ENEMIES AND ALLIES
By standing in opposition to the civilized ways of the
other guiJds, the Gruul Clans have made it practically
impossible to establish alliances with those guilds.
S imilar to the Golgari, Selesnya, and S imic, the Gruul
respect nature and maintain a close relationship w ithanimals-in the Gruul's case, the monstrous beasts that
stalk the rubble a nd ruins. But the Gr uul would just as
soon smash the sewers, gardens, and laboratories of
those other guilds than cooperate w ith them in an effort
to establish nature as a larger presence within the city.
Because they see all of the remaining guilds as cogs
in the vast machine of civilization, the Gr uul tailor t heir
tactics toward breaking the machine, rather than direct-
ing their attacks at any particular guild. Any guild can
be the target of Gruul aggression, as t he opportunity
arises. The fiercest assaults often come against the
guilds that take it upon themselves to combat the Gruul,
primarily the Boros and Azorius.
In certain circumstances, such as when some night-
marish horror rears its head in the heart of a rubblebelt,
you and your clan could accept the help of members of
another guild in putting an end to the danger. Or, when
the schemes of ot her guilds pit one clan against another,
there might be some benefit to you and your clan in co-
operating with those efforts. But your truest allies are
other members of your clan.
Since every other guild participates to some extent in the
establishment and sustenance of the civilization that the
Gruul despise, the Gruul look down on all other guilds as
soft, corrupt, or downright abhorrent.
Azorius. "Civilization is a disease, and the Azorius are its
plague bearers. Once they are destroyed, Ravnica will
reclaim its primal essence."
Boros. "Puppets who are all too eager to kneel at the feet
of their angel handlers."
Dimir. "Skulkers, whisperers, and back-stabbers! They are
an infestation of roaches. If they remain in the shadows,
they will be crushed beneath the rubble of a city that we
bring down on their heads. If they face us in open battle,
well, then we'll have a good laugh."
Golgari. "Hermits and under-dwellers. They see that civili-
zation must be brought to its knees, but they just want
to replace it with another of their design."
lzzet. "Like us, they respect the powerful. But they seek it
in their gadgets and try to contain it in jars."
Orzhov. "The schemers of the Orzhov are the festering
wound on a limb that must be hacked away. They amass
their power by preying on the weak, so how powerful
can they be?"
Rakdos. "The guild of fools. They waste their potential on
acts of mockery while the real work of razing the city
remains undone."
Selesnya. "The Selesnya would coddle a wolf, teach it to
fetch sticks, and call it a dog. We prefer to starve the
wolf, let it hunt for its food, and make it a stronger wolf."
Simic. "The Simic enjoy twisting nature, but they will not
enjoy it when nature twists back."<II \PIER 2 UUll l>S 01· RA\ ~ICA 61