Ravnica Allegiance art review

Ravnica Allegience showcases the shifting allegiances in Ravnica, guilds are changing their stance and this is causing strife not only between guilds but also within guilds. Overall this leads to art which gives the impression of foreboding. We are building to something, but as yet nobody is sure what.

Five of the best

It’s always hard to pick the top cards from a set, but below are my five favourites:

Best overall

My pick for the best card art in this set goes to…

Seraph of the Scales by Magali Villeneuve

A great work which shows those dark foreboding skies while also featuring a fantastic character, bedecked in Orzhov finery.

The Guilds

Ravnica Allegiance features five of Ravnica’s ten guilds, the other five having featured in Guilds of Ravnica last year. Each guild has its own look and feel:

Azorius

The Azorius guild has been taken over by the planeswalker Dovin Baan following the death of the previous guild leader at the hands (or eyes, rather) of Vraska. Baan hails from Kaladesh and so the Azorius now show his artifact-focused influence.

Not everyone is happy with these changes, as shown by the Lavinia, Azorius Renegade card.

Lavinia, Azorius Renegade by Steven Belledin

Gruul

The Gruul clan have always been the anti-Ravnica part of Ravnica. Living in the few wilderness areas of the plane, they occasionally reach out to destroy outlying urban areas.

The Gruul are at their happiest when they are destroying what others have built. In this, they have not changed much from their previous look. They have changed leaders, from the cyclops Borborygmos to the planeswalker Domri Rade.

Orzhov

The Orzhov have changed their look from Gatcrash, where it was all about ghosts and extortion. Both are featured here but the theme seems more muted this time. This guild also has a new planeswalker leader, and similar levels of ambivalence about her sudden ascension.

Orzhov art fits well with the sense of foreboding being generated here, especially on cards like Knight of Sorrows, as shown above.

Rakdos

Of the five guilds Rakdos has received the most creative attention and that has paid off in the cards. Rakdos art jumps off the card at you with sheer violent glee. Rakdos are a cult of demon-worshippers, but also provide Ravnica with its entertainment.

Judith, the Scourge Diva by Wesley Burt

The Rakdos will put on a memorable show for you, but it’s probably better if you don’t know what happens in the Rakdos dungeons after hours…

Simic

The Simic are a guild that is constantly trying new forms of life through combination. This also comes through strongly in their cards, and the mix of creatures types.

Frilled Mystic by Randy Vargas

The Simic come across as being unaffected by and uninterested in the changes going on in wider Ravnica. Instead they are focused on their own intra-guild rivalries. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Growth Spiral by Seb McKinnon

Did you enjoy the art of Ravnica Allegiance? What was your favourite card art? You can see all cards via Scryfall.