There is a new Magic: The Gathering set being released that is causing a lot of commotion within the Magic community. The Return to Ravnica set that is being release on October 5th is one of the most hyped and anticipated blocks (AKA multiple sets of cards) coming from Wizards of the Coast. This release is the first set being released out of the block and the second set is due to be released in February of 2013. The reason why this set is so anticipated is because of a set that was released in 2005, called Ravnica: City of Guilds.
The original Ravnica block was the most influential card sets in Magic’s history. The Ravnica: City of Guilds introduced new mechanics and a new spin on the traditional five colors. In this block there were a total of ten “guilds”. Each guild was made up of two colors that interacted directly with each other and had a guild leader. This block promoted the use of multiple colors and urged people to make a deck with good color and card synergy. Another thing that made Ravnica incredibly popular is the fact that the plane it exists on is one large city and the story behind the City of Guilds.
The Return to Ravnica block is so anticipated because it is introducing new mechanics that are guild specific, and the ability to join a guild and play as a part of that guild. The guilds that have been released so far are Izzet (blue and red), Rakdos (black and red), Golgari (black and green), Azorious (blue and white), Selesnya (green and white). The five mechanics that have been released with Return to Ravnica are: overload (Izzet), unleash (Rakdos), detain (Azorious), scavenge (Golgari), and populate (Selesneya). Each of these mechanics adds a level of flavor and strategy to the game that enhances the overall gameplay, and feel of the game.
There were prerelease events held at card shops around the world the weekend of September 29th. These events started at midnight and typically went all weekend. When players joined the event and they would have the opportunity to choose the guild that they would want to play as for that event. At Double Midnight Comics in Machester, NH the prerelease event had over 100 players and started at midnight and ended around 7:00 a.m.
The entry fee of $25 got a player five booster packs of Return to Ravnica, one guild specific pack, one guild spindown die, a letter from the guild leader, a guild sticker, pizza for dinner, homemade pancakes for breakfast, and the ability to win more booster packs a week before they are available to purchase. Going to a prerelease is a good way to get to know the cards that are being released, and play some games with new people.