbringer. Archangel Avacyn is a similar card that was excellent in aggro decks like Mardu Vehicles and Green/White Tokens, so expect this Angel to be an all-star in multiple decks.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms and Lists page.