The Philosophy of Blue Green - Simic | Definitive Color Pie Study 

Do you think Simic has the right idea, or is something off in your mind?

I've always seen Wakanda, from the Black Panther movies, as a very Simic faction. They have the most advanced technology on earth, yet traditions are always seen strongly, and their respect for Panthers and the natural world also shows a green side. Just a random thought of mine...

To me simic's philosophy is somewhat like this: "We learn from nature and work with it, we are not its masters nor should we seek to change it. In order to reach our full potential and fulfill our purpose we must learn, but we must never think ourselves better."

Blue and Green has always been the color combination that resonated with me the strongest, both in the universe of the game, and in my own life. It has a concept that mirrors myself in a lot of ways.

I like this. Knowledge with wisdom. Change with harmony. Evolution instead of revolution. Studying the material world yet understanding that a star is never just a burning ball of gas. Instead of knowledge diminishing the wonder it deepens it. The more I think of it the more I feel at home with it.

That last part made me tear up a little bit the way you explained the finite vs infinite was very inspiring and beautifully put together.

Finally Simic. I love this color combo (because it fits me best, i guess). Your analysis of it is simply superb. Also, the quote: "Truth cannot be broken through questioning. It can only be reinforced, if it is indeed Truth." is fantastic.

8:58 "Look beyond, to the vascular awareness that all life is a map to greater knowledge." a quote from the card Biomatic Mastery encapsulates your saying perfectly.

Also an interesting topic is the commonality between enemy colors. ⚪⚫ both represent self sacrifice ⚪ stands for self sacrifice for greater ideals , while⚫ stands for self sacrifice for ones own personal goals no matter the cost Meanwhile 🟢🔵 both share the concept of understanding 🟢 is for understanding ones own place in the world and how to best fit into it 🔵 uses this understanding for change and improvement instead

Definitely much better than the first simic one,in which I always felt that blue was more overpowering and using green in terms of the philosophies being explained,here though were ones in which both sides have a say and common ground on where both philosophies intersect I think was done even better in this video

You actually made me cry, a little, by pulling my soul out and examining it. Thank you for a wonderful video

Please never stop making content. You are the best philosoper on the internet - Using magic as a thoughtpiece is so incredibly wonderful, Please never stop what youre doing. From one philosopher to another, I can feel your curiosity and love of life shine through in every video. You are a great gift to humanity. Thank you :)

When I started to get into colour philosophy and didn't know much about it yet, I wondered why these are two enemy colours because they seem to be interacting very well together ingame. After watching your analysis, I think they are the most complementing of all enemy colour combinations and I'm really falling in love with this pair more and more. I feel like building a Simic Commander deck, but I haven't found a Commander yet who represents the typical game mechanics of these colours while still fitting my preferred playstyle. I will keep pondering and return to this video once in a while to get inspired

That was amazing, as always! Thanks for this great video on my favorite color combination. I like to see Simic as a strive to understand and advance the progress that has already been made. As a Simic, someone can discern that everything is part of a whole and is a whole on its own, like you so beautifully said. A person who studies Darwinism, for instance, sees the infinite perfection of nature as the result of countless interactions between flawed parts. An astronomer who looks at the Solar System's planets not colliding and doesn't attrubute that to a greater power, but to eons of catastrophic collisions, that elimitated all there was to collide. A geneticist who seeks to advance science but always starts each one of their experiments by asking themselves how nature has already dealt with similar problems. When they look at traditions and established knowledge, they do so with humility and curiosity, as they know that for sure countless people who came before invested lifetimes to build that knowledge. At the same time, they perceive all knowledge as unescapably limited and capable to be slightly built upon by each individual. For no one can ever truly know all there is to be known (even about some very specific topic), and they find that both exciting and frustrating. In the (admittedly flawed) allignment chart of D&D, I believe Simic, as a Ravnican guild, would be the extreme of active neutrality. Neutral evil under Momir Vig, who sought to overgrow his experiment Kraj as a tool for world domination. Neutral good under Zegana, who "measures progress in heartbeats". And true neutral under Vannifar, who hybridized people sometimes against their will to defend her world from Nicol Bolas.

Thanks for this! I’m currently playing a Simic character in a Ravnica campaign, and I’ve been struggling to flesh out their personality. This video gave me some great insight to use moving forward for them.

Simic can also be shamanistic. It combines greens spirituality and blues esptericism.

I always thought Blue, water, knowledge, was strange- blue, oceans, is where abiogenesis happened. But what does that have to do with knowledge and scholarship in MTG? But you’re saying that blue is CHANGE. Which is an aspect of Green. Combined they are evolution, learning, adaptation, and artificial evolution. Very nice, very nice

Trauma Integration actually is very Simic in it's nature. You accept what happend to you and you integrate that so you can progress in life. You could say that Carl Jung's entire approach is fundamentally Simic

So Simic is like rotating crops on a farm; you understand the science behind nature and use it to optimize your yield.

Its a little sad seeing your older videos like your duality in magic philosophy series being privated with the release of your definitive color pie studies as I always enjoyed going back and seeing the evolution of peoples content as they learn and grow, but I also understand why you do it. And I suppose it just goes to show that knowledge, just like nature, is always changing, and should never be taken for granted.

I love Simic Value. My fav Guild. ❤

This is a wonderful video Dice, thank you so very much for the work and art you produce. Your thoughts and theories help many people see things in a new light, and I love looking forward to your videos. I can't wait for my colors to come up (You have redone Blue/Red, now I eagerly await Blue/Black & much more eagerly Black/Red!) as well as your future videos on the plane of Kaldheim. Kaldheim is a beautiful plane to explore, in my opinion acting as a more perfect reflection of the combinations of the color pie than the plane of Ravnica. I would like to propose a theory to you Dice, one that I have been tinkering with over time, that there is not one, but 2 color pies in MTG. To this, I point you to the planes of Ravnica, Kaldheim, Alara, and most importantly, Tarkir. In this, the mere existence of colorless mana is what helps to expose this other color pie. To define these two pies, the first is the one we are very aware of, white at the top followed by Blue, Black, Red, and then Green. The second which I hope to show you all goes like this, with Red at the top, chasing after blue, then green, black, and white. Unlike the first color pie that shows black and red at the bottom acting as a stable base for the pie, this second pie has black at the bottom, balencing the whole pie onto itself. Now then, lets go about showing this pie. First up are the planes of both Ravnica & Kaldheim. In both of these planes we see each and every two color combination of the 5 colors in MTG, showing that even the enemy colors can in fact get along and thrive in of themselves. However, on these two planes there is a prime detail to note of, that on Ravnica they are forced to have to interact with each other without personal space while also being overwhelmed by the Guildless, while on Kaldheim they each have their own personal space to grow while still heavily interacting with each other. On Ravnica there is a heavy storm of mana outside of these combinations in the form of the Guildless, as well as constant intrustions onto every guild by all the others. On Kaldheim however, we see a much different result in giving the combinations room to grow. These two planes are the difference between a crowded garden, and an expansive orchard. We see also a key detail in two groups on these planes: The Ally Pairs and Enemy Pairs. On Ravnica, the Enemy Pairs are in chaos, always playing catchup with themselves, being torn apart from within, and struggling to survive. The only noteworthy exception is the White Black Orzhov, but even they are filled with self sabotage and are always on the brink of chaos, they just have a slightly better position. The Ally Pairs thrive and are much more stable, better situated for anything thrown at them. When we look to Kaldheim however, both Ally and Enemy pairs show us to be flourishing. This shows us that without outside influence, all the colors are actually supposed to be able to thrive with each other. Next we look to Alara & Tarkir, with a heavy focus on Tarkir. On Alara, when the plane was shattered by Nico Bolas, the plane became 5 each with its own 3 color combination, which became known as the shards. While all of these thrived in their own right, it should be noted that this was an unnatural shattering, and should we return to Alara it would be intersting to see if once reunited if they had defectors from these 5 groups, to form the wedges we see on Tarkir. Now forgive my red strings on this plane, but Tarkir is a mess, but for my theory is the smoking gun. When we first visited Tarkir, we saw 5 clans of people, each had a Ally Pair combined with their shared Enemy. This is a very intresting choice, but let's take a bit of a closer look on the effect had here. For the Abzan, adding Black strengthened their ties to their ancestors, making them much more welcoming to outsiders to strengthen their families. Black encouraged their honesty and helped the Abzan thrive in an enviroment that otherwise no one should have. For the Jeskai, adding Red made them curious, ambitious, filled with passion, and took them to unseen heights as they explored what it meant to live and be who they were. For the Sultai, Green actually stabalized this pair, helping them to have a society that was both ruthless & innovative as they took advantage of the other clans, making sure to use what comes naturally to best aid their search for perfection and dominace. For the Mardu, adding White gave them honor, a love for each other, it gave them a code to live by and the rightous glory for battle. Finally, for the Temur adding Blue is the most interesting in my opinion. To quote you yourself Dice, if Blue is focused on the future, and Red on the present, Green is on the past. Having these three together is a powerful combination, and it's quite inspiring to witness what they are capable of while remaining true unto themselves. Now then, in the Tarkir block we discover that Ugin, a colorless dragon, was responsible for the dragons thriving here on Tarkir. When he died, the storms died out with him shortly afterwards, and the clans rose up to kill off the dragons. Removing colorless's influence in creating a storm of all the colors caused an intresting result: 5 groupings of 2 Enemy pairings each with a shared color to form. Dice you have always placed colorless in the center of the color pie, and I agree with you, that this also shows it is Colorless mana that forces the Enemy colors apart. Remeber what held the guilds on Ravnica back from flourishing: a unrelenting storm of all mana in the form of the Guildless which while being indiviually able to be all the colors, collectively claimed as colorless. What happened on Tarkir when Ugin was saved, tucked in for a nap by Sarkhan? The storm never died out, and each of the clans were each stripped of their shared color, the Enemy color which was holding them together before. Now the Jeskai are obidient servants following their dragons dogma, the Sultai mindless zombie drones, the Mardu savage beserkers with no real sympathy, the Temur moralless servants to the endless stomach of their dragon, and the Abzan lost every connection to their past they had. This plane was weakened, and put to shame by the dragons, and from a color standpoint, it was colorless and the storm of mana created by that colorless that is to blame for it. Now practically, what can this second color pie show us who study the color pie? Going right around, for Red flanked by Blue & White, it shows us a more family focused side of Red, one who is driven to improve everything around them just to see that smile on their loved ones faces. It shows us that passion in a caring, loving manner as Red seeks to bring out the best in everyone around them, finding happieness in that reckless pursuit. For Green, flanked by Blue and Black, it shows us a primal hunter, one who seeks to be the top of the food chain, while still helping the ecosystem it finds itself in to thrive. Blue brings out its curiousity and ambitions, seeking to evolve further while Black shows Green it doesn't have to fall victum to it's own past, but rather that it deserves to succeed because it exists. Honor those who made you by being everything you can be. For White, flanked by Red and Black, Red shows White what it really means to be human, what it means to be fueled by emotions and what it is truley fighting for. Black pulls White in for a hug, opening White's eyes to it's own true motivatons for personal prosperity by lifting up alll of those around them. For Blue, lanked by Red and Green, Red yanks Blue out from it's chair, running around into the wilds and showing Blue all the perfection that lies in the moment, while helping Blue to improve themselves by being themselves. Green will also nurture this idea of accepting oneself as they are, helping to calm Blue and bring them a true sense of peace while never snuffing out that drive in their very soul. Finally we have Black, flanked by White & Green. White and Black can shake hands, eager to work eith each other as White shows Black how to expand their own prosperity onto others so they may in turn help Black, allowing Black to thrive and grow by having the connections needed to succeed. Green on the other hand will strengthen Black, showing Black where it is weak and needs to improve or perish, allowing Black to rise up and dominate whereever it may find itself. With this theory, I hope to show you all another side to all of the colors we love so much. However, where does Colorless fall if not in the center like the first Color Pie? Rather than being in the middle, it instead encircles the colors, holding them together on the outside. That's my theory, feel free to add to it and share your own thoughts!

As someone who’s been diving more into my indigenous (CHamoru) culture, I’ve been reading a lot about how the culture isn’t defined solely by pure pre-colonial traditions, but by adaptation of the traditions to present and future changes. I think if the idea that tradition without adaptation will die, and adaptation without tradition will falter. In short: I vibe with Simic, and this video reinforces that

Literally me. I am naturally blue and learnt (as good blue) that green is the best colour so here I am.

I like to see it this way. I believe that our Western culture has forgotten certain important things that we knew in the ancient past. And this sort of amnesia is really hurting us. Specifically, I believe that it was monotheism that has done this, and it is a return to polytheism that can help us. I specifically detail these ideas in a fantasy novel I'm trying to write. I see Simic as the act of trying to return to knowledge of the past during a modern age of ignorance.

Thank you for all the videos. I know you don't get huge view dumps on release but we do come back to all the color pies throughout the years. Every new npc, every new player character, every campaign faction I make I go back to these and get inspired all over again.

Simic is an amazing concept. The two minds being completely different in destiny from green and knowledge from blue.

Though there love of experimentation brings me great joy, there experiments on the biological deeply disturb me

With this in mind, would conservation acts and protection parks be considered Simic? These are the actions to protect the natural world from those who would exploit them by unnatural or artificial ways. Sharks that are tagged and tracked in the wild, wolves that are protected in specially curated wildlife reserves, or endangered species kept in a zoo? Are these not a merging of blue and green? Artifice and careful thought put to the efforts of preserving what nature gave birth to. This is a case of give and take from both colors. Green is guarded and protected by blue, given a place where it can not only survive, but also thrive. Meanwhile, green allows blue to study it, learn from it, and at times, improve upon it.

I'VE BEEN WAITING!

Finally a great analysis of my favorite color combination! I loved this!!

I’ve been stressed because it’s finals season over here, so this was an awesome surprise to lead into the last week of tests! Thank you so much, I love your videos and simic is my favorite color pair. I really like the science meets spirituality view, that’s extremely unique but makes so much sense. It’s also kinda timiely because right before I watched this I had a dream where Kruphix was in it

This is one of my favorite color combos. Simic actually reminds me of Vulcans. Deep traditions but progressive

There is a faction within the Simic Guild led by the Merfolk Zegana called the Utopianists their hoal is to actually combine Nature and civilization and create something new I think they represent the colour combination best it´s a way to shape nature to our needs without breaking it while at the same time providing for nature without abandoning a modern lifestyle

Your narration is calming and inspiring. Nice video.

Really enjoying these vids, man. I've been with MTG since the concept of the game well before the "color pie." Keep going. Looking forward to more of your additions.

This video was beautiful both because of the philosophy but also how it was made. Also there is so much improvement from your first Simic video which is really cool

I find the nature/nurture conflict interesting. What if it is someone's nature and role to be a learner to share and guard vast knowledge?

oh this was a lovely treat!!

Dude this is so well written. You bring up a lot of complex philosophy, but it's never confusing or side-takey. And I really like the format of asking how opposing ideas can learn from eachother to be more whole. Very yin yang. Constructive feedback you're free to ignore: The video is very easy to follow without any context of magic. I really like that, and it makes the content feel stronger (and more shareable). Reminds me of Rhystic Studies somewhat. This is just my preference, but talking a bit faster would be nice.

This has been and will always be my favorite color pair. Sets like Kaldheim and Stryxhaven have just strengthened my liking on G/U as now it has expande to more space/comic themes. The Sky is the limit for them, I and I love it. I also love their commitment to find harmony between nature and technology.

Thank you for this

Simic Token is one of my favorite deck, with Adrix and Nev crazy things can happen

You know I knew that I fit better in philosophy with Simic due to what I said and thought in the past. Working with what is around you (nature) is how people had to operate in the olden days and oddly enough, it would put the planet as a whole in less danger.

Simic more than other archetypes, seems pretty often on a mission.

This is a great video, shows how far you have come from your simple ground level simic video to this in depth philosophical simic. And also now that you finished the definitive enemy color pairs, will you eventually work on the ally color pairs?

Good video and while, in keeping with tradition, the pair is named for the Ravnicain guild it is good you tried to bring in Quandrix as well. That said both seem interested in using nature to guide the persuit of knowledge. Might have wanted to also add some of the other versions, such as the Therisian combo seeming interest in believing in fate and that it is something that can be known in advance.

Such an improvement over the first simic video. I've always identified as simic, but I think going a bit deeper maybe not. Because I'm not really operating in these spaces. I think I just like big trampley hexproof creatures.

I love simic, I play Simic most of the time, and I got that result on the test, so it matches on my case (INFJ here)

I feel like i fluctuate/cycle around a red blue green state, its not common for me to go purely into any one color though those moments tend to be the most cathartic or relaxing, more often its simic izzit or gruul. Choosing a pursuit of study on a whim that i try and explore through what is authentic to it so that i can use it to create and to break the rules i find so i can iterate and find new rules to break untill a point where i lose some of my focus for the details that i think would be the blue influence and start going purely into intuition based on the things ive found through past experimentation and the raw intuition and whim itself can result in things to study despite not being intentional experiments and then some new study is chosen off that whim... in varying order depending on my mood and whats on my mind. Maybe thats just adhd tbf.

I like blue and green because it reminds me of the kinets and vitals from Etherlords

I feel like the lore of Atlantis is very Simic. An old yet very advanced civilization that has hidden itself to the ever growing world around it.

I love Simic.

I would say Attilan of the Inhumans as well as Apocalypse pf the Xmen lore are also versions or precursors to simic philosophy

Green's being born into a role vs. Blue's tabula rasa makes me think of Essentialism vs. Existentialism.

I genuinely think Simic is the best way to live life; pretty taoist I'd say

Blue and Green gives me Chrono cross vibes

F R O G L I Z A R D In all seriousness the Simic idea of stapling two otherwise-unrelated creatures together has always been annoying to me because, biologically, there's loads of incompatible stuff going on. But hey, reality can always take a back-seat to entertainment when it comes to fiction.

what music is used in this video?

Simic should be the foundation of our final religion

I'm still trying to figure out how I can make my perfect UG deck... Was going for like a Crystal Voltron with Morrite and Fractals, or maybe some kinda giant sea and sky monster deck, or maybe a divination and devotion deck, or maybe orochi and oracles, or maybe just a deck fully revolving around the Overbeing of Myth...... Too many good cards, not enough hands to play them all. Oh also I just don't have anyone to play with :')

From a game design perspective, I am quite offended that I am now simic.

Play creatures that get bigger and draw cards to play more creatures that get bigger.

What colors do you think a secret police and a police state would be?

Seems to be the faction of Absurdism, to me.