Ambition and Perspective [Sultai MTG Color Philosophy]

[Music] hello friends and new viewers alike to the next installment of slicing the pie the series where we dissect and discuss the shards and wedges of magic to gathering in today's episode we'll be tackling the ever mysterious wedge of saltai a wedge that started out as an enigma to me and has evolved into an ideal i think i'll be taking with me for the rest of my life if you couldn't tell by my voice i can't wait to get into it and i appreciate your patience as this one took a while for me to put together so sit down get comfortable let's talk sultai the wedge of ambition rooted in perspective sultai is a wedge i believe most people have a very narrow view of myself included at least before i made this video because of this it becomes doubly important to set up our framework so that we at least have a guideline to go off of for my new viewers the framework is a way of setting up a basis for our discussion by breaking down the aspects present and absent in the wedge or chart from there we will have a solid foundation and understanding to base all future discussions on now don't worry i will expand on each step as we go and as we do everything will start to fall into place the first step and most important piece of construction is talking about the allied pair within the wedge you see present within every wedge are three colors two allied and one enemy what's important to understand here is that the allied pairs will have the most sway within the combination as they are already two colors that can more easily find common ground now this isn't to say that the enemy color has no say of course not but in this regard it's more of an outside influence in the case of soltai our three colors are blue black and green with blue and black as the allied pair so let's break down this combination to find out more about the wedge of salti blue black is the combination of manipulation control and most of all ambition it takes blue's need for constant improvement and iteration and black's insatiable desire to obtain the power to achieve its every need together becoming a force that is never satisfied with what it has and never questions what is right this combination is also the pair most comfortable with dark and forbidden magic or any tools that can be used to further its ambitions tools others might be too morally object to utilize so what does this tell us about salti well of course it shows us that there is nothing off limits to this wedge whether that be morally or functionally it will be a wedge that knows what it wants and will go to any length to get there next it is important to lay out the beliefs of the enemy color present in the case of sultai that is green this is because while an outsider it will still influence and add nuance to the combination's philosophies so what does green believe in and what does it bring to the table well green is the color of acceptance of its place within its given ecosystem it looks to the past for answers and solidifies its future in traditions green is the color that does not look to change itself or the world around it as everything and everyone is perfect the way it is so what does this influence have on blue and black and what can we infer about soltai because of it well green's influence adds perspective to the combination it's not just about the future or what it needs there are bigger forces at play now of course this will not change soltai's forward momentum but it will open its eyes to the world around it as you can see salty is remarkably interesting indeed but sort of mindset is created when these colors come together well to get to that point we have to finish the final part of our foundation as you see to truly know a wedge or shard it is quite important to reflect on the colors that are absent as well as these missing ideals will place the final pieces of our puzzle in place in the case of soltai our missing colors are red and white so then let's take a closer look and see what the absence of these colors tells us about this wedge let's begin with red red is the color of emotion pure and simple it is the heart that does not question its actions for better or worse so with the lack of red mana present we know that salti is guided by another force it instead is guided by its mind its desires and a grander plan next is white white is the color of peace and order with a lack of white mana we know that sultai does not concern itself with the moral boundaries that others place on themselves black sees only itself blue sees only the future and green sees only the world and not the people i bet you're already starting to understand sultai and a philosophy is beginning to form in your head well hold on to that creative spark and let me know in the comments what you might imagine when you think of soltai i'd love to hear your perspective that said let's dive into three ideas that i formed while digging into the potential philosophies of the wedge of sultai beginning with through manipulation there's no way to talk about a combination that holds both blue and black within it without bringing up ideas of manipulation control and of the power taken from forbidden places and yes that even happens when green is involved in fact green places this control in the space of what is ancient transforming it into a wedge that looks to the dark corners of nature for what it needs on the path to what it desires we see this sort of perversion of nature taken place when green is combined with either blue or black as either of those pairs look to how they can take what nature is and bend it to either something new or something of use they do this by either forcing evolution or by looking to the end of nature's cycle that which has died and begun to rot and breathe life into something new by either staving off death or through the transformation of that which has died you start to see that sultai then takes all of these aspects and manipulates all that lives all that rots and all that has died creating new forms from each place within nature's cycle it of all wedges and shards covered is the most focused on how it can manipulate that which is discarded forgotten or forbidden so how does this come to be with the colors present well let's take a look in blue there is a need to utilize all at its disposal always seeking new tools to achieve its ever-changing goals in black you have the amoral outlook that is willing to act on any avenue that will facilitate its needs finally green provides the tools that blue and black seek it is nature's gifts ready to be used it is long forgotten magic as old as the gods now i hope you're beginning to form a picture of what i speak saltai is the combination that finds power and truth in dark and ancient corners it's the forgotten places where the old gods whisper the dead moan and the rotting creatures howl and if these places strike fear in you then perhaps salti is not your wedge for a weak heart has no place where even the shadows fear tread okay well that was fun being super dramatic but hey this is by no means the only side of sultai and in fact this is one that you may have expected me to cover so let's start to take things in a direction that is less about the dark actions taken and more of a broad outlook that you could apply to your own life a sort of perspective that allows you to see things more clearly and that is an ideal i call perspective through acceptance sultai is a combination that is able to manifest a clear path what do i mean by this well to put it plainly salty has within it the combination of colors that represent the flow of humanity's existence and in that an understanding it is able to see things clearly in fact more clearly it would claim than any other wedge or shard you see in salti we have green the color that is the basis of life the foundation of all that is then we have blue the color that manifests itself as the mode in which we desire to always press forward fueled by curiosity at the end of the track we have black the color of finality death and the eventual end of all things what we have then is an understanding of the process in which the human condition is laid out for us like a map but what good is this well sultan is able to gain clarity by appreciating what has come before it by marching ever forward and by being at peace with its eventual end it can then act in a manner that is free from question it's the ability to almost see things from far above with a clarity that is mostly reserved for gods in knowingness and appreciating its unwavering nature it is able to utilize the full extent of all that has come before and all that will be in a manner that facilitates its ambitions it is a mindset that can build upon the traditions of its forefathers march forward with a clear conscience and finally be at peace when it all eventually ends all while knowing that it gave everything it could a life with no regrets so what does this sort of philosophy mean then for you and for me and why is it important well think of it this way first with a clear outlook as to the course of our lives we can be free of all doubts as to the meaning and purpose of our existence if all roads lead to an eventual end then it becomes a matter of getting the most out of what your life can be with green in mind we can look to proven paths to find our way what i mean by this is that in philosophies and traditions that have worked so well for others we may have a stronger start then we move on to blue which fills us with purpose and drives us to be the best we can be through curiosity and the need to improve finally in black we are given the knowledge of death and its finality there is no second chance and so in that we must make the most of our lives and accept the hand of the reaper when it comes do not fear death for death is unchanging fear instead a life not live i honestly hope this side of sultai gives you a bit of inspiration or at the very least something to think about but we're not done let's cover one more philosophy of sultai before we close things off and that is rooted ambition one of blue black's biggest strengths and weaknesses is its unrelenting focus on its ambitions it always has an eye to what it wants and in every action it makes it moves ever closer towards its goals now of course this is a good thing but the issue is that this starts to create a personality that is narcissistic and psychopathic one that only sees others and the world around it as a means to an end if you take black's focus on self and blue's cold calculated outlook you begin to create a way of thinking that has a sort of tunnel vision where there's only the self and the goal this is where green comes in and helps sultai along to be well more grounded green takes this unrelenting ambition and adds a wider view of things and creates a sense of calm and but like i always say let's go to the colors present to get a better picture of what i'm saying in black there's a need to do what is right for you to take care of your needs first in blue is the desire to improve at a constant rate and in green we have the perspective and harmony to slow all of those things down with this mindset in place saltai is able to still act on its convictions but it's able to know when to consider its impact not just the world around it but how its actions shape itself as a person what i mean is that if we're just blue black going it alone we will find ourselves more and more detached from the world and people around us and eventually we would succumb to our more narcissistic and unfeeling side think of what sort of a shell of a person you become when all you are is your ambitions and you're consumed by your goals with no time given to stop and breathe to smell the flowers to find peace now don't get me wrong ambition is important taking care of yourself is important but if all you have is yourself and ambition then your humanity will surely wear down to nothing until all you are is a soulless person who only hungers for money and power there's more to our lives than that and green is here to at least tell you go for a walk open your mind and find value in things that are less tangible soltai is an interesting case in that when it applies to more fantasy settings it has a way of getting ahead of itself and acting almost like a super villain but if we apply it to real world thinking we can begin to see what power it has it's a philosophy that is driven and curious but is still able to be at peace due to its unique perspective it is a philosophy that views the breadth of its life and in turn lives a life free of regret to me sultai is a way of looking at things and seeing value in both the cultivation of self and the joy found in that which nature provides for there is value to be found in places others might be too afraid to look well thanks for checking out my sultai video i'm very happy to be finally done this one and i do appreciate the patience that you've all given me in between each of these videos and i'm really happy with how this one turned out if you want to stay up to date with everything that i'm working on be sure to go down into the description and either join the discord so you can be part of the conversation all the time or as well you can follow me on twitter and stay up to date with everything that's going on with video making and like i'll keep you posted as to when the final episode of slicing the pie comes out so stay tuned to the channel with that i'll catch you in the multiverse bye

Channel: DiceTry

Views: 33,053

Keywords: sultai color, sultai, sultai color philosophy, mtg color sultai, color philosophy, mtg color philosophy, dicetry, mtg color, mtg colors, mtg colors explained, mtg color combination, mtg color combinations explained, magic the gathering, mtg color pie, magic the gathering colors, magic the gathering color guide, magic: the gathering, magic the gathering colors explained, mtg color guide, mtg color combinations, magic the gathering color combination, color pie

Id: z6iIoXt_pDE

Length: 15min 50sec (950 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 22 2021