Retro Standard MTG – Ravnica Block, (Coldsnap), Time Spiral Block, 10th Edition

Written by evolutionenthusiast

In summer 2007, Wizards of the Coast released the first English black-bordered core set since Beta: 10th Edition! Luckily, this coincided with one of the most ambitious Standard-legal blocks of all time, Time Spiral, following the successful Ravnica block and creating a very dynamic, interesting metagame.

The full list of legal sets is as follows:

  • Ravnica: City of Guilds
  • Guildpact
  • Dissension
  • Coldsnap
  • Time Spiral
  • Planar Chaos
  • Future Sight
  • Tenth Edition

There are many different aspects that led me to revisiting this era of competitive Magic: The Gathering:

  • Card population: 1,878 unique cards make up this format, 6 more than the format with Ninth Edition and approximately 150(!) more cards than the prior largest Standard format, 2006’s Champions of Kamigawa through Coldsnap. Variety is the spice of life.
  • Mechanics: With Ravnica Block’s ten, color-pair-driven mechanics, the core Time Spiral Block time counter mechanics (suspend, vanishing) and then the wild inclusion from past and “future”, this format boasts many distinct mechanical approaches for decks to leverage. 
  • Mana fixing: Shock lands, pain lands, allied Future Sight lands, Signets, Prismatic Lens, Coalition Relic, Birds of Paradise, Edge of Autumn, Farseek, Yavimaya Dryad, Civic Wayfinder, and many more cards make for a format where multi-colored decks are playable (but for which decks must work to cast their spells).
  • Power level: A difficult metric to measure, I’d qualify the format as a lower “high-powered” Standard. Mana is good. Card advantage and tutors are present but have moderate costs. The threats have decent pressure, and combos are not overly supported (with perhaps the exception of Dredge-based graveyard decks.) but are present.
  • Metagame balance: My hypothesis is that given more time, the metagame would offer many competitive options (so long as they all had a plan to beat graveyard decks, red-based aggro decks and slower, card-advantage-based decks). Below, I will share some resources, with historic deck lists, and a link to my “current” lists.
  • Aesthetics: Time Spiral Timeshifted rarity gave new players easy access to iconic, original frame cards (with more than a few cards from the sheet seeing play) with original art. The Futureshifted and Colorshifted frames added another layer of visual excitement. Tenth Edition assured players had better access to all Standard-legal cards in black border. No era of the game had approached a cohesive yet varied visual frame aesthetic like the Tenth Edition with Time Spiral since the very beginning!

Fun fact: Mark Rosewater’s first block as lead designer was Ravnica (and his second was Time Spiral).

Resources

The internet has eroded quite a bit since 2007, but there are still many good resources to learn about Magic‘s past: antiquated Standard in this case!

killingagoldfish blog: “kill reviews”

Jesse Mason’s critical retrospective of both Ravnica and Time Spiral Blocks offer some an additional insight into why others may find the sets so Magical.

Scryfall Search

Scryfall is one of the best resources available for Magic players! The following syntax (as of September 2025) displays all of the cards legal in this format. Add additional filters as needed!

mtgsalvation forums

The discussion on mtgsalvation’s forums, one of the most active communities for Magic in the early era of social media, is still available (as of September 2025). While the discussion is not at the highest levels of competition, it gives an insight into the mind of invested local player. And a humorous aside, Jesse Mason (killingagoldfish) was banned from these forums in 2007. Look for posts around July 20, 2007, to Oct. 19, 2007 (which discussion including Lorwyn previews as it gets closer to the end of the period):

mtgtop8 lists

Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast, StarCityGames, TCGPlayer and other sites have seemed to have lost much of their content from this era (though, I have found articles on SCG and am sure WayBackMachine could be leveraged). Luckily, mtgtop8.com has many larger event deck lists available!

“Current” Deck Lists

(Thoughts to be linked as separate pages eventually, for now, enjoy lists!) Beyond the following, there are many, many decks that look competitive and interesting: Blue-White-Red Control/Midrange, Red-Green-based Seismic Assault + Life from the Loam, Black Discard with Tarmogoyf, 5-Color Greater Gargadon, Red-Green-based Land Destruction, Black Aggro, Green-Blue Aggro, Green-Black-White Aggro/Midrange, Green-White-based Glare of Subdual, Red-Blue Storm, White Martyr Proclamation and many more! 

I hope the eventually include deck-specific resources (historic lists, performances, articles) as well as “current” lists with rational behind card choices and sideboarding. Until then, please enjoy (all images linked to moxfield lists)!

Green-Black Dredge-o’-Crats

Green-Black-White Project X

Red-(Green) Aggro

Black-White-Red Sliver Aggro

Update 2025.10.17:
SB: -1 No Rest for the Wicked; +1 Grim Harvest 

Blue-Green-White Blink Midrange

4-Color Glittering Wish Midrange

Blue-Black(-White) Pickles Teachings

Update 2025.10.17:
-1 Dreadship Reef, -1 Caves of Koilos, -1 Delay; +1 Calciform Pools, +1 Godless Shrine, +1 Remove Soul
SB: -2 Tendrils of Corruption, -1 Aeon Chronicler; +1 Pact of Negation, +1 Midnight Charm, +1 Tormod’s Crypt

Blue-Black-White Solar Flare

Update 2025.10.17:
SB: -2 Condemn, -1 Faith’s Fetters; +2 Midnight Charm, +1 Pact of Negation