Ravnica (Magic: The Gathering)
Ravnica is a Magic: The Gathering block that consists of three expert-level expansion sets: Ravnica: City of Guilds, Guildpact, and Dissension. 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. Much power in Ravnica is held by the ten "guilds", political factions that each represent a combination of two of Magics five colors. The mythology of Ravnica is loosely derived from Slavic folklore, and the character names reflect this. This plane was revisited in the Return to Ravnica block, and the Guilds of Ravnica, ''Ravnica Allegiance, War of the Spark, and Murders at Karlov Manor'' sets.
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. 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.The Ravnica cycle is functionally different from the Invasion cycle due to how the multicolored or multicolor-themed cards are distributed among the three sets that make up each cycle. In the Invasion cycle, for example, the first two sets centered around friendly color pairs; in each of the five featured combinations of three colors, two of them would be enemies of each other but both would be allies of a third central color. The last set, Apocalypse, emphasized enemy color pairs; in each of the five featured combinations of three colors, two of them would be allies of each other but both would be enemies of the third. However, the color combinations that are featured in each set of the Ravnica cycle are determined by which guilds are important in that stage of the story. All the multicolor cards in the Ravnica cycle are associated with one of the ten guilds. Ravnica emphasized Boros, Dimir, Golgari, and Selesnya; Guildpact emphasized Gruul, Izzet, and Orzhov; and Dissension emphasized Azorius, Rakdos, and Simic.
Mechanics
Ravnica introduces hybrid mana. 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 appears in the corresponding half. 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. 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.Each of the ten guilds has a new keyword or ability word associated with it.
- Radiance : Radiance is an ability word that appears on spells and abilities that affect every permanent that shares a color with the target permanent. When played on multi-colored cards, the effect spreads to all that card's colors.
- Convoke : A player playing a spell with Convoke may tap some of their creatures to pay part or all of the card's mana cost. Each creature tapped reduces the cost by one mana of that creature's color, or by one colorless mana.
- Dredge : Cards with dredge may be returned from the graveyard to their owner's hand, provided that player opts to skip drawing a card and instead puts a number of cards from the top of their library into the graveyard. For example, for a card with "Dredge 3", you can skip your draw and put three cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard to add the card to your hand.
- Transmute : A player may pay three mana of certain colors and discard a card with Transmute from their hand. Doing this allows the player to find a card with the same converted mana cost from that player's library, reveal it, and put it into their hand. For example, Brainspoil, has converted mana cost 5 with Transmute for 1 colorless and 2 black mana, and if you choose to transmute it, you pay the mana cost and discard it, then search your library for anything converted mana cost 5, reveal it, and put it into your hand. You can only Transmute as a sorcery.
- Haunt : When a creature or spell with Haunt is put into a graveyard, it is removed from the game haunting a creature in play. When the haunted creature is put into a graveyard, the creature or spell with Haunt can perform an effect again.
- Bloodthirst : When creatures with Bloodthirst are played, they gain a boost to their power and toughness if an opponent was already dealt damage that turn. For example, a 2/3 creature with Bloodthirst 3 could come into play as a 5/6.
- Replicate : Spells with Replicate allow a given cost to be paid any number of times, and the spell is copied that many times. Each copy can have a new target
- Hellbent : Cards with the Hellbent ability word gain additional attributes when their controllers have no cards in their hand. It is very similar to the Odyssey block's threshold ability, but revolves around the hand instead.
- Graft : Similar to Modular from the Mirrodin block, cards with the Graft ability come into play with +1/+1 counters in accordance with the number associated with their Graft ability. When another creature comes into play, a card with Graft may move one of its +1/+1 counters onto that creature.
- Forecast : Rather than play a card from their hand, a player may use its Forecast ability during their upkeep, and only once per turn. To use Forecast, the player pays a cost and reveals the card with Forecast in his/her hand. Forecast effects are often either a lesser version of the main spell or a support effect for the main spell. A card with similar mechanic,, was first seen in Unglued.
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.
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.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.
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, Jarad, Fonn Zurich, Feather, Pivlic, and Savra 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 causes a lot of trouble for Kos.
With a partner dead, 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.
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.