ENEMIES AND ALLIES
The Selesnya philosophy is one that embraces all of
Ravnica. Everyone is a potential ally, until the moment
they demonstrate their hostility to the conclave or t he
will of the Worldsoul. The Selesnya have di fficulty with
the riotous R akdos, the sinister D i mir, and the chaotic
Izzet, but their focus on ordered community and ver dant
nature gives them some amount of common gr ound
with every other guild.
Any guild can become an enemy of the conclave,
though, if its guildmaster's ambitions-or rogue agents
within the guild-upset the balance of power on
Ravnica. From the other side, many other guilds see
the Selesnya as a quiet threat and seek to diminish its
strength before its numbers grow out of contr ol, so as a
member of t he conclave you are duty-bound to oppose
their operations of sabotage. The wanton plunder of
Ravnica's natural resources can also provoke the Sele-
snya to take action.
When member s of other guilds pursue noble aims-
promoting peace, strengthening community, and oppos-
ing other guilds' efforts to expand- they act as allies of
the conclave and thus your allies. Furthermore, they are
potential recruits into the fold, since they have demon-
strated their sympathy for Selesnya's goals and their
value to the commun ity.
THE S ELESN YA VIEW O N OT HER G UILDS
In the Selesnya vision of a perfect Ravnica, the guilds
would be abolished and all people would live in ha rmony
with nature and each other. Until such a vision come s to
pass, the conclave judges the other guilds against that
standard of perfection.
Azorius. "All their laws are meant to c reate a semblance of
the un ity that bind s us a lready. If they would only be still
and listen to the voice of Mat'Selesnya."
Boros. "Sooner or later they will tire of their fighting, and
when they do, the gentle embrace of the Selesnya will be
waiting for them."
Oimir. "Just as they hide from the light and cling to the
shadows, they hide from life and cling to secrets. They
see everything as a scheme, everyone a tool, instead of
recognizing the power of unity and mutual growth."
C olgari. "They wallow in filth and rot, too preoccupied with
death to app reciate the b liss o f life's connections."
Cruul. "They are a d esperate echo of what they s hould be,
reaching blindly toward something greater. Such a waste.
And a smelly, unreasonable, destructive one at tha t."
lzzet. "The path to unity doesn't lie in the o ppressive
control of a massive ego like the dragon's. The lzzet can
tinker and meddle all they like, but they are doomed
to failure."
Orzhov. "An endless stream of grasping hands, reaching
for more and more, pursuing their individual ambitions
at all costs-even from beyond the grave."
Rakdos. "They laugh at tragedy and wallow in pain. Even-
tually, they will submit to Mat'Selesnya. Until then, they
m us t be conta in ed."
Simic. "They c hart a twisted course of warping and man-
g ling life and nature. Yes, we must grow and adapt, but
nature will take its own time in completing th at task."