Get to know the City of Guilds ahead of its return to MTG with our explainer for the plane of Ravnica.We break down the lore & more.
Ahead of the release ofRavnica Remastered and Murders at Karlov Manor, we’ll run you through the key details on this fan-favorite plane and explore what exactly makes Ravnica so regularly worth returning to.
Every Ravnica Guild explained
Ravnica is an impossibly sprawling metropolis, a city stretching across an entire plane. The city is maintained and managed by each of Ravnica’s eight guilds, distinct groups with varying specializations, allegiances, and colors of mana. Ravnica’s guilds are an eclectic bunch, and they’ve spawned many of MTG fans’ favorite cards and characters, from Kaya to Niv-Mizzet to Krenko.
The Guilds of Ravnica and their mana colors are as follows:
It’s the guilds that really gave Ravnica its instant appeal. These factions have drawn in many players, with the ‘choose your guild’ element being a fun part of player identity and engagement. With unique mechanical design and personalities to match, almost every MTG player can find at least one guild that speaks to them.
Ravnica’s spot as a fan-favorite plane has secured its relevance in several ofMTG’s big story swingsover the years.
The culmination of Nicol Bolas’ ascension plot took place on Ravnica, with dozens of Planeswalkers lured to the plane in an attempt to harvest their sparks.
For as much as it has hosted major MTG story beats in recent years, Ravnica has also brought out some of the best ofMagic’s mechanical design.
Developing Ravnica caused a breakaway from some ofMTG’sat-the-time more rigid design philosophy.
The color pie previously favored ‘ally’ colors and included drawbacks to playing colors that were ‘enemies’ such as Blue and Green. But with the release of Ravnica, MTG head designer Mark Rosewater intended for all guilds to be on equal footing for players, leading to the unrestricted design for ‘enemy’ colors that Magic players have embraced ever since.
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Jack Bye was a Games Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, specializing in ecommerce content. He is a Magic The Gathering and DnD expert, covering all things tabletop games. He also has bylines at WePC and VideoGamer.
