Pointed Discussion

I wish this cycle had converted mana cost 2 and entered the battlefield tapped. If it was lacking the cycling ability to compensate, so be it.

Yeah, I feel like we really just didn't need another 3-mana cycle when we already have the Keyrunes. It'd be much better to have a 2-mana variant of some kind.

I don't know-- I like these at 3 CMC, I just admit it's awkward to have them in the same block as the Keyrunes- but later on, when we start seeing both Cycles reprinted a fair bit, we'll appreciate them more as being like Xth Edition Man-Lands (not the greatest man-lands ever, but man-lands are man-lands/man-artifacts are man-artifacts) and like the Cycling non-Basic Lands that manage to get into every. single. preconstructed. product. ever. In short: Cycling is very good. You WANT Cycling Mana Stones. You MIGHT want Man-land Mana Stones. It's just that they are stealing each other's thunder at the moment. I am OK with the Short-Term awkwardness in exchange for being quite happy having any of the twenty cards from the cycles a couple years from now as 'quite serviceable' for Casual Mana Fixing in a wide range of decks that want the Utility. No, they're not as good AT ALL as the Signets, so Commander is going to have a bit of a hard time 'seeing the point', but in Really Casual, they make a Very Sad Deck a lot less sad, and you can teach a new player why these kinds of cards are good by putting them in a weak deck and letting them see that they are one of the best cards in their weak deck. I am sure we will see Reprints of them in future decks that show us exactly this at work. :P

Since Return to Return to Ravnica's been more or less confirmed by MaRo, expect to see one of the mana fixing cycles reprinted.

But will it be the Signets?
The cluestones?
or the Keyrunes?

@RAV0004: Most likely not the Signets, as apparently they are considered "too good". Nonsense, I tell you!

Still not a signet, but mana-fixing and card draw are always good in limited formats. Might be a good late pick in draft.

There is a mystery that needs to be solved in this comments section...

"A clue! A clue!"

i consider an error to waste 10 slots of artifacts in a 177 card set in the cluestones, specially since old ravnica had signets and new had keyrunes. think about the posibilities of a cycle like sunforge ,bloodletter quill, crown of convergence, rakdos riteknife etc. even at common and less powerfull.

an example:

orzhov coffin 2
t: exile target card from your graveyard. return it to your graveyard at the end of turn.
extort.

gruul axe 3 equipment
equiped creature gets +2/+2
equip 2
RG, discard gruul axe: target attacking creature gets +2/+2

Weird as it sounds, I love these things as ramp in a limited format. I especially like them for how slow the limited format is right now. This card epitomizes the perfect ramp card to me without being overpowered. Mana when you need it, and your card back when you don't.

I don't like them for constructed, and I really don't like getting a foil one, and three nonfoils in the same pack.

Did someone say "Only useful in Limited formats"?

I think the only use I'll get out of these is in sealed pools. The prerelease had me using one or two of these for mana-fixins, and if I pulled a keyrune, I'd just use that instead.

I honestly hate this in limited, especially compared to the keyrunes.

The keyrunes were so much better for limited since you always had the chance of turning it into a creature. Sure, you couldn't attack with it and tapped it for mana in one turn, but at least you had the choice.

Not only that, but it makes your opponent think more about their turns. If you keep 2-3 mana open for the keyrune ability but you still have cards in your hand, they'll have to not only consider what's in your hand but the keyrune as well. It's the tricks of limited that make up a good player.

But the (Blue's) Cluestone's don't provide that for you. They just give you sub-par mana ramp and a possible draw when you're desperate. Also remember that the cost of the "sac: draw" is really ( for this cluestone), since you're losing the chance to tap this for mana.

I do not expect these to be as highly picked as the keyrunes in limited.

The Cluestones could've been cool, but alas, R&D was way too cautious about them. For , we should get more than sub-par fixing and an expensive cycling.

Azorious Keyrune
Artifact

When Azorious Keyrune comes into play, draw a card.

: Add or to your mana pool.

The flavor is using very nice Slavic language based words. Sova - Owl; Jelenn - Stag (only with one n at the end, Jelen) and Lyev - Lion. Owls represent wisdom = judges and arbitrator, Stags agility = scribes and elocutors and the Lion is power = lawmages and enforcers. Horaay for Slavic Ravnica!

Draw a card-> I can see that as a fitting ability for the Azorious guild, I wonder what the other guilds got. Wait.........

I like that they give you mana early game when you need it and then turn into something more useful late game. I play white blue control. How many times have I had a manalith just sitting there when I have ten or twelve lands?

"Gotcha! It's just Seashell Cameo with a bad cantrip." - WOTC

Jinkies!