Guildpact
Encyclopedia
Guildpact is a Magic: The Gathering
set, second in the Ravnica Block. Guildpact was released on February 3, 2006.
. Invasion, released in 2000, emphasized interactions between the colors, and it was one of Magics most popular releases ever. Lead designer Mark Rosewater
wanted to expand on the multicolor theme in a new way. Therefore, the design of Ravnica block is based around ten two-color pairs, including cards in which those pairs of colors work in concert.
, focused on four of these guilds. Dissension brought it to a close by introducing the last three guilds. Each guild corresponds to a different two-color combination. The three guilds featured in Guildpact are:
Guildpact also includes Magic's first and (so far) only four-colored creatures, the Nephilim
.
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 lead her to believe that something against the natural order is occurring, and that the answer can only be found within her master, Zomaj Hauc himself.
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, those 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, and on the eve of yet another attempt at ruining Ravnica.
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 as business is getting better, Teysa begins to discover a mystery and a magic that has been plaguing her for most of her life. And the lies and deceptions strike directly into the heart of the woman who is beginning to get too old be able to deal with it. Be that as it may, the Guildmaster, the first Baroness of the Orzhov guild, meets her enemies face to face and proves that royal blood does make a difference.
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
set, second in the Ravnica Block. Guildpact was released on February 3, 2006.
Design
Ravnica was conceived following the success of InvasionInvasion (Magic: The Gathering)
Invasion is the 21st expert level set, and the first set in the Invasion block of cards of Magic: The Gathering. The rest of the block is Planeshift and Apocalypse. It contains 350 cards.-Set History:...
. Invasion, released in 2000, emphasized interactions between the colors, and it was one of Magics most popular releases ever. Lead designer Mark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater
Mark Rosewater is a Magic: The Gathering card designer. He is currently Magics head designer.-Biography:Rosewater grew up in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where he attended the Orange High School. Rosewater has a Jewish background. Rosewater has described himself in his youth as a "social outcast", who did...
wanted to expand on the multicolor theme in a new way. Therefore, the design of Ravnica block is based around ten two-color pairs, including cards in which those pairs of colors work in concert.
Guilds
Of the ten guilds that rule the city of Ravnica, three are the sole focus of this second set in the block. The previous expansion, Ravnica: City of GuildsRavnica: City of Guilds
This article is about the Magic: The Gathering set known as Ravnica: City of Guilds. For an article about the plane and the guilds mentioned below, see Ravnica ....
, focused on four of these guilds. Dissension brought it to a close by introducing the last three guilds. Each guild corresponds to a different two-color combination. The three guilds featured in Guildpact are:
- The Orzhov Syndicate (white/black): While masquerading as a religion, the Orzhov are actually MafiaMafiaThe Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
-like business people. With no economic transaction that isn't directly or indirectly under their control, they are directed by the , composed of the spirits of former Orzhov Patriarchs and Matriarchs. , is the champion of the guild, and plays a major part in the book series. - The Izzet League (blue/red): Like mad scientistMad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
s, the Izzet are responsible for almost all of the beneficial technologies and magics that keep Ravnica running. Unfortunately, their impulsive and reckless research principles mean that just as many have failed experiments with explosive results. Their guild leader is an extremely intelligent but temperamental and egotistic dragon wizard named . The champions of the Izzet are a husband-wife pair of wizards named . - The Gruul Clans (red/green): The Gruul Clans were originally the Guild of Savage Nature, appointed to speak for and protect the people who lived in the harsh natural environments of Ravnica. As the city expanded over nature, the other nine guilds (specifically the other Green-oriented guilds) began appointing themselves as nature's defenders. Eventually phased out entirely by the rest of the guilds, the Gruul fractured into a myriad of different clans, all bent on destroying civilization. Some do it for revenge, others simply because they like to smash stuff. The biggest clan is ruled by the cyclops . Despite not being affiliated with any of the clans, the members view as their champion as it represents all they stand for.
Mechanics
- Haunt (white/black, Orzhov): 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 (red/green, Gruul): 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 (blue/red, Izzet): 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.
Guildpact also includes Magic's first and (so far) only four-colored creatures, the Nephilim
Nephilim
The Nephilim are the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" in Genesis 6:4, or giants who inhabit Canaan in Numbers 13:33. A similar word with different vowel-sounds is used in Ezekiel 32:27 to refer to dead Philistine warriors....
.
Novel
Guildpact is the second installment of the Ravnica Cycle, written by Cory J. Herndon and published by Wizards of the Coast. Like its predecessor, Ravnica: City of Guilds, this novel stars Agrus Kos and his business partner/friend Pivlic, as well as several new characters. With their new friend Teysa Karlov, baroness of the frontier zone named Utvara, the two begin to unravel an Izzet secret that delves deeper than many of them wanted to ever go, all the while searching for the missing messenger of the 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 lead her to believe that something against the natural order is occurring, and that the answer can only be found within her master, Zomaj Hauc himself.
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, those 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, and on the eve of yet another attempt at ruining Ravnica.
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 as business is getting better, Teysa begins to discover a mystery and a magic that has been plaguing her for most of her life. And the lies and deceptions strike directly into the heart of the woman who is beginning to get too old be able to deal with it. Be that as it may, the Guildmaster, the first Baroness of the Orzhov guild, meets her enemies face to face and proves that royal blood does make a difference.
External links
- Guildpact Spoiler
- Guildpact minisite
- Signing onto the Guildpact
- Life in the Big City (Guildpact version)
- Niv-Mizzet, the Fountainhead
- Creative Differences
- An In-depth Look At The Izze-Hey, Look At That!
- Aaaargh!!!
- Rage Against the Machine
- Playing by their own Rules
- Precious Gold
- http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/arcana/783 Official Wizards of the CoastWizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
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