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cle-guy · 3 years

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Projecting Story Elements for Magic: the Gathering in 2022

OK, I love the Magic: the Gathering storyline which ranks near the top on my list of favorite hobbies on Tumblr. This year brings numerous opportunities to speculate on the story elements for this year’s premier MTG sets! So for this post I am going to speculate on:

1. Potential story elements of the set

2. Specific events which may occur

3. Planeswalkers who may appear in the set

I will go set by set, and try to incorporate as much known knowledge as possible! I may update my thoughts as sets (and stories from released sets) become known as the year progresses. Without further ado!

Innistrad: Crimson Vow

Technically not in 2022, but coming soon none-the-less! We know lots about the story elements, considering Crimson Vow takes place directly after Midnight Hunt.

Story Elements:

The first known thing about Crimson Vow is the “Biggest vampire wedding in Innistrad history!” which will unite the Voldaren and Markov bloodlines. We also know from the story so far that night on Innistrad is overcoming day. Humans who once turned to Avacyn for safety increasingly look to other sources for protection, including ancient magics forgotten when Sorin created Avacyn. One Coven seeks to restore the balance, and needs the Moonsilver Key in the Celestus to perform the ritual.

We also know part of the Gatewatch: Teferi, Chandra and Kaya came to Innistrad to assist Arlinn Kord, who seeks to help restore the Day/Night balance on her home plane. Now, while Arlinn & the Gatewatch succeed in finding the Moonsilver Key, and also succeed in starting the ritual: I do not believe the ritual passes. I suspect Olivia Valdaren ends the ritual and blocks it based on the card: Olivia’s Midnight Ambush. The flavor text on this card reads:

"And you were almost finished with that ritual, weren't you, darling? How very rude of me. To make it up to you, I'll send you an invitation to my wedding."

I suspect her raid ends the ritual, kills the Coven leader, and spirals us into Crimson Vow.

Overall, this suggests that much of the plot of Crimson Vow will surround new attempts to restore the balance between Day and Night. I suspect Sorin Markov, who fights Sigarda in a rage, will unite with the Gatewatch (and Arlinn Kord, & Sigarda) to save the plane. How they do this is not revealed as of yet. However, I suspect one plot detail has been spoiled for the set and thats....

Specific Events:

Edgar Markov marries Olivia Valdaren.

Olivia is the known progenitor of the Voldaren line, as Edgar Markov is the known progenitor of the Markov line. At first I felt Sorin would marry Olivia, but I find this unlikely as Olivia despises Sorin (and refuses to save him at the end of Eldritch Moon). Sorin may care for the future of Innistrad but he remains hedonistic and petty; he spends the end of Episode 2 in this story line griping about how nobody sacrificed as much as he did for the plane and why should he be expected to give more? He also treats Nahiri quite shallowly when she arrives on Innistrad to demand he help her fix Zendikar.

More importantly, however, we also get card evidence that Edgar Markov is involved in this story, specifically: Fateful Absence. The flavor text for this card reads:

“Sensing a plot, Sorin raced to his grandfather's resting-crypt. But someone else had gotten there first.“

The plot going like this, I suspect, for the story:

A) Our heroes (the Gatewatch, Sigarda, Arlinn) regroup after Olivia invokes eternal night by defeating the ritual.

B) They join up with Sorin Markov, who is now angry at Olivia for convincing his grandfather to marry her, and hatch a plan to stop the wedding

C) Olivia marries Edgar

D) The wedding turns into a bloody mess as the Gatewatch, Arlinn, & Sigarda all try to reverse the damage. Sorin spends the story finding a way to get revenge.

E) One of Edgar or Olivia survives

F) Emrakul is released and everybody dies (Just kidding)

Anyway, with all of this laid out that leaves us with potential planeswalkers.

Planeswalker Appearances:

Each set I will assume only three planeswalkers appear, with speculation for a fourth & fifth.

We already know Arlinn Kord, Teferi, & Sorin Markov will get cards; Arlinn & Teferi will not get cards in this set since they appeared in Midnight Hunt. Sorin Markov appears on the packaging, which nearly guarantees his appearance as a card in this set.

Slot 1: Sorin Markov, WB

Now, Chandra Nalaar and Kaya both appear in the story. The next quesiton would be: do they get cards in the 2nd set since they are known to appear in the story? It’s a tough call. Chandra would fit in nicely since Sorin will almost certainly appear as a WB planeswalker granting a third color for balance purposes. Kaya, on the other hands, presents two problems. First, she shares her color identity with the story’s likely main character. Second, she already got a card recently in Kaldheim (which is still in Standard). I would guess she lacks a card in the set.

Slot 1: Sorin Markov, WB Slot 2: Chandra Nalaar, R

Now we’re into more speculative territory. I highly doubt we only get two planeswalkers in the set, which leaves open a spot for a new planeswalker (likely a blue planeswalker). That being said, I would not be surprised if Tamiyo makes an appearance in the 3rd slot; she appeared in both previous stops in Innistrad, and two of her colors would fill out the color balancing in the set so far.

Slot 1: Sorin Markov, WB Slot 2: Chandra Nalaar, R Slot 3: Tamiyo, U

Other potential planeswalkers include the aforementioned Kaya, Tibalt (who would love to spoil a wedding), & Davirel Cane. If I had to make a stab at a fourth walker I’d gamble and guess Davriel, with a final list of:

Slot 1: Sorin Markov, WB Slot 2: Chandra Nalaar, R Slot 3: Tamiyo, U Slot 4: Davriel Cane, B

Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty

Story Elements:

So little is known about the new set except that the set takes place concurrently in the present, and that the set will feature both a new planeswalker, Keito, and that the current Emperor of Kamigawa is “someone we’re familiar with” which sadly does not tell us much. Let’s start by considering some known characters from the original block:

Toshiro Umezawa. Toshi is definitely not the emperor. First, Toshi was sent to Dominaria by the Myojin of Night’s Reach at the end of the block (and his descendent will eventually kill Nicol Bolas). Second, he’d almost assuredly be dead by now.

Hidetsugu. An ogre who joined with the Oni of All Consuming Chaos, he could conceivably be alive at this point, although he would not be my guess.

The Myojin of Night’s Reach. Unlikely. While powerful enough, ambitious enough, to try: I just do not see her being able to take the power. She was defeated by Bolas sometime after the events of the original block, for instance.

The Sisters of Flesh & Spirit. Better known as “That Which was Taken” and “Michiko Konda” both characters join at the end of the 3rd book. They’re the most likely candidate to run the whole plane, the only downside is I doubt many players actually know who they are, or how they became one.

However, their union would potentially explain the futuristic nature of the plane. If the Emperor is both spirit and flesh, then the spirit world (Kakuriyuo) & physical world (Utsushiyo) may have joined as well, giving the plane its current futuristic (dare I say: neon) appearance.

Specific Events:

I will only predict one event in this set, and that’s the appearance from Tamiyo’s story circle. I would be shocked if this relatively well known gathering is not referenced in the set. It would be a surprise, to say the least.

Planeswalker Appearances:

First thing’s first: Keito is confirmed for the set. We do not know what color identity he has yet, but they did call Keito a “cyber ninja” in the video. Ninjas are a pretty evenly split tribe between blue and black, so I will call Keito a UB planeswalker for now:

Slot 1: Keito, UB

I cannot imagine them returning to Kamigawa without bringing back Tamiyo. I know she literally is predicted to appear in Innistrad: Crimson Vow but I think predicting her here is also plausible.

Slot 1: Keito, UB Slot 2: Tamiyo, U

Next, they also mentioned that a “mysterious planeswalker” would make an appearance in this set as well. Now, they did not say whether this planeswalker was a new planeswalker or a returning planeswalker. Some planeswalkers we know of who I would classify as mysterious include: Kasmina, The Raven Man, The Wanderer, Davriel Cane, Ashiok, & Aminatou. Ashiok is currently investigating New Phyrexia and shares my predicted colors with Keito; Davriel (I think) is a strange fit on this set, and I do not see us learning about the Raven Man absent Liliana. That leaves the Wanderer, Aminatou, or Kasmina. We did just see Kasmina and I do suspect she plays a role in whatever arc they are building up to, but she conflicts with Keito & Tamiyo. That leaves the Wanderer or Aminatou. Given Mark Rosewater’s doubts about Aminatou (and her own conflicts) I predict The Wanderer.

Slot 1: Keito, UB Slot 2: Tamiyo, U Slot 3: The Wanderer, W

That does leave room for a walker with red and green. Samut fits in, but I will guess Sarkhan who originally appeared Gruul, and may visit with Narset.

Slot 1: Keito, UB Slot 2: Tamiyo, U Slot 3: The Wanderer, W Slot 4: Sarkhan Vol, RG

Streets of New Capenna

Planeswalker Appearances:

So little is known about this new plane that I will limit myself to guessing planeswalkers. Ob Nixilis is confirmed, and this is a wedge set, so I am predicting they finally print Nixilis as a Rakdos planeswalker.

Slot 1: Ob Nixilis, BR

They also confirmed this plane is “special” to Elspeth. You do not name drop that and not include her.

Slot 1: Ob Nixilis, BR Slot 2: Elspeth, W

OK. As far as I know: Ajani has not reunited with Elspeth yet, which suggests to me that there is room for a reunion in this set.

Slot 1: Ob Nixilis, BR Slot 2: Elspeth, W Slot 3: Ajani Goldmane, WG

Calix would be my second choice, same colors, since he is currently chasing her. If there is one other potential walker I would guess a new walker. I honestly do not see what other walker would fit here, especially with Nixilis taking up the BR space in this scenario.

Dominaria United

Specific Events:

If you read the first story from Midnight Hunt you know that Teferi helped Wrenn find her seventh tree to bond with, and that Wrenn offered to help Teferi repair the damage his spell phasing out Zhalfir from Dominaria did to both his home and his plane. Given the name I predict Teferi works with Wrenn to restore Dominaria to its full state.

I also predict that Teferi, Karn, & Ajani all work together to plan out the destruction of New Phyrexia (with an eventual showdown sometime in 2023).

Planeswalker Appearances:

I think Dominaria United will act like a traditional core set. So, with that being said, I think the following walkers appear:

Slot 1: Teferi, U Slot 2: Wrenn, G

As said above, I think a big part of the story line is Teferi bringing Zhalfir back to Dominaria. That requires both Wrenn and Teferi, and since this is a core set both will get only a single color.

Slot 1: Teferi, U Slot 2: Wrenn, G Slot 3: Ajani, W

Ajani will return helping Teferi and Karn plan the destruction of New Phyrexia. Since Ajani is base white its a good fit. There are plenty of mono red planeswalkers but only two which make story sense. The first is Koth, but since I doubt he leaves New Phyrexia I do not think he makes an appearance. My guess is Jaya Ballard, a native Dominarian, will show up in the fourth spot instead.

Slot 1: Teferi, U Slot 2: Wrenn, G Slot 3: Ajani, W Slot 4: Jaya Ballard, R

The 5th spot is the one I am not sure of; if Wizards wanted to tell a largely Dominarian story they would bring back Liliana Vess, but I do not think she quite makes sense for this story as she is in hiding and as far as I know her appearance would not sit well with Teferi and Ajani (Gatewatch members). I will toss out three possibilities: 1) Sorin Markov (guessing Teferi recruits him to protect Innistrad against an inter-planar threat), 2) Davriel Cane, or 3) Karn (and go colorless). They could also just include Karn as a 6th walker like Core Set 2021. For now, I will assume Karn as the 5th walker.

Slot 1: Teferi, U Slot 2: Wrenn, G Slot 3: Ajani, W Slot 4: Jaya Ballard, R Slot 5: Karn, C

The Brothers War

This set does not require speculation since the story has already been told. I would highly recommend reading the book. The only thing I will say for certain is: Urza finally gets a real planeswalker card.

#magic the gathering #kamigawa #streets of new capenna #dominaria united #innistrad #crimson vow

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radramblog · 3 years

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Planeswalkers in Cube: White

It’s been a while since I’ve discussed cube, I think, and also a while since I’ve just dived into a stupidly long topic without thinking too hard about it. And so here we go.

Planeswalkers are kind of in an interesting place in Cubes. Most of the time, they’re powerful midrange or control threats, but a lot of them have more specialised roles that can make them better suited to particular cubes. They’re also popular to include, seeing as they’re big, cool, and splashy, and a lot of people really like playing with them. What home exists for something like Liliana, Death’s Majesty in any other format? (I know it’s fine in commander hush)

However, you can only afford so many slots for Walkers in your cube, depending on how you treat them. And so, you’re not going to see all of them very often. Here, we’re going to go through all of them, colour by colour, and figure out why you should or shouldn’t play them, and which go better in different builds. Starting off, as many things do, with Mono-White.

Some ground rules: I’m not going to talk about the Planeswalker deck cards in this post, because the answer to whether you should play them is pretty much universally “no, why”. I’m also not going to talk about the creature->planeswalker transform cards, because they get treated more like creatures in a Cube environment. Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy is kinda just Merfolk Looter.

My next point before I talk actual cards: I’m far from an expert on this sort of thing, and this is going to be my opinions! If you want a different perspective, Season 4 episode 6 of Solely Singleton is a great podcast about this exact topic, though it’s two and a half years old at this point so some things might be a bit outdated.

Finally: White is a colour that tends to get more good Planeswalkers than other colours. Turns out, most Gideons and token-producing walkers are good in slower decks, who’d a thunk it. So unlike, say, Black, the average here is a bit higher than most of the time.

Let’s get into it!

Ajani Goldmane

Ajani is kind of a classic, but the original iteration is kind of showing its 14 years of age. It’s a 4-mana walker (which is a very competitive slot) with a +1 that doesn’t really do anything, a turn-3 ultimate that dies to removal, and while the minus is good (see cards like Unbreakable Formation, or other Ajanis), it requires a board and isn’t really worth a four mana cast.

I had thought he’d be good in more budget lists, though. Except he hasn’t been printed since 2010 and so even though he sees no play he’s still like 5 bucks. So I’d pass on this version of cat dad.

Elspeth, Knight-Errant

On the other hand, Elspeth pt.1 is still one of the best Planeswalkers you can play. She makes blockers for days, can push through some serious damage, and does both of those things while getting more resilient rather than less. Her ultimate might not be game-breaking, but since she’s constantly pushing towards it anyway you don’t really mind. Also she’s only 4 mana, holy moly.

Elspeth is good in aggro, good in midrange, and arguably still more than playable in control. At 12ish dollars, it’s not the ideal price point, but if you can afford it (or have one sitting around), she’s absolutely worth the include.

Gideon Jura

Gideon 1 is a bit more specific. Aggro is not going to want him, seeing as the minus does basically nothing in that deck and the +2 isn’t really worth your time at 5 mana. On the other hand, this card is nuts in control. It’s a hard-to-kill wincon that is also removal that fuels its own condition and survives boardwipes. Gideon Jura is a chad in those decks, and kind of takes over the game the moment he comes down.

The other nice thing about Gideon Jura is that due to recent reprints in Mystery Booster and his Signature Spellbook, as well as not being very good in Commander, he’s ludicrously cheap. You can get one of these for under a dollar, making it perfect for budget cubes (that still include rares). Although, at that point, he might be warping to a cheaper format where aggro is worse, so keep an eye on him.

Elspeth Tirel

Elspeth’s second incarnation (which is the one with her last name, because ???) is significantly worse than her first. If you’re in a slower deck where you want the ultimate, she’s probably not going to live to make it there. If you want the tokens, there are better options at cheaper mana costs. And you don’t want the +2, unless you somehow have a decent board against a red aggro deck.

I remember really liking this card when I first started playing Magic. That was a long time ago, and we have had much better options in the near-decade since then.

Ajani, Caller of the Pride

The first 3-mana walker on this list, and one that shows the conservativeness WoTC had when first testing them at that mana cost. Just kidding, this came out after Liliana of the Veil.

Ajani 3is theoretically fine in an aggressive deck, but white has some seriously good 3-drop creatures that you’d rather just cast instead. Because when your options are a Blade Splicer or putting a +1/+1 counter on your two drop…I’m taking that token. And let’s not act like this card has any place in a midrange or control deck.

Gideon, Champion of Justice

This was the first Planeswalker I ever opened, so I have a soft spot for it. But not enough of one to put it in my cube.

As potentially threatening as this Gideon is, he basically doesn’t do anything? While token decks might have a hard time taking him out, seeing as his loyalty can get pretty huge against them, they can also just block him forever. The ultimate is a game-ender, but also would leave Gideon so small that your opponent might just have enough time to draw lands and get back in the game. And he doesn’t do anything to protect himself aside from get big, and doesn’t really progress your board, so. Sorry Gids, you’ll get them next time.

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

Elspeths alternate being good, I guess. Elspeth, Sun’s Champion is basically unplayable outside of slow midrange or control, but is utterly incredible in those decks! She wipes out anything that would threaten her and makes enough blockers to easily protect either herself or you, and stalls long enough that those tokens can turn into a wincon via her ultimate.

It is not as universally powerful as the four-drop Elspeth, but the 6-drop one undeniably shapes the game when she hits the table. She stops aggro in its tracks, and nukes the shit out of midrange, especially green-based decks. I suppose there are times when she might be awkward to cast because she hits your own threats…but then just hold her back or +1, dude.

Ajani Steadfast

Ajani Steadfast is kind of trying to be a better version of Ajani Goldmane. And yet, funnily enough, the Vigilance on Goldmane’s -1 is so important, as is being a -1 instead of a -2, so he’s kind of in a similar tier. The loyalty counter upside is so utterly niche that it might as well not exist, but the +1 is unquestionably much better at least.

Like with Goldmane, Ajani Steadfast isn’t really doing anything at 4 that cheaper cards don’t do better. And he’s at about the same price point. At least the ultimate is better?

Nahiri, the Lithomancer

Nahiri is really specific. Like, if you’re at a power level where you have equipment worth playing Nahiri with, then you’re probably at a power level where she’s completely outclassed by things like Angel of Invention or…I mean, most other playable 5s. And some unplayable ones.

…I just remembered this card has 3 starting loyalty. On a 5-drop walker. You can -2 her and she’ll die to literally a goblin token. I sure hope that Equipment you got had Living Weapon!

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

The first 4-drop that really steps to Elspeth, Knight-Errant. This Gideon is kind of just good in any deck- aggro decks like a 5/5 top end that makes a token T1 or just is an unkillable Glorious Anthem, midrange loves an infinite source of 2/2 to block or beat down with, and control loves an infinite source of blockers that can clean up after a wipe. He’s just kind of a disgusting piece of cardboard for a whole variety of decks, making him easily one of the best walkers in the entire format.

Also he’s…surprisingly cheap? After one “real” printing, and being on The List (which doesn’t do much, trust me), Gideon Ally of Zendikar is still only like 5 bucks. So if you can justify spending that much on one card…probably do that? He won’t let you down.

Gideon of the Trials

Unlike our first 3-mana walker, this one is more than playable in slower decks. Gideon of the Trials is kind of awkward for aggressive decks, put what he does do is effectively remove some seriously big threats, adjust for whichever is the biggest problem around, and still punches peoples as a 4/4 Gideon. And he also has the unique benefit of being a Planeswalker that makes combo decks think twice, given that Emblem- though you’ll still go to 0 life if Splinter Twin or a similar combo is in play, and then die since they probably killed him too there.

Once again, though, this card is pretty cheap, sitting at about 3 bucks. As we get towards the more recent end of this list, a lot of these cards are going to look like that. I remember when I made my first cube, with the restriction of “Rares/Mythics that are under $2 US”, and getting 0 white Planeswalkers. I was playing the Planeswalker deck Gideon, for fuck’s sake! Things are so much better now.

Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants

I could never really get a good read on this Ajani. It’s obviously something control doesn’t want, and the +1 isn’t doing a huge amount in midrange decks. But the -2 is powerful in creature-based decks, and the +1 is solid for quicker builds, but not enough to really justify 4 mana? There’s a lot of power here, but the parts kind of form a strange whole.

I guess it depends a lot on how deep that 2-drop slot is in your cube, and how deep the 4-drop slot is. Because you kinda need good 2s and medium 4s for Ajani to really shine. I’m a little bothered by how meh Ajanis are apparently in general in Cube, but the multicoloured ones are a bit more solid.

Gideon Blackblade

Take Gideon of the Trials, make it not playable in control, and make it really fucking good in aggressive decks. There you go, that’s Gideon Blackblade. Cheap in money and in mana, he’s here to die, aside from the part where he’s hard to kill.

The +1 on this card is not super great, but you have to keep in mind that you get that at the same time as Gideon being a creature. Honestly, it’s kind of easier to think of this card as a creature with a triggered ability than as a planeswalker, at least as far as cube is concerned. It also helps that the -6 isn’t actually that hard to hit, considering you can keep a creature back by giving it vigilance. He’s quite solid, and might just be the best aggro walker White gets. Certainly at 3, at least.

Teyo, the Shieldmage

A bit of a step down from our last 3-drop, Teyo is clearly not built for the same formats as Gideon Blackblade. But with him, we can talk about weaker formats, like Peasant, where Teyo is…still not great? 3 mana gets you a pair of 0/3s and immunity to burn spells, which I suppose control might like in formats where you don’t really get board wipes, but I can’t imagine any other deck wanting him. And that’s not a great place to be.

The Wanderer

Much like Teyo, I don’t think even Peasant wants this. I do think it’s kinda better- their static abilities are virtually the same, except Mx. ??? here extends the burn protection to your creatures. And they do serve as removal, but its both expensive and narrow. Like, how often is this just going to kill a 4/4 and then get killed by their 2/2? I wouldn’t play Smite the Monstrous but it gains 2 life.

I’m interested to see this character return at some point. Maybe next time they can be playable. Some of the uncommon walkers from WAR were great for Peasant (and some even in higher formats), but this isn’t one of them.

Serra the Benevolent

Okay, so. 4 mana Serra Angel that can stick around to make another one is quite powerful! Though the +2 basically does nothing, it’s still a +2, meaning you can get an unkillable Worship the turn after you play this if you aren’t under pressure, or go token into pump into token. Serra is clearly quite solid!

However, it suffers from two issues. One, it’s competing for that 4-drop slot, and is less playable than Elspeth or Gideon in slower decks since she makes tokens slower than those two do. The tokens are more threatening for sure, but token decks generally want more tokens rather than bigger tokens. And two: it’s more expensive than Gideon and similar in price to Elspeth, not to mention another card we’ll get to later, so she’s not even getting into cheaper cubes. Since a lot of cube slots like this are taken by cards with more general playability, Serra is going to sit on the sidelines more often than she maybe should. If you’re at like a 720 list, though, spare her a thought.

Ajani, Strength of the Pride

Take everything I just said about Serra, and make it worse, basically. I suppose 4 mana for two Ajani’s Pridemates is fine, but the plus doesn’t do anything (unless you have those tokens, in which case it’s okay) and you are never activating that 0 unless you’re already winning.

Oh also he’s more expensive than she is and is still at the same mana cost. Yeah nah I wouldn’t bother. Ripper in my Cat EDH deck though.

Elspeth, Sun’s Nemesis

This card is actually really interesting. Our last Elspeth is still mono-white, despite the art and flavour, but she almost doesn’t play like she is. I think most of the time, she’s likely to make 4 tokens and then probably cack it, but the Escape on this is really interesting. By the time you reach 6 mana, you probably will just have enough cards in the yard to cast this again.

I really don’t know how to interpret this card. She’s in my own cube, but I don’t remember seeing her cast yet, so that’s not really any help. My guess is that she’s mostly good in slower decks, but also making and pumping tokens does output a fair bit of damage over time. She’s only like a dollar, so maybe try her out? At least she won’t be an expensive mistake if she is one.

Basri Ket

Mr. Sandman here is pretty much just a better Ajani, Caller of the Pride. The +1 does more, the -2 actually puts things on board and is better for aggressive decks to get value out of, and the ultimate is actually attainable. He’s basically aggro-only, but he’ll get the job done in those decks.

However, the 3-mana Gideons kind of just outshine Basri here. He does literal jack squat without a creature on board, and his -2 is quite weak with only one or two attacking creatures to work with. The ultimate is nice, but +1ing over and over is extremely bleh, and you probably have better things to do. So sorry, Basri, maybe next time.

Grand Master of Flowers

Bahamut, you aren’t fooling anyone, it’s on the typeline. For reference, Monk of the Open Hand is a 1/1 for W that gets a +1/+1 counter if you cast two spells in a turn- so it’s not really worth running? And even if you do put it in your cube, there’s no guarantee you’ll have both in a deck, or want to play both in a deck…so…

Okay, fine, let’s assume you just get a copy of Monk of the Open Hand when you draft the card. I’m still not super enthused about this Planeswalker. The lockdown ability is going to miss more than you think it will, and a lot of the things it misses are the things likely to kill you. It can make a 1/1 every turn, but only one at a time, and if they exile it then the ability does stone nothing. And that “ultimate” takes forever to actually get to. Also it’s another 4-mana White Walker. I think I’ll pass on this one. Somehow, both Tiamat and Bahamut were disappointments.

Teyo, Aegis Adept

I wasn’t sure whether or not to include this, but I didn’t really want to end on GMoF, so. I’ve done a whole post on the digital-only cards, and I do think Teyo, despite being a Planeswalker, is one of the less fucky ones. You will need to track a lot of things, though.

So how does the card stack up? Honestly, I think it’s surprisingly solid. Aggro probably isn’t that interested, though Lumbering Lightshield’s ETB (makes a random card in the opponent’s hand cost 1 more) could be a real pain if you’re lucky. It makes a 4/4 every other turn for a bit, which is quite solid, and the ultimate isn’t that unobtainable. And you don’t have to worry about money, because this could only ever exist as a proxy.

I’d be really interested to see how Teyo, Aegis Adept plays. I don’t think I’m likely to, outside of Arena-based cubes, with the whole stigma around these cards and the added layer of having to proxy them. But in an Arena cube, with a restricted list of cards he’s competing with (It’s Adversary of Tyrants forward), he could really shine.

This concludes White Walkers, the post. Please join next week when we discuss Blue Walkers. Make your own Game of Thrones joke here, I haven’t watched or read it.

#ramble #mtg #mtg cube #planeswalkers #mono-white

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i-only-roll-crits · 4 years

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Say your prayers and pass the ammo, I’m about to rave like a lunatic about an underrated character - that’s right fuckers, this is officially an

Ob Nixilis appreciation post

*confetti guns*

1. The plane he originates from is like a cross between Game of Thrones and The Witcher - which is to say, medieval fantasy with plenty of casual magic. It’s also apparently perpetually at war, and he waxes poetic about it.

To call the noise of battle a roar is to do it an injustice. It is a slight to the majesty of the sound. It is a symphony.

2. He’s a magic-user himself! Curses seem to be the staple; the withering/anti-life magic he exhibits is likely either native to him or the product of study, i.e. before he was a demon (fire-based magic seems to be newer and infernally attributed).

I muttered seven words under my breath. Raximar shook his head as both our ears popped.

"What? I didn't hear that."

I snapped my fingers, and one of Raximar's guards shuddered. The guard took lurching, uneven steps over to me, drew his greatsword, and handed it to me. I snapped my fingers again, and the other six guards in the room all slumped, lifeless, to the floor. The wave of expended magic tasted like hot tar in the back of my throat.

3. Dude is hell on wheels in the intelligence department. Definitely strategically, but otherwise too. He studies... like a nerd. Knowledgeable in the history of his own plane, second only to Nahiri (and maybe Ugin?) in his understanding of hedrons, and lord knows what else.

3a. Not a fan of chaos (duh, he’s a war commander/control freak) - for those of you who assumed he’d be a red mana secondary, I’ve got a hot take for you, and you may be able to guess already: Dimir

The idea that there were countless planes out there that had lost their godlike protectors and champions! Imagine the chaos that the Mending had wrought on the Multiverse! Chaos like that needs to be quelled. Chaos like that needs to be brought to heel, and I am the perfect person for the task.

4. He’s got an apocalyptic nihilist streak a mile wide, which probably surprises no one, resulting in a zero-fucks-given, face-god-and-walk-backwards-into-hell kind of attitude, and even sense of humor. What, you thought he was all serious and brooding? You fool, you absolute buffoon.

5. Lives for battle; will fuck you up with a combination of strategy, smarts, and ferocity. Has a realistic, pragmatic, matter-of-fact attitude toward conflict. Will figure out your tricks and find a way around them, to lethal effect.

In conclusion, quotes:

One of the most important lessons a conqueror needs to learn is that when others believe themselves to be smarter than you, you just let them keep on believing that. Right up until they stop believing anything at all.

Conquering your first world is the hardest, after all. My power grew as I moved from world to world, taking anything that would make the next taking easier.

Maybe I'd get extraordinarily lucky, and stumble upon another power source, but only fools plan on luck, and I didn't intend to start now.

There're only so many goblins you can crush before the act loses its charm. Well, most of its charm. They do make a very funny noise.

There's no honor or dignity in a futile charge against a superior foe, despite what I may have told a general or two whom I needed to do the tactically expedient thing.

A pyrrhic victory is merely the most palatable kind of defeat.

When you're counting down to the end of the world, you can cut corners sometimes.

When the Eldrazi rose, the angels fought. Adorable, really. Not awful tacticians, if I'm being fair, but they labored under the misconception that it was a battle that they could win. The angels fought, and mostly, they died.

Only a fool plans on luck, but it is a greater fool who fails to take advantage of it.

“Don't take your defeat personally... I tend to bring out the weakest in people."

Sural specialists tended to be extremely skilled, or entertainingly short-lived.

“Disappointing. Back in my day, if you'll pardon the expression, there was a certain civility to all this. But I guess Planeswalkers aren't what they used to be. For one, they die a lot easier.”

There are moments like this in battle, where time stands still. Where the joy of combat overwhelms the senses and the passage of time.

(p.s. speaking of dialogue, his voice actor in Voice of All’s productions has me short-circuiting; it’s perfection)

The absurdity of it all washed over me like a wave. A lifetime of scrambling for power and control, when all the while I had been dancing on another's stage. All my ambition, all my desire, all my study and toil and pain. All of it for nothing. It was the end of the world. It was what I had always wanted. It was a trap set for me, thousands of years before my birth.

Sources and more can all be found here.

#magic the gathering #mtg #Ob Nixilis #magic story #Black-aligned planeswalkers are valid

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niuttuc · 4 years

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Kinahel, Immortal Guardian

Name: Kinahel

Pronouns: Depends on their incarnation. Currently he/him, but will answer to all.

Species: Phoenix Aven

Age: 223 years old/3 months old

Plane of Origin: Zendikar

First Planeswalk: Eldraine

Colors: Red, White

Appearance: Kinahel is (generally) an aven phoenix, the exact look (and bird base, he was a sphinx too at one occasion) of which varies every time he’s reborn. Some features are consistent though, his plumage is dark red to light red on the tips of the feathers, his eyes matching that red. There’s a soft glow coming from behind his feathers, that waxes and wanes with his breathing. When using magic, his eyes and the extremities of his feathers burn, then more as more magic is used until he’s fully burning, then consumed.

Backstory: Kinahel is from an isolated volcanic island in the middle of Zendikar’s ocean. It was ringed by a dense hedron field that isolated it from the rest of the world, and kept the roil within mostly in-check, allowing for more sedentary civilizations to take hold. When the eldrazi stirred a thousand year ago, a particularly big one (not a titan, but one of the larger specimens) was revealed to be trapped under the island. After an intervention from Nahiri, it was put back to sleep, but the inhabitants of the island didn’t forget.

They researched and perfected a weapon over the next centuries along with the rebuilding of their civilization. Eventually, when the weapon was ready, they kidnapped acquired a phoenix egg from the volcano, and modified it to give birth to who was to be the weapon’s wielder, their protective magic not caught up to the task of protecting the one using the weapon from its power. After a couple more decades of being raised in the best way they could, the phoenix champion was sent to slay the monster under the island.

The civilization had underestimated their weapon’s capabilities. Or consequences. It managed to kill the eldrazi even through its stasis, yes. And, unexpectedly, this death ignited the phoenix’s spark, and they were reborn on another plane, more powerful than ever. By the time they figured out a way to come back, the weapon was standing on one of the last pieces of the island still above water… And crumbling. The hedrons stood, unfazed.

Kinahel took the weapon and its sheath, and left, mourning. They’d considered drowning themselves beyond rebirth, but they didn’t want merfolks from neighboring settlements or treasure hunters to sometimes find it and unleash it once again. They’d been raised right. They took an oath to contain the sacred weapon, the Worldslayer, to make sure it never causes devastation again.

In the two hundred-some years, their guard was bypassed once only, when a thief managed to get the weapon out of its sheath and accidentally use it when Kinahel noticed them, killing them both. The employer of the thief, a planeswalker, then swooped in before Kinahel was reborn. After a lengthy chase, and another death, Kinahel managed to track down the planeswalker to the plane of Mirrodin, already adorned with a few more craters, and defeat them to claim back their burden.

Since then, they flew over countless planes, never settling down for too long, and are still looking for a way to destroy the weapon without more casualties. And preferably without destroying them forever in the process.

Magic, gear and abilities: Kinahel can generate and absorb fire on contact, and control it as long as he stays in contact with part of it. It burns and can heal most mundane wounds and illnesses, however it still burns the area healed, even if it heals the burn at the same time. Areas can be numbed when healing wounds, but illnesses often involve a LOT of pain.

His magic can be very powerful, but the more he uses it, the more his feathers burn, and past a certain point he can’t extinguish them by himself (plunging him in large bodies of water have been known to do the trick when not exceptionally late) and combusts himself to death… And a new life. As a phoenix, whenever he dies (so far) he’s been reborn by fire into a new body. They keep their memories and personality through rebirths, and are full-grown often in less than a day should they have the necessary food/magic/fuel.

Between his wings, in a special sheath, he carries the Worldslayer on his back, a sword of high destructive potential. He will avoid using it himself in the vast majority of scenarios, so far the War of the Spark is the only time he’s seriously thought about using it in this life. If he’s used it in the past, he died doing so.

Recently, he's started studying the alchemical and magical properties of parts of his body.

When it comes to fighting, he'll often fashion weapons out of fire, or use talons and flight to his advantage.

Card:

#Fan-Character February #fanwalker #mtg #mtg oc list #Kinahel #planeswalker #phoenix #red #white #custom magic card #aven #zendikar #custom frame #fan character february

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the-foxwolf · 7 years

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MTG: Time Travel

Sarkhan’s time traveling has been the subject of a great many theories and explanations. True to my nature as Content Creator, I haven’t read any of them except for those published by official sources.

That said, this article has been a long time coming. But I hate time travel almost as much as I hate zombies. So I’ve avoided it like the plague. But many people, to this day, seem to still not understand what happened, so I’ll give it a go and do my best to explain things. Of course, much of this article is speculation. But it’s not wild speculation. It’s carefully thought out and pondered, as with all of my posts.

(Sarkhan Unbroken: Dragons of Tarkir) (Art by Aleksi Bricolt) (Ugin, the Spirit Dragon: Fate Reforged) (Art by Raymond Swanland)

Gather `Round! It’s Story Telling Time!

MTG Fundamentals of Time

Let’s get this clear. I despise the entire concept of time travel. All of it. I can’t comprehend why people believe that any instance of time travel could not possibly end in a paradox. Anyways. That’s not the point. What is the point is that in MTG, planeswalking involves traveling between dimensions and time streams. It’s an established fact that each plane runs along its own time stream. Theros’ time stream is not connected to Dominaria’s time stream, etc. We know this from words of the Wizard’s employees and from accumulation of Magic Stories. If I’m wrong then I’m wrong. But I’m 99% certain I’ve heard them say it multiple times.

For conversation’s sake, let’s go ahead and run the safe assumption that they have in fact established that each plane has a unique time stream.

What does this mean? Our understanding of “The Mending happened 60 years ago” is based off the Dominarian solar cycle. Why? Because Magic followed Urza for so long that it just became the norm. Do modern Planeswalkers have an understanding of time as based off the Dominarian solar cycle? I don’t think so. I do not think I can recall an instance in which anyone in the Gatewatch has ever been specific enough to dictate that they have a way to measure time across planes. And I honestly hope they don’t. Urza was connected to Dominaria on a fundamental level. He could understand and sense time as Dominaria experienced it. But the Gatewatch are from different worlds. Even assuming that time is still sensed by Planeswalkers (which I doubt is the case) according to their home plane, making direct accounting of time across the Gatewatch would be a storytelling pain. It’s simply easier to roll with the punches and either never be specific about time progression or to merely leave time comparisons to a general understanding.

(Liliana, Heretical Healer: Magic Origins) (Art by Karla Ortiz)

Only Liliana’s sense of time is something I can trust. Because most of our perspective, as players and readers, is measured in Dominarian years (a result of our time following Urza), we can be confident that if Liliana gives us a definite time, it is accurate as to us, the readers and players.

Time Magic

Clockworkers, Temporal Mages, whatever you want to call these abhorrent time bending entities people all have the capacity to manipulate time in localized areas and for short distances. For example. Teferi’s most powerful magic is time manipulation. It’s an effort of will and mana. But it’s localized and measured by space. When Jhoria transported her enemy 24 hours back, it was only a limited space and only a limited amount of time away. When Teferi trapped a sea god in a time bubble, it was only for two minutes (granted, it was also an Old Walker). When he trapped Bolas in a time bubble, it wasn’t even for two seconds (cuz Bolas is O.P. af).

(Teferi, Temporal Archmage: Commander 2014) (Art by Tyler Jacobson)

Even for Old Walkers, time magic was tough and tricky. It only takes a few seconds of temporal control to win a battle. But to escape death is something on an entirely different classification. Bolas survived outside of time. But what about Ugin?

How Ugin Survived

Just before the battle between the great Elder Dragons, they gave each other time to prepare and cast failsafes and whatever spells they felt necessary. When Tetsuo Umezawa killed Bolas, he imploded an entire plane on the dragon. Time and Space collapsed and Bolas’ existence retreated into little more than a collection of thoughts outside of time. Yet he endured. It was only through another Planeswalker’s Spark that Bolas was able to retrieve himself from that concept of non-existence. Using Venser and Rhada, Bolas was able to have them will him back into existence.

Where Bolas used Venser to “summon” himself out of non-existence, Ugin used Sarkhan to rescue him from the clutches of death. Both elder dragons used different methods, but the concept is the same.

Question, then: Where did the time-travel vortex come from then?

Theory 1: Time Rift

It was a Rift. Just like the ones found on Dominaria. Much like what happened between Bolas and the demonic leviathan Planeswalker, an Old Walker duel between entities of awesome power caused a rip in reality. Essentially, the battle ended and created a Rift in Ugin’s chest cavity, just like the Rift between the demonic leviathan’s horns.

(Talon Gates: Planechase 2012) (Art by Chippy)

Theory 2: Eldrazi Failsafe

When Sarkhan was explaining to Ugin what his servitude to Bolas was like, he said the following:

“I took the hedron shard back to Bolas, and told him you had spoken to me. He told me he had killed you, said something about a…a failsafe.“

“Unbroken and Unbowed”

Word choice. A failsafe. What does that mean?

Someone set up a solution that would ensure Ugin would be alive to help put the Eldrazi away should Ugin ever die. It could have been Nahiri or Bolas when creating The Eye of Ugin. It could have been Ugin himself in the moments of preparation the elder dragons gave each other before their great battle. It could have been Bolas during that same time.

Bolas is arrogant. He would kill Ugin for a Klondike Bar without hesitation. But he’s not stupid. I suspect he knew that he would not be able to put the Eldrazi away on his own. Bolas knew that Ugin understood the Eldrazi better than anyone. And so, I suspect Bolas set up a time travel vortex to guarantee Ugin could be saved should the Eldrazi ever be released.

But it honestly doesn’t matter who set up the failsafe, be it Nahiri and Ugin at the Eye, Ugin before the battle, or Bolas before the battle. What matters is that someone was setting up insurance that Ugin would be alive to deal with the Eldrazi once again.

(Eye of Ugin: Worldwake) (Art by James Paick)

“But Foxwolf! Didn’t Bolas release the Eldrazi? Didn’t he ensure their release?”

Yes. My response here is one or multiple of the following:

1: Bolas didn’t know about the failsafe Ugin or Nahiri had set up and was surprised when Sarkhan told him of it.

2: Bolas intentionally wanted Ugin back alive. That the Eldrazi were released was a mere inconvenience, a side effect, of Bolas’ desire to resurrect Ugin.

3: Bolas discovered that the absence of the Eldrazi was damaging the long term survival of the Multiverse and needed to release them. Releasing the Eldrazi and creating the failsafe to ensure Ugin would survive would guarantee that Ugin would devote himself to studying them once again, effectively putting Ugin out of Bolas’ way, while simultaneously ensuring the Eldrazi would continue their Stewardship.

However way this happened, it makes sense. Personally, I suspect some iteration of Theory 2. But I’d just as easily believe Theory 1.

How Sarkhan Survived

Why is Sarkhan still alive? Why are we not in a paradox here? If the chain of events leading up to Sarkhan’s original creation never happened, how come we still have a Sarkhan? For that matter, how could he have existed in the first place in order to do all the things it took to send him back in time to erase himself? Allow me to explain.

“If I was never born, then where did I come from? Who went to the Eye? Who saved you?"

"You did," said Ugin. "...You went there, traveled to Tarkir's past, and used the shard to save me. It must have happened, or the change itself would not have been possible. Whatever circumstance arose when I died... only affected Tarkir. Which means that you, Sarkhan Vol, stepped fully formed out of a shadow, a place that never existed.”

“Unbroken and Unbowed”

If Sarkhan had only ever existed in one timeline, erasing that timeline would rewrite everything Sarkhan ever did. But that wasn’t the case. Sarkhan existed on Jund and Zendikar. Remember that time runs independently. Even if Sarkhan no longer existed in Tarkir, he still existed on Jund. The time streams are completely separate.

(Time Stop: Tenth Edition) (Art by Scott M. Fischer)

Sarkhan’s Tarkir’s time stream got erased. But Sarkhan still spent time on other planes, each of which included him in their time stream. All the actions he took are a part of the respective plane’s history. Those worlds would not be the same without his presence and actions. But since time lines don’t intermingle, Sarkhan continued to exist on those planes during the times which he on them.

Sarkhan’s Memories

But why does he have his memories? If he was never born on Tarkir, how can he still have memories of life on the Tarkir where Ugin was killed?

It is because the Sarkhan that existed on Jund and Zendikar both had those memories. Every choice they made was based upon the foundations of that life. He had memories of a world which was no more because he must have those memories. Furthermore, the Sarkhan who entered Jund’s timeline had those memories. Thus, that Sarkhan will always have and have had those memories. Just because the source of the memories never happened, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have those memories.

(Tormenting Voice: Khans of Tarkir) (Art by Volkan Baga)

If you’re confused about how this is possible, let me tell you that, as a psychologist, memories are as malleable as putty. An experienced psychologist who knows what they are doing can easily implant memories. Easy. This experiment has been replicated over and over. Under the appropriate scientific circumstances, people were brought into a lab one by one and shown a photograph of a hot air balloon with some people inside, taken from a distance. The psychologist would then ask the participant if they remembered that hot air balloon ride. At first, most people would deny it. But when the lab invited those same people back 7 days later, the participants would be able to tell you an incredibly vivid, detailed, and emotionally charged story about their adventure on the hot air balloon. They will actually believe that they had the experience. Even if you were to bring in their parents to discredit it, the participant would have trouble believing it didn’t happen. This experiment has been replicated in a variety of ways. Memories are super malleable.

That said, something doesn’t actually have to happen for you to remember it. In this situation, I feel the same is happening.

Still not convinced? Read this:

Sarkhan looked into the great dragon's eyes. He recognized her face, the shape of her snout, the cut of her jaw. It was so familiar. But how could it be? He had never seen this dragon before. He couldn't have. And yet…as he squinted down at her, the clanging of the bell rattled an image out of his mind. It was a memory from the time before. For the space of a heartbeat Sarkhan could see two Tarkirs, one inlaid over the other. Shooting toward him was both the dragon of this now, flesh and blood and scales, and the dragon of the now that had been lost forever, nothing more than an empty, rotting skull, a khan's throne. That is why he knew this dragon.

“A Tarkir of Dragons”

As you can tell, Sarkhan has memories of the old still.

Conclusion

What can we conclude from all of this? Time traveling is a headache and I hate it. So, so, much. however, there can be some logic to it. Though it isn’t easy. Much of this speculation is based upon real world theory that can never be proven and will never be proven. (Glares angrily at you, who have the distant thought that maybe someday in the future someone might be able to figure it out.)

Despite all of this, the best source you can read is “Unbowed and Unbroken”, the original source of this material.

That’s all we’ve got for today. Thanks for reading. If you liked what you read, hit that “Reblog” button. For more articles and short stories from me at Story Telling Time, hit that “Follow” button. See ya next time!

#mtg #magic story #sarkhan #time travel #storytellingtime #story telling time

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mtg-weekly-recap · 7 years

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MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap: May 01, 2017

Nahiri the Lithomancer, Sorin Markov and Ugin The Spirit Dragon, Cartoon style. | @pazmonx

This week’s edition of the Recap has dodged the Ban-hammer! Let’s take a look at all the different formats that have been affected by banned and restricted announcements, as well as the heavily symbolism-laden Magic Story and some nostalgic fan-art. Join us for more wrap-ups than an Anointed Procession in this issue of the Magic: the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap.

1. Emergency Banning In Standard

Saheeli’s Lament | @planeswalker-umbral

In one of the more bizarre banning and restricted events, the powerful two card combo of Saheeli Rai and Felidar Guardian were conspicuously unaffected by the announcement on Monday, April 24, despite the infinite loop being missed by Magic R&D, and therefore not attracting the suite of answers that cards like Heart of Kiran and other standard powerhouses now have to face with the release of Amonkhet.

This news (or more specifically the lack of news) set many tongues a wagging as the merits and demerits of Wizards declining to meddle in Standard versus getting down and curating the format, with debate raging as to how the current meta with two dominant decks appearing far more prevalent and leading to far less innovation than Smuggler’s Copter and Emrakul, the Promised End (which were sent to the naughty corner last January) ever did. Just as the hand-wringing and bemoaning three more months of a bland Standard reached it’s peak, Wednesday brought an addendum to Monday’s announcement, Felidar Guardian was hit with the ban-hammer. It is interesting that one of the main drivers for both the non-action on the Monday and further action on the Wednesday was the earliest release of the new set on the digital platform, MTGO. This allowed R&D to see what a potential new standard might look like, and whatever data they drew, they felt it was big enough and scary enough to make the call. So what does this mean for standard? Well, the upcoming pro-tour should provide some answers, and like with many recently shaken-up formats, aggressive decks should see good representation (and some success) while the brewmasters work behind the scenes. Rakdos and Jund discard/hellbent seem to blend the best of Amonkhet and Innistrad themes, as well as many recursive graveyard strategies. Amonkhet also brings with it lots of interesting control strategies the might make more of a splash as the format goes forward, now that a Turn 4 instant kill is no longer a spectre hanging over it.

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories

2. Bans and Unbans in Commander

Brewing when they unban a combo piece | @phyrexian-without-a-cause

Following the official B&R announcement from Wizards for Constructed formats came one from the MTG Commander Rules committee: Leovold, Emissary of Trest is banned and Protean Hulk is unbanned.

Those who have played with or against Leovold know how insanely powerful he is. With “wheel” effects like Windfall, Whispering Madness, Dark Deal, and Teferi’s Puzzle Box and plenty of control elements, Commander decks led by Leovold easily stripped apart opponents’ hands with efficiency and consistency, making him miserable to play against. It’s only been eight months since Leovold was printed in Conspiracy: Take the Crown, but it was enough to demonstrate his power. At the moment, Leovold, Emissary of Trest still holds its $50-price tag since it is a Legacy staple in many Sultai decks (Reid Duke took down GP Louisville this year with True-Name Nemesis Sultai, which ran two copies of Leovold in the main).

The announcement of Protean Hulk’s unbanning was by far the most surprising B&R change of the week. For those unfamiliar with Protean Hulk’s power level, Flash Hulk was a deck that won the third-ever Legacy GP back in 2007 whose main strategy involved Flashing in the Hulk on t2 or earlier with fast mana (yes, even t0), sac’ing it and tutoring up 4 Disciple of the Vault, 4 Phyrexian Marauder, and 4 Shifting Wall. The artifact creatures would die due to SBA and the Disciples would immediately dome your opponent for 32.

While Flash got banned in Legacy as a result of this deck, the combo dream never died: Protean Hulk returned to the limelight in 2015 when Lantern Control creator Zac Elsik among a dozen other players brought a Modern Hulk Combo deck to GP Pittsburgh. Here’s the basic strategy: after discarding Protean Hulk to a number of loot spells in the deck then reanimating it with and sac’ing it to Footsteps of the Goryo or Makeshift Mannequin, search out Viscera Seer and Body Double, copying the Protean Hulk that just went to your graveyard. Sac’ the Body Double with Viscera Seer’s ability to search out Reveillark and Mogg Fanatic, which you sac’ to ping your opponent for 1. From there, you sac’ the Reveillark to bring back Mogg Fanatic and Body Double, copying Reveillark. Because Reveillark and Body Double can continuously bring back each other, you can bring back Mogg Fanatic an arbitrary number of times until your opponent has been pinged to death.

While I doubt anyone will run this 5-color combo in Commander, the unbanning of Protean Hulk has got the community brewing up what creatures they can tutor up and combo off within their current decks’ respective color identities. Within an hour of the announcement, Protean Hulk shot up from below 4.00 USD to over 21.00 USD, with many eager EDH players scrambling to get their copies. My brother and I jumped on the opportunity and bought 5 copies within minutes of the announcement: I snagged two MP copies off eBay for five bucks total, whereas my brother bought three LP copies from his LGS down in San Diego, CA for about three bucks each. We’ll definitely be looking into making a profit when we sell some of them but not all of them—my brother plans to slot a copy of Protean Hulk into his Rashmi Elves deck and sac’ing to either Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution, or Natural Order, fetching six mana dorks and Dryad Arbor and swinging in for a buttload of damage, especially with Concordant Crossroads or Akroma’s Memorial in play. Can’t wait to lose to him like that…

— Vincent B, @the-burnished-hart

3. Legacy and Vintage Bans and Restrictions

Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants) | by @phyrexian-without-a-cause

The most recent B&R announcement has brought with it the end of an era. In Legacy, the linchpin card of the Miracles deck Sensei’s Divining Top has finally been struck down, taking the most prevalent deck, in terms of overall appearances in major tournaments, in the format with it. The reactions to the ban have, oddly enough, been pretty reasonable. Even some popular Miracles players like Joe Lossett have been pretty quick to say that they understand and they saw this coming for a long time. The ban also makes Legacy event coverage a lot easier to do, now that commentators no longer have to try to make activating Top seem exciting. This just goes to show that if you make a road sign and put it at WotC Headquarters, you can achieve anything (please don’t actually make a big road sign and put it out front of Wizards Headquarters).

In the world of Vintage, Wizards has gone after Monastery Mentor decks and slapped Gitaxian Probe and Gush with a Restricted status. Much like with Legacy Miracles, Mentor decks in Vintage have been running rampant and the bans of these “free” draw spells are meant to weaken this Vintage powerhouse. Not much has been said about how these restrictions are being taken, but most people seem to be in agreement with Wizards, or are saying that Mentor itself should have been the one to be restricted, based on the power level of the card. Nevertheless, this seems to be a positive change for the format.

These announcements have made people in the respective formats, or even outside of them that are interested in them, start experimenting to find the next powerhouse. In terms of how formats are taking their bans/restrictions, Legacy and Vintage seem to be taking their hits well, and, much like what Wizards hopes will happen whenever they make these announcements, the player-base seems to be growing and evolving with these new changes, producing more diverse environments for the people that make these formats their homes. One can only hope that these times of prosperity last, as this writer is trying to buy in to Legacy himself, and is excited at the prospect of jumping in to such a, seemingly, welcoming format.

— Colin M, @delver-of-seacrest

4. Magic Story Recap

The Hand that Moves - Ken Troop

Decision Paralysis | Original art by Vincent Proce

The plot of this weeks Magic Story, The Hand that Moves can be told simply, Nissa takes Kefnet’s Trial of Knowledge. But it’s the details contained within that are the meat of this tale. Firstly, Nissa finds her way to the temple of Kefnet merely seeking answers to the perplexing questions that surround the entire city of Naktamun and the influence of Bolas. The Vizier of Kefnet tries to ward her away, but her resistance to his clumsy attempts at mind magic as well as her quite remarkable status as an outsider to the usual warrior-caste system allows her to keep him off balance enough to attempt the trial in order to interrogate the God himself. The first bombshell that hits is Nissa’s first vision is of an Angel, who appears to be none other than Emrakul herself. Now there is obviously much illusion and subterfuge within these trials so there is no clear inference as to whether this appearance is Nissa’s fear, or even something more sinister, considering in The Promised End Nissa appeared most affected by the influence of Emrakul, as well as Nissa’s formative years on Zendikar where the Goddess Emeria was revered even among her people. Who does this version of Emrakul represent, or is she not even part of the test and something Nissa had latent inside her since Innistrad? Equally as strange is the affirmation that the Angel brings: “I can do anything I want. Anything at all. Remember that.” Visions and symbolism follows, with very physical sensations and in the middle of it Nissa begins to study the leylines and see the fabric of the trial, behind the sights, sounds and sensations. The Test seems to fight against her, the closer she pries behind the curtain. Images that seem to be Bolas’s influence across the multi-verse appear, followed by further reminder that the five gods were part of a pantheon of eight. Three figures that might represent the missing deities scurry to escape the protection of the Hekma. A focus on the mining and collection of a strange, blue mineral. A series of images of decay and destruction that if they don’t related directly to the Gatewatch certainly follow their way around the color wheel, then more imagery of the approach of the second sun that is most definitely not a second sun, and then -

Emrakul returns

The angel that is Emrakul that might not be Emrakul ask Nissa if she would be a pawn or a queen in the game. Nissa sees the trap that no matter her power if she falls for this choice she would only ever be a piece to be manipulated. The phrase “Be the hand that moves” echoes again from the Chess game Jace and ‘Emrakul’ played during The Promised End. Kefnet arrives full of pomp and circumstance demanding to know who was interfering in the Trial, scattering Nissa’s mental defences as Kefnet read her intentions. He declares that knowledge is not a gift to be given but a prize to be earned, and is about to dissolve Nissa’s mind, when “Emrakul”s advice stirs her to action, and she observes that Kefnet’s being is made up of leylines, something she has more than a little familiarity with, as well as noticing that there are several lines that are very off kilter. With a clumsy yet precise manipulation of those wayward leylines, Nissa is able to deflect the God enough that his attention wavered and she became to him merely an initiate who had passed his trial. Presumably the cartouche was waiting for her in the gift shop on the way out…

— Liam, @coincidencetheories

5. Fan-arts…

The Smallwatch | Original art by @erybiadraws

This weeks seems there’s been an interesting and wonderful trend towards the nostalgic, as we have been graced with many a fan-art of characters from our near, and sometimes not-so-near past. @alexgilbertart starts us off with the secretly unraveling Jace, Unraveller of Secrets from Innistrad. Another Innistradi visitor to be featured this week was @azami ‘s study of the studious soratami Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

Stretching further back in the mists of time, @pandoraeve brings us the foremost Praetor Elesh Norn as she dodges the blue shells in a Mario Kart, and @erybiadraws shows us the undulating Ulamog in its full glory.

Finally, a couple of sketches from @dancing-sword, including Garruk giving Chandra animal handling advice, and a drawing of the Tarkirs planeswalking power-couple, Narset and Sarkhan

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories

6.Vanilla Matters.

Murganda Petroglyphs | Original MTG art by Scott Altmann

The concept of ‘Vanilla’ in Magic is supposedly a simple one. A Vanilla Creature is simply on with no rules text (flavor text is allowed. Vanilla is a flavor, after all). Simply a creature type, a mana cost, power, and of course toughness. No effects on entering or leaving the battlefield, no activated abilities, and no keyword. Nothing. Mons Goblin Raiders, Grizzly Bears, Savannah Lions. The building blocks of a set, and usually filler cards for your limited or standard deck. But two topics have shone the spotlight on the humble Vanilla Creature this week, as @markrosewater ‘s Blogatog has been inundated with requests that if or when we travel to Murganda, we continue in the tradition of Murganda Petroglyphs from Future SIght block and have Vanilla Matters cards, or cards that bolster creatures without abilities. The trouble with this, as Mark Rosewater reiterates, is that the creatures themselves can’t grant their fellow vanilla creatures abilities, and there are only so many bonuses you can give to vanilla creatures before you’re giving them abilities, which make them no longer vanilla creatures which means they lose their abilities which means they are once again vanilla and oh no I’ve gone cross eyed. So MaRo has advised us all not to set our hopes too high on a visit to Murganda featuring Vanilla matters, especially as Murganda is already carrying the baggage of being the Dinosaur plane as well as somehow home to the Mimeoplasm. But that doesn’t mean that Murganda Petroglyphs itself can’t see a reprint…

Dovetailing with the discussion on Vanilla Matters was a check in with a recurring favorite of Blogatog readers, the Vanilla Mythic, which is precisely what it says on the box, a vanilla creature, at mythic rarity, that obviously has been subject to much speculation. Mark confirmed in a blog post that the mythic is doing just fine, and that we will see it later this year This has led to new speculation as to just what a Vanilla Mythic might need to be, to justify it’s rarity, starting with @sarkhan-volkswagen and continuing on in the various reblogs and replies.

…and finally: Friday Nights

Noted Magic content creators Loading Ready Run released a new episode of Friday Nights this week, as just in time for Amonkhet’s release. Friday Nights is a series following the group’s misadventures into the world of Magic, which has been running since 2012. This month’s episode is notable for callbacks not only to the eternal conundrum of the proper creature type of the multi-headed Nessian Asp, but also to the fearsome reputation of Kathleen’s Cat deck which first made it’s appearance in the groups short, ‘It’s Magic’ which reflected their rediscovery of the game, way back in 2010.

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week!

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