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When it comes to life on Ravnica, one of the constants of the plane is the conflict between the guilds. What happens when a huge elder dragon threatens to destroy the plane and kill its inhabitants? The guilds set aside their difference and start working together! This week, we got to see the guilds cooperate in a new cycle of five cards, the bonds. Not only do these cards show the guilds working together, but they also showcase what the guild symbols would look like if they were combined! Here is the newest cycle in Magic: The Gathering War of the Spark.

Bond of Flourishing

bond of flourishing war of the spark spoiler

Born from the cooperation between the nurturing Selesnya and the adaptive Simic guilds, this sorcery provides card selection. For a low mana cost of 2, it will allow you to get a permanent from the top three cards of your library. It also gains you 3 life, which in an aggro-heavy meta could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Bond of Discipline

bond of discipline war of the spark spoiler

Sparking from the union of the religious Orzhov and the lawmaking Azorius, this card is a game-ender in Limited. It takes away your opponent’s means to block, giving you a free way to swing for damage. Giving all your creatures lifelink also provides a safe way to not worry about the backswing, should the opponent survive the assault. The mana cost of 5 is a bit high for Constructed, but it is a very strong card.

Bond of Insight

bond of inside war of the spark spoiler

From the secretive Dimir and the ingenious Izzet, this card provides a mix of mill and recursion for your spells. For 4 mana, it allows you to mill four cards for both you and your opponent. But that’s not the strong point of the card. It will also get you back two spells from your graveyard to your hand. Decks revolving around Arclight Phoenix will surely want to include this card. It allows them a way to put the Phoenixes in their graveyard, and it is one of the three spells needed to get them back on the field.

Bond of Revival

bond of revival war of the spark spoiler bond cycle

The fruit of the collaboration between the chaotic Rakdos and the resourceful Golgari, Bond of Revival allows you to get back a creature. Since it returns it from the graveyard directly to the battlefield, many decks will want this spell in their arsenal. Like some of the other spells, the mana cost of 5 is a bit steep, but since the creature will come back ready to swing, thanks to haste, it may help turn the tide of a battle in one moment. It is also a good way to cheat creatures into play if you can put it in the graveyard from your hand.

Bond of Passion

bond of passion cycle

From the destructive Gruul and the militaristic Boros, we find a high-cost sorcery that isn’t quite as good as the others. The effect has been seen in other cards like Act of Treason for a much cheaper mana cost, and stapling a Shock to it doesn’t fix that problem. While I doubt this will see any Constructed play, it might be good in Limited.

In conclusion

The cycle is a welcome addition to the expansion, providing players with a look of what Ravnica can accomplish when the guilds come together. It helps sets the stakes of the conflict — a war so big that the usual rivalry between the guilds get pushed aside.

wheel of the guildpact

The more lore-wise people might also notice that the pairings follow the Tablet of the Guilds, starting at Azorius at the top and mixing with the next in line. The flavor texts are also an insight into what unites the two guilds.

Did you like the cycle? Let us know in the comments.