I haven’t played long enough to experience this problem but I can say my favorite card is blighting. It’s like the lightning card but more civilized and thought through
my rakdos deck: 4abyssal persecutor 4army ants 4desecration demon 4dwarven miner 4gorilla shaman 4helldozer 4ragavan, nimble pilferer 4sinkhole 4stone rain 24lands(4blood crypt, 4graven cairns, 4mountain, 4rakdos carnarium, 4 swamp, 4westvale abbey) summary of gameplay: combination of aggro and land destruction, and late game opponent may be locked down with 0 lands, and can win the game with westvale abbey.
I feel like there is another interpretation that might come out when considering how black's way of thinking interacts with red here. Perhaps, rather than red's impulsiveness dominating and hampering black's search for individual gain, we might think of the former giving a direction to the latter. In Rakdos, black's search for individual gain still shows, but red's need for immediacy is what gives it direction. Rakdos is a group of hedonists, who care only for immediate pleasure. They seek to experience pleasure rather than gain power over others (which might still be a means but not an end to them) or material wealth. To them, everything can be discarded in exchange for pleasure, because experiences are something no one can take away from you. The dopamine rush is what they seek, joy from sating your addictions. In an environment where all is ever changing such as that in which the Rakdos live, they ask themselves "why waiting so long for something that can be taken away from me if I can feel satisfaction right NOW?". This is my interpretation.
I think you missed one of the most interesting thing about the Rakdos, which is they are the artists of Ravnica. Predominantly they create performance pieces that showcase freedom through sado-masochistic acts. Bloodfray Giant is a performer that expresses his art through murdering and terrorizing his audience. Red's desire to express itself is present and is pushed to an extreme by black's self centered impulses. I always interpreted the art on Showstopper to be performers that provided the greatest exhibition to the audience through suicide. This is a lot like a suicide black deck where the player's life total is sacrificed for power. But to the Rakdos on Showstopper they are sacrificing themselves to create an expression of emotion that no one could forget. It is artistic greatness at any cost. The card where this is on display the most is Lyzolda, the Blood Witch. The audience of her performances throw themselves at her to be the next sacrificial victims. They have a desire to feel the exhilaration of pain that comes with her display of dominance over them. It also speaks to a very red trait to defy authority, because most people believe it is a natural law for a living being to be motivated by self preservation.
Rakdos has always been my favorite two color combo, for I feel like I can personally connect to the ideals of both colors, but I suppose that can do the same for each color and any combination of them. That's what makes us Magic players, I feel. It's taking all of these ideals behind each color and being able to make a deck that focuses on the strengths of the deck, as well as being mindful of its weaknesses. In a way, the more educated I get about the lore of this game, the more I feel I can perform better in a tournament. I find the lore of this game extremely fascinating, and these lore videos and color-pie videos are one of the reasons I think this channel is the best MTG channel out there. Keep up the good work!
P.S. I really REALLY Hope you do the 3 color combos as well, like Bant, Abzan, Mardu, Jeskai, Grixis, and so on. The 4 color combos could also make an interesting video, as well as all of the colors.. Or better yet.. Colorless..
That is just one half red black. The more black than red variant is tactical and quick witted. It uses reds innate emotional passion to fuel it's quenchable ambition. It is patient but impulsive it will go for the long con but will change to a better plan if it suits him better. They believe the world should be a certain way not because personal gain but because they are passionate about and idea and that idea will exist hell or high water. A good example would be Wilson Fisk (King Pin) From the dare devil netflix show where his passion to make his city great fuels his ambition to get to the top so he can make his dream a reality. He thinks with his head bu acts with his heart. I wish magic would explore the black red side more like old political grenzo or 2/3 of marchesa instead of big murder monsters and pyscho anarchists.
Rakdos is my favourite guild and colour combination in magic so i have many thoughts about it, but mainly I believe that in the end the philosophy of Rakdos is that it does what it wants not caring about others and to gain the power to do so. If both are achieved then there is one word for it, Chaos.
Simic is infinitely a more interesting color combination than any other left, except maybe orzov. Especially if you look at both versions of Simic that have existed, the first run by Momir Vig and the second by Princess Ruto. Vig definitely leaned more blue, using his invention to manipulate life like it was a toy, while Ruto used accelerated adaptation, which is more automatic and far more green. Either way, remember the Green/Blue motto: More and better.
I've always thought that the House was the most interesting. You have blacks' self motivation, going to great depths in order to ensure it's victory, and blue's rationale, the brain behind the body. Mix 'em up, and you get the most secretive, most selfishly intelligent guild on Ravnica. That's why things like Perplex exist: to have the upper hand, intellectually speaking. Those are my thoughts on Dimir, and I hope Wedge actually does the philosophy of the House
+ThePrimeAnomaly Correct. I was too lazy to remember/look up her actual name there. I remember people calling her that as a joke when she was first spoiled.
+Aaron Tarket I don't agree, if only for two reasons. One, they're an ally color. Ally colors are far too easy. Enemy colors are far more interesting a combination because it's harder to see where they could possibly agree with one another. Second, Dimir are just a cabal of spies. That's pretty common in fiction in general and not as interesting to me as a bunch of biological scientists obsessed with Progress in all its forms to the cost of everything around them, themselves included if need be.
Next color pair/guild vote: SIMIIIIIIIC! X3 Interesting video! :D The idea of true and utter chaos has for some time now intrigued me, and while I don't always feel comfortable submitting myself to the color pair, some variants of Rakdos decks I find fairly entertaining to play with! :D Keep up the good work, Wedge! I am already looking forward to the next one!
Orzhov next, please! This video does a great job of describing where Black/Red intersect, but I think it misses some of the flavor specific to Rakdos - they're the circus masters and carnival freaks. There's a party element to the guild that doesn't quite come out in any of the other B/R pairings.
This is becoming my favorite series on TH-cam, ever. The deep intellectual thought on each color pair is something the community misses on frequently. Usually it's simply discussing new and powerful individual cards or combos and synergies. The thought you put into each guild and even the effort to put in editing is appreciated. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
@@beaubanhagel9658 fuck no. I forgot rakdos existed honestly, but I still use a black and red deck. Its predominantly black now when it use to be predominantly red.
@@TheMilkMan8008 hahahah Me neither. I liked combining red and black hence playing vampire esque deck. Now I just use deathtouch everything.. all swamp for me.
Im golgari, there was one time where the people at my lgs wanted to put together a deck specifically to counter mine lmao meren is the commander for me i dont play anyone other then her
Actually, Rakdos works perfectly, Red in it is allways agresive and is a great distraction, and then Black arives and obliterates the already tired opponent. Also, the Slaughter Games are here for red to satisfy itself in carnage the games bring, and that gives black just enough time to develop it's plans. And Black maintains just enough control over Red by allways promising a big carnage, and that is what both colors love. The best example is the burn Red has, and the removal Black has.
While I mostly agree with your view, Wedge, I think you missed the opportunity to talk about the carnality of Rackdos. I think black saw red having fun and said, "I can show you how to have more fun; it's gonna be painful, but everyone will love it." Selfish is right; B/R is so selfish it would kill itself just for the chance to be at the center of attention.
Because I came to MTG via D&D i like to try to apply alignments to the colors and color combinations. It doesn't always work, but sometimes an alignment fits perfectly. Chaotic Evil is pretty perfect for Rakdos for example. But as Evil and Good arent as clear cut concept in MTG a lot of the color combos can be hard to define. Like Golgari, are they Neutral, Neutral Evil or Neutral Good? They contain elements of all three but are not clearly defined by any one of them alone.
Personally, I like keeping them as separate descriptions. Chaotic Good Rakdos would be different from Chaotic Evil Rakdos. Lawful Good Azorius would be different from Lawful Neutral Azorius. It adds a further feel to a rpg character that alignment alone can't express.
Another fantastic video Wedge. I don't know how to classify it, but the one thing about Rakdos in terms of deck building is that Red gives you haste. That is a big deal in reanimation strategies. Anger or Dragon's Breath in the graveyard gives you the haste you need to win the turn you reanimate a creature. In dredge, they use Flame-Kin Zealot (a boros creature) for the mass haste more than the pump effect. Torrent of Souls is a perfect blend of a Rakdos card. You reanimate a creature and all creatures you control get +2 and haste. This is one way Rakdos blends its two colors together perfectly in terms of deck building. I have always had difficulty building a Rakdos deck outside of reanimatior because the colors don't really HELP one another. Outside a few strong goblins, most of red's creatures are terrible. Red gets help from Green and/or white (zoo) by providing powerful creatures to compliment its strong burn spells. As we saw before, when red and blue make friends, blue grants the structure and planning to put red's power to the best use. Black gets the most help from Green and White through disenchant effects, as it cannot deal with Artifacts or Enchantments on its own. When black and blue team up, it is really a matter of black helping blue more than the other way around, by proving access to removal, disruption, and a complete disregard of its inhibitions. However, the only thing red has to offer black is HASTE and Shatter effects. The only thing black has to offer red is aggressive card draw. That is why I agree that despite the two colors being considered "friendly," they are far from a match made in heaven... or should I say hell?
Paul Gaither Ish. That haste is actually super useful in madness style decks and sac heavy decks with consistently returning creatures. Red actually has quite a bit of card draw, but in the form of looting. But with Black, you have guys like Blood Ghost, Grave crawler, Nether Traitor, and others that can easily come out from the yard. Giving them haste is powerful as they make nasty attackers that are hard to stop. Red also offers things like Impact Tremors, which play nicely with Recurrable creatures since it gets you some extra damage in. Also, Red tends to have lots of 'hit all the things" spells. This is nice since black offers creature that just don't stay dead so you come out ahead.
Love the Blood Carnival. You can say what you want, but I'll always have a soft spot for the havoc raisers. And yes, I'm still waiting for my favorite guild, the Orzhov!
From hearing this description I can tell although I've never played magic the gathering, red and black deck and rakdos philosophy in general is perfect for me.
I get that you need to go though all 2-color guilds, but I can't wait to see 3 color combinations!! :) the addition of a third color to all these guild philosophies makes them a lot more interesting! Great vids, love them :D
Monliego At three colors you start to wonder what defines the combination more: What colors they are? or what colors they are not? It is tricky because the articles written about them are more about what colors they are not and center around one specific color for the allied trios.
You know a great summation of the theme in this video is the flavor text for Malfegor: "A demon cannot be trusted, and a dragon will not be ruled." Notice how these two aspects can both work together against a common enemy with an utter destructiveness but can also hinder each other. Red seeing black as not trustworthy and therefore rebelling and black not being able to controll red in spite of it's treacherous promises. It's nice seeing the themes of the cards in the card designs themselves.
Wedge, these videos are addicting. You need to do some of the three color combinations: Esper, Jeskai, and Grixis would be sweet. Keep doing what you're doing man, Great job!
i kinda missed the keyword hedonism here, which i think is important for both red and black and where they actually meet. both rhe boggarts on lorwyn as the rakdos cult on ravnica had a big focus on carnal experiences. backred just wants to have fun
I think you nailed it for the most part but sometimes chaos is just the goal, because ‘some men just want to watch the world burn.’ ❤️Land destruction 🖤
ORZHOV! I keep waiting for Orzhov. Black/White is one of my favorite pairings. I love this series, but keep anxiously awaiting Orzhov. Besides, Sorin is one of the planeswalkers that really deserves more of a spot light. Especially after everything he's lost. I am getting sick of the 'superfriends' ... Great, so new walkers are introduced. Yet, we keep seeing the same faces over and over again, banding together like a bunch of superheroes. Ick.
So let's see we have Izzet, Golgari, Azorius and Rakdos so far which total color pie wise we've had: One White Two Blue Two Black Two Red One Green Perhaps we should have the Selesnya to even out the pie servings?
thx, love rakdos and yes the passion of the red usually takes over the black at fast decks, or the planification of black helps at slower tactics. The MVPs of my rakdos commander deck are Cryptborn horror, Rakdos charm and Spiteflame Witch. Cheers :D
Prime Speaker Zegana would be honored to become part of your vision, in establishing the evolving philosophy, strengths, and weaknesses of the Simic Combine.
Seth Keister Both colors fight for things. White fights for the greater good, red fights for itself. Together they selfishly fight for the greater good of themselves. Best way to explain it, they are vigilantes. Each individual Boros has an individual idea of what the greater good is and they fight for it. White brings fair game while red bring impulsiveness. Want justice, you make it and make it now. Cut the hand of the thief, gauge the eye of the spy. Kill the killer and rob the robber. There is no time for a trial, Boros is witness judge and excecutioner. It is all about working for the greater good as an individual. Of course you can take the other side, working for your own selfish purpose as a group. Boros could have been the guild that marches orderly to fight for its individual's interest. Like an Italian mafia. Family is everything and you fight for it. Your brother got wronged? yeveryone assembles and kills the bastard who did it. Your uncle's wants to be a mayor? threaten and intimidate everyone to achieve it. The greater good in this case is the individual needs. However they went against this because it sounded too much like Orzhov. Pity, it would have been interesting to see a mafia like Boros, obviously no planning at all. You hit one of us you will get hit by all of us.
ODDnanref I disagree that red fights for itself. Red doesn't really fight for anything. It fights based on its feelings, emotions and impulses, which may be selfish, or selfless. They *can* be seen as selfish, however, in that, even if it fights for others, it fights not for the idyllic good of others as a separate concept, but for its own feelings toward those people. Personally, however, I wouldn't call it selfless or selfish. It's kind of... neither. Red doesn't think about the greater good of anyone, others or themselves, because red doesn't think. Red feels. As for boros, I think your description is more fitting to white/black characters, in general (though not as depicted in ravnica), which is fitting, given that your base description of red feels much more like black, in that you seem to view it solely in that it is selfish. I personally see boros (the color identity, not the guild) characters more as, again, vigilantes, who oppose larger systems of oppression for some goal of freedom that nonetheless has ties into white ideals of morality (Robin Hood -esque characters, etc., or principled terrorists like V from V for Vendetta). Red is not only the colour of emotion, but also the colour of chaos and lawlessness, which can manifest in the utilization of chaotic methods to change the status quo, and to implement new order (where white, the colour of law and order, comes in). I would talk about the actual boros, but I find that they are a rather muddled and poor representation of the color pair. They are the opposite, however, in general, a force that uses chaotic and extreme means to enforce the pre-existing laws.... which is weird, given that the Azorius are the ones who make the laws and make those laws intentionally complex and nonsensical. And then the boros try to enforce them, despite likely having no idea what the laws they're enforcing are. Which, I guess, could, kind of, be seen as a representation of the short-sightedness of red, but it's still really farcical how such a system could still be working at all, and why the two guilds aren't more often at each others' throats.
I'd say Boros is about defending order and comunity in a very passionate way and going after those who threaten it with extreme prejudice. Furthermore in white the individual does not exist and will bes saccrificed for the benefits of the whole while red seeks individual glory to the point that it is ready to sacrifice itself if it will just do more damage to the enemy in the process.
I always played rakdos... differently. I play madness but a different madness. Chaos with a plan, captain jack sparrowing my way if you will. My plan is simple: deal damage, lay down cards and draw cards! With cards like gamble and tormenting voices, I draw cards.. but that’s where madness inspiration comes to fold! It’s impulsive in the moment, but with a long term goal. Savage fury on the outside, like an act, with all the ambition and planning of a true super villain like the joker. Always attacking, seeming reckless, grasping ambition and seeking opportunity intelligently in the heat of the moment. To me, Black is the lust for power, red is the willingness to take a gamble on it and both combined to have a mind open enough to even the most insane of ideas and to think “maybe that could work...”
We were doing a three way battle between Rakdos, Dimir, and Gruul with the new guildkits the other day. I was Rakdos and just chain steamrolled the Dimir player before he could plea for a deal, I wiped him out. The Gruul player still had 14 out of 20 health left at this point. I then got rid of the "brains" of the competition, color and experience of player wise, and i flew in with Lord Rakdos himself while the Gruul player was left open from when I cut the board in half, including my own creatures.
RAKDOS is my fav guild follow by Orzov then Izzet(is it obvious grixis is my favorite shard and mardu my favorite wedge). It seams alot of rakdos's cards are either awesome or horrible. The other guilds seem to have more a sloping line. This makes sense tho because Rakdos is all or nothing. It's biggest weakness is enchantments. It simply can't handle them. That and if it isn't winning by turn 3-4, it will likely be loosing. This doesn't mean you can't have mid range or even rakdos control, but it needs to be firmly in control of the game by turn 4 to win often as it's end game isn't as good at coming from behind late, but it can sure close out a game quickly if ahead.
As someone who has been deck brewing aggressive decks for a couple years now I have to say that the colors do indeed has a distinct lack of long term goals, from the madness mechanic to the distinct lack of life gain from the combination there is really only one way for the colors to go; face. I found it interesting that my recent rackdos standard build found some strange cohesion to the desires of the eldrazi with the Forerunner of Slaughter and Reaver Drone at the forefront of the strategy. The dependence on other creatures seemed out of place but fitting for the addition of the 'Mindless' eldrazi.
I think the best way I could describe rakdos is this: Take the stuff that black is willing to do in order to gain power, and add red's random impulsiveness to make the rakdos actively want to do those things
Fun fact: Rakdos took the Boros flying township and crashlanded it on Azorius main district. Just another day in Ravnica! Tower Drake flavour text is something to see. xD
since the new ravnica set has come out, could you all start this up again? i'm loving looking at the philosophies, as well as gaining inspiration for the d&d ravnica spin-off!
there may only be two cards for each 4 color combination but I'd be interested to hear the explanation for what all but one color would have as a philosophy.
I feel like youre shorting anything that is part red. You didnt even adress the "me vs them" issue red black has. Red loves its allies and would do anything for them which fights against blacks inherent self focus.
As you seem to be going in opposites, doing Azorious into Rakados and before that Izzet followed by Golgari, how about we start again with either Orzhov followed by Gruul, or Dimir followed by Boros?
They did. Rakdos serves society by providing entertainment and menial services that allow the other guilds to thrive. It's only the more fanatical Rakdos adherents that are problematic.
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I have no doubt Wedge is getting into three color wedges and shards sooner or later, I can not friggin wait for that sweet stuff!
I think the combination does not always have to end in chaos and self-destruction. The two colors indeed can support each other on basic levels. See Lyvolda or Olivia. Red's passion and Spirit can help Black to attain the thing it wants. At the same time Black can sue the power it attains to live out its deepest desires. Take Olivia from original innistrad. Would you say she is dumb or chaotic or self-destructive? No she has power she attained thorugh a classic monoblack approach and the red manifests in her using this power to live out all of her desires, with little thought of what others think.
jeremy debraccio I have a Mogis Punisher deck xD. Want to play a land? Lose Life. Upkeep, lose a creature or lose life... want to cast a spell? lose life or discard... if you discard you lose life. want tto tap a land? lose life... xD
These videos are amazing. Are you going to put out tri-colour philosophy as well? What card is the art at 5:04 from? The chain link tightrope walker with pig's head. It's so brutal
You know what series I would like to see? I know everybody has been begging for it, so I thought I'd ask myself. Can we have a new episode of... MTG PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
After you finish the ravnica guilds are you also thinking about doing the alara shards and tarkir wedges? i always thought the alara shards were interesting because you got to look at what the lack of 2 colors did to the world.
My favourite colour pair! No other creatures shows this colour combo's strength better, than Demigod of revenge 💪 "I am huge and strong and I won't give you a chance to react before I strike - and I never go away"
Well when i play Rakdos i try to let red be...well red, while my black part is building up to add up to the board or is the backup plan in case of red couldnt do the job. Like said in the first video with the color pie: A good red deck wins by round 5 or starts losing at round 6.
My favorite way to play Rakdos is to steal my opponent's creatures with red spells (Act of Treason, Wrangle, etc.), attack with those creatures, and then sacrifice those creatures to something black (Carrion Feeder, Bloodflow Connoisseur, etc.). And, if I so happen to have a Blood Artist on the field, all the better. It's always so satisfyingly evil.
im a rakdos main and alway will. I like to do something called "who wants to be a hero" where someone pays but I always get something good out of the deal.
I tried to put all the guilds into the DnD morality chart once. Rakdos was the first one I knew where it went and wouldnt change. Chaotic Evil for life.
Let me know which color pair you'd like to see next! Hope you enjoy :)
Simic please, arigato.
GRUUL WANT NEXT
do orzhov pls
Pls Dimir!!!!!
Simic evolve lets gooooo
Wedge, you forgot to mention the biggest weakness to RB/Rakdos: The fact that WotC hates it and rarely prints good cards in the color pair.
natoraishido so true!
@@treypelletier192 what's WotC
@@duckonquacks1436 wotc = wizards of the coast. Company that owns MTG
I haven’t played long enough to experience this problem but I can say my favorite card is blighting. It’s like the lightning card but more civilized and thought through
Something tells me that this comment hasn't aged so well.
My view point on Rakdos was always "There's a party and everyone is invited, if you want to be or not"
"They're here for a good time, Not a long time"
There is a party, you are invited: Red
If you want it or not: Black
Oh oh, looks like the guests aren’t quite prepared for what’s to come
my rakdos deck:
4abyssal persecutor
4army ants
4desecration demon
4dwarven miner
4gorilla shaman
4helldozer
4ragavan, nimble pilferer
4sinkhole
4stone rain
24lands(4blood crypt, 4graven cairns, 4mountain, 4rakdos carnarium, 4 swamp, 4westvale abbey)
summary of gameplay: combination of aggro and land destruction, and late game opponent may be locked down with 0 lands, and can win the game with westvale abbey.
I feel like there is another interpretation that might come out when considering how black's way of thinking interacts with red here. Perhaps, rather than red's impulsiveness dominating and hampering black's search for individual gain, we might think of the former giving a direction to the latter. In Rakdos, black's search for individual gain still shows, but red's need for immediacy is what gives it direction. Rakdos is a group of hedonists, who care only for immediate pleasure. They seek to experience pleasure rather than gain power over others (which might still be a means but not an end to them) or material wealth. To them, everything can be discarded in exchange for pleasure, because experiences are something no one can take away from you. The dopamine rush is what they seek, joy from sating your addictions. In an environment where all is ever changing such as that in which the Rakdos live, they ask themselves "why waiting so long for something that can be taken away from me if I can feel satisfaction right NOW?". This is my interpretation.
As a rakdos guy I can attest this attitude to the player. I was a heroin addict for several years.
This
your "i dislike red" is showing
Orzhov, definitely. :D
I agree with that answer
I'd like to see Orzhov too =D
Please please please pleaaaaaase!!!!!
Rachel I'd love to see orzhov.
Rachel totally! I'd love to hear his thoughts! This video was so much more interesting than I thought it would be
MY CHAOS, MY CARNAGE, MY GUILD
amen brother
I think you missed one of the most interesting thing about the Rakdos, which is they are the artists of Ravnica. Predominantly they create performance pieces that showcase freedom through sado-masochistic acts.
Bloodfray Giant is a performer that expresses his art through murdering and terrorizing his audience. Red's desire to express itself is present and is pushed to an extreme by black's self centered impulses.
I always interpreted the art on Showstopper to be performers that provided the greatest exhibition to the audience through suicide. This is a lot like a suicide black deck where the player's life total is sacrificed for power. But to the Rakdos on Showstopper they are sacrificing themselves to create an expression of emotion that no one could forget. It is artistic greatness at any cost.
The card where this is on display the most is Lyzolda, the Blood Witch. The audience of her performances throw themselves at her to be the next sacrificial victims. They have a desire to feel the exhilaration of pain that comes with her display of dominance over them. It also speaks to a very red trait to defy authority, because most people believe it is a natural law for a living being to be motivated by self preservation.
Rakdos has always been my favorite two color combo, for I feel like I can personally connect to the ideals of both colors, but I suppose that can do the same for each color and any combination of them. That's what makes us Magic players, I feel. It's taking all of these ideals behind each color and being able to make a deck that focuses on the strengths of the deck, as well as being mindful of its weaknesses. In a way, the more educated I get about the lore of this game, the more I feel I can perform better in a tournament. I find the lore of this game extremely fascinating, and these lore videos and color-pie videos are one of the reasons I think this channel is the best MTG channel out there. Keep up the good work!
P.S. I really REALLY Hope you do the 3 color combos as well, like Bant, Abzan, Mardu, Jeskai, Grixis, and so on. The 4 color combos could also make an interesting video, as well as all of the colors.. Or better yet.. Colorless..
That is just one half red black. The more black than red variant is tactical and quick witted. It uses reds innate emotional passion to fuel it's quenchable ambition. It is patient but impulsive it will go for the long con but will change to a better plan if it suits him better. They believe the world should be a certain way not because personal gain but because they are passionate about and idea and that idea will exist hell or high water. A good example would be Wilson Fisk (King Pin) From the dare devil netflix show where his passion to make his city great fuels his ambition to get to the top so he can make his dream a reality. He thinks with his head bu acts with his heart. I wish magic would explore the black red side more like old political grenzo or 2/3 of marchesa instead of big murder monsters and pyscho anarchists.
Are ya going to do three color combinations like Jund or Esper?
If y'all want me to! :)
TheManaSource
Are you kidding? Of course we want
Daniel Alexandre
Esper first, of course
Grixis Grixis Grixis Grixis
Hey threes can come after twos.
Selesnya. You've done all the other Return to Ravnica guilds. Might as well finish them off before you move onto Gatecrash.
Ya know...in the theme of Rakdos...I SHOULD JUST MIX IT UP RIGHT NOW!
That's evil!
TheManaSource All the more reason to we need Selesnya, to counter the chaos xD
indeed, but very impulsive...
+Noah Ginnett. We already have Azorius, doesn't that counter it?
Rakdos is my favourite guild and colour combination in magic so i have many thoughts about it, but mainly I believe that in the end the philosophy of Rakdos is that it does what it wants not caring about others and to gain the power to do so. If both are achieved then there is one word for it, Chaos.
❤🔥😉👌
Simic is infinitely a more interesting color combination than any other left, except maybe orzov.
Especially if you look at both versions of Simic that have existed, the first run by Momir Vig and the second by Princess Ruto. Vig definitely leaned more blue, using his invention to manipulate life like it was a toy, while Ruto used accelerated adaptation, which is more automatic and far more green.
Either way, remember the Green/Blue motto: More and better.
"The Simic come from the cold slow depths. How could they understand the fire in a wild heart?"
Ruto? You mean Zegana?
I've always thought that the House was the most interesting. You have blacks' self motivation, going to great depths in order to ensure it's victory, and blue's rationale, the brain behind the body. Mix 'em up, and you get the most secretive, most selfishly intelligent guild on Ravnica. That's why things like Perplex exist: to have the upper hand, intellectually speaking. Those are my thoughts on Dimir, and I hope Wedge actually does the philosophy of the House
+ThePrimeAnomaly Correct. I was too lazy to remember/look up her actual name there. I remember people calling her that as a joke when she was first spoiled.
+Aaron Tarket I don't agree, if only for two reasons. One, they're an ally color. Ally colors are far too easy. Enemy colors are far more interesting a combination because it's harder to see where they could possibly agree with one another. Second, Dimir are just a cabal of spies. That's pretty common in fiction in general and not as interesting to me as a bunch of biological scientists obsessed with Progress in all its forms to the cost of everything around them, themselves included if need be.
Rakdos is my favorite guild. I love its strengths and can easily work around its weaknesses
when you're done with the two colors you should do triple, starting with grixis
"No idea how Ravnica is even still standing." You can thank the Boros Legion for that.
Next color pair/guild vote: SIMIIIIIIIC! X3
Interesting video! :D The idea of true and utter chaos has for some time now intrigued me, and while I don't always feel comfortable submitting myself to the color pair, some variants of Rakdos decks I find fairly entertaining to play with! :D Keep up the good work, Wedge! I am already looking forward to the next one!
6:52 This right here really shows what Rakdos is about, patience vs impulse. Great video!
Orzhov next, please!
This video does a great job of describing where Black/Red intersect, but I think it misses some of the flavor specific to Rakdos - they're the circus masters and carnival freaks. There's a party element to the guild that doesn't quite come out in any of the other B/R pairings.
This is becoming my favorite series on TH-cam, ever. The deep intellectual thought on each color pair is something the community misses on frequently. Usually it's simply discussing new and powerful individual cards or combos and synergies. The thought you put into each guild and even the effort to put in editing is appreciated. I cannot wait for the rest of the series!
The blue green guild
simic plz
SIMIIIIIIIIIC
All praise the Combine
SIMIC!!!
SIMIC YESSSSSS
I use Rakdos decks every time. My friends usually switch it up but I'm pure Rakdos 😈
4 years later and have you come to change your ways
@@beaubanhagel9658 fuck no. I forgot rakdos existed honestly, but I still use a black and red deck. Its predominantly black now when it use to be predominantly red.
@@TheMilkMan8008 hahahah
Me neither. I liked combining red and black hence playing vampire esque deck. Now I just use deathtouch everything.. all swamp for me.
Im golgari, there was one time where the people at my lgs wanted to put together a deck specifically to counter mine lmao meren is the commander for me i dont play anyone other then her
I love Mardu the most of all three color pairings.
Dimir
This one right after orzhov
Heck yeah
this is my fave
First ever deck, dimir has a special place in my heart
Mellow Fellow yes please!
Actually, Rakdos works perfectly, Red in it is allways agresive and is a great distraction, and then Black arives and obliterates the already tired opponent. Also, the Slaughter Games are here for red to satisfy itself in carnage the games bring, and that gives black just enough time to develop it's plans. And Black maintains just enough control over Red by allways promising a big carnage, and that is what both colors love. The best example is the burn Red has, and the removal Black has.
While I mostly agree with your view, Wedge, I think you missed the opportunity to talk about the carnality of Rackdos. I think black saw red having fun and said, "I can show you how to have more fun; it's gonna be painful, but everyone will love it." Selfish is right; B/R is so selfish it would kill itself just for the chance to be at the center of attention.
Because I came to MTG via D&D i like to try to apply alignments to the colors and color combinations. It doesn't always work, but sometimes an alignment fits perfectly. Chaotic Evil is pretty perfect for Rakdos for example.
But as Evil and Good arent as clear cut concept in MTG a lot of the color combos can be hard to define. Like Golgari, are they Neutral, Neutral Evil or Neutral Good? They contain elements of all three but are not clearly defined by any one of them alone.
Personally, I like keeping them as separate descriptions.
Chaotic Good Rakdos would be different from Chaotic Evil Rakdos.
Lawful Good Azorius would be different from Lawful Neutral Azorius.
It adds a further feel to a rpg character that alignment alone can't express.
Gruul or Selesnya next, either one is fine with me
gruul
GRUUUULL!!! GRULL FOR LIFE!!!!
Gruul or Borborigmos smash tiny man
Kylie Jenner Meme Face WAAAAAGH
GRUUL SMASH!
Summon the beasts and the dragons! Release the berserkers and let the druids unleash the fury of the wilds!
You should DEFINITELY keep doing all these videos! You get them all on point! We need Dimir and Boros, and the clans, and everything lol
Another fantastic video Wedge.
I don't know how to classify it, but the one thing about Rakdos in terms of deck building is that Red gives you haste. That is a big deal in reanimation strategies. Anger or Dragon's Breath in the graveyard gives you the haste you need to win the turn you reanimate a creature. In dredge, they use Flame-Kin Zealot (a boros creature) for the mass haste more than the pump effect. Torrent of Souls is a perfect blend of a Rakdos card. You reanimate a creature and all creatures you control get +2 and haste. This is one way Rakdos blends its two colors together perfectly in terms of deck building.
I have always had difficulty building a Rakdos deck outside of reanimatior because the colors don't really HELP one another. Outside a few strong goblins, most of red's creatures are terrible. Red gets help from Green and/or white (zoo) by providing powerful creatures to compliment its strong burn spells. As we saw before, when red and blue make friends, blue grants the structure and planning to put red's power to the best use.
Black gets the most help from Green and White through disenchant effects, as it cannot deal with Artifacts or Enchantments on its own. When black and blue team up, it is really a matter of black helping blue more than the other way around, by proving access to removal, disruption, and a complete disregard of its inhibitions. However, the only thing red has to offer black is HASTE and Shatter effects. The only thing black has to offer red is aggressive card draw.
That is why I agree that despite the two colors being considered "friendly," they are far from a match made in heaven... or should I say hell?
Paul Gaither Ish. That haste is actually super useful in madness style decks and sac heavy decks with consistently returning creatures. Red actually has quite a bit of card draw, but in the form of looting. But with Black, you have guys like Blood Ghost, Grave crawler, Nether Traitor, and others that can easily come out from the yard. Giving them haste is powerful as they make nasty attackers that are hard to stop.
Red also offers things like Impact Tremors, which play nicely with Recurrable creatures since it gets you some extra damage in. Also, Red tends to have lots of 'hit all the things" spells. This is nice since black offers creature that just don't stay dead so you come out ahead.
Love the Blood Carnival. You can say what you want, but I'll always have a soft spot for the havoc raisers.
And yes, I'm still waiting for my favorite guild, the Orzhov!
Please continue this, I would love to see this go towards the shards and the wedges
From hearing this description I can tell although I've never played magic the gathering, red and black deck and rakdos philosophy in general is perfect for me.
Can't wait for the 5-color video. It may be a while before we get there, but I think that one'll be interesting.
I like that the symbol is even split in the middle with both colors clearly divided.
Am I the only one sitting here like "I can't wait for him to finish the Ravnica guilds so he can move onto Alara Sharts!"
Shares haha
I get that you need to go though all 2-color guilds, but I can't wait to see 3 color combinations!! :) the addition of a third color to all these guild philosophies makes them a lot more interesting!
Great vids, love them :D
Monliego
At three colors you start to wonder what defines the combination more: What colors they are? or what colors they are not?
It is tricky because the articles written about them are more about what colors they are not and center around one specific color for the allied trios.
People need to quit asking for shards and wedges when this is a 2-color ravnica guild focused series. Use your ears people.
Yeah, they should be asking for more Worst Cards Ever. *hint hint*
Threes can come after twos.
Please keep these coming Wedge, the only content like it!
You know a great summation of the theme in this video is the flavor text for Malfegor: "A demon cannot be trusted, and a dragon will not be ruled."
Notice how these two aspects can both work together against a common enemy with an utter destructiveness but can also hinder each other. Red seeing black as not trustworthy and therefore rebelling and black not being able to controll red in spite of it's treacherous promises.
It's nice seeing the themes of the cards in the card designs themselves.
Wedge, these videos are addicting. You need to do some of the three color combinations: Esper, Jeskai, and Grixis would be sweet. Keep doing what you're doing man, Great job!
i kinda missed the keyword hedonism here, which i think is important for both red and black and where they actually meet. both rhe boggarts on lorwyn as the rakdos cult on ravnica had a big focus on carnal experiences. backred just wants to have fun
I think you nailed it for the most part but sometimes chaos is just the goal, because ‘some men just want to watch the world burn.’
❤️Land destruction 🖤
ORZHOV! I keep waiting for Orzhov. Black/White is one of my favorite pairings. I love this series, but keep anxiously awaiting Orzhov. Besides, Sorin is one of the planeswalkers that really deserves more of a spot light. Especially after everything he's lost. I am getting sick of the 'superfriends' ... Great, so new walkers are introduced. Yet, we keep seeing the same faces over and over again, banding together like a bunch of superheroes. Ick.
One of my favorite series... ever
I vote for Dimir
So let's see we have Izzet, Golgari, Azorius and Rakdos so far which total color pie wise we've had:
One White
Two Blue
Two Black
Two Red
One Green
Perhaps we should have the Selesnya to even out the pie servings?
thx, love rakdos and yes the passion of the red usually takes over the black at fast decks, or the planification of black helps at slower tactics. The MVPs of my rakdos commander deck are Cryptborn horror, Rakdos charm and Spiteflame Witch. Cheers :D
I've recently built a Rakdos eldrazi commander deck and it's absolutely amazing.
Prime Speaker Zegana would be honored to become part of your vision, in establishing the evolving philosophy, strengths, and weaknesses of the Simic Combine.
I always like these videos of yours; there are always much deeper interactions between colors than I expect
given what you described in red i wouldn't mind seeing how the hell white would even consider that as an ally
so boros
Seth Keister its usually about using red means to accomplish white goals and vice versa.
Seth Keister
Both colors fight for things. White fights for the greater good, red fights for itself. Together they selfishly fight for the greater good of themselves.
Best way to explain it, they are vigilantes. Each individual Boros has an individual idea of what the greater good is and they fight for it. White brings fair game while red bring impulsiveness. Want justice, you make it and make it now. Cut the hand of the thief, gauge the eye of the spy. Kill the killer and rob the robber.
There is no time for a trial, Boros is witness judge and excecutioner. It is all about working for the greater good as an individual.
Of course you can take the other side, working for your own selfish purpose as a group. Boros could have been the guild that marches orderly to fight for its individual's interest. Like an Italian mafia. Family is everything and you fight for it. Your brother got wronged? yeveryone assembles and kills the bastard who did it. Your uncle's wants to be a mayor? threaten and intimidate everyone to achieve it. The greater good in this case is the individual needs. However they went against this because it sounded too much like Orzhov. Pity, it would have been interesting to see a mafia like Boros, obviously no planning at all. You hit one of us you will get hit by all of us.
ODDnanref
I disagree that red fights for itself. Red doesn't really fight for anything. It fights based on its feelings, emotions and impulses, which may be selfish, or selfless. They *can* be seen as selfish, however, in that, even if it fights for others, it fights not for the idyllic good of others as a separate concept, but for its own feelings toward those people. Personally, however, I wouldn't call it selfless or selfish. It's kind of... neither. Red doesn't think about the greater good of anyone, others or themselves, because red doesn't think. Red feels.
As for boros, I think your description is more fitting to white/black characters, in general (though not as depicted in ravnica), which is fitting, given that your base description of red feels much more like black, in that you seem to view it solely in that it is selfish.
I personally see boros (the color identity, not the guild) characters more as, again, vigilantes, who oppose larger systems of oppression for some goal of freedom that nonetheless has ties into white ideals of morality (Robin Hood -esque characters, etc., or principled terrorists like V from V for Vendetta). Red is not only the colour of emotion, but also the colour of chaos and lawlessness, which can manifest in the utilization of chaotic methods to change the status quo, and to implement new order (where white, the colour of law and order, comes in).
I would talk about the actual boros, but I find that they are a rather muddled and poor representation of the color pair. They are the opposite, however, in general, a force that uses chaotic and extreme means to enforce the pre-existing laws.... which is weird, given that the Azorius are the ones who make the laws and make those laws intentionally complex and nonsensical. And then the boros try to enforce them, despite likely having no idea what the laws they're enforcing are. Which, I guess, could, kind of, be seen as a representation of the short-sightedness of red, but it's still really farcical how such a system could still be working at all, and why the two guilds aren't more often at each others' throats.
I'd say Boros is about defending order and comunity in a very passionate way and going after those who threaten it with extreme prejudice. Furthermore in white the individual does not exist and will bes saccrificed for the benefits of the whole while red seeks individual glory to the point that it is ready to sacrifice itself if it will just do more damage to the enemy in the process.
I actually wasn't expecting for this guild to be so chaotic
I'm gonna build myself a Kolaghan commander deck, this video gave me some idea of how to do it :D
I always played rakdos... differently. I play madness but a different madness. Chaos with a plan, captain jack sparrowing my way if you will. My plan is simple: deal damage, lay down cards and draw cards! With cards like gamble and tormenting voices, I draw cards.. but that’s where madness inspiration comes to fold! It’s impulsive in the moment, but with a long term goal. Savage fury on the outside, like an act, with all the ambition and planning of a true super villain like the joker. Always attacking, seeming reckless, grasping ambition and seeking opportunity intelligently in the heat of the moment. To me, Black is the lust for power, red is the willingness to take a gamble on it and both combined to have a mind open enough to even the most insane of ideas and to think “maybe that could work...”
you are a discrace to the rakdos guild. a plan? FUCK OFF
if no one has said this and I think they have but you need to know"You Are Amazing. Thank you for the great content."
We were doing a three way battle between Rakdos, Dimir, and Gruul with the new guildkits the other day. I was Rakdos and just chain steamrolled the Dimir player before he could plea for a deal, I wiped him out. The Gruul player still had 14 out of 20 health left at this point. I then got rid of the "brains" of the competition, color and experience of player wise, and i flew in with Lord Rakdos himself while the Gruul player was left open from when I cut the board in half, including my own creatures.
Rakdos was one of the three two-color combinations I started with when I first started playing MTG
I love this series, its one of my favorites! Do Boros or Gruul next
RAKDOS is my fav guild follow by Orzov then Izzet(is it obvious grixis is my favorite shard and mardu my favorite wedge).
It seams alot of rakdos's cards are either awesome or horrible. The other guilds seem to have more a sloping line. This makes sense tho because Rakdos is all or nothing. It's biggest weakness is enchantments. It simply can't handle them. That and if it isn't winning by turn 3-4, it will likely be loosing. This doesn't mean you can't have mid range or even rakdos control, but it needs to be firmly in control of the game by turn 4 to win often as it's end game isn't as good at coming from behind late, but it can sure close out a game quickly if ahead.
love these guild videos! keep up the amazing content wedge and the rest of the mana source! you guys are awesome!!!
This is a really good series , great work so far!!
As someone who has been deck brewing aggressive decks for a couple years now I have to say that the colors do indeed has a distinct lack of long term goals, from the madness mechanic to the distinct lack of life gain from the combination there is really only one way for the colors to go; face. I found it interesting that my recent rackdos standard build found some strange cohesion to the desires of the eldrazi with the Forerunner of Slaughter and Reaver Drone at the forefront of the strategy. The dependence on other creatures seemed out of place but fitting for the addition of the 'Mindless' eldrazi.
I think the best way I could describe rakdos is this: Take the stuff that black is willing to do in order to gain power, and add red's random impulsiveness to make the rakdos actively want to do those things
I have awaited this day for a YEAR!!!
Loved this. Love rakdos (before it was called rakdos) played rb decks since alpha whenever I'm in the mood for some craziness!
Fun fact: Rakdos took the Boros flying township and crashlanded it on Azorius main district. Just another day in Ravnica! Tower Drake flavour text is something to see. xD
since the new ravnica set has come out, could you all start this up again? i'm loving looking at the philosophies, as well as gaining inspiration for the d&d ravnica spin-off!
Gotta love the Carnival of Destruction. Show Stopper is one of my favorite cards ever!
I want Dimir next! Great vid btw Wedge! I like these series very much!
I would like a video on Simic next, but honestly im happy with anything. I love this series. I want more of it and things like it.
there may only be two cards for each 4 color combination but I'd be interested to hear the explanation for what all but one color would have as a philosophy.
I feel like youre shorting anything that is part red. You didnt even adress the "me vs them" issue red black has. Red loves its allies and would do anything for them which fights against blacks inherent self focus.
Wedge would you make a separate recap video at the end quickly highlighting the philosophy, strengths and weaknesses of each.
As you seem to be going in opposites, doing Azorious into Rakados and before that Izzet followed by Golgari, how about we start again with either Orzhov followed by Gruul, or Dimir followed by Boros?
Add blue and you get more thoughtful, planning destruction based on a foundation of emotion and lust for power.
Wedge my man. You have proven that you listen to the people. I was a strong supporter for rakdos. And you delivered thank you
In the lore didn't the guild of rakdos actually keep all the other guild in check with the guild pack?
They did. Rakdos serves society by providing entertainment and menial services that allow the other guilds to thrive. It's only the more fanatical Rakdos adherents that are problematic.
I have no doubt Wedge is getting into three color wedges and shards sooner or later, I can not friggin wait for that sweet stuff!
One of my favorite color combos. Red-Black Aggro for the win!
Orshov!
Orzhov
I would like to suggest the Simic guild for the next Color pie study :D
I think the combination does not always have to end in chaos and self-destruction. The two colors indeed can support each other on basic levels.
See Lyvolda or Olivia.
Red's passion and Spirit can help Black to attain the thing it wants.
At the same time Black can sue the power it attains to live out its deepest desires.
Take Olivia from original innistrad. Would you say she is dumb or chaotic or self-destructive? No she has power she attained thorugh a classic monoblack approach and the red manifests in her using this power to live out all of her desires, with little thought of what others think.
Perfectly describes my play style when it comes to playing magic I love this color combination
One of best series on YT great work Wedge
Yeah I like these. Building a Mogis EDH deck this week.
jeremy debraccio I have a Mogis Punisher deck xD. Want to play a land? Lose Life. Upkeep, lose a creature or lose life... want to cast a spell? lose life or discard... if you discard you lose life. want tto tap a land? lose life...
xD
I built Zo-ZU last month. And it seems that Mogis will do what I wanted that deck to do better. And quicker
jeremy debraccio oh my mogis deck does have some similarities to Zo-zu, like having Zo-Zu and ankh.
I'm glad to know that it's partially due to the nature of Rakdos that I have so much trouble designing Rakdos endgame goals in my Cube.
So House Dimir next?
These videos are amazing. Are you going to put out tri-colour philosophy as well?
What card is the art at 5:04 from? The chain link tightrope walker with pig's head. It's so brutal
After this series is finished Please do a series for the shards of alara!
You know what series I would like to see? I know everybody has been begging for it, so I thought I'd ask myself. Can we have a new episode of...
MTG PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
I like you.
After you finish the ravnica guilds are you also thinking about doing the alara shards and tarkir wedges? i always thought the alara shards were interesting because you got to look at what the lack of 2 colors did to the world.
Love the guild. My personal favorite deck to play, I hardly play anything else with how secretly OP the guild really is.
I'd love to see one on Boros. I may be a control player, but I feel those colours fits my personally quite well.
My favourite colour pair! No other creatures shows this colour combo's strength better, than Demigod of revenge 💪 "I am huge and strong and I won't give you a chance to react before I strike - and I never go away"
Well when i play Rakdos i try to let red be...well red, while my black part is building up to add up to the board or is the backup plan in case of red couldnt do the job. Like said in the first video with the color pie: A good red deck wins by round 5 or starts losing at round 6.
My favorite way to play Rakdos is to steal my opponent's creatures with red spells (Act of Treason, Wrangle, etc.), attack with those creatures, and then sacrifice those creatures to something black (Carrion Feeder, Bloodflow Connoisseur, etc.). And, if I so happen to have a Blood Artist on the field, all the better. It's always so satisfyingly evil.
im a rakdos main and alway will. I like to do something called "who wants to be a hero" where someone pays but I always get something good out of the deal.
I tried to put all the guilds into the DnD morality chart once. Rakdos was the first one I knew where it went and wouldnt change.
Chaotic Evil for life.