Today I’m joined by Prime Speaker Zegana, guildmaster of the reformed Simic Combine.

Prime Speaker Zegana by Willian Murai

Some of you may have read the Fathom Edict, in which she describes her goals and plans for Ravnica. I’m more interested in the fact that she managed to take control of the Simic without any fuss or opposition. Zegana claims to be the head of a group of speakers, one for each Zonot. Given that nobody outside of the Simic has ever encountered any of these others, that claim is somewhat suspect.

If my theory bears out, it surely suggests that Zegana is among the most capable commanders of all time, and as such, I’ll today be interviewing her about how she takes charge. Please welcome Prime Speaker Zegana!

Babbling Brook

Jules: Well, we’re all trying to learn. Your people seem to have come to a better understanding of leadership than ours. After all, you rose to power without so much as a whisper of protest, whereas Aurelia, the Warleader seized control through Feather’s disgrace.

Z: Conflict serves no one. The more knowledge is shared, the better all are able to learn.

J: So, you share all your tactics with those you command?

Z: How could I do otherwise? They are the source of my knowledge, after all. Perhaps an example will do you more good.

Speak Up

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J: That’s quite the menagerie! Could you explain what’s going on here to the less-tactically-minded of us?

J: So, you’ll gain the most by studying a creature with many new adaptations?

Z: Precisely so. It is not so different than taking the time to appreciate a Soul's Majesty for yourself, but I am practiced enough to simplify the process.

J: So, you learn a lot—then what?

Z: A grand upwelling like none seen before. Not only will I learn the ways of a potent beast, I will then have the resources to summon forth another score of them. It would be foolhardy to stand against such a force.

J: And what if the Azorius were to deliver a Supreme Verdict or the Ozhov to institute a Merciless Eviction?

Z: Then I would require but one beast more, that studying it might inspire me in the assembly of another force.

J: This all sounds like it’s going to take an awful lot of mana.

Z: My apologies—I had not considered how living on this paved-over surface must have deprived you of mana. Beneath the waves lie Boundless Realms perpetually in a state of Vernal Bloom; needless to say, mana is abundant.

J: Given that capability, this strategy isn’t really all that novel. I mean, the Chorus of the Conclave was doing something similar ages ago! You’ve been separated from Ravnican society for epochs; surely, you must have developed some tactics that are alien to us.

Z: Indeed. I had hoped to teach Ravnica more of our ways before unveiling the incomprehensible, but you are persistent in your pursuit of understanding, and that is a quality deserving of reward.

Foreign Language

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J: Okay, so you’re blinking in and out of existence, using your talents as some sort of Mulldrifter?

Z: Therein lies one aspect of the strategy, yes.

J:  . . . And the same tricks work with the creatures you’re studying, allowing you to form a bunch of mana bonds or dismantle opposing enchantments. Then you’re employing a bunch of shapeshifters to replicate their capabilities and those of opposing forces.

Z: You speak no untruths, but there is more. First, you must understand the uniqueness of individuals in the multiverse.

J: Wait . . . You know about planeswalkers?

J: I . . . um.

Z: Why, the new me should study the old. Then we would be mutually annihilated, not that such an occurrence would present much of a problem.

J: So, you get to come back and do a bit more research? These shapeshifters don’t seem any more valuable to your plan than Divinations.

Z: That might be true, were it not for the beings of pure thought.

J: Beings of pure thought? I don’t see any . . . 

Z: “No two see the same Maro.”

J: Wow! So you could summon Masumaro, First to Live, study him, and then summon a Clone to study him and end up eight times as much as you knew!

Z: Progress is swift without Azorius sanctions.

J: I think we all need a bit of time to consider that point. Thank you for your time, Speaker Zegana.

Z: May the upwelling bring you bounty.

Speechless

Further examination of Zegana’s battle plans has revealed additional hidden strategies. For instance, summoning Master Biomancer, cloning him, and then alternating between flickering the original and the Clone leads to enormous creatures. Furthermore, it seems that Zegana was wrong about copies of her personality annihilating; I found a dozen of them holed up in the Mirror Gallery, growing in strength with each reflection. I don’t know what the Simic have planned, but they’re more dangerous than they seem. They may prove just as conniving as the Dimir, and they have a lot more muscle to back it up.

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