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Ravnicube

By buildingadeck

Score: 7

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Description

This is a Ravnica-themed cube, utilizing only cards from Ravnica Block and Return to Ravnica Block. Because of this theme, the archetypes align with each of the 10 dual-color guilds that exist on Ravnica: Azorius (UW), Boros (RW), Dimir (UB), Golgari (GB), Gruul (GR), Izzet (UR), Orzhov (BW), Rakdos (RB), Selesnya (GW), and Simic (UG).

The Guilds

Azorius Senate

The Azorius Senate values order and control over all else, and the mechanics in both Ravnica blocks reflects this in Forecast and Detain. Forecast is sparse seen in this cube because of the lack of utility in most cards printed with it, but Detain sees major emphasis in power cards like Martial Law and New Prahv Guildmage.

Boros Legion

The Boros Legion is the military and police force of Ravnica, and it consists primarily of angels and soldiers with a first strike theme. The mechanics of Boros are Radiance and Battalion. Again, the mechanic from old Ravnica (Radiance) is a bit underemphasized because of its lack of applicability in most cards. Meanwhile, Battalion sees heavy use in this cube because of its ability to make Boros attacks hit hard through cards like Frontline Medic and Firefist Striker.

House Dimir

The House Dimir hide in secrecy and manipulation. Because of the manipulative and secret actions of the guild, the themes include unblockable and mill/discard. Mechanically, new Ravnica uses Cipher as its primary theme, while old Ravnica utilized Transmute to search for cards. Both see a decent amount of use in this cube in cards like Hands of Binding and Dimir Machinations

Golgari Swarm

The Golgari Swarm are the agricultural habitants of Ravnica, and they value resourcefulness through reanimation and necromancy. Thus, themes for the Golgari include recursion and graveyard utility. The mechanics for the guild are Dredge and Scavenge, both of which see use in this cube in powerful cards like Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Golgari Grave-Troll

Gruul Clans

The Gruul Clans were the keepers of the wild until all the wild was overtaken by civilization and the other Ravnican guilds took over their responsibilities and oppressed the Gruul. Because of this, the Gruul clans are hostile. Thus, its creatures and spells are aggressive and large, thematically. Mechanically, the Gruul house Bloodthirst and Bloodrush, both of which are used with frequency in this cube in cards like Pyrewild Shaman and Petrified Wood-Kin.

Izzet League

The Izzet League was assigned to take care of the works of the city of Ravnica, including things such as the waterways and boiler works. However, the Izzet are, at heart, intellectuals searching for knowledge through zestful and dangerous experiments that sometimes work and sometimes, well, end in catastrophe. Because of their experimental nature and their keenness with magic, the Izzet themes revolve around instants and sorceries that give bonuses to their creatures. The mechanics are Replicate and Overload, abilities that allow you to hit multiple targets with one spell, and each appear in the cube in powerful spells such as Shattering Spree and Cylconic Rift

Orzhov Sindicate

The Orzhov are essentially mobsters hiding under the mask of a religion to which they no longer cling. They are in charge of the business in Ravnica, and as such, their themes treat the game like continuous transactions. Their mechanics reflect this: Haunt is a mechanic that says, "If you kill me, you will owe me a debt payment," while Extort is sheer profit, paying one mana to gain a life and take one from an opponent. These mechanics are highlighted in this cube in cards like Blind Obedience and Orzhov Euthanist, though Extort has a larger presence thematically.

The Cult of Rakdos

The Cult of Rakdos centers around personal enjoyment, even if it results in pain to its own members or other beings. However, the role of their people in Ravnica is merely to supply manual labor, often as slaves, which contradicts their desire for personal pleasure (or perhaps, spurs it). The want of fun of the Rakdos followers is reflected in gameplay through speed of play through mechanics like Unleash and Hellbent; the first makes your creatures larger in order to swing harder (but unable to block), and the second buffs your creatures or spells if you have no cards in hand, having played the rest of them. These mechanics are epitomized in cards like, Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch and Demon's Jester. In this cube, Unleash sees slightly more play than Hellbent.

Selesnya Conclave

The Selesnya Conclave is primarily involved with keeping peace and balance throughout Ravnica, but have been caught oppressing others. The general mindset of the Selesnya centers around teamwork and the realization that each individual member serves toward the whole. This mindset is reflected in the mechanics that focus on tokens, such as Populate and Convoke. Each mechanic sees significant play in the cube in cards like Devouring Light and Trostani, Selesnya's Voice.

Simic Combine

The Simic focus their efforts on improvement of the lifeforms on Ravnica. While most are doctors and physicians due to the original purpose to maintain health, the Simic decided that such a purpose was not high enough for them and now experiment with biomagic to create new lifeforms and improve existing ones. This desire to improve lifeforms is reflected in mechanics that give counters: Graft and Evolve. Each mechanic sees a decent amount of play in creatures like Cytoplast Root-Kin and Fathom Mage.

Cool Interactions

Condemn + Tunnel Vision

AEtherize + Brain Pry

Brain Pry + Doubling Season + Fertile Imagination

Growing Ranks + Woebringer Demon

Seed Spark + Volatile Rig

Frontline Medic + Golgari Decoy + Tajic, Blade of the Legion

Potential Card Additions

Corpsejack Menace

Dreadbore

Hunted Troll

Hunted Dragon

Hunted Phantasm

Hunted Lammasu

Hunted Horror

Archetypes

Selesnya Tokens

Tokens use a GW base with cards such as Selesnya Guildmage, Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage, and Seed Spark to flood the board with tokens. Typically, it is easy to splash black in this build for cards like Desecration Demon or Woebringer Demon (Woebringer is particularly powerful if you can get the Doubling Season + Growing Ranks combo out) to emphasize your wider board state, but it is possible to splash red (Sunhome Guildmage and other creature buffs) or blue (AEtherize for a big swing; in general, just more control) or to go without a splash.

GBx Midrange

In the GBx shell, you have access to cards such as Dreg Mangler, Deadbridge Goliath, and Desecration Demon to supply a fast start with big, hard-to-deal-with creatures. The GB base tends to be a fast deck that can go long when needed. Splashing red for Jund seems to be the most successful splash, giving you access to creatures like Carnival Hellsteed and Chaos Imps while also granting removal such as Annihilating Fire and Arrows of Justice.

UWx Control

The Azorius guild upholds the law, and that's exactly what a UWx build intends to do. Using cards like Cancel, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, and Supreme Verdict, UW intends to keep its opponents from doing things so that it can win. Red and black seem to be equally viable splash strategies for the immense amount of added removal; in red, the new options include Char, Mizzium Mortars, amongst others with the added benefit of Aurelia, the Warleader as a potential finisher while, in black, you gain Ultimate Price, Grisly Salvage, and Dimir Charm along with more finisher options. Green can be a decent splash to add big finishers, but it lacks in removal to give it the same strength in a control deck.

RWx Midrange

RWx utilizes the strong removal package provided by RW such as Arrows of Justice, Smite, and Devouring Light to support a strong array of creatures such as Tajic, Blade of the Legion, Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran, and Aurelia, the Warleader to win its battles. Splashing either green or black is quite powerful with this base because you can gain either cards like Ruric Thar, the Unbowed and Rubblebelt Raiders, or you can gain Carnival Hellstead and Desecration Demon. Black offers a better removal package, which usually helps it succeed, while green adds more creatures in hopes of winning the mid-late game with big things.

Your Own Thing

As you will see in the decks I've drafted thus far, there are a number of decks available to tinker with, and many more than I've even thought of. I've experimented relatively successfully with UBx Mill and with a quick Temur Tempo deck along with using RG as a base for midrange (I usually consider that part of the RWx builds, though, since this base typically yields a Naya build). The above deck archetypes are simply the decks I have seen most success with up to this point, but if you draft this cube, I suggest challenging my point of view and seeing what arises (I never would have thought to draft a Temur Tempo build in a Ravnica-based set).

Playdrafts

Below are posted the results of my drafts thus far against the bots on tappedout. I have played 8-man, 4-man, and 3-man drafts of 4 and 3 rounds on the playtester. The results are in two categories: first is the deck archetypes that have won the entire tournament and how many times each has done so, and second is the total number of wins and losses (out of three) of each deck. Keep in mind that I have personally drafted certain decks myself more often than others, so these results are slightly skewed, but useful nonetheless.

Winning Archetypes

  1. Mardu (RWB) Midrange: 4

  2. Abzan (GWB) Tokens: 3

  3. Jund (GRB) Midrange: 3

  4. Jeskai (UWR) Control: 3

  5. Esper (UWB) Control: 2

  6. Bant (UWG) Control: 1

  7. Golgari Midrange: 1

  8. Temur Tempo: 1

Archetypal Records

  1. Abzan Tokens: 13-3 (0.813)

  2. Mardu Midrange: 26-15 (0.634)

  3. Jund Midrange: 19-12 (0.613)

  4. Temur Tempo: 6-1 (0.857)+

  5. Bant Control: 8-4 (0.667)+

  6. Esper Control: 15-11 (0.577)

  7. Naya Midrange: 16-14 (0.533)

  8. Jeskai Control: 19-17 (0.528)

  9. Naya Tokens: 4-3 (0.571)+

  10. Bant Tokens: 4-3 (0.571)+

  11. BUG Midrange: 7-8 (0.467)

  12. Abzan Midrange: 7-8 (0.467)

  13. Bant Midrange: 3-4 (0.429)

  14. Grixis Tempo: 6-9 (0.400)

  15. Grixis Control: 9-21 (0.300)

  16. 4 Color Control: 2-6 (0.250)

  17. Temur (RUG) Midrange: 3-15 (0.167)

  18. Esper Midrange: 1-6 (0.142)

+ Not enough data to override continual success despite percent wins

Archetypes without Significant Data

  1. Golgari Midrange: 3-1 (0.750)

  2. UBx Mill: 2-1 (0.667)

  3. Selesnya Midrange: 1-2 (0.333)

  4. Bant Tempo: 1-3 (0.250)

  5. BUG Tempo: 0-3 (0.000)

Colorless (85)

Land (40)

Artifact (39)

Creature (6)

Gold (100)

Creature (79)

Instant (13)

Sorcery (6)

Enchantment (2)

White (35)

Creature (14)

Instant (10)

Enchantment (8)

Sorcery (3)

Blue (35)

Instant (14)

Creature (12)

Sorcery (6)

Enchantment (3)

Black (35)

Creature (15)

Sorcery (9)

Enchantment (7)

Instant (4)

Red (35)

Creature (14)

Instant (9)

Sorcery (6)

Enchantment (6)

Green (35)

Creature (18)

Instant (8)

Sorcery (6)

Enchantment (3)

buildingadeck says... #1

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May 27, 2015 4:13 p.m.

buildingadeck says... #2

Ignore my above comment. I was testing some html code, and I put it in the wrong box. :P

May 27, 2015 4:41 p.m.

darshangnaidu says... #3

Where's Zephyr Spirit? But seriously, seems like a fun cube.

May 31, 2015 12:16 p.m.

buildingadeck says... #4

Haha! darshangnaidu, thanks. It is a pretty fun cube. I'm trying to bring some power to red/Gruul at the moment. Any suggestions?

May 31, 2015 2:26 p.m.

darshangnaidu says... #5

Maybe put in some of the origninal Ravnica Bloodthirst cards, I always thought that Gruul Aggro/Bloodthirst was pretty strong. Also, I always liked Wrecking Ogre in the Bloodrush decks. For beefy mana-rampiness, Protean Hulk and Birds of Paradise are great. Giant Solifuge is a very strong aggressive Gruul card. Char was some of the best removal in Ravnica, and while Moldervine Cloak is technically Golgari, it is still a good green card. Seal of Fire was one of the best removal spells, and is pretty good in the Sphere of Safety deck. Good Bloodthirst cards include Scab-Clan Mauler, which is a very good aggressive Gruul card. Explosive Impact was never a great card, but could be considered as decent burn for a more rampy-control Gruul/Red deck.Lobber Crew is hilarious, if you want to consider supporting that deck. Splatter Thug is such a great aggressive card, even though technically Rakdos. Street Spasm is a very effective card for wiping the opponent's board. Good luck!

June 2, 2015 10:37 p.m.

buildingadeck says... #6

Thanks for all the suggestions, man. I will keep them in mind going forward. Since my original concern for red, I have noted that Mardu is a strong draft, so I may try to use some of your Gruul-oriented suggestions without overpowering red. Again, thanks. :)

June 2, 2015 11:42 p.m.

buildingadeck says... #7

UPDATE:

-1 Possibility Storm/ +1 Guild Feud

September 6, 2015 11:34 a.m.

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Cards 360
Date added 9 years
Last updated 7 years

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