After reading the rest of the comments - people seem sure that Rakdos will join bolas if only because they can't see them on the 'good guys' side.
I'll give you one reason - self preservation. They are among the most likely to be aware of bolas manipulation and lash out. I expect they will fight against bolas - not with him.
If colour balance was a factor then the only possible scenario is;
Azorius - the power vacuum from Isperias death (assassins trophy) let's someone like dovin baan take over.
Orzhov - BW is the colour combination that most needs a new walker. Tezeret is officially esper colours, not just BU so it's possible for them to nudge him BW
Gruul - I agree that Gruul is the least likely to join with bolas - but the only planes walkers that will be in this set are on bolas side and Demi rade is Gruul. It's possible they could save her for 3rd set but this is the only scenario that makes sense if colour balance matters (and we don't know that it does)
Lore wise the only Guild in alliance that would have motivation to join bolas willingly is simic. They are pragmatic enough to want knowledge from bolas. All the other guilds need some amount of manipulation. The death of Isperias speaks to azorius (also - dovin baan fits right in there) . Rakdos is too faithful to their demon Lord so I can't see them working with bolas - at least not in any willing sense. They'd have to be tricked or manipulated somehow.
Orzhov also doesn't seem ripe to work with bolas without manipulation or hostile takeover.
So thematically the only scenario that makes sense is simic, azorius and one other. The other 3 all seem equally unlikely but I'd put a small wager on orzhov only because we desperately need a new orzhov walker.
And I still don't get the point of Evermind except to establish that no casting cost makes something uncastable (which they would change with Time Spiral).
This has been established since Alpha. Cyclopean Tomb was originally printed without a casting cost (in error) and people assumed it cost 0. They clarified that non-lands without casting cost could not be cast, but the card was an error and should cost 4
Tezeret will lead either azorius or orshov - only 2 guilds thst make sense. He is espers colours (though they sometimes drop the white) I can see them making a variation of him that drops blue or black instead.
There are Vedalken on ravnica. They only have 5 fingers though (kaladesh has 6)
Dovin baan is a possibility, although I don't see him aligning with bolas. He worked with tesseret when he thought he was doing the right thing and it all crashed down around him. He was mislead. He's a good guy but got tricked.
I don't understand why BG constantly gets good removal like this while RW mostly just gets crappy anthem cards.
Red does lands and artifacts, white does creatures and enchantments. Even flavor-wise I think the land it gives away is a white (Balance) mechanic more than anything. Why doesn't RW ever get any of this good stuff? Screw that Boros crap. Give us the power the color combination deserves.
Yeah RW gets the shaft.
I think this should be sorcery quite frankly. It kills anything that is not Indestructible lol for a measly two mana at instant speed?
It is instant because the only way to kill a turn 5 teferi is on their turn - at sorcery speed the 'untap 2 lands' leaves open a counter.
Can you stack Mentor? If a 3/3 with Mentor and this guy attacks do you get to make himself 3/3 with the ability to mentor a 2/2?
Not in that way.
Let's say we have a creature with 3 power, a creature with 2 power, and a creature with 1 power, and the first two have mentor. The 3 can mentor the 2 and the 2 can mentor the 1; or they both can mentor the 1, so long as you stack it so the 2's mentor resolves last (because, you know, intervening if clause). But if you have a creature with 3 power and mentor, a creature with 2 power and mentor, and a creature with 2 power without mentor, the 3 power can mentor either of the other two, and that's it.
The 2 power creature would have to mentor first, not last. The way you described the 3/3 would mentor the 1/1 and the 2/2's ability would fizzle (be countered due to invalid target)
It would go on the stack last - which might be what you meant to say.
I think this mechanic is going to trip up a lot of people with stack ordering declarations.
The alternate art for the card is likely Niv-Mizzet trying to look into the Blind Eternities. Whether or not this is also part of Project Firebug is not really stated.
It's not a reflection - see the bubbles in the underwater version.
if there is a jump-start permission spell i suspect it will be UR rather than straight U. theyd want to promote people actually playing izzet colors, and not just UW
Agreed, but I can't imagine what they would give it to justify making it red, and it would have to be either extremely situational (like a 2RU negate that also does something red like damage to player) or not have jump-start.
Actually I just looked it up. Counterflux and Essence Backlash are things that have appeared in Ravnica before - so I can see reprints or variations on them. If they are made more situational (like only affecting instants and sorceries) I could see them getting jump-start.
If the Iquati created them, it's not like they are a "natural species". As such, I wonder what are they doing in Ravnica and who brought them there, or if it is a flavour fail. I know it's a minor discussion considering all the rare-shift stuff, but still intriguing.
They are illusions - I see no reason why stray illusions wouldn't be roaming around Ravnica.
Man, if Simic gets Proliferate in RNA, I could see a Temur deck built around Research taking off.
Does Proliferate make sense in blue? I guess maybe - it is the colour of cloning.
The alternate art has me curious - biological research is more a Simic thing than an Izzet thing. I'm wondering it that's Bolas' doing and he stumbles across it. Also, being a Dragon with questionable ethics I'm wondering if he'd wind up working with Bolas (he certainly will in the game since he's Grixis colours and Grixis dragons is already a thing he can slip right into)
I get that they want the green/white tokens to better Convoke - but still...
So, yes. Vraska is the leader of the golgari in this set.
I'll give you one reason - self preservation. They are among the most likely to be aware of bolas manipulation and lash out. I expect they will fight against bolas - not with him.
Azorius - the power vacuum from Isperias death (assassins trophy) let's someone like dovin baan take over.
Orzhov - BW is the colour combination that most needs a new walker. Tezeret is officially esper colours, not just BU so it's possible for them to nudge him BW
Gruul - I agree that Gruul is the least likely to join with bolas - but the only planes walkers that will be in this set are on bolas side and Demi rade is Gruul. It's possible they could save her for 3rd set but this is the only scenario that makes sense if colour balance matters (and we don't know that it does)
Lore wise the only Guild in alliance that would have motivation to join bolas willingly is simic. They are pragmatic enough to want knowledge from bolas. All the other guilds need some amount of manipulation. The death of Isperias speaks to azorius (also - dovin baan fits right in there) . Rakdos is too faithful to their demon Lord so I can't see them working with bolas - at least not in any willing sense. They'd have to be tricked or manipulated somehow.
Orzhov also doesn't seem ripe to work with bolas without manipulation or hostile takeover.
So thematically the only scenario that makes sense is simic, azorius and one other. The other 3 all seem equally unlikely but I'd put a small wager on orzhov only because we desperately need a new orzhov walker.
This has been established since Alpha. Cyclopean Tomb was originally printed without a casting cost (in error) and people assumed it cost 0. They clarified that non-lands without casting cost could not be cast, but the card was an error and should cost 4
Dovin baan is a possibility, although I don't see him aligning with bolas. He worked with tesseret when he thought he was doing the right thing and it all crashed down around him. He was mislead. He's a good guy but got tricked.
It is instant because the only way to kill a turn 5 teferi is on their turn - at sorcery speed the 'untap 2 lands' leaves open a counter.
The 2 power creature would have to mentor first, not last. The way you described the 3/3 would mentor the 1/1 and the 2/2's ability would fizzle (be countered due to invalid target)
It would go on the stack last - which might be what you meant to say.
I think this mechanic is going to trip up a lot of people with stack ordering declarations.
It's not a reflection - see the bubbles in the underwater version.
Agreed, but I can't imagine what they would give it to justify making it red, and it would have to be either extremely situational (like a 2RU negate that also does something red like damage to player) or not have jump-start.
Actually I just looked it up. Counterflux and Essence Backlash are things that have appeared in Ravnica before - so I can see reprints or variations on them. If they are made more situational (like only affecting instants and sorceries) I could see them getting jump-start.
No, but certainly looks Izzet-y.
They are illusions - I see no reason why stray illusions wouldn't be roaming around Ravnica.
Does Proliferate make sense in blue? I guess maybe - it is the colour of cloning.
The alternate art has me curious - biological research is more a Simic thing than an Izzet thing. I'm wondering it that's Bolas' doing and he stumbles across it. Also, being a Dragon with questionable ethics I'm wondering if he'd wind up working with Bolas (he certainly will in the game since he's Grixis colours and Grixis dragons is already a thing he can slip right into)