Return to Ravnica focuses on five guilds: the Izzet League, Cult of Rakdos, Golgari Swarm, Azorius Senate, and Selesnya Conclave.

Gatecrash focuses on the other five guilds: the Boros Legion, House Dimir, The Orzhov Syndicate, The Gruul Clans, and The Simic Combine.

[4][5][6] The story told vaguely in the cards deals with the Izzet League searching for something deep within Ravnica's bowels and the other guilds responding to their mysterious actions.

By this point, the other guilds have gotten suspicious of something, partially by the Dimir spreading rumors,[8] about the Izzet's true purpose for their experiments, and have begun to arm themselves for an all-out war.

[17] Gatecrash's Planeswalkers are Gideon, Champion of Justice (The newest version of the white-aligned warrior) and Domri Rade (A red/green who fits in perfectly with the Gruul).

[18] The homunculus Fblthp (Who only shows up in the art and flavor text of the card Totally Lost) has also become quite popular, spawning plushies,[19] a Twitter feed,[20] and his own website.

[21] Beyond just printing new cards for the guilds, Dragon's Maze adds a whole new element to each one, such as adding some offensive creatures to the otherwise spell-centric Izzet League.

[23] The Shock lands have the appropriate expansion symbols of Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash, but the Gates are part of Dragon's Maze and have a Dragon's Maze expansion symbol making them part of the set and thus marking the first time cards other than basic lands are printed multiple times within the same block.

[29] Notable cards include the "shock lands" cycle, the "charm" cycle, Abrupt Decay, Deathrite Shaman, Burning-Tree Emissary, Domri Rade, Sphinx's Revelation, Goblin Electromancer, Maze's End, Obzedat, Ghost Council, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and Voice of Resurgence