History Characters / MagicTheGathering

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:She sacrifices herself to defeat Gix and save Urza. [[WeCanRebuildHim She is effectively reborn afterwards as Karn.]]]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:She sacrifices herself to defeat Gix and save Urza.]]

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: While the praetors work together to conquest the whole Mirrodin, they clearly despise each other's vision of New Phyrexia. Vorinclex and Jin-Gitaxias stand out the most.

* MeaningfulName: "Elesh" is a Hindu names that means "monarch", and Norns are female characters in Norse mythology who rule the destiny of gods and men. It suits well her HighPriest position.

* RedIsHeroic: Not heroic per se, but he is defenitely the most benevolent of the praetors, and his metal-skin is as red as his alignment.
* TokenGoodTeammate: He and his entire faction are, due to their red mana, not entirely bound to Phyrexian will and are capable of compassion. He's betraying the rest of the Phyrexians (that is, betraying them a different reason than [[TheStarscream wanting the big chair for himself]]) by allowing Mirran refugees to hide within his territory, and banned the other factions from entering.

* BroughtDownToNormal: For a while she was a planeswalker, but she lost her spark after nearly dying in a fight against.

* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn: He bows to Yawgmoth and agrees to fight with Urza to death in order to get Hanna's back.]]

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Turns out it was Yawgmoth's bluff.]]

* TheHeavy: In the Return to Ravnica set much of the new hostilities are kicked off by the Izzet retreating from the public eye after redirecting all their efforts towards the search for... ''Something''. Not even the Dimir seem to know exactly what. This, naturally, makes all of the other guilds nervous.

* NietzscheWannabe

The red-green Gruul Clans are a collection of loosely-organized barbarian tribes who scorn civilization, preferring to live free in what's left of Ravnica's wilderness. They're not much for inaction, which is why their guild mechanic [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Abloodthirst+e%3Aguildpact&v=card&s=cname Bloodthirst]] rewards players who take an active role in the game, actually drawing blood from their opponents instead of sitting around thinking about it.

* AntiHero[=/=]GreyAndGrayMorality: The fact that there are frequent in-group conflicts and that the current leader, Aurelia, is set to become an antagonist, don't help.

* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: Oh yes. The Song of the Conclave was an outright plane-wide brainwashing spell, making the gateless more docile, which led them to lynch the Selesnyans. Their new incarnations presumably still do things of the sort, but they've learned their lesson.

[[http://magiccards.info/chk/en/30.html Takeshi Konda]] is the ruler of a vast empire spanning most of Kamigawa. Seeking immortality, he committed a great crime that triggered the spirit war and eventually drove him to madness.

* DisproportionateRetribution: He levels the entire Minamo academy to the ground because ONE of their students killed his apprentice in self defense.

The Kami of the Cresent Moon, the mysterious, ever-smiling Mochi is the patron of the Soratami.

The chief of Avacyn's church. Killed by Geralf and made a zombie.

* BigBad: Creative introduced him as such in commentaries. So far, he [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything has done very little, if anything, to warrant such a reputation.]]

* StuffBlowingUp: The Izzet care about two things: blowing shit up and [[TheOrderOfTheStick arcane power]].

The five colors have been given their own page. To find it, [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringColors go here]].

Planeswalkers have also been given their own page. To find it, [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringPlaneswalkers go here]].

[[folder:Planeswalkers: Pre-Mending]]

Regardless of whether it happened before or after the mending, the way in which a being becomes a Planeswalker is the same. Whenever a sentient being is born, there is a one in one million chance of it being born with "The Spark"--that is, the Planeswalker spark. And even then, the odds of that being triggering their ascension is also one in a million. The Spark is ignited typically in one of three ways--a near-death experience, situations of immeasurable psychological strain, or extremely deep meditation. These old-style Planeswalkers had powers comparable to most gods; they could travel to other realities with no more than a moment's concentration, they can take on any appearance they desire (though most choose to look the same as they did when they ascended), will not age or die of natural causes, no longer need to eat or sleep, and in a few cases, create their own artificial plane (and live there and practically be worshipped ''as'' gods).

'''Urza'''

One of the oldest and most powerful planeswalkers in the multiverse, the artificer Urza was first seen as a mortal in the ''Antiquities'' expansion, where he fought a bitter war against his fellow artificer and brother, Mishra. The disastrous war eventually led to the destruction of most of the continent, Mishra's death, Urza's ascension (after detonating the Golgothian Sylex, annihilating most of a continent and starting a millennia-long ice age), and the release of the lock that [[SealedEvilInACan was keeping Phyrexia sealed away from Dominaria]].\\
\\
Urza, recognizing the threat of Phyrexia and blaming them for the corruption and death of his brother, began a crusade to purge them from the multiverse. His campaign spanned millennia, eventually culminating in the ''Weatherlight'' saga and the Dominarian Apocalypse.\\
\\
He eventually died, victorious at last, at the end of ''Apocalypse''.

* AntiHero: He causes multiple cataclysmic magical disasters that completely destroy major landmasses, creates a eugenics program to breed super-soldiers, and is an overall ManipulativeBastard who gets regular WhatTheHellHero moments. If Yawgmoth hadn't been set as the villain from the beginning, he could be a VillainProtagonist.
* ArchNemesis: First Mishra, and then Yawgmoth.
* BadassGrandpa
* BigGood: In the sense of leading the good guys, at least. Urza was not a [[{{Jerkass}} nice man]].
* BlindSeer: Used as a disguise.
* ByronicHero
* CainAndAbel: The conflict with his brother Mishra got a little out of control.
* TheChessmaster: Combine this with his GoodIsNotNice traits seen below, most of his gambits are only "good" because they're being used to fight Phyrexia.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:He betrays his fellow planeswalkers and gives in to Yawgmoth once he has reached Phyrexia.]]
* GadgeteerGenius
* GoodIsNotNice: Gets worse as he gets older. It reaches its peak when [[spoiler:he doesn't tell his longtime partner and friend Barrin that his daughter is dying of Phyrexian plague]]. It's after that point, [[spoiler:when Barrin kills himself]], that Urza starts to ''really'' pick up the pace.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters:
** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=15255 "As the invasion drew closer, Urza's means began to resemble Phyrexia's end."]]
** One of the Invasion-cycle novels it's mentioned that over the years of fighting the Phyrexians, Urza came to ''admire'' them.
** Once he has reached Phyrexia, [[spoiler: he finally gives up and bows before Yawgmoth.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Gerrard, the warrior he has bred to fight Yawgmoth, beheads him in the Phyrexian Arena. Somewhat of an aversion, though, because it was Gerrard beheading him that snapped him out of Yawgmoth's influence.]]
* InsufferableGenius
* LosingYourHead: His planeswalker powers mean that he can be beheaded and survive. His disembodied head can later be spotted [[http://magiccards.info/uh/en/131.html relaxing in a hot tub]] in the non-canonical ''Unhinged'' expansion.
* LukeNounverber: He's occasionally referred to as "Urza Planeswalker." This crosses over with SpeciesSurname when you take into consideration that before the Mending, "Planeswalker" was less of a job description and more of an actual race.
* MadScientist
* ManipulativeBastard
* MismatchedEyes: He has a red powerstone for one eye, and a green one for the other.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: A poster boy.
* NotSoDifferent: From Yawgmoth, after all.
* NumerologicalMotif: Major artifacts associated with Urza tend to cost exactly seven mana. He also has a set of lands (Urza's Tower, Power Plant, and Mine) that when together on the battlefield will produce exactly seven mana by tapping the three. This is, of course, not a coincidence.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: [[spoiler:Gerrard uses his severed head as a weapon. He can't regenerate his body because Gerrard used a soul-killing weapon to behead him, but he can still talk and use his rather powerful eye-lasers.]]
* SetBonus: Possibly the first example in a trading card game, the three Urza lands. Separately, they each give one mana. Together, they give seven mana. Add on an Urza's Factory and, for seven mana, you can put tokens into play. Add on his brother's factory and you can make those tokens bigger.
* TheSocialDarwinist
* TheUnfettered
* WeCanRuleTogether: When [[spoiler:Yawgmoth]] asks him what is his greatest desire, Urza answers that [[spoiler:he wants to sit next to him and benefit from his knowledge and power.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He may be a dick to everyone, including his allies, but at least his efforts go towards stopping Yawgmoth. [[spoiler:That is, until he reaches Phyrexia.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Urza gets called out at least OnceAnEpisode.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
* XanatosRoulette

'''Bo Levar'''

* AnachronismStew: Despite hailing from a MedievalEuropeanFantasy world, Bo Levar looks like he's straight out of the British Royal Navy of the 1800s.
* BadassMustache
* TheCaptain
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: He ends his own life to power a shield that blocked Yawgmoth's final form when it tried to kill the merfolk.]]
* MundaneUtility: Some old-style Planeswalkers use their power to become GeniusLoci. Some use it to become as gods. Others use it to accrue unending knowledge. Bo Levar uses it to smuggle cigars from one world to another.

'''Freyalise'''

* TheChick: In a CloserToEarth sort of way.
* EyepatchOfPower: Covering a magical eye.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: The way she "fixes" Dominaria is actually one of the first infinite-mana combos.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]

'''Commodore Guff'''

* AuthorAvatar: Uh...see for yourself. From ''Apocalypse'':
-->Madly, he erased. Madly, yes, for what editor erases so fervently the words an author has written? What editor allows his author to write a hundred thousand words only to erase ten thousand of them? Only an editor desperate to get history right. \\
\\
“Bother.”\\
\\
Commodore Guff crouched upon a gnarl of basalt and feverishly applied the massive eraser to the history of the Dominarian Apocalypse. There went a sentence about the death of Eladamri. Just after, Liin Sivi[sic] no longer died, for all the way through she had been paired to him as though she were his gimp leg. And what about this paragraph where Bo Levar lights a cigar in a swamp and is blown to smithereens? Guff didn’t even erase that bit, but crumpled up the whole page and threw it into the lava that seeped from a nearby crack. What else had to go to make this goddamned trilogy work out? How about the legal material, and the dedication and acknowledgments? After all, who gives a goat’s droppings for the editor of an epic? Commodore Guff hurled those pages aside and saw them catch fire. He threw out the teaser too. It had given away the destruction of Dominaria anyway, something that was completely undecided at this point. \\
\\
Commodore Guff turned his face from the ravaged book in his hand and looked skyward. “This would never have happened when I was in charge of continuity.”
:: Funnily enough, WordOfGod states that J. Robert King (author of Apocalypse) based him on one of Magic's other authors, Scott [=McGough=]. So he's technically an AuthorAvatar, just the wrong author.
* CasualDangerDialogue: He nonchalantly acknowledges the upcoming deaths of all his comrades, and even knows that in the 'original' history, Yawgmoth wins and Dominaria is assimilated into Phyrexia. He only agrees to start erasing things when it's brought to his attention that Yawgmoth's victory [[spoiler:would mean the destruction of his library]].
* MetaGuy
* NoFourthWall: What {{Deadpool}} is to the MarvelUniverse, Guff is to ''Magic''.

'''Nicol Bolas'''

Nicol Bolas is the oldest--and perhaps the most powerful--planeswalker in the multiverse. He first appeared in the ''Legends'' cycle, where he battled Tetsuo Umezawa (a descendent of the ''Kamigawa'' block's protagonist, Toshiro Umezawa) for control of Madara. He reappeared in the ''Time Spiral'' block for a pair of epic planeswalker duels against Teferi and Leshrac, and then again to serve as an antagonist in the ''Shards of Alara'' block. He's been manipulating ''Magic'''s storyline from behind the scenes ever since. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/nicolbolas here]].

* BackFromTheDead: Twice- first resurrecting himself from his death at the hands of Tetsuo Umezawa, then restoring himself to full strength during the Conflux.
* BadassBoast: His entire encounter with Ajani at the end of ''Alara Unbroken'' is basically a long one of these. Trouble is, he really is that good. Best summarized by the quote: "I've survived more apocalypses than you've had ''chest colds.''"
* TheBadGuyWins: The stories of Shards of Alara and Zendikar are both cases of Bolas's plans coming to fruition. He encounters some hiccups along the way, but ultimately achieves his goals.
* BreakoutVillain: At first, Nicol Bolas was just one part of [[http://www.magiccards.info/query?q=t%3A%22Elder+Dragon%22&v=card&s=cname a cycle of Elder Dragons]]. He's the only one who most people pay attention to nowadays.
* BroughtDownToNormal: And he ''hates'' it!
* TheChessmaster
* EvilSorcerer: UpToEleven.
* EvilIsPetty: The first thing Bolas does when becoming freed from the Meditation Realm is hunt down anyone who was descended from the man that put him there. And probably anyone they ever knew or loved for that matter. [[AndYourLittleDogToo And their pets.]]
* JustToyingWithThem: It'd be easier to count the fights Bolas has been in where he ''wasn't'' toying with his opponent.
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen
* ManipulativeBastard
* MindRape: Discard effects are standard for him.
* MultiversalConqueror
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Supposedly he has so many titles he doesn't even care about them anymore, most notably ''The Tyrant of Worlds''
* NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught: A life philosophy of Bolas'.
* NumberOfTheBeast: ''Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'' states that he is 60 feet long, 60 feet wide, and weighs 60 tonnes.
* NumerologicalMotif: His final ability does seven damage to a player, makes that player sacrifice seven permanents and discard seven cards.
* OlympusMons: The original five Elder Dragons are the ancestors of all dragons.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Immortal, supremely powerful, masterfully manipulative wizards bent on total omnipotence.

'''Serra'''

* CrystalDragonJesus
* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: Her Realm
* FloatingContinent: Throughout her realm.
* FluffyCloudHeaven: Her Realm
* HaveYouSeenMyGod: She hasn't been seen since Urza's first visit to her realm. The second time he shows up, Archangel Radiant is running things in her absence. She did it again to her worshippers on Ulgrotha, except this time [[spoiler: she became suicidal and got herself killed.]]
* LightEmUp
-->"Follow the light. In its absence, follow her." (''2012 Core Set'' version of [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=220176 Serra Angel]])
* LightIsGood
* TheMourningAfter: When her husband Feroz died in a freak lab accident, she lost all will to live.

'''Taysir of Rabiah'''

* TheChosenOne: On Rabiah, at least.
* CoolOldGuy
* FusionDance: A Power Booster example. He originally had five alternate universe counterparts, one for each colour of mana, and became a planeswalker when his Black self pulled this off with all the rest.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Attempts this on Urza after Urza betrays the Nine Titans and turns to Yawgmoth. In response, Urza kills Taysir in self-defense.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Back and forth and back and forth... To begin with, his black self was the murderous henchman of an evil wizard. After fusing with the personality and memories of his first alternate-universe-self victim, he had a HeelFaceTurn and fused more peacefully with the others only to save them from said wizard. After centuries as an immortal, he slowly became a total {{Jerkass}} and then a violent villain. After dying and going through Anaba Minotaur purgatory, he came back as a good guy.
* MinorMajorCharacter: Canonically, he was briefly the most powerful Planeswalker in the multiverse until Urza ascended, due to having five sparks instead of one, and even then he was quite powerful. Most of his time in the limelight is in the time before the Weatherlight saga, where Urza doesn't figure into things much at all, and afterwards he barely even gets mentioned. He comes back for the Invasion block, only to get killed.
* PapaWolf: His aforementioned attacking of Urza was also in part caused by the fact that Urza's recruitment of Tevesh Szat led to his daughter being killed.
* TheRedMage: One of the few Planeswalkers to master all five colours, due to the circumstances of his ascension.

'''Tevesh Szat'''

* EvilSorceror
* TokenEvilTeammate: Deconstructed. He ''does'' end up backstabbing his teammates, which is exactly what Urza wanted, because he needs an ally to drain the soul out of and use it as a bomb. (WhatTheHellHero ensues.)
* WasOnceAMan: Before ascending, he was a human named Tev. Afterwards, he looked like a lizard man's torso on an octopus's tentacles.

'''Lord Windgrace'''

* DarkIsNotEvil: Unless you're an artifact.
* GeniusLoci: [[spoiler:implied that his spirit still watches over Urborg]]
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]

* ScienceIsBad: Does not like artifacts.

'''Teferi'''

A blue-aligned planeswalker from Zhalfir specializing in time magic and phasing. The events of ''Time Spiral'' caused him to lose his planeswalker spark, [[DePower making him mortal again]].

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy
* CourtMage: To the court of Zhalfir, specifically.
* {{Delinquents}}: He apparently was one at the Academy, but he's since grown out of it.
* {{Depower}}: He gave up his Planeswalker spark and became a mortal (but still very powerful) wizard in ''Time Spiral'' so that he could close the time rift over Shiv.
* LargeHam: As a planeswalker, his playfulness manifests in making everything he says and does unnecessarily impressive.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
* TimeMaster: And one powerful enough to ''warp two countries into an alternate timeline'', no less.
* TricksterArchetype: Phasing in many ways resembles this.
* TykeBomb: Since he was noticed to have great magical potential as a child, he was trained to fight back against the Phyrexians at Urza's Tolarian Academy.

'''Jeska/Phage'''

[[http://magiccards.info/ju/en/93.html Jeska]] first appeared in the ''Odyssey'' block storyline as [[http://magiccards.info/od/en/198.html Kamahl]]'s sister. After suffering mortal wounds at the hands of her brother's [[ArtifactOfDoom Mirari]]-induced insanity, she was resurrected by the Cabal during the ''Onslaught'' storyline, gaining a new life as the fearsome [[http://magiccards.info/le/en/78.html Phage the Untouchable]]. The events of ''Legions'' caused her to fuse with Akroma to form Karona, the False God. When Karona was defeated, Jeska's spark ignited and she re-emerged as a planeswalker, leaving with Karn to travel the multiverse. She later returned in ''Future Sight'' to help seal the time rifts.

* EnemyToAllLivingThings: As Phage, her touch causes organic matter to rot, to the extent she has to wear silk and to sleep on a bed of stone.
* EnemyWithin: Jeska struggles with her alter-ego Phage, both before and after she becomes a planeswalker.
* FieryRedhead
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:In ''Future Sight'', she gives her life to seal the Otarian time rift.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Phage comes from Ancient Greek ''phageton'', which means ''to consume''. She's also referred to as "the Untouchable".
* NotSoDifferent: From Akroma.
* WalkingWasteland: As Phage.

'''Jaya Ballard'''

''The'' Task Mage. She started her life as a street urchin until she stumbled upon Jodah, who took her under his wing. She didn't stay long, though, and went on to become a task mage (a term for HiredGuns). Her spark ignited after fighting a DemonicPossession by Mairsil The Pretender. She was also a figurehead of a monastery that Chandra, her future {{Expy}}, went to.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Jodah helps her break free of her DemonicPossession by visiting her mind and helping her ignite her spark.
* BlackMagicianGirl
* DeadpanSnarker
* DemonicPossession: By Mairsil the Pretender when she unknowingly takes Lim-Dul's ring which contains the Pretender's Spirit.
* GlassCannon: Her card's last ability will, unless you give her protection from herself, kill her.
* HellbentForLeather
* HotBlooded
* LargeHam: Really, Jaya would be right at home in ''GurrenLagann''.
* PlayingWithFire: And ''how.''
* {{Pyromaniac}}: "Of course you should fight fire with fire. You should fight ''everything'' with fire."
* RoleCalled: If you see her name, there's a good chance that "Task Mage" will follow it.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Well, it isn't a game of Kick-The-Ouphe...

'''Leshrac'''

* TheManBehindTheMan: Behind Tevesh Szat and Lim-Dul during the Ice Age.
* MegaManning: In ''Future Sight'', he steals the black magic abilities from Nicol Bolas and Jeska/Phage.
* SealedEvilInACan: ''Twice''. Once in the Shard of the Twelve Worlds, and once in Phyrexia.

'''Arzakon'''

A planeswalker trying to enter the world of Shandalar for its unique mana, Arzakon uses the five guilds from there, each of a different color of mana, to gain three "mana taps" to summon him. He's the final boss of the 1997 Microprose CardBattleGame.

* AwesomeButImpractical: A five-color deck? Granted, it's stacked with broken cards, but still...
* DealWithTheDevil
* RocksFallEverybodyDies: He'll attack when his five minions are defeated.
* SealedEvilInACan: If you can't defeat him completely, he'll still be locked away. How long he stays sealed depends on how much damage you can deal to him.

[[folder:Planeswalkers: Post-Mending]]

During the events of the "Time Spiral" block, Dominaria was on the verge of reality tearing apart and the plane being unmade (and since Dominaria is the hub of the ''Magic'' universe, all other planes would fall soon after), mostly due to the various apocalypses the plane has been subjected to throughout the eons. The storyline ended with the the rifts healed, but at a price; many of the old-style Planeswalkers gave up their Sparks, or in some cases, their lives, to fix the problem. The nature of the Spark itself had changed as well. The odds of being born with (and igniting) The Spark were about the same, but new-style Planeswalkers aren't nearly as powerful; they're mortal, and can't planeswalk as easily as their predecessors (it usually involves a ritual of some sort). They can't create their own worlds anymore, either. They are, however, "weak" enough to be printed on ''Magic'' cards without destroying game balance, and with the exception of the ''Lorwyn'' block[[note]]which predates the existence of the mythic rarity[[/note]], are exclusively in the Mythic Rare rarity slot.

'''Ajani Goldmane'''

[[http://magiccards.info/m11/en/1.html Ajani Goldmane]] is a white-aligned planeswalker. He first appeared in the storyline as a protagonist in the ''Shards of Alara'' block, where his quest to avenge the murder of his brother led him to discover the nefarious machinations of Nicol Bolas. His specialty is SoulPower: invoking and strengthening the spirits of others. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/ajani here]].

* AnAxeToGrind: Ajani's weapon of choice is his prized double ended axe, which his axe with his brother's axe head grafted on to the other side.
* AntiMagic: The general purpose of Ajani's sundering magic. A more proactive example can be seen on [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=191083 Silence]].
* {{Badass}}}
* BashBrothers: Both accomplished warriors in their own rights, with Ajani's StatusBuff magic, he and his brother were untouchable. BonusPoints for being literal brothers as well.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Ajani undertook many dangerous tasks upon himself to win his pride's respect, such as hunting Naya's behemoths alone. None of them worked.
* TheEmpath
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Good; A simple line over his missing right eye.
* HeroicAlbino: Eventually. Growing up, his tribe (except for his brother) thought he was [[EvilAlbino bad luck]].
* MeaningfulName: His actual surname is Goldmane, it's just a coincidence that he was born platinum blonde.
* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Discussed in the flavor text for [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=208283 Silvercoat Lion]].
* PantheraAwesome
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In his younger years. Later he calmed down.
* SoulPower: The WhiteMagic variant.
* StatusBuff: His specialty. The drawback is that he can't use such Magic on himself.
* TeachHimAnger: His brother's death started the process, and Sarkhan Vol taught him to embrace the anger as strength.
* TheRedMage: Ajani Vengeant is red/white, red taking the role "black magic" does in most video games.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: As Vengeant.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]
* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: [[http://www.wizards.com/mtg/images/daily/sf/sf5_full.jpg No you would not.]]

'''Jace Beleren'''

Jace Beleren is a planeswalker who specializes in mental magic: {{telepathy}}, [[MasterOfIllusion illusion]], that sort of thing. He's a central character in ''Agents of Artifice''. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/jace here]].

* AnimeHair: Seen in Jace's Ingenuity. His M12 card features it directly. Ironically, minimized in the [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=227476 Japanese Duel Decks version]], which has his hood up.
* AntiMagic: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=185820 Yawn]]
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: To Chandra's Red Oni.
* CowardlyLion: A bit, especially when he stands up against Tezzeret because of his repeated abuse and lust for power. This eventually leads Jace to wipe Tezzeret's mind.
* EnemyMine: When he's not fighting Chandra, he's teaming up with her.
* InTheHood: About half of his artwork depicts him this way.
* LevitatingLotusPosition: Easy Pose while being [[http://www.steveargyle.com/?cmd=gallery_ext&art_id=397 ingenious]], as befits the exercise of physic powers.
* MasterOfIllusion
* MindControlEyes: People under his control have glowing blue eyes.
* MindManipulation
* MindRape: All of his cards have had some form of this, but it shines the brightest on [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=195297 Jace, the Mind Sculptor's fourth ability]]. He also subjects Tezzeret to this in ''Agents of Artifice.''
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Many cases of this but his bumbling in Zendikar with Chandra and Sarkhan stand out the most. Of course, for that one, he has no idea [[XanatosRoulette somebody named Bolas has planned that]].
* NoSell: Biggest example is his fight with Chandra.
* PsychicPowers
* SympathyForTheDevil: Towards Baltrice
* {{Telepathy}}
* WouldHitAGirl: In ''The Secretist'', he beats the crap out of a Rakdos bloodwitch in her own bar. To be fair, most bloodwitches are the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil kind of person]] you'd want to seriously injure.

'''Liliana Vess'''

Liliana Vess is a black-aligned planeswalker whose specialty is [[TheNecromancer necromancy]]. She has several long-running debts with demons after a few [[DealWithTheDevil bargains]] she made. Read more about her [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/liliana here]].

* AntiHero
* ArtifactOfDoom: The Chain Veil, which is in Vess's possession.
* BareYourMidriff
* BastardGirlfriend: Liliana makes no attempt to hide her less redeeming qualities. Not many people seem to have a problem with it.
* BlackMagic: She specializes in MindRape, death magic, and necromancy.
* TheBeautifulElite: In every novel she has appeared in, there has been at least one passage describing just how ludicrously attractive she is. Justified, at least, since she did sell her soul for beauty...
* CastingAShadow[=/=]CombatTentacles: Without corpses for her to animate, most of her fights involve using shadowy tentacles.
* DealWithTheDevil: Made a contract with four archdemons in order to gain eternal youth. Being the selfish woman she is, she decides to try [[FaustianRebellion to get out of it by killing them]].
* DistractedByTheSexy: She invokes this against most any male opponent she faces.
* DrunkWithPower: Hardly a virtuous person before hand, the [[ArtifactOfDoom Chain Veil]] seems to turn Liliana's less redeeming qualities UpToEleven.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Her now long-dead brother Josu.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When she rejected the deal Nicol Bolas made with her.
* FallenPrincess: She was a daughter of a nobleman, but was disowned after she [[UnwittingPawn unwittingly]] fed her beloved brother poison she got from a mysterious ''Raven Man'' who claimed it was a cure.
* FantasticRacism
-->''"I come looking for demons and I find a plane full of angels. I hate angels."''
* FaustianRebellion: After obtaining the Chained Veil, she decides to oust the demons she made bargains with. Starting from [[{{Irony}} the one who send her]] to [[FetchQuest fetch]] the Veil.
* HairDecorations: Sort of a FridgeBrilliance when you consider how self-conscious she is about her age.
* HotGypsyWoman[=/=]VaporWear: Her wardrobe.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Makes the other Black planeswalkers look humble in comparation. Except towards her brother, but he's dead now.
* {{Jerkass}}: While developing [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=235597 her second card]], Innistrad lead developer Erik Lauer went to the creative department and asked them to give him an overview of her character, so that he could work on some abilities that would be representative of her personality. Their response?
-->'''She's a bitch.'''
* LuckManipulationMechanic: Her second ability puts any card in your library on top and reshuffles the rest of your library.
* MindRape: One of her abilities.
* {{Necromancer}}
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:Her efforts to free Griselbrand to kill him also frees Avacyn, Innistrad's Guardian Angel. Although Liliana doesn't live in Innistrad, so she doesn't really care.]]
* OperaGloves: In the [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/666 Innistrad promotional art]] and as [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=235597 Liliana of the Veil]].
* PowerTattoo
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Liliana uses her magic to maintain her youthful appearance and extend her lifespan. She's over a hundred years old, but she looks like she's in her twenties.
* SadisticChoice: Liliana of the Veil's ultimate ability, which splits all the opponent's permanents into two piles and forces them to choose which pile lives and which pile dies. [[Spoiler: Used in the climax of Dark Ascension to force Thalia to break open the Helvault, or have all her companions devoured by ghouls in front of her.]]
* SignificantAnagram: "A villainess". WordOfGod swears this was completely accidental.
* SlouchOfVillainy: Her promo art in Innistrad.
* SoulPower: The BlackMagic variant.
* ThighHighBoots: Again, in the [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/666 Innistrad promotional art]] and as [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=235597 Liliana of the Veil]].

'''Chandra Nalaar'''

Chandra Nalaar is a red-aligned [[PlayingWithFire pyromancer]] and the star of ''The Purifying Fire''. She's impulsive, passionate, and has a violent disrespect for authority. Read more about her [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/chandra here]].

* BestServedCold: Speaking strictly figuratively, of course. [[spoiler:Chandra blows up The Order of Heliud's Regatha outpost. The Order was responsible for executing her village for harboring pyromancers.]]
* CoolBigSis: To the children at Keral Keep.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Most of the Post-Mending Walkers get shafted by this, but Chandra gets it the worst. Her eye color, her hair color, how straight her hair is when not on fire, how freckley she is, and just generally how attractive she is tend to vary in virtually every appearance.
* EnemyMine: When she's not fighting Jace, she's teaming up with him.
* {{Expy}}: Of Jaya Ballard. Interestingly enough, the pyromancers of Keral Keep who took her in sprung up around Jaya's teachings. Jaya is, after all, known to rub off on people who hang around her too long - including Archmage Jodah, who lamented that her influence was making him as reckless as she was.
* FieryRedhead: Literally, as in, often depicted with flames.
* FlamingHair
* HotBlooded
* OnlyThePureOfHeart: The Purifying Fire. [[spoiler:The Order of Heliud favored executing their more notable prisoners and dissidents in the Purifying Fire, a massive wellspring of white mana on the plane of Regatha, that immolates all the guilty criminals that are thrown into it, as a way of proving their just cause. Chandra survived the experience after confessing her guilty feelings of her village's death to Gideon. [[ExactWords It immolates the ''guilty''.]]]]
* PlayingWithFire
* PyroManiac
* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]: To Jace's Blue Oni.
* RoseHairedGirl: Her Japanese [[http://magiccards.info/jvc/jp/34.html version]]
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Gideon. She likes him, but abhors his worldview of the greater good being more important than personal freedom.
* UnskilledButStrong: After one of her temper tantrums, the Order of Heliud came down hard on her village, because they believed they were harboring a large number of pyromancers. They didn't believe the amount of damage done was possible from a single person.
* YouthfulFreckles

'''Garruk Wildspeaker'''

Garruk Wildspeaker is a [[TheBeastMaster Beast Master]] planeswalker who wields green magic. He's a powerful hunter who lives in harmony with nature and aspires to be a true predator. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/garruk here]].

* AnAxeToGrind
* TheBeastMaster
* ChildSoldiers: {{Defied}}. His father sent him into the wilderness so that he wouldn't be one...
* CoolHelmet: A trophy of the feudal lord that drove him from his father [[spoiler:and later killed him.]]
* TheCorruption: Suffers from one after being defeated by Veil-enhanced Liliana.
* GenocideBackfire: In Garruk's backstory, the feudal lord who ruled his town tried to recruit ChildSoldiers to fight his war. The young Garruk escaped into the forest, where he trained himself as a [[TheBeastMaster Beast Master]]. [[BestServedCold Years later]], when he grew strong enough, he returned and killed the tyrant from his childhood.
* HellBentForLeather: As Garruk Relentless.
* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: In the original blurbs that were released when the original post-mending walkers were being spoiled, Garruk was said to enjoy the thrill of hunting fellow Planeswalkers. He is now putting this to practice with Liliana.
* {{Hypocrite}}: One of Garruk's chief problems with civilized society, is how much they lie to one another and how little consequence there is to it. He is not above lying himself in anyway, though considering he's NotGoodWithPeople, he probably considers it justified.
* MakeMyMonsterGrow: He does this to his summons when they're not dangerous enough.
* MightMakesRight
* MookMaker: All three of his printed cards make tokens in varying levels of effectiveness.
* NatureHero: ...In the first portrayals. In Magic 2013, he is portrayed as a borderline psychopath.
* NobleSavage: One of his core beliefs.
* NotGoodWithPeople
* PapaWolf: His father is implied to be this. Garruk himself also counts as he doesn't take too kindly to people harming his animal buddies.
* RaisedByWolves: Semi. As a child, he was drafted into the military, so his father hid him in the woods. Using his [[TheBeastMaster Beast Master]] powers, he was then adopted into a family of Baloths, which are giant green horned monsters the size of monster trucks.
* RestrainingBolt: As a result of the Veil's curse.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Garruk is coming for Liliana.
* SummonMagic: He specializing in going to dangerous locales, finding the biggest meanest animals he can, beating the crap out of them, then bonding with them, allowing him to summon them at will.
* TaintedVeins: As "Garruk, the Veil-Cursed".
* TheBigGuy: He's at least a full head taller than the other human Planeswalkers. ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'' puts his height at 8 feet.
* TheSocialDarwinist: His Magic 2013 portrayal.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He started out as NotGoodWithPeople, but during ''Magic 2013'', he became a SocialDarwinist.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Most of the time.
* WolverineClaws
* YouKilledMyFather: His father was arrested and executed for defying the local feudal lord, whom Garruk confronted for revenge later in life.

'''Elspeth Tirel'''

Elspeth Tirel is a planeswalker who wields WhiteMagic. Born on a plane dominated by Phyrexia, she escaped after her spark ignited and roamed the worlds looking for a home. When she found Bant, she believed she'd found her true home; after Alara's Conflux, however, she felt that she no longer belonged, and left to roam the multiverse once more. Read more about her [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/elspeth here]].

* BlindedByTheLight: As seen on [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=212705 Soul Parry]], where Elspeth turns aside the attacks of two Nim zombies with a flash of bright white light.
* ChangedMyMindKid: In the "MagicTheGathering/{{Scarred}}" comic. She has a HeroicBSOD after a particularly horrifying encounter with some Phyrexians; after a pep talk with a Vulshok shaman who admonishes her for her cowardice, she returns to rescue Venser and Koth from [[StrappedToAnOperatingTable one of Jin-Gitaxias's experiments]].
* CowardlyLion: She is a very strong planeswalker and really wants to help, but she finds herself more often running away than actually helping in any way.
* DespairEventHorizon: Elspeth falls dangerously close to it in [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/multiverse/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature2/125a Part II]] of "MagicTheGathering/{{Scarred}}".
* TheFatalist: She thinks her version of paradise, Bant, will fall to the undead of Grixis, even as the fight isn't yet lost and Ajani tries to convince her to help him.
* [[AFatherToHisMen A Father to Her Men]]: She is very dedicated to soldiers under her command and takes their well-being very seriously.
%%Don't change this to say "A Mother to Her Men". That is NOT the same as the female version of AFatherToHisMen. Father and Mother have very different connotations and it would be a very different trope.%%
* HonorBeforeReason: At first, she refuses to use her magic to defend Bant from the zombie invaders of Grixis, fighting hand-to-hand instead.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: On Bant, Elspeth decides to abandon her planeswalking and become an ordinary knight. She refuses to reveal her powerful magical abilities for fear that it would set her apart from the others.
* KnightErrant: Unlike other {{Knight Errant}}s, she wants to find a home and settle there. Too bad said home doesn't last forever...
* LadyOfWar
* LightEmUp
* MagicKnight
* MookMaker: Both of her planeswalker cards can summon armies of 1/1 soldier tokens.
* NighInvulnerability: One of her ultimate spells shields her allies from any form of conventional damage.
* StrawNihilist: While she is well meaning, her traumas have left her so utterly cynical and pessimistic that she can't bring herself to save Bant, her ''adopted home''. She gets better when fighting against the Phyrexians.
* ThePaladin

'''Sarkhan Vol'''

The dragon shaman planeswalker Sarkhan Vol was first introduced in ''Shards of Alara''. At first, he wielded red and green magic, but under Nicol Bolas's tutelage (as well as SanitySlippage), he's moved away from green in favor of black. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/sarkhan here]].

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Sarkhan has a Slavic name, but is distinctly Asian looking.
* BreathWeapon: He can do it out of his ''hands'' no less: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=186613]]
* TheDragon: To Bolas. Pun not intended.
* DragonRider
* HellBentForLeather: [[http://www.wizards.com/mtg/images/daily/wallpapers/WP_SarkhantheMad_1280x960.jpg As Sarkhan the Mad]]
* MeaningfulName: Sarkhan comes from the word "šarkan" which means dragon in the Slovak language. As a bonus, it is a popular name for guard dogs in Slavic countries, which is more or less how Bolas treats Sarkhan.
* MightMakesRight: The reason for his tribe's dragon worship.
* SanitySlippage: After spending a long time isolated in the Eye of Ugin, he reappeared in ''Rise of the Eldrazi'' as [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/214.html Sarkhan the Mad]].
* ScaledUp: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=178016 Form of the Dragon Card]], and he does this to others on Sarkhan the Mad.
* {{Ubermensch}}: Sarkhan strives to live his life unbound by the chains of civilization, believing that listening to your heart and instincts is better than the 'arbitrary' rules of society. Unfortunately this makes him quite morally dubious at times. And then he caves and becomes more of a Last Man as he submits to Nicol Bolas's will.

'''Tezzeret'''

Originally from the Alaran shard of Esper, Tezzeret is a blue-aligned planeswalker (and an agent of Nicol Bolas) who specializes in artifice. Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/tezzeret here]].

* AppropriatedAppellation: His parents never gave him a name, so he used a nickname given to him by his peers instead.
* ArtificialLimbs: Like all inhabitants of Esper, parts of his body--in this case, his right arm, and later, his torso--have been replaced with etherium metal.
* CreativeSterility: Prefers to improve on other people's ideas and plans than make his own.
* [[spoiler:DespairEventHorizon: When he discovers the true nature of Etherium in ''MagicTheGathering/TestOfMetal''.]]
* TheDragon: To Bolas, funnily enough.
* FreakOut:
-->'''Guard:''' If you'd kept your mouth shut, and your eyes down, you could have lived out your ''pathetic'', unremarkable ''life''. ''No one'' will care that you're gone. No one will even ''[[{{Unperson}} remember you existed]].''\\
'''Tezzeret:''' No! NO! ''[[BigNo NOOOOOO!]]''
* FreudianExcuse: Most of the dark parts of his personality are borrowed from other people.
* GadgeteerGenius
* HollywoodCyborg
* MightMakesRight: His father taught him this is how the world works, and it shaped his whole life. Growing up, he desired to become strong enough to never be on the 'wrong' end of this philosophy ever again.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Tezzeret was never named by his parents, so he adopted a nickname he received from his gutter rat friends. He's named after an Esper colloquialism for a shank.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: See above.
* RobotMaster
* SelfMadeMan: Born into a poverty beyond simply having nothing to his name ([[TheNameless because he didn't even have a name]]), Tezzeret scrapped, saved, and murdered his way up in the world until finally he had enough of the local {{Phlebotinum}} and the know-how to make an arm out of the stuff, and then he played this trope a bit more literally.
* ShootTheMessenger: By sending his {{mooks}} to bark orders at Tezzeret to go to Mirrodin while the latter is busy, Bolas basically sends those mooks to their dooms.
-->'''Tezzeret:''' ''(after Bolas appears in person)'' What's the matter, run out of imps?
* SmartPeopleBuildRobots: His card effects lets him turn your artifacts into 5/5 artifact creatures.
* SonOfAWhore: His mother was a prostitute.
* {{Technopath}}
* VillainProtagonist: How he was portrayed in ''MagicTheGathering/TestOfMetal''.
* WeCanRebuildHim: What Bolas did to him after his fight with Jace.
* WeakButSkilled: By his own admission, he is not a particularly powerful mage. But he's damned clever.

'''Sorin Markov'''

Sorin Markov is a black-aligned vampire planeswalker who specializes in BloodMagic. He was one of the three planeswalkers who created the [[SealedEvilInACan seal to trap the Eldrazi in Zendikar]]. He first appeared in the ''Zendikar'' block as a protagonist, working (grudgingly) with Nissa Revane to try and re-seal the Eldrazi in the Eye of Ugin. He hails from Innistrad, and is a member of the Markov vampire family, although estranged. In the ''Innistrad'' block story, he returns to his home-plane to find it ravaged due to the absence of Avacyn, Innistrad's guardian angel ([[spoiler: whom he created]]). Read more about him [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Multiverse/planeswalkers.aspx?x=mtg/multiverse/planeswalkers/sorin here]].

* TheAgeless: Innistradi vampires are not undead, merely ageless. This was initiated by Sorin's grandfather, Edgar, [[SoYouWantToLiveForever who wanted to live forever]], and thus [[DealWithTheDevil made a pact with the demon Shilgengar]] and created Innistrad's vampires.
* AntiHero
* BigGood: His schemes and powerful magics have been instrumental in maintaining the (relative) peace and harmony on two planes we've seen so far:
** He worked together with two other planeswalkers to trap the [[EldritchAbomination Eldrazi]] in Zendikar, and even returned there to reinforce the seal when he found out that it had weakened.
** He set up a BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil in Innistrad at the cost of being forever hated by his vampire kin, including his own grandfather.
* BloodMagic
* DarkIsNotEvil: He is scheming, paranoid, and eats people to survive, but he's essentially a BigGood. This is summed up in a quote of his from Day of Judgment:
-->"I have seen planes leveled and all life rendered to dust. [[EvenEvilHasStandards It brought no pleasure, even to a heart dark as mine]]."
* DeadpanSnarker: Being functionally immortal will do that to you.
* TheHedonist: When he doesn't have any important matters to deal with, he usually just seeks pleasure and excitement. This is apparently a trait of Innistrad vampires.
* HellBentForLeather
* [[IHateYouVampireDad I Hate You Vampire Granddad]]: Possibly, as he was traumatized by being turned into a vampire by his granddad, not to mention that he has yet to be permitted to return to the Markov Manor.
* MagicKnight: That sword he has isn't just for show.
* MindControl: Sorin's ultimate ability, with or without {{necromancy}}.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Sorin is the one of the oldest Planeswalkers in existence, second only to Nicol Bolas.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:After Nissa screws up his plan to reseal the Eldrazi in Zendikar, he breaks his alliance with her and the Elves, and leaves the realm to its doom.]]
* SuperStrength: Innistrad vampires have physical strength roughly double that of an equivalent human.
* TransformationTrauma: His planeswalker spark ignited when his grandfather transformed him into one of Innistrad's first vampires.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WhiteSheep: He hates his kin for being murderous, over-indulgent vampires, while they in turn hate him for [[spoiler: creating Avacyn]].
* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Heights?]]

'''Nissa Revane'''

Nissa Revane wields green magic to muster her people and amplify their might. Later, she began using black mana covertly, believing it a necessary means to move the elves toward their rightful place.

* AbsoluteCleavage
* TheBeautifulElite
* BlackMagic[=/=]GreenThumb: [[YinYangBomb Combines both to great effect]].
* HolierThanThou
* MightMakesRight
* NatureHero
* [[spoiler:NiceJobBreakingItHero: Due to her distrust of vampires, she sabotages Sorin's attempt to activate a device which turns out to be the final lock to the [[EldritchAbomination Eldrazi]]'s prison.]]
* NobleBigot: Like all elves of the Joraga tribe, she considers the elves to be the rightful heirs of nature and believes they have the right to tell other races how to live. Unlike her compatriots, she's not above working with the mud races for the greater good, such as preventing the EldritchAbomination apocalypse. She is also willing to learn from their respective talents and worldviews.
* OurElvesAreBetter
* SummonMagic: She has her own personal guards for this.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Actual snakes. Which is quite humorous given that snakes are among the ''least'' harmful things on her [[DeathWorld home plane.]]
* YinYangBomb

'''Gideon Jura'''

Gideon Jura is a planeswalker who wields WhiteMagic. Unlike most planeswalkers, Gideon doesn’t hesitate to enter combat. He also practices hieromancy, the magic of holy justice. Currently resides on Ravnica and is allied with the Boros Legion.

* CanonImmigrant: Gideon [[http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75842/18888530/Purifying_Fire_author_Q38;A&post_num=6#322058014 was originally created by author Laura Resnick as an original character]] for ''MagicTheGathering/ThePurifyingFire''. The creative team liked him enough to give him his own card.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome
* DefeatMeansFriendship: If the intro to ''DuelsOfThePlaneswalkers 2012'' is any indication, he's rather good at this. On either end.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: The intro to ''DuelsOfThePlaneswalkers 2012'' has him ruminating that he became a massive asshole, "blinded by my own self-righteousness," to the point where ''he'' is labeled a tyrant.
* HeelFaceTurn: He quits The Order after learning that they [[spoiler:murdered Chandra's village for hiding her identity as a pyromancer.]]
* TheHero: For Magic Core Set 2012.
* KnightTemplar: Until he learned the [[LightIsNotGood evil]] of his ways and [[LightIsGood was redeemed]].
* MeatShield: A specialty magic of his is a form of mind magic that makes his enemies unable to perceive any threat but Gideon.
* NighInvulnerability: Can grant himself this via magic for a limited amount of time.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: His adventures with the free-spirited Chandra Nalaar cause him to question the righteousness of the organization he's been working for.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: With Chandra. He likes her, but doesn't like her chaotic, self-serving nature.
* WellIntentionedExtremist
* WhipItGood: More specifically, his WeaponOfChoice is a whiplike [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumi Urumi]]. (Gideon's weapon is also sometimes called a sural.)

'''Koth of the Hammer'''

[[http://magiccards.info/som/en/94.html Koth]] is a Vulshok planeswalker who wields red magic. His specialty is [[DishingOutDirt geomancy, spells that move mountains, shatter stone and melt iron.]] His earth magic has a special strength in it that allows him to purify metal, which reflects Koth’s own inner desire to bring peace and harmony to his people.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: For all intents and purposes "Of the Hammer" is actually Koth's surname. Vulshok take their monikers from their respective tribes.
* DishingOutDirt
* GoodIsNotNice
* HotBlooded

* RecursiveAcronym
* RedOniBlueOni: Koth is the Red Oni to Venser's Blue Oni in the ''Scars of Mirrodin'' novel.
* TheMagnificent: The Hammer in his name refers to his tribe.
* ThePenance: Koth has carved the Phyrexian emblem into his right wrist so that he will never forget what they've done to his home world.
* ThatsNoMoon: His first and last abilities.
* VolcanicVeins
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Like all Vulshok men, he generally prefers to wear a loincloth.

'''Venser, the Sojourner'''

Venser is a planeswalker originally from Urborg who wields Blue and WhiteMagic. His specialty is [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation magic]] and building his own unique and powerful artifacts. Venser is brilliant and able to think fast on his feet to find a way out of any sticky situation he encounters. He relies on his knowledge of artifice and teleportation to pave his way through the Multiverse, where he satisfies his boundless curiosity of all things mechanical.

* CoolHelmet
* GadgeteerGenius
* {{Foil}}: To Tezzeret. Where Tezzeret has CreativeSterility, Venser can't stop building things. Where Tezzeret turned to black mana, Venser turned to white. Tezzeret sided with Phyrexians, Venser aided the Mirrans. [[spoiler: Tezzeret lived. Venser died.]]
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: Sacrifices himself to save Karn at the end of the ''Scars of Mirrodin'' block novel.]]
* HeroicWillpower: Ignited his Planeswalker spark by working tirelessly to stop temporal distortions around Dominaria and by building new inventions.
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue Oni to Koth's Red Oni.
* TheSmartGuy: In the ''Scars of Mirrodin'' storyline, Venser is the logical, sciencey member of the lead trio. A telling moment is how in an early encounter with Phyrexian horrors, his instinct is to take samples and study them.
* [[SpaceMaster Space]] and TimeMaster: Following in Teferi's footsteps, he can send things into the future (that is, to the end of your turn), send creatures directly to the enemy (make them unblockable), and [[RetGone erase things from existence]] (his emblem).
* StockSoundEffects: The sound he makes when he teleports is "Tpff!"
* TeleportersAndTransporters
* UrExample: The first of the new breed of planeswalkers.

'''Karn'''

A sentient silver golem created by Urza to help with time travel experiments, Karn eventually joined the crew of the ''Weatherlight''. Upon Urza's death, Karn inherited the Mightstone and Weakstone, and integrating them into his body caused him to ascend as the first known artifact planeswalker.

* ActualPacifist: He's depicted in the art of the ''Tempest'' edition of [[http://magiccards.info/tp/en/246.html Pacifism]]. And if he participates in combat, he gets -4/+4, making him a 0/8 unless you've modified him in some way. Until the 'Invasion' cycle, he was such a staunch pacifist that Volrath tortured him by locking him in a flowstone room filled with goblins and then shifting the flowstone to make him crush them with his own weight. But during 'Invasion,' he realizes that remaining pacifist will indirectly harm to those he wishes to protect.
-->'''Karn:''' Enough! If I must kill the guilty to save the innocent, then ''I will kill!''
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: The Phyrexians ''attempt'' to do this to him. And everything else. But since he was created to destroy Phyrexia, it's especially symbolic that they tried to do it to him.
* ArtificialIntelligence
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Karn generally has a very mellow demeanor, but if given the reason he can be incredibly strong. Case in point, his creature form couldn't deal much damage but could block, while the basic ability of his Planeswalker form (after he had picked up the resolve to save his plane) is to ''negate something's existence''. This is one gentle giant you don't wanna mess with.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Before he got his name, the young and mischievous Teferi nicknamed him Arty Shovelhead.
* FallenHero: With the Phyrexian invasion of Mirrodin, the Phyrexians adopted him as their new Father of Machines. Eventually, he managed to escape their clutches, but not before the plane was lost.
* GenocideDilemma: He was created to destroy the Phyrexians, who (if you've followed this far) aren't very nice. He's also a pacifist.
* GentleGiant
* {{Golem}}
* HeartDrive: His Heartstone, which originally belonged to Xantcha.
* [[spoiler:LiteralChangeOfHeart]]: In ''[[MagicTheGathering/ScarsOfMirrodinTheQuestForKarn Scars of Mirrodin: The Quest for Karn]]'', [[spoiler:Venser saves Karn from the Phyrexians by [[HeroicSacrifice giving Karn his heart]], and with it, his planeswalker spark.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Karn's own heartstone drips with the Phyrexian Oil, which can infect entire planes if left unchecked. It happened with Karn's own plane of Argentum, turning it into Mirrodin and giving way for the rebirth of Phyrexia. It's implied he left this oil on every plane he traveled to, which is many.
* TheMessiah: He's played this role to both the good guys ''and'' [[DarkMessiah the Phyrexians.]]
* NiceGuy
* NonElemental: As a creature of artifice (golem), he's by nature outside the traditional color alignment.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: When he became the Legacy Weapon.
* TimeMaster[=/=]ResetButton: His last ability is to restart the game, with everything he's exiled with his other abilities sent "back" to the beginning, on your side.

'''Kiora Atua'''

Introduced in ''Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'', Kiora Atua is a merfolk planeswalker who commands the powers of the depths. Kiora venerates the huge creatures of the sea—krakens, leviathans, and other denizens of the inky depths—because for her they are evidence that even the most persistent forces can be endured: time, water, predation, and darkness. Kiora is a blue- and green-aligned Planeswalker. She seems calm and wise, but her dreams are bizarre beyond imagining.

* TheBeastMaster
* CloudCuckooLander: Her dreams are said to be very weird.
* {{Jerkass}}: On the official Magic the Gathering Facebook page, Wizards mentioned that Kiora is "VERY mean".
* OurMermaidsAreDifferent
* SeaMonster: Summoning these seems to be her specialty.

'''Dack Fayden'''

The greatest thief in all the multiverse. Being sure never to stay in a place until he wears out his welcome, Dack Fayden uses his specialty, psychometry, to pry into any artifact he comes across, and learn everything about it. This also gives him some amount of prophetic visions. Using these talents, Dack travels from plane to plane, swiping whatever he sets his eyes on, not for wealth or for the thrill, but for knowledge. He is on the prowl for Sifa Grent, a planeswalker responsible for [[DoomedHometown the annihilation of his hometown.]]

* DoomedHometown
* GentlemanThief
* StealthPun: His right arm is a bright red color up to his elbow. At some point, he must have been caught [[IncrediblyLamePun red handed]].
* {{Technopath}}: Of a sort. He can "see" into the spells the make up any artifact he touches, allowing him to gain and understand the knowledge of how it was made, and what it can be used for.

'''Ral Zarek'''

Hailing from the city-plane of Ravnica and a member of the Izzet League, Ral Zarek is a Blue and Red aligned planeswalker who debuted in the ''Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'' expansion. He is trying to stay off the radar as much as possible, and not even Niv-Mizzet himself knows of his ability to planeswalk.

* BadBoss: Comes off as rather arrogant and somewhat abusive to his followers in the ''Return to Ravnica'' novels
* BeneathTheMask: Tries to keep his ability to planeswalk hidden even from his own guild, and has so far been very successful.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Ral Zarek first appeared in ''Duels of the Planeswalkers'' two years before he made his entrance into the game proper as a major player in the ''Return to Ravnica'' storyline.
* EinsteinHair
* GadgeteerGenius
* ShockAndAwe

'''Tamiyo, the Moon Sage'''

A moonfolk planeswalker hailing from Kamigawa, Tamiyo is a blue-aligned planeswalker who believes that all planes hold a mystery that sets it apart from each other. She came to Innistrad to research the interesting magical properties of its silver moon.

* {{Lunacy}}: Her academic obsession in Innistrad.

'''Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded'''

Hailing from Innistrad, Tibalt began his career as a skaberen - a Blue aligned MadScientist necromancer - but he lacked the talent for corpse reanimation. This incited feelings of rage, and thus he turned to experiments on living beings. Feeling empowered, he became a sadist, and the cruelty of his experiments attracted [[OurDemonsAreDifferent devils]]. Eventually, the cathars discovered his evil and tried to arrest him. In rage, he casted a spell that fused him with the devils, igniting his spark in the process as he felt the pain of every one that he experimented on. Now half-human half-devil, he is free to do as he pleases in the multiverse. Unknown if he will be villain or hero at this point.

* FromNobodyToNightmare
* HalfHumanHybrid
* MadScientist: An unusual example, since he is Red rather than Blue. Then again, he is only in it ForTheEvulz.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Innistrad devils are Red aligned, wingless, and are basically internet trolls UpToEleven. Tibalt is all of those, though he is presumably more intelligent than a regular devil.
* PlayingWithFire: Being Red aligned, it's a given.

'''Vraska the Unseen'''

A planeswalker introduced in ''Return to Ravnica'', she is a gorgon from the Golgari guild who was murdered by the Boros under the dictate of the Azorius. Her spark ignited, and she now seeks to impose karmic deaths on those she sees as the criminals of Ravnica, mostly corrupt law officers.

* KarmicDeath: Her specialty.
* KnightTemplar
* {{Medusa}}: She is a gorgon. Apparently, her non-planeswalker self was vulnerable to sunlight, and she can obviously petrify people.
* TakenForGranite

'''Domri Rade'''

Introduced in ''Gatecrash'', Domri Rade is a planeswalker aligned with the Gruul clans, specializing in summoning creatures and unleashing them unto his foes.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Averted, despite his Gruul allegiance, Domri is physically weak and not good in a fight. Despite this, he holds a high position within the clans.
* TheBeastmaster
* LetsYouAndHimFight: Can sic creatures on eachother as one of his abilities.
* RebelliousSpirit
* StreetUrchin: His background before joining the Gruul.

[[folder:Phyrexia and Mirrodin]]

->[[BadassBoast Life is ephemeral. Phyrexia is eternal.]]\\
--'''[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=221557 Spread the Sickness]]'''

Perhaps the most iconic, notorious, beloved, and horrifying bad guys of the whole franchise, Phyrexia began in Magic's early days as a flesh hating cult, and since then has been [[IncrediblyLamePun fleshed out]] as one of the most disturbing and complex factions of the Multiverse.

Phyrexia was originally a dying, swampy plane designed by a dragon planeswalker. Later came [[BigBad Yawgmoth]], which alongside the members of his civilization that were banished alongside him after a series of events in his homeworld, turned the plane into a world of nine layers that can best be described as {{Hell}}. The Phyrexian civilization was a well-structured, organised dictatorship that had a vicious, semi-religious philosophy that declared that flesh was imperfect and should be replaced by metal in various manners of BodyHorror, turning the altered creatures into unrecognisable monstrosities. [[MachineWorship Worshipping machines]] (but only those made by Yawgmoth; the rest are heretical mockeries), the Phyrexians tried to take over Dominaria, but were ultimately defeated and their plane destroyed.

However, the process of phyresis required an oil created by Yawgmoth himself, an oil that infects creatures and changes their minds, making them want to become Phyrexians. Karn's "heart" had a bit of this oil in it, and it infected his created plane Mirrodin. It infected the guardian of the plane, [[MadScientist Memnarch]], leading him to become insane, and once he died the organisms of the plane became vulnerable to the oil's influence, resulting in the rebirth of Phyrexia.

And even if New Phyrexia dies, [[ParanoiaFuel all that is needed to create a new one]] [[FromASingleCell is a single drop of the oil]]...

!!Old Phyrexia

The Ineffable, a.k.a. '''Yawgmoth'''

* AffablyEvil: As a human, he's a learned, charming man with a penchant for hygiene who [[BreadEggsMilkSquick becomes a nearly invincible creature and plans to create a brand new order]]. As an EldritchAbomination, he rewards his most faithful underlings with [[BodyHorror various augmentations]] that are considered the biggest honor in Phyrexia. He's basically Dominaria's [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Mayor Wilkins]], only without the MoralityPet.
* AgentScully: He provides the snarking quote for BlackBox.
* AGodAmI: In fact, he ''actually'' becomes the god of Phyrexia, so he's way less delusional than most of the examples of this trope.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBoast: An entire chapter of ''Apocalypse'' novel is dedicated to this.
** BadassBookworm
** BadassNormal: When he was a human, before becoming a BadassAbnormal.
* BigBad
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: His cold, scientific philosophy clashes with the romantic conception of "magic" in Dominaria.
* BreakoutVillain: When he and the other Phyrexians first appeared, they were barely a footnote in the flavor of the Antiquities expansion; eventually, they morphed into the main villain in ''Magic's'' Rogues Gallery.
* CCGImportanceDissonance: Despite being one of the most powerful beings--perhaps ''the most'' powerful--in the whole Multiverse, Yawgmoth never obtained his own card (although, that'd be like printing a card of {{God}} in, say, Top Trumps). He is, however, related to the (in)famous pair of [[GameBreaker powerful banned/restricted cards]], [[http://magiccards.info/us/en/171.html Yawgmoth's Will]] and [[http://magiccards.info/ud/en/75.html Yawgmoth's Bargain]].
* [[CelibateHero Celibate]] [[{{Asexual}} Villain]]: Maybe it didn't help that the woman he loved [[SealedEvilInACan sealed him in another dimension for 9,000 years]].
* TheChessMaster
* DarkIsEvil
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** ''The Thran'' is dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich, who, the author states, "''survived a [[JosefStalin real-life Yawgmoth]]''".
** The structure of Phyrexia is composed of nine progressively smaller hollow planets resting inside one another, with each sphere having a specific function and Yawgmoth residing in the ninth innermost sphere. Replace Phyrexia with {{Hell}} and Yawgmoth with {{Satan}}, and you have ''[[TheDivineComedy Inferno]]''.
* EldritchAbomination
* EmperorScientist
* EvilGenius[=/=]MadScientist[=/=]WickedCultured
* EvilutionaryBiologist
* ExactWords: During ''The Thran'', he vows to cure one of the infected rioters of his disease. He does so, and the cure works... but Yawgmoth then injects him with poison as punishment for his crimes.
* FogOfDoom: His appearance on Dominaria.
* GreenEyedMonster: Despite becoming the most powerful being in the Multiverse, he resents planeswalker since he doesn't have the ''spark''. Thinking such powers are generated by a gland, he dissects a planeswalker in order to find it.
* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: See CCGImportanceDissonance. Not only does he not have his own card, [[NothingIsScarier he's never depicted in ''any art'' in his true form]], with the sole picture of him being when he was a human. The closest we have is [[http://magiccards.info/ud/en/75.html Yawgmoth's Bargain]].
* IHaveManyNames: The Ineffable, The Father of the Machines, The Lord of Wastes...
** TheScottishTrope: ... but it's generally considered bad luck to speak his true name, hence the various euphemisms. Some fans, particularly [[RootingForTheEmpire Phyrexian sympathizers]], have taken up this custom. It doesn't seem to have any supernatural repercussions, though.
* JustThinkOfThePotential: When he found out a cure for phthisis.
* KilledOffForReal: The current story team seems ''very'' intent on making sure he never makes a comeback. While ''Scourge'' features a scene showing him wounded, but alive, that's since been [[RetCon retconned]] with at least two {{Take That}}s in the ''Time Spiral'' block (Windgrace states that he has confirmed Yawgmoth as dead, and Urborg is known as the Tomb of Yawgmoth), and the leaders of Phyrexia are now explicitly the Praetors.
* KnightTemplar: Is obsessed with reaching perfection for Phyrexia.
* [[CanisLatinicus Kynos Hellenikos]]: Phyresis.
* MachineWorship[=/=]CyberneticsEatYourSoul[=/=]MechanicalLifeforms[=/=]OrganicTechnology
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* ANaziByAnyOtherName
* NighInvulnerable
* NoCureForEvil: It has been stated very clearly that he was a skilled ''[[ForScience surgeon]]'', not healer. ScienceIsBad, so we still get our villain.
* NothingIsScarier: See HeWhoMustNotBeSeen.
* ThePerfectionist
* PhysicalGod
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Caused by being Sealed In A Can.
* SealedEvilInACan: For nine millennia.
* StartOfDarkness: ''The Thran''.
* StrawVulcan: In ''The Thran''.
* UltimateEvil: Until the end of ''Apocalypse''.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans
* VillainProtagonist: In ''The Thran''. The book has several main characters, but there's no question as to who ends up the most important.
* VisionaryVillain
* WasOnceAMan: Not only Yawgmoth himself, but most of the Phyrexians. Many of which ''[[BodyHorror do not resemble the organisms they were made from. At all.]]''
* WellIntentionedExtremist: During ''The Thran''. Also, from his point of view, invading Dominaria is a way to improve it.
* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: He despises Gerrard's request to have Hanna back [[spoiler:if he defeats Urza in the arena]] because he sees love as a weakness.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm

'''Gix'''

Yawgmoth's original praetor and [[TheDragon right hand man]]. Originally called to Dominaria by Urza and Mishra through a portal in the caves of Koilos. His priests corrupted Mishra and used him as a pawn to try and take the plane over. Urza was able to drive him back... well, most of him; the portal closed before he was all the way through, severing his claw. He was tortured for a thousand years for his failure to take Dominaria, and was eventually shunted into an unstable temporal portal of his own creation. Whether he still exists is unknown.

* AndIMustScream: If he survived his final battle with Urza, this is likely his final reward.
* BodyHorror
* TheDragon: Yawgmoth's first.
* HolierThanThou: "We decide who is worthy of our works."
* KarmicTransformation: He is introduced as a remorseless killer, and is eventually transformed to appear as the monster that he is. Unfortunately, for Phyrexians in general this is almost always considered CoolAndUnusualPunishment or CursedWithAwesome, at the absolute worst.
* KnightTemplar

'''Davvol'''

The original evincar of Rath. Was eventually replaced.

* AchillesHeel: Davvol's Phyrexian boss gives him a skullcap which is impenetrable except for a small circular indentation at the back. Davvol correctly suspects that this weak point was deliberately engineered to allow him to be killed once he's outlived his usefulness.
* TheChewToy: ''"‘Davvol, blast those elves.' ‘Davvol, transport those troops.' No one cares that today is my birthday."''
* DoomedByCanon: He appeared as Evincar of Rath in ''Urza's Legacy'', a prequel to the ''Weatherlight'' Saga, in which we already saw Rath ruled by a different Evincar.

'''Volrath'''

Born Vuel, son of Sidar Kondo in Jamuraa. He failed his ritual rite of passage due to machinations of agents of Rath, and was saved from death by his adopted brother, Gerrard, which he took as a FateWorseThanDeath, as he was disowned by his clan for his failure. The agents of Rath (Yawgmoth and the Phyrexians) stoked his newfound enmity of Gerrard and made him Volrath, evincar (ruler) of Rath. Years later, he kidnapped Captain Sisay of the ''Weatherlight'', hoping to lure the Legacy to the plane and destroy it and its heir (Gerrard again). When the gambit failed, he shapeshifted into his agent's daughter to attempt to destroy them from within. Failing this, he killed his agent and returned to Rath...where he was captured and executed by the new evincar of Rath, Crovax.

* ArchEnemy: To Gerrard.
* CainAndAbel: With Gerrard.
* TheDragon: To Yawgmoth. Had one himself in Greven ''il''-Vec.
* EvilFormerFriend: To (guess who?) Gerrard.
* {{Pride}}
* ShapeShifting
* YouHaveFailedMe: Yawgmoth's response to Volrath's twice failure to kill Gerrard and procure the Legacy? Give Rath to Crovax and let him execute Volrath in the most hideous way possible.

'''Greven ''il''-Vec'''

Commander of the skyship ''Predator'', and Volrath's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. A former member of the Vec tribe, who betrayed them to serve the Evincar (thus the ''il-'' in ''il''-Vec.)

* ArchEnemy: To Gerrard.
* TheDragon: To Volrath. Forced to be one to Crovax.
* RestrainingBolt: A mimetic spine was grafted into him, giving Volrath (and later Crovax) control over him (by sending intense pain through it if he strayed.)
* YouHaveFailedMe: Did this to Vhati ''il-''Dal, who fired on the ''Weatherlight'' while he was still on board.
-->"The fall will give you time to think on your failure."

'''Crovax'''

A cursed noble from Urborg who eventually becomes Evincar of Rath and leader of the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria.

* [[spoiler:DeathEqualsRedemption: After his (Crovax's) death, Gerrard sees both his and Selenia's spirits finally reuniting, free of their corruption.]]
* TheDragon: To Yawgmoth.
* FaceHeelTurn
* FallenHero
* LoveMakesYouCrazy
* NotSoDifferent: From Gerrard
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: He became one as the final part of a curse.
* TragicVillain: When he was forced to kill the love of his life (an angel named Selenia), the corruption that had taken control of her did the same to him. He continues his service to Yawgmoth because he "gave" Selenia back to him, albeit [[ReplacementGoldfish in the form of an artificial copy]].

'''Tsabo Tavoc'''

The Phyrexian general in ''Invasion''. A half-human half-spider hybrid with mechanical augmentations and a great lust for battle and death.

* AxCrazy
* BaldWoman
* TheDragon: To Crovax.
* HeroKiller: [[http://magiccards.info/in/en/281.html Her card]] revolves around destroying legendary creatures.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming
* YouHaveFailedMe: Her eventual end.

'''Xantcha'''

Not all Phyrexians were turned into machines; some were made humanoid spies. One of said spies, Xantcha, rebelled against her masters, and became a hero, allying herself to Urza.

* ArtificialHuman
* BodyHorror
* DarkIsNotEvil: Quite a beloved character, in fact.
* DefectorFromDecadence
* FloatingInABubble: Urza implanted a cyst in her stomach that allows her to yawn a giant bubble out of her mouth, which she can use to fly around in. It's rather disgusting, actually.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:She sacrifices herself to defeat Gix and save Urza.]]
* MoralityPet: To Urza. She's his anchor to sanity.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch
* NoBiologicalSex: Though she self-identifies as female following her MindRape by Gix, she is biologically neuter.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: She's a sleeper agent.
* YouAreNumberSix: "Xantcha" is a Phyrexian number.

'''Selenia'''

A fallen angel and Crovax's love, Crovax ultimately saw her betray the crew of the ''Weatherlight'' and killed her for doing so, fulfilling the curse that he would [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie fight evil and join it]]. In the ''Planar Chaos'' alternate timeline, Mirri kills Selenia and becomes the evincar instead, and Crovax becomes a hero.

* ApocalypseMaiden
* LightIsNotGood: Still retains white mana, despite having some black added.
* ReplacementGoldfish: The "copy" Yawgmoth created after her death.
* ThanatosGambit: She had to die to fulfill Crovax's curse.
* YinYangBomb: Black and white mana.

!!Mirrodin

The world of Mirrodin is a mishmash of life and metal, populated by as many or more machines as organic life. Even the creatures there have metal within them. Since metal is colorless, the plane finds its mana sources in its suns/moons, five giant glowing satellites that glow with each of the five colors.

'''Memnarch'''

* BodyHorror
* TheChessmaster: He has spies on almost every corner of the world, and said world is just a large machine working toward his purposes.
* EvilGenius
* MadScientist
* {{Technopath}}[=/=]TheAssimilator: His special abilities are the abiltiies to convert permanents into artifacts and then take control of them.

'''Raksha Golden Cub'''

* {{Badass}}
* TheHero
* KingOfBeasts
* TheLeader: Of the leonin faction.
* MrFanservice
* PantheraAwesome
* WalkingShirtlessScene: He wears shoulder and arms protection, but leaves his chest exposed.

!!New Phyrexia

After its infection began to spread, many of Mirrodin's natives gathered in the lower layers of the world, and transformed themselves into Phyrexians. After a long period of time rebuilding, they emerged and battled the Mirrans, sparking a war that ended with the [[TheBadGuyWins compleation of Mirrodin into New Phyrexia]].

Unlike the mono-black Old Phyrexia, this one has all colours of Magic under its control, and has factions for each colour, each of them with a '''Praetor''' (essencially a lord) guiding it. The [[LightIsNotGood White]] faction is the [[ReligionOfEvil Machine Orthodoxy]], the Blue faction is the [[MadScientist Progress Engine]], the Red faction is responsible for the mass production of weapons (and is [[TokenGoodTeammate secretly hiding the surviving resistance members]]), the Green faction wants to turn the plane in a savage sentient-less world [[TheSocialDarwinist where only the strong thrive]], and the Black faction is just a bunch of [[TheStarscream Starscreams]] trying to usurp the throne, with no observable function to the rest of Phyrexia.

* TheBadGuyWins: Welcome to New Phyrexia, folks.
* BodyHorror
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Elesh Norn is Choleric, Jin-Gitaxias is Melancholic, Sheoldred is Phlegmatic, Vorinclex is Sanguine and Urabrask is Supine. Appropriately, the praetors of opposed temperaments dislike each other.
* ThePerfectionist: Each praetor is obsessed by reaching their perfect view of Phyrexia.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: While the praetors work together to conquest the whole Mirrodin, they clearly despise each other's vision of New Phyrexia. Vorinclex and Jin-Gitaxias stand out the most.
-->'''Jin-Gitaxias''': "I despise Vorinclex and his slobberings about ‘evolution.' Only I know true progress."\\
'''Vorinclex''': "Dead or alive, my creations are stronger than Jin-Gitaxias's septic minions."
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Especially from Elesh Norn and Jin-Gitaxias's point of view.

'''Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite'''

The White Praetor. Leads the theocratic faction known as the Machine Orthodoxy.

* AssimilationPlot: As hinted in the flavor text from [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=204958 Skinrender]].
-->''"Your creations are effective, Sheoldred; but we must unite the flesh, not merely flay it."''
* BeneathTheMask: It's unclear how much she really believes in her doctrine and how much she's twisting the teachings for her own benefit. Ironically, she's the only praetor to wear an actual mask.
* FacelessMooks: Members of the Machine Orthodoxy cover their faces in the porcelain-like metal that forms their shells.
* FlayingAlive: Getting rid of skin is the first step to become a white Phyrexian.
* TheFundamentalist
* [[HighPriest High Priestess]]
* HolierThanThou
* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit: It's not entirely clear how she manages to fit her gargantuan head boomerang through doors.
* KnightTemplar
* LeanAndMean: Not as lean as Jin-Gitaxias, but still counts.
* LightIsNotGood
* MachineWorship: One of the most literal applications of this trope.
* MeaningfulName: "Elesh" is a Hindu names that means "monarch", and Norns are female characters in Norse mythology who rule the destiny of gods and men. It suits well her HighPriest position.
* MoralSociopathy: All Phyrexians think that their NightmareFuel inducing procedures of BodyHorror infliction while the victims are still alive are to be done, but she takes this UpToEleven, truly believing that her factions horrifying mutilations and brainwashing are for the greater good. Furthermore, the fact that she is an expert at manipulation and deceit further indicates her nature as TheSociopath.
* ObfuscatingStupidity[=/=][[ObfuscatingInsanity Insanity]]: She appears to be a delirious, insane religious lunatic, but she's actually a rather clever [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bitch]].

* ReligionOfEvil: The Machine Orthodoxy.

* UndyingLoyalty: To Karn, so long as he's the Father of Machines.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom

'''Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur'''

The Blue Praetor. Leads the Phyrexian R&D department known as the Progress Engine.

* AwesomeButImpractical: True of most of the Praetor cycle, but he's the most so at ten mana. If you can get him out (reanimation works), he'll draw you seven cards every turn and reduce your opponents' hand sizes to zero. Victory is almost guaranteed after that.
* AwesomeMcCoolName
* BrightIsNotGood: His residence, Lumengrid, is a pretty place filled with blue light from Mirrodin's Blue Sun and he and his servants have pristine silver metal on their bodies, but they're evil.
* ChromeChampion
* EmperorScientist: Of his faction.
* EvilGenius
* JustThinkOfThePotential
* KnightTemplar: Is obsessed with perfecting Phyrexia.
* LeanAndMean
* MachineWorship: Some flavor texts have him referring to his works as "blessing".
* MadScientist
* MechanicalLifeforms
* TheRedMage: Besides Blue mana he apparently can make use of Black mana and White mana, as implied in the page on the ''Planeswalker's Guide to New Phyrexia''.
* TheStarscream: He also plots against Karn, although he doesn't mind if someone else takes the throne so long as said person is competent.
* TotalitarianUtilitarian: While [[PrinciplesZealot Elesh Norn]] focuses on the the words of the Argent Etchings, Jin-Gitaxias puts the results, or the "Great Synthesis" first. Strangely enough, the two of them get along well.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: His aim is to create the perfect New Phyrexia. ''At any cost.''

'''Sheoldred, the Whispering One'''

The Black Praetor. Maintains her position by out-backstabbing the other members of the Seven Steel Thanes.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder
* DarkIsEvil
* FlayingAlive: As seen in cards like [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=204958 Skinrender]], her faction is prone to this.
* KnowledgeBroker
* ManipulativeBitch
* MeaningfulName[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: ''Sheol'' is Hebrew for "hell".
* {{Necromancer}}: Appearently she has "necromantic visions".
* OurCentaursAreDifferent: She has a humanoid upperbody attached to an enormous spider like creature.
* PuppeteerParasite
* TheStarscream: She's survived and dominated the ChronicBackstabbingDisorder-fest that is Black Phyrexia by being a better, more well-informed [[TheStarscream Starscream]] than the rest.

'''Urabrask the Hidden'''

The Red Praetor and leader of the Quiet Furnace.

* DarkChick
* EvenEvilHasStandards
* MadArtist: It is implied that he wants to turn Mirrodin/New Phyrexia into what he considers aesthetically pleasing.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: His appearence has led to the speculation that he is a "compleated" furnace dragon (a species that once occured in Mirrodin).
* TokenGoodTeammate: He and his entire faction are, due to their red mana, not entirely bound to Phyrexian will and are capable of compassion. He's betraying the rest of the Phyrexians (that is, betraying them a different reason than [[TheStarscream wanting the big chair for himself]]) by allowing Mirran refugees to hide within his territory, and banned the other factions from entering.

'''Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger'''

The Green Praetor and boss of the Vicious Swarm.

* TheBrute
* DontThinkFeel: He wants to eliminate sentience and turn the whole Mirrodin into a lawless predatory ground.
* DumbMuscle: At least, that's how Jin-Gitaxias sees him. Given what Vorinclex's plan is, the blue Praetor could be right.
* EvilutionaryBiologist
* LargeAndInCharge
* MeaningfulName[=/=]NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Vore" is a Greek suffix related to eating.
* TheSocialDarwinist
* VillainousGlutton

'''Geth, Lord of the Vault'''

Once the mighty lord of the Vault of Whispers, he was overthrown after trying to pull a YouHaveFailedMe on the wrong minion. After spending some time as nothing more than an undead talking head, he became a collaborator with the Phyrexians in exchange for a new body. He is now trying to claw his way back up to the top of the heap, a task complicated by all the other Phyrexians who are also vying for the position.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Punished his incompetent minion Yert by feeding him to a vampire. Result: Yert became a vampire, gaining both the strength and motivation to overthrow Geth.
* HowTheMightyHaveFallen
* LesCollaborateurs: And he brought along the entire Moriok tribe of humans with him.
* LosingYourHead
* MagicallyBindingContract: His primary weapon. If you break it, ''he owns your soul''.
* SicklyGreenGlow: Seen in [[http://magiccards.info/mi/en/74.html Promise of Power]].
* TokenEvilTeammate: To Glissa, during the time after his overthrow and before the Phyrexian invasion

'''Glissa Sunseeker/Glissa the Traitor'''

* BroughtDownToNormal: For a while she was a planeswalker, but she lost her spark after nearly dying in a fight against.
* TheDragon: To Vorinclex.
** DragonInChief
* FaceHeelTurn
* FallenHero
* LukeNounverber
* OurElvesAreBetter
* TragicVillain

!!The Mirran Resistance

Over time, [[FiveTokenBand all of Mirrodin]] unites against Phyrexia, except those already infected. As one can see, the Mirran faction becomes smaller, but, as one might expect, individual Mirran cards become stronger against infect decks. For planeswalkers on the Mirran side, check out the planeswalker section.

Traditional Mirran mechanics such as imprint and artifact interaction remain, with first strike and double strike being more Mirran than Phyrexian to the end.

* BodyHorror: A much milder example; the Mirrans will amputate and subsequently burn infected limbs, rather than become Phyrexian.
* TheMissingFaction: There are almost no black-aligned Mirran resistance members in ''New Phyrexia''. Most, if not all, of them have fallen to the Phyrexian contagion.

'''Melira, Sylvok Outcast'''

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: She was rejected because she didn't have metal growing out of her like other Mirrans. This proves to be a blessing in New Phyrexia.
* TheImmune
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Literally. As long as she's in play, you can't get poison counters, and other creatures you control can't get -1/-1 counters.
* TheMedic

'''Kemba, Kha Regent'''

* {{Badass}}
* {{Homage}}: Her name.
* MookMaker: Especially as she gets more equipment added to her.

'''Thrun, the Last Troll'''

* LastOfHisKind: With a title like "the last troll", yeah.
* TheSpiny: With hexproof and regeneration, it's easy to see why he's the last troll.

'''Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer'''

* {{Determinator}}: His flavor text says it all.

[[folder: Weatherlight Crew]]

'''Gerrard Capashen'''

* BadassBeard
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: He has a lot of destiny to back him up, but he'd rather it not.
* CainAndAbel: With Volrath.
* CCGImportanceDissonance: Despite his importance in the story arc, his card is quite weak.
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn: He bows to Yawgmoth and agrees to fight with Urza to death in order to get Hanna's back.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: He's rather brash.
* TheHero: But ''not'' The Captain.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]
* LightIsGood
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: In ''Apocalypse'', until [[http://magiccards.info/ap/en/27.html this]], which leads to...
* ... ShatteringTheIllusion
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: In ''Apocalypse'', he [[spoiler:beheads Urza.]]

'''Sisay'''
* ActionGirl
* TheCaptain
* TheGoodCaptain
* TheLancer

'''Hanna'''
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Turns out it was Yawgmoth's bluff.]]
* BadassBookworm: She was the daughter of Barrin, master of Tolarian Academy.
* KilledOffForReal
* [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Girl]]
* WrenchWench

'''Tahngarth'''
* TheBigGuy
* BloodKnight
* BodyHorror: As a result of mutations done by Volrath.
* BoisterousBruiser
* HairTriggerTemper: Especially if Squee is annoying him.
* HotBlooded: He's the most impulsive and aggressive member of the crew.
* ALoadOfBull
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy

'''Squee, Goblin Nabob'''
* BackFromTheDead: Unfortunately, it's a part of Yawgmoth's reward to Crovax. See NighInvulnerability.
* LethalChef: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=6165 As quoted in Orim's journal:]]
--> ''My medicine bag and I have treated countless wounds and illnesses. But never have I seen so many made so sick for so long. We will ''never'' eat Squee's cooking again.''
* OurGoblinsAreDifferent
* NighInvulnerability: Post-FaceHeelTurn Crovax amuses himself by killing Squee repeatedly and watching him come back to life.
* PluckyComicRelief
* TeenGenius: At least, for goblin standards.

'''Orim, Samite Healer'''
* TheChick
* CombatMedic
* HealingHands
* LightIsGood

'''Ertai, Wizard Adept/Ertai the Corrupted'''
* AmbitionIsEvil
* BodyHorror: A side effect of his being "healed" by black mana and mutated by Crovax.
* FaceHeelTurn
* SmallNameBigEgo: Oh, so much.

* TheDragon: To Crovax.
* TookALevelInBadass
* TookALevelInJerkass

'''Mirri, Cat Warrior'''
* ActionGirl
* ButtMonkey: She has an unrequited crush on her childhood friend Gerrard. She loses nearly all of the fights she's in. She dies fighting Crovax after he gets cursed. She's barely even ''mentioned'' after her death. And then, in the Time Spiral block, ''she's'' the one who gets cursed and becomes evincar of Rath while Crovax, the man who killed her in the original timeline, lives and becomes a hero. When even multiple timelines conspire to ensure you never have anything remotely resembling a happy ending, you know [[CosmicPlaything the multiverse hates your guts]].
* CatGirl
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend

[[folder: Guilds of Ravnica]]

'''Azorius Senate:''' ''White and Blue'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr226 here]].)

Logic & Power (Blue), and/or Law & Order (White). The Azorius Senate is the legislative body of Ravnica. Their goal is to control the city with law-magic and maintain order--at any cost. The status quo is prized above all else in the Azorius Senate, and thus its first Guild mechanic, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aforecast+e%3Adi%2Fen&v=card&s=cname Forecast]], allows them to use weaker variants of its spells without actually losing or casting them.

Similarly, in ''Return to Ravnica'', the Azorius Senate uses the ''Detain'' mechanic, which allows them to stop cards on the field from doing anything for a turn.

* CallingYourAttacks: Forecast in a nutshell.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill
* KnightTemplar: Any mean is justified to prevent any non-static activity on Ravnica. Their guild mechanic, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aforecast+e%3Adis&v=card&s=cname Forecast]], allows them to maintain the status quo by re-using the same spell every turn.
* LightIsNotGood: Augustin IV was from this guild and one of the antagonists in the ''Ravnica'' novels. The rest of the guild are not really that much better; they're only in check because their obsession with bureaucracy keeps them perpetually occupied.
* MoralSociopathy: Rather chillingly obsessed with laws and order and not the least bit caring for the people of Ravnica.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Cemented by their guildhouse's flavor text: ''[[http://magiccards.info/di/en/177.html Prahv, where much work is done to make sure nothing is accomplished]]''.
* PrinciplesZealot
* VastBureaucracy

'''Orzhov Syndicate:''' ''[[YinYangBomb White and Black]]'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr221 here]].)

So, what do you get when you combine the equalizers (white) and those who want power at any cost (black)? You get the Orzhov Syndicate, a "religious" organization which resembles a mafia more than a church. They manage business and commerce in the city by means of a protection racket--authorized businesses pay taxes to the Orzhov, and unauthorized businesses risk being shut down or worse. Ability-wise: [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Ahaunt+e%3Aguildpact&v=card&s=cname Haunt]] is perfect for either, because it takes black's ability to manipulate the game from the graveyard. Strategy-wise: Bleeding to death; slowly and painfully. The Orzhov takes white's ability to slow down the entire game and let the opponent be chiseled away, bit by bit. Plus you probably owe them money.

In ''Gatecrash'', the Orzhov Syndicate has gained the ''Extort'' keyword, which allows the Orzhov to, whenever it casts a spell, pay mana up to the number of Extorting cards they control to steal that many Life of each opponent, strengthening itself while slowly whittling everybody else.

* BlackEyesOfEvil: Orzhov angels have pitch black eyes.
* CorruptChurch
* DarkIsNotEvil[=/=]LightIsNotGood: Plays both roles, with the main organisation being assholes but with some members like Teysa Karlov being more decent people. Of course, given the nature of the guild, LightIsGood and DarkIsEvil is also present.
* GradualGrinder: The core strategy of the Orzhov is the "bleeder" deck, which tries to slow down the game and slowly drain the opponent's life away with cards like [[http://magiccards.info/gp/en/100.html Agent of Masks]], [[http://magiccards.info/gp/en/131.html Souls of the Faultless]], [[http://magiccards.info/gp/en/125.html Pillory of the Sleepless]], [[http://magiccards.info/gp/en/102.html Blind Hunter]], and of course, ''Gatecrash'''s Extort mechanic.
* LifeDrain: White is the master of gaining life; black is the master of taking life. Thus, Orzhov is the master of the Lifelink mechanic, as well as other ways to take others' life (see GradualGrinder above).
* TheMafia
* OurGhostsAreDifferent
* PathOfInspiration
* ReadTheFinePrint: As expected from TheMafia. See [[http://magiccards.info/gtc/en/161.html Executioner's Swing]] and [[http://magiccards.info/gtc/en/220.html Immortal Servitude]].
* ReligionOfEvil: The organization that comes closer to it on Ravnica.
* SinisterMinister
* SoulPower: Both White and Black are the colours most associated with spirits, so naturally these guys have complete mastery in this type of magic.

'''House Dimir:''' ''Blue and Black'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr201 here]].)

The blue-black House Dimir is not interested in sharing information. In fact, they like secrets so much that they decided to conceal their very existence. As far as most of Ravnica's citizens know, there are only nine guilds, and that's just the way their leader, the mind-leeching vampire Szadek, likes it. As master mind mages, the Dimir have domain over both players' hands and libraries, with the ability to manipulate spells before they're even cast by discarding, rearranging, or milling them. Their guild mechanic [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Atransmute+e%3Arav&v=card&s=cname Transmute]] is just one example, allowing Dimir mages to exchange spells in their hand for other spells from their deck.

''Gatecrash'' introduced to the House Dimir the ability to encode their ''Cipher'' spells in creatures, making copies of those spells whenever the encoded creature sneaks through their opponent's defenses.

* BigBrotherIsWatching
* BlatantLies: For centuries, even the existence of House Dimir was a carefully-guarded secret, and citizens of Ravnica were told that there were only nine guilds. After the very public defeat of Szadek, the cat was out of the bag and the Dimir's existence became widely known, but the guild was left weak, leaderless, and disorganized, they ''swear''.
* TheChessmaster: The favored modus operandi of both Szadek and, later, Lazav. House Dimir works behind the scenes, quietly manipulating the other nine guilds.
* KnowledgeBroker: House Dimir trades in secrets. Once they formally revealed their existence to the public, this was the face they chose to present, offering a network of couriers, spies, and informants for hire.
* MindRape: Cards like [[http://magiccards.info/rav/en/234.html Szadek]] (the Dimir leader) and [[http://magiccards.info/rav/en/208.html Glimpse the Unthinkable]] are this in spades.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Their ghosts are employed as spies, cutpurses and assassins.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Go after your minds instead of your blood. And have names [[UnfortunateName that sound like the the word for "buttocks" in several Slavic languages]].
* {{Shapeshifter}}: Lazav, Szadek's successor.
* TheSneakyGuy
* TheWormThatWalks: [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/arcana/914 Mindleech Mass is a pile of mind-sucking leeches]]. A similar creature features prominently in the ''Ravnica'' novel.

'''Izzet League:''' ''[[YinYangBomb Blue and Red]]'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr217 here]].)

The Izzet are the main researchers in Ravnica. Science, engineering, and other similar topics fall to them. They even have exclusive dominion over something called Meta-magic (or the study of magic itself). Through this, they have the ability called [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Areplicate+e%3Aguildpact&v=card&s=cname Replicate]], which allows a spell on the stack to be copied over as many times a player wishes. This combines blue's knowledge of magic and red's love for instant gratification. The guild's leader and founder is the [[InsufferableGenius vain but brilliant]] Niv-Mizzet the Firemind, who used to be "the last dragon", a status which is no longer true by the time of ''Return to Ravnica''.

In ''Return to Ravnica'', the Izzet League gained the ability to ''Overload'' its spells, combining Blue's knowledge and Red's impulsiveness to transform a single-targeted spell into a powerful, widespread one.

* AbsentMindedProfessor
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mc28 An In-Depth Look At The Izze-Hey, Look At That!]]
* CloudCuckoolander: All other Guilds have a goal (even Gruul). The Izzet do crazy stuff [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Discussion.aspx?multiverseid=96907 like this]] ''to themselves'' [[ItAmusedMe for the lulz]] (and [[ForScience science]]).
* ExactWords: [[http://magiccards.info/gp/en/132.html This card's flavor]].
* ForScience
* TheHeavy: In the Return to Ravnica set much of the new hostilities are kicked off by the Izzet retreating from the public eye after redirecting all their efforts towards the search for... ''Something''. Not even the Dimir seem to know exactly what. This, naturally, makes all of the other guilds nervous.
* ImpossibleGenius: To quote ''An In-Depth Look at The Izze-Hey, Look At That!'':
-->"Niv-Mizzet is the smartest living thing on the plane of Ravnica. This does not mean his SAT score would be 1 higher than the second smartest being. This means that he is so smart that he could, using #2 lead of course, fill in his little ovals in such a pattern that, when scanned by the computer, would reprogram it, giving him a perfect score and everybody else a zero, then the computer would shut off its fans, overheat, and burst into flames. Oh, and he'd be able to do this in the time it takes the other testers to open their booklets. Then he would burn everyone in the room wearing sweat pants thinking it would help them stay comfortable and, therefore, test better. Morons. (And yes, he can read minds - so he can spare the poor shmo who wears sweat pants because he thinks they're cool. He can… but he doesn't. Why stop the barbecue!)"
* InsufferableGenius: Niv-Mizzet is known for its incredible knowledge as well for its unquenchable vanity.
* MadScientist: Yes, but the Izzet don't quite fit the archetype. For one, as below, Izzet really only like blowing stuff up and knowledge. Unlike the archetype, they don't create unnatural monstrosities (with the exception of the Weirds, which are themselves basically just pure energy inside an envelope or bubble, not organic).
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Niv-Mizzet, the most intelligent being on the planet and the only genius dragon left, who is also [[ItsAllAboutMe arrogant]] and [[InsufferableGenius vain]].
* StuffBlowingUp: The Izzet care about two things: blowing shit up and [[TheOrderOfTheStick arcane power]].
* TimTaylorTechnology: Their Overload mechanic in ''Return to Ravnica''.

'''Cult of Rakdos:''' ''Black and Red'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr241 here]].)

For the Cult of Rakdos, the whole world is a party. The kind of party where you die. Led and founded by the demon Rakdos the Defiler, this guild is a sadomasochistic cult that thrives on causing pain and chaos just for the thrill of it. Their hedonistic outlook leads them to care very little about how many cards they need to discard or creatures they need to sacrifice to do what they want. This is exemplified in their [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Ahellbent+e%3Adis&v=card&s=cname Hellbent]] mechanic--when you've exhausted all the cards in your hand, that's just an excuse to party even harder! And by "party" we mean "kill people". Despite their penchant for causing mayhem, the other guilds tolerate the Rakdos Cultists because they run a useful slave trade that provides the rest of the city with cheap labor.

The Cult of Rakdos's second keyword is ''Unleash'', which allows you to send its own creatures into a reckless rampage, making them stronger at the cost of being unable to block.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: They're never shown doing anything but atrocity after atrocity.
* BigRedDevil: Rakdos himself.
* CircusOfFear: Their cards have a circus motif.
* CombatSadomasochist: Perhaps best exemplified by [[http://magiccards.info/di/en/38.html Bond of Agony]]. They like torture so much that they'll torture themselves along with their victims. Torture for everybody!
* AFeteWorseThanDeath
* ForTheEvulz
* TheHedonist
* ItAmusedMe
* NietzscheWannabe
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The Rakdos are easily one of the most violent and evil guilds. In addition to their mana colors, many cultists wear red-and-black-patterned clothing as part of the circus motif.
* ReligionOfEvil: Well, they are a cult, and they do murder people as part of being a cult.
* TooKinkyToTorture

'''Golgari Swarm:''' ''[[YinYangBomb Black and Green]]'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr199 here]].)

The green-black Golgari Swarm has embraced the dichotomy of life and death. Life and death are a natural cycle, and the Golgari see {{Necromancy}} as an extension of that cycle. The graveyard is just another resource to the Golgari, a philosophy which manifests itself in their guild mechanic, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Adredge+e%3Arav&v=card&s=cname Dredge]], which allows them to harvest and re-use spells from their graveyard while simultaneously cultivating that graveyard with new spells to dredge. Of course, their role in Ravnican society is more than just raising zombies: they're also farmers who supply most of the food for the rest of the plane. ([[MundaneUtility And they always have very good fertilizer.]])

Its second guild mechanic from ''Return to Ravnica'' is ''Scavenge'', which allows the Golgari to combine Black's tendency for using the dead as a resource with Green's love of empowering the living.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Guild leadership in the Golgari is always contested.
* DarkIsNotEvil: While in the story the Golgari suffered from ChronicBackstabbingDisorder among their leaders and Savra actually was a pawn in Szadek's plans, the truth is that most Golgari were merely the Ravnican analogue of farmers and were otherwise barely involved with the larger conflict. Eventually, their leader was replaced by a much more decent person, Jarad, who reformed the group's ways alongside his son.
* MeaningfulName: Golgari is derived from Golgotha.
* NightOfTheLivingMooks
* WeHaveReserves: Understandable when your combatants consist of [[NightOfTheLivingMooks zombies]], [[BigCreepyCrawlies bugs]], and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot zombie bugs]].

'''Gruul Clans:''' ''Red and Green'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr213 here]].)

The red-green Gruul Clans are a collection of loosely-organized barbarian tribes who scorn civilization, preferring to live free in what's left of Ravnica's wilderness. They're not much for inaction, which is why their guild mechanic [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Abloodthirst+e%3Aguildpact&v=card&s=cname Bloodthirst]] rewards players who take an active role in the game, actually drawing blood from their opponents instead of sitting around thinking about it.

The second guild mechanic introduced in ''Gatecrash'' is ''Bloodrush'', which mixes Green's love for huge creatures with Red's love for instant rewards, turning cards in hand into ways to quickly power-up attacking creatures.

* BarbarianHero
* BarbarianTribe: And the Burning Tree is merely the largest one.
* ChaoticStupid: The Orzhov Syndicate sees them this way.
-->'''Teysa''' ''(regarding Borborygmos)'': It's easy to see why those Gruul dirtbags follow him — the only orders he gives are "Crush them!" and "We eat!"
* DontThinkFeel
* LargeAndInCharge: Borborygmos, the unofficial leader of the Gruul.
* MeaningfulName: Borborygmos is derived from borborygmus, which is the growling and rumbling noises that one's stomach and intestines make.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* SlaveRace: How the Orzhov Syndicate think of them.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: They are really good at smashing stuff, so that's pretty much how they solve all of their problems.
* WorthyOpponent: As revealed in the [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/225 Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash]], they respect the Boros League's fighting prowess.
--> '''On the Boros:''' "We respect the Boros! So their heads adorn our pikes instead of plugging the gutters."

'''Boros Legion:''' ''[[YinYangBomb Red and White]]'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr205 here]].)

The Boros Legion are responsible for much of the law enforcement in Ravnica. They combine white's desire for order with red's passion, creating a passion for justice as they see it. Being of the law, they have to go by the rule "if it affects one, it affects all". And so, like modern law, they will arrest and execute anything they see as a danger, and empower anything they see as helpful (regardless of what that being is fighting for). This is reflected in their guild mechanic, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aradiance+e%3Arav&v=card&s=cname Radiance]]. Through it, the guild can affect everyone/everything that shares a color with the target.

In ''Gatecrash'', under the guidance of their new guild leader, the Boros Legion takes a much more active role in the battlefield with a focus on amassing huge armies to defend their ideals, which translates to their new mechanic ''Battalion'', which rewards you whenever the creature with ''Battalion'' and at least two other creatures attack.

* AlwaysGetsHisMan: Agrus Kos.
* AntiHero[=/=]GreyAndGrayMorality: The fact that there are frequent in-group conflicts and that the current leader, Aurelia, is set to become an antagonist, don't help.
* BadassArmy
* CowboyCop
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: PlayedForDrama when, at the end of ''Ravnica'' when [[spoiler:the Dimir and Golgari team up to try and take over the world]], Sunhome and all the angels [[spoiler:mysteriously disappear]], and aren't seen again until [[spoiler:the end of ''Guildpact''. [[ColonyDrop Crashing into Prahv]]]].
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Their means to prevent guild warfare? [[HypocriticalHumor Creating guild warfare]].
* KnightTemplar: Among other things, they are excessively violent and several members in the original trilogy are perfectly fine with the idea of a police state. Lately, the new leader Aurelia has gone overboard enough [[EvenEvilHasStandards that even zealous angels within the Boros have decided to quit and go aid the Gateless instead]].
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Feather, one of the protagonists from the original Ravnica trilogy, was pretty much the most compassionate and sane angel "on-screen".

'''Selesnya Conclave:''' ''Green and White'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr196 here]].)

The Conclave loves to help one another. They all have the ability [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Aconvoke+e%3Arav&v=card&s=cname Convoke]]; which uses green's mana acceleration and white's equalizing. With that, a spell can be played much cheaper at the cost of tapping a few creatures.

In ''Return to Ravnica'', they gained the ''Populate'' mechanic, which allows them to duplicate their own weaker members, the Tokens, to grow their ranks.

* BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: Oh yes. The Song of the Conclave was an outright plane-wide brainwashing spell, making the gateless more docile, which led them to lynch the Selesnyans. Their new incarnations presumably still do things of the sort, but they've learned their lesson.
* HiveMind: All the members of the Conclave can hear its song in their heads.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill
* PathOfInspiration: Ostensibly; while well intentioned, they still reduce or outright demolish individuality and are rather hypocrital about their means and goals.
* MultipleHeadCase: Trostani is a three-headed dryad.
* TheNeedsOfTheMany
* WeHaveReserves: Their rather {{hypocrit|e}}ical battle strategy is to line up lots and lots of foot soldiers and let them die to buy time to summon larger elementals.
* WellIntentionedExtremist

'''Simic Combine:''' ''[[YinYangBomb Green and Blue]]'' (article [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr229 here]].)

The Simic Combine blue's lust for knowledge and "improvement" and green's love of life. Like other green-based guilds, they focus on creatures more than anything else. Their ability, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Agraft+e%3Adis&v=card&s=cname Graft]], allows strength and life to be moved to any incoming creature. Once a creature is complete, they are sellable to the mass market. But, like the Izzet, they aren't satisfied with just one; or rather with just one type. So, they continue to create new and "improved" versions of nature.

As of ''Return to Ravnica'', the Simic returned to their druidic roots, embracing long lost holism. This also translates to their new keyword: Members of the Simic Combine can now ''Evolve'', strenghtening themselves whenever another stronger ally enters the battlefield, demonstrating Green's love of life instead of Blue's detachment, like their old mechanic did.

* BioAugmentation
* BlobMonster: They do like their Oozes.
* CloserToEarth: Than the Izzet. [[MadScientist This isn't saying much.]] Now truly straight as of RTR.
* {{Druid}}: What they once were. They now returned to their roots.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Momir Vig.
* GoneHorriblyRight: Mocked in [[http://magiccards.info/di/en/110.html this card]].
* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke
* JustThinkOfThePotential: As opposed to Izzet's ForScience.
* MadScientist: They're the "obsessive" kind, instead of the Izzet's "[[PlayedForLaughs amiable madman]]" kind.
* TheMedic: Their original purpose, which they re-embraced as of RTR.
* MixAndMatchCritters: The new Simic love these more than ever, although they claim to use "[[PureIsNotGood purer]]" methods to make them now.
* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: The new Simic. Also, those mermaids were thought to be extinct until only recently.
* ScaryDogmaticAliens: The new Simic give off this vibe, although the "aliens" are merfolk from the deep.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: They will make your life better (for a certain value thereof) whether you like it or not.

[[folder:Lorwyn and Shadowmoor]]

'''Colfenor'''

Dubbed ''The Last Yew'', he is one of the oldest Treefolk in Lorwyn and has foreseen the coming of the Great Aurora, which will plunge the bright Lorwyn into the dark Shadowmoor, wiping out the memories of their inhabitants. He is killed some time prior to that event, but leaves behind a sapling which carries his memories until after Shadowmoor comes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The Sapling is one of the few Black aligned protagonists.
* GoodIsNotNice: The closest thing to a BigGood in the setting. A BigGood that [[ManipulativeBastard manipulates the crap]] out of everyone.
* LastOfHisKind
* ThanatosGambit
* UnexplainedRecovery: Although not exactly as himself; The sapling is called a [[GenderBender she]]. Plus, Rhys has expected that the Sapling would take much longer to mature; instead, she matures rapidly.

'''Gaddock Teeg'''

The cenn of the Lorwyn [[{{Hobbits}} kithkin]]. With his cenn threatened by the [[ANaziByAnotherName elves]], he orchestrated the fall of the protagonists. He was presumably killed, since he never appears again.
* AntiVillain
* LightIsNotGood
* ManipulativeBastard

'''Oona'''

The queen of the faeries. She is another of the few individuals aware of the Great Aurora, and in fact is immune to it.
* BigBad: The Eventide novel eventually paints her as this.
* HiveQueen
* LargeAndInCharge: The largest being among the fae. Also, unlike her minions, who are insectoid, she appears as a woman [[FridgeBrilliance covered in flowers]].


'''Rosheen Meanderer'''

A giant who is yet another one to be aware of the Great Aurora. She manages to resist the effect of the aurora unlike her kin and thus is the only giant in Shadowmoor who keeps her memories of Lorwyn intact.
* CassandraTruth:
--> ''Night after night, Rosheen babbled about a bygone sunlit world, her every word dismissed as a madwoman's ravings.''

[[folder:Kamigawa]]
'''Toshiro Umezawa'''

[[http://magiccards.info/bok/en/89.html Toshiro Umezawa]], or "Toshi" for short, is the black-aligned protagonist of the ''Kamigawa'' saga. Toshi's only true loyalty is to himself, and [[PoliticalHero he'll never fight when it's possible to bargain]]. Luckily for the rest of Kamigawa, it's currently in his best interest to save the world.

* AntiHero: Toshi is selfish and underhanded, and his first instinct upon rescuing the princess is to ransom her.
* {{Badass}}: Makes use of intelligence, strength, kanji magic and more to do things from imprisoning powerful snow spirits to slaughtering onis. [[spoiler:He appearently also does pretty fine without sight, up to travelling for miles following the smell of a swamp]]
* BadassBoast: See ToThePain.
* BloodBrothers: Toshi is the founder of the Hyozan Reckoners, a gang of BloodBrothers bound by magical oath to brutally avenge the death of any other member.
* CastingAShadow: Got fused with the Shadow Gate, allowing him to move around freely in all of Kamigawa's shadows.
* DarkIsNotEvil: A prominent example of black taking a heroic role in the storyline.
* DeadpanSnarker
* JustWhistle: Toshi negotiates a bargain of this nature with a giant moth whose life he saved.
* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Saviors'', the Myojin of Night's Reach blinds him.]]
* PoliticalHero: The quintessential example. In an early scene, he joins a group of assassins contracted to kill the ogre Hidetsugu. While the other assassins jump into the fray, Toshi hangs back. After all his companions are dead, he calmly approaches Hidetsugu and offers to become BloodBrothers instead. (It works.)
* {{Ronin}}
* SealedBadassInACan: The [[AnIcePerson yuki-onna]]. Toshi does the sealing.
* ToThePain: Modus operandi of the Hyozan Reckoners. Toshi delivers a particularly BadassBoast to Kobo's murderer:
-->We will kill you.\\
\\
[[DisproportionateRetribution We will burn your fields, steal your treasure, destroy your house, and enslave your children. We will murder your spouse, poison your pets, and blaspheme on the graves of your ancestors. We will do all this, and the only way to avoid it is if we cannot find you.]]\\
\\
We've already found you.


'''Konda, Lord of Eiganjo'''

[[http://magiccards.info/chk/en/30.html Takeshi Konda]] is the ruler of a vast empire spanning most of Kamigawa. Seeking immortality, he committed a great crime that triggered the spirit war and eventually drove him to madness.

* BlackEyesOfCrazy: Konda's eyes are the only visual indication of his transformation. They change color and begin to swivel around randomly.
* TheCaligula: He's quite mad to begin with, and when Toshi steals his precious PowerSource, he goes into full crazy mode and devotes the full resources of his empire to its pursuit.
* TheEmperor
* AGodAmI: Konda fancies himself the all-powerful eternal ruler of the realm.
* LightIsNotGood: Despite all of this, he is still pure White. For added bonus see his depiction in [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=!Reverence Reverence]].
* NighInvulnerable
* ParentalNeglect: He cares more about his power than he does about his daughter, and rarely ever speaks to her or spends time with her.
* SanitySlippage: He becomes more and more obsessed as the trilogy progresses.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity


'''Hidetsugu'''

A demon-worshiping ogre mage that lives in the Sokenzan Mountains. Toshi's blood brother and co-founder of the Hyozan Reckoners.

* AffablyEvil: Hidetsugu has civilized conversations with his guests, all while his prisoner screams in the background from having a superheated gem embedded in his chest.
* AxCrazy
* {{Badass}}: Using only a few brainwashed shamans, he manages to [[spoiler:assault an entire academy of mages, kill a gigantic spirit dragon]], and even [[spoiler:kill the All-Consuming Oni of Chaos with only his own two hands]].
* BadassBookworm
* TheDeterminator
* DisproportionateRetribution: He levels the entire Minamo academy to the ground because ONE of their students killed his apprentice in self defense.
* TheDreaded
* ReligionOfEvil
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:When he realizes his master fled from battle, he chases him back to the Honden of the All-Consuming and beats the shit out of him.]]


'''Mochi'''

The Kami of the Cresent Moon, the mysterious, ever-smiling Mochi is the patron of the Soratami.

* AffablyEvil
* TheChessmaster
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Torn apart by the demonic Hidetsugu at the end of the novels.]]
* SmugSnake
* SmugSmiler


'''That Which Was Taken/The Taken One/Kyodai'''

A fragment of the soul of O-Kagachi, stolen from the spirit realm by Lord Konda in order to perform a ritual that would make him invincible.

* ArtifactOfAttraction: Especially pronounced in ''Saviors of Kamigawa'', where Konda and O-Kagachi himself both go on huge-scale rampages chasing after their prize.
* BarrierMaiden: [[spoiler:She and Michiko team up after the war to become the new guardians of the barrier between the mortal and spirit realms]].
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:With Michiko]]
* MacGuffinGirl: Takes a human form when Toshi releases her from the stone disc towards the end of the war.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Alara]]
Many aeons ago, Alara was a single, whole plane. Then, a cataclysmic event known as [[NoodleIncident The Sundering]] occurred, which ended with the plane fractured and stripped of all its mana. Over time, the plane fractured and separated into five sub-planes, known as the Shards. Each of the five Shards regained mana over time, but with a twist. Only three of the five colors of mana returned--one dominant color and its two allied colors. Each Shard is defined not only by what mana they have but the traits of the other two colors they ''don't'' have. Throughout the events of the ''Shards of Alara'' block, the planes drifted back together, bringing massive culture shock with conflicting ways of life and finally all-out war. [[spoiler:It turns out Nicol Bolas was behind The Sundering, as he sought out the plane as a new base of operations after the disastrous events of ''Time Spiral''. He planted spies in each of the five Shards, sowing dissension and mistrust wherever they went.]]

'''Bant''': White, with green and blue

Bant is a world where White mana reigns supreme--its own virtues, combined with the absent forces of chaos and selfish ambition, have made this Shard an exemplar of law and order. The architecture is straight out of a MedievalEuropeanFantasy, complete with Knights in Shining Armor, glory and honor in battle, and expansive castles. The planeswalker Elspeth Tirel discovered Bant, and soon made it her adoptive home, never desiring to planeswalk ever again. Because it lacks black and red mana, there is no unnatural death, no disease, no natural disasters and no anarchy. However, there is also no creativity, and almost no offensive magic (there ''is'' nighttime on Bant and the people have enough access to heat and fire to warm their homes, cook their food and forge their weapons, but that's about it). Because of the importance placed on honorable combat, Bant's keyword ability is [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3AExalted&v=card&s=cname Exalted]], which makes creatures more powerful if they attack alone.

* {{Arcadia}}: The "wilderness" is mostly non-threatening; even the forests resemble well-maintained gardens.
* BadassBookworm: The Rhox
* CombatByChampion: The main form of combat on Bant. It's even reflected in their exalted mechanic.
* TheChewToy: With the exception of Naya, all of the shards turn their aggressive energies towards Bant after the conflux.
* FantasticCasteSystem: Acquiring sigils through valiant deeds is one way of moving up in the social standing, but it's very difficult.
* KnightInShiningArmor: All over the place, with Rafiq of the Many the exemplar.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Taken to its logical extreme; combat on Bant is so honor bound that some suits of armor don't even have coverage on ''[[BackStab their backs]]''.
* LightIsGood: Bant is probably the most conspicuous example of this trope being played straight since the Weatherlight Saga. It's not a utopia, but it's still the safest place to live in pre-Conflux Alara.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: More willing to charge into battle; fits in with the holy justice theme of the Shard
* RedshirtArmy: The nations' armies are primarily "Mortar caste" (commoners who have yet to earn a sigil)
* WarriorPoet: The Rhox, rhino-people who are part-philosopher-part-martial-artist.

'''Esper''': Blue, with white and black

An intellectual's dream come true, the Blue-dominated Shard of Esper is all about the pursuit of knowledge and technological advancement. However, the absence of green and red mean that emotion and instinct are completely under the control of Blue. Even the nature parts of Blue are controlled and documented like pieces of data; the night sky resembles a star chart, with every subtle nuance documented and accounted for, as are the tides and the winds (in fact, there are only 23 possible wind currents on the plane). White lends its desire for order and structure, but it also brings in the subversion and deceptive techniques of black. The pride of the plane is a highly malleable and durable metal known as Etherium, which often times is implanted into a body in place of the much-aligned flesh...and the supply is running out. Tezzeret calls this plane home, but stumbling upon an ancient conspiracy led to his near-death...and the ignition of his Planeswalker Spark. Esper doesn't have a keyword mechanic to call its own; its main gimmick is that every creature native to Esper is an artifact creature (this also introduced the notion of colored artifacts to ''Magic'').

* AlienSky: The skies of Esper are geometrical.
* AncientConspiracy: "The noble work of our order is to infuse all life on Esper with etherium. Our goal will be reached more rapidly if new life is ... suppressed." Tezzeret's stumbling upon this leads him to ascend to Planeswalkerdom and seek answers elsewhere.
* HollywoodCyborg: Use a [[{{Unobtainium}} metallic substance with numerous useful properties called etherium]] in making themselves human/mechanical hybrids.

'''Grixis''': Black, with blue and red

After the Shards developed their mana deficiencies, the people grew desperate and lost hope. With the rise of demon lords and death spreading, one king attempted to [[DealWithTheDevil barter]] with the new dark lords. This ended predictably (the last of the civilized nations were overrun). Thus, the shard was given the name "Grixis", after an old-language word meaning "traitor." Without the presence of new life energy (green) and protection (white), the necromancers and demons of Grixis make use of beings that have died over and over in their armies, leading to their special keyword ability [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3AUnearth&v=card&s=cname Unearth]].
* DespairEventHorizon: Once the last of the human nations fell, that was it.
* LaResistance: The Vithian holdouts, who use red and blue magic to try to survive.
* MeaningfulName: "Grixis" means "traitor."
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Thraximundar, "He who paints the earth red."
* ZombieApocalypse: The result of one.

'''Jund''': Red, with black and green

On Jund, natural selection is the order of the day. On Jund, only the strong survive. The savage Shard of Jund is cruel and merciless, with each other living being acts as a food source for something else. Living to see another day means killing something that was going to kill you first. Civility? Order? Those will not help you (and don't last long on the plane anyway). Getting stronger from consuming prey is the hallmark of Jund's keyword ability, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=o%3Adevour+%28e%3Aarb%2Fen+or+e%3Acfx%2Fen+or+e%3Aala%2Fen%29&v=card&s=cname devour]]. At the very top of this food chain? Dragons. They are the ultimate predator, whose power and majesty ultimately drove the Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol to the plane, where he wished to worship them akin to gods.
* BloodKnight: All over the place.
* LetsMeetTheMeat: The goblins of Jund consider it an honor to be eaten by mighty creatures.
* {{Mooks}}: Devour, which makes the creature larger depending on how many other creatures you sacrifice when casting it, and can do other things. Your smaller creatures are quite expendable.
* OneMillionBC: A lot of the geography seems to fit this.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Seated firmly atop the Jund food chain

'''Naya''': Green, with red and white

If Green was allowed to have its way and follow it to its logical conclusion, nature would grow completely unchecked by opposing forces. That's exactly what happened on Naya. Similar to Jund, only the strong survive, but with white in place of black, there is reverence in place of bloodlust. Several sentient races live among the massive jungles of Naya, their rank primarily determined by what part they live in. Humans live among the jungle floor, the Nactal (a race of catlike warriors) take up the middle, with the elves sitting high in the treetops. This is the start of the Planeswalker Ajani's journey (indeed, [[http://magiccards.info/ala/en/154.html this version]] of Ajani is him when he is young). When he meets Sarkhan Vol, he leads him to Jund, where his desire for vengeance retribution lead him to awaken a stronger power in him, triggered by a volcanic ritual, which gives him access to red mana). Like Esper, there isn't a keyword ability for Naya to call its own; however, its gimmick depends on big creatures; the bigger the better, specifically, creatures with power 5 or higher.
* BiggerIsBetter
* BlindSeer: Mayael the Anima.
* NatureHero: It fits the setting, since Naya ''is'' all forest.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Innistrad]]

'''Avacyn'''

The guardian archangel of the plane. Created by Sorin Markov, she was tasked with protecting mankind from the many monsters of Innistrad, but she was accidently trapped within a mountain of silver known as Helvaut. The story of Innistrad is about how mankind almost became extinct during her imprisonment, as the holy magic she offered the clergy and the cathars (holy warriors) faded. She returned in the ''Avacyn Restored'' storyline thanks to the machinations of [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Liliana Vess]].

* BigGood: Of her world
* BladeOnAStick: Her moonsilver spear.
* CelestialParagonsAndArchangels: The goddess of her world.
* ComebackMechanic: A rare InUniverse example. [[http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75842/29082795/Ask_Brady&post_num=37#519125983 According to Word of God]], since Avacyn was created to maintain balance, the more dire things are for Innistrad's humans, the more powerful Avacyn becomes.
* CrystalDragonJesus
* DarkIsNotEvil: Sorin created her in his own image, with bleached [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl white hair]] and [[{{Goth}} black clothes]] (not to mention her deathly pale skin and black eyeliner and lipstick), but she is the protector of Innistrad's humans.
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: She was created by Sorin Markov, after all, even if Sorin was already a planeswalker when he made her.
* FlyingBrick
* HellBentForLeather
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Got trapped in the rock she used to trap demons. A rare heroic example, therefore.
* HolyHandGrenade: Her specialty.
* {{Lunacy}}: She is essentially a [[SolarAndLunar moon goddess]]. Her whole church is based on lunar worship, her symbol is a stylised heron (which is associated with the Innistrad's moon because its craters look like a heron), and her holy magic is associated with the moon.
* NighInvulnerable: Her special ability projects this unto all creatures you control
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Innistrad's angels are usually your typical sort (by that, we mean [[WingedHumanoid winged women]] with white robes, not the [[EldritchAbomination biblical things]]), but she is a gothic woman that governs the plane's WhiteMagic and all that entails; when she's gone, holy magic becomes weaker, and her servant angels disappear.
* ProphetEyes
* SealedEvilInADuel: She was trapped in the Helvault during her duel with Griselbrand, and now the only way to release her is to set all the trapped demons free with her.
* SealedGoodInACan
* ThighHighBoots

'''Gisa and Geralf'''

Once nobles, these twins were banished to the moorlands. Geralf is a skaaberen (a blue-aligned MadScientist specializing in {{Flesh Golem}}s) and Gisa a ghoulcaller (a black-aligned necromancer); both wage war against each other with undead hordes. They eventually invaded Thraben during Avacyn's imprisonment, resulting in the Lunarch's death.

* ButtMonkey: Geralf verges on this.
* FallenPrincess: Both of them were once nobles.
* {{Necromancer}}: Both of them, though Gisa is more traditional BlackMagic using one.
* SiblingRivalry
* TheSociopath: Both seem to lack empathy, though Geralf fits the model more closely, what with his egomania and so.

'''Mikaeus The Lunarch'''

The chief of Avacyn's church. Killed by Geralf and made a zombie.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: He is reanimated as a zombie in ''Dark Ascension''.
* CrisisOfFaith: When Avacyn disappears. He has no idea what to do.
* HighPriest
* SaveYourDeity: Considered, and ultimately {{averted}}--he decides to cover up Avacyn's disappearance and keep the Helvault intact to prevent the demons from escaping.

'''Edgar Markov'''

Sorin's grandfather, the world's first vampire, who made a pact with a demon in other to achieve immortality for him and his grandson. Unfortunately, Sorin was traumatized, and feeling guilty over the actions his vampire brethren inflicted on Innistrad's humans, Edgar's grandson created Avacyn, ensuring vampires would be pushed back. This made Edgar bitter, and to this day Sorin is not welcome in the family manor.

* BigBad: Creative introduced him as such in commentaries. So far, he [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything has done very little, if anything, to warrant such a reputation.]]
* DealWithTheDevil
* ImmortalitySeeker: The reason why he became a vampire.
* MonsterProgenitor: He is the first vampire in Innistrad. His grandson Sorin is the second.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: As mentioned, he doesn't do much.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: They're not undead and they're the result of demonic magic.

'''Thalia'''

A young Cathar rapidly rising in the ranks as humanity's defenses crumble, Thalia has become the new Guardian of Thraben in the wake of her mentor Mikaeus's death, and seems to be the last human to lead the fight against the ever-growing power of Innistrad's monsters.

* BadassNormal: Thalia's not a mage or divinely empowered, but you have to be a badass to still be fighting with the Cathars at this point in Innistrad's history.
* {{Determinator}}: Steadfastly refuses to give up in the face of increasingly hopeless odds.
* KillItWithFire: Her orders to evacuate the outer ring of Thraben and pull down all the thatch available in the face of a ZombieApocalypse convince most of the soldiers she's lost her wits, but she proceeds to nearly kill Geralf and Gisa's entire army with a single match.
* LadyOfWar: Very pretty, and her First Strike ability and low toughness indicates she fights more with her wits and finesse than brute strength.
* SadisticChoice: [[spoiler:Break the Helvault, betraying your final duty and risking whatever disaster Mikaeus wanted to avert, or watch her comrades get eaten alive by Liliana's ghouls? Thankfully giving in to Liliana's demands and destroying the Helvault [[NiceJobFixingItVillain may well have saved humanity from extinction.]]]]

'''Griselbrand'''

One of the demon lords of Innistrad, object of worship by the Skirsdag cult, and one of the demons who claims ownership of Liliana's soul. He is the quarry Liliana has come to the plane to fight against...but nobody can seem to figure out where he is. Griselbrand was trapped in the Helvault along with Avacyn after his gambit to release the demons within and/or trap Avacyn forever went sour. When the Helvault shattered, Griselbrand escaped and quietly retreated to bide his time for future mischief. Unfortunately for him, Liliana followed him.

* BigBad: Ultimately the one directly responsible for the events of the ''Innistrad'' block.
* [[spoiler:DroppedABridgeOnHim: Before ''Avacyn Restored'' even came out, it was revealed that Griselbrand is killed shortly after his release by Liliana.]]
* DealWithTheDevil: His card's ability. You can get yourself a nice new hand of cards. And you don't even have to throw away your current hand! All it'll cost you is seven life.
* KilledOffForReal: By Liliana.
* SealedEvilInADuel
* SmugSnake: His arrogance is mentioned repeatedly in the fluff, but things don't really go the way he planned. [[spoiler:It's mentioned he underestimated Liliana quite a lot before she destroyed him easily with the Chain Veil.]]
* TheChessmaster: He had an elaborate plan to defeat the angels and bring the demons to power. [[spoiler: His death has set the scheme back a bit.]]
* VillainExitStageLeft: He knows better than to stick around when Avacyn's heavenly host gathers and divine magic goes into overdrive, but [[spoiler:escaping his doomed plan doesn't save him from Liliana...]]
* WeWillMeetAgain: [[spoiler:[[DroppedABridgeOnHim Or not.]]]]

'''Withengar'''

A powerful demon lord who was sealed in a magical blade called Elbrus. He is infamous for killing Saint Traft.

* ArtifactOfDoom: He's sealed inside Elbrus, the Binding Blade.
* DarkIsEvil: Like all of ''Magic'''s demons, Withengar is made of pure black mana.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Take a look at his card art.
* SealedEvilInACan: Withengar can't die, but he can be trapped inside of a magic knife called Elbrus. He was stuck in there for a very long time.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Originally, Withengar's art was going to depict him as being much smaller and [[http://deschampsart.blogspot.com/2012/02/withengar-unbound-elbrus-binding-blade.html missing a finger]], which was supposed to have been the blade that he was sealed in. When the artist, Eric Deschamps, was told to redraw Withengar so that he was as big as a building, Withengar's fingers were much larger than knives, so Deschamps drew Withengar without any missing fingers and redrew the blade.

'''Olivia Voldaren'''

Current head of the Voldaren vampire family. Most vampires agree that she throws the best parties.

* AGlassOfChianti
* DoesNotLikeShoes
* PowerFloats
* PunyHumans
--> ''"I have seen a hundred mortal families rise and fall. I shall outlast a thousand more."''
* VampiresOwnNightClubs: Or at least its gothic horror variety.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Colors]]

'''White'''

White is the color of [[LightEmUp light]], law, and [[HolyHandGrenade holy magic]]. It specializes in various forms of healing and protection (such as gaining life, preventing damage, and boosting creatures' toughness scores), efficient small creatures that reinforce each other, and abilities that dictate the flow of combat. White is chivalrous: rather than kill directly, it prefers to disable non-combative foes with spells like [[http://magiccards.info/som/en/2.html Arrest]] and [[http://magiccards.info/arc/en/3.html Oblivion Ring]], but has no qualms about killing creatures during the combat phase, as seen in cards like [[http://magiccards.info/m10/en/8.html Divine Verdict]] and [[http://magiccards.info/10e/en/8.html Ballista Squad]], or using occasional mass destruction to wipe the slate clean equally. Read more about white [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr57 here]].

* ApocalypseHow: Armageddon, Wrath Of God, Balance, Final Judgement. While such outright killing is generally outside White's philosophy these effects are acceptable because they create order by clearing away all those messy living things.
** ApocalypseWow: Wrath Of God is one of the most iconic cards in Magic, partially because of its effect (Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.) and partially because of its artwork (a giant white sun crashing into the earth and obliterating EVERYTHING)
* AbsoluteXenophobe: White can become this in theory. See Fantastic Racism and All The Other Reindeer below.
* AllTheOtherReindeer: White is the color of conformity, and doesn't care for those that are different unless they try to fit in.
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Why White characters sometimes go KnightTemplar. It's the colour that least recognises moral complexity.
* CombatMedic
* DishingOutDirt: Along with Red, it's the colour that most promeniently makes use of earth magic. Indeed when not focusing on [[LightEmUp light]], all of White's elemental spells usually center around dirt, sand, marble or [[TakenForGranite petrification]].
* EvilTwin: With Black
* FantasticRacism: White is the color that most often rewards the use of its own color, often flavored as white looking out for its own kind and being intolerant of differences.
* {{Flight}}: With blue.
** FeatheredFiend: Because of this, it is, after Blue, the colour with the most amount of birds. Villainous Aven like Kirtar from the ''Mirari Saga'' have so far been only White, and New Phyrexia's birds are also White.
* TheFettered: Comes with the territory of law and order.
* HealingHands: White shares the ability to gain life with green.
* HolyHandGrenade
* HumanoidAbomination: Opposed to Black's own [[EldritchAbomination eldritch things]], as part of their motiff of opposition. Angels, specially in later settings like Zendikar and Bant, are portrayed as alien to mortal races and quite detached (not to mention that they are actually manifestations of pure White mana). Archons are essencially [[TheLordOfTheRings nazgul]] that are [[KnightTemplar extremistic]] instead of immoral.
* IdealHero: When white is a hero, it's this.
** LightIsGood: Although lately its more [[KnightTemplar negative aspects]] have been more prevalent, in order to keep the balance with the number of protagonists/villains in other colours.
* KnightTemplar
* LightIsNotGood: While white is pretty consistent in regards to OrderVsChaos (Order, of course), it's fallen on different ends of the GoodVsEvil divide through ''Magic'''s history.
* LightEmUp
* MadeOfIron: See Stone Wall.
* MoralSociopathy: At it's worst; it is always moral, but being an enemy of Red, the colour of emotions, means that, at its purest, it has no empathy. Indeed, some pure White creatures, like Angels, sometimes appear rather robotic, following their duties at the expense of everything else.
* MyRulesAreNotYourRules[=/=]ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: White is the color of Law, so it likes there to be rules, but it has no problem applying its rule magic unevenly.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: White, being the colour of order, can be this at its worst.
* NoCureForEvil: Averted with White characters that are evil, although curiously most White villains so far didn't had an explicit specialisation in healing magic.
* OmnicidalManiac: The infamous [[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Wrath_effect Wrath effect spells]], of which the vast majority are White. Several cards like Magus of the Disk show that this goes deep in White's idealogy as well; ultimate order is death, after all.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: They are medium-sized to large flying creatures.
* PureAwesomeness: Shown on Awe Strike. Like Blue's Awesome Presence, it's a serious take on the idea of Pure Awesomeness.
* PurpleIsTheNewBlack: Inverted; some White cards have artwork that shows White mana spells as purple (most notable with the Zubera cycle of Kamigawa, where the [[http://magiccards.info/chk/en/45.html White aligned Zubera]] has purple mana orbs around it while the [[http://magiccards.info/chk/en/101.html Black aligned Zubera]] has [[{{Irony}} white]] ones). [[FridgeBrilliance Makes sense]] since violet light is the most intense light in the visible spectrum.
* StoneWall: White has a long history of tough creatures with low power.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: White believes that freedom leads only to actions in destruction and self-interest. Blue has this as a prominent theme and there are shades of it in Green.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: With Green and, sometimes, Red.
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Its symbol.
* {{Pride}}
* RocksFallEverybodyDies: White prefers to delay any threat, but when it decides to kill something then it kills ''everything''.
* RulesLawyer: White ''is'' the color of bureaucracy, so of course white has the most bureaucracy.

'''Blue'''

Blue is associated with knowledge, illusion, and mental magic. Its specialties are [[AntiMagic countermagic]], drawing cards, and delaying your opponent by forcing them to replay or redraw the same cards, or skipping phases or whole turns. Because of its careful, analytical approach, blue is often reactive, and rarely rushes directly into the fray. Accordingly, its creatures tend to sacrifice brute force in favor of abilities like flying that allow them to gain an advantage in other ways. Read more about blue [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr84 here]].

* AboveGoodAndEvil: Being blue often involves ignoring conventional morality in pursuit of knowledge.
* AnIcePerson
* BlowYouAway
* EvilGenius: A blue villain is generally this.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Blue at its worst.
* {{Flight}}: With white.
* ForScience

* KrakenAndLeviathan: Blue gets some efficient creatures at the high end of the scale, but it isn't known for its mana acceleration, and leviathans in particular typically come with very inconvenient disadvantages.
* LackOfEmpathy: The darker side of blue can be sociopathic; while other colors can at least grasp sadism or extremist insanity, Blue at its worst just doesn't give a damn about anyone.
* MasterOfIllusion: Some illusion creatures are unusually powerful, but have drawbacks to represent their unreality like returning themselves to your hand after each fight, or being sent to the graveyard if any spell or ability even ''targets'' one of them.
* MakingASplash
* MindOverMatter: Many of its tapping, stealing, and other manipulation effects are depicted as forms of mind control.
* MindRape: Blue's milling ability is often flavored as erasing memories.
* NoSell: Counterspell and it's legacy. When a player's spell is countered, throwing the card away is a common response.
* TheMole: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=15168 This]] [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=159749 combo]].
* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: Blue is the only color that can consistently interact with spells on the stack. It's a bit jarring to many players, as most interactions happen with permanents already on the battlefield.
* PureAwesomeness: Awesome Presence seems to display this.
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue Oni
* ScienceHero
* TheSociopath: At its worst.
* TheSpock
* TheSmartGuy
* SmugSnake: Blue villains tend to hit this ''way'' harder than other colors, from [[MagicTheGathering/OdysseyCycle Ambassador Laquatus]] to [[MagicTheGathering/KamigawaCycle the Soratami]] to [[MagicTheGathering/RavnicaCycle Zomaj Hauc]]...
* TimeMaster: Blue has more powers with time than anyone.
* TheUnfettered: Actually more so than any other colour; even Black tends to have empathy (even if twisted into sadism), while Blue is completely divorced from such "petty" emotions.

'''Black'''

Black's goal is power, no matter the cost--black will do anything to win, even if it means sacrificing its own creatures or HitPoints to power its spells. Black specializes in death and decay; its power over death makes it excellent at both killing creatures and [[TheNecromancer raising them from the dead to fight again]]. It's also the best color at attacking the opponent's hand through MindRape-styled discard effects, and offers Faustian bargains of powerful creatures and effects that match or exceed other colors' specialties, if you don't mind paying for the difference with something other than mana. Learn more about black [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr109 here]].

* AboveGoodAndEvil: Being black means abandoning morality in the pursuit of power.
* ApeShallNeverKillApe: A lot of black creature removal will destroy a creature, but only if it isn't black. Not that black actually cares about its own - it's just that black creatures are often impervious to the insanity, horror, and disease it uses to do its work.
* ByronicHero: What black may be when it steps into the light.
* BodyHorror: Anything with "[[CastFromHitpoints Pay X life]]..." in it, anything Yawgmoth does, a lot of the black auras.
* CastFromHitPoints: Every color gets some, but it's black's specialty.
* CastingAShadow
* ColdBloodedTorture
* DarkIsNotEvil: While Black has many villains in its name, and is inherently ruthless, it has also some positive traits and a few characters to embody them.
* DealWithTheDevil: Yawgmoth's Bargain, Necropotence, Greed, Contract From Below, and so on.
* EldritchAbomination: Usually under the creature type "Horror" and "Nightmare".
* EquivalentExchange: Shown on many cards, in particular those like Sign In Blood.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: An arguable example, but "personifying" Black in certain Wizards articles suggests that Black cannot honestly believe that anyone thinks differently than it does, defending its amorality with AtLeastIAdmitIt. White seems especially hypocritical to Black because Black is certain that nothing could ''really'' be that dedicated to altruism.
* FaceHeelTurn: If a coalition of different-color characters is present.
* {{Greed}} and {{Envy}}: Greed is in fact a card.
* JackofAllStats: While White and Green has the best creatures and Red and Blue has the best spells, Black is the most balanced color in both aspects, though this [[CastFromHitPoints also has its price]].
* MindRape: Any "discard" card or "cap" effect.
* NominalHero: Black may help you, if you make it worth its while.
* NoSell: Black is the color of death, corruption and fear, so it's abilities usually fail against other black creatures who are already dead or corrupt, or artifact creatures who were never alive to begin with.
* TheNecromancer
* PoisonousPerson (along with green)
* PowerAtAPrice: Black's specialty, whether it be discarding cards, paying life, or sacrificing creatures.
* PowerOfTheVoid: See the cards Damnation and Doom Blade.
* ReligionOfEvil: Many black cards, while not always [[DarkIsNotEvil evil]], certainly look the part.
* TheSacredDarkness: A stretch, considering that Black mana is all about corruption, but it is generally agreed that it is necessary for a natural plane to be stable (Alara could afford its absence in some shards due to the unique nature of the plane).
* SoulPower
* SwampsAreEvil: Black draws power from the festering decay of swamplands. But again, see DarkIsNotEvil.
* TheUnfettered: As part of the opposite of white, where white establishes concepts of "right" and "wrong", black [[AboveGoodAndEvil rejects]] those notions in its quest for power.
* UriahGambit: "Sacrifice a creature" effects, along with creatures with disabilities that hurt you.
* WhatIsEvil: Black is the colour mostly inclined towards moral relativism.

'''Red'''

Red is the color of chaos, passion, and emotion. It's aligned with the elements of [[PlayingWithFire fire]], [[DishingOutDirt earth]], and [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], and it specializes in direct damage and the destruction of all things material. Red lives in the moment and rarely considers the future consequences of its actions; this theme is frequently shown through powerful but temporary advantages such as [[http://magiccards.info/10e/en/242.html Threaten]] and [[http://magiccards.info/m10/en/125.html Ball Lightning]], with creatures that aren't always quite controllable once they hit the field, and with excessive bursts of mana or effects that destroy your lands in return for immediate power. Red is designed to play aggressively and win quickly, and is in danger of stalling out if it doesn't maintain the initiative. Learn more about red [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr133 here]].

* ApocalypseHow: Decree Of Annihilation, Disaster Radius.
* BeYourself: Red is the color of unbridled self expression.
* BreathOfFire: "Firebreathing" is a common ability where you spend red mana to pump up a creature's power. Naturally, red dragons are the most fire-prone.
* DishingOutDirt (along with green)
* DragonRider
* DontThinkFeel: Part of its opposition to blue. In fact, overthinking and second-guessing yourself can be a serious flaw when playing red.
* FireIsRed: Though, to be fair, as in most other spells, Red spells don't necessarily have the same colour as the colour itself, and some fire spell artwork has apropriate orange or gold flames.
* ForTheEvulz: Red doesn't tend to do plans, so at its worst it often produces motiveless evil. Red villains are more likely to be evil, destructive, or sadistic just because it's fun than black ones.
* GlassCannon: In contrast to White's stonewall tactics, Red creatures either have high power and low toughness or ways to buff only their power to make creatures this.
* GreatBallsOfFire: ''Blaze'' and ''Fireball'' are the best examples.
* HotBlooded
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: WordOfGod is that dragons are the most popular creature type in the game, and each block ''will'' ensure red gets at least one, even in settings like Ravnica (where dragons are supposed to be extinct) or Innistrad (where dragons just don't fit with Gothic horror). On top of that, red's dragons get a "dragon discount": they're slightly cheaper than a red flying creature normally should be.
* KillItWithFire: Cards such as [[http://magiccards.info/ia/en/194.html Incinerate]], [[http://magiccards.info/be/en/142.html Disintegrate]], and [[http://magiccards.info/in/en/164.html Scorching Lava]] prevent the burnt creature from regenerating, representing the flavor of burning the body to prevent it from healing.
* LeeroyJenkins: Red has the majority of creatures with the "cannot block" and "attacks each turn if able" abilities, and a variety of other effects like [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/157.html Lust for War]] that force creatures to charge recklessly into battle.
* LightEmUp[=/=]FrickinLaserBeams: Although White has domain over light, some Red spells involve piercing the enemies with beams of light, most notably [[http://magiccards.info/cmd/en/116.html Cleansing Beam]].
* {{Lust}} and {{Wrath}}
* MagmaMan
* TheMcCoy
* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: Every set brings a new take on goblins, though you can usually count on them being self-destructively insane little buggers.
* PlayingWithFire
* RedOnesGoFaster: Red cards and decks tend to move quickly and are generally faster than the other colors.
* RedOniBlueOni: Red Oni.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Red never respects laws. It becomes this when it's the good guy.
* ShockAndAwe
* StuffBlowingUp: ''[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?name=Kaboom! Kaboom!]]''
* SuperSpeed: Follows from Red's emphasis on freedom. Seen on cards such as Burst Of Speed and Accelerate.
* ThePowerOfHate
* ThePowerOfLove: Love, like all emotions, is Red in nature. Unfortunately, given that love is nigh impossible to be mechanically manifested, such cases are exclusive to flavor.
* TheUnfettered: Red will feel what it wants to feel and act how it wants to act.
* ThirstyDesert: Especially in ''Arabian Nights''.

'''Green'''

Green magic represents [[GreenThumb nature]]. Thanks to its mastery of life and growth, Green is the best color at creating swarms of token creatures, and its creatures tend to be bigger than those of other colors for the same cost, especially at the higher end of the scale. Green also has the ability to boost the size of its creatures, both temporarily and permanently, and is the best color at generating extra mana in the long term, often by playing additional lands. It has become the second-best color at card drawing, representing a growth of the mind to match the body. Green magic is rarely subtle and often relies on brute force - while it's perfectly willing to destroy the opponent's artifacts, enchantments, and lands, Green preferred means of dealing with opposing creatures is to outmatch them in combat [[IncrediblyLamePun as nature intended]]. Learn more about green [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr43 here]].

* AntiAir: Many. Very many. Good examples are Hurricane and Giant Spider (it has Reach, which lets it block fliers without having flying). Green creature removals usually only attack flyers.
* AntiCavalry: Appears on Trip Line. Antiquated by the static ability Horsemanship disappearing.
* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: One of green's trademarks is the absurdly large creature, whether large to begin with or magically pumped up that way.
* TheBeastMaster
* BigCreepyCrawlies: See Attack Of The 50-Foot Whatever. Green shares this with Black.
* BlowYouAway: Although air is technically Blue's domain, [[WindIsGreen Green wind spells]] are common. See AntiAir above.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower
* DishingOutDirt (along with red)
* DontThinkFeel: Part of its opposition to blue, green strategies are often about pure smashing, with little in the way of trickery or manipulation.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Green is the domain of dangerous, hostile places like forests and jungles.
* FertileFeet
* [[GaiasLament Gaea's Lament]]
* [[GaiasVengeance Gaea's Vengeance]]
* [[VillainousGlutton Gluttony]]
* GreenThumb: Druids always have abilities that either generate mana or improve the use and number of your lands. Common green spells pull lands right out of your deck and into your hand or onto the field.
* HealingHands: Green shares the ability to gain life with White.
* HungryJungle
* InHarmonyWithNature: Many green healing and card-drawing spells are depicted this way.
* LuddWasRight
* MakeMyMonsterGrow: One of green's favorite abilities.
* MotherNature
* NatureHero
* NatureisNotNice: There are many cards that reflect the lifegiving and nurturing facet of Mother Nature. There are also many cards that reflect Mother Nature's brutality.
* NoCureForEvil: Like in White, some Green characters with healing powers can be evil.
* PoisonousPerson (along with black)
* ScienceIsBad: And thus, Green gets a lot of anti-artifact spells.
* SuperStrength: Green has many terrifyingly large creatures, following from it's emphasis on growth.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: With White and arguably, Red.
* TheSocialDarwinist: At its worst.
* TrainingFromHell: It's not unusual for green creatures to be permanently toughened up by getting hurt first.
* ThatsNoMoon: Green is in love with the idea of land animation.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Planeswalkers: Pre-Mending]]

Regardless of whether it happened before or after the mending, the way in which a being becomes a Planeswalker is the same. Whenever a sentient being is born, there is a one in one million chance of it being born with "The Spark"--that is, the Planeswalker spark. And even then, the odds of that being triggering their ascension is also one in a million. The Spark is ignited typically in one of three ways--a near-death experience, situations of immeasurable psychological strain, or extremely deep meditation. These old-style Planeswalkers had powers comparable to most gods; they could travel to other realities with no more than a moment's concentration, they can take on any appearance they desire (though most choose to look the same as they did when they ascended), will not age or die of natural causes, no longer need to eat or sleep, and in a few cases, create their own artificial plane (and live there and practically be worshipped ''as'' gods).

'''Urza'''

One of the oldest and most powerful planeswalkers in the multiverse, the artificer Urza was first seen as a mortal in the ''Antiquities'' expansion, where he fought a bitter war against his fellow artificer and brother, Mishra. The disastrous war eventually led to the destruction of most of the continent, Mishra's death, Urza's ascension (after detonating the Golgothian Sylex, annihilating most of a continent and starting a millennia-long ice age), and the release of the lock that [[SealedEvilInACan was keeping Phyrexia sealed away from Dominaria]].\\
\\
Urza, recognizing the threat of Phyrexia and blaming them for the corruption and death of his brother, began a crusade to purge them from the multiverse. His campaign spanned millennia, eventually culminating in the ''Weatherlight'' saga and the Dominarian Apocalypse.\\
\\
He eventually died, victorious at last, at the end of ''Apocalypse''.

* AntiHero: He causes multiple cataclysmic magical disasters that completely destroy major landmasses, creates a eugenics program to breed super-soldiers, and is an overall ManipulativeBastard who gets regular WhatTheHellHero moments. If Yawgmoth hadn't been set as the villain from the beginning, he could be a VillainProtagonist.
* ArchNemesis: First Mishra, and then Yawgmoth.
* BadassGrandpa
* BigGood: In the sense of leading the good guys, at least. Urza was not a [[{{Jerkass}} nice man]].
* BlindSeer: Used as a disguise.
* ByronicHero
* CainAndAbel: The conflict with his brother Mishra got a little out of control.
* TheChessmaster: Combine this with his GoodIsNotNice traits seen below, most of his gambits are only "good" because they're being used to fight Phyrexia.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:He betrays his fellow planeswalkers and gives in to Yawgmoth once he has reached Phyrexia.]]
* GadgeteerGenius

* TheSocialDarwinist: His Magic 2013 portrayal.
* TookALevelInJerkass: He started out as NotGoodWithPeople, but during ''Magic 2013'', he became a SocialDarwinist.

* FoeYay: With Chandra.

* FoeYay: With Jace. Even more so with Gideon.

* LightIsNotGood: Both figuratively and literally. They've always been violently militaristic and sometimes even opressive, but their current leader Aurelia has gone so utterly nuts that the Boros completly lost support from the masses. In addition, their magic is more offensive than that of other White aligned guilds.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Their means to prevent guild warfare? [[HypocritalHumour Creating guild warfare]].

* HeWhoFightsMosters: Their means to prevent guild warfare? [[HypocritalHumor Creating guild warfare]].

* KnightTemplar

* ReadTheFinePrint: As expected from TheMafia. See [[http://magiccards.info/gtc/en/161.html this]] and [[http://magiccards.info/gtc/en/220.html this]].

* MadScientist: Yes, but the Izzet don't quite fit the archetype. For one, as below, Izzet really only like blowing stuff up and knowledge. Unlike the archetype, they don't creature unnatural monstrosities (with the exception of the Weirds, which are themselves basically just pure energy inside an envelope or bubble, not organic).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite Dark Ascension focusing on his return to Innistrad to uncover the fate of Avacyn, the angel he created to protect the humans, when Avacyn Restored rolled around there was no mention of Sorin or his reaction to the entire affair. Averted in the comics, however, where he enters in a series of shenigans with Dack Fayden.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite Dark Ascension focusing on his return to Innistrad to uncover the fate of Avacyn, the angel he created to protect the humans, when Avacyn Restored rolled around there was no mention of Sorin or his reaction to the entire affair.

* TheBeautifulElite: In every novel she has appeared in, there has been at least one passage describing just how ludicrously attractive she is.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:Her efforts to free Griselbrand to kill him also frees Avacyn, Innistrad's Guardian Angel. Although Liliana doesn't live in Innistrad, so she doesn't really care]].

* SadisticChoice: Liliana of the Veil's ultimate ability, which splits all the opponent's permanents into two piles and forces them to choose which pile lives and which pile dies.

* {{Expy}}: Of Jaya Ballard. Chandra was implied to have been ''trained'' by Jaya from an early age, so her acting basically just like Jaya should be no surprise. Jaya is, after all, known to rub off on people who hang around her too long - including Archmage Jodah, who lamented that her influence was making him as reckless as she was.

* TheBeastmaster

--> ''"I have seen a hundred mortal families rise and fall. I shall outlast a thousand more." — Olivia Voldaren''

* DarkIsEvil: The vast majority of black creatures are, in fact, evil. Either that or mindless.

* TheChewToy