For those of you who clicked the link not knowing what you were getting yourself into, welcome to a multiplayer perspective of Return to Ravnica! I’ll be looking at the cards that have a boost when you have multiple opponents, and I may even set up a basic deck to get you started building with all the new goodies!

Cyclonic Rift (the Overload Spells)

Overload is multiplayer-friendly since it hits everything. Often, abilities choose a single opponent or a single opponent’s creatures, but overload goes around that. It is elegant and well done. While not all overload cards are big in multiplayer games (I’m looking at you, Chemister's Trick!), the advantage they offer does port well into the world of multiple opponents.

The real downside for me is that overload only ever affects your opponents or your opponents’ creatures. I would have loved a card that did 3 damage to target creature or player but with overload did 3 damage to all creatures and players. This would create more tension about using overload, and could allow Wizards of the Coast to reduce the overload cost. Wizards has done testing and knows that I am among the minority. People don’t want anything negative on their cards, but . . . come on!

Rakdos, Lord of Riots

As far as the rest Rakdos, I don’t think you need me to tell you how good a 6/6 flying, trampling Demon for 4 mana is. His drawback, especially early in the game, is no drawback at all. In most games on turn four, there is someone who still hasn’t put a creature into play yet. Just hit him and then cast Rakdos!

Cryptborn Horror and Skull Rend

This benefit-when-your-opponents-take-damage theme for Rakdos will also encourage players to wait on casting their creatures until after combat. If you can attack someone and make the Horror a little bigger, you are probably going to do that. I do like things that encourage players to play properly, and waiting until after combat is a common play error among most new players.

Desecration Demon

Of course, your group may just hate that type of gamesmanship and just attack you until you are dead. Some people are just killjoys like that.

Grave Betrayal

A side benefit is that it shuts down any opponent’s graveyard recursion. Are you sick of killing his Eternal Witness? Next time it dies, it’s yours. It will be awfully hard for him to load up his graveyard when you are taking his creatures.

This is not a complete shutdown, though. Note that it only works for creatures you don’t control, so when the opponent kills the creature he owns but you currently control, it dies and goes into his graveyard. From that point, he can start his shenanigans again, but once that creature comes back into play, if he tries to kill it again, you’ll have another chance with his creature!

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

Jarad’s multiplayer talents lie in his ability to cause a loss of life to each opponent. As the game goes on, the creatures grow bigger and the life totals become smaller, so Jarad becomes exponentially more dangerous. The nice benefit here is that the effect comes at instant speed, so if a creature is going to die, you can sacrifice him to a better purpose!

Considering how well Jarad and Rakdos seem to get along, I thought I would put together some of the old and new, offering up this Jund-colored effort:

"Thrashing Rakdos"

• Creatures (28)
• 1 Grief Tyrant
• 1 Kulrath Knight
• 3 Deathrite Shaman
• 3 Ogre Jailbreaker
• 4 Cryptborn Horror
• 4 Lobber Crew
• 4 Thrashing Wumpus
• 1 Darigaaz, the Igniter
• 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
• 3 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
• 3 Rakdos, Lord of Riots

• Spells (8)
• 3 Rakdos Charm
• 3 Dreadbore
• 1 Golgari Keyrune
• 1 Rakdos Keyrune

• Lands (24)
• 4 Blood Crypt
• 4 Golgari Guildgate
• 4 Graven Cairns
• 4 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Rakdos Guildgate
• 4 Twilight Mire

Buy This Deck

Cryptborn Horror – Once you start killing of creatures en masse, the Cryptborn Horror will be truly terrifying!

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn – With Rakdos and multiple opponents, Emrakul will cost a whole lot less.

Lobber Crew – This guy will set off Rakdos in a good way.

Dreadbore – While creatures shouldn’t be a problem, planeswalkers are a different story.

Ogre Jailbreaker – You are running eight Gates in your mana base, and with Rakdos out, this guy will often only cost .

Golgari Keyrune – The deck has a high mana curve, so a little ramp can’t hurt.

The deck is heavy on nonbasic lands since the colored mana requirements in the deck are significant. The basic idea is to bring Rakdos and the Thrashing Wumpus out and start wreaking havoc!

Deathrite Shaman

Realistically, the reason this card is here is that there will be at least one person in your group who is playing some kind of graveyard recursion. It has become far too easy to bring stuff out of the graveyard, and I’m sure that someone in every game is making some use of the graveyard. This guy shuts it all down. That Bojuka Bog that just keeps coming back isn’t coming back any more. All those instants and sorceries that gain flashback just aren’t coming back any more. Unearth and scavenge effects aren’t a problem either.

Isperia, Supreme Judge

The best way to determine if this is going to work well in your group is to look at other deterrent cards. How does your group respond when someone plays Edric, Spymaster of Trest? If they are quick to attack Edric’s controller, be ready to deal with the assault when you play Isperia. If they tend to attack elsewhere and reap the benefits, expect that you will be left alone once you put Isperia, Supreme Judge on to the battlefield.

Another strategic play happens when you are facing The Threat. You may be able to convince another opponent to attack you in an effort to let you draw more cards to find a way to deal with The Threat. Creatures just need to attack you—not damage you—for you to be eligible to draw the card. You will be surprised how often someone will send a 1/1 your way if he knows you will block with your 0/8 Wall if he thinks the resources won’t be spent against him.

Jace, Architect of Thought

His first ability is a downer in multiplayer. Weakening all of your opponents’ creatures is only a good thing if everyone is attacking you. Most times, you are hoping your opponents are attacking each other, and you don’t want to lessen those attacks. The benefit lies in preparation for the long game. If creatures are doing less damage and you are generally discouraging attacking, Jace is helping to set you up for the long game.

His −2 ability is a miniature Fact or Fiction. I love Fact or Fiction in multiplayer since you can choose the opponent who is most likely to give you what you want. I have managed to be given several five-and-zero pile pairs with Fact or Fiction just because I chose the correct opponent.

The −8 ability is amazing in multiplayer. Against a single opponent, you get just two spells. With three opponents, you will have four amazing cards—probably with ridiculous mana costs—and they all hit the battlefield . . . that turn . . . for you. Getting to the −8 is not something that is really going to happen without some help. There will need to be some proliferate or counter shenanigans, but the ultimate will be worth it.

That’s It

I hope all of you have the chance to take part in prereleases this weekend. Good luck to each of you! If your cards don’t help you win your prerelease, I hope they help you win at your kitchen table!

Bruce Richard