Ravnica Allegiance marks the second set in the so-called Guilds of Ravnica block. While blocks were technically done away with following Dominaria, these two were kept together as a sort of block by way of being quite similar thematically. This second set featured the five remaining guilds of Azorius, Gruul, Orzhov, Rakdos, and Simic and brought with it a whole host of awesome cards in the process. With sixteen new mythic rares, there's plenty for us to cover here, so let's get to ranking them!

16. Mesmerizing Benthid

When considering Limited purposes, it's not hard to see why this is a mythic. It's got decent stats and brings two extra bodies with it. Those bodies lock down other creatures and it even has hexproof while those creatures stick around. The problem is that those tokens are usually small enough that they'll die quickly and the body of the main creature - while good - isn't always going to make or break the game like some others in this list will. It's also useless everywhere outside of Limited, which brings it way down to the bottom of this list.

15. Ravager Wurm

Now let's compare it to this one. Ravager Wurm only brings with it the one body, but it's a massive one that you can either make even bigger or give it haste so it kills your opponent faster. Not only that, but when it enters, it also fights another creature, thereby permanently removing it as opposed to temporarily tapping it down as you would with the Benthid. Great flexibility and tons of power made it a house in both Draft and Sealed. Unfortunately, though, it's a little too one-note for anywhere else, so it ends up on the lower end of this list comparatively.

14. The Haunt of Hightower

While still not anywhere near the power level of Nexus of Fate, The Haunt of Hightower provides a much better buy-a-box promo than Impervious Greatwurm. This one has some great synergies with discard, mill, and removal-heavy strategies, making it get really big really fast. It's still ultimately little more than a casual card, and a niche one at that, so it ends up lower on this list.

13. Angel of Grace

Angel of Grace is basically the last of the powerful Limited bombs that don't quite stack up so much elsewhere. This card is a huge beater of a creature that also has flash to surprise block effectively. Even if it gets taken down, it still provides you with the means to hang into the game, making it an absolute Limited house if you opened it. It did see some very minor Standard play as well, but not enough to note it for being a powerhouse there.

12. Rakdos, the Showstopper

Rakdos, the Showstopper is the kind of card that makes for one incredible story. How many players will lose their boards? Who knows, but it causes a really epic moment in games whenever it happens. It's clear this was a card designed a bit more in mind for digital clients with how easy it is to resolve there, but even in paper, the tension it causes for each creature on the board can be very exciting, particularly for Commander. It's too random and expensive for real competitive play, but it's great for most other areas of play.

11. Emergency Powers

Modern day Timetwister effects can get pretty nutty, and Emergency Powers goes hard here by putting a big permanent onto the battlefield with it. Funny enough, I have memories of people getting up to some nonsense with this in Standard back in the day, but it looks like it never amounted to anything outside a handful of control and Fires of Invention lists. In Commander, though, this rules, especially if you combine it with something nasty like Narset, Parter of Veils so your opponents don't draw their cards as well.

10. Dovin, Grand Arbiter

Dovin continues the trend of "good Limited card and a so-so Constructed card" that continues to lack the impact to Commander as well. If you can attack with enough creatures, Dovin gets real big real fast, allowing you to utilize his ultimate and sculpt your hand to win the game. The trick is that this is more of a control deck's strategy, and those tend to not have a ton of creatures to speak of. It's a fine card, and will dominate many games of Limited, but elsewhere it can be hard to set up in a way that you can meaningfully take advantage of it.

9. Domri, Chaos Bringer

Domri brings with it a relatively solid player. It's a weird one for Constructed play because you'd think a four mana planeswalker that largely ramps isn't going to be the biggest for something like an aggressive deck like Gruul decks tend to be. Still, this one saw quite a bit of play in those kind of decks, as it not only allowed you to make mana but give your creatures haste as well as find more out of your deck. This one also some reasonable play in Commander for all of the above reasons, making for a strong package all around.

8. Seraph of the Scales

Seraph of the Scales doesn't really look like much, but a four mana 4/3 flier that leaves behind some creatures when it dies is a great value on its own. Couple this with the fact that you can give it vigilance for just one mana a turn and it proved incredibly potent in the decks it was relevant in. The deathtouch side of things didn't come up very often, as it's a minor non-bo most of the time with flying, but the whole package made for a rock-solid creature that was both a Limited bomb and a Constructed standout.

7. Captive Audience

Shortly after release, Captive Audience became a huge fan favorite. Was it very good in Constructed? No, though some players tried to brew with it here and there. In both games of Limited and Commander, though, it has a monstrous impact. In the latter, it's especially great at providing a means of shutting down one specific problem player everyone else wants taken care of. The art helped to the love behind the card as well, showing a crowd of onlookers looking at some unseen horror - including the beloved Fblthp that was hidden in card arts of the past this set and Guilds of Ravnica.

6. Biogenic Ooze

Biogenic Ooze gets out of hand fast - really fast. The more mana you have access to, the more tokens you're able to make. With every passing turn, each of these oozes gets even bigger and eventually overwhelms your opponent. This made Biogenic Ooze one of the best Limited cards in the set by a large margin, a fairly playable card in Standard, and a regularly potent option for Commander decks of all kinds.

5. Spawn of Mayhem

Spawn of Mayhem often feels like a remarkably low-cost card. A four mana 4/4 flying, trample creature is a good rate on its own, but it's almost trivial to have it cost 3 mana instead thanks to the spectacle cost. Additionally, multiple copies benefit one another since the first causes a point of damage, thereby setting up spectacle and making your second one come down more cheaply. The raw power outpaces the damage it deals to you, which made it one of the best threats in Limited and in Standard at the time.

4. Skarrgan Hellkite

As noted above, the problem with Ravager Wurm is that while it's a pretty potent creature, its ability is just a one-time deal. Skarrgan Hellkite on the other hand is like the gift that keeps on giving. If you really need it to come in for fast damage, giving it haste is always an option. If you're willing to be a little patient, though, not only is your creature bigger but it can pick off all of your opponent's creatures. As a result, this made it a house in both Limited and Constructed during its tenure in Standard.

3. Kaya, Orzhov Usurper

Kaya's first outing in Conspiracy: Take the Crown wasn't really all that spectacular, having minimal impact on games in any format besides Limited. This one, on the other hand, rules. Not only did it single-handedly turn Esper Control into a real deck by chewing up graveyards and blowing people out, but it even had respectable play in older formats. Three mana is often the magic number, and a -1 that exiles small permanents hits a surprising amount of powerful cards. In Standard, this would even be good at dealing with Witch's Oven and Cauldron Familiar once Throne of Eldraine released, making Kaya a major standout of this set.

2. Prime Speaker Vannifar

You know what card players have come to adore over the years? Birthing Pod. Given the card's historical play and banning in general when it comes to competitive play, players love getting up to the toolbox combo nonsense the card provides. Prime Speaker Vannifar provides this same style of effect but on a creature instead of an artifact. This got people trying to brew competitive decks with her in multiple formats and - perhaps more importantly - she makes for an excellent option in the command zone, making her a smash hit among all kinds of players.

1. Hydroid Krasis

If you were playing Standard when Hydroid Krasis hit the scene, chances are you saw it show up all the time. For a good while, this powerful flier was somewhat akin to the second coming of Sphinx's Revelation, only in Simic colors instead of Azorius. It may give you less life and less cards, but that's fine when it also leaves you with a giant evasive threat that's difficult to deal with. All of this made for one hell of a package that made it the best thing you could be doing for some time and easily the most valuable card in the set.

Paige Smith

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