With all of the crazy new cards in the Guilds of Ravnica set, there are a ton of great options you can use as the centerpiece of your deck!
However…that’s not ALWAYS the case. Unfortunately, there are several cards in Guilds of Ravnica that can be rather difficult to build a deck around.
So, today we’re teaming up with the staff at Pat’s Games to discuss some of the toughest cards to build around in the newest set!
Vraska, Golgari Queen
Due to the relatively low value and the risks associated with sacrificing a permanent, it’s hard to find a situation where the plus ability is good. The minus ability is a decent piece of removal, but its high cost and relatively low speed make it a situational choice at best. While her final ability basically wins you the game any time you can get it off, you have to survive three turns and she cant help you do that by herself. For her to work we would need something that creates a veritable army of blockers to keep her alive or a good reason to sacrifice our own creatures. She could potentially see use in a saproling deck with Slimefoot and Poison Tip Archer, but its continued weakness to Goblin Chainwhirler limits its overall practicality.
Blood Operative
Blood Operative’s true value only comes to light through the reliable use of surveil, and there aren’t too many matching cards that offer this. Its life cost can also make it difficult to activate later in the game.
Gruesome Menagerie
Not only does this card require the player to have several very specific cards in the graveyard, but they also must be worthwhile to bring back. With its emphasis on low-cost cards (which are only prevalent in certain colors), you may find yourself limited to options like Pelt Collector and Llanowar Elves.
Lazav The Multifarious
This card requires one of your best creatures to already be in your graveyard, and its weak surveil trait does not necessarily make this any easier. Ideally, you’d have multiple strong monsters in your graveyard, which can be difficult to build around without the right focus on draw power.
Charnel Troll
While this beast is indeed powerful, it needs a steady diet of creatures in your graveyard or else it can’t stay on the battlefield. Surveiling might be a good way to keep this troll fed, ultimately you’ll be sacrificing far too many creatures for it to be worth the trouble.
Hatchery Spider
Not only is Hatchery Spider expensive, but you need to have a large number of cards in the graveyard to ensure that you have the highest draw. Ideally it could be used to summon another powerful creature (especially another Hatchery Spider), but it’s just too unwieldy to be relied upon.
While these cards may have their uses in certain decks, building around them will generally be more difficult for casual players. And with the abundance of strong cards in Guilds of Ravnica, we may see these cards more relegated to collection and casual play.
For more thoughts on these cards, check out our coverage below!
