#clan ojutai

[dimestoretajic]

MAGIC FACTIONS BRACKET, ROUND ONE!

Lucky Round Thirteen has Tarkir's pack of Dragon-timeline ascetics go up against Ravnica's life cycle-loving rot harvesters! Gotta love revisionist history and reclaimed doody!

Make your choice!

[overgrown-estate]

From Theros and its Gods, we move to Tarkir and its Dragons. This is the final three set block before Magic the Gathering switched to a two set block system. The planeswalker Sarkhan Vol travels to the past and changes this planes history. We see the original timeline of clans fighting against dragons to the new timeline of dragons ruling over all others.

This blocks collected cards are three noncreature spells.

Set #65 is 'Khans of Tarkir' and its corresponding 65th card is Bitter Revelations, a sorcery that allows you to look at the top four cards of your library, keeping two and putting the rest into your graveyard. It'll cost you 2 life, though.

'Fate Reforged' is the 66th expansion set and its 66th card is Dark Deal, a sorcery that makes all players discard all the cards in their hand, then draw that many cards.

"Dragons of Tarkir" is Magic's 67th expansion set and its corresponding 67th card is Ojutai's Breath, an instant that taps a target creature. The card also has the mechanic, Rebound, first seen in 'Rise of the Eldrazi'.

What were your thoughts on Tarkir block and its time altering story?

[pxper-cranes]

Something something what if for our return to arcavios during the *dragonstorm arc* the elder dragons of Tarkir try to invade other planes and the elder dragons of Arcavios are forced to fight against them? Based on colour combos, the strixhaven dragons would fight the tarkir lords based on the missing colours from the clans they took over

For example

- Ojutai (Jeskai) vs Beledros (Witherbloom)

- Silumgar (Sultai) vs Velomachus (Lorehold)

- Kolaghan (Mardu) vs Tazanir (Quandrix)

- Dromoka (Abzan) vs Galazeth (Prismari)

- Atarka (Temur) vs Shadrix (Silvarquill)

Honestly i wish it was a block formula to have one set on tarkir, one on arcavios and the final one being the end confrontation. Itd be funny if the strixhaven founders weaponised their students to fight to liberate Tarkir for extra credit or something and this could be a place to see Liliana again because im getting withdrawals

[izzet-always-r-versus-u]

Universes Within theorycrafting: Assassin's Creed (part 1)

Kept sliding off making posts for the bigger sets (LTR, PIP...WHO is mostly pending more data on the space opera plane) just because I was struggling to organize my thoughts on them; ACR has about half the total new cards as the commander products, and a lot of those are on the simpler end, so it's a lot easier to just go through on a case-by-case basis. Hopefully that'll help get the word-gears churning for the other sets.

Part 1's gonna be the cards that don't need name changes for UniWit adaptation; 49 out of 105 (not counting Raven Clan War-Axe, which would be close to the line in a vacuum but is mechanically tied to a card that does need a rename regardless), a little under half.

Battlefield Improvisation

Works more or less anywhere, but one particular interpretation that tickles me is a bit of flashy showmanship in Valor's Reach when a fighter is reduced to a 1v2 and starts going to town using their fallen partner's weapon. Given the colors, maybe Regna dual-wielding her scythe and whatever massive polearm Krav is rocking?

Detained by Legionnaires

Even on Ravnica I figure actual Pacifism is more likely to see a reprint, but the Boros are legionnaire-cops, so this would translate there fine.

Distract the Guards

Assassins and Rogues? Those are both outlaws, so Thunder Junction's the obvious fit. I'm gonna say it's a Freestrider operation, one group drawing the Sterling Company wardens away while another group stages a jailbreak.

Escarpment Fortress

Apparently an escarpment is a kind of cliff face, so this is a fortress built on or into a cliff. No shortage of fits there; could be an Akroan outpost, could be a Zendikari refuge, could be a highland monastery of the Jeskai/Ojutai...et cetera, et cetera. Take your pick.

Fall of the First Civilization

Could be Fall of the Thran but slightly to the left, but I like this as an Oltec tale of the First People of Ixalan; just because they're unknowable due to being four apocalypses deep doesn't mean the Oltec wouldn't have stories about them in some capacity, and "how their world ended" would be right at the top of the list.

Haystack

The same bit as the original could work in most of the multiverse's cities, but I actually like the idea of setting this on Innistrad: the terrified eyes of a pair of peasants barely visible peaking out from within a pile of hay as a shadow shaped distinctly like a werewolf passes across it. A perfect hiding spot...so long as your breathing doesn't give you away.

Hookblade

Zendikari kor lineslinger equipment. One of those "you could put it in a set and most people wouldn't even realize it's a reprint, it fits so cleanly" cards: White "hook" equipment that grants temporary flying? Yeah, that's a kor card alright.

Keen-Eyed Raven

Mostly notable in that, as far as I can see, Magic's ravens have been entirely restricted to Blue and Black up to now. Certainly doesn't mean they can't fit there, though: maybe the Beskir have taken to keeping and training ravens in emulation of the Omenseekers, or maybe Will has gotten what exists of the Eldraine courts to start using them as couriers and scouts.

Settlement Blacksmith

The two natural fits for planes referring to "settlements" are Zendikar and Thunder Junction, and this works fine with either. Zendikar's the one with a history of Equipment themes, though, and there's more than enough space for flavor text talking about times of necessity spread stoneforging traditions beyond the kor that developed and long kept them. (Could even make it a Nahiri quote, have her complaining about what she sees as wrong about Zendikar these days.)

Tax Collector

Magic doesn't exactly spend a lot of time talking about tax policy, but anywhere that has actual money is gonna have taxes. The Orzhov are definitely the most obvious fit, though, even if detain is an Azorius mechanic.

Templar Knight

There are two other extant Magic cards with "templar" in their name: Capashen Templar, a Benalish Knight, and Noble Templar, an Otarian Cleric Soldier. The latter has a more obvious legendary artifact to amass an army to quest for - the Mirari - while the former is actually a Knight (the gap between Knight and Cleric Soldier is not a large one, but creature types mattered in Otarian sets). Either could reasonably be expanded out into a cohort of knights going on a "holy" quest; just a matter of preference.

What Must Be Done

I feel like there's an even cleaner fit I'm failing to think of, but the main place my mind goes is to Liliana's ultimatum to Thalia in original Innistrad block: sunder the Helvault and release Griselbrand, or Liliana kills all of the Thraben cathars guarding it. Reanimation or boardwipe, a choice faced by a White-aligned character - it works.

Assassin Den

In the MKM story, Etrata had a well-hidden personal base/crash pad that was also extensively trapped against anyone trying to break in. Feels like a natural fit for a Wall with >0 power that can buff a creature and enhance their stealth - the interior would naturally be equipped with every tool a master assassin could need. Presumably other Dimir assassins have their own hideouts, justifying it being nonlegendary, but that'd be the specific one I'd depict; there's more than a bit of space for an Etrata quote in the flavor text.

Assassin Gauntlet

Would be perfect as a piece of hacking tech in modern Kamigawa if Ninja wasn't a separate type. As is, we do know that the Dimir sometimes use the Izzet as a magitech development program (sometimes outright hiring them, more often through espionage and subterfuge), so an Izzet-sourced gauntlet with some sort of built-in smoke bomb or flashbang being used by a Dimir assassin would fit well enough.

Ballad of the Black Flag

I...don't know that we actually have any art of specifically the flags of Brazen Coalition ships? So it's not a given that they actually have black flags to line up with the name, but that also means that I can just decide they do and that can just be something that first becomes clear with the UniWit art for this.

Otherwise it fits fine, though: the tale (told by shanty, perhaps, if that's something that can be conveyed/implied through Saga-style art) of the humans and orcs of Torrezon fleeing across the ocean in search of better fortunes, and the often-violent steps they would take to claim and secure those fortunes.

Become Anonymous

Lazav, fading back into the obscurity of the crowd in the wake of the invasion. Could easily have very similar composition to the ACR art, though obviously that's far from a requirement. Just naturally leans into the same vibe.

Brotherhood Spy

Let me pull up the flavor text from the original Time Spiral printing of Assassinate:

The rulers of old Dominaria kept assassins on retainer. However, the true loyalty of these master killers was always to their peers. This elite brotherhood survived the fall of the old royal order.

That's right, Dominaria has a canonical brotherhood of assassins! That plane is the kitchen sink that keeps on giving. Given the context, that brotherhood presumably survived up until the Rift Crisis, so it may well still be around in the present day. The lack of specific information gives me plenty of freedom in interpreting the various "Brotherhood" cards in the set to fit that context.

In this case, there's plenty of space for flavor text to talk about the network of informants that support and assist the members of the brotherhood actually assigned the task of assassination.

Desynchronization

On an entirely different note (heh) from the rest of this post, I'd set this one at Strixhaven: with mundane music, the worst that happens when an orchestra falls out of sync is that the performance grinds to a halt after just sounding really bad for a bit. With music magic, discordance can have a much more tangible blowback, tightly woven harmonics pulling apart into a chaotic, concussive blast.

("Let's just...try it again from the top." -Zaffai, thunder conductor)

Eagle Vision

An Obscura-aligned eagle aven scoping out the location of an impending job - sometimes there's something to be said for taking a name literally.

Escape Detection

A suitably generic "Dimir sneakiness" effect.

Hookblade Veteran

Unlike the actual Hookblade, I don't think a mono-Blue Human Assassin lines up nearly as well with established Zendikar flavor. The best fit I can come up with is actually on Kaladesh; none of the night market-associated creature cards had the Assassin subtype, but it wouldn't be a stretch for Gonti to employ assassins, and a gauntlet with an integrated, extendable grappling hook would be real handy for Spiderman-ing around the spires of Ghirapur.

Loyal Inventor

Somehow the first Fioran card in this post: once she took the throne, the High Paliano Academy was subject to Marchesa's demands, and some of its finest minds now vie for her favor, presenting their newest, most cutting-edge inventions before the royal court.

Tranquilize

Sleeper Dart was an Ikorian card, so this is just a slightly different framing of the use of that same bit of poacher tech. Not exactly hard to make work elsewhere, but that's the most clean fit.

Assassin Initiate

I like to imagine Marchesa's used the resources of the crown to open an official (if not particularly publicized) royal school for assassins - the Renaissance equivalent to the CIA academy, basically. She didn't exactly cut ties with her old connections, but as the new seat of power in the high city, her eyes (and blades) need to extend far further, which means she needs more manpower. Conveniently, this card's got space for a solid four lines of flavor text to exposit about those developments.

Brotherhood Ambushers

As the most generic of the "Brotherhood" cards, this would probably be the card that exposits more broadly about the Dominarian assassin brotherhood as a whole, building on that Assassinate FT to talk about the position they fill in the modern day.

Brotherhood Patriarch

The death trigger points me toward the trope of "you become the master assassin by being the one to take out the current master assassin."

Hemlock Vial

The art and flavor text are both generic enough that they could probably just reprint the whole card exactly as-is aside from the frame and it'd work fine as a "UniWit" treatment. Otherwise, the obvious home for this is to ground it in Theros - probably Meletis in particular. They already did the same bit with Sip of Hemlock, but Theros isn't exactly averse to reusing tropes when necessary.

Merciless Harlequin

Appropriately for a design that's Blade Juggler but slightly to the left, this is a pitch-perfect fit for a Rakdos assassin.

Petty Larceny

Card name is a crime? Check. Card is mechanically a crime? Check. This definitely belongs on Thunder Junction - have Tinybones picking someone's pocket in the middle of a bar brawl. (Maybe show Vraska fighting in the background to help justify the Assassin-typal element.)

Phantom Blade

I'd go more classic-fantasy with this one, I think: a cursed sword that captured the soul of the first being it killed, becoming wreathed in ominous spectral energy. Feels right at home with the sword-and-sorcery vibes of Corondor on Dominaria, but off the top of my head I could also see it fitting pretty cleanly on Innistrad or Ixalan.

Poison-Blade Mentor

Another part of that Paliano assassin school - can't have students without people to teach them.

Restart Sequence

The grand prize of her daring heist was also her escape plan.

(Art: a ninja stands at a control panel in a dimly-lit Futurist laboratory, her hands flying across the screen as lines of light begin to glow across a prototype mech in the background as it starts up.)

I mostly try to keep Freerunning cards flavorfully tied to Assassins in particular, but there's some where it makes more sense to bend a little further, and this is pretty close to top of the list. It helps that Ninja and Assassin have pretty heavy overlap.

Headsplitter

Not all poachers favor range or stealth.

The two Ikorian cards with the Assassin type are both specifically archers, but poachers being able to be Assassins is the best way I've found to square "Headsplitter" implying an immensely un-assassin-y weapon while also specifically making an Assassin token. Thus, a poacher with a gnarly, Monster Hunter-esque bone blade. Probably not too big since it only gives +1/+0, but not exactly subtle.

Hidden Footblade

Stiletto heels, where the heel (or possibly the toe, depending on what would work best for the art) conceals a stiletto blade - I'm far from the first person to make that pun, but, well, if the shoe fits...

(Most natural fit in the multiverse for that concept is probably New Capenna, specifically the Cabaretti - elaborate fashion that's more practical/deadly than it appears is right up their alley.)

Labyrinth Adversary

That sure is a Minotaur card, all right. The specific callout to a labyrinth in the name means that probably the most natural fit for this is Theros. (Technically Ulgrotha also had minotaurs connected to labyrinths, but Theros actually has a modern visual identity to build off of, whereas Ulgrotha would be pretty close to starting from scratch, which is a hell of a tiebreaker.)

Monastery Raid

Another pretty literal one: Khans!Zurgo leading the sacking of a Jeskai monastery by a Mardu raiding party. (Leaning more into the "or commander" side of Freerunning here.)

Overpowering Attack

This one's more in line with the printed Assassin poachers than Headsplitter: Kelsien leading a veritable army of poachers armed with bows, raining hellfire down from atop a cliff onto a big monster below.

Hunter's Bow

This one works damn near anywhere, but putting it on Kaldheim (tying it to either the Kannah or the elves of Skemfar) tickles me because it means it could even keep the flavor text as-is if it wanted.

Palazzo Archers

The high throne of Paliano has been extensively guarded against the subtlest possible angles of attack, but that doesn't mean it leaves the more obvious approaches unguarded: the archers that watch the skies around it are sharp and well-armed.

Viewpoint Synchronization

The best idea I've got for this one is set on modern Kamigawa: a ninja watching a security feed displaying the views of several different cameras at once. Kind of mundane, but everything else I've come up with runs headlong into "how would an artist even convey this concept in a single piece of card art," so simple and literal carries the day.

Rooftop Bypass

Just a fairly straightforward bit of Dimir stealth/infiltration. Ravnica's not exactly short on options for rooftop travel.

Bleeding Effect

It's not quite a perfect color match, but the best fit I've come up with for this name and effect is the Order of Saint Traft, who willingly allowed themselves to be possessed by the geists of former cathars in cooperative union. In such a situation, it would make sense for the lines between the living and the dead to blur - becoming hard to tell where the skills and memories of one end and the other begin.

Bureau Headmaster

Another Fioran, in one respect or another. Could be another teacher at assassin school, could be positioned at the Paliano embassy (/assassin cell) on Thunder Junction (not really featuring in this half of the post, but one of the better throughlines I've been able to come up with the various mostly-legendary RW Assassins in the set). Probably a slightly better fit for the former, as a leading weapons teacher.

Brotherhood Regalia

The Dominarian brotherhood probably wants something approximating a unified visual identity anyway, so this is just the clearest portrayal of their garb.

Hidden Blade

The Dimir did more or less exactly this bit with Silent Dart in GRN, so this is just that again. One of those cases where someone who wanted to proxy could just directly lift another bit of Magic art and it would still work fine.

Smoke Bomb

Kamigawa feels like the best fit for a smoke bomb - either classic or modern. Solidly a ninja tool either way.

Towering Viewpoint

Another one that works basically anywhere, but I like the full-circle take of tying this to the Amonkhet version of Mighty Leap - making it a particularly tall obelisk in Naktamun that initiates would jump from, either as part of a trial, just on a dare, or as a statement of proof of their faith.

Brotherhood Headquarters

Could more or less swipe the flavor text from ACR Assassin's Den for this one, since it translates as basically the same beat: a covert base of operations hidden in plain sight in a major city. (In the context of modern Dominaria, that's New Benalia, New Argive, or possibly whatever the biggest city of Suq'ata or Femeref is these days.)

[leafdrake-haven]

OK so based off the one picture

We know that Kolaghan gets compleated. I wonder how that will go with the dragon tempests and her flight in general. After she is compleated, will the tempests that make her brood make compleated dragons or are they completely unaffected by the dragon lords condition. If they aren’t connected at all, will her flight follow her or fight against her?

We see Atarka and Ojutai brood dragons fighting her and maaaaaybe Dromoka dragons? (The ones back and to the left are harder to see). Does that mean those two (three?) dragon clans are safe thus far?

OR maybe all 5 dragon lords get compleated and the humanoids and dragon broods finally work together as equals to topple their former dragon lords? That could be tasty and a way to get the khans and dragons scenario I always hope for for Tarkir. We’ve already got humanoids riding the dragons which previously I don’t think happened often (with except maybe the Ojutai and Dromoka, but definitely not the Atarka which we’re seeing now)

Anyway just some Tarkir rambling cause even if this isn’t necessarily how I wanted to revisit the plane, if it’s what I’m getting I’m gonna speculate about it 👀

[iamthespineofmybook]

The Frostwyng Dragon

A creation of mine inspired by two sources. The first is the Ojutai Clan of dragon from Magic: the Gathering, which have feathered wings and a freezing breath weapon, while also being martial artists. The other inspiration is the fictional future documents that begin every chapter of A Thing of Vikings. So what I did was take the Ojutai Clan and adapt them into a scientifically viable species.

The first thing I did was decide to put them in an frozen environment, with the feathers acting as insulators, as feathers tend to be. I then looked up how a freezing breath weapon might possibly work, and my answer came in the form of CO2 fire extinguishers: when CO2 is kept under pressure it condenses into a liquid, and when it is released the rapid evaporation (liquid CO2 evaporates at -69 degrees Fahrenheit) causes the area hit by the liquid to freeze. (CO2 extinguishers destroy two sides of the Fire Triangle in this way, by denying Oxygen and cancelling the heat.)

So, I needed a way to make the dragon have CO2 under pressure in its system. The answer: an air bladder of sorts that would contain the gas until it condensed. And why would a dragon need this? Well, it’s an ambush predator! Change the Ojutai wings to a mottled white to blend in with the snow of its icy environs, and the air bladder would be used to keep the dragon’s breathing from alerting the prey animals.

Eventually, the dragons would figure out that their exhalations can freeze their prey, and learning how to spread the area of the freezing breath would let them catch more prey.

I don’t know enough about the sociology of ambush predators to figure out whether they’d all be very solitary or if they’d have family units or what, so I’ll leave that for someone else to figure out.

[thecornwall]

Cornwall’s Random Card of the Day #359: Ojutai Exemplars

Ojutai Exemplars is a mythic rare from Dragons of Tarkir.

This is a pretty cool mythic with Prowess that doesn’t actually have Prowess. In design, Prowess was just an ability word trigger off of each noncreature spell which could do anything the card said. But it was later changed just to gift the +1/+1 until end of turn. So some cards concepted with Prowess ended up just having this kind of sorta-Prowess.

Ojutai is the w/u dragon that took over the Jeskai way in the Dragons timeline (the alternate timeline that is canon as of writing, thanks a bunch, Sarkhan). They do basically the exact same thing as the Jeskai did, but attribute all their knowledge and discipline to Ojutai’s teachings, cause he(she?)’s totally 1984ing their history. The Jeskai were maybe hardest hit by the Dragons timeline just by losing R. They used to be all about self-expression through meditation and martial arts, but not no more, now they just worship a history rewriting dragon (Ojutai, that is, not Ugin, who was a dragon who LITERALLY rewrote history(well okay not literally writing, only Commodore Guff gets to do that)).

Oh, also Dragons didn’t actually HAVE the keyworded Prowess, it had Rebound. All the dragons kinda dumped the traditional keyword of the clan they dominated, replacing it with one of their own (okay, this is slightly more complex than that, Fate Reforged had some of the Khans keywords and some Dragons keywords, meaning that some of the “original” Khans keywords were, in-universe, developed later in a timeline that now never came to be)

[magus-of-the-color-pizza]

MtG OC quick roundup

Just a quick post to jot down my current MtG OCs with an explanation of who they are. Putting it all under the cut because more posts are to follow and I don’t want to clog stuff up too much.

Lara: First OC I made, inspired by Ken Troop’s story “Building Towards a Dream”. She’s the daughter of a Meletis thinker and the king of Iretis, who were both killed (and the city destroyed) due to Ashiok’s (and Phenax’s) machinations. This last sentence is canon, by the way, it’s just that the king’s wife and daughter are mentioned en passant and never given names (and Ashiok leaves it up in the air whether or not the two actually died). Anyways, Lara is taken in by Setessa, finds out about Ashiok’s whole deal, and vows to hunt him down. She’s still young, but she’s determined. She’s a nature-loving girl, kind, curious, but also very strong-willed.

Levantera: She’s a medium, in a way, in that she can interact with spirits. Originally from Paliano, she grew up as an orphan but was soon taken in by Brago’s court once her abilities became more evident. These became instrumental in solving a variety of murders and/or helping the deceased find peace, while also picking up a few spirit friends who decided to stay with her. Brago’s assassination comes as a huge shock to her, and her story as a planebound character ends with her flat on the ground before Marchesa’s throne, with an arrow in the back. Not to worry though, I’ll write what happens next... someday. Levantera is a very bright-eyed and friendly person, she takes her duty very seriously (and is quite good at what she does), though she can be distracted by things or concepts most people would glance over at most it’s the adhd. Hates Marchesa with a passion. Will have a heated face-to-face with Kaya. Adores Selvala.

Arel: She’s a canon mtg character but is only mentioned in a few flavor texts and in the guide, so I decided to take those little nuggets of information and run with it. Arel is a Temur shaman (ktk) / outcast (dtk) that wants to take Tarkir back from the dragonlords. She’s a hard-headed but capable person and is proud of her shamanic traditions. The pain she has suffered at the hands of Atarka is great, having lost both of her parents and her master, Chianul, to the clan, but this only gives her the resolve to keep going. She has recently begun to reach out to other clan outcasts and/or rebels in hopes of sparking a plane-wide rebellion that will finally dethrone the Dragonlords. She’s not the best at social skills, but she has a big heart and is very affable. Also, tough as hell.

Xathi: another canon mtg character that I’ve stolen from obscurity, also from Tarkir. Xathi is Silumgar’s top Infallible (title for Silumgari dragonslayers), a position that comes with more risks than it does benefits, for the most part. From the outside, she is everything the Dragonlord expects of her: cold, calculating, resourceful, loyal. Underneath that mask, however, is a seething hatred towards Dragonkind and a surprising amount of camaraderie towards her fellow oppressed. Xathi’s many tools and “surprises” as she call them have helped her secure a high number of dragon kills, and she cannot wait for the day when she gets to add Silumgar’s name to that list. Xathi does not talk much and would have a hard time relaxing, but her straight-forwardness and affability give her a disarming charm (as Lishue found out in their debut story).

Lishue: Another Tarkir character, but this time, surprisingly, entirely fan-created. Lishue is an Ojutai Graceblade, someone who can focus their psychic power into manifesting a blade of pure energy (this is canon, and cool as hell). She is a skilled warrior, having undergone many years of intense training before being chosen by a dragon as a Speaker. Though not well-versed in much spellcasting, she is adept in both Spellfist arts and the previously mentioned Graceblade technique. Lishue has honed her mind and emotions a lot too, though still sometimes has a hard time achieving total stillness and peace: to entirely let go is something she struggles with, as she has a very strong connection to her emotions. She is calm and soft-spoken, pensive and wise, but all that may fly out the window depending on the circumstances...

And that about does it! If you’re curious about any of the above you can shoot me a message or check out my AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nalyd

(The characters in this post appear in the following stories: Lara // The Weaver and the Hunter; Levantera // Lost Souls; Arel // Dissenter; Xathi + Lishue // Dragon’s Betrayal)

Apologies if some of the images may not load correctly on AO3, I just now noticed that some may have issues. I’ll fix it tomorrow!

[gamerzack-blog]

I think now's as good a time as any to share a few deets on my Magic player identity, before branching out into my other interests:

The Basics

Archetype: Johnny-Vorthos

Colour identity: Altruism 🔥🌳☀️{💧}

Top 3 Favourite formats: Limited (any style); Kitchen table; Commander (hypothetically)

"Power Nine" planes (in alphabetical order): Alara; Arcavios; Ikoria; Kaladesh; Kaldheim; Kamigawa; Ravnica; Tarkir; Zendikar

Custom sets (Magic Set Editor): Uncanny/Unfunny; Secret Vault: Heroes of Squidkid Saga; Secret Vault: Ascensions Series

Milestones

First year: 2003

First Core Set: Eighth Edition

First Large Set: Mirrodin

First Small Set: Guildpact

First Side-Set: Coldsnap

First novel: The Moons of Mirrodin

First Commander: Glissa Sunseeker

Key Factional Affiliations

Guild (Primary): Izzet League 💧🔥

Guild (Secondary): Selesnya Conclave 🌳☀️

Shard: Bant 🌳{☀️}💧

Clan (Khans timeline): Jeskai Way {💧}🔥☀️

Clan (Dragons timeline): The Ojutai ☀️{💧}

Triome: Ketria 🌳{💧}🔥

Realm (Primary): Bretagard {🌳}☀️

Realm (Secondary): Surtland 💧{🔥}

College: Prismari 💧}{🔥

Other Associations (by Plane)

Ravnica

Simic Combine 🌳💧

Azorius Senate ☀️💧

Boros Legion 🔥☀️

House Dimir 💧💀

Alara

Esper ☀️{💧}💀

Naya 🔥{🌳}☀️

New Phyrexia

Quiet Furnace 🔥

Progress Engine 💧

Innistrad

Kessig 🔥{🌳}

Tarkir

Temur Frontier {🌳}💧🔥

Mardu Horde {🔥}☀️💀

The Dromoka 🌳{☀️}

The Silumgar 💧{💀}

Amonkhet

Trial of Knowledge 💧

Trial of Solidarity ☀️

Ixalan

River Heralds 🌳💧

Brazen Coalition 💧💀🔥

Eldraine

Ardenvale ☀️

Garenbrig 🌳

Ikoria

Raugrin 💧{🔥}☀️

Zagoth 💀{🌳}💧

Kaldheim

Istfell {☀️}💧

Starnheim ☀️{💀}

Gnottvold {🔥}🌳

Arcavios

Silverquill ☀️}{💀

Lorehold 🔥}{☀️

New Capenna

The GWU Family 🌳☀️💧

Planeswalker Friends List

Karn {⚪}

Elspeth Tirel {☀️}

Will Kenrith {💧}

Liliana Vess {💀}

Rowan Kenrith {🔥}

Vivien Reid {🌳}

Teferi {☀️💧}

Tezzeret {💧💀}

Angrath {💀🔥}

Arlinn Kord {🔥🌳}

Ajani Goldmane {🌳☀️}

Sorin Markov {☀️💀}

Ral Zarek {💧🔥}

Vraska {💀🌳}

Nahiri {🔥☀️}

Kiora {🌳💧}

Tamiyo {🌳☀️💧}

_________ {☀️💧💀}

#####_##### {💧💀🔥}

_________ {💀🔥🌳}

Huatli {🔥🌳☀️}

_________ {🔥☀️💀}

Sarkhan Vol {🌳💧🔥}

_________ {☀️💀🌳}

Narset {💧🔥☀️}

Nissa Revane {💀🌳💧}

_________ {💧💀🔥🌳}

_________ {💀🔥🌳💧}

Me {🔥🌳☀️💧}

_________ {🌳☀️💧💀}

_________ {☀️💧💀🔥}

_________ {☀️💧💀🔥🌳}

Planeswalker Friend List Deets (How We Friended Each Other)

Met him on my first 'walk to Mirrodin. Apparently he created it himself!

Heard about her on Bant, and decided to see if I could find her so I could learn more about being an altruist. Told she was slain, so my trail went cold, but they were SO wrong about that!

Met him while studying on Arcavios... HOO boy, THAT was a mess! Anyway, he helped save the plane, so good on him.

Friended her a while back after she failed to seduce me (turns out there are limitations to charm magic when the intended target isn't that into you).

Twin sister of #3, with both sharing the same spark. Must be awkward if one decides to 'walk while the other's in the middle of something important like... I 'unno, peeing I guess?

For some reason, liking the natural world to any extent warrants a friend request from her. That and having a connection with animals.

Heard about my affinity for time, and so he tracked ME down! This is AFTER I spent a while tracking down info on the "Great Mender", though I thought it was a specialist on healing magic, heheh...

Friended him when he was still... sane, I guess? This thing's glitching out for some reason, so I can't delete it. Probably should visit that gadgeteer on Kamigawa to get it repaired...

Asked to friend me after overhearing that I don't eat beef or wear cowskin... then swore fiery, forgey vengeance on me if I EVER come onto his daughters. PRETTY sure there's no danger of that even if they're human, so... yay?

Saw me blundering through Ulvenwald and asked if I were worried about the wolves, to which I innocently replied with "What's wrong with wolves?" She led me to safety (aka a different plane) as a thank you for being so kind.

THIS is the life mage I was trying to find! I eventually tracked him to a book club or something on Kamigawa. The Nacatl of Naya called him "a hideously gruff, ill-mannered, insatiably berserk rebel", but I see him as kind, wise, and calm.

Kinda unsettling at first, but let's just say that putting the Greater Good first and foremost reveals an unseen side of this seemingly snobbish gentleman.

My first 'walk to Ravnica was... let's say "tumultuous". Actually, let's also say it was "accidentally crashed into an Izzet laboratory-ish". This guy said I was an automatic shoe-in to become a member of his guild, but he also advised me to consider whether I wanted to get tied to one plane. I was too busy staring at his... uh... eyes to remember what I said, or how he was added to my friends list.

Friended me later that day, in fact. Turns out a simple, sincerely friendly "Hi!" is enough to win her over... though she DID admit to almost turning me into a statue for being too close at first.

She was dealing with an emotional conundrum, so I offered some advice: "Just be true to yourself, and vent those pent-up emotions. Holding onto them isn't healthy, and your needs matter just as much as others' do." Hopefully she's in a better state of mind than before.

For some reason, liking the natural world to any extent warrants a friend request from her. That and having a connection with the seas and skies... wait... did I do this one already?

Met her through Ajani's book club... well, she's the host of said book club, so friending her was a no-brainer.

To be added...

Weird... why is this now playing up...? Was someone already on here? I should ask Denkimoto to look at this, too...

To be added...

Met her in book club. Turns out she's some form of skald from a plane called "EESH-a-lahn". I tried finding it, but no-one's ever heard of it, OR a city on that plane called "or-RATS-kuh", which is supposedly made of gold...

To be added...

Met him through a member of the book club, though he's not really into books. He does, however, like DRAGONS! I just had to visit their home plane, which is filled with so many kinds of dragon. Any fan of dragons is a friend of his, apparently. He also had a good chuckle at my "Hi, Khan!" joke, so it's now our informal greeting (his is "Oh, Zed!", cos it sounds like "O. Zed").

To be added...

This is the book club member via whom I indirectly met #23. She loves learning, and is currently delving into the ancient history of her people, "a time before the dragons"... which seems kinda familiar.

For some reason, liking the natural world to any extent warrants a friend request from her. That and having a connection with the elements... okay, this is DEFINITELY the third time I've posted this, I'm sure of it!

To be added...

To be added...

No idea why there even NEEDS to be a slot for my own contact details, but...

To be added...

To be added...

To be added...

[dimestoretajic]

THE MAGIC THE GATHERING FACTIONS BRACKET

HELLO EVERYONE! Oh, this is gonna be a fun one! I have semi-randomly set up a 32-faction bracket to see who is the greatest faction in all the Multiverse. What does "greatest" mean? That's up to you! I'm just here to facilitate the squabbles and watch with popcorn in hand, honestly. Can't wait to see what you all decide!

And... yeah, reblog if you like. No pressure, but this is so much more fun when more people participate!

Here are the seeds!

Quandrix College vs. Clan Atarka

House Dimir vs. The Mirrans*

Lorehold College vs. The Sultai Brood

Simic Combine vs. Silverquill College

The Cabaretti vs. The Jeskai Way

Boros Legion vs. The Maestros

Clan Dromoka vs. Izzet League

Selesnya Conclave vs. Clan Kolaghan

Abzan Houses vs. Cult of Rakdos

Orzhov Syndicate vs. Prismari College

Obscura vs. Gruul Clans

The Phyrexians vs. Witherbloom College

Clan Ojutai vs. Golgari Swarm

Brokers vs. Temur Frontier

Mardu Horde vs. Azorius Senate

Clan Silumgar vs. The Riveteers

Have fun, everyone! I know I will! Get voting!

*I know there's a typo on that one. You can't edit polls after you post them and there's SIXTEEN and I was doing them in reverse order, okay? :P

[mana-screwed]

In a world where history unfolded differently, Narset was the khan of the Jeskai, a clan of warrior monks. She seemed on the cusp of enlightenment, but her true potential remained latent, untapped. In this timeline, she is one of the foremost scholars of Tarkir's history-and a Planeswalker.

At a young age, Narset gained the personal notice of one of Ojutai's skywise. She attracted the dragon's attention as she would often mimic the exercises performed by both the dragons and her elders, mastering them after no more than a casual glance. The skywise recognized hers as a mind with the potential for nearly limitless growth, so she was taken on as a student. Narset quickly mastered not only the exercises but the Draconic language itself, and over the following years she became one of the youngest of the clan to learn directly from Ojutai. But as Narset grew older she began to feel restless. She harbored a longing, although she was unable to identify what for, and she started to question whether or not the skywise dragons truly knew all the answers to the questions of life.

When, in relatively short order, Narset achieved the status of master, she cared more for the autonomy that the position granted than the highly sought-after honor. She spent many a day alone, exploring the deepest and dustiest cavities in the Ojutai strongholds, slowly piecing together clues that illuminated the forbidden past. Her peer, Taigam, warned her of the danger in seeking out knowledge without the dragonlord's permission, but Narset saw no harm in research.

She discovered the truth of the past of Tarkir. It was not always a world ruled by dragons as the teachings of Ojutai claimed; at one time humanoid khans led mighty clans that dominated the land. Narset also learned of a powerful spirit dragon from whom all dragons were formed. It was this being that most interested her. She could feel something more in the histories that described him, something similar to her own wanderlust. She took to meditating in these secret chambers, spending hours that crept into days and even weeks without making an appearance above.

Now that her Planeswalker spark has ignited, she has the ability to walk the Blind Eternities, the space between planes, and discover new worlds, but her devotion is to her home plane of Tarkir. Narset knows that the mysterious past might hold the key to long-lost magic, power that might not just benefit her clan, but the whole of Tarkir. So she carefully and painstakingly continues her research. She will wait, ever patient, for her time.

Some amazing artwork featuring Narset.

[tibalt-the-fineblooded]

Let embrace some Planar Chaos and timeshift some ocs! Change a important part of your ocs past and tell us where they would be now because of it!

Ceral: the biggest part of his (new) backstory is falling through a doomskar and landing in the realm of Demons. If this hadn’t happened he would have been primarily blue, secondary red with no real black influence. He would also take more from his mother and the Omenseekers.

Laan: The change that would shape Laan the most would be a shift in his magic. If he manifested true lithomancy, instead of a geomancy that resembles the Vulshok of Mirrodin more than anything. It would have led to him being accepted more by the Kor his father traveled with and he would be White Green instead of Red Green

Except: Remove the memory loss. She would have returned to Ravnica and properly joined either the Selesyna or Simic. Her colors wouldn’t change but her specialty would.

Y’lona: heavily influenced by Excepts presence, if that’s removed then Y’lona would have sparked as a relatively magic free Walker years after her initial spark. Possibly during WAR and it would not have ended well for her.

Zoya: Staying on Mirrodin. Zoya could have possibly stayed and helped the resistance. Not sure how that would have ended as we have not returned to New Phyrexia

Atlan: Sparking after the Khans/Dragons shift. Sparking as part of Ojutai’s clan would vastly impact his world outlook to the point removing his Red influence entirely. His martial prowess would be retained but his impulsive reactions would be drowned by a higher aptitude for study and reason.

Sturn: sparking before the immortal sun left Ixalan. If he hadn’t left the plane during his spark, he would have treated it as a near death experience and gone about life as normal. Haunting the seas and never leaving.

Samuel: Failing his experiment that transferred his feeding source from blood to the essence of spirits. He would still forsake the Dusken clan but would probably try to ally himself with a large clan.

Kitai: Sparking anywhere but Naya. She learned a lot from Elspeth and losing that would shift her depending on where she landed. It wouldn’t shift her White too much but it would change how she views t he ability to planeswalk.

Aseri: Changing her faith in the gods of Theros and fearing her ability to summon Nyxborn. She would still travel and see the multiverse but would hardly use her magic or artistic ability for herself. Instead leaving her mark on others.

Cas: Give the man a home. A place to defend. A shower. He’s got nothing so anything with consistency that isn’t the road would change him by miles.

[radramblog]

Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Commanders

Due to circumstances I won’t get into at time of writing (don’t worry it’s mostly good) I’ve been forced, dragged over, and required to actually fucking read all the new Commanders from Magic’s newest set, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. I’ve only recently gotten deeper into D&D, I don’t know who like any of these clowns are (except Tiamat, obviously).

Also due to circmstances beyond my control (that are less good but understandable) my Commander night has been called off and I don’t get to play with my shiny new Cabal Coffers. It’s a bit sad, and it means I want to get my fix elsewhere.

What better way than to combine these two and just write about every AFR ‘mander? That’ll pass the time. There’s like, what, 30? I can manage that if I’m quick. Let’s get into it.

(No I’m not doing the precon cards I haven’t been staring at those all week)

Acererak the Archlich

The way I see this guy going is one of two things. You either do infinite Venture by making him free (not too hard in Black, what with Heartless Summoning, Carnival of Souls, etc.) and have a probably fine combo commander. For the record, infinite Venture does kill your opponents flat-out, BUT only because of Lost Mine of Phandelver’s Dark Pool room, and only if their life totals are lower than your deck count because you’re going to be drawing it in the process. That shouldn’t be an issue, but you never know.

The other option is just playing him fairly, which requires completing Tomb of Annihilation, and you just have a kinda mid Stax commander I guess? Eh.

Asmodeus the Archfiend

This Devil is clearly trying to echo prior Demons like Griselbrand and Vilis, but I’m not sure it’s going to be successful- if only because the mana investment means it’s a lot slower. And if he gets killed when you don’t have B up? Blown the fuck out. Add in no evasion and this is a God I’m happy to pass on.

 Barrowin of Clan Undurr

Okay so this is kind of like Alesha, in less colours and more mana, if you manage to complete a dungeon. And there aren’t that many dungeon cards, so you’re probably playing some bad ones to make up for it. This is definitely a 99’er in that Esper Dungeon precon, and certainly not a commander.

 Bruenor Battlehammer

In an attempt to solve one of Boros’s problems, Bruenor saves you a bunch of mana on equips and makes shit like Argentum Armor substantially more playable. He also gets kinda fuckin beefy with even just a few on him, hitting that 7 no matter what the first one is and 11 not long after. As far as Boros Boys go, you can do a lot worse!

 Delina, Wild Mage

Didn’t we just get this card? Like, in C21? This is harder to make busted than Rionya, but it is cheaper and works with legends, so fair call. There’s not enough “advantage” dice mechanics in Red, certainly, so you can’t go probability-mad with this, but it’s pretty decent value. It also happens to be a Shaman, so it works with that new MH2 card, and that’s fun.

 Drizzt Do’Urden

This guy has a lot of potential, and for added bonus, he has a cat! A lot of the cards that are good in this are the ones that are good in, say, Varolz, but honestly if you just want to play Selesnya Beatsticks then Drizzt might be the way to go. Can’t play him in Cats, though, unless you want to lose Kaheera, so.

 Ebondeath, Dracolich

Yeah I don’t think this one was for this format? I mean it’s super recursive, and probably a really good candidate for a Homicidal Seclusion/Deadly Wanderings deck. I think we need one or two more of that effect to make it actually playable, but I still like the idea.

Wait why isn’t this fucker a skeleton? WoTC Pls.

 Farideh, Devil’s Chosen

Look, I tried. I really tried, but there really just isn’t enough to make Farideh work yet. At least in black-border, as I think she’s probably one of the best silver-bordered commanders printed in a minute. A shame, because I sure do enjoy Tieflings, and the effect is legitimately solid if you can trigger it consistently.

 Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar

While I imagine it’s a perfectly solid commander in their own right, basically Mono-Blue Edric but not group-huggy, where this is going to really shine is in Ninja decks. Holy shit, this is so nutty for those. Honestly, ETB decks in general are going to like them, because the choice of either taking damage and letting them draw or letting them reuse a powerful ETB is pretty tough. I like everything about this, except the art, because I’m not into tentacles no thank you.

 Gretchen Titchwillow

When Strixhaven came out, I thought Zimone was going to be the most boring Simic commander we’d ever see. But here comes Gretchen to outdo them.

Look, Simic can do good designs. Even at uncommon- Imoti, Moritte, and Eutropia are all super interesting in my opinion. But Simic being just draw and lands has become a meme, and I’m sick of it. Extremely so, for three main reasons- one, it’s boring, two, it’s been all over the place since WoTC decided +1/+1 counters being their only theme was bad (and, fair,) and three, it’s good.

Gretchen is the most boring card in the entire set, in my opinion, and I sure hope she isn’t a cool character in the lore because that’d be such a waste.

 Hama Pashar, Ruin Seeker

There are 21 venture cards in Azorius, and some of them are even good. Most of the Room effects are pretty minor, however, save for some of the endgame ones (and copying Cradle of the Death God is pointless, Atropal is legendary), so copying them isn’t actually a huge amount of value. I’d still play this in Esper Venture, but I don’t think I’d build around it.

 Icingdeath, Frost Tyrant

While this clearly isn’t built for this format, equipping this dragon with it’s own tongue is kind of a hilarious idea. You could do worse for Voltron decks, I guess, and in the 99 it’s both a thing to slap equipment on and an equipment itself- like a flying (and weaker) Halvar. Eh? I just wish the token wasn’t legendary- like yeah Flavour but this effect gets a lot worse when you can’t recur it. It’s rare that someone goes out of their way to kill an equipment that isn’t super busted, so Frost Tongue is probably hanging around for a while anyway.

Man, it feels awful if they bolt this one, huh?

 Inferno of the Star Mounts

Okay this is fucking cool. It’s a Shivan Dragon with haste, and that ability is probably pretty feasible to activate- keep in mind Braid of Fire and Neheb and the like are in the format- and combined with a swing will just kill someone. In fact, when I saw this, my brain immediately started looking for ways to shrink it, just so you can get multiple 20-damage wallops in a turn.

…there aren’t very many. But still! Even if you can��t get to 20 multiple times in a turn, getting to 21 once or twice is pretty good!

 Iymrith, Desert Doom

The fourth of our dragon cycle, because hey, it is Dungeons and Dragons. Iymrith reads basically identical to Dragonlord Ojutai, but without White- and for that kinda control deck, White is pretty nice to have. Iymrith can draw you more cards than Ojutai, but only if you’re low, in a blue deck, in Commander, so. With that said, a deck that just loads this with cheap auras/equipment might actually be pretty good, since they can load you back up on cards and keep the Voltron flowing, so, maybe? I’d honestly consider it if I didn’t already have Mono-blue Voltron as a deck.

 Kalain, Reclusive Painter

Okay this is super interesting. He is, unfortunately kinda fighting with the RB precon face, Prosper, for the new RB treasure deck, but for an uncommon there’s a fair bit going on here.

Actually, wait, is there? I thought about this for another couple seconds, and I don’t think this card actually does that much. It’s one treasure, and it benefits you a little bit for doing something you frankly don’t really want to be burning treasures on? Like it probably plays a mean Marionette Master, but everyone does that.

There really aren’t any other RB Artifact commanders, though, aside from Prosper or a partner deck. So ehhhh? Why are more people playing this than, like, Bruenor?

 Krydle of Baldur’s Gate

That’s a lot of words that don’t actually do a whole lot. I like the second ability, but Commander and especially Dimir aren’t hurting for evasion options. This is probably pretty good in Rogues, but that deck has a de facto best commander now, so. If this came out like, five years ago, it’d be kinda hype, but not anymore.

As an aside, I do kinda hate it when they just print a Tribal commander (or anything like this) that’s just miles and miles better than every other commander for that archetype, like with Anowon 2 or Edgar Markov or Anje Falkenrath. Wait….those are all vampires…….

 Minsc, Beloved Ranger

Shivam Bhatt did a fucking excellent breakdown of this character’s lore on twitter, which I recommend reading- the history of D&D’s lore is fucking wild. As it is, this seems like a pretty fun Naya commander- there’s plenty of creatures that get way better if you make them large, even if targeting Boo seems kinda pointless.

Also, I need someone to explain to me why the “Top Cards” on EDHREC for this guy right now are, like, all combo cards.

WAIT NO FIGURED IT OUT, unlike Marath he doesn’t say X can’t be 0 so you can use him as a sac outlet, for fucks sake people.

 Nadaar, Selfless Paladin

Hey remember all the things I said about the WB and WU dungeon cards? I mean, at least this guy could theoretically complete the dungeon on his own, but Mono-White is even more restrictive for what you could get, so. At least he draws a card every so often. And that anthem isn’t even remotely worth it, at all.

 Old Gnawbone

Green eating up more of the colour pie, I see. Now to be fair, I’ve pondered Mono-Green artifacts for a while, and this is probably a better leader for that list than Oviya Pashiri (but…I like her….), but beyond that I’m not sure what you’re doing with this. I guess people playing Sakiko because they think she’s actually good and not because they like her have a new commander.

This is fuckbusted in the 99 of like a million decks though. So there’s that.

 Orcus, Prince of Undeath

That…is so much mana. In a colour combo not especially great at garnering lots of it. The second ability scales fairly well, and it is a decent body on its own, but I don’t think this is going to be a particularly popular commander. Like, you have to pump 6 mana into this just to get a 2-drop back or to Infest the board? And that’s just the first time you cast it? Nahhhhh.

 Oswald Fiddlebender

Artifact Pod? Yeah, okay, sure, that seems reasonable at two mana. Keeping this mono-white was a good idea, I can’t imagine how insane this’d be in blue. I’m no artifacts expert, I’m no pod expert, but this has to be busted, right? Like surely there’s an easy way to infinite this? Someone with more brains figure it out for me, but either way it’s still a bunch of value and also a tutor in the zone.

(convert two random 2-mana rocks or wellsprings into Basalt Monolith/Rings of Brighthearth, okay that’s a good start)

 Shessra, Death’s Whisper

…ehhhhhhh. Okay, so, it’s a significantly worse Deathreap ritual in the command zone, and also a terrible Lure effect. Along with the flavour words on this taking up much more space than necessary, making the effects look much bigger and better than they are. Would it have hurt to give this deathtouch? Make it trigger on every end step? Lure more than once? I dunno, this just seems painfully weak to me. We’ve had an overabundance of Golgari commanders recently, to be fair- MH2 had 3, and before that was the enemy focused Strixhaven/C21, but that’s no excuse for this to be such trash- just look at Bruenor.

 Targ Nar, Demon-Fang Gnoll

I hope you like Gnolls, because that’s gotta be the only reason you’re playing this. Hello Tuya Bearclaw/Syr Faren/im sure a bunch of other boring commanders, this is another one of you. This looks so bad next to the Gruul precon (which is apparently somehow the first Gruul precon) and, well, every other RG general from the past couple years (save, again, Tuya Bearclaw). Even the fuckin Walking Dead guy is cooler than this.

 The Tarrasque

Disappointment part one over here is at time of writing the only commander from this set with a fat zero decks. Considering there were like 10 commanders at that number when I last checked, people are clearly trying out the set, so The Tarrasque being abandoned is particularly sad. It just…doesn’t do anything? It’s the fucking Tarrasque, and it doesn’t have trample, or a fear ability, or anything? Ward 10 is cute, basically being hexproof unless they have infinite mana (or an uncounterable spell), but really? I want more than this idiot for my 9 fucking mana commander. Ugh.

 Tiamat

I believe I’ve talked about Tiamat before, when she got spoiled, but I can’t be arsed finding that and dredging it up. I’m still disappointed, basically, especially since I’ve now read her statblock and know what she actually does. They could’ve given her a cool ability per head like Cromat, or had her recur like she does in the lore, or something. I genuinely would have preferred if she was an Emrakul-style massive game-ender (with a no-reanimation no bullshit clause) than this. How utterly meh.

 Trelasarra, Moon Dancer

This is literally just Ajani’s Pridemate but Selesnya and in the zone. Also you scry. Sure? It does also have two relevant creature types I guess, and they’d probably be good in a Soul Sisters deck. But it’s not like Selesnya was hurting for Lifegain commanders- this is basically just Lathiel but much leaner and voltron-ier.

 Varis, Silverymoon Ranger

Wait you can’t even play this in Esper Venture, fuck. With Flash effects, you can start clearing dungeons well quick enough, but like, for what, a Wolf? And these defensive keywords aren’t getting you anywhere either. Blegh.

Side note- I’m a big fan of tokens, and collecting various token arts, and I was extremely disappointed when I found out that the Wolf token from this set is just…the Zendikar one again? They didn’t reuse the 3/3 Angel or the Goblin or even the Zombie, why just that one? Something must have happened behind the scenes here.

Also….Silverymoon? That sounds like shit.

 Volo, Guide to Monsters

Hey, I know you, you’re from that one book. As much as Anti-Tribal sounds fun, I’m pretty sure this just turns into generic Simic value. Copying things is fun, I suppose, though not working with Legends hurts. I also appreciate that this supports playing a bunch of weirdo cards or ones that have fallen out of favor because they have more unique creature types- Anphin Mutineer, Acidic Slime, and Diluvian Primordial all seem like a lot of power here.

That said, is anyone ever letting this fucker stick around for a turn?

 Xanathar, Guild Kingpin

Hey, I know you, you’re from that one book. This card is completely awful to play in webcam-commander, so it’s a good thing we’re all getting vaccinated, right?

So this is UB Gonti, I guess? And also unironically not the worst combo commander, since it stops people from playing spells on your turn in a very White-like effect. Add in some Lantern-style effects and you can get a real stew going with this guy. He looks like a lot of fun- and I’m sure he’ll end up popular as a result. Well, that and being on the cover of an expansion book gets you a lot of notoriety.

 Zalto, Fire Giant Duke

 Our final card, our final Venture card, and the only red one. So, uh, there are literally 4 other Venture cards in mono-red, and at least one of them is complete dogshit, so I can’t imagine this being very good. Also, it’s an Enrage trigger on a 3 toughness 5-drop? Far from ideal. I guess it’s a 7 power trampler for 5, but that’s kind of faint praise to damn with. Maybe if someone makes 5C Venture, or if Giant/Barbarian tribal feel lacking, then this guy can find a home.

Shoutout to the exactly one person who built this deck, by the way. I see you, Elder Demon Highlander, and your 100ish views on your deck tech.

 And that’s the lot of them. Honestly, a lot more misses than hits, but that’s perfectly okay by me. 30 legends in a set is a lot, not to mention the 12 from the precons, and we’ve had so many actively playable legends recently that I’m fine with, like, half of these being trash. Trash is more fun anyway! Get yourself a fuckin Varis, why not.

Okay but seriously though who’s biting the bullet and building Tarrasque first? It’s not going to be me.

[leafdrake-haven]

So I don’t remember if I’ve made a post like this before but I’m feeling 3-color love and I wanna talk about Tarkir. Now that we can do 1 set on a plane, it’s less risky to do returns and medium to less popular planes have more of a chance! (Granted I think these ideas would work best in a 2-set situation but I digress) So what would I like to see in a Return to Tarkir?

Revolution! Maybe I’m weird but flavor-wise my favorite of the Tarkirs we saw was Fate Reforged. I love the Khans and the world-building and flavor of them so I want them back. However, I love the unique designs of all the dragons and it’s interesting to see the interactions with the khans and the world as a whole. It’s clear from some of the flavor texts that Tarkir needs the balance of both. Khans of Tarkir and Dragons of Tarkir were both the world at extremes and the plane suffered for it, so we need a way to have both (for the health of the plane AND for the enjoyment/happiness of players xD).

Tarkir is currently ripe for a huge change. There’s no way Ugin didn’t do something to calm and recalibrate the dragon tempests before he left Tarkir again. Perhaps slowing them down from where they’re supposed to be and then setting it so they’ll increase to their required amount once the dragon population approaches what it’s supposed to. This will be a huge power balance switch. The humanoids are already kinda used to the new world order but we’ve seen each clan has people grasping to the old ways, and if the others see the dragons aren’t as infallible as they’ve been taught, more may be swayed into a rebellion.

Jeskai/Ojutai: I would like to see Narset return and confront her beloved teacher. She manages to single-handedly best him but instead of dealing a finishing blow she offers a hand; a role-reversal. She becomes the leader and restores the clan to the Jeskai to uncover their previous true history and teachings and they all move forward together, hand in claw in wing etc. Ojutai is outraged and humiliated and takes any of his dragons that still respect him after his defeat into self-exile. Some stay behind, impressed and curious by Narset’s ascension, especially by what she has to say about planeswalking and what she’s learned from other worlds. Ojutai monitors from afar and once his anger begins to cool, his curiosity and pride in his student returns. He knew Narset could surpass him once she sparked, he just never thought she would. Eventually, humbled he returns with his willing dragons and the clan is restored to a greater extant than it ever was. Dragons and humanoids now as equals, learning from each other and allowing their passion to guide them. I can also see a high-ranking dragon not being able to accept this and break off with another group of dragons that don’t accept this order. This would give us a Jeskai Narset planeswalker card, a Jeskai legendary Ojutai card, and a legendary blue/white new dragon leader card.

Abzan/Dromoka: I would like to see ancestor/spirit worship become way more widespread even if it’s in secret. It gets to the point that most of the humanoids in the clan know about and support learning about the old ways. Eventually there’s a confrontation between Dromoka and the leaders of this underground rebellion and they manage to slay her and many other dragons and drive out more. Reception is mixed. Dromoka was seen as both a tyrant for taking parts of their culture away but she was a steadfast protector afterwards and would even listen to her humanoid leaders over some of the dragons if their strategic minds had proved themselves in the past. The scale lords they killed were also protectors, family members. It’s a very somber couple of days. Eventually a leading council decides to try something outrageous. They decide to raise Dromoka’s spirit. Once her spirit returns she is understandably enraged, this stands against everything she has ever believed and taught! Another confrontation takes place. The clan summons ancient ancestors that are more than glad to fight with the spirit of Dromoka. Eventually they are able to calm her spirit and she realizes she is herself. Her mind, her feelings, they’re all there. She is not some mindless undead beast. She realizes that technically some of the spirits are as old as her and have much wisdom to share. Dromoka is given a choice. Out of respect for the good she did, they can put her spirit to rest if this existence truly disgusts her. Or she can remain a protector of her clan, if she is willing to relinquish leadership. She, like Ojutai, is humbled. She agrees as long as she can be on consulted, which they laugh and inform her that’s how ancestor spirits are supposed to work. Of course in this case too some dragons would be willing to convert and some would be enraged and break off. We would get a new legendary Abzan leader (or card for the council), a legendary spirit dragon Abzan Dromoka card, and a legendary green/white dragon leader.

Sultai/Silumgar: In secret the clan reembraces nature magic and community they lost. Sidisi and other rebels realize they can’t overthrow Silumgar and the dragons on their own. A poison that can down even the noxious Silumgar dragons is eventually developed. Even if it doesn’t kill them outright it gives them a chance. The rebels throw a party in honor of Silumgar and a tainted feast is prepared. The dragons and even Silumgar himself are incapacitated the the rebels go on a massacre. Silumgar and a huge amount of his dragons are slain. As the ultimate gloat, Silumgar is raised as a sibsig servant. The Sultai are restored and delve (hah) desperately into their own history to recover what has been lost. Some other dragons are raised to be their undead army to protect them from the other clans/dragons and the few surviving Silumgar dragons. This would give us a legendary Sultai Sidisi (or other character if it makes more sense) and a legendary zombie dragon Silumgar (either still blue/black or just mono black). I don’t think there would be enough surviving Silumgar dragons for them to make their own faction, at least not right away.

Admittedly I have less ideas for the last two (despite the Temur being one of my favorites of the original clans). I mostly think these groups would just break off and war with each other.

Temur/Atarka: We already know there’s secret shamans practicing the old ways of the Temur and lost strongholds that contain lost artifacts. With the dragons losing strength I think the shamans would grow more bold and more clan members would be willing to embrace old ways. I think with enough support the Temur would just suddenly break off, probably fighting off and taking out some dragons on the way. Atarka would be outraged and retaliate. I think this would essentially be like the relationship in Fates Reforged. We’d get a new legendary Temur clan leader (maybe Surrak reprises his role?) and another legendary red/green Atarka.

Mardu/Kalaghan: This one I have the least ideas for. I imagine humanoids would be slowly regaining their sense of cooperation/community and realizing it’s easier to survive the harsh lands by working together. I wonder if the clan could break off much how it formed to begin with and just, ride away. Maybe there wouldn’t even be a departing confrontation like with the Temur and Atarka, the Mardu decide to reform and ride their own way and the Kalaghan dragons follow their lord. They essentially just become two rival groups. Maybe some dragons embrace the white mana and join and maybe some humanoids prefer to follow the dragon lord. We’d get a new legendary Mardu leader and a new legendary red/black Kalaghan. (I could see some argument for this being like the first two and teaming up and we end up with a Mardu Kalaghan but I feel like we learned the least about her so I’m just not sure.)

Anyway these are my indulgent ideas that I think could make a compelling return. What do you think? What would you guys like to see?Thanks for reading my ideas and ramblings!

[xantchaslegacy]

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Multiverse

A quick and dirty rundown of some of the premier MtG planes, ranked by how nice a place they would be to live. Very subjective obviously, and I’d love to hear if people agree/ disagree/ have any strong feelings on the matter at all~ I stuck mostly to planes where I felt enough was known about it to make a tentative judgment call on its general safety/ enjoyability.

Note that for the below list, the criteria is that you are a) a human, who b) is primarily interested in living a long, peaceful life c) ideally with minimal external control by outside powers.

1) Kaladesh

– Periodically corrupt government, but overall a plane which offers lifestyles for urban and rural preferences, has plentiful clean energy, and supports both the arts and the sciences for public benefit.

2) Kylem

– Not many options for a quiet life, judging by the admittedly small sampling of the plane seen so far. Does seem to have a fairly lower fatality rate for all that, and Cloudspire City ranks high on places to visit for a fun time.

3) Eldraine

– Surprisingly benevolent monarchy, even verging on democratic in areas. Dangers of wilds exist, but odds of random monster death are reasonably mitigated compared to other planes. Limited career options for the layperson, though more fields open up if willing to take on the life of a knight.

4) Equilor

– Peaceful but dull, which is basically exactly the criteria for this particular test.

5) Dominaria

– Lots of world to see if you fancy adventure, and a diverse number of places to settle down if you don’t. Options for scholars, warriors, farmers, traders, artists, and writers alike. Currently no pending apocalypse, but the track record is not so good. Death machines just a few layers of dirt down.

6) Alara (Bant)

– Not a bad life to be had, if a bit over-codified. Even life as a warrior is not bad, at least pre-conflux. Peaceful and well-ordered, and passes the criteria for this list, albeit only for a brief period of time.

7) Theros

– Many options re: career path, from farmer to warrior to philosopher to herder. Do have to contend with sudden, violent death from monsters, minotaurs, or gods getting bored, so constantly on edge, probably.

8) Ravnica

– Pretty much the gold standard for variety in life paths. Entertainer, provider, lawyer, doctor, scientist, artist, spy, usurer...the world is your oyster if you’ve got the gumption. Semiapocalyptic events fairly frequent in recent years,  though nothing has stuck. Very few options for the non-urban inclined that don’t involve joining a cult or grafting new parts onto your body.

9) Shandalar

– current status a bit unclear, but a great plane for anyone looking to incorporate casual magic into their day-to-day life. Likely still a ripe target for planeswalker visitors looking to harvest the rich mana therein.

10) Fiora

– Fairly interesting and relatively low-key place to live if you keep your head down and out of the hardcore politicking. Rural living options exist.

11) Plane of Mountains and Seas

– limited information, but seems pretty chill.

12) Bablovia

– here for a good time, not a long time.

13) Alara (Naya)

– Not too bad, if you don’t get stepped on. Mostly jungle living, but if you’re down with that, there are fun adventures to be had.

14) Kamigawa

– Sure, your Daimyo may occasionally invoke the wrath of the sizeable and omnipresent spirit world, casting the whole of the plane into bitter, arcane civil war, but in any other situation you’ve got a fairly diverse and interesting world to live in, and nowadays there’s even a pair of spirits protecting you from extraplanar threats.

15) Lorwyn/Shadowmoor

– Depending on the side of the aurora you find yourself on, you will either want to seek out the elves for sanctuary, or avoid them at all costs. Lorwyn is pleasant enough, if you resign yourself to not seeing any other humans, and are good with extremely rural living. Watch overhead for giants at all times.

16) Alara (Esper)

– Long life options available, if you are good with artifacts™, and cool with swapping out some of your fleshy bits. A wee bit classist.

17) Kephelai

– peaceful and ordered enough, but definitely leaning on the oppressive side of the political spectrum. Not the most fun people to live among, either.

18) Regatha

– Some like it hot; some might not.

19) Muraganda

– The perfect plane for all you paleo diet enthusiasts out there. Living might be a little too bare-bones and dinosaur-filled for the average person.

20) Ixalan

– A few options here, all pretty narrow. Piracy and vampire imperialism both involve a life of violence and in the latter case, a high degree of servitude. Sun empire pretty viable option for humans comfortable with dinosaurs, and, as of the most recent story, going full aztec.

21) Tarkir (Khans)

– A varied lifestyle options to pick from. Very few leisurely ones available, barring a life of deceit and treachery with the Sultai. Inter- and intra-clan conflict more or less unavoidable, but not of a disastrous scale that you’ll find on different planes.

22) Zendikar

– Excellent opportunities for forging your own path in life, and endless options for adventure. Lacking in safe places to settle down and live without sudden death by avalanche/tidal wave/typhoon/ eruption/ sinkhole/ eldritch horror.

23) Mercadia

– Opportunities for rural and urban living, if you are at peace with living in a trash heap/ dust bowl. Forest living is an option if you don’t mind the mercenary raids, but at least others will have your back. Options for piracy as well, though not as flashy as the Ixalan variety. No apocalyptic events to worry about, which puts it head and shoulders above a few other planes on the list.

24) Gargantikar

– See Segovia; this time, it is you who gets stomped. May be ideal for anyone who saw Disney’s jack and the beanstalk and decided life on a giant kitchen table was the life for them.

25) Segovia

– Oh jeez, please be careful where you step. If you could just – we’ve got a lovely hundred acres of pasture for you to take a seat in if you would just take care not to step on OH MY GOD YOU’VE KILLED THEM ALL (Yes, Segovia corrects for scale with planeswalker visitors, but I stand by the joke)

26) Serra’s Realm

– Fairly peaceful in theory, but the oversight is pretty strict, and it’s no good if you’ve got a fear of heights. Very limited time to enjoy living there if floating fields and angels are your jam.

27) Vryn

– Regularly corrupt government, in constant conflict with other major power over contested energy sources, with everyone else placed firmly in the middle of the meat grinder.

28) Innistrad

– You can certainly live long as a vampire or free as a werewolf, but as both are of dubious desirability for the average person, this plane will rank a bit low.

29) Mirrodin (Pre-besieged)

– Prospects for living a quiet life exist, with major caveats regardless of which human society you wind up in. Basically take your pick between constant danger of attack, subservience to another species, living in a place not designed for habitation by any form of life, or some combination of the three.

30) Tarkir (Dragons)

– Much narrower lifestyle options than the khans timeline, and higher odds of dying within your own clan, though which dragon you end up under makes a huge difference in the quality of life. Dromoka and Ojutai probably the best options if your goal is longetivity.

31) Ulgrotha

– Dead/ dying plane, and the management sucks.

32) Rath (pre-overlay)

– Mercadia situation amped up to 11. Oppress or be oppressed, with an uncomfortable middle ground where you will experience both. Also a generally hostile landscape due to nanomachine silly putty.

33) Alara (Jund)

– Spicy Naya. Probably can last a while if you’re quick on your feet, but no one dies of old age here.

34) Amonkhet

– Dead/ dying world, even if it wasn’t host to a horrific logan’s run/ hunger games inspired colonialism. Not so bad short-term, if you want to work on your beach body. At least you have a god looking out for you, unlike...

35) Alara (Grixis)

– The living hunted for their life-force...hellscape of zombies and demons...Grixis fails most of the criteria for the list, but you’ve got a slightly more sporting chance of survival here than with some of the planes further down.

36) New Phyrexia

– NOT GREAT

37) Phyrexia (Nine Spheres)

– Pictured above: the worst place in the multiverse, as a backdrop to the most wonderful person in the multiverse