Niv-Mizzet
| Niv-Mizzet | |
|---|---|
|
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Niv-Mizzet.jpg}}|250px]] | |
| Details | |
| Race | Dragon Avatar |
| Birthplace | Ravnica |
| Lifetime | -5,000 A.C. - present |
| Sources | |
| Guildpact, Dissension | |
Niv-Mizzet is the temperamental dragonic parun of the Izzet League on Ravnica, reborn as the Living Guildpact.
Description
Niv-Mizzet is 16,768 years old.[1] His intellect exceeds that of standard mortals by several echelons, and he is known for many ingenious inventions that currently serve the citizens of Ravnica, the most well known being the almost indestructible, yet easily usable and forgeable metal, mizzium.[2] Possessed of arrogance and vanity that matches his vast intellect and tremendous power, Niv-Mizzet directs the research and experiments of his countless underlings from his private laboratory at the top of the lzzet guildhall.
History
The Guildpact
The lzzet League is one of the few guilds whose founder remains its guildmaster, just as the guild continues to fulfill its original mission (even as its experiments go far beyond the guild's original mandate). Niv-Mizzet, the original and current guildmaster of the lzzet League, is a sixteen-thousand-year-old dragon.
The Firemind
The Firemind is an extrasensory link to Niv-Mizzet’s omniscience. To possess it is to be immersed in passionate brilliance. Not all Izzet are in tune with the Firemind though; the honor must be earned by passing a test or by accomplishing an extraordinary achievement.
Absence
As time wore on, he became further and further reclusive and wasn't seen publicly for over 2500 years prior to his appearance to help the goblin master engineer Crixizix deal with the rampant nephilim. He destroyed two of them, but fled after being injured by an unforeseen attack by the nephilim, who had been empowered by consuming the flesh of a dragon. He left the battle, claiming that he was bored of the fight, for an unknown destination in the northern aeries and did not return whilst the Nephilim ran amok.
His disappearance from Ravnica seemed to be complete, as even those who were tied to the Firemind could not find him. However, he later returned as a signatory for the new guildpact negotiated by Teysa Karlov.
The Implicit Maze
Long after the Guildpact had been laid to waste the Izzet League undertook a massive research project that spanned the 10th district. Niv-Mizzet put many of his guild's most powerful mages, including Ral Zarek, into a scavenger hunt across and under the city in search for the secrets of the Implicit Maze. This project was progressing slowly until Jace Beleren used his powers to peer into the dragon's mind to learn the secrets that Niv-Mizzet sought. Fascinated by the mindmage, Niv-Mizzet took Ral Zarek out of the Maze project to discover what Jace had learned. Partially successful in this, Zarek was sent to deliver an invitation to the other guilds, urging them to send Mazerunners to the Transguild Promenade. Niv-Mizzet went to work creating the Izzet Mazerunner, a Weird made from Ice and Lightning that he called Melek. At the Transguild Promenade however a disgruntled Zarek destroyed Melek and replaced him as the Izzet Mazerunner. Niv-Mizzet arrived at the Forum of Azor shortly after Jace Beleren used mind magic to halt the aggression between the Runners and after a tense stand off with Jace he left to ponder the Guildpact's return.
The interlocus
Niv-Mizzet knew about other planes and planeswalkers and had figured out that a threat to Ravnica was coming. He started an experiment (the "Interlocus") that would aid him to absorb the power of Guildpact, but he needed the help of the other guilds to pull it off.[3] A murder attempt by an unknown assailant had made his project even more urgent.[3] To work on this experiment he headed away from the main part of the city and left Ral Zarek behind as acting guildleader. Niv-Mizzet had Ral turn Project Lightning Bug into a beacon to call other walkers to help fight Bolas. When Zarek made a device to fulfill Niv-Mizzet's plan of stealing the power of the Guildpact, Dovin Baan found out and played along until right before Bolas' arrival on the plane and then sabotaged the device, leaving Jace as the Living Guildpact and Niv-Mizzet without the extra power he craved.[3][4]
Death
Before the War of the Spark, Nicol Bolas slew Niv-Mizzet.[5][6] The battle was brief, leaving only Niv's charred bones behind.[1] However, the Firemind had been preparing for every eventuality, including his death. Together with Ugin, Niv-Mizzet made preparations to preserve his ghost in a device of his own design. The little silver box with delicate filigree, sparking gears and shimmering crystals could project Niv's essence above it, and would preserve his ghost for at least a hundred years. With Sarkhan Vol's assistance, the box was delivered to the Meditation Plane for safekeeping under Ugin's watch.[1] The Firemind provided clues for Jace, Vraska and Ral Zarek to build him back.[7][8][1]
Rebirth in the War of the Spark
At the ruins of the Guildpact Chamber, Nissa Revane led representatives from each Ravnica guild through a ritual to resurrect Niv-Mizzet as the new Living Guildpact. The ritual attracted the attention of God-Eternal Kefnet who quickly attacked. Teyo Verada was able to shield everyone long enough for the ritual to be completed. Upon his rebirth, the Firemind incinerated Kefnet, but immediately lost consciousness from the strain of using enough power to kill a god. Later, while Bolas was being attacked by the God-Eternals Oketra and Bontu under the control of Liliana Vess, Niv-Mizzet surprised Nicol Bolas by impaling the elder dragon through the back with Hazoret's spear. Although Bolas managed to obliterate Oketra, the distraction allowed Bontu to bite Bolas and extract all of the elder dragon's sparks, including his own.[1]
After the War's end, Niv-Mizzet took up his new position of Living Guildpact with earnest, permanently relinquishing his status of Izzet guildmaster to Ral. When he boasted to Jace about the transfer of the Guildpact's power, Jace instead smiled and admitted he was happy to be rid of the responsibility, as he could travel the multiverse freely while leaving the Guildpact's power in the hands of a planebound being. Niv-Mizzet's first act as Living Guildpact was to have Ral, Vraska, and Kaya undergo penance for allying with Bolas but defecting before the War, by having them respectively hunt down Tezzeret, Dovin Baan, and Liliana Vess, the planeswalkers who remained loyal to Bolas or defected too late.[1]
Trivia
- His original card's flavor text "(Z->)90° - (E-N²W)90°t=1" is very well known, and has led to multiple interpretations; one such is that it reads "Niv-Mizzet = 1", as when one turns the symbols in the parenthesis 90 degrees, it reads "(NIV)-(MIZZE)t=1", a possible allusion that he considers himself #1 in every aspect, or that he is the only higher dragon left in Ravnica. Mark Rosewater's comment on the "=1" part was that this means "equal 1 copy of his name".[9] Another interpretation is that his ability to tap to draw a card does 1 point of damage. It is reminiscent of the real-life equation called Euler's identity, e^(iπ) + 1 = 0, which has been called "the most famous formula in all mathematics", in which pi is an angle in radians (equivalent to 180°) plugged into Euler's formula.
- In 2009 it was speculated that Niv-Mizzet could somehow planeswalk. This was explicitly denied by Brady Dommermuth.[10]
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
References
- ↑ a b c d e f Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey
- ↑ Matt Cavotta (January 11, 2006). "Niv-Mizzet, the Fountainhead". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica'" . Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Greg Weisman (May 8, 2019). "War of the Spark — Old Friends and New". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (April 12, 2019). "Niv-Mizzet, No Longer Just Izzet". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 20, 2019). "Was there a reason we knew Niv-Mizzet was resurrected before we knew he died?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Contentious Plan
- ↑ Firemind Vessel
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 10, 2007). "What Do You Know, Part II". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Brady Dommermuth (January 30, 2009). He remains on Ravnica. I will say no more.
- ↑ Steve Watts (April 12, 2019). "Magic: The Gathering Debuts New Card For Arena And Tabletop". Gamespot.com.
