PAX Ravnica Party

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Happy Saturday night MTG Peeps,

If you stayed up and waited for Santa, then you'll be happy.  As we type, Magic the Gathering fans are focused on the "Return to Ravnica" Party organised by Wizards of the Coast at The Showbox at the Market in downtown Seattle.  

 






We were able to connect with mtg colorpie who has done an amazing job keeping everyone posted who were not able to attend PAX or the MTG party tonight.  Show him some link love on Twitter or over at his website. Straight into the Return to Ravnica spoilers ! -

Jace, Architect of Thought, 2UU Planeswalker - Jace, Mythic Rare
+1: Until your next turn, whenever a creature an opponent controls attacks, it gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
-2: Reveal the top three cards of your library. An opponent separates them into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other on the bottom of your library in any order.
-8: For each player, search that player's library for a nonland card and exile it. You may cast those cards without paying their mana cost.Radkos's Return, XBSorcery, Mythic RareRadkos's Return deals X damage to target opponent. 
That player discards X cards.
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Shocklands are back!

Hallowed Fountain
Land - Plains Island, Rare
Tap: Add W or U to your mana pool
As Hallowed Fountain enters the battlefield, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, Overgrown Tomb enters the battlefield tapped.

Overgrown Tomb
Land - Swamp Forest, Rare
Tap: Add G or U to your mana pool
As Overgrown Tomb enters the battlefield, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, Overgrown Tomb enters the battlefield tapped.

Breeding Pool
Land - Plains Island, Rare
Tap: Add W or U to your mana pool
As Hallowed Fountain enters the battlefield, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, Overgrown Tomb enters the battlefield tapped.

Grove of the Guardian
Land, Rare
Tap: Add 1 to your mana pool.
3GW, Tap: Tap two untapped creatures you contol. Sacfice Grove of the Guardian. Put an 8/8 green and white Elemental creature token with vigilence onto the battlefield.

Hypersonic Dragon, 3UR
Creature - Dragon, Rare
Flying, Haste.
You may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash.
4/4

Pack Rat, 1B
Creature - Rat, Rare
Pack Rat's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Ras you control.
2B, Discard a card: Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of Pack Rat
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Wayfaring Temple, 1WG
Creature - Elemental, Rare
Wayfaring Temple's power and toughness are each equal to the number of creatures you control.
Whenever Wayfaring Temple deals combat damage to a player, populate. (Put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of a creature token you control.)

CorpseJack Fungus, 2BG
Creature - Fungus - Rare
If one or more +1/+1 counters would be placed on a creature you control, twice that many +1/+1 counters are placed on it instead.
4/4

Mizzium Mortars, 1R
Sorcery, Rare
Mizzium Mortars deals 4 damage to target creature you don't control.
Overload 3RRR (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of "target" with "each".)

Archon of the Triumvirate, 5UW
Creature - Archon
Flying. When this attacks, detain up to two non-land permanents your opponents control.
4/5
SORRY - NO IMAGE AT THE MOMENT - - New mechanic for Azorious - Detain: Until your next turn those permanents gain "Arrest" (Enchanted creature can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.).

Carnival Hellsteed, 4BR
Creature - Nightmare Horse, Rare
First strike, haste
Unleash (You may have this creature enter the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. It can't block as long as it has a +1/+1 on it.)
5/4

Chromatic Lantern, 3
Artifact, Rare
Lands you control have "Tap: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
 
Tap: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

Nivix Guildmage, UR
Creature - Human Wizards, Uncommon
1UR: Draw a card, then discard a card.
2UR: Copy target instant or sorcery spell you contol. You may choose new tarters fro the copy.
2/2

Fencing Ace,  1W
Creature - Human Soldier, Uncommon
 
Double strike
 
1/1
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Judge's Familiar, (W/B)
Creature - Bird, Uncommon
Flying
Sacrifice Judge's Familiar: Counter target instant or sorcery spell unless its controller pays 1.
1/1

Azorious Charm, WB
Instant, Uncommon
Choose one - Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn; or draw a card; or put target attacking or blocking creature o top of its owner's library.

Selesnya Charm, GW
Instant, Uncommon
Choose one - Creatures you control gain +2/+2 and Trample; Exile target creature with power greater than 5; or put a 2/2 White Knight creature token with vigilance onto the battlefield
(SORRY - NO IMAGE)
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Stay tuned to latter posts as we yatter about these new Return to Ravnica spoilers 'n' previews.
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RTR Spoiler 8

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Happy WEdnesday MTG peeeps,

We did take a break from actual Return to Ravnica cards spoiled / previewed in the Izzet vs. Golgari Duel Deck to concentrate on all the amazing new Magic: the Gathering card arts which came out but now we're back on point.  So far we have had a look at Rootborn Defenses and Deadbridge Goliath as well as Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord but we did not yet review the 5 new (6 if you include Jarad) cards revealed in the Izzet vs Golgari Decklist.

Let's have a boo now shall we as in the next post we will want to yatter about the possible Return to Ravnica cycles we may expect.
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Street Spasm, xr
Instant, Uncommon
Street Spasm deals X damage to target creature without flying you don't control.
Overload {X}{X}{R}{R}

Overload looks to be a cool mechanic and Street Spasm might be a decent enough card for limited as well as constructed play.
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Dreg Mangler, 1bg
Creature - Plant Zombie, Uncommon
Haste
Scavenge 3{B}{G}
3/3

Lov'n the name as well as the slick art from Peter Mohrbacher.  Scavenge also looks to be a decent new tech and we look forward to seeing this mechanic on other cards.
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Goblin Electromancer, ur
Creature - Goblin Wizard, Common
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
2/2

This card's flavour is totally Izzet.  We love this card at common rarity and have great expectations of epic Izzet games with cards like this.
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Izzet Charm, ur
Instant, Uncommon
Choose One - Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays 2; or Izzet Charm deals 2 damage to target creature; or draw two cards, then discard two cards.

Another card Wizards produced with big Izzet flavour.  We're still not quite decided as to how well this may be in constructed but we do rather appreciate spells with this many different 'swiss-knife' options.
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Korozda Guildmage, bg
Creature - Elf Shaman, Uncommon
1{B}{G}: Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains intimidate until end of turn.
2{B}{G}, Sacrifice a nontoken creature: Put X 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is the sacrificed creature's toughness.
2/2

This guildmage rocks our Golgari world.  The art from one of our fav artists Ryan Pancoast is a bit weird but we love the pump 'n' intimidate as well as sac 'n' token utility.
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Lastly,
Remember to drop by MTG Mint Card for Magic the Gathering singles from not only the Duel Deck but Return to Ravnica as well.

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Izzet vs Golgari Decklist

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Happy Monday MTG peeps,
Just aw we here at MTG Realm are still reeling from last weekend's massive Return to Ravnica art spoilers / previews, today the Mothersite posted the full Duel Deck Izzet vs Golgari Decklist.  If you don't know, Duel Decks are a series of theme decks first issued in 2007 with each set depicts a notable rivalry.  They contain two 60-card decks designed and developed specifically to be played againsteach other by two people.  The latest duel deck, is rather exciting as it contains six cards from the upcoming Return to Ravnica set.  We'll get to those new cards next post, but for now, let's have a peak at the Izzet vs Golgari Decklist . . .

(R) - Rare or Mythic Rare, (RTR) - New Return to Ravnica Card

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Izzet Deck
The Izzet are obsessive experimenters, the epitome of keen creative intellect combined with an unfortunately short attention span. The original mandate of the Izzet guild was to provide solutions for public works projects (sewers, boilers, roadways), but their experiments often produce mana geysers, spatial rifts, or arcane portals instead. As of late, their guildmaster, the dragon Niv-Mizzet, has driven the Izzet to delve deeper and deeper into more dangerous and experimental magic. The purpose of these experiments is unknown.

Main Deck - 60 cards   
24 lands : 1  Forgotten Cave, 10  Island, 2  Izzet Boilerworks, 1  Lonely Sandbar, 9  Mountain, 1  Nivix, Aerie of the Firemind

15 creatures : 1  Djinn Illuminatus (R), 1  Galvanoth (R), 1  Gelectrode, 1  Goblin Electromancer (RTR), 1  Izzet Chronarch, 1  Izzet Guildmage, 2  Kiln Fiend, 1  Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (R), 1  Ogre Savant, 2  Shrewd Hatchling, 1  Steamcore Weird, 2  Wee Dragonauts

21 other spells : 1  Brainstorm, 1  Call to Heel, 1  Dissipate, 1  Fire // Ice, 1  Force Spike, 1  Invoke the Firemind (R), 1  Isochron Scepter (R), 1  Izzet Charm (RTR), 1  Izzet Signet, 1  Magma Spray, 1  Overwhelming Intellect, 1  Prophetic Bolt (R), 2  Pyromatics, 1  Quicksilver Dagger, 1  Reminisce, 1  Sphinx-Bone Wand (R), 1  Street Spasm (RTR), 1  Thunderheads, 1  Train of Thought, 1  Vacuumelt

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Golgari Deck
The Golgari guild is organized more like a single organism than a collective. It has a nucleus or nerve center that drives the direction and growth of the guild, elements that collect nutrients and convert them into usable resources, defenses that fight off foreign bodies, and an instinctual drive to survive, reproduce, and overcome.

Main Deck - 60 cards   
24 lands : 1  Barren Moor, 1  Dakmor Salvage, 8  Forest, 2  Golgari Rot Farm, 1  Svogthos, the Restless Tomb, 10  Swamp, 1  Tranquil Thicket

23 creatures : 1  Boneyard Wurm, 1  Brain Weevil, 1  Doomgape (R), 1  Dreg Mangler (RTR), 2  Elves of Deep Shadow, 1  Eternal Witness, 1  Gleancrawler (R), 1  Golgari Grave-Troll (R), 2  Golgari Rotwurm, 1  Golgari Thug, 1  Greater Mossdog, 1  Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord (R), 1  Korozda Guildmage (RTR), 1  Plagued Rusalka, 1  Putrid Leech, 1  Ravenous Rats, 1  Reassembling Skeleton, 1  Sadistic Hypnotist, 1  Shambling Shell, 1  Stingerfling Spider, 1  Stinkweed Imp

13 other spells : 1  Feast or Famine, 1  Ghoul's Feast, 1  Golgari Germination, 1  Golgari Signet, 1  Grim Flowering, 1  Life // Death, 1  Life from the Loam (R), 1  Nightmare Void, 2  Putrefy, 1  Twilight's Call (R), 1  Vigor Mortis, 1  Yoke of the Damned

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We rather like this Duel Deck - everything from the flavour, to hard hitting spells, and the nostaligia.  Considering that Niv Mizzet, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, Life from the Loam, Isochron Scepter, Eternal Witness and Grave Troll we think that the MRSP of $20 is money well spent and excellent entainment / collector value.  We're going to try to get our paws on this when it is finally released on 7th September, 2012, get some games in and get you a proper review.  If you are looking to get singles from this, look no further than MTG Mint Card.
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DD Izzet vs Golgari

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

We don't often get overly hot under the collar for Magic the Gathering Duel Decks products but we have to admit that we are already pumped for the Return to Ravnica set coming this fall (October, 2012) and think that Wizards of the Coast has perfectly timed the guild / faction product Izzet vs. Golgari just ahead of the fall release to cash in on our infatuation of all things Ravnica.  By the way, you can pre-order Return to Ravnica card lots already at MTG Mint Card which has a special going on.  We have great expectations of the forthcoming decklist in terms of not only flavour but a well-balanced build which will allow players to game with this months / years to come. 

Anywhoos - here's the 4.1.1. -

Duel Decks: Izzet vs. Golgari is the tenth set in the Duel Decks series. It will be released on September 7th, 2012 and contains two preconstructed theme decks. The MSRP is $19.99.  Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord are featured cards.  Two of the guilds of the Magic: The Gathering game setting face off below the fantasy city of Ravnica in this Duel Deck.  Izzet vs. Golgari pits the Izzet League and its dragon leader Niv-Mizzet against the secretive Golgari and their lich lord Jarad.

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The Izzet League, under the ingenious mind of its guildmaster, the dragon Niv-Mizzet, has dabbled, delved, and decoded many mysteries in its insatiable thirst for knowledge. Now the dracomagus seeks to plumb the depths of Ravnica’s undercity. But the Golgari don’t welcome interlopers in their dank, moldy realm.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, 2
Legendary Creature - Dragon Wizard
Flying
Whenever you draw a card, Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
TAP Symbol: Draw a card.
4/4

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Under the command of the elvish lich lord Jarad, the Golgari have dwelled in darkness long enough. The Swarm grows restless and its rot farms need fresh corpses. Jarad believes the time is right to teach Niv-Mizzet’s magewrights a lesson: that there is no place for Izzet research in the vicious cycle of life and death.
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord,
Legendary Creature - Zombie Elf, Mythic Rare
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord gets +1/+1 for each creature card in your graveyard.
1, Sacrifice another creature: Each opponent loses life equal to the sacrificed creature's power.
Sacrifice a Swamp and a Forest: Return Jarad from your graveyard to your hand.
2/2

Initial Deck Design: Chris Millar
Final Deck Development: Mark L. Gottlieb
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGIVG
Languages Available: English, Japanese
Release Date: September 7, 2012
MSRP: $19.99
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Izzet vs. Golgari

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Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

We have another announcement to catch up on - this one from WoTC Monty and his post Magic Arcana on Monday.  If you are a Magic the Gathering player, love Duel Decks products and have a soft spot for Ravinca, then we are certain you are looking forwar to the September 7 release date.

First up - some MTG history . . .

The Golgari

The Golgari believe you can't truly live until you die. For them, death gives life meaning, and from death comes new life. With its vast horde of undead serving as both standing army and labor force, the Golgari operate in Ravnica's undercity, slowly taking over abandoned and derelict areas like a fetid slime mold. This guild contains many factions, from undead abominations of plant matter and flesh, to Ravnica's dark elves, known as the Devkarin. Leadership of the guild is never uncontested.

The Izzet
The Izzet run hot and cold—literally. In fact, they keep nearly everything running, from Ravnica's heating networks to its water systems. The undisputed masters of spellcraft and invention on Ravnica, they're the only guild that understands metamagic: how magic itself works. Led by the capricious and unfathomably brilliant dragon Niv-Mizzet, the Izzet magewrights endlessly create and destroy, driven only by passion for discovery. Experts in elemental magic, the Izzet use elementals to guard their alchemical labs and power their turbines. They've even created their own crossbreed elementals called weirds. Unlike most other guilds, the Izzet fail to see the importance of power, dominion, or wealth. The rabid pursuit of knowledge is the guild's only concern.
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And here's the 4•1•1 for the Duel Decks . . 
 
The Izzet League, under the ingenious mind of its guildmaster, the dragon Niv-Mizzet, has dabbled, delved, and decoded many mysteries in its insatiable thirst for knowledge. Now the dracomagus seeks to plumb the depths of Ravnica’s undercity. But the Golgari don’t welcome interlopers in their dank, moldy realm.

Under the command of the elvish lich lord Jarad, the Golgari have dwelled in darkness long enough. The Swarm grows restless and its rot farms need fresh corpses. Jarad believes the time is right to teach Niv-Mizzet’s magewrights a lesson: that there is no place for Izzet research in the vicious cycle of life and death.

Initial Deck Design: Chris Millar
Final Deck Development: Mark L. Gottlieb
Twitter Hashtag: #MTGIVG
Languages Available: English, Japanese
Release Date: September 7, 2012
MSRP: $19.99d

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With the fall block 'Return to Ravnica' hitting games stores early October,  we are planning to pick this Duel Deck as it is perfectly timed to get a dose of Ravnica flavour ahead of the new block.
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