Return to Ravnica, EDH Style

Well, this is a set chock full of amazing cards, and surprisingly, not many cards are outright bad.  Some are definitely not OMGWTFBBQ amazing, but there's a lot of good stuff and a lot of cards I'm looking forward to trying out, at least.

That's going to be my scale:

I Wouldn't If I Were You (No): Just don't do it, unless you're deliberately choosing less-than-amazing cards for your deck, for some reason.  Maybe it's a tribal deck, maybe you're building a deck on a bet, but generally, you shouldn't be playing this.

Let's Take A Test Drive (Maybe): I would add this to a deck, and see how it works.  This is also where a card goes if one variety of deck loves this effect, and other decks scoff.  It's possible that the card is worse than I think, or better, but I'd want to cast it in a few games and get a feel for it. For example, in hindsight, Thragtusk turned out to be less than amazing in EDH games. I thought I would need a lot of the 'tusks, but I've taken him out of every deck I thought I would play him in.

Can't Wait To Sleeve It (Yes): I'd put this into almost every deck of the right color(s).  I'm going to play this card, and unless it turns out to be a real stinker for some unforeseen reason, I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this card. 

I'm going to go in card order, along with the Card Image Gallery, if you want to follow along.

White

Angel of Serenity - Yes - This is a pretty amazing card, for what it does and its cost.  I've slowly taken Admonition Angel out of most decks, and this angel is both better and worse than the Admonition.  I think that the most common use of this is to exile three of your own creatures from the graveyard, and then do something to get the Angel dead.  In a blue/white deck, cloning this angel will get out of hand VERY quickly as they start to loop.

Armory Guard - No - Soldier decks can do better.

Arrest - Maybe - Prison Term isn't played often enough, and Arrest is strictly worse than that.  Some enchantment decks may play this, though.

Avenging Arrow - No - White removal is a LOT better than this.

Azorius Arrester - Maybe - I think Detain is an ability that is sneaky good at EDH tables.  I don't know if one-time effects are good enough, though.  That said, this little guy may have some synergy with decks that cycle him in and out of play, say with Conjurer's Closet and the like.  It will be important to note that some detain effects are creature-only, and others can target any nonland permanent.

Azorius Justicar - Maybe - If detaining one is good, two will be better, but I wish this was a 2/3 at least.

Bazaar Krovod - No - Just don't do this.  If you need vigilance that badly, there's better ways.

Concordia Pegasus - No - I'm sure there's a Pegasus-theme deck out there that's super stoked, but the rest of us will decline.

Ethereal Armor - Maybe - Another tool for the green/white enchantment decks, and a cheaply useful one.

Eyes in the Skies - Maybe - Populate is a mechanic that is going to get a lot of mileage, since there's plenty of spells that make decent-to-big tokens.  Plus, this will get played in Bird decks across the land.

Fencing Ace - Maybe - For most decks, this guy won't cut it.  I know that in my Soldier deck, with all five Swords and lots of Soldier-pumping effects, this little guy is going to do some work.

Keening Apparition - No - Useful in Limited, EDH, not so much.

Knightly Throwback - Maybe - A tool for the Enchantment decks AND the token decks.  Some will really like this.

Martial Law - Yes - The best detain spell by far, because you get to choose a new target each round.  Detain's strength in multiplayer is that you are shutting off a creature for four turns, rather than just two turns as happens in a regular duel.  Be warned that it does nothing when it comes into play, though.  I need to decide if this is better or worse than Prison Term.

Palisade Giant - Maybe - Not only a soldier, but an excellent protector of a token army.

Phantom General - Maybe - Again, a treat for the token decks, but not useful otherwise.

Precinct Captain - No - Even my Soldier deck probably isn't going to play this.

Rest in Peace - Yes - Play this in every white deck.  Someone at the table is abusing graveyards, and unless it's you, you want to stop that player's shenanigans.  It's good when they have a full graveyard, and it's good at stopping them from filling the graveyard in response. (for instance, in response to a Tormod's Crypt)

Rootborn Defenses - Maybe - I think 2W is a fair price for saving your creatures from 75% of the mass removal spells out there, and if you get an extra creature, even better!

Security Blockade - No - It would be a VERY dedicated enchantment deck to play this.

Selesnya Sentry - No - Don't play this overcosted thing.

Seller of Songbirds - Maybe - This is a reasonably costed creature, and again, the Bird decks might really love this card.

Soul Tithe - Maybe - There's other, real removal spells in white, but in an enchantment deck...

Sphere of Safety - Maybe - Here's the payoff for being the enchantment deck.

Sunspire Griffin - No - Zuberi, Golden Feather gets a new pal, but don't be fooled!

Swift Justice - No - I like this trick a lot, but for one white, I can Condemn, Path, or Swords a creature instead.

Trained Caracal - No - Spend one white on Weathered Wayfarer instead.

Trostani's Judgment - Maybe - Again, there's better spells, but someone is going to want this for the bonus effect.  Who am I to say they shouldn't?

Blue

Aquus Steed -No - Too small an effect, too much mana.

Blustersquall - Maybe - Some spell-based decks will go gaga for this card, as it's even more of an 'open wide' than Cryptic Command was, since you can tap down the whole table.  Bonus points if you steal a big army with Reins of Power, then overload this.

Cancel - Maybe - If you're counter-heavy, you tend to run this card.

Chronic Flooding - No - Milling is so much better than this.

Conjured Currency - Maybe - In decks that want to steal other players' belongings, this can be a winner.  Do not play this card if you run Control Magic effects, as they can steal the enchantment (which is yours) to get their own awesome creature back.

Crosstown Courier - No - Again, not-good-enough milling.

Cyclonic Rift - Yes - This might be the best EDH card in all of Return to Ravnica.  It's so good, I actually think it will be banned within a year.  It's like an infinite-mana + Capsize combo, only less trouble to set up.  It's powerful, not terribly expensive, and if you need, it can have a one-time early game effect.  Just amazing.

Dispel - Maybe - It's cheap enough, but probably too narrow for most decks.

Doorkeeper - Maybe - I've seen a few five-color Wall decks, and this is an honest-to-goodness win condition for those decks.  Not a good one, but a possibility.

Downsize - No - Blue decks don't generally need a Fog effect.

Faerie Impostor - Maybe - I might play this in my Animar, or any blue deck with reusable creature effects might be interested.  Really great if your spells gain flash somehow.

Hover Barrier - No - Not even in the Wall deck.

Inaction Injunction - Maybe - I would have put this in the Talrand deck I built this summer. Cheap and is a cantrip, usually a good combination.

Inspiration - No - Instant card draw can be better. (and there's examples coming up)

Isperia's Skywatch - No - Good enough in limited, highly outclassed in EDH.

Jace, Architect of Thought - Yes - First of all, I haven't seen print this small since Ice Cauldron!  But his +1 protects well against swarms, his -2 gets you the best of your top three cards, but the ultimate is sheer bliss.  Grab one spell from each deck (including yours!) and play it.  Should be game over. Probably will net you some combination of huge creatures and extra turns.

Mizzium Skin - No - In EDH, blue decks would rather react to a spell with a counterspell, instead of saving their own guy.  Plus the overload is a little silly--only helps against Fireball and its multi-targeting ilk.

Psychic Spiral - Maybe - This has a chance to get there, depending on how long you hold this.

Runewing - Maybe - Bird decks yes, everyone else no.

Search the City - No - Needs multiple copies, so this will never work in EDH.

Skyline Predator - No - Far too small for six mana.

Soulsworn Spirit - Maybe - There are Spirit decks running around, and I've even seen a deck with the 'unblockable' theme, but those are corner cases.

Sphinx of the Chimes - No - Okay, it's a maybe, since the Sphinx tribal deck is desperate for creatures. You'll never trigger the ability, though.

Stealer of Secrets - Maybe - I feel like he'll see some play.  Not a lot, but some in Rogue decks and the like.

Syncopate - Maybe - This is a counterspell that will usually get the job done, and exile the spell, but it can be very pricey or very cheap, depending on the mana involved.

Tower Drake - No - Just not worth the mana in Commander games.

Voidwielder - Maybe - Probably not, since Aether Adept and Mist Raven offer the same ability for cheaper, but the 'creature + bounce' combination is too appealing to some decks.


Black

Assassin's Strike - No - You'll never be this desperate for removal in black.

Catacomb Slug - No - Yawn.

Cremate - Maybe - Faerie Macabre is the go-to for cheap, instant-speed answers to graveyard combos, but for a low price of B, you can disrupt a plan and draw a card!

Daggerdrone Imp - Maybe - Lifelink decks do love cheap flyers to put equipment on...

Dark Revenant - Maybe - Someone's going to fall in love with this card, and die for their love.  Help them be that romantic, because this should be a no.

Dead Reveler - No - As much as I love Unleash in limited (though I kept calling it 'kicker'!) most of the creatures with this ability will just not be worth it in EDH.  Most.

Desecration Demon - Yes - There's a fair chance that someone will constantly be sacrificing creatures at the table, but this guy is so cheap, and so powerful, that you really ought to be playing it.  And once he gets big enough, Fling!

Destroy the Evidence - No - Targeted land destruction has a time and place, but this is just bad.

Deviant Glee - No - Unholy Strength doesn't get there, and neither does this.

Drainpipe Vermin - Maybe - Rat decks only.

Grave Betrayal - DEAR LORD YES - While I think Rift might be the most powerful EDH card, this has the most potential, in my eyes.  This card makes mass removal into your best friend!  Personally, in my Balthor the Defiled deck, I'm looking forward to playing this, reanimating all my Zombies (with Noxious Ghoul), killing everything else AND THEN BRINGING IT ALL BACK ON MY SIDE.  Can you tell I'm excited?

Grim Roustabout - No - Skeletor decks only.

Launch Party - Maybe - Some decks like having a lot of sacrificing going on, so here's another winner.  Usually, though, this is not good enough.

Mind Rot - No - If you must play discard, there's better options.

Necropolis Regent - Yes - Big, flying, and immediately helps your team.  Note that it isn't 'put one +1/+1 counter on that creature' but it says 'put that many on.'  And it fits Vampire decks so well!

Ogre Jailbreaker - Maybe - Wall decks, perhaps Ogre/demon decks.  That's it.

Pack Rat - Maybe - Token decks say yay, and so do Rat decks.  Any deck with black mana and cards to spare!

Perilous Shadow - Maybe - This is the shade for multi-color decks, giving a very friendly pump cost and a big butt to start with.

Sewer Shambler - Maybe - Scavenge is a mechanic I'm leery of in EDH, since B/G is generally very good at returning creature cards from graveyard to hand/play.  Getting some overcosted counters seems marginal, but Swamps are so common, this guy might do some work.

Shrieking Affliction - Maybe - Another tool for the discard decks.

Slum Reaper - Maybe - Oh how I wish this was a Zombie.  Nonetheless, it's a good cost for the card you get.

Stab Wound - Maybe - This isn't efficient, or fast, but good golly, it is fun to bleed people out.

Tavern Swindler - No - The coin-flip decks will try to jam this in, but resist the urge.

Terrus Wurm - No - Pay an extra colorless and play Skeletal Wurm instead.

Thrill-Kill Assassin - Maybe - This fills in as an Assassin creature, and adds to the Deathtouch decks, but mostly, just say no.

Ultimate Price - Yes - I think this is second-tier removal, but still highly playable.  It's true that a lot of good creatures are multicolored, but so are a lot of monocolored creatures.

Underworld Connections - Maybe - I'd need a good reason to play this over Phyrexian Arena, such as Seedborn Muse.

Zanikev Locust - No - At first, I thought this was a Zangief locust, and I wondered what a Russian wrestler from Street Fighter had to do with EDH and Magic.  The answer is: nothing.  Moving on.


Red

Annihilating Fire - Maybe - This about the 25th best burn spell in EDH, give or take.

Ash Zealot - Maybe - Not every deck wants little creatures, but this gal packs a punch on a lot of levels.  First strike and haste is going to be good early on, and the 3 dmg for graveyard-casting is relevant if they do so repeatedly. (looking at you, Karador!)

Batterhorn - Maybe - Just like Voidwielder, this card has cousins that do the same for cheaper.  (Manic Vandal, Oxidda Scrapmelter, etc.)  Only you know how many of these effects you need.

Bellows Lizard - No - Just don't.

Bloodfray Giant - Maybe - In a Giant-themed deck, I can see this playing a solid role.

Chaos Imps - Maybe - But wouldn't you rather just have a dragon?

Cobblebrute - No - Limited only, and even then, only sparingly.

Dynacharge - Maybe - Some decks want another Trumpet Blast effect.

Electrickery - Maybe - Though some are going to play this, they shouldn't.

Explosive Impact - No - We've got better burn available.

Goblin Rally - Maybe - How I long to cast Krenko, Mob Boss on turn four, then this on five!

Gore-House Chainwalker - No - Not even for art and pig's blood.

Guild Feud - HECK YES - I thought that Lurking Predators was the apex of creature-heavy deck shenanigans, but then this spicy little number comes along.  I do believe that I'm going to jam this into every red deck of mine.  It will not be hard to figure out who the 'target opponent' should be, and hopefully, you're loaded for bigger bear than they are.

Guttersnipe - Maybe - Probably good enough for most decks, since it hits all of your opponents.

Lobber Crew - Maybe - Again with the 'all opponents' craze, which might be worth it, depending on your number of untaps.  Laugh as people have to use real removal on this after it's taken a lot of life away!

Minotaur Aggressor - Maybe - An excellent addition to the Lovisa Coldeyes decks out there.

Mizzium Mortars - Maybe - Not every deck with red wants to see that triple-red-cost, but this is better than Flame Wave.

Pursuit of Flight - No - Not good enough, even with evasion.

Pyroconvergence - Maybe - I can see someone trying to break this, but half their deck will be devoted to finding it in this first place.  Stay away.

Racecourse Fury - No - As has been pointed out in other places, this is a trap.  If you have an extra land to give your creature haste, you might as well have played it the turn before!

Splatter Thug - Maybe - A 3/3 first strike for 3 is worth thinking about, for those decks that love aggressive creatures.

Street Spasm - No - I'd rather play Magmaquake or Rolling Thunder.  Doesn't even have the upside of Bonfire, either.

Survry the Wreckage - No - Again, you don't need targeted land destruction this badly.

Tenement Crasher - Maybe - A good fit in a haste-themed deck, and that's about it.

Traitorious Instinct - Maybe - If you know a lot of people who play Blightsteel, it's time to teach them a lesson.

Utavara Hellkite - Yes - Live the dream!  Play some dragons, then cast this!  Bonus points if some Karrthus combo is involved!

Vandalblast - Maybe - Only you know if you need this, or Shatterstorm.

Viashino Racketeer - No - God, no.  Rummaging Goblin instead, if you must.


Green

Aerial Predation - No - Pay an extra green and Whirlwind instead.

Archweaver - Maybe - Spider decks need a red/green legendary Spider to be their chieftain.

Axebane Guardian - Maybe - Acceleration and fixing, and helpful in that damn defender deck!

Axebane Stag - No - You can do so much better for seven mana in green!

Brushstrider - No - You can do better at two mana, too.

Centaur's Herald - No - Your token deck doesn't need this--don't fool yourself.

Chorus of Might - Maybe - As finishers go in a token deck, this checks all the boxes.  Gives trample, kills someone out of the blue, and sadly, totally worthless after a board wipe.

Deadbridge Goliath - Maybe - Big and way cheap.  Worth a look, I think.

Death's Presence - Yes - This should probably be in most green decks, though the card doesn't help you at all against mass sweepers.

Drudge Beetle - No - This is not the scavenge card you want to play.

Druid's Deliverance - Maybe - Can you populate?  Then go to town.  Not worth it as a semi-Safe Passage.

Gatecreeper Vine - Yes - Sylvan Ranger is in nearly every green deck of mine, and this vine offers the chance at Gate-grabbing (not irrelevant, as Sylvan can't do the same) and 0/2 is sometimes better.

Giant Growth - No - Very few pump spells are good enough for EDH.  Think Wildsize.

Gobbling Ooze - Maybe - Another toy for the Savra sacrifice decks!

Golgari Decoy - No - If you need a Lure effect this badly, just play Lure.  (just look at the comparison of the printed text vs. the Oracle text.  Classic.)

Horncaller's Chant - No - Someone is going to play this card, and they shouldn't.  Eight mana gets you some really amazing cards in green, not just two 4/4 trample.

Korozda Monitor - Maybe - Stonebrow decks will play this.

Mana Bloom - Maybe - But probably not.  I can't think of many situations where this isn't as good as Sakura-Tribe Elder, though maybe that's more of a comment on the Elder's amazingness.

Oak Street Innkeeper - No - Bonus points for the puppy in the picture, but I'd rather pay two more mana for Asceticism.

Rubbleback Rhino - Maybe - Is there a hexproof deck yet?

Savage Surge - No - If you need an untap trick, play Spidery Grasp instead.

Seek the Horizon - Maybe - Worth thinking about in your assorted ramp decks, though putting them all in hand is a touch awkward.  It's always nice to hit lands 5,6,7 on curve, though.

Slime Molding - Maybe - I confess, I've taken Wurmcalling out of my token deck, so this is unlikely to make the cut.

Stonefare Crocodile - No - 3/2's are nice, but blah.

Towering Indrik - No - Play a Giant Spider instead, like a boss!

Urban Burgeoning - Maybe - Ugh.  This card is terrible in limited and standard, but in EDH, someone's going to slap this on a Maze of Ith, or a Gaea's Cradle, or something else annoying and busted.  Godspeed and kill it fast when they do.

Wild Beastmaster - Maybe - I don't know that this is better than a straight up Overrun, but it might get amazing.

Worldspine Wurm - Yes - Where else are you going to get to play with a creature that costs 11 mana with no drawback?  Bummer that it has to die for you to get the tokens.  I can't wait to play this for GGG in my Animar deck.


Multicolor

Abrupt Decay - Maybe - I think that while there's no end of things that are three mana or less and need to be destroyed, there's more efficient ways to go about this.  Targeted removal is useful, the 'can't be countered' clause is a nice touch, as is being an instant, but I think I'd rather pay one colorless more and get Maelstrom Pulse.

Archon of the Triumvirate - Maybe - It's seven mana, and needs to attack, but it can shut off two things.  This is one of the 'nonland' detainers, and that's very good to have on a repeatable effect, but I don't think this card will see a lot of play.

Armada Wurm - Yes - It doesn't matter what the theme of your deck is, because ten power of trample is a great deal for only six mana.  I plan to have one of these altered to become even more phallic in appearance.

Auger Spree - No - In B/R, you can do a lot better.

Azorius Charm - I like the Charms, though I 'm not sure if I'll actually play them.  Flexibility is good, but I prefer to know what cards are going to do, assigning specific roles.  In this case, the most-used mode for me would be to put something atop its owner's library, and I'd rather be casting Plowshare or Path.

Call of the Conclave - Maybe - Pure value, in two mana for a 3/3, but I haven't seen a lot of Watchwolf running around.

Carnival Hellsteed - Yes - Six-drops have to have a lot of impact on the board, like a Titan or Consecrated Sphinx, and this guy comes real close.  Attacking for six first strike damage right out of the gate is impressive indeed!

Centaur Healer - Maybe - There's a lot of amazing things in G/W, and this guy is merely good.

Chemister's Trick - Maybe - Not a lot of value in making target creature attack, because generally, it will either be one huge creature or a swarm of small ones.

Collective Blessing - Yes - I really can't see a downside to this in most decks.  It's a lot of mana, but it's a huge effect.

Common Bond - No - A permanent bonus is nice, but there's things like Increasing Savagery out there.

Corpsejack Menace - Yes - It needs a deck that cares about counters, but even with doubling an Undying effect, it's worth doing.  How I wish this could go into my Experiment Kraj deck.

Counterflux - Maybe - I don't get into a lot of counterspell wars, but if you do, this might be just the ticket to go with Last Word.

Courser's Accord - No - I get that you want to populate, I do, but 6 mana can do so much more work than this.

Detention Sphere - Yes - If you play Oblivion Ring, you'll play this, or even both.  It's nice to have universal answers.

Dramatic Escape - Maybe - Unsummon plus 2 life...it's useful yet unexciting.

Dreadbore - Yes - Remember when we talked about B/R getting better removal?  Boom, son.

Dreg Mangler - Maybe - I like hasty Zombies, I do, but compared to the Zombies already around, I don't see this making it into many decks.

Epic Experiment - Yes - I'll be honest: I'm not going to play this, but I've met many who can't wait to fire this off for a ridiculous amount of mana.  I felt the same way about Genesis Wave, but there are major hurdles: 1) Lands are a total whiff.  2) X spells get cast for X = 0.  3) If it's a spell with the word 'target', it needs a target to get cast.  These are limitations that can be built around, and I fully expect to see such decks in the near future.  It's possible that it happens and I get super-jealous.  P.S.  If Riku of Two Reflections copies this, punches may get thrown.

Essence Backlash - No - Terribly conditional counterspell.  The bonus damage isn't worth it.

Fall of the Gavel - Maybe - Better or worse than Overrule?  I rule no, but you might love this.

Firemind's Foresight - Maybe - I'll admit, I'm leaning towards No on this, because seven mana for a very conditional tutor is iffy.  Perhaps if another color is involved?  Note that if someone goes and finds Lightning Bolt, Reset, and Reiterate, the table is dead at instant speed. (Cast bolt, and with it on the stack, reiterate it.  Reiterate resolves, you get another Bolt and reiterate is in your hand.  Cast reset and leave that on the stack, copying it as needed to untap lands.  Annoying, right?  I hate myself.)

Goblin Electromancer - Maybe - I think some decks will be happy with this effect, and he's one of very few Goblin Wizards in Magic.

Golgari Charm - Maybe - None of the effects by themselves are amazing, but when you can do any of them, it becomes a useful trick to have.

Grisly Salvage - Yes - I can see most B/G decks using the graveyard as a resource, not a drawback, so this is a pretty sweet card if you can use it well.

Havoc Festival - Yes - This is pretty amazing.  I feel that EDH games can just grind on too long, and there's real value in being able to shorten a game significantly.  Also great against the lifegain decks, stopping the growth and hitting them harder the higher they were! (example: You're at 30, they are at 100.  After two cycles of this, you'll be at 7, they will be at 25.)

Hellhole Flailer - Maybe - If you have some other way to boost his power, his sacrifice effect can get nuts.

Heroes' Reunion - No - Never.

Hussar Patrol - No - To be fair, flash is fun, but this is too small.

Hypersomic Dragon - Yes - 4/4 is a little small for a Dragon, but Dragon decks tend to be top-heavy anyway.  Being able to do sorcery things at instant speeds is pretty handy, though.

Isperia, Supreme Judge - Yes - See my previous article, or just play it.  Great stats and useful ability.

Izzet Charm - Yes - Another great example of being able to choose between three small-but-relevant effects.  Spells need countering, creatures need killing, and hands need looting.

Izzet Staticaster - Maybe - In a pinger deck, this will do work, much the way Wojek Embermage can.  Add a deathtouch equipment and deal with the guy who just kicked a Rite of Replication.

Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord - Yes - I have trouble imagining a B/G deck that lacks enough big creatures to make him relevant.  He can even bring himself back if you needed it that badly.

Jarad's Orders - Yes - For two mana, you get to find a creature and put it in your hand, and also cast Entomb.  Expect a lot of 'find Karmic Guide and some ridiculous creature' shenanigans.  Eladamiri's Call is a popular card to find one creature, and this does the same, with the graveyard bonus!

Korozda Guildmage - Maybe - Not every deck wants this level of sacrifice and token generation, but it's a very fun card when you do!

Lotleth Troll - Yes - It starts small, but if you can recur/use the creatures in the graveyard, this is going to be pretty amazing.  Remember that most EDH-caliber wrath spells will not care about regeneration.

Loxodon Smiter - Yes - Jaw-dropping that you can now get a 4/4 for 3 mana and no drawbacks.

Lyev Skyknight - Maybe - 3/1 flying seems like a toy for the Bird decks.

Mercurial Chemister - Yes - In R/U, if you are able to use either ability, you're probably getting way ahead on that game.  I'm looking forward to using this card in a couple of decks.

New Prahv Guildmage - Maybe - That detain cost is high, but add Training Grounds and really do some damage!

Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius - Yes - Yup, he's amazing.  Nothing else needs saying.

Rakdos Charm - Yes - I'm very high on this card.  I know too many people who love to make token swarms (including myself) and this is one of the first cards I know of that can really punish the token horde, and in addition, it can exile a graveyard at instant speed.  Or kill an artifact.  Good stuff all around.

Rakdos Ragemutt - Maybe - In the haste deck, this can catch you up a little on life, but it's marginal.

Rakdos Ringleader - No - I imagine they tested this at four mana, and it was too good.  Same at five.  It's actively bad at six, so what the heck.

Rakdos, Lord of Riots - Yes - Just play him.  An amazing card.  Real bonus if you lead off with Lightning Bolt or some such, cast Rakdos, and that same turn, start churning out things for 3 less.

Rakdos's Return - Maybe - The damage is relevant, as is the discarding.

Righteous Authority -Maybe - Empyrial Armor plus a personal Howling Mine?  Seems legit, if fragile.

Risen Sanctuary - No - If it had trample instead of vigilance, then maybe.

Rites of Reaping - No - I've played with Consume Strength, and that's worth a card.  The Rites are not.

Rix Maadi Guildmage - No - While this card hoses combat math, you'd be better off spending that mana in other ways.

Search Warrant - No - Skip the lifegain and play Telepathy instead.

Selesnya Charm - Yes - Exile a fatty, put something over the top with trample, or get an emergency blocker.  I suspect the first mode is the most common use, and well it should be.

Skull Rend - Maybe - Playing this after playing Rakdos, Lord of Riots means that you get to play things super cheap and super well.  Plus, I love random discard!

Skymark Roc - Maybe - Mostly for the Birds, since I don't consistently see small creatures that need a bounce.

Slaughter Games - Maybe - I can see casting this and calling Tooth and Nail, or Palinchron.  If there's a player in your group who depends too much on one card, then it's time to help them out with their addiction.

Sluiceway Scorpion - Maybe - Deathtouch is good, and you'll get some extra counters at a decent price.

Spawn of Rix Maadi - No - Some unleash is interesting, but not this one.

Sphinx's Revelation - Yes - On the list of things I like to do with X mana, this hits two of the top three at once.  It being an instant is just gravy.  Tasty, tasty gravy.

Supreme Verdict - Yes - Even without the 'no regeneration' clause, this is worth doing in U/W. I appreciate the 'no countering' clause, but I really love that Mindbreak Trap is still the ultimate counterspell.

Teleportal - Maybe - I like the idea of the mega-unblockable spell, especially if it involves Dragons.

Thoughtflare - No - Even at instant speed, this isn't good enough.

Treasured Find - Yes - If you want the second Regrowth in your deck, here you go.

Trestle Troll - No - Even in the Wall deck, this is far too defensive a card.

Trostani, Selesnya's Voice - Yes - The Angelic Chorus effect is nice, and this is the cheapest populate effect you can get.  If you're G/W without tokens, though, then this is sort of worthless.

Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage - Yes - It's a one-card combo.  Always a good choice.

Vraska the Unseen - Yes - Realistically, any card that says "Destroy Target Nonland Permanent" on it is going to see a fair share of EDH play.  Her +1 has some effect on a game, but usually there's someone at the table willing to trade a creature or two to kill a planeswalker.  Her ultimate, though, is breathtaking in simplicity, if fragile as can be.

Wayfaring Temple - Maybe - This is basically Crusader of Odric with an occasional Populate clause.  If you have some way to give him trample, then you're in real business.

Hybrid

Azor's Elocutors - Yes - Let's be realistic.  You're not going to win with this card, but you're going to launch a sub-game within the Commander game that will be very fun.  I fully endorse this card and proliferate/Doubling Season.

Blistercoil Weird - No - 1/1 creatures are rarely relevant in EDH, and this one is certainly not going to overpower anything.

Cryptborn Horror - Yes - This has some amazing potential in EDH.  Earthquake is a winning lead-in to this card, but my favorite is going to be seeing this with Hammerfist Giant or Heartless Hidegutsu.

Deathrite Shaman - Yes - G/B has a lot of options on controlling what's still in a graveyard.  Scavenging Ooze is probably the best, but this gives more flexibility.

Dryad Militant - Maybe - It's a great ability for stopping recursive combos, but it's still just a 2/1.

Frostburn Weird - Maybe - Only the Weird decks are going to play this.  (I've seen the Weird Noggle deck!)

Golgari Longlegs - No - It's not a spider?  Sad.

Growing Ranks - Yes - If you have tokens, then you want more tokens.  Once you have this in play, you get more tokens more easily.  Simple enough, and costs no extra mana.

Judge's Familiar - Maybe - I'd say no, but every judge and every Bird deck will play this.

Nivmagus Elemental - No - No one should play this--burning a card to give a creature 2 +1/+1 counters will be good in 1v1 play, and maybe you'll build up some incredible Storm count and exile the copies (a legit play) but still, it's far too narrow in application.

Rakdos Cackler - No - Your best-case scenario is that he gets in three or four attacks before a blocker or a wrath shows up, and he's a terrible late-game draw.

Rakdos Shred-Freak - Maybe - Only in someone's pet Haste deck.

Slitherhead - No - Not even a free +1/+1 counter is good enough.

Sundering Growth - Maybe - I like Disenchant effects, especially if I might get a free creature in the deal.

Vassal Soul - Maybe - Pretty small body for the Commander format, but Spirits get a lot of love from some people.

Artifacts

The Keyrunes - Yes - I think these are slightly worse than the signets, because they cost more.  However, the creature abilities can be handy (none are bad, though the Izzet is perhaps the worst), and so the Keyrunes should be at least in the discussion.

Chromatic Lantern - Yes - Play this if you're three colors or more, and watch as your mana problems disappear! I would say play it alongside the Coalition Relic.

Civic Saber - Maybe - In a dedicated multicolor build, this is still marginal.

Codex Shredder - Maybe - There are decks that can really make use of one-mana artifacts, and this is capable of fueling some silly combos, with enough mana and Salvaging Station.

Pithing Needle - Maybe - Most colors have a way of dealing with one problematic activated ability, from killing the creature to destroying the land to attacking the planeswalker.

Street Sweeper - No - Why not just destroy the land or the auras directly?

Tablet of the Guilds - Maybe - If this let you call three colors, I'd consider it more strongly, but as it is, 2 life stapled to every spell isn't good enough for me.

Volatile Rig - Maybe - A 4/4 trample for 4 is a good deal, and I don't see 'blow things up' as a drawback at all.  If it goes BOOM, I hope you have Rakdos or Cryptborn Horror handy.

Lands 

The Guildgates - Maybe - Magic has printed lots of variations on this theme.  By now, the Gates are probably not quite good enough to make it in a three-color deck, though most two-color decks could use one more of these.

The Shocklands - Yes - And even a HELL YES.  They work with anything that doesn't ask for a basic landtype, so you can Skyshroud Claim for two shocklands, or with the Zendikar/Onslaught/Mirage fetchlands.

Grove of the Guardian - Maybe - Did you build the populate deck?  Play this.  Otherwise, you'd be better off with a land that doesn't require self-sacrifice, like Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree.

Transguild Promenade - Maybe - It's a reprint of Rupture Spire, but any deck at three colors or more wants another one.

Rogue's Passage - Yes - I'm finding that I'm hitting a critical mass of colorless-producing lands (not with Chromatic Lantern out!) but this one will have to make the cut too.


My goodness, that was a lot of text.  Maybe next time I'll do more lumping of things together, or give some cards a pass, or something.  Hope you didn't fall asleep.

Stay tuned, folks, as coming up is my "What's going into what deck" article.  See you then!