The 2019 Mystery Booster Playtest Card #1, Ral's Vanguard. This rare vanguard card offers unique gameplay mechanics for instant and sorcery-focused strategies.
2019 • Magic: The Gathering • Mystery Booster Playtest Cards 2019
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$0.62
Card number 1 from this set, Ral's Vanguard, stands out as a rare vanguard card designed to fundamentally alter how a player approaches the game. Unlike standard cards that sit in the library, this vanguard card sits in a dedicated zone and imposes specific constraints and benefits on the player who commands it. Ral's Vanguard requires your starting deck to contain only instant, sorcery, and land cards. This restriction forces a highly specialized deck-building approach, stripping away creature and artifact strategies in favor of pure spellcasting. The card also modifies the opening parameters of the match: players begin with a starting hand size increased by one card, but their starting life total is reduced to five. This trade-off encourages aggressive, fast-paced gameplay where every turn counts. The card’s abilities reward the casting of instants and sorceries. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that would cause you to draw cards, you draw an additional card instead. This effect accelerates resource advantage, allowing players to find answers and threats more quickly. Additionally, if an instant or sorcery spell you cast would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals one additional damage. This bonus damage effect makes the card particularly potent in decks focused on direct damage or removal. Art by David McDarby, this card is part of the CMB1 set code, representing a glimpse into the design process behind Magic: The Gathering. For collectors of the Mystery Booster Playtest series, Ral's Vanguard offers a unique piece of TCG history. It serves as a fascinating study in game design, showcasing how a single card can redefine the rules and strategy of the entire match.
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The catalog profile below summarizes the card identity, featured subject, and notable collectible traits.
The core identity of the card within the set.
The subject, team, league, and sport context tied to this card.
Featured
Ral's Vanguard
Game
Magic: The Gathering
Rarity, print treatment, and game-specific stats for this card.
Rare
David McDarby
Card Stock
English
Vanguard
Abilities, attacks, oracle text, and flavor text printed on the card.
Requirement — Your starting deck contains only instant, sorcery, and land cards. Starting hand size +1 Starting life total -5 If an instant or sorcery spell you cast would cause you to draw one or more cards, draw an additional card. If an instant or sorcery spell you cast would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals 1 additional damage to that permanent or player.
