I've skimmed through the 9 pages in this thread... and I'm usually just casually into lore... but I didn't see this discussed:
Elspeth's return?
Since Elspeth is included in the masterpiece planeswalker series for Guilds of Ravnica, that means her escape from the Underworld on Theros will be a side story? (She's still stuck in the Underworld, right?)
I mean, that was the natural launching point for Return to Theros block.
Bolas usually creates Chaos to get what he wants which is often some sort of Order with him at the top but its not like he is over concerned about Day to Day Operations.
Where is this Bolas = chaos coming from' Bolas is out for himself, and is perfectly willing to use order for his own ends.
From a practical standpoint Bolas should take over all the guilds, but his choices are pretty obvious useful:
- The Izzet make whatever he wants to accomplish
- The Orzhov and Azorius oppress dissent
- The Gruul and Golgari have the most zealous worshippers since they're the most dissatisfied with the social order and can help to distract away from his plans.
The Rakdos and Dimir are mostly out for themselves, so he has no use for them when he can get people who look for a high purpose and do a better job as his slaves while they're at it. The Boros and Selesnya would be useful the same way the Azorius and Orzhov are, but they would be more resistant to twisting. And he just plain isn't interested in the Simic.
I mean, we saw on Amonkhet Bolas set up a very orderly system. It blew up, but considering he planned for that and it was a rush job it seems clear he can setup structure as he wants.
Coupled with every guild being tied into the function of the city barring the Gruul, I just don’t see any order vs chaos.
The Golgari were aligned with the chaos faction pre guildpact. They are a guild that regularly changes leadership via revolution. They are all about taking in society's cast offs and Vraskas origin story is based on them being oppressed by the existing order and wanting freedom. They are not aligned with order. Jarad imposed some semblance of order on the guild, but he's gone now and it's led by a revolutionary who expressly wants to destroy the system and replace it with a far less orderly one. Prior to Jarad, Savra briefly ran it while trying to overthrow the guildpact in league with Szadek, and before her the Sisters of Stone Death lead a decentralized and aimless guild dominated by monsters. The original Parun was just a really powerful necromancer whose goal was to be even more powerful.
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I've skimmed through the 9 pages in this thread... and I'm usually just casually into lore... but I didn't see this discussed:
Elspeth's return?
Since Elspeth is included in the masterpiece planeswalker series for Guilds of Ravnica, that means her escape from the Underworld on Theros will be a side story? (She's still stuck in the Underworld, right?)
I mean, that was the natural launching point for Return to Theros block.
I guess they're skipping that altogether?
We simply have no idea why Elspeth was chosen for the product, and no indication that she's at all story relevant (in fact I would argue that having her return without it being a major story event -- say a central plotline in a return to Theros block -- really doesn't make sense).
It is odd, though, that all of the planeswalkers in the series are known actors in the Gatewatch vs Bolas conflict,.. except Elspeth and Daretti.
I mean, we saw on Amonkhet Bolas set up a very orderly system. It blew up, but considering he planned for that and it was a rush job it seems clear he can setup structure as he wants.
Coupled with every guild being tied into the function of the city barring the Gruul, I just don’t see any order vs chaos.
Once again, I never said anything about Bolas pushing for chaos and seeking out chaotic guilds. Bolas' preferences are irrelevant. I'm talking about factors that would make the guilds more or less susceptible to Bolas' influence. A chaotically aligned guild would simply be more willing than a guild aligned with order to take actions to change the system. It right now looks very much like Bolas' plan involves a war and the destruction of the current order. Chaotic guilds prone to upheaval who already have an interest in changing the system would simply be easier to infiltrate and recruit to the cause than ones with stable leadership dedicated to preserving the system. Yes, even with Bolas lying about his plans, because if he's planning on a guild war he's going to need to light the spark and have minions that want to fight, even if their misled about the reasons. His preferences don't matter as much as what guilds he can easily recruit and which ones he specifically needs. He probably needs the Azorious, and targeted then, and needs the Izzet, while having an easier in. The Golgari seem more convenient than necessary. Either the Gruul or Rakdos would be the same. He probably would have preferred the Dimir, given how their methods align with his own so often, but he wasn't able to turn them.
And once again, yes, it was an order faction vs a chaos faction. It was in the books, and it was part of the conception of the guilds by creative. It was one of the central parts of the origin of the guildpact. It's why Szadek was central to the formation, because he sold the chaos side on joining. We knew that the Dimir, the Golgari, the Gruul, and the Rakdos were all on the same side as well, all chaotic guilds, with all the white guilds on the other. That was an slate of pure order vs pure chaos. I don't remember if it was ever confirmed which side the Simic and Izzet were on, but there were hints in Guildpact that the Izzet were on the chaos side and Niv Mizzet immediately tried to sabotage the guildpact.
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Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
A chaotically aligned guild would simply be more willing than a guild aligned with order to take actions to change the system.
Unless that orderly guild believes, or has been lead to believe, that they can achieve an even more orderly system by toppling the current one. Which was, IIRC Augustin's rational in the OG Ravnica block.
Maniacal Rage and Street Riot have me believe the Gruul are on Team Bolas. Yes, the Azorius are pretty much on Bolas side and those statements seem very anti-Azorius in particular, but they did say the story proceed chronologically and we know Isperia tried to set up some cooperation plan before Vraska assassinated her. Won't be surprised if Domri/Gruul were just making angry statements and joined Bolas precisely because Isperia fell to him (indirectly), the Azorius being under Bolas probably doesn't really matter as much to them because of what I think Bolas wants.
I think Bolas just wants chaos this time round (if my speculation he wants to turn Ravnica into a prison plane and Ravnica is a bit too comfortable for that right now), that doesn't mean he explicitly chooses all the "chaotic" guilds to meet this goal, the sheer conflict between all the guilds is enough to start the fire. The Gruul could be "nominally" on Bolas side, meaning they're unaware that Azorius is effectively Bolas as well, but Bolas doesn't care even if his own sides have their own conflict. I doubt the Gatewatch can get their 5 guilds to 100% cooperate anyway.
As I said earlier I felt the Gruul and Rakdos are a tad too similar functionally in a war to be on the same side, so if I take that bold assumption that Rakdos is actually on Team Gatewatch, that'll be the interesting scene to see Rakdos choosing his side. Maybe he senses that A demon cannot be trusted, but a dragon will not be ruled?... or he's the nominal wildcard that actually wants Ravnica to stay Ravnica for his own sake.
Bolas didn't try to get just some guilds... While some guilds were a lot more important for his Masterplan, he was trying to get EVERY guild. MaRo said EVERY guild has an intern turmoil about going with Bolas or against: so he didn't really choose to take some of the guilds, apart from those he really needed (which might be just the Izzet, Golgari and Azorius), he wanted them all. It is probably easier to cast a ritual to make a god of yourself, if every person on the planet is on your side.
I forget where we landed on where Rakdos will wind up, as far as which team, but of all the planeswalkers we know, wouldn't Tibalt be the best placed for Rakdos? Chaos, from a plane with demons, devilish guy himself, glorifies in violence. Seems right up that guild's alley. However, I think the near-universal hate for Tibalt makes anything like that unlikely (I say this sadly as a guy who made a Tibalt devil deck that bites me as often as my opponents).
A chaotically aligned guild would simply be more willing than a guild aligned with order to take actions to change the system.
Unless that orderly guild believes, or has been lead to believe, that they can achieve an even more orderly system by toppling the current one. Which was, IIRC Augustin's rational in the OG Ravnica block.
Augustin didn't do that. The system had already been overthrown by Szadek getting himself arrested. The order imposed by the Guildpact was broken, and Augustin just noticed and tried to take over in the vacuum.
In any case, I never said that all order aligned guilds would be pro guildpact and all chaotic guilds would be anti guildpact, I said that those would be the natural fits and special circumstances would be needed to cause guilds to go against that, with the example of Lazav and the Dimir being unwilling to trust shadowy outsiders (and the Dimir having integrated itself more deeply in the system) or Isperia getting turned to stone and a puppet being set up in her place.
Basically, what I'm saying is, no explanation would be needed for the guilds that were aligned with order in the pre guildpact scrum to stick with the guildpact (as their usual behavior reinforces it), and no explanation would be needed for the chaotic guilds to work against the guildpact (as they do it with little provocation). Clearly there are good story reasons for guilds acting against their usual inclinations, and I said I expect it to go beyond the Dimir and the Azorious to the Orzhov and Rakdos, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Dimir and Azorious end up being the only ones to play against type. There isn't any mechanical reason for the Bolas guilds to have a mechanical balance, so the Rakdos and Gruul both siding with him isn't out of the question. And yes, Kaya may nuke the Ghost Council and Rakdos may actually save the day again like he did against the nephilim, but those will be reasons for those guilds going against their natural inclinations.
Weren't both the Orzhov and the Izzet neutral on the chaos/order thing?
I also honestly can't see the Simic in any iteration as orderly. Even Vigeon Simic relies on mutation and unpredictability heavily.
The Izzet were chaotic neutral (I mean, they are sort of the poster children for chaotic neutral), and the Orzhov were Lawful Evil (you know, with their rigid hierarchy and rules designed to maintain a system that benefited those at the top, the way a lawful evil society would operate).
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Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I've skimmed through the 9 pages in this thread... and I'm usually just casually into lore... but I didn't see this discussed:
Elspeth's return?
Since Elspeth is included in the masterpiece planeswalker series for Guilds of Ravnica, that means her escape from the Underworld on Theros will be a side story? (She's still stuck in the Underworld, right?)
I mean, that was the natural launching point for Return to Theros block.
I guess they're skipping that altogether?
One line of speculation I've heard is that a return to Theros is next up after we're done with All This Ravnica. Based solely on the idea tbat all the colored mana symbols in Ravnica are pointing towards a return of the devotion mechanic. That would explain Elspeth.
Though another possibility is that Bolas "rescued" her "off-camera" to install as another puppet Guild Leader in Allegiance.
I forget where we landed on where Rakdos will wind up, as far as which team, but of all the planeswalkers we know, wouldn't Tibalt be the best placed for Rakdos? Chaos, from a plane with demons, devilish guy himself, glorifies in violence. Seems right up that guild's alley. However, I think the near-universal hate for Tibalt makes anything like that unlikely (I say this sadly as a guy who made a Tibalt devil deck that bites me as often as my opponents).
Tibalt, the character not the card, is actually well liked and quite popular
Is Tibalt competent enough or quite frankly powerful enough to keep a guild like Rakdos in line?
Canonically, sure. I mean, the guy abducted and tortured who knows how many people and animals before he attracted an inquisitor's attention. As an expert at causing others pain (he's also no stranger to receiving pain, given how his spark ignited) and reveling in it, Tibalt seems like an excellent fit for the often sadistic members of the Cult of Rakdos.
Do keep in mind, the idea of a comically incompetent Tibalt comes from the flop that was his planeswalker card, not the story we have about him.
Though another possibility is that Bolas "rescued" her "off-camera" to install as another puppet Guild Leader in Allegiance.
Acknowledging that the returned lose the identity they had in life and their golden masks, I could well see a Returned Elspeth making for an excellent puppet for Bolas to rule the wealth hoarding and undead accepting Orzhov Syndicate with. The only kink in that idea is the apparent presence of Kaya and the unlikelihood of their being two BW walkers in the same or subsequent sets.
Gideon Blackblade might also be a BW planeswalker in the set.
I don’t see the Rakdos changing leadership. The guild is literally named after their guild leader and parun. Also, who doesn’t want to see Rakdos in this battle?
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Modern
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
Edgar Markov BRW
Captain Sisay GW
Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
Gideon Blackblade might also be a BW planeswalker in the set.
I don’t see the Rakdos changing leadership. The guild is literally named after their guild leader and parun. Also, who doesn’t want to see Rakdos in this battle?
Well, the Izzet were named after Niv Mizzet, but he ends up no longer in charge in this set. We don't know why yet, he might get killed or be forced into hiding, and that provided the opportunity to install Ral. The Azorious wouldn't have turned on Isperia, but that was irrelevant because Vraska kills her, creating opportunity to install a puppet. The Rakdos are filled with factions following ambitious blood witches always fighting for power and influence in the guild while Rakdos sleeps, so Bolas could easily take over with a planeswalker bloodwitch (Tibalt would fit very well I agree), and simply taking Rakdos out of the picture, either by killing him (he has a demon slaying walker on his roster) or keeping him asleep or incapacitated (his planeswalker bloodwitch could rule the guild just fine paying lip service to an absent Rakdos, thats not far off from the normal functioning of the guild).
The main reason I suspect the Rakdos to end up against Bolas is actually the presence of Kaya hinti n that he takes over the Orzhov. Rakdos himself is also really popular and ended up being instrumental to saving the day in dissension by fighting Kraaj and Nephilim (even though his guild were villains), and he's super popular.
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Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I would welcome the Rakdos joining the fight against Bolas. I think the Rakdos are the most misunderstood guild, often portrayed as evil in the cards but more neutral in the supplementary materials. Like the Dimir, having them turn on Bolas could give them a breadth of much-needed depth. The Gruul meanwhile are already complex enough in motivation that they don't need to "prove" anything narratively speaking.
We have a spotlight card with absolutely no flavour text, and we know Niv Mizzet disappears... Niv Mizzet disappears BECAUSE of the result of anything that is happening on "Firemind's Research". And the wildest of the speculations is that the result of the research is specifically a PLANESWALKING. I am not saying he could be getting a spark (which seems improbable given the nature of sparks) but he does disappear because he leaves the plane.
Getting back on track, I think that if the third set have just two keyword ability (a proBolas and an antiBolas) having all colours balanced between the 2 factions would avoid having too many ProBolas keyworded cards in one colour (or viceversa). But yeah it's really a narrow possibility.
I don’t see the Rakdos changing leadership. The guild is literally named after their guild leader and parun. Also, who doesn’t want to see Rakdos in this battle?
Rakdos has hardly ever led his guild though. The demon spent most of his time in hibernation, while other people led the cult. I'm not sure Rakdos is even capable of leading his guild any more, given that his consciousness was split amongst those that consumed Izolda.
Come to think of it, Tibalt's lack of ethics and background in experimentation makes him a fairly good candidate for tracking down those that consumed Izolda, reuniting Rakdos's consciousness, and puppeteering the demon parun to his own ends (or maybe absorb his essence like he did the fiends on Innistrad).
No, I remember in the books that there were two guilds neutral to the law/chaos conflict. The Orzhov I know for a fact, it's wheres it was the Izzet, Simic or Dimir that I can't remember being the other.
Being Lawful Evil =/= accepting "order" in a grander picture kind of way especially since everyone in the order team has idealistic designs; Orzhov exploits a situation, doesn't contribute to it. The Izzet would be a stretch for not being on the chaos side, but it could be argued that they had no interest in fighting and were on their own little world. And the Dimir and Simic are obvious.
I think Law vs Chaos is overrated. Bolas is not especially chaotic sure he will cause it to get to his end goal but I think its clear he prefers orderly systems that he can control. He likes being Emperor.
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Elspeth's return?
Since Elspeth is included in the masterpiece planeswalker series for Guilds of Ravnica, that means her escape from the Underworld on Theros will be a side story? (She's still stuck in the Underworld, right?)
I mean, that was the natural launching point for Return to Theros block.
I guess they're skipping that altogether?
Thread | Draft
From a practical standpoint Bolas should take over all the guilds, but his choices are pretty obvious useful:
- The Izzet make whatever he wants to accomplish
- The Orzhov and Azorius oppress dissent
- The Gruul and Golgari have the most zealous worshippers since they're the most dissatisfied with the social order and can help to distract away from his plans.
The Rakdos and Dimir are mostly out for themselves, so he has no use for them when he can get people who look for a high purpose and do a better job as his slaves while they're at it. The Boros and Selesnya would be useful the same way the Azorius and Orzhov are, but they would be more resistant to twisting. And he just plain isn't interested in the Simic.
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
Edgar Markov BRW
Captain Sisay GW
Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
Coupled with every guild being tied into the function of the city barring the Gruul, I just don’t see any order vs chaos.
The Golgari were aligned with the chaos faction pre guildpact. They are a guild that regularly changes leadership via revolution. They are all about taking in society's cast offs and Vraskas origin story is based on them being oppressed by the existing order and wanting freedom. They are not aligned with order. Jarad imposed some semblance of order on the guild, but he's gone now and it's led by a revolutionary who expressly wants to destroy the system and replace it with a far less orderly one. Prior to Jarad, Savra briefly ran it while trying to overthrow the guildpact in league with Szadek, and before her the Sisters of Stone Death lead a decentralized and aimless guild dominated by monsters. The original Parun was just a really powerful necromancer whose goal was to be even more powerful.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
We simply have no idea why Elspeth was chosen for the product, and no indication that she's at all story relevant (in fact I would argue that having her return without it being a major story event -- say a central plotline in a return to Theros block -- really doesn't make sense).
It is odd, though, that all of the planeswalkers in the series are known actors in the Gatewatch vs Bolas conflict,.. except Elspeth and Daretti.
Once again, I never said anything about Bolas pushing for chaos and seeking out chaotic guilds. Bolas' preferences are irrelevant. I'm talking about factors that would make the guilds more or less susceptible to Bolas' influence. A chaotically aligned guild would simply be more willing than a guild aligned with order to take actions to change the system. It right now looks very much like Bolas' plan involves a war and the destruction of the current order. Chaotic guilds prone to upheaval who already have an interest in changing the system would simply be easier to infiltrate and recruit to the cause than ones with stable leadership dedicated to preserving the system. Yes, even with Bolas lying about his plans, because if he's planning on a guild war he's going to need to light the spark and have minions that want to fight, even if their misled about the reasons. His preferences don't matter as much as what guilds he can easily recruit and which ones he specifically needs. He probably needs the Azorious, and targeted then, and needs the Izzet, while having an easier in. The Golgari seem more convenient than necessary. Either the Gruul or Rakdos would be the same. He probably would have preferred the Dimir, given how their methods align with his own so often, but he wasn't able to turn them.
And once again, yes, it was an order faction vs a chaos faction. It was in the books, and it was part of the conception of the guilds by creative. It was one of the central parts of the origin of the guildpact. It's why Szadek was central to the formation, because he sold the chaos side on joining. We knew that the Dimir, the Golgari, the Gruul, and the Rakdos were all on the same side as well, all chaotic guilds, with all the white guilds on the other. That was an slate of pure order vs pure chaos. I don't remember if it was ever confirmed which side the Simic and Izzet were on, but there were hints in Guildpact that the Izzet were on the chaos side and Niv Mizzet immediately tried to sabotage the guildpact.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I also honestly can't see the Simic in any iteration as orderly. Even Vigeon Simic relies on mutation and unpredictability heavily.
Unless that orderly guild believes, or has been lead to believe, that they can achieve an even more orderly system by toppling the current one. Which was, IIRC Augustin's rational in the OG Ravnica block.
I think Bolas just wants chaos this time round (if my speculation he wants to turn Ravnica into a prison plane and Ravnica is a bit too comfortable for that right now), that doesn't mean he explicitly chooses all the "chaotic" guilds to meet this goal, the sheer conflict between all the guilds is enough to start the fire. The Gruul could be "nominally" on Bolas side, meaning they're unaware that Azorius is effectively Bolas as well, but Bolas doesn't care even if his own sides have their own conflict. I doubt the Gatewatch can get their 5 guilds to 100% cooperate anyway.
As I said earlier I felt the Gruul and Rakdos are a tad too similar functionally in a war to be on the same side, so if I take that bold assumption that Rakdos is actually on Team Gatewatch, that'll be the interesting scene to see Rakdos choosing his side. Maybe he senses that A demon cannot be trusted, but a dragon will not be ruled?... or he's the nominal wildcard that actually wants Ravnica to stay Ravnica for his own sake.
Augustin didn't do that. The system had already been overthrown by Szadek getting himself arrested. The order imposed by the Guildpact was broken, and Augustin just noticed and tried to take over in the vacuum.
In any case, I never said that all order aligned guilds would be pro guildpact and all chaotic guilds would be anti guildpact, I said that those would be the natural fits and special circumstances would be needed to cause guilds to go against that, with the example of Lazav and the Dimir being unwilling to trust shadowy outsiders (and the Dimir having integrated itself more deeply in the system) or Isperia getting turned to stone and a puppet being set up in her place.
Basically, what I'm saying is, no explanation would be needed for the guilds that were aligned with order in the pre guildpact scrum to stick with the guildpact (as their usual behavior reinforces it), and no explanation would be needed for the chaotic guilds to work against the guildpact (as they do it with little provocation). Clearly there are good story reasons for guilds acting against their usual inclinations, and I said I expect it to go beyond the Dimir and the Azorious to the Orzhov and Rakdos, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Dimir and Azorious end up being the only ones to play against type. There isn't any mechanical reason for the Bolas guilds to have a mechanical balance, so the Rakdos and Gruul both siding with him isn't out of the question. And yes, Kaya may nuke the Ghost Council and Rakdos may actually save the day again like he did against the nephilim, but those will be reasons for those guilds going against their natural inclinations.
The Izzet were chaotic neutral (I mean, they are sort of the poster children for chaotic neutral), and the Orzhov were Lawful Evil (you know, with their rigid hierarchy and rules designed to maintain a system that benefited those at the top, the way a lawful evil society would operate).
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
One line of speculation I've heard is that a return to Theros is next up after we're done with All This Ravnica. Based solely on the idea tbat all the colored mana symbols in Ravnica are pointing towards a return of the devotion mechanic. That would explain Elspeth.
Though another possibility is that Bolas "rescued" her "off-camera" to install as another puppet Guild Leader in Allegiance.
Canonically, sure. I mean, the guy abducted and tortured who knows how many people and animals before he attracted an inquisitor's attention. As an expert at causing others pain (he's also no stranger to receiving pain, given how his spark ignited) and reveling in it, Tibalt seems like an excellent fit for the often sadistic members of the Cult of Rakdos.
Do keep in mind, the idea of a comically incompetent Tibalt comes from the flop that was his planeswalker card, not the story we have about him.
Acknowledging that the returned lose the identity they had in life and their golden masks, I could well see a Returned Elspeth making for an excellent puppet for Bolas to rule the wealth hoarding and undead accepting Orzhov Syndicate with. The only kink in that idea is the apparent presence of Kaya and the unlikelihood of their being two BW walkers in the same or subsequent sets.
I don’t see the Rakdos changing leadership. The guild is literally named after their guild leader and parun. Also, who doesn’t want to see Rakdos in this battle?
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
Edgar Markov BRW
Captain Sisay GW
Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
Well, the Izzet were named after Niv Mizzet, but he ends up no longer in charge in this set. We don't know why yet, he might get killed or be forced into hiding, and that provided the opportunity to install Ral. The Azorious wouldn't have turned on Isperia, but that was irrelevant because Vraska kills her, creating opportunity to install a puppet. The Rakdos are filled with factions following ambitious blood witches always fighting for power and influence in the guild while Rakdos sleeps, so Bolas could easily take over with a planeswalker bloodwitch (Tibalt would fit very well I agree), and simply taking Rakdos out of the picture, either by killing him (he has a demon slaying walker on his roster) or keeping him asleep or incapacitated (his planeswalker bloodwitch could rule the guild just fine paying lip service to an absent Rakdos, thats not far off from the normal functioning of the guild).
The main reason I suspect the Rakdos to end up against Bolas is actually the presence of Kaya hinti n that he takes over the Orzhov. Rakdos himself is also really popular and ended up being instrumental to saving the day in dissension by fighting Kraaj and Nephilim (even though his guild were villains), and he's super popular.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Rakdos has hardly ever led his guild though. The demon spent most of his time in hibernation, while other people led the cult. I'm not sure Rakdos is even capable of leading his guild any more, given that his consciousness was split amongst those that consumed Izolda.
Come to think of it, Tibalt's lack of ethics and background in experimentation makes him a fairly good candidate for tracking down those that consumed Izolda, reuniting Rakdos's consciousness, and puppeteering the demon parun to his own ends (or maybe absorb his essence like he did the fiends on Innistrad).
Being Lawful Evil =/= accepting "order" in a grander picture kind of way especially since everyone in the order team has idealistic designs; Orzhov exploits a situation, doesn't contribute to it. The Izzet would be a stretch for not being on the chaos side, but it could be argued that they had no interest in fighting and were on their own little world. And the Dimir and Simic are obvious.