Last time we has Simic, Dimir, and the Nephilim. What do you guys think it will be this time? It seems that Izzet are not quite the innocent guild they used to be. For instance, the card Destroy the Evidence, suggests that the Izzet are actually doing quite a bit of real plotting now. Also Niv-Mizzet's plans are still a mystery. It also seems that Selesnya may be a "distraction" as well. Theyay not be quite the scheming villain but they appear that will at least be antagonistic. So far those two seem to be raising the most red flags. What do you all think?
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This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
Simic, Dimir, Rakdos, Azorius, one splinter of the Izzet, and the Nephilim were all antagonists last time around. They all played a villainous role, though some had a larger scale to their villainy than others.
That being said, all ten guilds appear to be antagonists to each other. There are no "good guys" associated directly with the guilds right now because they all clash with each other's ideals. Jace is shaping to be the point of view character for the block, and Gideon joined the Boros only because all the guilds were going at each other and the guildless were getting caught in the middle. He chose the Boros only because he saw that they were more direct in their actions, which he appreciated. But he's mostly concerned with protecting people from getting hurt because of the attacks.
I think that Nicol Bolas will be the villain this time. Here is how he could be manipulating all the guilds:
Azorius: Bolas manipulates the senate and makes his own pawn the new grand arbiter. Then they make a bunch of laws that seem okay, but really just help Bolas. If Isperia interfered, I bet Bolas could beat her in a fight.
Dimir: They are really sneaky and I bet Bolas could hire them to do a lot of his dirty work. Either that or the shapeshifter in charge of Dimir is really Bolas. (He doesn't know clockworking anymore so maybe he picked up shapeshifting as a new hobby.)
Rakdos: Bolas promised Rakdos Lord of Riots that he would create a lot of chaos and it would be really fun. Rakdos agreed for the lulz.
Gruul: Bolas promised them the downfall of civilization, defeated Borborygomos and then yelled "we eat!" and "destroy!" a bunch till they followed him. Then they destroy any part of civilization he doesn't like so much.
Selesnya: Bolas takes over Selesnya because they already have a bunch of brainwashed minions ready for him.
Orzhov: Bolas pays them a bunch since they are so greedy. Then he has ghost minions! If he could find a way to make them planeswalk, maybe they could even help Bolas reinforce the monsters and ghosts on Innistrad to defeat Sorin and Avacyn and all the angels.
Izzet: Bolas and Niv-Mizzet are both super smart dragons so I think they would get along well. They even have some of the same colors! If they team up, maybe they can take over Ravnica with evil and science!
Golgari: Bolas gets Liliana to make more zombie Bolases like in Test of Metal. These zombies infiltrate Golgari and kill Jarad so Bolas can become guild leader.
Boros: Aurelia was really mean to Feather for like no reason, so maybe she is secretly evil. If she was working with Bolas, the Boros would never expect they were pawns for evil and it would be really cool to have a super evil angel, since the nice ones like Akroma and avacyn got really boring after a while.
Simic: Merfolk aren't supposed to be on Ravnica, but one is guild leader now. That seems suspicious. Maybe Bolas brought her there and is using her to resurrect Kraj and use him to take over Ravnica. That would be pretty awesome.
I think it would make sense for Bolas to be the villain here because he is usually the villain and consistency is good. I missed him in Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad.
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Nicol Bolas is so awesome! And so is Kokusho! Bolas x Kokusho 4eva!!! <3
Read their story here!
I think it would make sense for Bolas to be the villain here because he is usually the villain and consistency is good. I missed him in Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad.
The major problem with that theory, if you had been browsing around, is that the creative team has already confirmed Bolas will not be playing any role in RtR.
The major problem with that theory, if you had been browsing around, is that the creative team has already confirmed Bolas will not be playing any role in RtR.
Which makes no sense to me, but yeah, it's true. So, it looks like it's the Izzet this time. They are making the Dimir out to be a lot less evil sounding, and they were the most likely to be the big villain my mind, since the Rakdos are too haphazard to manage it. Azorius could be again, but Isperia seems to have much better intentions than the Grand Arbiters. Simic are completely new so who knows what they want. Orzhov could definitely be doing it, but funding both sides of the inevitable conflict seems to be more their line of thinking. The Golgari also seem much more evil, kind of planning to bring the rest of Ravnica down to their level. Could be something there. Gruul, like the Rakdos, seem to chaotic to manage a full scale thing, though they definitely would line up with the "Have nature beat the city" idea some have proposed. Similarly, Selesnya could fit there, and provide a bit more planning to the effort. I think the Boros get used by the Azorius and Orzhov to do their dirty work more often than actually doing their own dirty work, so not really an evil intent there.
This is all just conjecture, obviously. Each and every guild has the utmost capacity to be evil, and each one probably is doing some naughty things. And the possibility of an outside force still exists, just not that of Bolas.
This is all just conjecture, obviously. Each and every guild has the utmost capacity to be evil, and each one probably is doing some naughty things. And the possibility of an outside force still exists, just not that of Bolas.
Eh, I've already said that I think none of the guilds are in the right in this. They're are each of their own enemies, and an enemy to the guildless as well. From your perspective in a guild, basically the entire world is against you.
But I don't think any one guild is going to be the primary antagonist once the first shot is fired.
The closest thing to a central antagonist we've seen so far is probably Niv-Mizzet. The impression that I get is that the sudden increase of activity among the Izzet was a trigger for heightened tension among the guilds (tension that was already there, mind you) which in turn leads to greater tension between the guilds and the guildless as everybody starts to worry more and more about their own security and affirming their dominance over their sector of society. But even that would be a far cry from a "central antagonist" unless sparking civil war on Ravnica is a part of (or known consequence of) Niv-Mizzet's secret plan. Being a catalyst for conflict is different from being an outright villain.
From what there is to gather from the cards and few articles, here's what I can say about the guilds and their potential role in the story.
Azorius: It doesn't seem like they are plotting anything. However, there are two cards where characters try to warn Isperia (Sphinx of the Chimes and Horncaller's Chant.) I don't see Azorius as a potential villain, but more as a reticent hero that will only show up at the last possible minute to help save the plane from the true villain.
Izzet: Definitely plotting something. Something evil? Who knows. While Niv-Mizzet sounds kinda evil (He has no patience for minds that do not inspire him or explode by trying.) the rest of the guild seems to be composed of genuinely good guys.
Rakdos: They don't seem to be preparing anything other than parties, and even those seem to be improvised. Despite red-black being the most "evil" colour combination, I don't see them being a villain. They'll probably play a more "reactive" role in the story.
Golgari: Except for Jarad's Orders, it doesn't seem like the Golgari are up to anything in particular. Though, Jarad was an important character during the last block, so maybe he'll be back for more action.
Selesnya: From Horncaller's Chant and the RTR trailer, Selesnya is definitely preparing something. Cards like Dryad Militant and Growing Ranks depicts them as directly opposing Izzet. From some of the articles, it seems like there are conflicts within the guild between those that cherish the Worldsoul (mainly Trostani and the other Dryads) and those that cherish community and nature. Just like with Izzet, I don't imagine the whole guild being villainous, but only a few of the higher-ups and more sneaky members.
It is in my opinion that the Azorius are becoming more and more restricting, hence the protest mentioned somewhere. Which is one reason the Golgari have started to be more and more on the surface. Their planeswalker shows that they are moving more towards striking out. It is hard to say if that is what Jarad is gearing towards himself.
The Seles have obviously been gearing towards a more fighting congregation. Then again, the must be trying to recapture their security after the loss of their Quietmen (which would've been one of the best card(s) ever!!!). But they too are hating on the Izzet plans. Since they have started to forget about the people, Chronic Flooding.
Alas, like many other stories, whenever several powerful groups tried to "live in harmony" there is always tension and building up armies for security.
Back to the villianee, I would think one of the stronger antagonists is Vraska. She seems to have started walking on her revenge. She may have been Golgari aligned, but vengeance is not one of the Golgari goals. Well it is and it isn't. It is as Jarad wants to equalize the world and right the wrongs of the other guilds, and isn't because vengeance is more of a single person or small group.
Their planeswalker shows that they are moving more towards striking out.
You're confusing a personal vendetta with guild politics. Just because someone is a member of a guild doesn't mean they are mindless tools to be used.
Which makes this confusing:
Back to the villianee, I would think one of the stronger antagonists is Vraska. She seems to have started walking on her revenge. She may have been Golgari aligned, but vengeance is not one of the Golgari goals. Well it is and it isn't. It is as Jarad wants to equalize the world and right the wrongs of the other guilds, and isn't because vengeance is more of a single person or small group.
She isn't acting in any official capacity. She's doing something of her own, not representative of the guild she is a member of. Nothing she does is going to be important enough to shift the politics of any of the guilds.
Rakdos: They don't seem to be preparing anything other than parties, and even those seem to be improvised. Despite red-black being the most "evil" colour combination, I don't see them being a villain. They'll probably play a more "reactive" role in the story.
Pretty sure Blue-Black has some issues with you.
Anyways, there is definitely some precedence that the Selesnya may be doing something a bit odd themselves. I did take the bit in the promotional trailer to be more because Jace can't understand their nature-based mindset than anything else, though.
I like this guy. Everything he's posted so far has been diamonds. I especially like the consistency of working Bolas into everything. I don't know if its a meta jab at creative, or a parody of fan-boys, but it just works.
On topic: Either all of the guilds will be the villains, or whatever stands against the guilds will be. I think that the conflict of this block will be the guild system vs a non-guilded force, be it a popular revolution, the cult of yore, or an as yet unseen threat/savior. Which side plays the villain is up in the air. Will creative portray the guilds as a necessary evil, a system with serious problems that is still acceptable because its alternative is even more corrupt, or too chaotic, or both (which seems to be why the guilds are back after falling for a time). Or will the guilds be portrayed as archaic, corrupt institutions that perpetuate a system that is so destructive to life and freedom that it must be replaced, and that a better, more just system is ready to replace it (either a popular government that gets rid of the corruption, a breakdown of Ravnica into independent countries based on geography rather than guild allegiances, or even a resurgence of nature under the cult of yore leading to a healthier, happier Ravnica). It all depends on perspective, and given the way the guilds have been described so far, it could go either way. Currently, I think whatever challenges the guilds will be the villain, because of how creative described the period between the fall and return of the guilds as being sort of a dark age.
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Either all of the guilds will be the villains, or whatever stands against the guilds will be. I think that the conflict of this block will be the guild system vs a non-guilded force
This.
The more I look at the flavor text in RTR, coupled with the next set being named Gatecrash, the more I believe Sinker is shaping up to be focused on some sort of unguilded popular uprising. It may in fact be that the guilds are the villains, though I think from most players' perspectives it will the the guildless who are the villains rising up again the guilds. (Mostly because we've been trained after four sets of Ravnican cards to identify with the guilds, and those who oppose the guilds must therefore be eeeevil.)
To be honest, despite pretense otherwise, the guilds really don't give a flying fig about the unguilded, unless they do something to directly interfere with the guilds (i.e. murdering a guild member, skipping out on a debt to a guild, etc). That sort of indifference may just be their undoing.
I have a feeling it from cards like Fencing Ace that it will end up being a revolution against the guilds, as the guildless really get shafted on a lot of things. remember the flavor text for Smash? I think Sinker will be a mono colored themed set, with multicolored guild cards taking a backseat.
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I myself think that, before counting Gatecrash, Izzet and Selesnya do appear to be painted as the 'villains' this time. Izzet's experiments are getting grander and grander, potentially causing lots of damage, all just because Niv is researching something no one knows. Selesnya, on the other hand, looks like they're getting more aggressive in their recruitment; as a card's flavor say, even Teysa is worried enough to express her concern to Isperia.
Azorius is simply doing what they used to do: enforcing law. Golgari doesn't seem all that antagonistic, doing what they do best too. Rakdos is just doing their grim business as usual.
Except they didn't do that. The Boros enforced the law, most specifically the Wojek. The Azorius just made the law.
Ok, mistype. But based on some cards, they seem to occasionally go down the street to shut up some hapless folks (the detain mechanic such as Azorius Arrester, Search Warrant, a few more). What's your take on this?
..based on some cards, they seem to occasionally go down the street to shut up some hapless folks...
If we take what we know about the Boros under Aurelia (I'm pulling from guildsofravnica.com here), the Wojek have been "relocated" so that their army can build up in Sunhome. It seems like the new leadership is much more focused on the military side of the guild than on the police side, which has left a void the Azorius have stepped in to fill.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my personal (semi-baseless) take is that the Wojek are more the "beat cop on the street", similar to how most cities in the US have a local police force, and are more concerned with local matters, while the Azorius have taken on the role of "detective and investigator" more along time lines of the FBI--they handle a slightly different set of crimes under a broader jurisdiction. The Selesnyan wolfriders function like a highway patrol*--they handle law enforcement as it pertains to the highways and byways, but not necessarily at the city/neighborhood level.
It's interesting how all the white-aligned guilds have some sort of law enforcement aspect...except the Orzhov, who function more as a mafia/protection racket. They have their own code of honor, to be sure, but that twist of black makes all the difference.
*I'm comparing to the North Carolina Highway Patrol here, since that's my home state and therefore I'm most familiar with them. They're nothing like the California Highway Patrol (made famous by Erik Estrada on the 1970's TV show "CHiPs"**). Their primary job is to enforce traffic laws and keep the roads safe, although they can be called on to serve other law enforcement functions as needed.
**Interesting fact I learned from Wikipedia-ing "CHiPs"...at one point a young Bruce Jenner, who later went on star in the role of Kim Kardashian's stepdad on "That Show With Those Spoiled Rich Chicks Who Are Famous for No Reason", filled in for Erik Estrada while Estrada was on strike.
It's interesting how all the white-aligned guilds have some sort of law enforcement aspect...except the Orzhov, who function more as a mafia/protection racket. They have their own code of honor, to be sure, but that twist of black makes all the difference.
The Orzhov are lawyers. They specifically work to prove the innocence of people who were arrested (wrongfully or not, that's not a lawyer's job.)
They provide free legal council provided by the state.... though naturally, the better advokists, like say.... Teysa, will cost you a pretty penny.
Anyways, I really question the point of the Boros if they aren't providing the law enforcement these days, because quite clearly the Azorius have moved into that function. The Boros are a standing army now.... with no point. Open Warfare is generally frowned upon in Ravnican society anyways! So yeah, the Boros are pointless without the Wojek.
The Boros these days seem more like a PMC (private military company), from what I can tell. At times they work with the Azorius as law enforcement, but they do other work besides that. Possibly private security? Or crusades against whatever Aurelia deems worthy of eradication, regardless of criminality or due process.
The Boros these days seem more like a PMC (private military company), from what I can tell. At times they work with the Azorius as law enforcement, but they do other work besides that. Possibly private security? Or crusades against whatever Aurelia deems worthy of eradication, regardless of criminality or due process.
That really doesn't put them far above the Rakdos in terms of public violence then.
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.
That being said, all ten guilds appear to be antagonists to each other. There are no "good guys" associated directly with the guilds right now because they all clash with each other's ideals. Jace is shaping to be the point of view character for the block, and Gideon joined the Boros only because all the guilds were going at each other and the guildless were getting caught in the middle. He chose the Boros only because he saw that they were more direct in their actions, which he appreciated. But he's mostly concerned with protecting people from getting hurt because of the attacks.
Azorius: Bolas manipulates the senate and makes his own pawn the new grand arbiter. Then they make a bunch of laws that seem okay, but really just help Bolas. If Isperia interfered, I bet Bolas could beat her in a fight.
Dimir: They are really sneaky and I bet Bolas could hire them to do a lot of his dirty work. Either that or the shapeshifter in charge of Dimir is really Bolas. (He doesn't know clockworking anymore so maybe he picked up shapeshifting as a new hobby.)
Rakdos: Bolas promised Rakdos Lord of Riots that he would create a lot of chaos and it would be really fun. Rakdos agreed for the lulz.
Gruul: Bolas promised them the downfall of civilization, defeated Borborygomos and then yelled "we eat!" and "destroy!" a bunch till they followed him. Then they destroy any part of civilization he doesn't like so much.
Selesnya: Bolas takes over Selesnya because they already have a bunch of brainwashed minions ready for him.
Orzhov: Bolas pays them a bunch since they are so greedy. Then he has ghost minions! If he could find a way to make them planeswalk, maybe they could even help Bolas reinforce the monsters and ghosts on Innistrad to defeat Sorin and Avacyn and all the angels.
Izzet: Bolas and Niv-Mizzet are both super smart dragons so I think they would get along well. They even have some of the same colors! If they team up, maybe they can take over Ravnica with evil and science!
Golgari: Bolas gets Liliana to make more zombie Bolases like in Test of Metal. These zombies infiltrate Golgari and kill Jarad so Bolas can become guild leader.
Boros: Aurelia was really mean to Feather for like no reason, so maybe she is secretly evil. If she was working with Bolas, the Boros would never expect they were pawns for evil and it would be really cool to have a super evil angel, since the nice ones like Akroma and avacyn got really boring after a while.
Simic: Merfolk aren't supposed to be on Ravnica, but one is guild leader now. That seems suspicious. Maybe Bolas brought her there and is using her to resurrect Kraj and use him to take over Ravnica. That would be pretty awesome.
I think it would make sense for Bolas to be the villain here because he is usually the villain and consistency is good. I missed him in Scars of Mirrodin and Innistrad.
Nicol Bolas is so awesome! And so is Kokusho!
Bolas x Kokusho 4eva!!! <3
Read their story here!
BMy Little KokushoB
RBRakdos UNLEASHED!!!RB
My Standard Decks:
UGRakdos, Bolas, and Ludevic Go To A PartyUG
The major problem with that theory, if you had been browsing around, is that the creative team has already confirmed Bolas will not be playing any role in RtR.
Which makes no sense to me, but yeah, it's true. So, it looks like it's the Izzet this time. They are making the Dimir out to be a lot less evil sounding, and they were the most likely to be the big villain my mind, since the Rakdos are too haphazard to manage it. Azorius could be again, but Isperia seems to have much better intentions than the Grand Arbiters. Simic are completely new so who knows what they want. Orzhov could definitely be doing it, but funding both sides of the inevitable conflict seems to be more their line of thinking. The Golgari also seem much more evil, kind of planning to bring the rest of Ravnica down to their level. Could be something there. Gruul, like the Rakdos, seem to chaotic to manage a full scale thing, though they definitely would line up with the "Have nature beat the city" idea some have proposed. Similarly, Selesnya could fit there, and provide a bit more planning to the effort. I think the Boros get used by the Azorius and Orzhov to do their dirty work more often than actually doing their own dirty work, so not really an evil intent there.
This is all just conjecture, obviously. Each and every guild has the utmost capacity to be evil, and each one probably is doing some naughty things. And the possibility of an outside force still exists, just not that of Bolas.
Eh, I've already said that I think none of the guilds are in the right in this. They're are each of their own enemies, and an enemy to the guildless as well. From your perspective in a guild, basically the entire world is against you.
But I don't think any one guild is going to be the primary antagonist once the first shot is fired.
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If Akroma is "nice", so is Tomás de Torquemada. She was pretty much a sociopath in the novels she stared in.
Azorius: It doesn't seem like they are plotting anything. However, there are two cards where characters try to warn Isperia (Sphinx of the Chimes and Horncaller's Chant.) I don't see Azorius as a potential villain, but more as a reticent hero that will only show up at the last possible minute to help save the plane from the true villain.
Izzet: Definitely plotting something. Something evil? Who knows. While Niv-Mizzet sounds kinda evil (He has no patience for minds that do not inspire him or explode by trying.) the rest of the guild seems to be composed of genuinely good guys.
Rakdos: They don't seem to be preparing anything other than parties, and even those seem to be improvised. Despite red-black being the most "evil" colour combination, I don't see them being a villain. They'll probably play a more "reactive" role in the story.
Golgari: Except for Jarad's Orders, it doesn't seem like the Golgari are up to anything in particular. Though, Jarad was an important character during the last block, so maybe he'll be back for more action.
Selesnya: From Horncaller's Chant and the RTR trailer, Selesnya is definitely preparing something. Cards like Dryad Militant and Growing Ranks depicts them as directly opposing Izzet. From some of the articles, it seems like there are conflicts within the guild between those that cherish the Worldsoul (mainly Trostani and the other Dryads) and those that cherish community and nature. Just like with Izzet, I don't imagine the whole guild being villainous, but only a few of the higher-ups and more sneaky members.
The Seles have obviously been gearing towards a more fighting congregation. Then again, the must be trying to recapture their security after the loss of their Quietmen (which would've been one of the best card(s) ever!!!). But they too are hating on the Izzet plans. Since they have started to forget about the people, Chronic Flooding.
Alas, like many other stories, whenever several powerful groups tried to "live in harmony" there is always tension and building up armies for security.
Back to the villianee, I would think one of the stronger antagonists is Vraska. She seems to have started walking on her revenge. She may have been Golgari aligned, but vengeance is not one of the Golgari goals. Well it is and it isn't. It is as Jarad wants to equalize the world and right the wrongs of the other guilds, and isn't because vengeance is more of a single person or small group.
You're confusing a personal vendetta with guild politics. Just because someone is a member of a guild doesn't mean they are mindless tools to be used.
Which makes this confusing:
She isn't acting in any official capacity. She's doing something of her own, not representative of the guild she is a member of. Nothing she does is going to be important enough to shift the politics of any of the guilds.
Pretty sure Blue-Black has some issues with you.
Anyways, there is definitely some precedence that the Selesnya may be doing something a bit odd themselves. I did take the bit in the promotional trailer to be more because Jace can't understand their nature-based mindset than anything else, though.
I like this guy. Everything he's posted so far has been diamonds. I especially like the consistency of working Bolas into everything. I don't know if its a meta jab at creative, or a parody of fan-boys, but it just works.
On topic: Either all of the guilds will be the villains, or whatever stands against the guilds will be. I think that the conflict of this block will be the guild system vs a non-guilded force, be it a popular revolution, the cult of yore, or an as yet unseen threat/savior. Which side plays the villain is up in the air. Will creative portray the guilds as a necessary evil, a system with serious problems that is still acceptable because its alternative is even more corrupt, or too chaotic, or both (which seems to be why the guilds are back after falling for a time). Or will the guilds be portrayed as archaic, corrupt institutions that perpetuate a system that is so destructive to life and freedom that it must be replaced, and that a better, more just system is ready to replace it (either a popular government that gets rid of the corruption, a breakdown of Ravnica into independent countries based on geography rather than guild allegiances, or even a resurgence of nature under the cult of yore leading to a healthier, happier Ravnica). It all depends on perspective, and given the way the guilds have been described so far, it could go either way. Currently, I think whatever challenges the guilds will be the villain, because of how creative described the period between the fall and return of the guilds as being sort of a dark age.
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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!
This.
The more I look at the flavor text in RTR, coupled with the next set being named Gatecrash, the more I believe Sinker is shaping up to be focused on some sort of unguilded popular uprising. It may in fact be that the guilds are the villains, though I think from most players' perspectives it will the the guildless who are the villains rising up again the guilds. (Mostly because we've been trained after four sets of Ravnican cards to identify with the guilds, and those who oppose the guilds must therefore be eeeevil.)
To be honest, despite pretense otherwise, the guilds really don't give a flying fig about the unguilded, unless they do something to directly interfere with the guilds (i.e. murdering a guild member, skipping out on a debt to a guild, etc). That sort of indifference may just be their undoing.
Occupy Ravnica, anyone?
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W/U Lavinia of the Tenth
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R/G Xenagos, God of Revels
U/B Wydwen the BIting Gale
Azorius is simply doing what they used to do: enforcing law. Golgari doesn't seem all that antagonistic, doing what they do best too. Rakdos is just doing their grim business as usual.
IMO, anyway.
Except they didn't do that. The Boros enforced the law, most specifically the Wojek. The Azorius just made the law.
Ok, mistype. But based on some cards, they seem to occasionally go down the street to shut up some hapless folks (the detain mechanic such as Azorius Arrester, Search Warrant, a few more). What's your take on this?
If we take what we know about the Boros under Aurelia (I'm pulling from guildsofravnica.com here), the Wojek have been "relocated" so that their army can build up in Sunhome. It seems like the new leadership is much more focused on the military side of the guild than on the police side, which has left a void the Azorius have stepped in to fill.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my personal (semi-baseless) take is that the Wojek are more the "beat cop on the street", similar to how most cities in the US have a local police force, and are more concerned with local matters, while the Azorius have taken on the role of "detective and investigator" more along time lines of the FBI--they handle a slightly different set of crimes under a broader jurisdiction. The Selesnyan wolfriders function like a highway patrol*--they handle law enforcement as it pertains to the highways and byways, but not necessarily at the city/neighborhood level.
It's interesting how all the white-aligned guilds have some sort of law enforcement aspect...except the Orzhov, who function more as a mafia/protection racket. They have their own code of honor, to be sure, but that twist of black makes all the difference.
*I'm comparing to the North Carolina Highway Patrol here, since that's my home state and therefore I'm most familiar with them. They're nothing like the California Highway Patrol (made famous by Erik Estrada on the 1970's TV show "CHiPs"**). Their primary job is to enforce traffic laws and keep the roads safe, although they can be called on to serve other law enforcement functions as needed.
**Interesting fact I learned from Wikipedia-ing "CHiPs"...at one point a young Bruce Jenner, who later went on star in the role of Kim Kardashian's stepdad on "That Show With Those Spoiled Rich Chicks Who Are Famous for No Reason", filled in for Erik Estrada while Estrada was on strike.
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The Orzhov are lawyers. They specifically work to prove the innocence of people who were arrested (wrongfully or not, that's not a lawyer's job.)
They provide free legal council provided by the state.... though naturally, the better advokists, like say.... Teysa, will cost you a pretty penny.
Anyways, I really question the point of the Boros if they aren't providing the law enforcement these days, because quite clearly the Azorius have moved into that function. The Boros are a standing army now.... with no point. Open Warfare is generally frowned upon in Ravnican society anyways! So yeah, the Boros are pointless without the Wojek.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
That really doesn't put them far above the Rakdos in terms of public violence then.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
Remember that Ravnica as a city conflicts with the simic's wishes....
Basically im predicting a Man vs. Nature type of thing.
540 Peasant cube- Gold EditionSomething SpicyThat's kinda of the point. I mean, Aurelia might as well be wearing a twirling moustache