Pointed Discussion

the good thing is that, unlike other guildmages, you won't have to regret not being able to use both abilities in a mono-colored deck if you run the accordant spell type.

besides, this guy actually works nicely with cantrips.

Awesome Art

One of the best of Guildmages, second only to Simic Guildmage. His abilities are useful, fun, and he completely represents the flavor of the Izzet; a chaotic genius with a mastery of crazy spells and izzet gizometry in perfect looking izzet clothing with insane hair.

he's quite frail, but I've managed to use him before in legacy, copying Swords to Plowshares, Lightning Bolt, and Brainstorm. I suppose if you can copy Ancestral Visions, you would be living the dream - 6 cards for 2U!!!

lava spike + desperate ritual + Izzet Guildmage = Instakill! Bam! whoa yeah! also cool with eye of nowhere or crack the earth

Sweet combo with Firestorm. Because you're not playing the copies you make with the guildmage, you don't have to discard additional cards. For and three discarded cards, you could deal 6 damage to three target creatures and/or players! Kinda reminds you of Chandra Nalaar's ultimate.

Training Grounds makes this guy pretty useful.

One of my all time favorites. Bounce all their creatures (or untapped blue sources!) back to their hand at their end step, or simply copy a Bolt a few times for the win. Fun with cards like Lightning Axe or Goblin Grenade since you'll only need to pay the additional casting cost once, then copy it as many times as you'd like!

Training Grounds makes it silly.

If you can splash green then you can go with Training Grounds and Harrow..

You: Time to fetch some lands again! ...and again! ... and again! ...and again! ... and again! ...and again! ...and again! ...and again! Ok that's about all of it. I'm done.
Enemy: ....Mind Funeral.

@redcap: Harrow costs 3, doofus. Maybe rampant growth?

i dont get how this combos with lava spike and desperate ritual.... can someone explain please?

Tezz, it doesn't combo with Lava Spike and Desperate Ritual. I'm pretty sure that the person who posted that combo intended for Desperate Ritual to be spliced onto Lava Spike, giving 3 mana, then copying Lava Spike for another 3 to keep copying. The combo doesn't work though, since you can only copy the spell when it's on the stack and you don't get the mana until it resolves and is no longer on the stack.

You see abilitys like this from Izzets guildmage. Makes you wonder why they made the others comparably weaker.

This card can indeed combo with Lava Spike and Desperate Ritual, but you must have the mana to copy it once, with at least 1R free (For casting the Desperate Ritual). Just let the copy resolve, and use the mana to copy the original spell again before it resolves.

Infinite Mana Combo = Training Grounds+ This + Manamorphose

@Maximillini86: it's not infinite mana combo, as with every copy, you have to draw a card, so going for infinite mana results in milling yourself to death.
Then again, with like 20-50 mana and your whole deck in hand, it would be shameful if you couldn't kill your opponent right away (in most cases).

@Kryptnyt
He chose Harrow because it would allow you to keep pulling untapped mountains out and reactivate the ability. So Rampant Growth wouldn't get the results he wanted. If you have an Amulet of Vigor in play it works though. Of course then you are dealing with a 4 card combo. Not exactly ideal.

@flyhight

good di***ion, but those extra combo things don't work. since the clause on izzet guildmage says "converted mana cost 2". so Eerie Procession and Uneartly Blizzard can't be copied.

However, if you read the card carefully you can see (a mistake i made previously) that the guildmage doesn't care about colors. so Eye of Nowhere and Ideas Unbound can be used with the combo... but those can't go infinite ^^

if you are going for infinite, then Metamorphosis and Rite of flame can do the job.

Also, if you are looking for fun, then Devastating summons should be... lovely. just remember to float mana. and boom from boom // Bust should be rather fun for you, here you just have to have training grounds if it is to make any sense.

Edit:
@theis999
O.o...whoops. My bad on the infinite thing. I missed that "cmc 2 or less clause" XD. Good catch. Don't know how I missed that..would be broken if it didn't have it.

Nice call on Metamorphosis and rite of flame, very simple infinites.

Devastating Summons...that is...very...very...amusing.
(Boom) Nifty. Works best if you have more lands than opponent...or a Darksteel Citadel. =)

Original:
I could have sworn there was a detailed de***ion of the combo with lava spike and desperate ritual up here already, I guess it was my imagination then. Anywho, there is a legitimate combo and it goes as follows:
You need 6 mana available to you (only 4 mana needed if you have training grounds out), of which at least 3 is red. You also need this here guildmage on the field (duh). Float your 6 (4) mana. Use to cast lava spike with desperate ritual spliced onto it. While that spell is on the stack, pay (or just if you have training grounds out) to copy the lava spike. Lava spike is a sorcery so you use the red copy ability; the fact that it has an instant spliced onto it means nothing to the guildmage. This copy of the Lava spike will copy all of the abilities the lava spike had at the time it was copied, including the spliced on abilities from the desperate ritual. This copy goes on the stack on top of the original. Let the copy resolve, dealing 3 damage and netting you . Don't let the original resolve yet, use the mana you just got to trigger the guildmage copy ability again, again targeting the original spell. This will put another copy of lava spike with desperate ritual spliced onto it on top of the stack. Repeat the last three sentences as many times as necessary to burn out all of your opponents in the face.

Note that if you have training grounds out, each resolved copy of the lava spike with spliced desperate ritual will still have left over even after activating the guildmage's copy effect again. This mana number will never go infinite (unless an opponent has infinite/arbitrarily large life), it will only ever go as large as three plus twice the number of times the copy effect is required to kill all targetable opponents. Any excess copies will simply fizzle due to a lack of legal targets for the lava spike and the spell will neither do damage or grant mana.

Note: The below does not work, I'm just leaving it in for reference sake to theis999's comment:

If you want to go infinite mana in red and/or blue through splicing, you'll need to splice the ritual into eerie procession (note the procession just tells you to "search" for a card, you don't have to find one if you don't want to) or unearthly blizzard. However those combos require more mana to kick start. This can be mitigated if you choose the blizzard as your arcane base, by starting with the lava spike/ritual combo and building up enough mana to then start using the blizzard/ritual combo to infinite mana.

Then, of course, what you do with said infinite mana from there is up to you.

Metamorphosis will not work people- The copies don't have sacrificed creatures, so they add 0 mana to your pool. That being said, with training grounds, manamorphose will work, at least until you run out of cards in your deck. Nature's Lore is probably the optimal land target, although you'll only get as many lands as you have forest-mountains... unless you can get your forests tapping for any color of mana.


Really, this is a spectacular johnny card, with all sorts of crazy combos to use with it.

Can you say....death by Hornet Sting?

Hmm...yeah Lightning Bolt is quicker...

How about milling them with Tome Scour?

Obviously, you should first draw a portion of your deck and create a nice mana pool with Training Grounds +Manamorphose.

Oh yeah....Gelatinous Genesis!

Hmm...or Dark Ritual lol.

What happens when the mana cost has an X on it. I know it counts as zero for the ability to qualify for the mana cost limit, but does it counts when you paid the X on the original card so the others are an exact copy of that with the X value of the first one?

Izzet Guildmage + Desperate Ritual + Lava Spike infinite combo does work. Here's how:

Start with 5 mana and Izzet Guildmage on the battlefield.
Play Lava Spike for 1 mana. You're now at 4. Lava Spike is now on the stack.
Splice Desperate Ritual onto Lava Spike for 2 mana. You're now at 2 mana left.
Lava Spike now reads: "Lava Spike deals 3 damage to target player. Add {R}{R}{R} to your mana pool."
Now with your 2 remaining mana, play Desperate Ritual. You're now at 0 mana.
Desperate ritual is now on the stack above Lava Spike. Let Desperate Ritual resolve. You're now at 3 mana.
Use your 3 mana to use Izzet Guildmage's ability. Copy the Lava Spike that has Desperate Ritual spliced onto it. You're now at 0 mana.
Let the copy resolve. You now deal 3 damage to target player, and you gain 3 mana.
Use that 3 mana to recopy the original Lava Spike that has been spliced but has not resolved.
Repeat into oblivion.

Every time you copy the Lava Spike, you deal 3 damage to target player and you add 3 red mana by letting the copy resolve. Then you use the 3 mana from the copy to copy the original before it resolves. Enjoy!

Less mana heavy would be this guy + Gelectrode and any Mana producing spell.
Desperate Ritual, Rite of Flame, Pyretic Ritual

You got a pretty mouth, boy. Got some pretty lips.

Maybe sm1 here could help me out....(Izzet Guildmage / Lava spike / Desperate Ritual)...Tell me, how are you 'splicing' onto copy's, when the copy's aren't been PLAYED, only the original card, ability's and/or effects get played. so really you can only splice once. Only the word 'copy' is getting played in this case.The copy's come from the stack, so how are you PLAYING them to activate a splice effect?? If ''Izzet Guildmage' stated ''you may PLAY the copy,etc'' then i could see how it would work. Can any1 fill me in on what iam missing???

By far, the funniest thing i have seen done with this card is someone copying their Mystical Tutor. Just think about it.

People, the izzet guildmage + lava spike + desperate ritual does not work, why? because by the time you can do the combo (usually 5th turn) you'll be already dead or your opponent will easily counter the spell.

Time Walk.

@sir_dwar
Metamorphosis will work since the copy replicates the fulfilled sacrifice requirement, just like if you sacrifice a creature with five power to Fling and copy it for a total of ten damage with no other sacrifices required.

My third favorite Guildmage, right next to Orzhov and Simic.

I think they should have taken the opportunity to do something a little different from the rest of the cicle, and make its ability look like this:
: Copy target instant spell you control with converted mana cost X. You may choose new targets for the copy.
: Copy target sorcery spell you control with converted mana cost X. You may choose new targets for the copy.
so you can copy every spell, and for cheaper spell it would be much easier to copy them! I would like it much more than now, that I almost worship it... Sadly, it isn't much synergic with other Izzet cards, and in Ravnica block it can copy only like 2-3 spell (counting only monoU, monoR and UR spells...)! But it's a very good card nonetheless...

I used his ability to copy an Ancestral Vision... to draw 6 cards made me always happy...

As a side note, I would say that Ravnica block was probably the first block that emphasize a "instant and sorcery matter" theme for UR, that now is becoming a little recurring theme, appeared in Rise of the Eldrazi and Inninstrad...

5/5

Rite of Flame x2, Seething Song, Lava Spike,Desperate Ritual, Easy turn 1 Win.

Rite of Flame is amazing with this card. If you have 2 in your graveyard you can get Infinite mana, also incredibly good card to help do a turn 1 Desperate Ritual/Lava Spike combo.

Turn 1:
Lay mana, tap mana,
Mana Pool: 1
Play Rite of Flame,
Mana Pool: 2
Play another Rite of Flame,
Mana Pool: 4
Play Seething Song,
Mana Pool: 6
Play Izzet Guildmage,
Mana Pool: 4
Play any mana advancement: desparate ritual, Seething Song, another Rite of Flame(if you have a 3rd here, its infinite mana potential anyway), pyretic ritual, simian spirit guide.
Mana Pool: 5 - Infinite Mana

Play Desperate Ritual/Lava spike combo,
Mana Pool : 2
1. In response to Lava Spike w/ Desperate Ritual Splice on stack
Cast Desparate Ritual,
2. Let it Desperate Ritual resolve ,
Mana Pool: 3
3. Copy the Spliced Lava Spike still on stack, let copy resolve,
4. Repeat step 3 until You have killed the entire universe

This is fairly reliable if you have an entire deck mana advancement, turn 1 is not going to play like this often though. There are different card combinations and mana advancement cards that can have the same result though (more seething songs, etc.).

theres alot of people who read this card wrong, and halarious enough, i read it wrong and didnt realize its full potential even though i broke this card before i read this forum. my deck:
izzet guidlmage 4x
training ground 4x
sigil tracer 2x
information dealer 4x
sea gate oracle 2x
stonybrook banneret 3x
kaho, minamo historian 2x
isocron cepters 2x
snap 4x
brainstorm 4x
boomerang 2x
high tide 2x
truth or tale 2x
walk the aeons 2x(not for copying nor does it need to, pulled 2-4 turns usually using buy back)
arcane denial 1x
halimar depths 4x
island 16x

this is one of my most favorite decks (1/32 at the moment) please dont make exact copy unless to test otherwise. this deck feeds off of creatures, and the only ways i can think to stop this deck is to counter izzet guildmage or use pithing needle naming izzet guildmage.
i was planning making another deck of this guy using rite of flame with forked bolts, skull scorch, recoup, reckless charge, and maybe overmaster. but realizing it aint constricted by colour, im going to brake this card probably a few more times until im satisfied.
real reason why i was checking this card was to confim the ruling with the x casting costs but im pretty sure you cant copy x casting spell if you spend more than 2 mana total on it.
p.s. yeah, most other guildmages other than azorius(somewhere in between)come nowhere close in comparison of this guy. my nex favorite would probably be the azorious guild mage than dimir guildmage than boros guildmage.

"Blah blah blah, infinite combo, blah blah"

Just stick him in a deck with four Twincasts and four Reverberates and run around laughing like a madman.

@somegeek
So is any creature with a subtype wizard. Don't know why you had to mention it here.

EDIT: Forget this, I forgot that instants requires blue mana to be copied. Whatever, use Mycosynth Lattice.

Geosurge -> Fork - copy Geosurge -> add 7 red to pool -> copy Fork -> copy Geosurge -> 7 red to pool -> copy Fork and yadayadayada for infinite red mana, proceed to infinifork Death by Dragons/spend all on Dragon Roost.

Sure, it's 9 mana to pull off and sort of pointless compared to Desperate Ritual+Lava Spike, but hey, INFINITE DRAGONS!!! Add Coat of Arms for infinite infinity.

If you can get out 2 blue mana in addition, instead of just the dragons, infinifork Rite of Replication all over the place instead.

@S-r-ex
You still seem to be missing a crucial part there... probably that the Geosurge mana can't be used on anything except for creature and/or artifact spells. the Guildmage's ability is not a spell, therefore, no copying.

Lavamancer's Skill is a nice -2 pinger on this card.

@1maketoilets - I mention the above because you're probably not likely to throw this guy into combat or block if it's part of the main engine in your deck and making him a 2-pinger makes him that much more useful.

T5: Think Twice copy Think Twice.
T6: Think Twice copy Think Twice

This card is extremely handy
I just copy other player's negates
or keep copying 2 cost rebounds over and over again like distortion strike
this card has won me 5 games so far and only lost 2 times do to burn

@PinkleDadandy

You can only copy spells YOU control. Still this card is a combo-maker, and I love combo-makers.

izzet_guild_mage needs to comment on this card.

@Maximillini86: until you draw out your library and die, you laboratory maniac, you.