Guilds of Ravnica Double Double

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

The full Guilds of Ravnica set has now been dropped and uploaded by Wizards of the Coast's Card Image Gallery, linked right here for your perusal. Instead of penning a review of our opinions here at MTG Realm as to the merits of some choice cards in various play formats, we want to write to you today about one singular cycle of cards.  We want to call this the Canadian Cycle or better yet, the 'Double Double'.  Here's why -

“Peace, order and good government” are the words used in section 91 of the British North America Act of 1867 (now Constitution Act, 1867) to define the Canadian Parliament's lawmaking authority in relation to provincial authority.  If there is anything else on God's good green earth that Canadians love more than the above over-arching expression may be "Double - Double".  

This is a truly unique Canadian term, most often associated with Tim Horton's (once a National pride and joy).  Simply put, should you order this, the server will allocate to you a beverage with two portions of sugars and two portions of cream.  Canadians so love the double-double, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce even offers the CIBC Tim Hortons Double Double Visa credit card, which when used, will generate bonus points which may be used to purchase further coffee 'n' doughnuts from Tims.

As Canadian Magic: the Gathering players, our interpretation of double-double is somewhat tinted by the game we love.  To many at a local gaming store table, a double double is meant to indicate a spell with a mana cost of two of one colour and two of another - like two white mana and two blue mana, for a total of four.  Some perculiar geographic locutions may have this expressed as a 2-by-4 in lumber country, or a 2-4 in beer town.

In the newest Magic: the Gathering set, Guilds of Ravnica, to be released on October 4, there is a very Canadian Cycle of cards featuring the beloved double-double.  Specifically, these are Five powerful uncommon multicolored creatures, for a total converted mana cost of 4 which has two of each of the respective Guilds colour.  Here they are now -

• Selesnya - Conclave Cavalier (G/W) - you get a 4/4 vigilant creature for 4 - AND - it produces two 2/2's when it hits the yard.  We reckon that 8-power for 4 mana is a good deal, no mater which way you slice it.

• Boros -Truefire Captain (R/W) - another mentor critter, but the rub here is that this may well become the new Boros Reckoner in standard.

• Golgari - Golgari Findbroker (B/G) - 4/3 for four but that inescapable 'enter the battlefield' recursion ability is one sweet graveyard shenanigan enabler.

• Izzet - Crackling Drake (U/R) - not quite the the crisp, fatty skin of roast drake we had first thought of.  Apologies, we're quite hungry at the time of writing this.  Anywhoos, we suspect that this is the best thing since 'prowess' was a mechanic, and quite perfectly aligned in Izzet.


• Dimir - Nightveil Predator (U/B) - Flying, deathtouch and hexproof - no further comment is even warranted at how lovely this is.
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