Gatecrash as Told by Flavor Text

"Roots, ruins, and room to fight. All the comforts of home." —Domri Rade

"Other guilds say the Gruul are savages, no better than the beasts we live with. I say we've found friends who won't stab us in the back." —Domri Rade

Upon finding his warehouse infested, Gaven didn't know whether to get an exterminator or an exorcist.

When the architects of Ravnica claim a structure will stand against a wurm, they never mention for how long.

Cartographers on Ravnica chart not just the horizontal, but also the vertical.

He can calculate interest to six decimal places even in the midst of a deadly duel.

The lawmage's argument was clever and well reasoned, but Blunk's response proved irrefutable.

Even the lost and undead need a protector.

"Should your chosen emissary be able to fluctuate triharmonic pentodes, however unlikely, I shall shunt excess negavolt radicals."

Even the darkest corners of Ravnica still lie in the shadow of the Church.

"Behold nature's answer to the problem of society." —Nikya of the Old Ways

"The fine print of countless contracts has ensured we are never defenseless." —Teysa Karlov, Grand Envoy of Orzhov

"The taming and consecration of these creatures is evidence of our faith." —Resimir, Zarichi Temple priest

Gruul shamans believe all sentient beings have the soul of savagery inside them, an animal form clawing to escape.

"The hard part isn't landing in the saddle. The hard part is leaping before you see it."

Gurley was the first to domesticate one, though his widow didn't take much solace in that accomplishment.

Enter and leave the shackles of society behind.

"The hussars can't catch him, and he evades our traps with ease. I fear he walks unseen even in the halls of New Prahv." —Arrester Lavinia, Tenth Precinct

As the path he sought came into focus, Niv-Mizzet took steps to prevent others from approaching it.

The best way to calm a rampaging ceratok is to wait until it dies of natural causes.

"The skies used to be my refuge, a place of peace away from the chaos below. Now, with every flight, death seems to follow me like a shadow." —Writings of Cica, Skyjek scout

"Everyone in this city is choosing sides. I choose inside."

"My father was Gruul, but I chose the precision of the legion over the fury of the pack."

To understand Ravnica, one must first understand how each guild contributes to its stability.

The Slizt Clan's battle cry is an impressive display of fury, defiance, and spit.

Tired of Boros interference, the Rakdos unleashed hellraiser goblins, hoping their corpses would weigh down the halberds.

"All I require is faith, loyalty, obedience, trust, and complete and utter devotion."

"You may not be able to pay. But you can still kneel." —Milana, Orzhov prelate

While Lazav schemed and Niv-Mizzet researched, Trostani sought the future in the whispers of the past.

A key that slips through every lock.

"Scandal and slander are never welcome news. That's why I'm never the messenger."

Before Aurelia denounced Niv-Mizzet, the two guilds had collaborated on the Warmind Initiative in pursuit of the ultimate soldier.

"You can come back once you've learned some manners—and figured out how to reconstitute your physical forms."

The Simic soon discovered that the sky offered as few constraints on size as the sea.

"We grew up on these streets. We know them better than any Boros grunt from Zelzo."

There are laws against it, but the dead have no one to complain to and the living are too frightened to investigate.

"They think they tamed him, but he will always be a wild titan, a force of nature." —Nedja, Gruul shaman

The Orzhov clergy would never cross its path, but sending thrull couriers to do so is cheap and entertaining.

They can map both the cityscape and the minds of its architects.

Everyone roots for the little guy, but nobody bets on him.

"The Simic come from the cold slow depths. How could they understand the fire in a wild heart?" —Kroshkar, Gruul shaman

"In the name of peace, moderation, and decency—wipe them all out!"

"Eh, needs more toad." —Gulistan, Simic biomancer

Uncharted depths. Unbounded hopes. Unfathomable mysteries.

Cautious not to repeat Vig's mistakes, the Simic fuse life essences using magic alone. Each result is called a krasis.

"Well, if that goblin didn't want his tongue pierced, he shouldn't have stuck it out at me."

"When you put all of yourself into an attack, without fear or hesitation, in that instant you may attain greatness." —Predak, Gateless freemage

"Izzet contraptions pollute our lands. Burn them down, kill the makers, cleanse the earth." —Nedja, Gruul shaman

Until more information could be gleaned about Niv-Mizzet's intentions, Lazav took every opportunity to stall his experiments.

"I see countless worlds. What makes them think I can't find them in just one?" —Ral Zarek

"Understand the Simic? That's about as easy as winning a staring contest with a homunculus." —Dars Gostok, Firefist captain

"It's all right if you change your mind. There's always a chance we can rearrange parts later." —Zija, Simic mutationist

"It's cold in the grave, and the dead crave your warmth. Who are you to deny them?" —Strava, Dimir mage

"Work for the Dimir again? That depends. Tell me more about this maze."

Judgment without hope.

"And if you threaten me again, your shiny steel trousers will be sprouting daggerthorn vines." —Iveta, rooftop runner

"Our fight is not about territory or revenge. It is about freedom, plain and simple." —Ruric Thar, Ghor-Clan chieftain

Each day uncertainty and rumors spread, and each night attendance at the Juri Revue increases.

The only livestock that will survive for long in the Smelting District, ember beasts serve many functions—none of them willingly.

"At least the Gateless rebels have ideals. Rakdos just mocks, defiles, and kills all we hold dear." —Libuse, Boros sergeant

The flaming fist of Boros holds the promise of both protection and destruction in its grasp.

"A regression to ancient forms? A glimpse of future evolutions? Or a fleeting alteration of the present?" —Vorel of the Hull Clade

Enter and become a mastermind of spies, lies, and deception.

"The old gods awoke and sent fingers of fire to see what was left of the old ways under the endless city." —Daiva, Gruul storyteller

There is not a single inch of Ravnica that hasn't been altered at one point or another to fit someone's whims.

"I once saw the Obzedat moved to action. Since that day, I've been thankful that they're mainly lazy, and dead." —Aurelia, to Gideon Jura

"Skyknight gear? Well, I have drake-skin gauntlets, supple and fireproof. Or a ceratok chestplate that'll stop a crossbow bolt."

"Sometimes I stroll along Tin Street and watch citizens busy with their daily lives. It reminds me why I do my job." —Arrester Lavinia, Tenth Precinct

"The Boros lack vision. Give them a convenient scapegoat and they'll be blind to the true threats." —Lazav

A screech in the night is all it takes for Orzhov debtors to clutch at their coin purses.

Both Boros and Azorius scout the games in hopes of recruiting the finest athletes.

Even the bitterest enemies of the Burning-Tree Clan respect the strength of Borborygmos's rule.

"Every death has a web of consequences. Our job is to find the spider."

"Is the maze itself a phantom? Or is one as real as the other? Perhaps I am as mad as the dragon." —Jace Beleren, journal

"One tiny peg pulled from a single wagon wheel, and an entire district grinds to a halt." —Lazav

"Aurelia seems too eager to solve her problems by delivering them to oblivion." —Prime Speaker Zegana

Izzet delved into the depths of Ravnica's past, and Selesnya followed without fear.

A true shortcut isn't a way other people don't know; it's a way other people can't go.

"I fear that as we scurry after phantoms, the Dimir pull nine puppet strings." —Ral Zarek

"We're planting the seeds of change. Sometimes, we plant them in people." —Vorel of the Hull Clade

"The Simic offer a prize to any biomancer who can breed a krasis to match a griffin in the air. It's never been claimed." —Libuse, Boros sergeant

Millennium Platform, once a monument to peace, was quickly seized by the skyknights for its strategic aerial location.

"Remember by whose gift you ascend." —Milana, Orzhov prelate

"We paid the Simic very well for this capability, but we should quickly recoup our expenses in saved wages." —Milana, Orzhov prelate

Firemane Nevena led the victorious assault on the Barbu Rooftop rebels. Now the Gateless have marked her for death.

Don't let him lead the soldiers, but by all means let him lead the way.

"If only our jails were as secure." —Arrester Lavinia, Tenth Precinct

"If bats are the only thing between me and a mountain of Orzhov coins, then I'm about to be a very rich thief."

"None may pass . . . for free."

Any meeting between guilds requires proper equipment.

"Nature is a wonderful engineer but works far too slowly for my tastes."

Amid rumors of war, the third act of *The Absolution of the Guildpact* was quickly rewritten as a tragedy.

"Selesnya denied us tribute. Let's show them the error of their ways." —Milana, Orzhov prelate

"Nothing ruins a party like one of those big killjoys bursting through the door and setting all the guests free." —Ruba, Rakdos cultist

"Yes, Boros tactics are unparalleled. But when your comrades are dying around you, inner strength must carry the day." —Gideon Jura, to Aurelia

"Not Gruul? Then die!" —Borborygmos

"Debt and death sound so similar, and thrulls are so hard of hearing. Mistakes are inevitable." —Milana, Orzhov prelate

As Ravnica's wilds expanded, even advocates for nature had to confront fiercer natural threats.

"Your life serves a higher purpose now: ensuring the continuation of my own."

Gruul clanfolk obey few rules, but all feel bound to answer the call of the horn.

"Merciless to the point of psychosis. Let's give him a job." —Zelinas, Orzhov recruiter

"The guilds promise to provide safety. I prefer to make my own." —Briska, Ninth District freemage

"First, you must fight among the rank and file. It is there I will discern your skills as a leader." —Aurelia, to Gideon Jura

"Subtlety is for lawmages and spies."

"Like water, mana will drain from an inferior vessel." —Jalan Tosk, Simic forcemage

Enter to find wealth, security, and eternal life . . . for just a small price up front.

The Gruul holiday of Rauck-Chauv always ends the same way.

The larger the crowd, the harder it is for them to run away.

Funded by the Azorius to keep current maps of the undercity, the Boros nav squads survey even the most unsavory areas.

His twisted mind concluded that if he was what he ate, and he wanted to stay human, . . .

"This one opens the grate outside Zelzo Base. This one is for Ismeri Library. This one is for an invisible door . . . No, I've said too much."

Archers from the Horizon Military Academy hone their skills by targeting pickpockets blocks away.

"I wish I could rewrite my every deed and kill you with my first breath instead of my last."

Enter and comprehend the perfection of orchestrated life.

"Imagine a thunderstorm that's also a tactical genius. That's him." —Dars Gostok, Firefist captain

"Entrance is free. Donations are required." —Notice outside Vizkopa Bank

"We've merged your life essence with that of several creatures at once. You're welcome." —Speaker Trifon

"The Boros fight for justice. The Azorius fight for law. I hold the line between, and make sure the people are given both."

Enter with merciful hearts. Exit with battle cries.

"The Gateless have risen. The Ten shall fall." —Ninth District graffiti

The Orzhov hear the plans of the other guilds through the guilty thoughts of the disloyal.

"To a creature like that, we must seem like, well, bugs." —Dars Gostok, Firefist captain

"A keen mind wields an army as a deft hand wields a sword."

"Watch people flock to a murder scene. Then tell me we're not all a little sick in the head." —Juri, proprietor of the Juri Revue

"Lesser minds can scarcely imagine such a marriage of necromancy and mind magic." —Strava, Dimir mage

"If the other guilds want a war, they should know we've been ready the whole time." —Ruric Thar, Ghor-Clan chieftain

The Boros built a prison in the sky where Azorius statutes couldn't restrict their sense of justice.

"The Simic can grow anything out of a puddle of sludge. I just hope they never join forces with the Golgari." —Teysa Karlov, Grand Envoy of Orzhov

Alms-coins are only redeemable at Orzhov businesses.

"The drakes are practice. We may one day need to bring down a sky swallower, or maybe even Rakdos himself." —Korun Nar, Rubblebelt hunter

"It no longer surprises me what shows up in our raid of a Rakdos revue." —Janik Bara, Wojek captain

"I offer you wisdom untainted by false loyalty, learning free of any guild's agenda."

"Ask the right questions in the right way and truth is inevitable." —Lazav

"Borborygmos's elemental launched an assault, but the Izzet wards held and experiments continue." —Skyknight report on the Rubblebelt

"The only roads I wish to see are those beaten flat by wild hooves."

"Don't just have an idea—have all of them." —Niv-Mizzet

He tired of his fellow researchers and their useless prattling, so he decided to make a network of scholars with whom he could carry a conversation.

"I hear that Boros is losing its angels to the Gateless Movement. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you." —Teysa, to Lazav

"The Gruul embrace all things poisonous and living in the cracks of society." —Teysa Karlov, Grand Envoy of Orzhov

As the Simic released more of their krasis experiments, they required new habitats, always at the expense of the locals.

"No one cares about pollution until they can see it." —Gurras, Golgari rot farmer

Sapphire drakes can communicate over great distances, their calls resonating in the gems fixed in their skulls.

Izzet-designed conductors atop Sunhome charge empty sets of armor that give form to the fluctuating elementals.

"While the sea may be our home, the sky is our destiny." —Prime Speaker Zegana

In Ravnica, there are maladies far more difficult to treat than death.

It's easy to believe you're a god when you're twice as powerful as everyone else.

"Taking down a dragon is easy. All you need is enough space to get in a good swing." —Narbulg Nine Fingers

Scream: muffled. Pockets: emptied. Neck function: never the same again.

"His tenement is filled with the most vile, disgusting vermin. It's infested with rats, too." —Branko One-Ear

Fblthp had always hated crowds.

"These Gruul skin-runes—discern whether their patterns evoke streets, leylines, or both. You have four days." —Niv-Mizzet, to his assistant

"Practice compassion and mercy. But know when they must end." —Aurelia

The hunger of a vampire and the subtlety of a tax collector.

Tireless and merciless, shades are harnessed as spies by the Dimir.

Burning fervor and fearsome skill create a lethal beauty terrible to behold.

"The Izzet may incite war, but my duty is here. I will not abandon the wild."

When giant sinkholes opened across Ravnica, they revealed buried oceans and the merfolk, once thought to be extinct.

As perilous and unpredictable as the wilds themselves.

"The contract specified an appendage for a missed payment. Read the fine print: the head is an appendage."

If no opponent can be found, ogres of the Bolrac Clan will often pick fights with buildings.

"Selesnya thinks nature is a pretty plaything. True nature would rip their faces off and wear their skins as trophies."

Where Razia was aloof and untouchable, Aurelia is on the frontlines, calling for war.

Dimir's best agents hide from death itself.

"All the coins in Ravnica can't save his soul now." —Narbulg Nine Fingers

"You've got to keep your wits about you on the roofs. Not all stones are compliant handholds." —Iveta, rooftop runner

"Welcome to the Dimir Public Offices. Not responsible for death or loss of property. Basement off-limits." —Sign outside Dinrova Building

"Sure, today of all days, he asked to borrow my boots!" —Darijo, Ivy Street ruffian

"They are useful, but there's little satisfaction in supplication that throws itself under your heel." —Jozica, Orzhov enforcer

"They bind us with their laws. We free ourselves with nature's fist." —Nikya of the Old Ways

"Woodlands and laws. Both grow faster than the Azorius's ability to manage them." —Suniel the Woodwise

The foyer is littered with the coins it demands but can no longer hold.

"This city will perish, and the Gruul will cheer as the boar-god crushes the last bricks into dust." ~ Nikya of the Old Ways

"We measure our progress in heartbeats." —Prime Speaker Zegana

"By the time your knees have worn through your robe, you may have begun to learn your place."

A casual glance into a dark corner may be your last.

Those who regard the Gruul as savage simpletons underestimate the subtle power of their shamans.

After the Foundry Street riot, Arrester Hulbein tried to ban bludgeons. Which, inevitably, resulted in another riot.

"Dangerous to recognize. Deadly not to." —Lazav

"We lost respect after the battle for Barbu Rooftop. Send the troops to mingle respectfully with the citizens." —Commander Yaszen of Boros

You only need to wield it once to appreciate the power of control.