Boros Legion
| Boros Legion | |
|---|---|
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[[File:{{#setmainimage:Boros Logo.png}}|150px]] | |
| Alternative Names | |
| The Legion | |
| Lore Information | |
| Parun | Razia |
| Guild Leader |
Razia (1-10,012) Lannos Nodov (10,012, acting)[1] Feather (10,012-?) Aurelia (incumbent) |
| Guild Champion |
Agrus Kos Tajic |
| Guild Hall | Sunhome |
| Game Information | |
| Colors |
  |
| Mechanics |
Radiance (Ravnica: City of Guilds) Battalion (Gatecrash) Mentor (Guilds of Ravnica) |
| Featured Sets | |
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Ravnica: City of Guilds Gatecrash Guilds of Ravnica | |
| Signet Flavor Text | |
| "Have you ever held a Boros signet? There's a weight to it that belies its size — a weight of strength and of pride." — Boros Signet | |
| Scryfall Search | |
| watermark:"Boros" | |
The Boros Legion is the red/white guild from the plane and city of Ravnica.[2][3][4] Introduced in Ravnica: City of Guilds, the guild is also featured in Gatecrash and Guilds of Ravnica.
Background
The Boros Legion was founded by parun Razia, a militant flaming-sword-wielding archangel capable of using flame and light magic who fervently and firmly believed in harmonious coexistence on Ravnica, even if lives were lost and blood was shed in achieving this. The Legion functions as the righteous and zealous constabulary and a standing army of Ravnica, as the League of Wojek and Boros Army, respectively, and enforces Ravnican laws created by the Azorius Senate.[5][6] The Boros Legion is known to use many fire spells.
The Guildhall of the Boros is Sunhome, a combined fortress, barracks, and place of worship.
Old Hierarchy
As it was originally envisioned, the Boros Legion had a complicated, contrived, and highly stratified hierarchy, with the upper levels comprising angels and guildmages and lower levels comprising the League of Wojek and the Boros Army. A Boros could only employ the spells of an equal or lesser power band.
Angels
Angels were above and outside of the regular hierarchy. They provided inspiration and direction and only occasionally did they swing their fiery swords in battle. Any angel of any status outranked a mortal Boros member.
- Power Band 1: Razia — military leader and icon, inspiration, and demi-god, all within the Legion knew and respected her.
- Power Band 2: the Angelic Warleaders — wise and ancient angels serving as the tacticians of the guild and as counselors to the Archangel. They charted spiritual campaigns over hundreds of years, and set the dogma of the guild, making certain that it reflected the command of their leader.
- Power Band 3: Firemane Angels — incarnations of war, serving in the capacity of holy warriors. Not involved in strategy or politics.
- Power Band 4: Battleforce Angels — The rank and file of the angel echelon.[7] They are strong and loyal and many.
Guildmages
- Power Band 5: the Boros Guildmages — The highest power band among Boros mortals, the Guildmage was the only rank that could initiate contact with the angels. They received orders from the angels and passed them along to the commanders of the Boros Army and the League of Wojek. These Firefists are zealous, who wield the magic of embermages, tempered by the martial training of a soldier.[8]
League of Wojek and Boros Army
Below the rank of Guildmages, the Legion split in half. The League of Wojek is the official law enforcement of the districts of Ravnica City. Many ranks with the League and the Army share a power band, however, a member of the Army could give an order to a lower-ranking Wojek while a Wojek could not give orders to a lower-ranking member of the Army.[5]
- Power Band 6: The Commander-Generals — one for the Wojek and one for the regular army. Masters of war and strategy as well as administration.
- Power Band 7: Section Commanders — ten Wojek commanders, one for each of the districts of Ravnica City. Used to be able to activate a Sentinel Titan.
- Power Band 8: Shift Captains and Skyknight Captains — The Wojek Shift Captains are the highest rank that patrols the streets. The Skyknight Captains command not only their Skyknights but also the rest of the Boros soldiers. They fly the skies on colossal rocs, which give them a great vantage point from which to command a battle. On the ground as often as they’re in the air to communicate with the ground troops.
- Power Band 9: Wojek Embermages — the combat mages of the League of Wojek.
- Power Band 10: Lieutenants / Skyknight and Skyjeks — lieutenants are the most clever and experienced of the street patrol Wojek, and answer directly to the Shift Captain. Ace fighters in the air, the Skyknight Legionnaires and the Skyjeks and their rocs hold the respect and awe both of the Boros rank and file and the Ravnica citizenry.
- Power Band 11: Wojek Sergeants and Sunhome Enforcers — Sergeants are standard street patrollers while Sunhome Enforcers are soldiers who have proven themselves worthy of guarding the Sunhome fortress.
- Power Band 12: Wojek Apothecaries and Flame-Kin — healers of the League of Wojek, the Wojek Apothecaries are necessary for the many scrapes that occur on the streets. The flame-kin are bipedal elementals that have been touched by the angels of the Boros. They are passionate zealots loyal to the cause of the Legion.
- Power Band 13: Constables and Commandos— Wojek constables take care of the menial tasks that need taking care of. Boros Commandos are good soldiers perfect for what is commonly called ‘Hammer Duty’. Many of the Commandos are Ordruun, a race of minotaurs. Ordruun Commandos even outnumber human Commandos. Swiftblades are the first soldiers into combat. They're the elite marines of Boros specializing in assault and occupation.
- Power Band 14: Thundersong Trumpeters— though they do not patrol the streets like the ‘jeks and do not occupy the trenches like the rest of the army, Trumpeters outrank all low-level soldiers. They strike fear into the heart of the enemy with their song.
- "The Grunts" — the common rank-and-file police and soldiers that make up the majority of the manpower.
The Interregnum
During the days of the Interregnum after the death of Razia and many other high-ranking officials of the guild, the Boros mainly worked as paid bodyguards and security officials for the highest bidders, mostly Orzhov families.[9] Many were discontent with this new style of leadership under guildmaster Feather and gathered under the war-leader Aurelia, who argued that no disgraced angel should lead the Boros.
The new Hierarchy
After Aurelia assumed the office of guildmaster, she established several changes to the way the guild was run. While she maintained both the army and the Wojek, angels were now encouraged to mingle with the lower ranks and Aurelia enforced practicality over tradition among them.[7][10][11]
In addition, Aurelia has split leadership of the bulk of the legion into four "theatres" that mainly deal with threats to the public order:
- The Theatre of Order: tasked to fight against Rakdos incursions and their clubs.
- The Theatre of Integrity: tasked to find the sleeper agents and hidden refuges of the Dimir and root any members of this subversive guild out
- A subdivision, the Dead Brigade, is tasked to neutralizes spirits.
- The Theatre of Fortification: tasked to increase Boros weapons and battle effectiveness. Its commander is Tajic.
- The Warmind Initiative is a conjoined effort of the Izzet and the Boros to develop new technologies for the Boros to use to keep the peace.
- The Theatre of Recruitment: having the objective to find and indoctrinate members among the guildless that seem suitable to serve in the Legion.
Further decentralization
The most sweeping recent change has been the reorganization of the guild into countless small local forces.[8] Boros forces are now distributed into garrisons, each of which performs all the functions formerly divided among the theaters. Each garrison has little knowledge of the activities of the others, and secret plans are not shared. Thus, if one garrison is infiltrated by spies from another guild, the caused damage is limited to that garrison alone. The Warleader Angels coordinate the efforts of the garrisons, with the Battleforce Angels as their liaisons. Firemane Angels walk regularly among the soldiers, rooting out any hint of deception or corruption.
War of the Spark
Aurelia and the Boros Legion were in the vanguard of the troops fighting Nicol Bolas in the War of the Spark.[12] The Parhelion was used, as well.
Phyrexian invasion and its aftermath
As frontline fighters against the Phyrexian invasion, the Boros suffered heavy losses.[13][14] Many of the survivors suffered a crisis of faith, feeling guilt and remorse for not being able to protect the plane as they felt they should have been able to. Guildmaster Aurelia took the losses particularly hard. Following the Invasion, they've grown even more aggressive about cracking down on the disruptive activities of the guilds they've traditionally viewed as threats to Ravnica — namely, the Golgari, Simic, Rakdos, and Gruul. To make up for the losses, the Boros have been stepping up their recruitment efforts amongst the guildless, which has resulted in a large number of new, untrained recruits now patrolling the streets. In addition, Boros mage-priests have taken to training the Legion's soldiers in wielding battle magics previously reserved for higher-ranked members.
In the game
Guild mechanics
Ravnica: City of Guilds: Radiance
Radiance is an ability word that features on cards that affect a target and all other cards of the same type that share a color with the target.[15]
Gatecrash: Battalion
Battalion is an ability word that features on cards that have an effect triggered when multiple creatures attack simultaneously.
Guilds of Ravnica: Mentor
Whenever a creature with the Mentor ability attacks, a +1/+1 counter is put on target attacking creature with less power.
Creature types
Species and races
Species and races associated with the Boros Legion include:
Classes
Classes associated with the Boros Legion include:
Notable members
Gallery
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Ravnica block crest.
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Return to Ravnica block crest
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Half deck summary card used in Ravnica: Clue Edition.
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Return to Ravnica art.
References
- ↑ Cory J. Herndon (May 2006), Dissension.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (August 20, 2012). "Boros Legion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (December 05, 2005). "Disorderly Conduct". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Magic Arcana (January 04, 2006). "Ravnica Style Guide: Boros". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Matt Cavotta (December 7, 2005). "Holy War, the Boros Legion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Chris Gleeson (October 16, 2018). "Building the Guilds – The Boros Legion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b The Magic Creative Team (December 05, 2012). "Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica". Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Adam Lee (August 29, 2012). "Ravnica, then and now". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Chas Andres (October 3, 2018). "A Flavorful Guide to the Guilds of Ravnica". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (December 12, 2012). "Planeswalker's Guide to Gatecrash, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey.
- ↑ Emily Teng (February 1, 2024). "Planeswalker's Guide to Murders at Karlov Manor". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Flavor text of Lightning Helix (Murders at Karlov Manor)
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 04, 2013). "Designing for Boros". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
See also
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