Guilds of Ravnica Standard Set Review: White

Posted on October 1, 2018

It's here! it is time for Guilds of Ravnica Standard Set Review! We will have one out every day this week and today we will be starting with the White cards. If you want to see what cards will be good in the new Standard, then you've come to the right place. You ready? I am, but before we start, my rating process.

I will not be going over cards that I believe will not see play in Standard. For example, cards like Flight of Equenauts and Tenth District Guard will be omitted since they are just Limited cards and saying, "This is just a Limited card" repeatedly gets old rather fast. Don't worry though, I will be covering all the rare and mythic cards in the set. So, if you like a certain rare or mythic, it will be mentioned in the review.

Keep in mind I'm rating all these cards for Standard playability. I will mention Modern applications if I believe the card has some.

Each card will be listed by color, then alphabetically by name.

Each card will given a rating of 1-5. If a card would receive a 0, meaning it will see no play in that format ever, it's rating is left off the list.

Rating - Explanation - Standard - Examples

0 - Will never see play in this format (0 ratings are not listed).

1 - Unlikely to see play. (Light of the Legion)

2 - Could see fringe play, or occasional sideboard card. (Drowned Secrets)

3 - Commonly played, staple in a single deck, or frequent play in several decks. (Cast Down, Disdainful Stroke)

4 - Format staples. Sees play in multiple decks, one of the best cards in the format. (< Seal Away, Settle the Wreckage, Rekindling Phoenix)

5 - Format warping. If you're in these colors, you play that card. (Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Goblin Chainwhirler)

Here we go!


	2 - If Bounty Agent killed planeswalkers then I could see it being played in main decks, but since it doesn't I feel like it's too narrow. I'd rather play a creature with first strike, mentor, or just a different ability. It could see Sideboard play, but that's the only place I really see it.
	2 - Worse than Slaughter the Strong for control decks but Citywide Bust is playable in a token deck. It's basically a one-sided board wipe in the tokens deck. Great sideboard card for that deck.
	3 - I like this card more than Ixalan's Binding if you are playing a lot of creatures or you are playing tokens. It's nice to get a discount on an Oblivion Ring with your summoning sick creatures.
	2 - This card costs a lot but if a Standard deck has both enchantments and artifacts, Crush Contraband will be a blowout against that deck. Overall, worse than Divine Offering but could still see fringe play.
	2.5 - In an Ajani's Pridemate deck or alongside Fountain of Renewal is where I could see someone playing Dawn of Hope. Even in tokens it pairs nicely with Divine Visitation and it's also just a solid grindy card against midrange or control decks. The only drawback is that the first copy is good but any more than the first and you have diminishing returns.
	3.5 - This card is powerful. I expect all tokens deck to run at least one, but I think most will settle on two since drawing a second copy does not produce any extra angels. Divine Visitation is a blowout alongside any token generating card, but it's especially good with Heroic Reinforcements.
	2.5 - Competes with Dauntless Bodyguard and Skymarcher Aspirant in aggressive decks but I think the home for Hunted Witness is an Abzan deck alongside Vraska, Golgari Queen. Decks that can really make use of the creature dying. It's also a fine sideboard card against Dauntless Bodyguard, Skymarcher Aspirant, and other 1 toughness creatures. So, a tokens deck could pick it up for its sideboard to buy some time against the aggressive strategies.
	1 - This card costs way too much for any aggressive deck and midrange/control have much better options. I don't have any hope for Light of the Legion.
	2 - If you're playing Boros, Boros Challenger is better than Sunhome Stalwart. Then Sunhome Stalwart competes with Swiftblade Vindicator. Swiftblade Vindicator seems better to me especially since it curves nicely into Tajic, Legion's Edge and Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice.
	2 - A Sideboard option for token decks to get a little pump or protect a creature from removal; but, more than that, it is a great way to gain three or more life and counter a Lightning Strike or Wizard's Lightning.
	2.5 - I like Venerated Loxodon especially after an End of Turn March of the Multitudes. Venerated Loxodon grows your 1/1 tokens to deal more damage, gain more life, and more importantly, protect them from Chainwhirler.

Top 5 White Cards

Divine Visitation

Conclave Tribunal

Hunted Witness

Venerated Loxodon

Dawn of Hope

White only has two solid cards in Standard in Conclave Tribunal and Divine Visitation. The other three are okay but are not as solid. Overall, I would say White did not fare so well in Guilds of Ravnica. Then again, Ravnica is traditionally a multicolored set, so I'm sure we'll see some powerful cards when we get to the multicolored section. Well, that's it for today folks. Make sure to tune in tomorrow when we go over the Blue cards in Guild of Ravnica.