Jump to section ▾
Five guilds, and where Pioneer begins
What this set is
Return to Ravnica is the first trip back to the city plane since the original Ravnica block, and it splits the ten guilds across a block the same way that one did. This set has five: Azorius, Izzet, Rakdos, Golgari and Selesnya, each with its own mechanic.
It is also where Pioneer begins. When Pioneer was created in 2019, its card pool was defined as Return to Ravnica forward, so this is the oldest set whose cards are Pioneer-legal from their original printing.
The shock lands for these five guilds were reprinted here, and the set added Cyclonic Rift, Rogue's Passage, Chromatic Lantern and Vandalblast, all regular Commander inclusions.
Themes
Every mechanic in Return to Ravnica
Detain (Azorius)
Until your next turn, the detained permanent can't attack or block and its activated abilities can't be activated.
Overload (Izzet)
Pay the overload cost to replace every "target" in the spell with "each", so a single-target spell hits everything it can. Cyclonic Rift is the famous one.
Unleash (Rakdos)
The creature may enter with a +1/+1 counter, but while it has one it can't block. A choice between attacking harder and staying home.
Scavenge (Golgari)
Exile the creature card from your graveyard and pay its scavenge cost to put +1/+1 counters equal to its power on target creature, at sorcery speed.
Populate (Selesnya)
Create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control. It is only as good as your best token.
Where You Can Play It
Format legality
Return to Ravnica shipped under a single code, and it is the first set whose cards are Pioneer-legal from their original printing.
Not Standard-legal; Standard only ever holds the last few years of sets. Return to Ravnica cards are playable in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander, except that Deathrite Shaman is banned in Modern and Legacy. Commons from any set are Pauper-legal; that isn't listed per set here.
Limited
The draft format
Five guilds, five two-color decks, and the guildgates and keyrunes to splash a third color. Each guild's mechanic tells you what its deck is doing.
Azorius
Fliers and detain
Detain holds blockers down while fliers attack.
Izzet
Spells
Instants and sorceries, with overload as the late-game payoff.
Rakdos
Aggro
Unleash creatures that attack and never block.
Golgari
Graveyard value
Trade creatures, then scavenge them onto survivors.
Selesnya
Tokens
Make tokens, then populate copies of the best one.
Commanders
The most played commanders from Return to Ravnica
The legends this set is best known for. Tap one for its printings and what it costs.
Boosters, precons and singles from Return to Ravnica are on TCGplayer.
FAQ
Common questions
Why does Pioneer start at Return to Ravnica?
When Wizards created Pioneer in 2019, it defined the format as every set from Return to Ravnica (October 2012) forward, so RTR is the oldest Pioneer-legal set.
Which guilds are in Return to Ravnica?
Azorius, Izzet, Rakdos, Golgari and Selesnya. The other five (Boros, Dimir, Gruul, Orzhov and Simic) are in Gatecrash, and Dragon's Maze has all ten.
Is Cyclonic Rift from Return to Ravnica?
Yes. Cyclonic Rift debuted in Return to Ravnica. Overloaded, it returns every nonland permanent you don't control to its owner's hand.
Are there shock lands in Return to Ravnica?
Yes, five: Blood Crypt, Hallowed Fountain, Overgrown Tomb, Steam Vents and Temple Garden. Gatecrash reprinted the other five.
All card names, art, and mechanics belong to Wizards of the Coast. Return to Ravnica released on Oct 5, 2012; details reflect the set as published. Sources: Wizards of the Coast set pages and release notes, Draftsim, Untapped.gg.
Playing Return to Ravnica in Commander?
TurnZero HQ keeps deck records, MMR, and moments for every Commander night, so you can see which new cards are actually earning their slot.
Create Free Account