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nehebthewordy · 4 years ago

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EDH Deck Tech: Multani Lands

Hey everyone, welcome back for another commander deck tech. This week we’re looking at a mono-green lands build led by Dominaria’s original most-famous-elemental: Multani, Yavimaya Avatar. Though we aren’t bound by a specific budget on this list, we’ll prioritize cheap cards to their more in-demand counterparts.

As this is a lands deck, Multani will want tons of ramp and landfall synergies. Fortunately, Zendikar has come again and as always brought it’s customary lands-matter theme. Our main win condition, though, is Multani himself: not only is he pumped by the lands you control and those in your bin, but his second ability paragraph allows him to be resilient to removal.

As always, we’ll begin with our RAMP package. This can be sorted into two varieties which you can mix and match as you build: cards that fetch lands from your deck and cards that put lands from your hand directly into play. Starting with fetch we have Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach, and Nissa’s Pilgrimage, all of which not only put a land into play but also your hand, empowering cards that play additional lands. For additional landfalls, we can either put them directly into play with cards like Sakura-Tribe Scout, Llanowar Scout, Walking Atlas, Budoka Gardener, and Skyshroud Ranger or we can play additional lands with Wayward Swordtooth and Azusa, Lost but Seeking, the latter of which’s recent core set printing makes her a terriffic option.

Next up we need to generate CARD ADVANTAGE. Fortunately, green does this well in a variety of ways. On the expensive end you have cards like Tireless Tracker, or you can use more budget options such as Harmonize, Seer’s Sundial, Colossal Majesty, Garruk’s Packleader, and one of my personal pet cards Return of the Wildspeaker.

In mono green, REMOVAL tends to be more difficult, especially when dealing with creatures, however with Multani on board you’ll almost always have the biggest creature. Cards like Pounce, Nature’s Way, Ulvenwald Tracker, and Setessan Tactics can use his high power to deal lethal damage to creatures, or you can use Desert Twister, Beast Within, Duplicant, and Meteor Golem to outright destroy them. Your artifact/enchantment removal suite basically builds itself with Acidic Slime, Broken Bond, Krosan Grip, and Reclamation Sage, and to deal with graveyards you have the classic Scavenging Ooze and Selesnya Eulogist.

Next up we’ll take a look at LANDFALL synergies, which green is the undisputed leader of. You can gain life by playing lands with cards like Retreat to Kazandu, Lifegift, and Courser of Kruphix, the latter of which also allows lands to be played from topdeck, while Scute Swarm, Zendikar’s Roil, and Rampaging Baloths create a massive token army as you play lands. For additional creatures that grow with your land count, try implementing Territorial Scythecat, Oran-Rief Hydra, Ulvenwald Hydra, and Beanstalk Giant.

Now you need to be able to PROTECT your board. Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves do a good job for a single creature, while Heroic Intervention can shield your entire board for a turn. Once things are put into your graveyard, the famous Eternal Witness can fetch anything from your bin. Other slightly less well-known cards with similar effects are Once and Future, God-Pharaoh’s Gift, Artisan of Kozilek, Moldgraf Monstrosity, and Seasons Past.

Finally, you’ll want some lands with ETB triggers to reuse with Multani’s last ability. While not technically enter-effects, the cycling lands (Tranquil Thicket/Slippery Karst/Desert of the Indomitable) can be played early as a land and bounced-then-cycled later when you need draw. Fertile Thicket can dig for more lands to play, Gingerbread Cabin and Radian Fountain can gain incidental life, Khalni Garden can create a small token, Mosswort Bridge can stash a card to cast for free later, and Bala Ged Recovery and Khalni Ambush are spells that can be played as lands. Additionally, you can deliberately place Multani in your graveyard with Miren, the Moaning Well, Scourge of Skola Vale, Life Chisel, and Feed the Pack.

While this list is long, almost building the deck for you, it’s full of powerful cards for just this kind of deck. Whether you’re playing around Multani’s enormous P/T or dumping a token army onto the board, landfall can carry you through a powerful game at a comparatively low budget. Until next week, I’ll see you on the battlefield

#Deck Tech #commander #Multani #mtg #magic the gathering #nehebthewordy #long post

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whirlybirdwhat · 4 years ago

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from one dead man to another (the world is changing)

Skyjacks x One Piece Crossover - Read on Ao3 for better quality!

*shows up out of month?? month absence to post niche crossover fic*

@oceanaromantic finished it!!

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Summary:

On the deck of a flying ship, one dead man (a skeleton, really, from an era long past) talks to another over a laying of cards.

(Freedom has always been a crown, no matter if ships sail on land or sea, and Orimar Vale has always reached for things bigger than himself. Brook just wants some company, for once.)

---------------

Brook has almost never quite seen a man like this before. He is like him, but not in the ways that matter. (Not in the ways of flesh and bone and the lack thereof.) Yet.... there is a gleam to his eyes that Brook will never have again.

(Not that he has eyes… skull joke!)

Brook strums his guitar, an old thing from an era long past and fallen, and laughs.

“Yohohoho! It is a pleasure meeting you, dear sir.” The bones of his face shift into a smile, gleaming white, with an aura of things not quite from this world (not anymore.)

(This world is not his anymore.)

Still, despite the walking, talking skeleton, the man across from Brook does nothing but shuffle a pack of cards.

“My name is Brook, though long ago I went by many titles. And Oh! What a time that was. I’m sure you, of course, have tales from before.” Brook tilts his skull back as he looks at the captain.

The captain.

Not his captain, of course (there will never be another– Brook has only ever had two, and the last one would be his until the end of eternity.

He is loyal, and no man should forget where is loyalty lies.)

But it is important to recognize the power and confidence of the man before him, a presence that could only belong to a captain. So -

The Captain it is, who continues in his task, ignoring the eyes of a dead man.

(Which one?)

The cards in the man’s hands are being played across the table now, flipped over one by one to reveal pictures of grace and beauty.

Of danger and threats.

The Forest Queen.

The Island.

The Maiden

“How many ships have you conquered, do you know? Conquests taken, lovers kept and hearts broken? Did you free people or take them?”

He’s a captain of course, a powerful one, which means he must have done this in some form, even if on accident. This is one of the truths of the world that Brook has long since etched into his nonexistent heart. People like them… they do not live life calmly.

More cards. The captain across from him waves his fingers across the designs on them, hands calloused with the marks of a pirate, a sailor, though the seas are not troubled by anyone now, for the most part.

(Often, Brook wishes they did.)

(Perhaps he would have more company then. A few more memories to play around in his mind.)

The Children.

The Soldiers.

The River.

“My crew, my beloved friends, they did it all! I hope, where ever they are they are continuing to do so – chasing dreams across endless waters and freeing countries from tyrants and gods.” The captain does not acknowledge the odd lilt – something like a breaking, a shattering – in Brook’s voice

The breeze from the sky rushes against their cheeks – that is, if Brook had any. Skull joke! The skeleton smiles at the wind as the tune from his instrument wavers across the sky. The man across from him, again, does not react to the wind or the sky or the sun. This table that they sit at, this duel between souls, is on the deck of some ship, but the captain does not seem to care.

Seem is the key word, for Brook knows souls and he knows this man.

He loves the sea and open air and sky. He loves freedom, if freedom has changed from water to air now. Freedom is still a crown, after all.

The captain is smiling, if his face does not show it.

Ringed hands place three more cards down.

The Union.

The Loom.

The Perfect Crime.

“My captain, my King, did both you know. Free people and take them, all at once. He was so selfish, so foolish, so brave. He took me from the fog and brought me too the light, and never told me that I would be his forever more. Funny that, that with his freedom came power and chains of love.”

The captain sits back now, shuffling the remaining cards once more. There are jewels in his hair and jewels decorating his neck, his coat like a louder, more imposing version of Brook’s own Captain’s coat. Red, and burning and bold – a captain in spirit and force and presence.

Brook does not know much about this man sitting before him. A captain, perhaps, a dueler maybe. A man who wants to be king, most definitely, and a player for sure.

But his soul? Brook does not want to say for certain, for all that it rings for love of the sky, but he things this is the kind of man his captain would have liked.

He’s certainly tall enough, towering as he is, and the confidence in which he lays these cards out is one Brook finds rarer these days, when one is not gambling.

“Do you like your crew, good sir? You seem the sort too. All good captains do.” Brook’s skeletal fingers pause on the strings of his guitar as he stares at Luminaries on the table. He’s played before, who hasn’t in this world of seasons and sky? A gamble was a gamble and a life was a life. Brook had neither money nor life but he did have a siren song, and a good game was a good way to past the time.

In bars, performing on a stage where not everyone screamed his name (Soul King! Soul King! Was a cheer he heard before but nowhere near as treasured as Brook! Brook! From dear friend’s voices) he had seen many a man and woman and person lose their way to the game. Only stupid sailors walked into a game expecting to win without loss.

The captain is not a stupid man, but expects to win nonetheless.

But they are not playing on this empty, floating ship deck.

They are merely talking, existing.

One dead man to another.

Brook looks at the cards.

“A reading of man, aye? Of the future or the past? I have already lived longer than most, longer alone than with company, but you learn to treasure moments spent together. And fate, dear captain sir, has no bearing on my life.”

The captain raises an eyebrow, the first expression he has given thus far. Brook takes pride in it.

“Yohohoho! It’s true!”

Luminaries, spread out upon a table, with no board or setting or anything of the sort, is an art that few know now. Brook was there for the birth of these Luminaries, and he was there for their rise and their not quite fall. This is a game he knows well.

The Luminaries dictate a life lived or a life to live.

Brook has been given the gift of life and ordered by his Captain, his beloved Captain, King, Lord, Savior, to keep living until the natural end.

Brook will never mutiny, and thus, the Luminaries can only show what he has already lived for Brook has almost quite lived it all. There is nothing new the Luminaries can tell, nothing that Brook doesn’t know is already coming.

And what use is there to know? The end of the story takes away the fun of living after all, yohohoho! His captain, not this captain, had made sure to teach him that.

The captain before him is on his second life, but Brook will leave it to him to figure out the truth of a life twice lived.

Strings of the divine pull at him as he begins to strum again, a familiar tune filling the air.

“Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho, Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho – Oh, I don’t suppose anyone knows lyrics to that one these days. Shame – it is my favorite! Though I suppose I could play something more fitting to the mood, dear captain sir?”

The captain nods his head, short and simple, looking out over the clouds as Brook readies a different tune. One more familiar to the skies than the sea.

Funny, how the world changes. Brook had sailed in the sky before, to islands made of cloud and beautiful sights, on a ship fit for a king, but nothing quite like this.

Sustained flight – oh how his crew would marvel!

The captain stares pensively at his cards as Brook hums the song in tune with his guitar.

“Health to the strangers who've ever been kind, And once for our friends ne'er to rise…”

In the sky there are no dangers for devil fruit users that would not kill any other.

In the sky, Brook has learned more truths than not, stories of the second fall and the truths behind the devils that lurk in his chest.

There is a church of a slain god now.

Do they know that before, men (a man, a king) dueled with gods instead of worrying himself with mortal affairs? Do they know of the bones that lie on the moon, and the beast that dwell in the deep? The ruins of a kingdom long fallen at the bottom of the ocean and the countries above the ships where even the loftiest air ships could never reach?

Brook knows they do not know, but still, he wonders.

(What if what if what if – what if he was not alone?)

“Ah, good captain sir. Tis a marvelous day. I hope you find joy in it.” He’s lost his train of thought. It’s common, now, in some nine hundred perhaps thousand years of life.

Truly, though, he’s no worse than when he was in the fog. At least this time he can go where he pleases, and feel the sun shine so warmly on his sea bleached bones.

The captain takes back the cards he splayed out for Brook and reaches into his coat pocket. A card, slender and gleaming, of much better quality than the rest, is held between his ringed fingers. The card is slipped into the Illimat deck and quickly hidden but –

Brook knows better.

He watches, fingers still moving on the guitar, as none other than Orimar Vale, the man with the smile of the devil, picks his own fortune.

There is only a single card chosen this time. Orimar Vale is in his second life, yes, but his first ended too early for a man of his persuasion. He has much to live for – much to dream for, Brook hopes (knows.)

The wind blows.

The sun shines brighter.

The flag of the Uhuru flies in the wind, jolly roger gleaming proud in the sky.

The captain, the ‘Devil’s Grin’, places a card upon the table between them.

A smile curls Brook’s bony face.

The Straw Hat.

(The mark of the Second Pirate King shall never be forgotten.

Brook had made sure of that in the creation of the Illimat, even if only the worthiest of sailors knew. A man dies when he is forgotten, and his captain will never die.)

This deck’s straw hat is wreathed in gold, shimmering in the light. The red band around it is vibrant, like slashes of blood on golden jewels, and it is a sort of fitting ruthless in the open air that makes Brook wish to sing. As it is, Brook looks at the way the hat is tilted like a crown and the way a crescent design beneath it slopes like a familiar scar.

(Now, people say that design is tradition, a tribute to some moon or star or other pattern. In reality, it is just the face of his captain, captured imperfectly on paper. A pity, really, but Brook will take it.)

“A king, aye? A worthy goal, dear captain sir. Do you have what it takes? Do you have the Will of Kings, the Will to reach for freedom?” Brook asks, meeting a dead man’s eyes with empty sockets at last. A grin forms brighter then, a smile curving lips of bone and flesh alike.

The captain winks.

“Yohohoho!”

Orimar Vale is not a successor, and never will be. The throne of Monkey D. Luffy will never be over thrown, of that, Brook is sure.

But – to have someone to challenge the seas, the skies, to take what he sees as his, with his beloved crew at his side? To have someone be bold and daring and unchanging again – to have the will of conquerors and kings that are from an era long past, beating again in time with the waves of the crashing sea?

That is a challenger.

Brook will gladly see him fight.

(Win.)

Something solid settles on his chest, and it feels a little like hope again.

(A little like freedom.)

“Then, dear sir, I will be taking my leave.” Brook has his answer to his unasked question. It wasn’t something he expected to find when venturing upward to some strange, divine pull, but it is welcome all the same.

Orimar is dead, but so is Brook. Neither of them are forgotten however, and the sea does not let hers go quietly. The sky is the same.

“I do hope you succeed, dear sir, and I will be watching. You love your crew, don’t you? The Uhuru is a place for the lost and the lonely. Perhaps soon I will join your ranks – though not as a crew member I can assure you that.” Brook chuckles at this, collecting his violin and placing his cane over his wrist. “It’s been so long, dear sir, since I have been part of a crew.”

To their left is a commotion, a crashing of crates and the shouts of chaos.

“Ga-Gable! Do, do, do not rush in so brash!”

“Dref. There is something aboard this ship – something that should not be here – and it’s not the fucking captain! What do you expect me to do?”

“Relax?”

“Travis, I don’t think you should be telling that to Gable.”

“Oh hush, Jonnit – wait, did you hear that?”

The deck had cleared out when Brook had stepped onto the Uhuru. He was no conqueror, but his soul was powerful. He could influence those when he wanted to.

But an angel – oh, and a seer? A changeling? Oh, those were mighty souls indeed, some he had not seen the likes of for centuries.

(Yes, Orimar is most definitely like his captain, to be able to pluck the strongest, most unsuspecting people and trap them into the most selfish loyalty one could have. The strong gravitate to him, people from unlikely paths, and somehow, Orimar does not seem to care – but only seems to love.

Just like the pirate king indeed.)

However, unlike the necromancer, Brook has no real urge to mess with the warriors of the divine at this moment. They were simply not fun, always trying to smite him when he smiled at them in the most kindly of fashions.

Orimar does not look behind him as the scolding draws closer, only watches calmly as Brook jumps onto the railing, steps feather light, like the breeze could blow him over at any moment. “Take care of them, won’t you, dear captain? Friends are the most cherished type of freedom.”

Orimar nods.

“Then, Farewell! Till we meet again!”

And as the captain’s inner circle rounds the bend of the ship, Brook steps off the ship a thousand yards above the sea, and falls into the open air.

Behind him on a lonesome sky ship bursts of confusion echo, but Brook only laughs as he falls and falls and falls, into the embrace of the sea.

And all Orimar does, when Dref murmurs about him and plucks the Straw Hat card from his hands, is winks.

Yohohoho!

#anyway brook is the mariner send tweet #idk if this will show up in the tags since I link my ao3 but oh well #READ BOTHHHH #op #one piece #brook #orimar vale #skyjacks #campaign skyjacks #campaign-podcast #campaignpodcast #dref wormwood #gable #travis matagot #jonnit kessler #everyone have emotions about pirates with me!!!#whirlywhat #whirlywrites

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longveil · 5 years ago

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Constrained

[ Photographer: Anja Matko ]

n o w

The griffon deposited Seraanna in the Jade Forest's Arboretum just north of the Temple of the Jade Serpent. For all that was happening within the Eternal Vale, the Jade Forest remained a haven of tranquility. A few leagues north stood the clearing she had vouchsafed to Narinthei - a small place of respite, one of the hidden places and lesser-known retreats of which she gathered knowledge. Far to the south, she had long ago construed, was the sanctuary of another now distant of words.

But Seraanna sought no secret places. Only distance and tranquility for the torment to come.

* * *

r e c e n t l y

"You're certain that you wish this, Lady Mor-"

Seraanna's eyes had narrowed as she looked across the desk at Vor'min Evercrown.

"Pardon me," he corrected himself. "Miss Longveil. You're certain you wish this?"

"Is it that my words lead to question?" Seraanna murmured, sliding the case across the sin'dorei's desk. "I have pressed of my own within Stormwind to no avail. Yet artificers and wielders of Light exist in no small number within Silvermoon, and you have made well known the plentitude of resources at your fingertips. I would have these restored, imbued again as they once were.”

She captured Vor’min’s still-questioning gaze within her own, “I am possessed fully of awareness in my requests.”

Vor'min reached out to take the case between his hands, raising the lid to reveal a broken pair of heavy manacles, the pale golden metal deeply carved with runes and carbon-scored with fractal patterns. Eyes still tinted green with the memory of fel considered the shackles for a moment, then looked to the shadowed ren'dorei that sat across from him.

"Four days, Miss Longveil."

* * *

n o w

Seraanna's brief walk through the Arboretum was quiet, the silence broken only by the buzz of insects. But as she passed into the grounds of the Temple of the Jade Serpent, there was sound aplenty. Monks and disciples practiced in the yard, the burly forms of Pandaren dominating but mixed with other races - humans and elves and orcs and trolls and even a foxlike vulpera. Even in the Fourth War, Pandaria had carefully navigated a path of neutrality between the factions of Horde and Alliance.

It was of that neutrality, despite the wisps of Shadow that trailed in her wake, that Seraanna was allowed to continue unquestioned through the northern Temple grounds, turning east to make her way to the Windspire Bridge.

The Windspire itself was well out to sea, the furthest of several natural pillars connected by bridges that arched first from the land and then from pillar to the next until the Windspire was reached. Once, when the Alliance and Horde had first come to Pandaria, sky serpents had flown between these pillars in races viewed by scores of cheering observers. Now they were distant and tranquil; the wind and far-below surf a susurrus that drowned out anything but thought.

Seraa finally stopped at the pavilion between the fourth and third bridges, a small shelter protecting two chairs and a table set out with a board game for any that might wander by. And from a bag carried at her side Seraanna withdrew a case heavy yet easily held in two hands, placing it upon the table. Vor'min's artificers had seen fit to include gloves of thick, dark material, and Seraa put one on her right hand - then reached out to open the case.

Even at midday, the restored manacles were lambent, the deeply carved runes glowing with imbued Light. It was an effort of will for Seraanna to look at them directly, the Shadow about her weaving more heavily as if to ward her. With a purpose, she removed the cloth bracer from her left wrist - exposing faded scars she'd been unable to remove no matter how skillfully she’d woven the Shadow in her own mending.

* * *

t h e n

"The Shadow's drawn to you," Haverty muttered, the forsaken apothecary standing over Seraanna in what was supposed to be a treatment room. "A natural adherence born of your own affinities and everything those fools gave to you in their desperate efforts to fight the Legion."

"Zem'lan was it finally overwhelming you and now," he gestured one withered hand towards the wisps of Shadow that continuously twined about Seraa's form, "now it just flows through you. Useless waste of power."

Her mind drugged and unclear, Seraanna could only watch as Haverty drew on a pair of heavy gloves and opened a case at her bedside table. With great care, the Forsaken withdrew a pair of heavily runed manacles that were lambent with the Light, Seraa's skin suddenly itching at the sight of them as though she'd been too long in the sun.

"If you're going to be any use to the Dark Lady, to your Warchief, we need to contain that flow. Control it. Be certain that it's released at the most - appropriate time."

The apothecary gave a sickly smile as he hefted the manacles, "Wouldn't you agree, dear?"

* * *

n o w

With deliberate motion, Seraanna took one of the lambent manacles in her gloved hand and - with only a heartbeat of hesitation - closed it about her left wrist. The Shadow that so often followed in her wake flared before fading to nothingness, a white misted smoke issuing from where the manacle touched her skin.

Seraanna shut her eyes as she fell to her knees in the tiny pavilion, brows drawn and shoulders hunched, her body shuddering with the searing pain of it. Agony welled up as Shadow was denied its issuance and Light attempted to undo her, tearing forth from her lungs with a torment that could not be expressed by any soft murmuration.

Her voice rising above the waves and wind, Seraanna screamed.

She screamed the torment of the Light, screamed the anguish of Shadow constrained. Screamed of an affliction that even the Gaze upon her brow refused to assuage.

ˢᵏ'ᵐᵃᵍᵍ ⁿᵃᶻᵃ'ʳʳ ᵗʰʸᶻᵃᵏ ˢᵏ'ᵍᵉⁿ...

Yet it was her will that chose to bear the pain. Endure the torment of it. Teeth clenched and eyes again open, she found her silence once more. Calmed her mind with strength she had not possessed then. And it was only once that tenuous composure was found that Seraanna reached her gloved hand for the manacle on her tortured left wrist and unfastened the clasp.

Shadow fell upon the tiny pavilion, issuing forth unbound from the priestess as the manacle clattered to the ground. Sharp-edged ebon twists lashed at the pavilion's stone pillars and tore the table and chairs to kindling, wreathing shadows cast the small landing between bridges into darkness more true than any nightfall - all fading into wind-torn wisps a few heartbeats later.

Kneeling upon the stone in the pavilion’s center, gasping for breath, Seraanna reached for the fallen manacle with her gloved hand and, trembling with the effort, placed it back within the case.

It wasn't until the case was closed that she took the glove from her hand, and withdrew salve and bandages to treat the newly-blackened scars at her left wrist. Harsh words still echoed in her mind.

ˢᵏ'ᵐᵃᵍᵍ ⁿᵃᶻᵃ'ʳʳ ᵗʰʸᶻᵃᵏ ˢᵏ'ᵍᵉⁿ

"...but it will remain mine."

#longveilstories #old bindings #constrained

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fortunatelylori · 6 years ago

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Oh, the Jonsa of it all!

Jonsa is a puzzle. Anyone who has ever started shipping these two at any point in time since about 100.000 years ago when this show started, knows that. It’s all about digging for clues, starring at gifs for unhealthy amounts of time, comparing and dissecting until your brain turns to mush. Not that I’m complaining ... I love that shit.

But, to be honest, I’ve been wrecking my brain to come up with a cohesive explanation for Jon and Sansa’s reactions to each other in this episode that does not include some sort of romantic subtext and I just can’t avoid adding one.

That’s because Sansa looks desolate through most of this episode and Jon is taking everything Sansa does extremely personally, even though when you analyze the scenes, you can see that Sansa at no point goes against him. She’s snarky and cold towards D*ny. She challenges Tyrion both in the Great Hall scene and in their one on one scene. And yet it’s Jon that ends up feeling the most hurt by her actions.

Unless we introduce the explanation of the unspoken tension of romantic feelings, I just don’t see why he would be so affected by what she does in this episode as well as feel the need to mention her to third parties.

For Sansa’s part, while I loved her snarky remarks , it does feel very odd to me that she wouldn’t hide her emotions better and pretend to be on board with D*ny’s presence in her home. Sansa has already danced this dance plenty of times: with Joffrey and Cersei, with Littlefinger and Lysa, as well as with the Knights of the Vale and the Boltons.

She knows how to play the whole “conceal, don’t fell, don’t let it show” game and yet when faced with D*ny, who would fall for that kind of trick far more easily than Cersei or Littlefinger, she can’t do it. Unless I speculate that Sansa isn’t as in control of her emotions around D*ny because of her romantic feelings for Jon, I can’t really reconcile these reactions with the girl that at 13 managed to keep her feelings in check though out most of her stay in King’s Landing.

The “Honey, I’m home!” scene:

youtube

There’s a couple of things that make this scene interesting from a Jonsa perspective:

The first one is that they actually cut the Jon/Sansa reunion differently from the footage we were shown in the teasers:

(gifs by @stark)

From the scene in the episode and the shots from the teaser, it becomes obvious that they cut out the close-up of Jon’s face as he approaches Sansa.

They have also cut the medium shot of Jon looking at Sansa when she greats D*ny:

and replaced it with a shot of just D*ny reacting to Sansa’s frosty reception:

The question is why? While there might be a host of different explanations having to do with how the scene was set up, blocking or trying to focus in on the emerging conflict between Sansa and D*ny, one thing these exclusions do is that they make Jon and Sansa’s reunion less romantic and far more ambiguous because we don’t get as much access to Jon’s reactions and state of mind.

We don’t see Jon starring at Sansa as he walks into her open arms like a love starved fool. We also don’t get to see that through out the whole of Sansa and D*ny’s interaction, all of Jon’s attention is directly on Sansa and not on the woman he’s spent the last however many weeks having earth shatteringly boring sex with.

It’s also interesting that they chose not to replace these shots with, let’s say, less romantically charged looks from Jon but rather they just cut them out, which in turn just amps the ambiguity factor, as opposed to put to rest the possible romantic subtext. This plays into the whole of the episode where the choice of not focusing in on Jon’s non-verbal reactions keeps Jon’s POV hidden from the viewer.

The other interesting thing about this scene is how Sophie Turner chooses to react to greeting Jon as opposed to greeting D*ny. This is how she looks at Jon:

We know from the beginning of the episode that Sansa is not happy. She’s actually downright sad:

And you can see that same emotion being echoed here as she looks at Jon hugging Bran. However the moment Jon looks at her, she can’t help but smile a little. It’s a shy but warm smile and it makes me feel like perhaps she can’t really help it. It sort of just comes out because, as we know from season 7, despite her frustrations with him, Sansa missed Jon very much.

It also can’t really be a polite or for show reaction because Sansa ain’t about that life in this episode as we can clearly see by the way she greets D*ny:

So, in just a few seconds, Sansa has made two things abundantly clear: while she’s apprehensive, she’s genuinely happy to see Jon and she hates D*ny’s guts.

Which in turn should raise questions. If Sansa’s animosity towards D*ny is strictly political, than surely the same type of animosity would be directed at Jon as well seeing as he’s the one that brought her to Sansa’s home in the first place.

One thing that I was struck by watching this scene is just how awkward it is. In the Jonsa fandom we have speculated that it was going to be awkward because of the teaser shots of Jon looking at Sansa and them hugging for what felt like an eternity while D*ny looked on from afar. However, since they excluded that shot, the hug itself doesn’t feel that odd.

However, Jon makes sure to turn this whole simple procedure uncomfortable for seemingly no reason. All he has to do is introduce his sister to the queen:

Jon: Queen Daenerys of House Targareyen. My sister, Sansa Stark, the Lady of Winterfell.

Seems simple enough ... why, then, the long pause after saying “Sansa Stark”? Why the bowing of the head and all the fidgeting?

Since Jon’s POV is hidden, there is no conclusive answer to this. Instead, I propose a little mental exercise:

Let’s say that you’re in love with someone ... Someone you’re not really supposed to be in love with. Let’s also say that, for whatever reason, you decide to start a relationship with someone else. At some point, these two people in your life are forced to meet and you have to introduce them:

(gifs by @athimbleful)

How much would you be shitting your pants that your partner is going to figure out you’re in love with your sister/cousin/light of your life/air in your lungs/sole reason for your existence?

The “Threesome” scene:

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Can I just get “love triangle” for 100, please?

(gifs by @arin-arryn)

Honestly, they’re not even being subtle anymore. This whole scene is blocked as a visual love triangle and this interaction, in particular, is interesting because the whole conversation regarding the dragons diets was sparked by Tyrion. The logical way of setting up this scene would have been for Sansa and D*ny’s shots to be combined with a shot of Tyrion. Instead, we get this medium shot where the focus just shifts between Sansa and D*ny, while Jon sits in the middle trying desperately not to kill himself.

Another important aspect is Jon’s tense conversation with Lyanna Stark, which starts with Jon instinctively looking at Sansa for whatever reason:

This has become a bit of a trend with Jon, with the first time he did it being at the end of season 6 when he was proclaimed King in the North. He does it again in this episode in the first scene they have together after Bran “reality check” Stark decides to unload the glorious news of the wall falling and the Night King having a dragon.

In both of these two scenes, it would have made a lot more sense for Jon to look at D*ny in these tense moments. In the first one because D*ny has just found out that her beloved “child” is now a zombie and also because Jon and D*ny lived through the wight hunt together.

In the Great Hall scene, romantically, it would make sense for him to look to the woman he loves, seeking emotional support. So I guess, scratch that. Jon is looking in the right direction after all.

The fact that Sansa refuses to offer him that support and his conversation with Lyanna Mormont:

Lyanna: Your Grace? But you’re not, are you? You left Winterfell a king and came back a … I’m not sure what you are now. A lord? Nothing at all?

Jon: It’s not important.

leaves Jon momentarily looking like this:

I’m not a gif-er but there is a subtle change of expression from his “It’s not important” smile to this that has Jon’s eyes going cold really fast. It looks like he’s reeling and angry but he conceals it very quickly. If someone has a gif of this, I’d love to see it.

This doesn’t get a pay-off here but actually becomes significant later on in the episode as we’ll see in the following two scenes:

The Jon/Arya reunion or as, I like to call it, the “deadbeat dad” scene

Fun fact: in my Jonsa fic, I actually had Jon mention Sansa in his first private conversation with Arya. The reason why I made that choice was because I wanted to firstly highlight the difference between the way Jon approaches Arya and the way he approaches Sansa and secondly because it’s an easy way of telegraphing to the audience that despite Jon’s outward behavior, Sansa is very much in his thoughts.

So maybe I’m being biased here but the fact that the writers chose to do the same thing tells me they’re approaching this from a very similar mindset.

I’m not going to lie. I didn’t particularly like that Jon felt the need to try to gain an ally against Sansa in Arya. It felt as if I was watching a father trying to antagonize his kid against her mother, which is such a low thing to do.

However, if you judge Jon’s lines within the context of the Great Hall scene, it does change the perception of where Jon is coming from, for me at least.

Jon: Where were you before? I could have used your help with Sansa.

Could he have though? I mean, was Sansa really Jon’s biggest problem in the Great Hall scene? Because from where I was standing it was Lyanna Mormont that decided to rip Jon a new one, not Sansa. Sansa’s conflict was with D*ny, not Jon.

Arya: I’m defending my family. So is she.

Jon: I’m her family too.

Aaaaa .... so Jon came out of that meeting completely stepping over the fact that his vassal called him “nothing at all” and proceeded to sulk in front of a heart tree because Sansa gave him a non-supportive look and made no attempt to defend him. That, for whatever reason, was the biggest takeaway from that meeting for him.

A takeaway that plays straight into Jon’s biggest insecurity when it comes to Sansa: that despite everything they’ve been through, despite the cloak she made for him or telling him he’s a Stark to her, she doesn’t truly care for him or consider him part of the pack which leads us to:

D*ny: Your sister doesn’t like me.

Jon: She doesn’t know you. If it makes you feel any better, she didn’t like me either when we were growing up.

I mentioned in my J0nereys meta that Jon sharing this with D*ny stung when I first heard it in the scene. Of course there’s multiple things going on in this conversation, not least of which that Jon seems to be trying desperately to make sure D*ny doesn’t turn her love of a good emolation on Sansa.

However, when looking at Jon’s conversation with Arya, doesn’t this line feel like it’s coming from the same place of insecurity for Jon? What else can Jon base his fear that Sansa doesn’t consider him family but on their fraught relationship as children? She’s given him absolutely no reason to believe that since they’ve been reunited. So, rather than this being proof that Jon holds a grudge for baby Sansa, it feels more like he’s resurrected their childhood distant relationship in order to drive himself nuts with worry that she doesn’t care about him anymore.

Can I get an awwww, everyone?

There’s also another strange parallel between these two scenes that I want to briefly touch upon.

In the Jon/Arya scene, Jon says this:

Arya: She doesn’t like your queen, does she?

Jon: Sansa thinks she’s smarter than everyone.

Why would Jon say that? We know from season 7 that Jon thinks Sansa is smart so it feels OOC for him to disparage her intellect. Also, if this was him being angry that Sansa was mean to his lady love, why didn’t he burst out into a rant about just how amazing D*ny is and how unfair Sansa’s treatment of her is?

I think this Jon line is there for two reasons: the first is to signal Jon’s concern that Sansa antagonizing D*ny might result in either Sansa or someone Jon cares about getting hurt and secondly as foreshadowing for someone outplaying Sansa. I don’t want to read “kidnapping plot” into every scene but this line feels pretty ominous to me.

As does the fact that the creators made a point of including a shot of Alys Karstark in the beginning of the Varys/Davos/Tyrion scene. There was no reason for that to be there unless to establish a future plot point and who else could that plot point be about but Sansa?

The “what is this fight really about” scene:

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This scene is less than 2 minutes long and there’s so much going on here, that it’s difficult to know where to start.

So I suppose we should start with the opening shot:

I find it supremely interesting that for their one on one scene, the writers chose to open it with Sansa reading a scroll. When’s the last time Sansa read a scroll on screen?

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Oh, that’s right! The scene where this happened:

Littlefinger: I’ve heard gossip that the dragon queen is quite beautiful.

Sansa: What does that have to do with anything?

Littlefinger: Jon is young and unmarried. Daenerys is young and unmarried.

This conversation that Sansa and Littlefinger had in season 7, ends up informing the entire Jon and Sansa scene, even though the point that Littlefinger was trying to make is that because Jon and D*ny would be difficult to defeat together, Sansa should unseat Jon as King and take the crown for herself.

The whole unseating of Jon by Sansa is never brought up in this conversation.

Instead, Jon proceeds to unload his anger at Sansa’s lack of enthusiasm for his successful work trip:

Jon: I brought two armies with me. Two dragons.

Sansa: And a Tragareyen queen.

Now, if they didn’t want me to read jealousy in Sansa turning around and flinging the word “queen” at Jon, they could have replaced it with something more neutral, such as:

Sansa: And no crown.

Sansa: And a new Southern ruler.

Or any other number of things.

However Jon doesn’t understand the distinction so he keeps pushing his “there is only one war that matters” speech:

Jon: Do you think we can beat the army of the dead without her? I fought them, Sansa. Twice. You want to worry about who holds what title. I’m telling you it doesn’t matter. Without her, we don’t stand a chance.

Jon might think that the problem of the titles is what’s really bothering Sansa but, considering we’ve already established that this scene is framed around the potential romantic entanglement between Jon and D*ny, I think this face that Sansa makes:

has more to do with Jon going on about how they’ll all be dead without D*ny and how she might interpret that as Jon being in love with her. Now, looking at Sansa’s face, the pain of that thought is pretty evident.

Luckily, Jon stops himself before Sansa jumps out a window and instead hits her with:

Jon: Do you have any faith in me at all?

Coming back to that scroll, Jon seems to be unaware of the fact that the only thing he’s offered in the form of an explanation for him bending the knee prior to this conversation was:

Cersei Lannister has pledged her forces to our cause, as has Daenerys Targaryen. And if we survive this war, I have pledged our forces to Daenerys at the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. We are both coming to organise the defence of the realm.

So his anger at Sansa’s bitterness seems rather misplaced. In normal circumstances, it would be perfectly normal for Sansa to tell him that. Instead we get this:

It’s official, ladies and gentlemen! Jon Snow has a superpower! And that superpower is called: puppy dog eyes! In this episode, Sansa Stark has faced off against the Mother of Dragons, brushed aside Tyrion Lannister but has been thwarted by Jon’s warm, chocolately gaze and completely forgot why she was pissed off with him in the first place.

However, Jon being Jon, decides to remind her with this gem:

Jon: She’ll be a good queen. For all of us. She’s not her father.

Aside from having a superpower, Jon also has his own version of kryptonite and that’s called: being an utter and complete moron.

As far as defenses of your heart’s desire go, that was one lame ass attempt. However, when you’re a woman in love, it sounds like the end of the world and looks something like this:

How does Jon respond to this attack on the character of his “beloved”?

Makes sense ... I mean if someone compared the love of my life with a better looking version of Hitler, I’d be giggling too. Which prompts Sansa to finally say what’s on her mind.

Considering how this episode played out, they could have had Sansa go back to the food question and ask Jon if being a good ruler does perhaps involve figuring out a way to feed your people. Or perhaps challenge him on what D*ny’s credentials are that have led him to believe she’ll be a good queen for all of them. Or perhaps get really personal and remind him that their brother, Robb, died for Northern Independence.

Instead ...

So while Jon might believe that the loss of title is what’s bothering Sansa, what is keeping the girl up at night is whether or not her “brother” is in love with their new queen.

From a non-romantic POV, why would she even ask this question? Ultimately, for her, it shouldn’t matter why Jon bent the knee. The result is the same: the North has now pledged to House Targareyen. So why does Sansa want the answer to this question? Why is it important to her? It’s only if you add a romantic motivation to it, that it begins to make sense.

Also, it’s important to note how the scene ends. In the leaks that came out prior to the premiere, people were saying that Jon and Sansa are interrupted so Jon never gets to answer.

However, that’s not what happens. No one interrupts this conversation. The creators made the choice to cut it before Jon answers, which means that it’s pretty safe to assume he did say something. We just weren’t privy to it.

That being said, only two questions remain:

1. Why do the creators want to play up the ambiguity of Jon’s feelings for D*ny, when we’re assured in all the interviews they’re the great love story of the series?

and

2. What does Sansa now know that we do not?

That’s about it from me, guys. Thank you for reading.

None of the gifs are mine. Thank you to the content creators!

#jonsa #actually jonsa #jon x sansa #jon x sansa meta #got 8x01 #my got meta

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housebeleren · 5 years ago

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Throne of Eldraine New Commander Cards

Alright, now that we’ve gone through all the Legendary creatures from Throne of Eldraine, time for all the other cards that might make a splash in Commander. I love this part.

This may seem like a weird pick, but there are honestly a bunch of Voltron commanders that might be interested in this. I can definitely see it in Sram, Tuvasa, and Bruna builds as ways to go really big really fast. You need some form of evasion, but there are plenty of ways to do that in those decks. But that’s a lot more action than most draft Uncommons get.

Charming Prince, aside from looking like he’s about to drop dead from Cholera or something (seriously dude, that ghostly pallor is not a good look), is a surprising amount of utility for a 2 drop. Early in the game, the Scry 2 ability is going to smooth out your draws, and later on, he’s all about the flicker to reuse ETBs. I could see him in more casual Brago, Roon, or Chulane builds. But are there casual Brago or Chulane builds anymore? Unlikely.

More restrictive Oblivion Ring effects aren’t usually something I’m in the market for, but decks that care about Artifacts may be into it. The first one that comes to mind is something like Sharuum the Hegemon or something, and there could be others. Probably not powerful enough for Breya, and Alela has access to better options that are Enchantments.

Hushwing Gryff variants see a fair amount of play, and this one also shuts off death triggers, which is a significant upgrade, because it hoses two strategies instead of just one. It doesn’t have the Flash to surprise your opponents, but the added utility is probably worth it for decks that want to hate.

Board WIpes are always welcome, and this one has the added utility of coming attached to a large creature after the fact. The best place for this will be in decks that have lots of ways to return the creature to hand so you can set up loops clearing the board, or in decks with lots of Giants so you can break parity. Kalemne comes to mind as a great home for this.

True Love’s Kiss has a lot of competition, most notably Crush Contraband and Return to Dust at the same CMC. I think which one you want depends a lot on your metagame. If you face lots of decks that are heavy on the Artifacts & Enchantments, you may want the ones that can hit multiple targets. If you just need the occasional spot removal, getting the card draw might be better. I also like this a lot for Taigam, Ojutai Master decks, since cantrips are extra useful there.

The Magic Mirror is is a rework of Mind Unbound, a card I’ve never played and probably never will. However, in a deck with lots of Instants & Sorceries, you can get this down for as little as 3 mana, which is way more palatable. If you can back this up with counterspells to keep it alive a few turns, it’ll become pretty potent pretty fast. I can picture it, is what I’m saying.

Honestly, I’m pretty big on Midnight Clock. I think a lot of people forget that this is a mana rock, and it doesn’t even come into play tapped, so the floor is pretty high right off the bat for heavy Blue decks. Plus, the counters get put on this on EVERY upkeep, not just your own, so it only needs to survive a couple turns before you get a personal Timetwister out of it. I’m not saying it’s an autoinclude or new format staple or anything, but I would definitely be willing to try it out.

Efficient, flexible removal at its best. Epic Downfall will hit just about anything you want it to hit, other than a Gaddoc Teeg or something. I expect lots of decks to be looking to throw this into the mix of spot removal.

Foulmire Knight isn’t going to go into every deck, but it’s certainly a contender for Zombie tribal, since he comes with card draw attached. Plus, lots of such decks have tons of ways to retrieve him from the graveyard, so you can get extra utility. I’m putting him directly in my Gisa & Geralf deck, because a fun quirk of their ability is that you can cast the Profane Insight half from your graveyard, even though only on your turn, so you lose the Instant-speed fun. Other decks that could be interested are Varina and The Scarab God.

Literally everything I said about Foulmire Knight above applies to Murderous Rider as well, except more so. Having a Zombie stapled to a Hero’s Downfall is incredible, and generally a clear upgrade, since the life loss is so negligible. The one kink (well, I shouldn’t presume he only has one) of this guy is that he tucks himself on death, which is a bit unfortunate but probably necessary to avoid him being ridiculous. HOWever, there are some fun things there. First, his death trigger goes on the stack, and can be responded to. So, that means the following:

If it’s your turn when the Rider dies, you can cast Swift End from your graveyard with Gisa & Geralf.

You can exile the Rider and one other card from your ‘yard to Varina in response, and get a Zombie token, which is kinda her thing.

You can get him back to your hand by activating Phyrexian Reclamation or similar with his trigger on the stack.

So yeah, there’s some fun to be had here.

Revenge of Ravens bears a lot of similarity to other cards we’ve seen before, like Blood Reckoning and Marchesa’s Decree, most of which see very little play. But this one has one important upgrade, and that’s the fact that it gains you a life. As a result, it has extra utility in decks that care about lifegain triggers such as Oloro and Karlov builds, both of which love their pillow-forting. I doubt it’ll see much play, but could be a niche inclusion in decks like those.

Tutors are great, and this is one of the most unique tutor effects we’ve seen in a long time. They key to this card revolves around breaking parity so your opponents don’t get to take advantage of it. The first way that came to mind for me was to include this in Aminatou, the Fateshifter builds, since she can just flicker it back to your side of the board after activating it. Which seems... gross and awesome at the same time. (I totally put it in my Aminatou build immediately.) Other possible options are Breya, who can sacrifice it in response to its ability, or in decks with cards like Ashiok, Dream Render or Stranglehold, so they just can’t use it. On a really jank note, if you have an Ob Nixilis, Unshackled deck, this is a funny inclusion that punishes whoever you give it to.

Voltron decks with Red will be interested in Embercleave. So... Zurgo Helmsmasher comes to mind, assuming you’re not going full-on Worldslayer combo. I could also see it in decks like Saskia and things like that. Probably not a major player, but potential for decks that want to go aggressive.

The clause that you can only cast one more spell after this is unfortunate, but it could still be a reasonable inclusion in mono Red decks like either version of Neheb (the Eternal or Dreadhorde Champion) that want to go big burn. Also, if you have a 7 CMC mono Red general like, Drakuseth, Maw of Flames, this seems like an auto-include. I mean, you need all the help you can get if you built a Drakuseth deck, so...

Now, hear me out. Looters/Rummagers are great in certain builds, and Merchant of the Vale is unique in two ways. First, he’s got a one shot effect tacked on as an Adventure, which is some added flexibility. But second, he’s actually the only Rummaging creature in mono Red that doesn’t require tapping. Seriously. That means in some big Red Mana decks (like the aforementioned Nehebs), you can rummage to your heart’s content with all the mana you generate to dump into this. Not saying he’s great, but saying he’s worth consideration if you’re in the market for mana sinks in mono Red.

Obviously, the dream is to cast this off Irencrag Feat, but even if you don’t, this could be a reasonable inclusion for mono Red big Mana decks. (I’m sensing a theme with these last few cards.) Dealing 21 damage is no joke, and I could even see this in some versions of Vial Smasher that focus on big mana production. Again, most decks probably won’t want it, but the ones that do will make good use of it.

There’s no shortage of ramp spells, and for 3 mana we’re accustomed to fetching 2 lands (see: Kodama’s Reach & Cultivate). That said, this one has some advantages. First, the land it fetches comes into play untapped, which is a nice little bit of utility, especially if you can follow it up with a one drop mana dork immediately after. But it also has a Rubblehulk tacked on for the late game, which is a totally viable win condition in some decks. Would I trade Rubblehulk’s Bloodrush ability for Beanstalk Giant’s ramp? For most decks, abso-fucking-lutely. And this one is mono-Green, so it can go into way more decks. I’d consider it for certain builds of Kynaios & Tiro, Chulane, Azusa, and a variety of other big-mana decks that thrive on versatility.

The Great Henge is expensive, but will be amazing once it resolves. It adds mana, it draws cards, and it buffs up every creature you land, which is a ton of action. And if you can reliably get this down to 5 mana, you’re in great shape. Big Green Stompy decks like Ghalta will be super into this, and I can also see if for +1/+1 counter decks like Ezuri, Claw of Progress, since those often get big/big with ease.

While the Transformation doesn’t have the target flexibility of Song of the Dryads, it’s a pretty effective way to deal with annoying Commanders or problematic creatures, and the card draw on ETB is a nice touch. It’s a fun little pairing with Estrid’s Invocation, so keep that in mind if you’re playing Bantchantress or some such nonsense.

I don’t know what deck wants this, and I honestly don’t really want to know, because it seems ridiculous. But returning stuff straight from the graveyard to play is always a strong move, and buying back a pile of Artifacts in something like Sharuum or Breya is probably a game ending play. The non-Aura line of text makes it a little less appealing for Enchantment builds, since most of the best one are heavy in Auras. Still, I’m sure it will find some homes and be a lot of fun (for at least one person) when it resolves.

Also, somewhere on Twitter (don’t remember where, unfortunately), someone said that this card should be called “Manse Dance Revolution,” and that is absolutely correct.

Drown in the Loch is versatile removal at a very reasonable cost. All it asks is that your opponents have cards in their graveyards, which is super easy in EDH. The funny part is, this honestly gets stronger the more competitive your metagame, since competitive builds will have Fetchlands and early interaction, plus their average CMC is much lower, so you’ll more frequently have targets. In mill decks like Mirko Vosk or Phenax, you are always running this, and I’d consider it in just about any Blue/Black based deck.

Green has some better engines to draw cards, but as a quick burst, 5 for 5 is a pretty awesome rate. Plus, I like that the card has some protection against flipping a few lands by at least letting you play an extra one, so worst case it’s an Explosive Vegetation. I’d definitely run this in Wort, the Raidmother decks, because conspiring this to flip 10 cards, then immediately dropping two more lands seems like a solid way to set up a game-ending turn. And if you’re building Gruul in general, it seems like something to consider.

I couldn’t not mention Nessie here. 6 mana is a lot, but he has a pile of abilities for that 6 mana, and Flash lets him come down at end of turn, so he’s more likely to resolve. In a way, it reminds me of Pearl Lake Ancient, another card I occasionally run as a WTF element in my decks to catch people off guard. They’re both giant serpents, they both have Flash, and they’re both resilient recursive threats. You definitely don’t want to use Nessie’s sacrifice abilities too much, but they’ll be handy if you’re flooded. Plus, he’s got incidental Graveyard hate tacked on, which is actually my favorite little secret of his, so I especially like him in decks with lots of Wheels (Nekusar says “HI!”), as something you can discard for value, then activate to remove problematic cards your opponents may want to recover from their ‘yards.

3-cost Mana Rocks are never the competitive option, especially when they only produce one color at a time. But 3-cost Mana Rocks with a team-wide pump attached is worth a second look. Mono-color go-wide decks will be interested in this for sure, as well as 2 color decks that consistently produce tokens of a single color, like Alela or Kykar.

Okay, before I start on this card, I’d just like to say that a lot of the lands in this set are highly playable. Basically all of the Castle cycle are playable, especially Castles Vantress, Locthwain, and Garenbrig. Also, Fabled Passage is phenomenal tech for multicolored decks, and is such an obvious staple, it’s not worth writing about.

Of the Common Land cycle, however, there is one that stands above all the rest. Yes, Witch’s Cottage is basically a better Mortuary Mire in heavy Black decks, so some places will run it. But the big news is Mystic Sanctuary. This card is such the hotness for mono Blue decks and a few others of note. First of all, the potential to combo this with Time Warps is off the charts. I literally cannot imagine not running this in God-Eternal Kefnet decks, because the synergy is so strong setting up your next draw. And lastly, I’m putting it in my Aminatou the Fateshifter build (which runs both the aforementioned cards), because putting expensive spells back on top of your deck is kinda what that whole deck is about. Plus, she can flicker it, which is some stupid-level combo right there.

Brawl Deck Cards for Commander

Okay, that’s it for the main set. Now we get to the cards from the four Brawl decks that have potential for the big time.

Mace of the Valiant is an interesting one. It’s a Voltron card that wants lots of little creatures to enter the battlefield. That makes it a little paradoxical, but I think there are probably homes for it. Two of the obvious ones are the decks it came in, Alela and Syr Gwyn, but there are certainly others. There’s potential in several generals who have fallen out of favor, such as Rafiq of the Many and basically any of the mono-White cats, like Kemba, Kha Regent, who seems preemptively designed specifically for this card. (Seriously, if any of y’all run Kemba decks and haven’t put this in yet, what are you even doing?)

Shimmer Dragon is too obvious, but therefore I have to mention it. This will be a format staple for years to come, since Blue-based Artifact decks have always been popular. Yes, it’s expensive, but once it comes out, drawing your deck in short order will be absolutely trivial. Urza decks will love this. Oops, all my mana rocks and constructs are also card draw! Seems good.

Chittering Witch seems fun, if a little on the casual side. But she doesn’t cost much, and her ability is a pretty reasonable way to snipe down problematic threats as you need. In decks with tons of sac fodder, you could definitely do worse. Endrek Sahr comes to mind as a fun combo piece with this.

This is definitely more on the casual side, but Red needs more options, and Embereth Skyblazer has some potential. Pumping up your entire team for +3/+0 on each attack can be brutal, and it gets especially interesting in decks that involve multiple combats, like Aurelia the Warleader, or that increase damage dealt, like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. In short, this is actually a Boros card.

Steelbane Hydra seems really good, especially in big mana decks (Azusa, Gitrog, Kruphix, Nikya, I could go on...) or in decks that can add +1/+1 counters to him (Atraxa, Marath, Vorel, Ezuri, Ghave, I could go on...). In other words, there are all kinds of homes for this guy, plus: TURTLE HYDRA!

He’s so cute.

Now, I’ll readily admit that my opinion of Thorn Mammoth may be skewed by the fact that it is absolutely stupid good in 1v1 Brawl. It obviously gets worse in multiplayer and in bigger card pools. But, that said, there are times when this card could absolutely own the board. My particular dream would be to cast an Avenger of Zendikar and Heroic Intervention with this guy out, and just build my own Plague Wind. Because that sounds fun, if a little jank. But seriously, Green can find ways to make this good, and can certainly find ways to cast it.

Obviously, Knight’s Charge belongs in one type of deck, and that deck is Knights tribal. And in that deck, this will be the best card in your deck. So whether you’re running Syr Gwyn or Aryel, Knight of Windgrace or motherfucking Morophon Knights for some reason, then you’ll run this and you’ll like it.

Okay, Tome of Legends is a card that nobody asked for, but here it is and if your commander is all about coming down quickly and going sideways, then here’s a card for them. So... I guess... Captain Lannery Storm, we found a card for you?

Aaaaaand last but definitely first, we have this gem. Arcane Signet. The card that made Commander players everywhere lose their collective shit and buy out every copy of every Brawl deck, jacking prices up to the sky. Way to go us! (Seriously though, I’m totally part of this problem and I fully admit it.)

Well, after many sobering hours of reflection pondering our addiction and the general meaninglessness of the pieces of cardboard we spend literal thousands of dollars on, and hence, the meaninglessness of life itself, we started slotting these babies into decks and forgot all about that nonsense. Because yes, truly, this card is great, and you should always run it.

And if they don’t reprint this in literally every Commander and Brawl product ever printed going forward, so help me...

I’m fine. I swear.

So yeah. That’s it. All the cards from Throne of Eldraine for Commander. There... sure are a lot of them, aren’t there? It’s like Wizards is thinking about majorly pushing this format or something... :)

#MtG #mtg commander

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wtnv-episode-details · 3 years ago

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'Glow Cloud' (Episode 2)

'A mysterious, glowing cloud makes its way across Night Vale. Plus, new Boy Scouts hierarchy, community events calendar, and a PTA bake sale for a great cause.'

[July 01, 2012]

Introduction:

"The desert seems vast, even endless, and yet scientists tell us that somewhere, even now, there is snow. Welcome to Night Vale." (Cecil Baldwin)

News Headlines:

Night Vale Tourism Board Kicks Off "Visitable Night Vale" Campaign

Glowing Cloud Spotted Over Western Ridge

Apache Tracker Sheds Light On the Incident at the Post Office

Cat Found Hovering In Radio Station Bathroom

[Coca-Cola Sponsorship]

City Council and A Vague, Yet Menacing Government Agency Distribute Questionnaires About Mysterious Sights

Boy Scouts Announce Hierarchy Changes

Glow Cloud Begins Raining Animals

Wanted: Hiram McDaniels (Insurance Fraud)

Community Calendar Update

Little League Game Continuing Despite Growing Glow Cloud

Weather: 'The Bus Is Late' by Satellite High

Proverb:

"Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. Earth is a hallucination. Podcasts are dreams." (Meg Bashwiner)

Mentioned Characters:

Cecil Palmer

Glow Cloud (First Mention)

John Peters, you know, the farmer? (First Mention)

Apache Tracker

Khoshekh (First Mention)

Hiram McDaniels (First Mention)

Frank Chen (First Mention)

Officer Ben (First Mention)

Louie Blasko (First Mention)

Mentioned Groups:

Night Vale Tourism Board (First Mention)

Sheriff's Secret Police

City Council

A Vague, Yet Menacing Government Agency

Boy Scouts (First Mention)

Night Vale Animal Control (First Mention)

Night Vale PTA (First Mention)

Citizens for a Blood Space War (First Mention)

Little League Administration (First Mention)

Mentioned Locations:

Radon Canyon (First Mention)

Western Ridge (First Mention)

Post Office

Night Vale Radio Station

Night Vale Elementary

Eternal Animal Pyre (First Mention)

Mission Grove Park (First Mention)

Red Mesa (First Mention)

Public Library (First Mention)

Louie's Music Shop (First Mention)

White Sand Ice Cream Shop (First Mention)

Written By: Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Music: Disparition

Voice Actors:

Cecil Baldwin

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cecilspeaks · 7 years ago

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116 - Council Member Flynn, Part 3

Good hidden recording devices make good neighbors. Welcome to Night Vale.

Council member Tamika Flynn announced today that she’s pretty comfortable doing this whole City Council thing, now that Night Vale is completely crime free. She announced this standing atop an onyx pyramid, waving a golden scepter. Mayor Dana Cardinal responded that while crime is clearly down, budgets for the new fiscal year have not been completed, and Night Vale is showing a marked financial loss this quarter, due in large part to strict evening curfews. She announced this silently into her journal, which she plans to publish as a scathing memoir some day.

Sheriff Sam announced that the increased number of Secret Police officers has really had a positive impact on crime, but most of the police force now is volunteer or underpaid, and grossly unqualified. It’s basically a bunch of random citizens with makeshift weapons carved out of tree branches or fashioned from broken blade-based kitchen appliances. The Sheriff noted that management of council member Flynn’s citizen patrols has greatly impeded the capture of both the serial robber and the escaped librarian. Sheriff Sam quietly grumbled this into their bathroom mirror before finally putting on makeup and facing their day.

Council member Flynn later said she received a postcard from the rest of City Council, who has been vacationing in Milstigan the past month. On the front of the postcard was a serene lake nestled among tall pines and speckled with herrings and fishing boats. Above the lake were eight Black Hawk helicopters, dangling each of the letters of the state name: M-I-B-S-T-I-C-A-N. On the back, the City Council had written: “Saw an article that Night Vale has the lowest crime rate. Guess you’re doing fine without us and we don’t need to come back.” The postcard continued: “We learned how to kayak and we bought a professional grade DSLR and learned to tie sailing knots. Michelin is awesome! Maybe we won’t ever come back. Maybe we are not wanted.”

Council member Flynn said she wrote them back a postcard which she taped to a giant scorpion that read: “Yeah, I’ve got this under control. Happy apple picking.”

Night Vale coroner Lorelei Alvarez issued her report today on the autopsy of the two bodies found at the green market co-op, which burned down last month in an apparent robbery-arson. These bodies are believed to be those of green market owner Tristan Cortez and his daughter Camilla, a business student at Night Vale Community College. Alvarez, however, said that without dental records for the Cortezes, she can’t be certain that these bodies are theirs. The bodies had almost no burns on them, despite being found in a building leveled by fire. There were also no gunshot wounds. Alvarez said, “These two bodies were wearing 19th century formal attire and had apparently been pecked to death by birds.” She added she had not ruled out that birds could have committed robberies, nor that the Cortez family had an anachronistic fashion sense. Alvarez added with a grin that she’s also gotten a few bodies that had been mostly devoured by the escaped librarian. She said it’s fascinating that librarians tend to eat only bones and ligaments, and not flesh or skin. So most of these corpses looked like rumpled soft leather sacks, which makes them much easier to store. Alvarez has so much more free space in her office now and has added a tetherball pole.

And now sports. Tonight, the Night Vale High School Scorpions take on division rival Red Mesa Ant Carpenters in varsity wheelchair basketball. This afternoon, there will be a pep rally led by team captain Janice Palmer. Also she’s my niece. The team captain is my niece. Councilwoman Tamika Flynn will also deliver a speech at the pep rally about the importance of teamwork and fighting crime with sports. Also, the importance of books. “Did you know there are books about sports?” is the title of Flynn’s speech. Flynn also requested, for reasons having to do with public safety, that the pep rally be moved away from the high school to the Old Night Vale armory, and that every person there stand exactly two feet apart and bring some type of shield and/or sharp object that could be used to fend off robbers or librarians. The pep rally is at noon. Go get’em, Janice!

Listeners, Mayor Cardinal and her director of emergency press conferences, Pamela Winchell, have called an emergency press conference to denounce the City Council’s poor efforts to sustain the integrity and stability of Night Vale. Mayor Cardinal dismissed the City Council’s – essentially Tamika Flynn’s – curfew as virtually meaningless, now that more than half of the population is on the citizen patrol force. “We basically have a town of municipally approved armed vigilantes walking around at all hours of the night.” Winchell seconded the Mayor’s point by adding: “Why do I video myself sleeping? What am I hoping to discover? What secrets does my body whisper when I am unconscious?”

Also, the president of the Night Vale school board, the giant glowing cloud who drops dead animals, made an impassioned speech in support of the Mayor via mind control. The entire crowd chanted: “All hail the mighty Cloud who wants the lowly City Council to pass a budget that favors increased spending on education! We grovel before the almighty Cloud! How hard can it be to make a human budget? All hail!” they repeated.

The Mayor said she’s received many letters from people claiming they have lost their jobs as waiters, cab drivers, theatre managers and costumed superheroes because of the strict curfews. Night Vale Community host Cecil Palmer also announced today, live on his radio show, right now, that the curfew has been super productive for his TV watching, as he has already burned through every HBO and Showtime series. Plus all of “Difficult People” on Hulu, which features his second favorite actor, James Urbaniak. My favorite is, of course, Lee Marvin – may his name ring forever in eternity.

Palmer added, at this very second, that while he’s caught up on a lot of good television and is very excited for the new season of the documentary series “Stranger Things”, he and his husband are getting a little stir crazy. There are only so many games of strip Uno a couple can play before they just wanna go out for a nice dinner and maybe a romantic stroll in the park. Councilwoman Flynn was not available for comment, although a sign above her locked office door said: “Quiet, reading a book on how to do financial spreadsheets”.

Listeners, I mentioned earlier my niece Janice and how proud I am of her for captaining her school’s basketball team. But I’m also a bit worried about her too. She looks perpetually exhausted. In the preseason tournament, she led all players in assists. She did everything she could to win games, but they just couldn’t quite do it. Her statistics bear this out, but still she’s taken on so much responsibility for the team’s losses. Her Dad and team assistant coach, Steve Carlsberg, says Janice has increased her practice time to increase her fantastic passing skills, hoping to at least double the number of assists she gets. But Steve says that despite her better skills and more focused demeanor during practice, her team mates just aren’t hitting their shots when she passes to them. She throws them the ball shouting: “Shoot it! You’re open, Julie!” But they miss over and over, even the ones named Julie.

Steve is trying to convince her to work more on her defense and shooting, that assists aren’t everything. But Janice got frustrated with this and called Steve selfish. “Assists are the most unselfish thing, Steve Carlsberg!” she shouted before leaving the gym to pout by her locker earlier this morning. “Maybe I should just quit,” Steve heard her mumble. You know, I’m sure it’s just a teenager fighting with her stepdad, and she’ll be all ready to go for today’s pep rally. Which is set to start in a few minutes. I’ll check in with her later tonight to make sure she’s doing OK.

Councilwoman Tamika Flynn has arrived early for today’s pep rally to deliver a brief statement about vigilance, self-preservation, and keeping our town crime free. Even though there’s a librarian on the loose, and our Sheriff has yet to catch the serial robber, our streets are super safe,” Flynn said. “I read a book this morning about how low crime rates are excellent for local economies. The book is ‘Lonesome Dove’ by Larry McMurtry, in case you’re interested.” “Look around you,” she continued, “no one here is being crimed upon, because we are protecting each other. We are watchful and observant.” “As my father once warned,” Tamika Flynn said, “beware the robot uprising! Beware the machines that will bring us down! That’s what he always told me before bed, and we must heed this words, Night Vale. At any moment, a great enemy could be upon us.” Tamika then said: “Hey, it’s after 12. Aren’t we supposed to start this pep rally? I’m in the middle of Greg Harvey’s literary masterpiece and winner of the Man Booker Price, ‘Microsoft Excel for Dummies’, so let’s make this quick. I’m really into that book,” she concluded.

But the crowd murmured, confused and agitated. The captain of the team was not there. And as they looked for the pep rally’s leader, the bearer of the basketball torch, my niece, my only niece – the stage began to shake, the earth began to split, and smoke and dust are currently filling the Night Vale armory in choking plumes. Oh my god, Night Vale, where’s Janice? Where is my niece?

Listen to today’s weather while I find out where she is.

[“Animal Skin” by Bryan Dunn]

The rest of the City Council has returned to Night Vale. They burrowed through the earth and up through the floor of the armory where the pep rally was being held. They apologized for the dramatic and destructive entrance, but their flight out was really turbulent and there was no meal service. So they thought they’d take the slower, but more comfortable route home. The multi-limbed, multi-voiced, single-bodied entity of the City Council was wearing a T-shirt that said: “Mitchigan – America’s sexiest forests”, featuring little cartoon tees with ribbed abs and bubble butts. The City Council then presented two people whose hands were bound with ropes, tied off tight with perfect bowline nuts. It was Tristan Cortez and his daughter, Camilla. The City Council said they found the Cortezes while rock climbing. According to the City Council, Camilla had devised an insurance scam, which Tristan set up by committing a series of small armed robberies around Night Vale, to make the robbery and the subsequent arson of their new store more believable. They stole two bodies from the old cemetery, which flooded last month, and laid those in the burned-out husk of their former market to fake their deaths. Camilla created a fake ID for a sister she didn’t have, named Tamilla, who lived in Mistrigen, where they planned to live out life bird watching and parasailing in the paradise of America’s most hand shaped state. The City Council laid out this entire plot, as they presented Sheriff Sam with the two fraudsters. Then the City Council turned to their newest member, Tamika Flynn and said, “We also completed the new city budget,” as they dropped a six-inch high stack of papers, like it was a mic at a poetry slam.

And even better, listeners: Janice finally arrived. We found her! After the City Council made their speech, the basketball team captain stepped to the mic and said she was running late today because she was practicing so hard to be a better passer, to have more assists, to be empirically the best team mate that the league record books have ever seen. But then, just this morning after a fight with her stepdad, she realized she was wrong. “You can’t measure leadership,” Janice said. “I’ve been so worried about that one number, that one datum that seems so selfless. But the act of pursuing that number is in itself selfish.” Janice said, “I can’t do this all on my own. I can’t expect everyone else to score thinking I’m being helpful. Each one of us has a different skill set, and as your captain, I want you to be great at scoring, defense, rebounding, whistling, and the occasional hex – the five pillars of sound basketball. So let’s get out there and beat Red Mesa!”

The crowd cheered and joined together to sing the Night Vale school song, “You Walk with Me, You Walk Alone under an Indifferent Dust-filled Sky”.

Tamika then spoke. She stood before her fellow citizens, her constituents, and said: “I want the best for all of us, I really do. I’m new at this, and the one thing I know how to do well, really well, is fight, and I want that for everyone. Also read, I’m awesome at reading. I want that for you too. Government jobs are weird because you can’t really fight a lot of crime. You mostly do paperwork and have meetings and scan retinas. Government is evasive and stupid and slow, and it’s because there are so many people it has to account for. And I realize it takes lots of time and lots of people to change. I just want this to change. I want us to feel safe. I also want to finish this amazing novel about Microsoft Excel, it is so compelling.”

At the behest of Tamika Flynn, the City Council voted unanimously to lift the town-wide curfew. And restaurants have already began to reopen, as well as theaters, public parks, clothing stores and bloodstone circle repair shops. Even the library has reopened with plans to renovate the security gates and triple barred cages that keep the librarians safely away from society. And with the return of library activities, escaped librarian Dan McDowell even returned to his former job, promising not to eat anyone else, unless they were trying to check out a book. The City Council also voted to keep all the city buildings painted blood red, because quote, “That’s intimidating AF.” And then they tried to vote to change the town motto to “Night Vale – Intimidating AF”. But it lost by a single deciding vote, which belonged to Tamika, who said we should pace ourselves. She then quoted Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Patience is bitter, buts its fruit is mad sweet, like a swole grape.”

Sheriff Sam praised the City Council for capturing these criminals. Mayor Cardinal praised the City Council, too, but she added praise specifically for Tamika Flynn. Mayor Cardinal said, “I’m proud of you, Councilwoman Flynn. I did not agree with your tactics, but I think your heart is in the right place. It will take time, but we can do this.” Tamika accepted the Mayor’s kind words and a comforting embrace, and then returned to her office to finish her novel about spreadsheets.

Night Vale, Janice and Tamika are growing up before our eyes, and I couldn’t be prouder of either. But more importantly, I couldn’t be more excited to get out of the house! Carlos and I are headed straight to dinner at the Shallow Grave, and then going dancing at that new club, Numb, which opened up mere minutes after the curfew was lifted.

Stay tuned next to the sound of two men putting on just the most vicious outfits.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: We are all (an elite few) in this (a secret underground emergency bunker) together (on our own without public knowledge).

#welcome to night vale #wtnv transcripts #episode 116 #council member flynn #council member flynn part 3

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aroundtable · 3 months ago

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youtube

Torna per il mese d Settembre, il mese più duro dell'anno, il TG Table, con una ricca edizione, piena di board games! Come sempre a supportarmi nella stesura dell'elenco ci sono gli amici di Hirtemis: un negozio super fornito che ha chiara la situazione della distribuzione dei giochi da tavolo, ma come sempre ci possono essere slittamenti e quindi fate attenzione e chiedete conferme ai vostri negozianti di fudicia! Nel tv vedremo i giochi da tavolo da:

01:33 ASMODEE (Altered TCG – Oltre i Cancelli Arkham Horror LCG – La Cospirazione di Innsmouth: esp. Investigatori BrainBox Pocket: tre diversi: il Corpo, Spazio, Animali Pericolosi Catchables Command of Nature Dobble Stitch Dracula Vs Van Helsing Exploding Kittens Cat Burglar (?)Fairy Ring Hint Pocket Inori Marvel Champions LCG – pack eroe Nightcrawler Memorie nel Cielo Star Wars Deckbuilding Game – Clone Wars Survive The Island Takenokolor The Vale of Eternity Without Fail Zombicide 2a ed. Monty Python Character Pack Zombicide Army of the Dead Zombie Burrito )

12:29 DV GAMES ( 5 Minute Dungeon – esp. Barbaro Bebé) 12:42 GHENOS GAMES ( Escape the Dark Sector Zhanguo – Il Primo Impero )

13:59 PENDRAGON GAME STUDIO (A Spasso nel Bosco (il terzo di Orchard e Grove) Machi Koro 2 Pentris Yokohama nuova edizione )

16:27 GATE ON GAMES (Artico Faraway Umbrella)

17:50 CRANIO CREATIONS ( Gregge Fuorilegge Mercoledì – Creature e Reietti Pest Syllabus What the Bug?)

20:17 MANCALAMARO ( Unmatched Sun’s Origins )

20:35 LITTLE ROCKET GAMES ( Tethys Space Dungeon)

21:25 HASBRO \ Avalon Hill (Talisman 5a edizione )

22:10 STUDIO SUPERNOVA (Let’s Go! To Japan Yro)

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the-wolfs-raven · 7 years ago

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Mood board for tonight’s event. After the performances, I’ll be handing out cookies and serving holiday-themed food and drink at the bar! Come on down and join us!

What: Sisters in Sin Winter’s Veil event

When: 12/29 6pm Server Time

Where: SiS Brothel (in-game Golden Rose Inn), Mistfall Village, Vale of Eternal Blossoms

@sistersinsin

#character aesthetics

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the-royal-courier · 7 years ago

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Things to do on a Friday Night

It’s Friday October 27th! Dress up and head out for a night of fun!

Murder Mystery Dinner Party

When: Friday, Oct 27th, 4 (server) Where: Greymane Manor

Ghost and monster tour, storytelling, costume contest and more! Formal attire is recommended for the party, and bring your costume to change into towards the end during the contest.

(Still looking for individuals to volunteer to play the role of the “victim“ and “killer” as well as ghosts and monsters. Contact Coffeé in game or @manicmermaid420 for more details)

The Cask ‘n’ Anvil

When - 6 (server) Where - Ironforge

Come to Ironforge’s own Cask n Anvil for drinks and fun with the Dwarven crowd. All are welcome in for good food, good music, and excellent brews.

(Contact Modarin in game for more information)

Sisters in Sin’s Vampyr Night

When: 6 (server) Where: Mistfall Village, Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Pandaria

The Sisters in Sin welcome you to join them for a night of passion and excitement and Hallow’s End costumes! Find the lively Brothel transformed into a gloomy, dreadful bar fit for brooding, sexy vampyres, as we will all be costumed in vampyr-themed attire! Your journeys are never too small and never too dull to be told in the company of friends and lovers, especially not when a pint of ale or a hearty, bitter shot of hard liquor is readily available!

We are excited to sink our teeth your own renditions of this style!

(Disclaimer: This event will be Rated R and 18+ is 100% required. We do not condone or tolerate the exposure of such naughtiness to those who are underage. Thank you for understanding. Discretion advised on account of themes surrounding sex, debauchery, as well substance and alcohol abuse will be involved! We encourage you to make mood boards, simply tag this tumblr (@susan-gampre) or our Brothel Tumblr ( @sistersinsin )!)

Mr. Smites Improv

Time: 7 (server) Where: SI:7 Building, Stormwind City

Come watch the Xanoic Brotherhood as they perform their weekly “Mr. Smite’s Improv” a unique show with laughter, groans, and prizes galore.

(Contact Dreyfusxano in game for more information)

The Rat Bastard Tavern

Time: 8 (server) Where: The Rat Bastard Tavern (Ship in Stormwind Docks, middle pier)

Tired of the same old watering hole? Have you counted the cracks on the ceiling of every local pub? The Rat Bastard Tavern offers a switch of scenery, floating serenely in the Stormwind Harbor for one night only every other week. If the change of scenery is not enough, why not come for the live music, the diverse patrons, and the fun and friendly staff? Sporting a wide drink menu of local and imported spirits and food menu to come, The Rat Bastard will leave you with some good memories and maybe a fun staggering walk home. Don’t dress up, we prefer things casual!

(Contact Masnira for more information @enigmatic-elegance)

Hallow’s End

When: October 18–November 1 Where: Trick-or-Treat throughout the inns of Azeroth, Northrend, Pandaria, Outland, Draenor, and the Broken Isles (Dalaran) for tasty treats and currency to buy Hallow’s End delights. The Headless Horseman is back to set fire to Razor Hill and Goldshire once more. You’ll need to lend a hand on the bucket brigade to put them out and face the infamous rider.

#wra rp #rp #events wra

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adodevents · 7 years ago

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PART ONE: THE FUNERAL

Dear head of House,

You have been invited to memorialize Lord Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East and Hand of the King. We are saddened greatly by the loss of Lord Arryn and request you and your House’s attendance in commemorating his life and service. The Royal Family invites you to King’s Landing where room and board shall be given to all who attend.

Following the service held in the Great Sept of Baelor, a celebration of King Rhaegar’s reign of peace will commence where Lord Eddard Stark will accept the honor of becoming the realm’s new Hand of the King. Please send a raven with your acceptance and expected arrival date.

Regards, Grand Maester Pycelle

DATE: Spring, 305 AC TIME: Early morning LOCATION: Great Sept of Baelor

The air was putrid, the smell of death coated the walls of the Great Sept, and despite the amount of flowers—the daisies that draped from the ceiling, the roses encompassed the bier, the irises that lined the pews—decay hung in the air, as foul and rancid as the idea of burying a loyal servant of the realm. But all good things must eventually come to an end, and as one generation says their goodbyes, a new generation, young and as enthusiastic as they are inexperienced, is ushered in.

No longer the realm known for its madness, its cruelty, Westeros had become a beacon of hope throughout the known world. King Rhaegar issued in the reign of peace with the help of none other than Jon Arryn. With him by his side, with him acting as a firm, guiding voice and working as quite the thought-provoking muse, Lord Arryn served as Hand of the King. And together the two ruled—protected the Seven Kingdoms with far more grace than those who came before them and received far more respect as a result.

Be the man you yourself would follow, one of Jon’s many wise phrases repeated over and over within the clouded mind of the King as he approached the lectern, his speech—the eulogy of the man who taught him everything he knew—remained crumpled into oblivion within his shaking palm, and the body of the man known as more of a father to the sovereign than Aerys could have ever hoped to be lay in the middle of the room, displayed for all to see, for all to pay their respects. Though the hushed voices and soft laughing brought a rather disconcerting look upon the grieving Rhaegar, he grinned as best he could. And regardless of the bile creeping up his throat, bore from pure disgust as he watched them—those that sit in their pews like gods, donned in the finest of silks, decorated in the rarest of golds, their eyes peering down the slope of their tilted noses, lips puckered as they gaze disapprovingly upon the smallfolk—a King never reveals his thoughts, never openly judges harshly, only governs peacefully.

Ned Stark, honorary guest of King Rhaegar, sat to the right, back just a few feet in the very chair the deceased once sat in, while the High Septon sat to the left, his hands folded neatly atop his lap as his head dips forward once, twice, three times as sleep overtakes the servant of the Seven if but only for a moment. But as soon as his chin hits his chest for the fourth time, his head snaps up and he jolts back awake with a grumble. With an exasperated sigh, Grand Maester Pycelle turned his head around, using his elbow to nudge the man in the ribs. Lord Stark took note of this, shifting in his chair and turning his head to hide the very inappropriate albeit small smile upon his face, though he caught the glance of Arya by chance and she giggled in unison with him across the room, forcing a gasp from Sansa who whacked the arm of her sister lightly and scolded her under her breath.

And with the clearing of his throat, the people rose from their seats in anticipation as a hush fell over the crowd and the King finally spoke.

“Good morning,” the King’s voice boomed throughout the Sept, loud and commanding, only to be matched by that of bells tolling exactly three times. Loud, but effective enough to serve as a warning to quiet the conversations and focus all attention onto the Protector of the Realm.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,“ they all reply in unison which brings a faint smile to his tired features and calms his grief-induced nerves if only for a moment.

“Let me be the first to welcome you all,” he gestures up to the balcony—to his family, Cersei and his children behind him, his guests to the left and the right, his small folk to the rear. “We couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate the life of a man I was proud to call mentor—to call friend,” he paused, arms raising to rest atop the wooden podium. Knuckles turning white as he gripped the sides, he leaned forward. “Jon Arryn put the realm before all else. He put duty and honor before emotions and pride. He served the Seven Kingdoms with more tenacity than I have ever seen. And his loss is one felt throughout Westeros—throughout the world.”

Nobles from the West nod in unison with those from the East, heads bobbing in a wave as they hang on every word from their King. And though there are a few—those with their eyes on certain goals, solo aspirations of those who would sacrifice the Kingdom and all its people, simply calling the loss collateral damage—who remain still, showing no acknowledgement of a great man’s service nor a better man’s reign, Rhaegar’s chest swells with pride those who openly show their support, those who profess their love for their King.

Lord Baelish stands with his back to the wall, one foot hiked up against the stone with his arms crossed over his chest. The hint of a smirk played across his lips, as if a secret hung on the tip of his tongue, but he dare not speak, only to turn his head ever-so-slightly to lock eyes with Lord Varys. The spider, silent and just as deadly as ever, stood diagonal from Littlefinger, a sellsword to his right with brows furrowed. The two share a whisper and the mercenary snickered as quietly as he could proving even grown men can behave as inappropriately as children.

The Queen remained seated upon the dais behind the lectern, arms resting gracefully within her lap, lips pursed and eyes narrowed upon her beloved. Her children surround her. Ever the worshiping Daemon stood on her right, one of his hands resting upon her shoulder, Aegon to her left, stood with his arms secured behind his back, his head bowed. Rhaena sat to her left, quiet as a mouse with eyes drawn carefully onto her father as he spoke. And Jon, no more the Queen’s blood than the smallfolk that surround them, sat hunched in his seat to the right of Cersei, elbows resting lazily against the arms of the chair, black wisps of Stark curls falling into his eyes. “Sit up straight,” she cursed, tone harsh and ravenous in its intent, head snapping toward him and he did as he was told without a second thought.

“Let us pray to the Mother and ask her for her mercy,” he gestured toward her statue, four times as tall as any man within the room and more beautiful than any other point of the star. “May she guide Lord Arryn into the sweet afterlife to feast for eternity in the Father’s golden hall and enjoy the rest of his days in peace.”

And with that, the King rounded the podium and strode toward the bier in the middle of the Sept. With hands braced against the edge, he leaned forward and though his lips visibly moved, his words were kept private between that of two servants, two colleagues, two friends—one filled with grief, mourning a great loss, one revered by many in the midst of a holy ascension.

From his lips to the Father’s ears.

“Father Above,” the High Septon began and the King took a few steps back, bowing his head in prayer, “judge Lord Jon Arryn justly and may you guide him into your home.”

SUMMARY: Welcome A Dream of Dragon’s opening plot drop! We’re so excited to begin this story with you all. As you can see, this celebration starts off quite sad as our citizens, especially King Rhaegar who’s affected the most by this tragedy, mourn the loss of Lord Arryn. This will be a two-part event with the first half beginning at the funeral service. Feel free to begin interactions within the Great Sept of Baelor where threads may be played out between (around) 9 AM and (around) 2 PM in game. (Times are difficult since there is no current system for telling time nor keeping track of days or dates, so we’ll give you this info in the Summary of all events.)

ALL characters have been invited to the funeral whether it be highborns who were written to in advance, sellswords who were hired as guards or lowborns from within the city who are welcome to pay their respects as well. The actual ceremony will last about two hours, but characters may pay their respects at the bier (coffin atop the altar), visit the chapel to pray, explore the front steps, take in the view on the terrace, venture down to the tombs or remain within the main room.

Please keep your interactions within these perimeters and timeframe unless past interactions are agreed upon between players! Tag your starters for this event with #adodstarter if they are open and make sure to tag the event in some form on your posts. Additionally, this begins regular activity checks! And as a reminder and per our guidelines, if you are inactive for 5 days, you will be put on an activity check. If your activity does not improve within 48 hours or we receive no message from you, you will be removed and your role reopened.

We hope you enjoy this opening event! Interactions may begin now.

#the hand of the king: part 1 #adodevent #event: one

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commandtower · 8 years ago

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Decklist: Mina and Denn, Wildborn

It’s time for the first decklist post since my return to the blog! Today, we’ll be looking at my personal Red-Green list for Mina and Denn, Wildborn. These twin Zendikari elves are among the allied forces that fought against the Eldrazi, and they’re all about getting maximum value out of the lands on the board. This list is also unique among my personal decks as it runs absolutely zero traditional “mana rock” artifacts, instead opting to increase its mana production through additional land plays to maximize the use of the many Landfall triggers in the list.

Mina and Denn's deck is an aggressive combat-centric list that uses the benefit of its many additional land drops to fuel a constant barrage of attacks as well as a backup supply of explosive spells. The core of the list revolves around quickly setting up multiple extra land plays and then pushing ahead of the other players at the table to the point that they are unable to catch up. Cards like Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Oracle of Mul Daya are empowered when sitting next to a Horn of Greed or Tireless Tracker, adding additional card draws and filling the hand with useful ways to spend all that extra mana. To replenish itself quickly, the deck also runs cards like Experimental Frenzy, an easy way to power into more playable cards if the player's hand starts to get low on gas.

One of the most interesting pieces in this deck's toolbox is The Great Aurora, a card that serves as a combination board wipe for the opponents and a full refresh for the deck itself. Utilizing it at the right time allows the player to remake the board completely in their own favor and puts the opponents behind a turn as they must spend their resources doing the same. With the multitude of ways to get additional lands out onto the field, using the Aurora is heavily skewed in the player's favor and is often backbreaking if paired with cards like Ember Swallower and Ulvenwald Hydra to make use of the imbalanced boardstate. Overall, this deck's greatest claim to fame is the fact that it can quickly power itself out and consistently remain on the offensive throughout the game, giving it a strong presence at any table it sits down to.

COMMANDER

Mina and Denn, Wildborn

CREATURES

Radha, Heart of Keld

Phylath, World Sculptor

Omnath, Locus of Rage

Ember Swallower

Nesting Dragon

Akoum Hellkite

Geode Rager

Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild

Multani, Yavimaya's Avatar

Kodama of the East Tree

Lotus Cobra

Eternal Witness

Augur of Autumn

Courser of Kruphix

Dryad of the Ilysian Grove

Wayward Swordtooth

Tireless Tracker

Tireless Provisioner

Scute Swarm

Ramunap Excavator

Oracle of Mul Daya

Bane of Progress

Ancient Greenwarden

Rampaging Baloths

Ulvenwald Hydra

Cultivator Colossus

Avenger of Zendikar

PLANESWALKERS

Garruk Wildspeaker

Nissa, Worldwaker

Nissa, Vital Force

Wrenn and Seven

ARTIFACTS

Blackblade Reforged

Sword of the Animist

Sword of Hearth and Home

Horn of Greed

SPELLS

Escape to the Wilds

Tectonic Reformation

Valakut Exploration

Jeska's Will

Experimental Frenzy

Comet Storm

Nahiri's Lithoforming

Exploration

Burgeoning

Druid Class

Heroic Intervention

Summer Bloom

Cultivate

Kodama's Reach

Harrow

Roiling Regrowth

Beast Within

Pir's Whim

Abundance

Scapeshift

The Great Aurora

LANDS

Command Tower

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

Stomping Ground

Cinder Glade

Sheltered Thicket

Highland Forest

Rootbound Crag

Rockfall Vale

Fire-Lit Thicket

Spire Garden

Grove of the Burnwillows

Wooded Foothills

Prismatic Vista

Fabled Passage

Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle

Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

Boseiju, Who Endures

Kessig Wolf Run

Field of the Dead

Ghost Town

BASIC LANDS

Mountain (x11)

Forest (x11)

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