Ral Zarek

Ral Zarek (/ræl zɛrɪk/ RAL ZAIR-ik) is a planeswalker native to the city plane of Ravnica and current guildmaster of the Izzet League. 
==Appearance and characteristics==
Ral is a youthful-looking, middle-aged man with gray-blue eyes, a smirking smile, and brown hair with streaks of white.Jay Annelli. (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0744061055. He is brilliant, unpredictable, and daring. Ral is a storm mage who can create electrical storms and has control over rain.Django Wexler (June, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter One. Del Rey. He has to be in the open to recharge his electric powers. On his back, he often wears a Mizzium-Ion Electrostatic Accumulator that can channel ambient static through his arm-mounted gauntlets. He is likely left-handed. On Bloomburrow, Ral appears as a black-furred otterfolk with streaks of white.
When he ascended, he thought to have managed to hide this fact from Niv-Mizzet, an impressive task in and of itself. Indeed, Ral has never looked to the ancient dragon as a role model or mentor, but as a nuisance at best and a likely adversary at worst. Despite all of this, Ral has consistently served the Firemind with loyalty.
Ral is the husband of Tomik Vrona, a famous and wealthy Orzhov property lawyer who serves as Teysa's right-hand man. The two of them have a committed romantic relationship and share an apartment. Since they are high-ranking officials in rival guilds, they kept their relationship hidden from the public. However, it became public knowledge when they worked together to organize the guild summit.Django Wexler (August 7, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Nine.
Ral is immune to the effects of electricity, and he is centered in red and blue mana. When he planeswalks, he disappears in an explosion of electrical sparks. His departure and arrival are heralded by a crack of lightning.
==History==
Ral grew up in a small Ravnican district where everyone seemed to pick on him as a “rain mage.” He quickly learned to keep to himself and eventually came to the Tenth District on his own. There he picked up the local accent and studied the history of all the guilds. When he found the Izzet, Ral learned everything he could about them. He studied storm magic based on Niv-Mizzet's equations and worked his way through the guild. The happiest day of his life was becoming part of the Izzet League as a guildmage.
===Youth===
Ral's mother had been a poor laborer, working in a cloth factory until she'd been mangled in an accident when Ral was eleven. She'd live with her injuries for another two years, never really healing. Ral would spend the time doing everything he could to help her. After she'd finally died, it had only taken a few months for the thirteen-year-old to abandon his drunken lout of a father and strike out on his own.Django Wexler (June 19, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Three. Four years later he was finding jobs as a rain mage and was in a relationship with the young poet Elias.
After an unfortunate encounter with some noble youths, he encountered a man who offered him a job. The man introduced himself as Nicol Bolas. In the three years after becoming employed by Bolas, Elias's career took off in a way neither of them had imagined possible. Non-withstanding their lavish lifestyle, they grew apart because of Ral's secret missions for Bolas.Django Wexler (July 31, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Eight. During one of his enforcer jobs, Ral was stabbed by a young boy. Returning home wounded, he found Elias in the embrace of another man. The shock ignited his planeswalker's spark and he disappeared from Ravnica.
Ral arrived on an unidentified plane.Django Wexler (August 21, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Eleven. Not knowing where he was, or how he had gotten there, he found an apprenticeship with an old tinkerer who worked with electricity. He also found a new lover in the tall and broad-shouldered Harith. After learning all that he could from Ghazz, Ral, and Harith robbed him. Afterward, Ral betrayed Harith as well and left with all the loot. Ten years later he had created a small imperium for himself and also had created the first version of his accumulator.Django Wexler (September 25, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Sixteen. But when Bolas returned to collect his debt, Ral abandoned his enterprise on the plane and planeswalked back to Ravnica.
===Investigating the leylines===
Ral became the chief researcher for the Izzet League. He investigated the ancient codes laid out in the Tenth District, the leylines and secrets that made up the Implicit Maze that fascinated his guildmaster.
Deep into the project, Ral's efforts took him underground to the most ancient catacombs of the Undercity with his goblin attendant Skreeg. He was drawn by the potency of the leylines, the invisible bands of energy running deep beneath Ravnica's heights. Unfortunately for many involved, the Izzet team ran afoul of the Golgari Swarm, who insisted that any unclaimed territory was their own. When Ral refused to be cowed by the Golgari threats, the swarm of shamans raised the myriad dead to drive them out of the tunnels, or murder them, whichever was most expedient. His team overwhelmed, Ral used the mana coils, a device meant to track the leylines, as a power source, funneling the entire energy of a leyline through his elemental gauntlets. It blew apart virtually everything in the tunnels, leaving only himself and several of his Izzet accomplices standing. This added the Golgari Swarm to the ever-growing list of guilds concerned about the Izzet activity. Luckily, the explosion had the unintended side effect of exposing the pattern Ral's party had been looking for in the first place.
Several days later, in search of the Dimir gate, Ral and his goblin assistant caught the attention of Jace Beleren. Their activity had drawn the young telepath to the Izzet's goals and he had begun his line of research. As they were followed, the pair made directly for Izzet territory where they gave their report directly to Niv-Mizzet, who detected their erstwhile shadow.
Ral continued his research, his attentions drawn vertically as the leylines rose into the sky. As his quest continued, Ral became more and more reckless and less inclined to let anything stand in his way. When the leyline crossed an Azorius aerie, Ral took the most immediate solution he could think of, summoning a massive storm elemental to wreak havoc across the tower, forcing a confrontation with the Azorius occupying it. A short battle ensued with Ral one step closer to his goal.
===Searching for Jace===
Ral reported to Niv-Mizzet, having traced the mana braids through every territory except Orzhov and Simic. However, the massive casualties of the people under his command finally roused the ire of the great dragon and Ral was taken from the project. Under threat of being devoured, Niv assigned Ral the task of tracking down the mage who had touched his mind. Ral was to find Jace Beleren.
The guildmage began by finding Beleren's sanctum but mostly found naught but ash and rumors. Within those ashes though, he knew the secrets of Beleren's research remained, and weaving a complicated spell, he learned what Jace had sought to destroy and how close he had come to solving the riddle of the Implicit Maze. So close... that he felt he didn't even need Niv anymore.
Using Jace's notes, Ral traced the patterns of the maze, finally tracing it to the Forum of Azor. The place teemed with power, but it seemed utterly inaccessible. Ral was left dumbstruck, unable to cope with the failure, and bridling with resentment over everything he was denied. Left with little choice, he reported back to his guildmaster. The dragon patiently explained that the maze had been built by Azor not to test the brightest or most powerful, nor to grant power to either of those. It was a failsafe in the event the Guildpact was ever disrupted.
===Running the Maze===
Niv revealed that the only way the maze would activate is if every guild took part in its activation... and to facilitate that, he sent Ral to reveal nearly everything they had worked on to the other guilds.
Once his task was accomplished, Ral returned to Nivix and began preparing to run the maze. However, Niv-Mizzet revealed that he was not to be chosen, instead, working to produce the ideal champion, a weird they dubbed Melek. Wroth, Ral objected but was ultimately silenced by his draconic guild master. Ral was still chosen to accompany Melek and act as the coordinator for the event. The assembled champions declared themselves and their allegiance, but as Melek stepped to declare himself, Ral absorbed the weird's essence into his gauntlet, effectively murdering the rightful champion. Without an alternative, he declared himself the Izzet maze runner and began the race with a surprise attack upon every other entrant.
He easily made his way through the gates and finally waited for Jace to show up at the Izzet Guildgate. There, he forced the telepath to tell Emmara Tandris the truth about being a planeswalker, an act that cost Jace dearly. Of Jace's perceived slights against him, Ral planned to end the other planeswalker, but he was ultimately foiled when Jace used his illusions to escape Ral's justice.
Ral eventually found his way to the Forum of Azor once more, just as Lazav arrived and drove each of the other champions into fighting. The maze prepared to execute the contingency that would wipe away the guilds and all of the Tenth District when Jace reached out to each of them with his telepathy, uniting them mentally and stopping the destruction Ral and the others were going to unleash.
===Odd partners===
Curious about the Living Guildpact that had foiled his plans, Niv-Mizzet set Ral the task of tracing Jace and researching his many sudden disappearances. When his co-worker, the Chamberlain Maree, came close to exposing the existence of planeswalkers, Ral had to work together with Jace to distract the Firemind successfully. Despite the loss of funding, Project Lightning Bug continued to show when a planeswalker entered or left Ravnica. As a result, Ral learned that a group of four planeswalkers had come to dwell on Ravnica, as well as the presence of the criminal planeswalker Vraska. Noticing that Vraska seemed to planeswalk into a void, Ral met with Jace in a Rakdos Carnarium to alert him to this danger. He warned Jace not to leave Ravnica for some time, only to be interrupted by Liliana Vess, who reported that she had seen Tezzeret on Kaladesh. Jace fetched Gideon and left Ravnica behind, against Ral's better judgment.
===Identity revealed===
After Bolas's crushing defeat of the Gatewatch on Amonkhet and the collection of his Eternal Army, he sent Tezzeret to fetch Ral. On Ravnica, Tezzeret tried to collect a debt that Ral owed to Bolas. Ral refused, and their encounter quickly turned into a fight.
In the absence of Ral, a Dimir agent controlled by Bolas meanwhile managed to infiltrate Nivix and plant a thought in the mind of Niv-Mizzet. After capturing the intruder and examining her mind, Niv-Mizzet sent for Ral. He revealed that he knew about planeswalkers all along, that Ral was one such creature, and that Nicol Bolas was planning an invasion of Ravnica. He tasked Ral with uniting the ten guildmasters to change the Guildpact and provide Niv-Mizzet with the necessary power to withstand Bolas. In return, Ral was promised control of the Izzet League. By request of Niv-Mizzet, Ral also turned Project Lightning Bug into a beacon to call other planeswalkers to Ravnica.James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica'". Wizards of the Coast 
Ral called the guild summit to organize the resistance against Bolas. All ten guilds had to be represented to change the Guildpact and to transfer its power to Niv-Mizzet. In order to gain the support of the Orzhov Syndicate, Ral staged an attack by the Golgari Swarm on Orzhova.Django Wexler (July 11, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Six. This allowed for Kaya to kill the Obzedat, and was meant for Teysa Karlov to regain her power. However, Kaya involuntary became the new guildmaster using the Orzhov magic rules.Django Wexler (July 18, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Seven. 
The guild summit eventually convened at New Prahv. Although Isperia promoted cooperation, the guilds were quick to display their adversarial positions. Niv-Mizzet then arrived to reveal their true enemy, Nicol Bolas. The Firemind proposed to implement the “fail-safe” and grant him the power of the Living Guildpact. For each guild to properly evaluate Niv's request, Isperia adjourned the meeting until the following morning. That night, Vraska killed Isperia, causing the summit to fail.Django Wexler (August 14, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Ten.
===Changing the Implicit Maze===
As a backup plan, Ral proposed to construct artificial lines of energy to superficially alter the design of the Implicit Maze. To evade the "power network" that Azor had created, Ral planned to build a great machine across the Tenth District that would, in theory, enable the ascension of Niv-Mizzet without the consent of all ten guilds. To work, Ral acknowledged that the nodes in Gruul and Golgari territory would have to be taken by force. Aurelia and Dovin Baan agreed to attack the Gruul Rubblebelt with their guilds,Django Wexler (August 28, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Twelve. while the Orzhov and the Rakdos agreed to attack the Golgari in the Undercity. Both locations are conquered at the cost of many lives.Django Wexler (September 11, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Fourteen.
Dovin Baan played along until right before Bolas's arrival on the plane and then sabotaged the plan.Django Wexler (October 2, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Seventeen. After the failure of Ral's great machine, Niv-Mizzet admitted that he had once again underestimated Bolas but complimented Ral for exceeding his expectations. As Bolas and his forces began their arrival, Ral was sent to activate the Interplanar Beacon while the Firemind flew off to delay Bolas for as long as possible.Django Wexler (October 9, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Eighteen. Del Ray. With the help of Kaya and Hekara, Ral was able to bypass the Azorius guards and enter the Beacon Tower, only to find Vraska and a possessed Lavinia waiting for them.Django Wexler (October 16, 2019). "The Gathering Storm, Chapter Nineteen. Del Rey. At the cost of Hekara's life, Ral was able to defeat Vraska and free Lavinia. Ral activated the Interplanar Beacon to bring other planeswalkers to Ravnica for help, but it turned out that was exactly what Bolas was counting on.Django Wexler (October 23, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Twenty, Del Rey.
===War of the Spark===
Once the Beacon was active, Bolas brought the Immortal Sun to Ravnica, trapping the planeswalkers there. Like all the planeswalkers who'd been lured to Ravnica by the Beacon, Ral found himself trapped. 
Bolas' invasion began shortly after that, and the Eternals of the Dreadhorde marched forth from the dragon's Planar Bridge. Alongside many other planeswalkers and Ravnicans, Ral fought against Bolas' forces.Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey. He befriended Teyo Verada, a newly-ignited planeswalker who had just arrived on Ravnica. With the help of a Gateless street urchin named Araithia Shokta (nicknamed Rat), Kaya and Ral helped explain the situation to Teyo. Alongside Chamberlain Maree, Ral led Izzet forces into battle against the Dreadhorde. He also convinced Vorel to join the fight, sending Simic Combine mutants, super-soldiers, and biomancers to fight against the Eternals. During this time, Ral was deeply worried about Tomik, who had gone missing during the chaos.
During the invasion, the trapped planeswalkers got together with Ravnican leaders to strategize. At Jace's recommendation, they decided to split up into teams to focus on specific tasks. Ral and Maree went to disable the Interplanar Beacon. Unfortunately, the Beacon was nearly indestructible and there was no way to turn it off since Ral sought to protect it from Bolas when he built it. This left Ral with no other option but to disable the machine by completely draining its power, a long and exhausting process that pushed the limits of Ral's ability to channel electricity. The amount of energy involved was so large that Ral was able to drive off the God-Eternal Kefnet by releasing the stored-up power in a massive bolt of lightning, blasting the god's arm off.
After disabling the Beacon, Ral joined up with Kaya, Teyo, and Rat in the Undercity. In Vraska's absence, the other leaders of the Golgari Swarm squabbled for control of her throne, but Vraska returned and united them. Despite Ral and Kaya's suspicion of the gorgon, Vraska pledged the Golgari to the fight against Bolas. With the help of Ajani and his team of planeswalkers, they were able to evacuate many civilians to the tunnels beneath the city, where they would be safe from the Dreadhorde.After that, Vraska, Ral, Kaya, Teyo, and Araithia journeyed to Rix Maadi to negotiate with Rakdos. The demon lord was initially hostile due to the death of his emissary Hekara, and the blood witch Exava ordered the group to leave. However, much to Ral's relief, the Orzhov representative Tomik showed up, explaining that he'd been convincing Orzhov leaders to join the fight against Bolas. Tomik had also brought Hekara's corpse with him, and the Rakdos cultists resurrected Hekara as a blood witch. After defeating Exava in a fight, Hekara used her newfound authority as a blood witch to lead the Rakdos against Bolas.
Once all ten guilds were on board, Nissa performed a ritual at the ruins of the Guildpact Chamber: with the help of a representative from each guild, she was able to repair the leylines that empowered the Living Guildpact (which had been disrupted when Bolas destroyed the Guildpact Chamber by opening his portal there). Ral served as the representative for the Izzet League. Using a device that Niv-Mizzet had constructed before his death to preserve his consciousness, they were able to resurrect Niv and grant the power of the Living Guildpact to him. Niv came back to life just in time to save the others from the God-Eternal Kefnet: using his newfound power, Niv was able to completely incinerate Kefnet in a torrent of flame, although the strain of channeling enough energy to kill a god caused him to fall unconscious.
Ral survived the battle and was present during the <c>Planewide Celebration</c> that followed, where he and Tomik reunited and shared a private kiss. Later, he joined Niv-Mizzet and the other guildmasters (with Tomik now representing the Orzhov Syndicate in Kaya's place) when they confronted Kaya and Vraska. They decided to spare the planeswalkers who formerly worked with Bolas but defected before the battle, on the condition that they make amends by hunting down the planeswalkers who stayed loyal to Bolas or defected too late. Ral volunteered to capture Tezzeret as his penance.
===Confrontation with Tezzeret===
Aided by The Wanderer’s unique abilities that allowed her to track Tezzeret and the Planar Bridge technology he carried, Ral Zarek and The Wanderer traveled to multiple planes in search of their target. They eventually found Tezzeret in his fortress on Alara in Esper, once known as the Seekers' Sanctum. The pair were greeted by a squadron of etherium gargoyles in which all but the leader, Brokk, were destroyed. Ral and The Wanderer entered Tezzeret's base and battled against his minions through multiple traps. Upon reaching Tezzeret, The Wanderer was knocked unconscious by the lead gargoyle and automatically planeswalked away. Ral found his powers useless as Tezzeret's Planar Bridge technology absorbed and redirected his lightning strikes. Nevertheless, Ral challenged Tezzeret to continue fighting, and in hand-to-hand combat, Ral was badly beaten. Not wanting to be hunted further, Tezzeret showed mercy and gave Ral his damaged etherium arm to provide proof of a kill.Greg Weisman (November 2019). "War of the Spark: Forsaken." Del Rey.
Ral returned to Ravnica in defeat where he ultimately told the truth about his failure. Seeking to capitalize on her Izzet guildmaster's misfortune, Chamberlain Maree called for a vote of no confidence in Ral's leadership. Ral managed to solidify his support within the guild and retained his position as guildmaster. At some point after this, Ral and Tomik were married during the springtime on Ravnica.Pride Across the Multiverse Digital Zine
===Phyrexian Invasion and Aftermath===
Ral Zarek prepared countermeasures in advance of New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse. When Phyrexian forces led by Vraska attacked, he reinvented a sonic method to make the glistening oil disintegrate, similar to the one used by Urza and Xantcha millennia before, and managed to win the battle. Along with many members of the Simic Combine, numerous Izzet willingly underwent compleation out of sheer curiosity, resulting in great distrust from the other guilds.
He retained his spark, as well as his role as guildmaster, following the invasion. To improve his guild's standing in the public eye, Ral arranged for them to spearhead the rebuilding efforts, petitioning for a loan (which was granted on extremely favorable terms by Tomik) and imposing restrictions on personal projects to direct guildmembers toward public projects. Although the program was rife with difficulties, it did substantially repair the Izzet's reputation.
===Murders===
A year and some months after the invasion, Ral was aggrieved when one of his guild members, Kylox, was killed as part of an ongoing string of murders. Later, he was invited to a gathering of high-level guild figures by Alquist Proft, the detective presiding over the case. Proft revealed that the responsible party for the murders was Oba, the central dryad of Trostani. She had brainwashed various citizens and used them to kill people who, in her view, collaborated with the Phyrexians or benefited from the invasion. Ral asked why Kylox was killed, and Oba answered that, while Krenko had been the actual target of Kylox's assassin, he was not free from blame, because he had planned to steal Phyrexian designs for his own devices. Ripping off other people's designs is so common among the Izzet that Ral saw this as a punishment completely unfitting for the crime, and he became furious. When Oba attacked the guild leaders, Ral fought back but was knocked unconscious when his Electrostatic Accumulator was damaged. He was rescued after Kaya and Etrata defeated Oba.
===Omenpath Project===
After the dust of the murders settled, Ral was contacted by Niv-Mizzet to assist in his Omenpath Project. They jointly developed a way to set up relays through Omenpaths, which would create a permanent means of interplanar communication. Ral personally oversaw the implementation of the relays on Thunder Junction, a risky endeavor, since the profit generated by ownership of the pylon was a prime target for the outlaws of the plane. To prevent criminal elements from claiming the relays, Ral contracted the Sterling Company, a peacekeeping organization based in Thunder Junction. He also took Kellan along as a bodyguard. However, this backfired when Kellan abandoned him to join the gang his father Oko had rounded up. Assuming that the gang had stolen something from the company he was working with, Ral chased after them, but was shocked to see that Vraska was among them, neither dead nor compleated. This was enough of an opening for Rakdos to knock him out in one blow.
Ral later learned that Oko was planning to raid the legendary treasure vault Maag Taranau. When an anonymous source contacted the Sterling Company to inform them that the vault was located in Tarnation, the bastion of the Hellspurs, Ral suspected foul play and accompanied the raid that they launched on the city. It turned out that Oko had made the tip, taking advantage of the chaos to secure the vault key for himself. Kellan was captured in the raid by Sterling mercenaries. Ral freed Kellan and informed him that he was planning to move the treasure off-plane to a secure location, asking for his help. Having seen his father's opportunistic true nature, Kellan accepted.
Ral and Kellan made a break for the vault and found that a battle was taking place between Oko's gang and some Hellspurs who had escaped the Sterling raid. Oko had reached the vault's entrance alongside Vraska and Annie Flash. Ral confronted Vraska, saying that she was still welcome on Ravnica and didn't have to resort to criminality. She retorted that she had to open the vault to atone for her actions. They began fighting, but Ral and Kellan were suddenly paralyzed by the intervention of Oko's benefactor. They watched as Oko opened the vault, and the benefactor revealed himself to be Jace. Jace secured his prize from the vault, a child of an unknown species, but triggered a trap before disappearing with Vraska. Ral planeswalked from Maag Taranau before it collapsed.
Ral returned to Thunder Junction to oversee the remaining work on the communication relays. He visited Kellan, who was staying on Annie's ranch. He told him that he would be departing to search for the two conspirators, and offered Kellan a job on Ravnica overseeing the installation of relays on other planes, which he declined.
===Bloomburrow===
After some months spent on Ravnica, Ral was consumed by his need to track down Jace and demand answers for his actions on Thunder Junction. He asked the Wanderer to help him track Jace, but she had been desparked and could no longer follow planeswalkers through the Blind Eternities. He returned to the ruins of Tarnation and attempted to "open his soul" as she advised, which resulted in him finding Jace's aether trail, and Ral followed it to Bloomburrow. He was appalled to find that, through the plane's natural magic, his appearance had been changed into that of an otterfolk. 
He continued his search for Jace in Three Tree City and stumbled into Mabel and her adventuring party, which included the timid but prophetic frogfolk Helga. Helga shared her dream of a foxfolk resembling Jace, accompanied by a lizardfolk resembling Vraska and a small creature as well as a "dark cloud." However, Mabel's party and Ral were interrupted by an attack from the Flood Gar, a Calamity Beast, and were swept away from the city into Long River. Desperately clinging onto Hugs for floatation, they eventually drifted towards a riverbank, where a group of ratfolk ambushed them.
The ratfolk leader named Coffey calmed the situation, and he had one of his servants lead the party out of the caverns. 
Hugs and Gev knew of a shortcut to Fountainport, the party’s next destination, but Coffey’s servant warned them of a terrible creature. Nevertheless, they went continued on their way.
They encountered the creature, retroactively called the Storm Hawk, along the shortcut. Ral recognized it as a dragon (possibly from Tarkir) that had been animal-shifted by the Plane's magic. Ral fought and deterred the bird dragon while the rest of the party hid under a boulder.
After the party had finished their quest in Fountainport, they returned home to Goodhill. Before Ral planeswalked away, Helga got caught in a trance and recited a prophecy: "The kings in the dark will return, The mage in blue will bring about the end.” Mabel also gave him ironsap buttons for him and his husband.
==Artifacts acquired==
*An accumulator to store static energy.
*Goggles designed by Niv-Mizzet, make planeswalkers recognizable by their aura.
*The haemalectric switch: a small, cylindrical device that electrocutes Glistening oil.
==Trivia==
*Ral Zarek made his debut in the Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 expansion. The third such character to appear in such a way, after Nissa Revane and Kiora.
*Ral narrates the trailer for Dragon's Maze.
*The art for shows him holding a piece of white fabric, and he wears it on his wrist in the and various art throughout the Guilds of Ravnica block. This is likely a piece of Tomik's robe. In turn, wears a piece of Ral's red robe on his wrist.
*In the video game Magic: The Gathering Arena, Ral is voiced by Brandon Routh and Bryan Daniel Porter.Brandon Routh (September 13, 2018). "brandonjrouth". Instagram.
*On Bloomburrow, Ral appears as an Otter. This may be a reference to the term's use in gay culture.
==Planeswalkers met==
==Planes visited==
==Gallery==
File:Precision Bolt.png|<c>Precision Bolt</c>
File:Key art Ral zarek.jpg|Key art of Guilds of Ravnica.
File:Command the Storm.jpg|The Storm mage.
File:Homing Lightning.jpg|“Good ideas don’t take time. They take a lot of bad ideas first.”
File:Ral's Dispersal.jpg|<c>Ral's Dispersal</c>
File:THOUSAND-YEAR STORM.jpg|Ral Zarek starts the Thousand-Year Storm to turn on The Beacon.
File:Spellslinger Ral.gif|Ral at Valor's Reach for Magic SpellSlingers
File:Ral Zarek MTGA avatar GRN.png|Magic: The Gathering Arena avatar.
File:RalZarekManga.png|Ral in the Guilds of Ravnica manga.
File:Wedding Ral Tomik.jpg|The wedding of Ral and Tomik.
File:Ral Zarek by Wesley Burt.jpg|Ral Zarek by Wesley Burt
File:RVRKeyArt1.jpg|Ravnica Remastered key art by Aurore Folny.
File:BLBKeyArt3.jpg|Bloomburrow key art by Leesha Hannigan.
==Story appearances==
Title 	Author 	Publishing date	Set 	Setting (plane) 	Featuring
Gatecrash: The Secretist, Part Two 	Doug Beyer 	February 2013 	Gatecrash 	Ravnica 	Jace Beleren, Emmara Tandris, Exava, Varolz, Mirko Vosk, Lazav, Lavinia, Ral Zarek, Trostani, Niv-Mizzet
Dragon's Maze: The Secretist, Part Three	Doug Beyer 	May 2013 	Dragon's Maze 	Ravnica 	Jace Beleren, Ruric Thar, Niv-Mizzet, Ral Zarek, Varolz, Vorel, Teysa Karlov, Melek, Lazav, Lavinia, Mirko Vosk, Exava, Tajic, Emmara Tandris
 	Doug Beyer 	2015-05-27 	Prologue to Battle for Zendikar 	Ravnica 	Jace Beleren, Ral Zarek, Niv-Mizzet, Maree, Mizzix, Gideon Jura
 	Doug Beyer 	2016-10-12 	Kaladesh 	Ravnica, Kaladesh 	The Gatewatch, Ral Zarek, Oviya Pashiri, Ajani Goldmane, Kambal, Pia Nalaar, Dhiren Baral, Rashmi, Tezzeret, Saheeli Rai
The Gathering Storm: Chapter One 	Django Wexler 	2019-06-05 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Millena, Nicol Bolas, Neero Jak, Tezzeret, Niv-Mizzet, Maree, Bogo Sternwhistle
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Three 	Django Wexler 	2019-06-19 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Pytr Liosh, Ferzhin, Aurelia, Isperia, Dovin, Lavinia, Tomik Vrona, Elias, Gunther, Varo, Nicol Bolas
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Four 	Django Wexler 	2019-06-26 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Tomik Vrona, Niv-Mizzet, Hellas Vitria, Lazav, Millena, Vraska, Storrev, Jarga, Izoni, Xeddick, Gloomplug, Emmara Tandris (mentioned), Borborygmos (mentioned), Hekara
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Five 	Django Wexler 	2019-07-03 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Elias, Hekara, Lavinia, Emmara Tandris, Garo, Trostani, Nicol Bolas, Kaya, Tomik Vrona, Teysa Karlov
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Six 	Django Wexler 	2019-07-10 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Lavinia, Hekara, Vraska, Xeddick, Tomik Vrona, Kaya
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Seven 	Django Wexler 	2019-07-17 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Kaya, Ral Zarek, Vraska, Hekara, Golbet Frezzle, the Obzedat, Karlov
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eight 	Django Wexler 	2019-07-31 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Dovin, Varryvort, Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Nicol Bolas, Elias, Villiers, Anne Hannover, Venati, Sal, Nak
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Nine 	Django Wexler 	2019-08-07 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Tomik Vrona, Hekara, Lavinia, Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Mazirek, Vraska, Storrev, Nicol Bolas
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Ten 	Django Wexler 	2019-08-14 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Isperia, Dovin, Hekara, Borborygmos, Aurelia, Ferzhin, Lazav, Emmara Tandris, Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Vraska, Niv-Mizzet
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eleven 	Django Wexler 	2019-08-21 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica, Unknown plane 	Ral Zarek, Ghazz, Hekara, Brevia, Harith, Niv-Mizzet, Aurelia, Ferzhin, Dovin, Vell, Kaya
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Twelve 	Django Wexler 	2019-08-28 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Olgaia, Svet, Ral Zarek, Ferzhin, Domri
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Thirteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-09-04 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Vraska, Xeddick, Hekara, Kaya, Tomik Vrona, Teysa Karlov, Ral Zarek, Aurelia, Dovin
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Fourteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-09-11 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Vraska, Mazirek, Xeddick, Ral Zarek, Kaya, Aurelia
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Fifteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-09-18 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Frexus, Tomik Vrona, Kaya, Nicol Bolas, Teysa Karlov, Benitov Gracca, Orsov Gracca, Brimini, Harta, Forgio
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Sixteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-09-25 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica, Unknown plane 	Ral Zarek, Tomik Vrona, Nicol Bolas, Vraska, Mazirek, Storrev
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Seventeen 	Django Wexler 	2019-10-02 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Lavinia, Gullifen, Noz, Fredon, Niv-Mizzet, Tezzeret, Tox
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eighteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-10-09 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Niv-Mizzet, Vraska, Storrev, Nicol Bolas
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Nineteen 	Django Wexler 	2019-10-16 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Kaya, Hekara, Panjandrum, Lavinia, Vraska
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Twenty 	Django Wexler 	2019-10-23 	Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance	Ravnica 	Ral Zarek, Kaya, Hekara, Lavinia, Vraska, Nicol Bolas, Mazirek, Storrev, Brutus, Tezzeret, Niv-Mizzet
War of the Spark: Ravnica 	Greg Weisman 	April 2019 	War of the Spark 	Gobakhan, Ravnica, Amonkhet, Meditation Plane 	Ugin, Niv-Mizzet, Teyo, Chandra, Jace, Gideon, Ral, Kaya, Lavinia, Hekara, Liliana, Nicol Bolas, Tezzeret, Rat, Ajani, Karn, Jaya, Dack, Tibalt, Vraska, Breeches, Huatli, Angrath, Kiora, Tamiyo, Vivien, Aurelia, Nissa, Tomik, Gan Shokta, Domri, Samut, Dovin, Yanggu, Mowu, Nixilis, Rhonas, Bontu, Oketra, Kefnet, Boruvo, Emmara Tandris, Trostani, Varryvort, Ari Shokta, Borborygmos, Izoni, Varolz, Mazirek, Hazoret, Davriel, the Wanderer, Lazav, Neheb, Rakdos, Exava, Narset
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-05-08 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, Hekara, Teyo, Barrez, Nicol Bolas, the Gatewatch (Liliana, Chandra, Teferi, Jace, Gideon and Ajani), Ral Zarek, Kaya, Lavinia, Jaya, Karn
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-05-15 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, Teyo, Kaya, Ral Zarek, Jaya, Gideon, Krumnen, Gan Shokta, Domri, Akamal Cray, Govan Radley, Sheeza, Jahdeera, Bombop, Vorel, Maree, Kiora, Samut, Eknet, Temmet, Neit, Haqikah, Kawit, Huatli, Saheeli, Kasmina, Oketra, Kefnet, Bontu, Rhonas, Jace
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-05-22 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, Jace, Kaya, Teyo, Blaise, Teysa Karlov, Armin Morov, Slavomir Zoltan, Maladola, Bilagru, Domri (mentioned), Ral Zarek, Maree, Aurelia, Niv-Mizzet (mentioned), Gideon, Yanggu, Mowu, Dack, Saheeli, Nixilis, Davriel, Angrath, Huatli, Samut, Vorel, Vivien, Lavinia, Ajani
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-05-29 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, Kaya, Teyo, Nissa, Rhonas, Boruvo, Emmara Tandris, Trostani, Gan Shokta, Borborygmos, Ari Shokta, Ral Zarek, Storrev, Azdomas, Izoni, Varolz, Cevraya, Mazirek (mentioned), Vraska, Ajani, Khazi, Yanling, Yanggu, Mowu, Huatli
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-06-05 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, Teyo, Kaya, Ral Zarek, Vraska, Whipsaw, Exava, Rakdos, Tomik Vrona, Hekara, Varryvort, Nissa, Lavinia, Borborygmos, Gan Shokta, Ari Shokta, Emmara Tandris, Boruvo, Vannifar, Vorel, Aurelia, Lazav, Kefnet, Niv-Mizzet
 	Greg Weisman 	2019-06-12 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica 	Rat, the Gatewatch, Nissa, Tomik Vrona, Lavinia, Ral Zarek, Dack, Saheeli, Kaya, Hekara, Vraska, Nicol Bolas, Borborygmos, Vorel, Karn, Jaya, Boruvo, Ari Shokta, Gan Shokta, Sorin, Nahiri, Teyo, Arlinn, Bilagru, Feather, Maladola, Rakdos, Oketra, Bontu, Niv-Mizzet, Angrath, Yanling, Yanggu, Mowu, Samut, Aurelia, Exava, Lazav
War of the Spark: Forsaken 	Greg Weisman 	November 2019 	War of the Spark 	Ravnica, Dominaria, Kaladesh, Gobakhan, Alara, Regatha, Fiora, Tolvada	Niv-Mizzet, Teyo, Rat, Kaya, Liliana, Jace, Ral, Vraska, Chandra, Dovin, Tezzeret, Raven Man, Blaise, Tomik, Hekara, Saheeli, Huatli, Kiora, Jaya, Teysa Karlov, Nissa, Vivien, the Wanderer, Samut, Karn, Ajani, Teferi, Lavinia, Zoltan, Exava, Myczil Savod Zunich, Maree, Lazav
 	Alison Lührs 	2023-03-24 	March of the Machine 	Ravnica 	Vraska, Ral Zarek, Jace Beleren, Tomik Vrona, Ludmilla
 	Seanan McGuire 	2024-01-16 	Murders at Karlov Manor 	Ravnica 	Judith, Kaya Cassir, Ezrim, Yarus, Krenko, Massacre Girl, Vannifar, Aurelia, Alquist Proft, Etrata, Lavinia, Trostani, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Ral Zarek, Izoni
 	Seanan McGuire 	2024-01-17 	Murders at Karlov Manor 	Ravnica 	Ezrim, Kaya Cassir, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Alquist Proft, Trostani, Judith, Krenko, Izoni, Aurelia, Lavinia, Vannifar, Etrata, Ral Zarek, Massacre Girl, Yarus, Kellan
 	Seanan McGuire 	2024-01-18 	Murders at Karlov Manor 	Ravnica 	Kaya Cassir, Trostani, Krenko, Alquist Proft, Etrata, Ral Zarek, Yarus, Aurelia, Tolsimir Wolfblood, Kellan, Teysa Karlov
 	Akemi Dawn Bowman 	2024-03-11 	Outlaws of Thunder Junction 	Thunder Junction 	Archie Dixon, Akul, Annie Flash, Fortune, Mr. Towning, Oko, Kellan, Ral Zarek
 	Akemi Dawn Bowman 	2024-03-13 	Outlaws of Thunder Junction 	Thunder Junction 	Annie Flash, Tinybones, Breeches, Malcolm Lee, Oko, Geralf Cecani, Gisa Cecani, Eriette, Vraska, Ashiok, Rakdos, Kaervek, Satoru Umezawa, Ral Zarek, Kellan
 	Akemi Dawn Bowman 	2024-03-22 	Outlaws of Thunder Junction 	Thunder Junction 	Oko, Kellan, Akul, Annie Flash, Vraska, Ral Zarek, Tinybones
 	Akemi Dawn Bowman 	2024-03-25 	Outlaws of Thunder Junction 	Thunder Junction 	Oko, Breeches, Annie Flash, Tinybones, Rakdos, Satoru Umezawa, Geralf Cecani, Gisa Cecani, Kaervek, Akul, Vraska, Malcolm Lee, Eriette, Kellan, Ral Zarek, Jace Beleren, Loot, Amalia Benavides Aguirre
 	Valerie Valdes 	2024-07-01 	Bloomburrow 	Bloomburrow, Ixalan, Ravnica, Kamigawa, Thunder Junction 	Helga, Nerys, Euan (mentioned), Annik, Iver, Maha, Mabel, Rosalyn, Foggy and Pip, Clem, Oliver, Brynn, Niall, Vann, Silver, Iris, Elis (mentioned), Jenefer, Lowenna (mentioned), Delen, Ral, Tomik Vrona, The Wanderer
 	Valerie Valdes 	2024-07-03 	Bloomburrow 	Bloomburrow 	Helga, Mabel, Zoraline, Finneas, Hugs, Gev, Kiki (mentioned), Cruelclaw (mentioned), Ral
 	Valerie Valdes 	2024-07-05 	Bloomburrow 	Bloomburrow 	Helga, Mabel, Zoraline, Finneas, Hugs, Gev, Ral, Coffey, Tucker, Dragonhawk
 	Valerie Valdes 	2024-07-08 	Bloomburrow 	Bloomburrow 	Helga, Mabel, Zoraline, Finneas, Hugs, Gev, Ral, Glarb, Cruelclaw, Dragonhawk, Maha, Clem, Rosalyn, Foggy and Pip, Oliver
 	K. Arsenault Rivera	2025-01-20 	Aetherdrift 	Amonkhet, Avishkar 	Chandra Nalaar, Loot, Daretti, Pia Nalaar, Jace Beleren, Vraska, Ral Zarek (mentioned), Nissa Revane, Far Fortune, Howler, Redshift, Sita Varma, Mohar Varma, Vin, Elspeth Tirel, Winter, Basri Ket, Zahur
==In-game references==
==References==
Category:Humans
Category:Artificers
Category:Wizards
Category:Thunder Junction characters
Category:LGBT characters