The Philosophy of Black Green - Golgari | Definitive Color Pie Study 

Learn more about the individual colors featured here: Black: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PAlr1_ReQq8.html Green: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Wa4unbtsBtE.html

Black: I deserve greatness. Green: I am part of a great destiny. Golgari: I am destined for greatness.

I got chills when you described how golgari would represent purpose and free will, I'm a firm believer that one should not aspire to control everything but take advantage of what they can control. Everyone needs growth, but sometimes growth can't occur until you destroy or dispose of something else, so I'm definitely golgari in philosophy!

Another interesting way to look at Golgari is follows: Sapient creatures always struggle with self-reflection and morality. Golgari isn't burdened by this since it isn't bound by conscience. There is no inherent good or evil in nature. Everything is the way it's ment to be. The same goes for you as well. You are the way you are meant to be. That can be very freeing since you don't have to think about how you are perceived by knowing, that you're who yoiu are meant to be. You can freely give into your thoughts and wishes and take what you want since that is the way you were created. Freed from the chackles of mo0rality Golgari can be the color pair, that's most at peace with itself.

i think an interesting interpretation of the golgari combo that ive thought of is something i would describe as “ruthless pursuit of destiny.” - this type of philosophy sees that it has a duty to fulfill its role in nature, and does so completely unhindered without regards to the ethicality or morals of fulfilling its nature and destiny, and believes that this pursuit of destiny is how it will realize its own self to the fullest. i could see this manifesting in the form of a predator at the top of the food chain - a creature who hunts down and slaughters prey without any thought to the morality of said action, and instead simply doing it because thats what its own destiny is, and how it will best realize its own desire within the environment and condition that nature created itself in.

I struggle with finding my color identity but the last view of Golgari has really stuck with me. I have always considered myself a philosopher but that last question really hit home. It's foolish to think we are at the whims of destiny but also foolish to think we are not affected by the world. I'm Golgari.

Green adds an element of perspective and restraint to black’s ambition. When we amass wealth, land, etc. it’s never really “ours”, it’s just ours to use right now. Eventually we die and that wealth is redistributed and that land goes to someone else. It’s not so much the “having” as it is the “getting”, in playing the infinite game.

I generally align most closely with Jeskai, without much black or green. But strangely enough, I think Golgari is the Black-aligned combination I respect the most. The philosopher aspect of Golgari you brought up is especially appealing, almost feeling Blue but without being like Dimir or Simic.

An interesting real-life concept that could be embraced by Golgari is that of "as above, so below". The microcosm reflects the macrocosm, and vice-versa. The musings of the self do not preclude reflections about the greater universe. The answers found in one could have repercussions in the other. It is through this connection that one could find overlap and fluidity between determinism and self-determination.

Another solid video.

Golgari has been my favorite combo since I started playing 10 years ago! I've evolved into Sultai since Khans block introduced me to the fun of slapping blue into the mix.

Finally my favorite two color combination:3

I love golgari. Creature comes into play, does it's job, dies and becomes fuel for the next creature. The faster I'm able to spin this wheel, the closer I'm usually to victory.

I like the concept of enemy color pairings having their ideals take shape in the worldview of the other's. Ex: Green's focus on life purpose emphasizes that we should live in balance with our environment, while Black's focus on death is used or taken to work outside of limitations. Golgari kind of flips it; life is meant to be what you make of it, and death is a part of the cycle that drives us to leave the world better for those that come after.

Golgari are my wing colors, supporting my blue core. I resonate with this video. I should be allowed to do as I please, but I'm part of a bigger system, my actions have consequences. To build others up is to build myself up, I'm part of a greater whole.

my favorite parring, even after i stopped playing magic i kept my golgari deck, converting it to a commander deck when that became popular for a time. the cycle of life and death is eternal, no matter what you do, or how long you are able to live, you will die and become the materials to feed new life. i always like the concept, as you stated, puts those who take in a perspective that might cause them to be more altruistic than in other combos.

Accept what I'am and do the best with which I'm given,excellent Quote Dicetry,it hit me right in the feels ^_^

I'm looking forward to Blue/Green!

I'm only like six minutes in and have already decided this will be a fascinating series to listen to while I work on a project for teaching people commander I look forward to watching the rest and what comes out next if you do the rest of the color combos.

I looked up deck building tips for a golgari deck and this was the best thing that popped up lol what an underrated combo!

Great video, loved the presentation and your voice is very good as well.

Thank you for the time and effort you’ve put into your videos. They’re amazing, and really thought provoking.

good video once again dicetry

My favorite pair to run and the biggest 2 sides of magic the gathering I see in my own life. For me I can't enjoy building a mono black deck since I just can't help adding green. I am selfish and usually more often then not look out solely for myself, but I can't seem to not want to help those I see around me for no other reason then a desire to. It's not for society or to keep the peace but generally just to see that person succeed. I've met many broken people of the course of my 20 some years and I've seen a good majority crawl out and become very successful in their own ways I could not imagine. I am not overly jealous of what they have as I would never want to be anyone else but me. I feel like everyone wants to be a group or categorized as a race or gender or sexuality and that's their life. But you should be able to wake up in the morning and look yourself in the mirror and smile because you want to be you.

Green black is always my favorite color combo. Green Black White is also dope and a favorite of mine haha

I always love these videos. Can’t wait for Jund

Great video 😮

This is amazing

I just love B/G so much, and I don't even know precisely why. My first "good" commander was Meren, and these days, I just love piloting Valentin/Lisette. At least in Commander, it always feels like the decks I built in those colours (plus friends) have a certain inevitability, and that is very comforting, like home: Just like death follows life, I will be in a position to win eventually.

Two other perspectives I have thought of for Golgari are "Savagery" and Existentialism separately. The reason why I came to the idea of savagery being more Golari than Gruul in concept actually came from a Different IP than mtg altogether. Its from the character in the League of Legends Lore by the name of Volibear, who is also known as the thousand pierced bear. He is considered a demi-god in the lore, but think of him as a figure similar to the Gods in Theros, but tied to a specific region. He is the god of Savagery and abhors civilization of all kinds, only wanting people to survive by their own means in the wilderness. This is all very Green already, but the reason why I would say Black instead of Red, is that he does it from very selfish reasons and those who follow him also do it as well. Survival not to persist and exist in nature, but to thrive and be the Apex predator, struggle and temper oneself at all costs because the wilderness will not care for you either. Not disliking civilization because of it twisting nature, but because it makes people weak and complacent. Rather than just Gruul and being one with instincts and impulse, its selfish survival and improvement. There is even a cult of sorts that follow his teachings, through twisting themselves into beast like forms to be stronger, and to be the strongest. As for the Existentialism part of it, existentialism by itself recognizes some kind of "truth" in the world, that there is no true purpose within their surroundings, the world does what it does, not for any intent or meaning, it just functions and that will not change. However, one can live one's life with existence preceding essence, what is becomes more important than what is intended, because the world has no purpose or meaning for you, you have to shape that purpose for yourself, and mold yourself to fit that purpose best, even if it does mean you have to "prune" those parts of you that cannot fit to such a purpose you seek to follow.

Great video

*WARNING: ESSAY POST AHEAD* Green-Black is interesting in that its one of the most honest color combinations, mostly due to the weird disconnect in Green. Green has a problem with being a Bipolar color. Its emotive and philosophical components often run contrary to its nature as the color that embodies Nature. It professes to want to encourage growth and nature and the like, yet the philosophy of tradition and community and the like runs contrary to the functions and mechanisms of nature and the natural world. The "balance" of nature is not some actual force that directs the actions of all animals, it is the post-hoc labeling of the results of millennia of interactions, successions, competitions, mutations, extinctions, collapses, and other stochastic interplays between the biotic and abiotic factors of the environment. Remove predators from a closed system, and what you get is herbivores consuming without a thought until they starve themselves by draining away their food sources. Neither the predator nor the prey thinks not about the balance or preservation of resources, they only think about their own survival and self interest, consuming and breeding until selective factors put a limit on them. This is the nature of the natural animal world, and ironically it is this animal nature that leads Humanity to continue to exploit and abuse the very natural world that spawned this mindset in us. However it is our nature as sapient organisms that allows us to put off the natural animal within us and become something higher, capable of thinking about and considering these philosophical aspects that we describe in Green. This then creates an additional layer of paradox: We must detach ourselves partly from our natural animal nature to be able to preserve nature, but if we do so completely we lose all incentive, attachment, and desire to preserve nature. Likewise it is our natural animal nature to pursue our own self interests and fulfill our base desires and ambitions, yet if we devote ourselves fully to our animal nature we do so at the expense of nature, thus nature harms itself, because we are intelligent enough to notice and remove our own selective pressures. Acceptance is Green, yet what we must accept as natural is Black. What is Natural is Black, yet to notice and preserve what is natural we must utilize Green. This is the blessing and curse of Sapience, for by possessing it and the awareness that comes in it, our natures are inverted and twisted against eachother, the Virtue of animals and nature becomes Sin in humans, and the great Virtues of man are unnatural and anathema in the crucible of Nature, and to attempt to apply either to the other without understanding the difference and seperation in either causes hurt and damage to the other, whether it is the exploitation of a predatory man against other men, or the destruction of nature in the name of preserving man. Green is constantly at war with itself, for its philosophies and morals, though helpful in preserving Nature, ultimately are foreign to nature, unnatural, and can harm nature. Black creates the balancing force, it provides and highlights the mechanisms of nature and its functions, and forces Green to think about what Nature truly is and forces it to confront and analyze its own contradictions, and provides the realization as to what it is. Nietzche wrote about the differences between the Dionysian and Apollonian man. Green is that which claims to protect the Dionysian, but does so by acting as the Apollonian. Black claims to exist as the Apollonian, but it behaves as a Dionysian. Golgari then must recognize the twin paradoxes and negotiate them by realizing that they are in fact the same entity, moving in a boom and bust wave function, the type that can be seen in R-selected Population dynamics or in Ecological Disturbance-Succession models.

This is my favorite one (with biased, of course). And I would say I’m more the philosophical aspect of Green-Black. I don’t necessarily see life in deaths and opposites, or as allies. They just are 2 truths, in the greater meaning of reality.

Great video. This got me thinking further about Abzan vs. Golgari, as they contain very similar iconography and philosophy and are more mechanically distinct. I think the Abzan of Tarkir did some distinguishing (with a focus on Humanity's place within the life and death cycle), but a lot of other examples, like Lorwyn's treefolk or Indatha on Ikoria, feel closer to just Golgari.

Golgari realizes that exploitation Is nature. The connections and strengths we have come from an eternal cycle fueled by self interest. It accepts its part in this cycle and sees itself as a moving but essential part in a natural hierarchy.

I can't wait to see you do Boros!

Great video as always. But I have what I think is an interesting angle: What would be the difference between Golgari and Witherbloom. I think there is a difference, even if a subtle one. I this that this comparison would be interesting to address in each of the opposing pairs.

I think Golgari is among the most profound or deep 2-colour combinations. And I wish its cerebral side got explored more both in cards and story articles. Golgari has the right tools for a very memorable character that will really make the reader think and reconsider the world of M:tG!

This is a bit semantic, but I like to think of it like this: we don't say we've "fulfilled our fates" or "met or destinies." We say that we've met our _fate_ at the hands of something. It's a negative connotation about something outside our control. On the other hand, fulfilling your destiny is usually positive. More importantly, though, it requires us _to do something._ It doesn't happen without our actions, meaning our choices do matter. Fulfilling your destiny is doing what you were made to do, but meeting your fate is the consequence of not doing it. Of course, nobody said figuring out your purpose was easy, let alone fulfilling it. However, the alternative is to meet your fate at the hands of nihilism, self-destruction, and tyranny, so I recommend the former. As for me, I fall somewhere along the lines of Golgari, Dimir, or Simic.

My current DnD character is Black-Green. She is (of course) a Grave Cleric Dragonborn. She actually started only Black, focused on herself and cynical. But her god of death gave her purpose and peace which gave her Green (simplified). Her acceptance is actually a source of conflict. She trusts her god deeply because she was Black, except for not living up to it in terms of fearlessness. Her ambition scared her and her god binds it comfortably. She would do anything for her god and mistrust her better judgement. Green also makes her concerned with the big picture and with life as a whole and as people. But her Black side makes her think, she should be the one to help everyone. She is also shy, maybe even introverted (used to be a hermit very Black-Green) and is afraid of connection with anyone else than her god. She also is considered creepy or thinks so at least and therefore doesn't even try. Another thing that makes her bad is a refusal of what Golgari is not: Azorious. She does not believe that people should be taught to be better or that building structures and organisations is futile and meaningless. Death is a constant. And she serves. But she dishes it out just as well and is a warlike person. Her dark sides are given to serve her god.

I think you may have missed something that perfectly shows the relationship between Black and Green, the food mechanic. While not universal, most food creators come from Green while most food exploiters come from black. It is a symbiotic relationship of growth and destruction that creates some of the most fun engine decks. Saavy hunter, which shares both colors creates food via fighting and then uses the food to draw cards almost like something decaying(good) for new growth (draw).

Very good video! Your last take about the "agnostic philosopher" really seemed like a new take on the combination. Specifically, it might be more of an Ethics or Anthropology philosopher, asking about what are we, what's our place in this world and how we should behave. A quick idea on something unrelated, if I may. Would it be a fun idea to try to create planes out of the three-colour combinations that don't have a plane by themselves? Abzan, for instance. It's a House, but not a plain, as Bant. How would an Abzan plane function? A Temur plane? How it would be ruled? How would its citizens relate to nature? I was looking for something like this, and I haven't found anything. Maybe it could be a good idea for some videos, perhaps? Once again, thanks for your videos! They are amazing!

i would love to see the Philosophy of Red Green as those colors I feel close to. as well as Black and Green

I just gotta say...this video really made me appreciate this color combination so much more and it really expanded my idea of what Black/Green can be. Like...yeah this is very interesting and thought-provoking. It really does put both black and green into perspective and how these two colors interact. I think I can sum up my thoughts with a concept I call... "Survival of the Strongest" We all know the saying "survival of the fittest" and how it really does tie into green. After all, it is only natural that the most successful of survival traits are kept and passed onto future generations. But these traits can also be rather unfocused. Creatures have adapted of course to have multiple ways of survival. Some are physically imposing. Some are cunning and intelligent. Other still reproduce rapidly or are good at not being detected. But this leaves green in a sort of apathetic state. Adding black to the mix creates a single driving force; to become the strongest! This kind of environment is a place where death is abundant, but also where life thrives! Creatures adapt quickly or they die quickly, meaning that the animals here are the most dangerous that they can be. So while Golgar is practically a meme at this point for being the color of decay and rot, I say that Golgari is also the exact opposite, pushing life to its extreme. To that I bring up one of evolution's most successful creature...the scorpion! These arachnids have been around for roughly 430 million years, and their body design has changed very little in that time. In the bug world, they are walking arsenals and are aggressive hunters. It is these traits that have propelled them to being one of the top bug predators. It is this that I would say makes the scorpion a very Golgari animal

A nice touch to this is if you look at Vraska's Planeswalker cards. When she's in Ravnica, she's G/B, but when she denies her destiny and goes to Ixilan, unwittingly being there to help Jace, doing so not out of a sense of goodness but her own desires, it's pure B

ITS MY GUILD!!!!

I feel like this combination of colors would also place a high value on family heritage, both as a method to hold onto power through generational teachings as well as a method to hold onto tradition and protecting one's own. it would serve as loose collective of leaders after leader, seeking new accomplishments for the family and cementing one's place in the family history.

I think being a parasite is very black green to.

To be honest my interpretation of golgari is a tribe that has forgotten it's tradition and in pursuit of bringing it back they end up raising their ancestors to reteach the old ways and traditions and eventually everyone will forget again so they keep bringing their elders back for the future generations to remember the old

My only build in MTG

Reminds me a lot of the conversation about Nature vs Nurture

These is pretty much my core beliefs.

I feel as if this explanation of the Golgari color pair makes it sound philosophically much closer to classic mainstream Green than it is to Black. At least if one removes the mere aesthetics of rot and poison. Let's go through your points: You say that Golgari represents drive of survival of the fittest and evolution, of natural predators and parasites ruthlessly consuming and living. But normal predators, including apex predators, already do this completely naturally. A mono green crocodile or poison ivy isn't harmonic and friendly. You mention the embrace of life and death and not shying away from rot and compost. But mono green isn't the color of denying the natural cycle of things. Mufasa isn't part black for talking about how lions become grass which then gets eaten by prey. You mention how Golgari is about striving for personal advancement in a framework of still respecting nature and tradition and the general reality of powers beyond the self. But I've never seen green represented as the color that is directly opposed to free will. All in all, when I think of someone telling this philosophy to a purely green chief or sage or spirit, I don't see the point where they'd say "you're verging too far into black territory". Except if they are secretly also white. On the other hand I can see a lot of things that a purely black sorcerer or lord or street hustler would take issue with. Also isn't Red the color of freedom, individuality and trying to forge your own path in the wider world without ignoring the strength or the volitions of others? I think one difficulty with this color pair is that Green is less focused than the other colors. It tries to be the color of destiny, acceptance, harmony and nature all at once. But real nature doesn't care about destiny, is harmonic only when viewed from the outside and definitely doesn't choose tradition over other options. And that's why every color pair that includes Green seems a bit like a mess, especially the enemy pairs. But to be a bit more constructive, I'll add another take on the Golgari. First, mono Green philosophy, as practiced by sentients, is less about the lived experience of every day natural creatures and more about the perception of what is healthy and natural and harmonious and balanced and the way it always has been and always should be. The Golgari on the other hand see the darker side of nature and embrace it. Not just the part where the larger predator beats the smaller and eats the prey. Everyone sees that. No, the truly dark stuff. The insidious parasite, the scavenger that steals from the stronger and the weaker alike, the poison and disease that destroys the one who is the winner and gives opportunity to the others to eat him. They also embrace change. Change that is not about restoring the balance but about creating a new balance more to their liking. Or maybe no permanent balance at all. If all green accept evolution then black green believes in accelerating it to their benefit. Not in the blue way of applying science to genes through breeding or outright manipulation. But in the black way of using guile and decisive action, with little care for collateral victims. If Green is the ecosystem of an island and those who cherish it and Black is the one who carelessly drops an invasive species and tomorrow may well cut the whole forest down for profit, then Golgari represents the invasive species itself. And also the locals who can see when it is time to accept the invader and take his side, because food is food and the new order may well be better for them, or allow them to take a position to topple it in their favor in turn. And to go back to the mystical and supernatural side of things, Green as a color accepts the cycle of life and death and the natural order in which the dead feed the living. But it is Golgari who blur the lines. They accept the cycle, but not its supposed natural consequences. Yes, everything must die, but why should death be the end? Why surrender to passivity when one can continue pursuing one's destiny even after embracing death. And yes, the dead feed the living, but why not do so actively? And why shouldn't the living feed the dead from time to time? The Cycle is endless and unbreakable, but no one said it always has to turn in the same direction. Your last point about Golgari being the color combination of practicality was great though. Green tries to adhere to what they see as the natural order. Black tries to overthrow the natural order and come out on top by doing so. Golgari understands that the very act of trying to come out on top *is* natural and thus doesn't try to break the wheel, just to turn it. And Golgari is also much more accepting of others trying to do the same, even as mono Green wants to smother the upstart heretics while mono Black wants to exterminate any perceived or even potential competition. Thanks for reading my essay in the RU-vid comment section.

Invasive species shows that nature will take as much as it can when unchecked. Though rare, natural invasive species exist. Introduced to habitats without human intervention. There, they still take over an ecosystem driving less efficient species into extinction. Golgari sees this. Thus, it should not really concern itself with keeping balance, after all nature will balance itself sooner or later. Rather it is you who has a destiny and a place in the world, accept who you are and your limitations, for only when you know yourself you can start winning battles.

Life and Death or sides of the same coin. Also, what cards prevent triggering sacrifice?

I believe our destiny is to act self-suffishently

I believe the only thing you have to do is die, so you can choose for yourself what you want to do in the mean time. But you should try not to ruin the same chance for everyone else

Fervent b/g convert coming from r/w of all things. I've had a Grist commander deck for a couple years now, and for some reason a lot of my cards are...comforting? Especially wierd considering my main deck for years was centered in Aurelia. i go from what was basically an angel tribal deck to a fuckin insect tribal of all things, yet the art in my bug mom deck is more beautiful to me. cycles are comforting to me i guess. the idea that the end isn't actually the end.

I feel we are alone and free to fo what we want really, but I do feel we have limits. It is not destiny, fate, or gods that determine our limits, but those around us and the part of the world we exist in. We can be the biggest fish in the pond, but it is only impressive if there are little fish left to notice. You eat/ kill all nor can you chase all away because then you are lord of nothing

BG: my selfishness is natural. It is simply my attempt to not be killed by this harsh world that will trample the weak underfoot. Simple evolution. Kill or be killed.

I like to think of Golgari as a dialectic, in a Hegelian sense. And as Marx saw it inverted.

it's the Shrek type

Water flow, grass comes back! So do humans! I love the idea of understanding that nothing lasts forever, everything dies! So do humans! It’s just a choice of each and every person on “what terms” they want to die! Death is inevitable ! Why not die with dignity and honor!? It’s a choice of individual …and not being terrified as a kid, by death and “forbidden apple” is much better!…its okay to make mistakes, it’s okay NOT to be well at the certain times! Ricky Gervais would say “remember we all gonna die” 😂

There is something wich is not clear for me. When you speak about the atheism of black I'm not sure it is necesseray amoral or immoral ( I'm not sure to hear the right thing sorry I'm french ) . There is atheist morality or ethic amorality. For me in mtg it happend when black realises that je can't be the better at everything and need to sleep in safety. So there will be an amoral ethic for blue Black for exemple or an atheist morality in blue green.

I wouldn't say that it is a dog eat dog world because that's too simplistic and isn't exactly true. I will say that we must seek to improve ourselves, to be better people so that we may be worthy of the gifts that we are given. Though that may be due to a bit of blue being mixed in. I wonder how the combination of red and green will turn out.

Boooooooring