Ravnica

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Released October 7, 2005
Size 306 (88 rares, 88 uncommons, 110 commons, 20 lands)[1]
Keywords Convoke, Transmute, Dredge, Radiance
Mechanics Guild system, hybrid mana
Designers Mark Rosewater (lead), Tyler Bielman, Mike Elliott, Aaron Forsythe, and Richard Garfield
Developers Brian Schneider (lead), Aaron Forsythe, Mark L. Gottlieb, Matt Place, Paul Sottosanti, and Henry Stern
Development code Control
Expansion code RAV
First set in the Ravnica block
Ravnica Guildpact Dissension
Ninth Edition Guildpact
Kamigawa Block Time Spiral Block
Guildpact

seal of the Guildpact
Released February 3, 2006
Size 165 (55 rares, 55 uncommons, 55 commons)[2]
Keywords Haunt, Bloodthirst, Replicate
Mechanics Color alliances
Designers Mike Elliott (lead), Aaron Forsythe, Devin Low, Brian Schneider
Developers Henry Stern (lead), Aaron Forsythe, Cormac Russell, Brian Schneider, and Mike Turian
Development code Alt
Expansion code GPT
Second set in the Ravnica block
Ravnica Guildpact Dissension
Ravnica Dissension
Kamigawa Block Time Spiral Block
Dissension

broken seal of the Guildpact
Released May 5, 2006
Size 180 (60 rares, 60 uncommons, 60 commons)[3]
Keywords Graft, Hellbent, Forecast
Mechanics Multicolored cards, Hybrid cards, Split cards
Designers Aaron Forsythe (lead), Brandon Bozzi, Mark L. Gottlieb, and Mark Rosewater
Developers Matt Place (lead), Mark Rosewater, Brian Schneider, and Steve Warner
Development code Delete
Expansion code DIS
Third set in the Ravnica block
Ravnica Guildpact Dissension
Guildpact Coldsnap
Kamigawa Block Time Spiral Block

Ravnica is a Magic: The Gathering block that consists of three expert-level expansion sets: Ravnica: City of Guilds (October 7, 2005), Guildpact (February 3, 2006), and Dissension (May 5, 2006). Following in the tradition of other Magic blocks, Ravnica takes place in a plane of the multiverse that was previously unexplored in the game's backstory. The world of Ravnica is an ecumenopolis, a vast city that covers the entire surface of its planet, and is home to a diverse assortment of sentient races.[4] Much power in Ravnica is held by the ten "guilds", political factions that each represent a combination of two of Magic's five colors.[5] The mythology of Ravnica is loosely derived from Slavic folklore, and the character names reflect this.[6] This plane was revisited in the Return to Ravnica block.[7][8]

Design

Ravnica was conceived following the success of Invasion. Invasion, released in 2000, emphasized interactions between the colors, and it was one of Magic's most popular releases ever. Magic's lead designer, Mark Rosewater, wanted to expand on the multicolor theme in a new way. Therefore, the design of Ravnica is based around ten two-color pairs, including cards in which those pairs of colors work in concert.[9]

The Ravnica block is functionally different from Invasion block due to the interaction of the multi-colored theme.[10] In the Invasion block, for example, the first two sets (Invasion and Planeshift) centered around friendly colors and the harmony they create when put together. The last set, Apocalypse, emphasized enemy colors and areas where the colors contrast and possibly create powerful effects. However, the Ravnica block features a limited number of color combinations (some friendly, some enemy) in every set based on what guilds are present. All the multicolor cards in Ravnica block (and many other cards) are associated with one of the ten guilds.

Mechanics

Ravnica introduces hybrid mana.[5][11][12] Each symbol is a circle halved diagonally, in which the top left half is one color and the bottom right half another. A smaller version of the color's icon (sun for white, skull for black, etc.) appears in the corresponding half.[11] These mana symbols mean that mana of either color may be used to pay it; for example, a spell whose mana cost is two green/white hybrid mana may be played using two green mana, two white mana, or one green and one white.[12] The cards with these mana symbols have a colored border that fades from left to right, out of one color and into the other; and are counted as both colors.[12]

Each of the ten guilds has a new keyword or ability word associated with it.[5][12]

Ravnica block includes many mono-color cards which encourage people to play with multiple colors. Ravnica: City of Guilds featured cards which have activated abilities that use mana of different color from the cards' color. Guildpact introduced cards which are enhanced if another mana color is used to play the card. In Dissension, in addition to the first 'group' of abilities, another group of mono-color cards have abilities associated with two colors, but must be played with mana of a different color or else the card must be sacrificed. An example is Azorius Herald. It is a white creature with a life gain effect (white's specialty), as well as unblockability (blue's specialty). However, if Azorius Herald is played without blue mana, it must be sacrificed just after it comes into play.[13]

Dissension features the return of the popular split card mechanic originally from Invasion and Apocalypse. There are 10 gold split cards representing some combinations of the other guilds of Ravnica. The allied color guilds are represented in uncommon split cards, whereas the enemy color guilds are represented in rare split cards.[13]

Storyline

Each of the guilds had been at war with each other for centuries, and the only thing that made the leaders agree to a truce was the fact that the dead had begun haunting the plane. They decided that each guild would specialize in two colors of magic and have specific jobs in the city to stretch the limited resources and maintain order, including by banning war completely.[10]

The game and novels begin 9999 years after the Guildpact was formed, on the eve of the decamillennial celebrations. All three books were written by Cory J. Herndon and published by Wizards of the Coast.[14][15][16]

Ravnica

As the preparations for the celebrations are getting finished, tensions between the guilds have reached the breaking point. Things aren't helped any by the fact that, while many don't believe it exists anymore, the still very much alive House Dimir never agreed to the Guildpact. They, along with the Golgari Swarm, almost destroy the core of Selesnyan civilization.

Agrus Kos (A Wojek officer in the Boros Legion), Jarad (Brother of the Devkarin leader Savra), Fonn Zurich (Daughter of a Wojek officer who joined the Selesnya Conclave after her dad's death), Feather (A Firemane angel who worked with Kos), Pivlic (An Orzhov businessman), and Savra (The leader of the Golgari Devkarin elves) are the main characters in the novel who each play their own role. They all come together eventually, and quite a bit of chaos ensues. Savra then tries to take over her guild and resurrect the necromancer Svogthir, and all the characters are thrown into a huge war.

The dark undercity's the domain of the Devkarin elves, and that's where Jarad and the rest run the city with necromancy and hunting skill; while the skies above are policed by Boros angels. They both stay to their own sections, so the Selesnya keep passageways clear with the Ledev, a group of paramilitary soldiers who defend the right of free travel. Fonn, an elite Ledev, guards her priest friend while he travels to the decimillenial celebrations, but an explosion tears through the city and kills him, flings Fonn into Jarad's arms, and causing a lot of trouble for Kos.

With a partner dead (although continuing to appear in the plot in the form of a ghost), Kos embarks on the investigation that takes him throughout the various settings of Ravnica. This involves conflict with some of the most powerful guilds of the plane, with no end in sight to the fighting.[17]

Guildpact

Like its predecessor, Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact stars Agrus Kos and his business partner/friend Pivlic, as well as several new characters. With their new friend Teysa Karlov, Orzhov baroness of the diseased frontier zone named Utvara, the two begin to unravel an Izzet secret that delves deeper than any of them thought, all the while searching for the missing messenger of Zomaj Hauc, Izzet Guild upper manager and lead engineer of the Cauldron, a powerplant supplying energy to all of the Utvara region.

Crix the goblin finds herself in the hands of the indigenous peoples of Utvara while Baroness Teysa and her minions attempt to gain control of the region that has now become hers to own. But Crix finds that the plains around Utvara are mysterious, full of bizarre creatures that trace back to the ancient days of Ravnica, as well as a race of people who wear fungus on their backs to protect themselves from a spore that got thrown up into the air after the Izzet Guild attempted to “reclaim” the Utvaran region for the previous owner, Teysa’s uncle and prodigal father. But as Crix stays out in the spores, strange occurrences with the natives cause her to doubt the truths she holds dear.

Crix manages to manipulate the natives into helping her get to the Cauldron, partially to deliver the message she had been sent to deliver and partially to get to the bottom of this deadly mystery. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the courier, Agrus Kos and Pivlic have also become aware of the strange behaviors of the natives and begin an expedition to rescue the intrepid Izzet. However, as they work forward toward their goal, both the human and the imp find that it is not as easy of a task as it originally appeared, especially not when the Nephilim, the ancient creatures Crix encounters, become more rampant in this area of the frontier. Since kidnapping is a crime, Kos is propelled forward, but unfortunately for him, his path leads straight to the gates of the Cauldron.

Back in Utvara, things seem to be simple and reclaiming the once lost territory is becoming a task that Teysa Karlov has turned into a lucrative business venture. But while business continues to improve, Teysa begins to uncover a mystery that's plagued her for her entire life. All the issues that go along with it are getting to be too much for someone like her who's getting up in her years. It all culminates in the first Baroness of the Orzhov meeting her enemies face to face.[18]

Guilds

Of the ten guilds that rule Ravnica, four are the focus of this first set in the block. The next expansion, Guildpact, focused only on three other guilds, and the last set in the block, Dissension, introduced the last three guilds. Each guild corresponds to a different two-color combination. The guilds featured in the Ravnica block are:[10]

Each guild has the following cards:

The appearance of a guild symbol in the background of a card's text box identifies that card's guild affiliation. For example, the symbol of the green-white Selesnya guild appears on green-white cards, cards with the convoke mechanic, lands that produce green and white mana, and so on. The guild symbols have no effect on game play.[5]

Other cycles include the Leylines (one for each color) and the Nephilim (one for each four-color combinations).[20]

Notable cards

Notable cards of Ravnica: City of Guilds include, Dark Confidant and Life from the Loam.

Guildpact also includes Magic's first creatures with exactly four colors, the Nephilim.

Reception

Ravnica won the 2005 Origins Award as "Best Collectible Card Game or Expansion".[22]

References

  1. "Ravnica, City of Guilds". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  2. "Guildpact". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  3. "Dissension". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  4. Issar Roon (January 25, 2012). "Ravnica". GatheringMagic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mark L. Gottlieb (August 30, 2005). "_Ravnica: City of Guilds_(TM) Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  6. John Dale Beety (August 8, 2012). "Return To Ravnica (For Those Who've Never Been)". StarCityGames.com. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  7. Greenholdt, Joyce (June 2006), Scrye, The Guide to Collectible Games, p. 122.
  8. ertaislament (2012-09-12), Ravnica Block, retrieved 2013-10-04
  9. "Magic The Gathering(MTG) Ravnica Booster Box". Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 https://www.wizards.com/magic/multiverse/planes.aspx?plane=ravnica
  11. 1 2 Daniel Tack (August 22, 2012). "Is Hybrid Mana Returning To Magic: The Gathering?". Forbes.com, LLC. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Justin Turner (September 22, 2011). "Ravnica: City of Mechanics, Abilities, and Guilds Too". GatheringMagic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Brandon Isleib (February 12, 2013). "Tour de Cards - Ravnica Block, Part 2". GatheringMagic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  14. http://www.amazon.com/Ravnica-Cycle-Book-I/dp/0786937920
  15. http://www.amazon.com/Guildpact-Ravnica-Cycle-Book-2/dp/0786939893/ref=pd_sim_b_1/182-4149750-3741737
  16. http://www.amazon.com/Dissension-Ravnica-Cycle-Book-III/dp/0786940018/ref=pd_sim_b_2/182-4149750-3741737
  17. Ravnica: Ravnica, Book 1; by Cory Herndon
  18. Guildpact: Ravnica Cycle, Book 2; by Cory Herndon
  19. https://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=magic/guildpact/izzet
  20. 1 2 FutureAuthor. "Can you name the Magic: The Gathering Cycles (Ravnica)?". Sporcle, Inc. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  21. Brandon Isleib (February 5, 2013). "Tour de Cards - Ravnica Block, Part 1". GatheringMagic.com. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  22. Sugarbaker, Allan (July 1, 2006). "2005 Origins Award winners announced". ogrecave.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
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