History Characters / MagicTheGathering

[[/index]]

* [[Planes/MagicTheGathering Planes]]

* [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringPlaneswalkers Planeswalkers]]

[[/index]]

* [[MagicTheGathering/FactionTropes Factions]]

For entire factions and planes, see MagicTheGathering/FactionTropes.

The character sheet for ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''... or at least the sheet for all those puny non-planeswalkers.

!!Other characters:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Phyrexia, Rath, and Mirrodin]]
!!Old Phyrexia

'''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 an EmpoweredBadassNormal.
* 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'' RoguesGallery.
* 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
* {{Cthulhumanoid}}: The artwork for [[http://magiccards.info/ud/en/75.html Yawgmoth's Bargain]] hints that Yawgmoth at least has elements of one.
* 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
* 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 known being in the Multiverse, he resents planeswalkers 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
* MadScientist
* 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
* RedBaron: "The Father of Machines", "the Ineffable".
* 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.
* WickedCultured
* 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

'''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.

!!Rath

'''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. Yawgmoth's agents stoked his newfound enmity of Gerrard and made him Volrath, evincar 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.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Volrath was built up as the ultimate villain of the ''Weatherlight'' Saga... until ''Urza's Destiny'', when we find out that Rath is just one part in Yawgmoth's plans.
* 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 Windgrace'''

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]].

'''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
* TheCameo: She is depicted briefly in ''Urza's Saga'' as one of Serra's angels who was captured and tortured by the Phyrexians, explaining how she fell in the first place.
* 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

'''Memnarch'''

When Karn (see below) created the artificial plane of Argentum, he transfigured the powerful artifact called the Mirari into a thinking construct he named Memnarch, and charged his creation with guarding the plane of his absence. However, Memnarch was corrupted by a trace of Phyrexian oil accidentally left behind by Karn and shut his creator out of the plane. Memnarch abducted countless creatures from other planes, turning the sterile Argentum into the thriving metal ecosystem of Mirrodin in his mad search to gain a planeswalker spark. He was ultimately defeated by Glissa and her companions, allowing Karn to return to Mirrodin.

Karn transformed Memnarch back into the Mirari and entrusted it to Glissa, Slobad, and Geth. With Slobad's death and Glissa and Geth's betrayal of Mirrodin, the Mirari's whereabouts are now unknown.

* 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
* GodGuise: He was worshiped as a god by Mirrodin's vedalken.
* MadScientist
* {{Technopath}}[=/=]TheAssimilator: His special abilities are the abilities to convert permanents into artifacts and then take control of them.

'''Raksha Golden Cub'''

The ''kha'' (ruler) of the leonin, the lion-like humanoids of Mirrodin's Razor Fields. Raksha helped Glissa in the battle against Memnarch. After Memnarch's defeat, he was sent back to the plane from which Memnarch originally plucked him along with the rest of the older leonin, leaving the younger generations (who were born on Mirrodin) leaderless.

In Raksha's absence, [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=!Kemba%2C+Kha+Regent Kemba]] took up regency of the leonin, causing a civil war that weakened them in the war against New Phyrexia.

* {{Badass}}
* TheHero
* KingOfBeasts
* TheLeader: Of the leonin faction.
* MrFanservice
* PantheraAwesome
* SupportingLeader: He's one of the most important people in Mirrodin in-universe, but Glissa is the main protagonist of the storyline, not him.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: He wears shoulder and arms protection, but leaves his chest exposed.

!!New Phyrexia

'''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 name that means "monarch", and Norns are female characters in Norse mythology who rule the destiny of gods and men. It suits her HighPriest position rather well.
* MoralSociopathy: All Phyrexians think that their terror-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]].
* PrinciplesZealot
* ReligionOfEvil: The Machine Orthodoxy.
* SinisterMinister
* 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.

* AntiVillain
* 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).
* RedIsHeroic: Not heroic per se, but he is defenitely the least malevolent 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...well, not compassion per se, but at least empathy. He's betraying the rest of the Phyrexians (that is, betraying them for 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. It's mostly a case of him thinking the Mirrans are merely misguided, not abominable, and that he has bigger priorities whenever they're not actively sabotaging the Great Furnace.

'''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 Memnarch.
* TheDragon: To Vorinclex.
** DragonInChief
* FaceHeelTurn
* FallenHero
* LukeNounverber
* OurElvesAreBetter
* TragicVillain
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Can they do anything to make the poor elf's existence any more outright soul-crushing? [[spoiler:Her family is violently killed by little automated thresher machines. She endures a great many difficulties in collecting the Macguffins of Power only to have them turned on her almost immediately by the BigBad. Her HeroicSacrifice lets Slobad save the people of the world, transporting those who were abducted from other planes back to their original planes... including every one of Glissa's friends (except Slobad) and her only surviving family member, but not her, ensuring her heroism is forgotten by everyone else. When she gets back, she's blamed for everything bad that happened in the last several years before being corrupted by Phyrexian oil and turned into a powerful enemy of the same world she'd worked so hard to save.]]

!!The Mirran Resistance

'''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]]

[[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 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 a simulacrum of Yawgmoth's.]]
* 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.
* SmugSnake
* 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]]

[[folder: Other Weatherlight Saga Characters]]
'''Mishra'''

Urza's brother, born on the last day of the year Urza was born (Urza being born on the first day). They fought over possession of a stone.

* AndIMustScream: His status in the seventh sphere of Phyrexia. Of course, if Yawgmoth wasn't just tricking Urza.
* CainAndAbel: With Urza
* GadgeteerGenius
* IronicHell: If Yawgmoth is to be believed, he's in Phyrexia being tortured for using Phyrexian technology.
* ThatsNoMoon: The first land to be animated on its own bears his name.
* TragicVillain

'''Radiant, Archangel'''

An Archangel from Serra's Realm, she was left in charge after her master left due to the phyrexian taint. Over time, she became more and more ruthless, even turning against loyal subjects in her attempts to protect her master's dying realm.

* AxCrazy
* [[HeWhoFightsMonsters She Who Fights Monsters]]: Called on it by Urza.
* KnightTemplar
* LightIsNotGood
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: ''"I am the mad one!"''
* TragicVillain: Left to secure an entire plane collapsing on all sides from it's cowardly creator's absence and from the invasion of the most horrendous possible enemy, it's no wonder she went cuckoo.
* WellIntentionedExtremist

'''Multani, Maro-Sorcerer'''

'''Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary'''

'''Barrin, Master Wizard'''

'''Rayne, Academy Chancellor'''

'''Maraxus of Keld'''
* StarterVillain: He's the first antagonist in the very long Weatherlight Saga.

'''Oracle ''en''-Vec'''

'''Eladamri, Lord of Leaves'''

'''Cho-Manno, Revolutionary'''

'''Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero'''

'''Darigaaz, the Igniter'''
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mirari Saga]]
'''Kamahl, Pit Fighter / Kamahl, Fist of Krosa'''

'''Jeska, Warrior Adept / Phage the Untouchable'''

'''Balthor the Stout / Balthor the Defiled'''

'''Cabal Patriarch'''

'''Braids, Cabal Minion'''

'''Chainer, Dementia Master'''

'''Aboshan and Llawan, Cephalid Emperor and Empress'''

'''Ambassador Laquatus'''

'''Pianna, Nomad Captain'''

'''Major Teroh'''

'''Lieutenant Kirtar'''

'''Commander Eesha'''

'''Seton, Krosan Protector'''

'''Thriss, Nantuko Primus'''

'''Ixidor, Reality Sculptor'''

Formerly a colliseum participant in Otaria together with his wife, Nivea. The two of them faced off with Phage in the tournament, resulting in Nivea's death and Ixidor's exile. He later discovered that he could transform his fantasies into reality, and thus used it to create Akroma and wage war against Phage.

* RealityWarper: What do you expect when his title is ''Reality Sculptor''?
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Against Phage, using Akroma.

'''Akroma, Angel of Wrath'''

An angel created by Ixidor in order to avenge his wife's death at the hands of Phage the Untouchable. One of the main characters in ''Onslaught'' block.

* BadassCreed: ''"No rest. No mercy. No matter what."''
* {{Determinator}}
* AGodAmI: After Ixidor's death, she starts her own religion.
* FusionDance: With Phage and Zagorka, to make Karona.
* KnightTemplar: From her point of view, everything is good when done against Phage.
* LightIsNotGood
* MarySue: An in-universe example. She was created by Ixidor as an idealized homage to his dead lover, and existed primarily to lay waste to his enemies.
* MeaningfulName: "Akroma". Or, "a-chroma"--"no colors". An object is white if it reflects away all colors.
* MoralSociopathy: Only really cares about the fall of Phage. While the goal is good, the methods not only aren't, but she also doesn't really care about anybody or anything other than her creator.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Angel of Wrath." Would YOU stick around to piss off someone named "Angel of Wrath?"
* OurAngelsAreDifferent
* ReplacementGoldfish
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Hence the epithet "Angel of Wrath".
* WeCanRebuildHim: Akroma loses both her legs after a particularly nasty brawl with Phage. Ixidor replaces them with the lower body of a panther. (This is not reflected in the card art.)

'''Karona, False God'''
[[/folder]]

[[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]]

[[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 so he could personally ensure that Eiganjo would last forever, 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. He manipulated Konda into taking a piece of O-Kagachi as part of a plot to gain more jurisdiction than just a few moon phases.

* 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: 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 by Liliana.

* 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. Yet.]]
* 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: Miscellaneous Non-Planeswalkers]]

'''Jodah'''

Also called Archmage Eternal, due to his longevity. He fell into a FountainOfYouth when he was young, causing him to age [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld very, very slowly]]. He was also a mentor to Jaya Ballard.

* MagicMirror: From Freyalise. This is the same mirror which he uses to ignite Jaya's spark.
* MySkullRunnethOver: And thus he has a magical trinket that he periodically uses to store some of his memories.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Of course.

'''The Eldrazi Titans'''

[[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/4.html Emrakul]], [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/6.html Kozilek]], and [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/12.html Ulamog]] are the three progenitors of the EldritchAbomination Eldrazi race. They were [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] in Zendikar for eons, but the events of ''Rise of the Eldrazi'' released them to [[PlanetEater devour planes]] once more.

* BiggerIsBetter: The ''entire'' logic behind ''Rise of the Eldrazi''; the cheapest Eldrazi costs seven mana.
* CursedWithAwesome: The ability that shuffle your graveyard back into your library when they die also shuts down cards like [[http://magiccards.info/arc/en/29.html Zombify]] that would help you cheat them into play sooner. Simultaneously, unlike other "Shuffle back into deck" cards, this one lets you reuse some cards (after some time) and makes it much more difficult for mill decks to defeat you.
* DaylightHorror
* EldritchAbomination
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Signature of Kozilek and its brood lineage.
* FaceHeelTurn: [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=198171 It That Betrays]] is called that for a reason.
* FloatingContinent: Emrakul is one.
* MindRape: Their mere presence can cause insanity, if you aren't ripped to shreds by the warped reality around them. And of course, there are always [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/115.html more active methods]].
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: They spawn lots of brood lineage.
* NighInvulnerable: Emrakul is [[AntiMagic immune to most colored magic]]. Ulamog is indestructible. Kozilek doesn't have any comparable protection ability, but 12 toughness is pretty hefty anyway. And of course, they shuffle back into your deck when they die...
* NonElemental: They're above such worldly concepts as the colors of mana.
* OutsideContextVillain
* [[PlanetEater Plane Eater]]
* SealedEvilInACan: The Eldrazi were locked away on Zendikar by a trio of planeswalkers.
* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: Worshipped as gods by the natives of Zendikar. Before they knew its true nature of course.
* WalkingWasteland: Their mere presence warps and destroys everything around them, as illustrated quite nicely in [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/1.html All Is Dust]] and [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/141.html Disaster Radius]]. [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/84 This story]] particularly describes Emrakul's [[WorldWreckingWave world-wrecking]] capability.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Signature of Ulamog and its brood.
* WorldWreckingWave: They can do this. Seen in [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/1.html All Is Dust]] and [[http://magiccards.info/roe/en/100.html Consume the Meek]].

[[/folder]]

----

** BadassNormal: When he was a human, before becoming a BadassAbnormal.

* 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.

* EvilGenius[=/=]MadScientist[=/=]WickedCultured

* 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.

'''Mishra'''

Urza's brother, born on the last day of the year Urza was born (Urza being born on the first day). They fought over possession of a stone.

* AndIMustScream: His status in the seventh sphere of Phyrexia. Of course, if Yawgmoth wasn't just tricking Urza.
* CainAndAbel: With Urza
* GadgeteerGenius
* IronicHell: If Yawgmoth is to be believed, he's in Phyrexia being tortured for using Phyrexian technology.
* ThatsNoMoon: The first land to be animated on its own bears his name.
* TragicVillain

'''Ixidor, Reality Sculptor'''

Formerly a colliseum participant in Otaria together with his wife, Nivea. The two of them faced off with Phage in the tournament, resulting in Nivea's death and Ixidor's exile. He later discovered that he could transform his fantasies into reality, and thus used it to create Akroma and wage war against Phage.

* RealityWarper: What do you expect when his title is ''Reality Sculptor''?
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Against Phage, using Akroma.

'''Akroma, Angel of Wrath'''

An angel created by Ixidor in order to avenge his wife's death at the hands of Phage the Untouchable. One of the main characters in ''Onslaught'' block.

* BadassCreed: ''"No rest. No mercy. No matter what."''
* {{Determinator}}
* AGodAmI: After Ixidor's death, she starts her own religion.
* FusionDance: With Phage and Zagorka, to make Karona.
* KnightTemplar: From her point of view, everything is good when done against Phage.
* LightIsNotGood
* MarySue: An in-universe example. She was created by Ixidor as an idealized homage to his dead lover, and existed primarily to lay waste to his enemies.
* MeaningfulName: "Akroma". Or, "a-chroma"--"no colors". An object is white if it reflects away all colors.
* MoralSociopathy: Only really cares about the fall of Phage. While the goal is good, the methods not only aren't, but she also doesn't really care about anybody or anything other than her creator.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Angel of Wrath." Would YOU stick around to piss off someone named "Angel of Wrath?"
* OurAngelsAreDifferent
* ReplacementGoldfish
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Hence the epithet "Angel of Wrath".
* WeCanRebuildHim: Akroma loses both her legs after a particularly nasty brawl with Phage. Ixidor replaces them with the lower body of a panther.

'''Mishra'''

Urza's brother, born on the last day of the year Urza was born (Urza being born on the first day). They fought over possession of a stone.

* AndIMustScream: His status in the seventh sphere of Phyrexia. Of course, if Yawgmoth wasn't just tricking Urza.
* CainAndAbel: With Urza
* GadgeteerGenius
* IronicHell: If Yawgmoth is to be believed, he's in Phyrexia being tortured for using Phyrexian technology.
* ThatsNoMoon: The first land to be animated on its own bears his name.
* TragicVillain

* 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.

When Karn (see below) created the artificial plane of Argentum, he transfigured the powerful artifact called the Mirari into a thinking construct he named Memnarch, and charged his creation with guarding the plane of his absence. However, Memnarch was corrupted by a trace of Phyrexian oil accidentally left behind by Karn and shut his creator out of the plane. Memnarch abducted countless creatures from other planes and converted them to half-living/half-metal creatures, turning the sterile Argentum into the thriving metal ecosystem of Mirrodin in his mad search to gain a planeswalker spark. He was ultimately defeated by Glissa and her companions, allowing Karn to return to Mirrodin.

In Raksha's absence, the leonin [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=!Kemba%2C+Kha+Regent Kemba]] took up regency of the leonin, causing a civil war that weakened them in the war against New Phyrexia.

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

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. Yawgmoth's agents stoked his newfound enmity of Gerrard and made him Volrath, evincar 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.

'''Crovax'''

* {{Technopath}}[=/=]TheAssimilator: His special abilities are the abiltiies to convert permanents into artifacts and then take control of them.

->[[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]]...

A barren plane of rock and stunted vegetation, Rath was artificially created by Yawgmoth as a staging ground for the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria. Rath was ruled by a human evincar who served as Yawgmoth's governor and grand marshal. To provide food, conscripts, and slave labor, not to mention more land for the ever-growing plane, the evincars used planar gates to abduct whole tracts of land and their inhabitants from other planes, including two human tribes (the Vec and Dal), kor from Zendikar, the elves of Skyshroud Forest, the Rootwater merfolk, and all kinds of monsters. Some of these abductees served the evincars (like Greven ''il''-Vec and the mogg goblins), but most were brutally oppressed.

When the Phyrexian invasion began, the plane was literally overlayed over Dominaria: the smaller plane merged with Dominaria's fabric centered on Urborg, and the two worlds became one, instantly transporting Yawgmoth's troops directly to the battlefield. In the wake of Yawgmoth's defeat, the surviving people of Rath have integrated with Dominaria.

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.

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''' guiding it.

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''' 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 conquer the whole of 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.

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.

* [[Characters/MagicTheGatheringColors The five colors]]

[[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.

* AncientConspiracy: It is revealed in the ''Return to Ravnica'' block that Azor I had created the Implicit Maze in the case that the original guildpact should ever be broken. The Izzet League's discovery of said maze through the block sets in motion the events that lead to the endgame presented in ''Dragon's Maze''.
* CallingYourAttacks: Forecast in a nutshell.
* TheEvilsOfFreeWill
* InstantRunes: As seen in spells like Righteous Authority. Appearently, an entire runic alphabet was designed for the Azorius.
* 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 [[Webcomic/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
* 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.
* StrawNihilist
* 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. The original Guildpact originally stipulated them as the wardens of the wilderness then existent, to keep the city's spread from getting in there. Unfortunately, thanks to the typical political machinations, not only did the wilderness get completely breached, their duties wound up divvied among the Selesnya and Simic, leaving them little to do but seek vengeance. 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]]

[[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]]

[[folder:Phyrexia and Mirrodin]]

* 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.

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.

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

'''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.

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.