#danitha

[dominarianplowshare]

I just posted the final chapter of “New Benalia’s Light,” my series charting Danitha Capashen’s struggle with the trauma of her father’s death, the agony of her doubts, and the devastation of the Phyrexian Invasion! Give it a read!

It was such a cathartic experience to write this chapter, which I've been drafting ever since I decided to expand the first entry beyond its one-shot status. I really struggled to decide whether to split this one up into two more reasonably sized sections, but I decided to release this mega-deluxe-hot-dog of a chapter to give a sense of the scale I'm working through.

'New Benalia's Light' has been my love-letter to my favorite character, my favorite faction, and my favorite plane in all of Magic, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride as much as I have. My hope, as I've discussed in these notes and elsewhere, has been to see how we got from the Danitha of 'Dominaria' and 'Dominaria United' to the Danitha of 'March of the Machines: Aftermath,' including her new green-white color identity (as a side note, I'm a big color pie enthusiast, and I've loved thinking throughwhat it looks like for a White Mana character to add Green). My greatest goal of all has been to figure out *why* she fights, beneath the veneer of honor and chivalry, and what the Church of Serra--which, to me, is the most beautiful of all Magic's religions--means to her. I hope I've done the character justice.

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Danitha, New Benalia's Light (Showcase Ver) by Irina Shirokova

[dominarianplowshare]

“Creatures with +1/+1 counters on them have all abilities of all created cards exiled by CARDNAME”

my Bright-Palm/Backup EDH deck will be EATING

Maro’s Teaser for Wilds of Eldraine

Before previews for Wilds of Eldraine officially begin, I thought it would be fun to do another of my Duelist-style teasers where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I’m only giving you partial information. 

First up, here are some things you can expect: 

• a new type of token (at least done as a cohesive theme)

• a card that can activate to copy enchantments

• Adventures on a new permanent type

• an artifact that has two different artifact subtypes normally associated with artifact tokens

• a creature type from Alpha gets a draft archetype

• fairy tale Sagas

• multiple legendary Foods

• a new card with a lobotomy effect

• a creature with two triggers, one for artifacts entering the battlefield and one for enchantments

• a new mechanic that batches together three items that have been in the game since Alpha but never batched before

Next, here are some rules text that will be showing up on cards: 

• “If a permanent entering the battlefield causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.”

• “Look at the top twenty cards of your library.”

• “it produces three times as much of that mana instead.”

• “Sacrifice all Reflections you control.”

• “Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them have all activated abilities of all creature cards exiled with CARDNAME.”

• “have base power and toughness 4/4 and flying.”

• “exile up to one other non-Fox creature”

• “Land creatures you control”

• “Whenever you tap an untapped creature an opponent controls,”

• “X is 2 plus the number of cards in your graveyard that are instant cards, sorcery cards, and/or have an Adventure.”

Here are some creature type lines from the set:

• Creature – Mouse

• Creature – Rabbit Unicorn

• Creature – Faerie Shapeshifter

• Creature – Elf Fox Knight

• Creature – Giant Archer

• Creature – Plant Wurm

• Creature – Elemental Raccoon

• Legendary Creature – Rat Noble

• Legendary Creature – Vedalken Scout

• Legendary Creature – Human Warlock Bard

Finally, here are some names in the set:

• Candy Grapple

• Charming Scoundrel

• Food Fight

• Protective Parents

• Scream Puff

• Stroke of Midnight

• A Tale for the Ages

• Three Blind Mice

• Three Bowls of Porridge

• Up the Beanstalk

 Kickoff the preview season for Wilds of Eldraine with the debut on August 15th, at 10:00 AM PT on twitch.tv/Magic and our official YouTube channel. Catch up with our web fiction before the debut August 8th – 14th.

[inventors-fair]

First Pickable: Typal Winners ~

Our winners for this week are @helloijustreadyourpost, @reaperfromtheabyss and @tanknspank!

@helloijustreadyourpost — Score of a Lifetime

This one is absolutely sold for me. I assume that this is a Capenna-themed card? I mean, considering the scored, I'd say so, so as to avoid the batching that something like OTJ had. All the same, there are a LOT of Rogues there, and a lot of colors. Maybe this could've even been a Treasure, right? But regardless, having a little bit of every color get a little bit of roguishness is pretty much on the nose for what we're looking for mechanically. There was that one artifact from VOW that made a creature unblockable with a bonus for Vampires, but that wouldn't be as fought over. This card, though? I love the evasive theme that everyone would seek if there are indeed rogues, well, everywhere.

And the flavor text is pretty awesome too—which is what fully sells me on the card, because you're expressing a whole lot of possibilities here. The first is that a thief's life is short because of their field of work, but the other is that being "set for life" could just be a temporary measure, and that the rogue would squander it and impulsively go on to the next job—not for the money, but for the thrill. That's a way more esoteric read than I think is necessary, but dammit, it's speaking to me, so I'm going to roll with it. Nobody can stop me!

@reaperfromtheabyss — Sentry's Shortsword

My first thought was that this could be an excellent Kaldheim card, but then I remembered the Artificer example from the beginning of the week, and then yeah, okay, this could also be a more military-oriented card from Kaladesh. That was a really weird thought for me, especially because I remember Kaladesh's dwarves as being pilots and tinkerers, not as much soldiers. But my imagination is running ahead of me. In some ways...isn't that a good thing? Maybe I do like specificity and pounded-into-the-forge worldbuilding. With a set like this, there could be some story behind it to push it in either direction.

That's very cool. That's very cool indeed. As an equipment, this card's on the aggressive and defensive sides, and everyone who's ever played against Danitha in any form knows how much of a pain first strike and vigilance is. Perhaps I'm biased towards vigilance as a mechanic. It's equally possible that vigilance kicks ass and I'm correct and handsome and etc. Don't matter none when a dwarf is swinging at your face. I like the low-to-the-ground implication here, no pun intended, and how you linked the flavor of dwarves with the auto-equip. Like, to me that says something about how they're either readily weaponized or close to the forge? I like cards that make me prone to positive overthinking and this one gets the job done right.

@tanknspank — Sudden Swarming

As an annoying first critique, I will say that I wish the flavor text had been one sentence: "The two kings agreed to clash at dawn, but a neighboring queen arranged a temporary truce." That's about it. The image of these armies fleeing at the behest of a cloud of annoyed bugs is punny, hilarious, and a great use of an underused mechanical space, in my opinion. Does anyone love Fogs? Well, no, because they haven't made a good one in a kajillion years. Is this one of the best Fogs ever? I mean, I think so, but mostly because I'm a jerk.

And also, like, there could be one single Insect or Insect-themed card in this whole draft set, and it wouldn't have any payoff except for this one card, but this one card would be a single sideboard piece in most decks. Someone might want to start building Insects in standard and be disappointed, and/or add it to their Grist commander deck. That's what cards like this should be about, and this is both a hilarious use of the prompt and a great use of this kind of spot overall. Puns don't always get me in design, but this one sure does. A card that stands on its own merits is a card I can get behind.

Runners up 'n coming. @abelzumi

[danco110]

“…It is the choice to stand unbowed against impossible odds.” A pause. “Which…is why I can’t help you this time.”

“WHAT!”

Danitha’s incredulous shout rang out across the battlefield, startling both her Phyrexian opponents and her own forces around her. Above the indignant soldier hovered a radiant angel who flinched at the sound before replying.

“Er, yes, so sorry, Lady Danitha. But, you know how I love to use my bolstering magic to support you knights, usually the plucky underdogs?”

“Yes!” Danitha roared, as she parried an attack from a Phyrexian who had drawn near.

“Well, it seems like you are not the underdogs in this particular scenario.”

Danitha’s eyes widened even as she flicked her blade to knock her opponent’s oil-slick axe out of their claws. “We are fighting against an army of mechanical monsters!”

“Yes, and yet you still seem to have the matter well in hand, no?”

“Well…” Danitha looked back and forth, between Solara and her disarmed opponent. “That doesn’t mean you can’t still help! Right?”

Solara’s expression hardened. “As far as helping people in need goes…I only see one party here who might be in need.”

Danitha’s gaze settled on the Phyrexian, who was now looking as confused as she was.

“So unless you’d prefer that I give my support to-”

“Fine! Fine!” Danitha shook her head as she aimed her sword at the enemy, gesturing to continue their fight. “Don’t give us any magic! See if I care! Just make sure we don’t get attacked from above! Keep things fair and all!”

Solara nodded harshly before taking flight, brandishing her warhammer at a compleated counterpart descending towards Danitha and her opponent.

“I can do that.”

[Serra Redeemer can’t apply the etb counters to Danitha, but she can give them to Phyrexian Missionary. Go figure!]

[arvadthecursed]

I am also a fan of the New Weatherlight Crew, you are not alone. And for that, I leave a 💚 for them specifically.

KISSES FOR GOOD TASTE IN CHARACTERS 💖

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Okay so for the whole crew: I love Slimefoot but it gets way too much of the spotlight and people but toooooooooo much emphasis on it. How come Slimefoot got both an Alchemy card (as much as I dislike Alchemy) and a team up card?? I think people just saw "haha janitor mushroom" and then ignored the rest of the crew. I guess that's not really something people strictly "get wrong" but it annoys me and I want to bitch.

I also just. Okay. I am gonna sound mean but I HATED "Shards of Nightmares" and I think it was a very phoned-in and stupid story. I am not blaming the writer. She tried with what she was given, I'm blaming WOTC. But it's so bizarre. Shanna would know how the Phyrexians operate. Hell, ALL of them would! Why would any of them think it was a good idea to cover the ship in oil and Phyrexian garbage?? It seems only Tiana voiced concern over this, when realistically, I don't think ANY of the crew (save for Raff, due to being so young) would have approved of that plan. I think it happened just so WOTC could be like "oooh, look, the Weatherlight got compleated!!! Hope is lost, AAAAAA!!" and push that angle.

I also think that the shoving of the crew to the side was a poor choice in the story. The planeswalkers + Danitha and Radha should have joined them on the ship. Faster travel + air superiority/advantage. Also it would've given the crew SOMETHING to do besides appear in one scene and pass the idiot ball around. They're smart, thoughtful, brave characters and they deserved SO much better.

[vorthosjay]

This might be out of your field of knowledge as a Loremaster, but what kind of factors motivate reappearance of non-planeswalker characters? Are there lists of must-hit characters when a certain plane appears? (for example, Radha and Danitha have appeared on each visit to Dominaria since they were introduced, whereas someone like Aryel has not)

It's not something I'm involved in, but I have spent like 15 years reading development articles and literally wrote the book on Legends, so here's my best guesstimate. It's probably some kind of combination of the following:

Wizards has data on which legends are the most popular and try to hit those every time.

Legends that have a larger story or lore presence are likely to be seen again because they're important in-universe.

Developers have their own favorites they like to get included.

Those legends hit on the mechanical spaces a set on their plane needs.

Again, this is just an educated guess on my part, and it'll probably vary which factors are more important for different legends and different sets.

[wifelinkmtg]

Dominaria United Who’s Hot Speedrun

Please, G-d, they cannot already be doing March of the Machines spoilers come on Phyrexia All Will Be One has been out for like, two weeks. Hnnnnnngh okay here we go.

DOMINARIA UNITED

Mostly disappointing, if I’m being honest! Like hey remember Chris Rallis’ Danitha and Anna Steinbauer’s Radha from last time we were on Dominaria? Hey, no worries if not, here they are:

Extremely hot! I’ve said a great deal about that version of Radha previously. Anyway now here’s versions of them from this set:

Radha, Coalition Warlord (art by Randy Vargas)

Like I’m not complaining, you know, she’s still an absolutely massive elf lady with a huge sword (and you really don’t see enough muscular elves, do you?) but like in comparison to the above version...no, wait, sorry, I changed my mind, she is still extremely hot, I do very much still want her to rail me.

Danitha, Benalia’s Hope (art by Magali Villeneuve)

This, though, is very much a “go girl, give us nothing” moment for Danitha. Which is fine! It’s a fine painting, and Danitha has to cut her Phyrexianized dad’s head off in this story if I recall, so it’s okay if she doesn’t feel quite up to the glamor shots. Not everything should be five-star wifelink material, you know?

Join Forces (art by Aurore Folny)

We do get this nice gay little team-up for the both of them, which feels a little calculated, but I’ll take it. Okay what else we got, Dominaria United?

Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim (art by G-host Lee)

Ooh, now we’re getting somewhere! Love a woman just dripping with ichor.

Phyrexian Missionary (art by Mila Pesic)

Ichor AND horrible cyborg parts, even better!

Hang on, do you hear something? A noise, as of distant thunder mixed with the clangor of the factories of Hell? Why, that could be none other than

SHEOLDRED, THE APOCALYPSE (art by Chris Rahn)

All the way from New Phyrexia, the Dross Pits’ lovely Praetor-Thane has strapped herself into an ancient dragon engine: a potent force multiplier both for battlefield devastation and raw sexual appeal. (The dragon engine is a metaphor.)

This set also, in a rare turn of events, has a version of Liliana who absolutely does not make the cut. You really have to fuck up for that to happen.

NEXT TIME ON WIFELINK: THE BROTHERS WAR

Nothing. Like, actually nothing, and I’m not just saying that because I don’t want to have to review yet another set before I get to the good stuff. It turns out Old Phyrexia wasn’t nearly as hot as New Phyrexia. We’re skipping it.

NEXT TIME ON WIFELINK: PHYREXIA ALL WILL BE ONE, AT LONG LAST.

[big-phyrexia-fan]

danitha capashen: have you been hanging out with that phyrexian missionary again

my compleat ass:

[magicjudge]

Any opinions on, what seem to me like, exceptions to the hard rules made for the sake of gameplay synergy? It always kind of bugged me that cards can track a card with Madness from hand to graveyard after it went into exile (and wasn't cast) and still see it as the "discarded card", and that effects like Brass Squire and Danitha, Benalia's Hope can still work on equipment with Reconfigure even though Reconfigure itself was never activated.

The rules exist to make the game play well, not vice versa. I'd rather see cards work in ways that are more intuitive with a few more rules under the hood than forcing strange-seeming results for the sake of "better" rules.

[dominarianplowshare]

Part III of New Benalia’s Light, my Danitha Capashen series, is up!

The story follows Danitha Capashen as she struggles with her father’s legacy, her wavering faith in Benalia and in Serra—and the Phyrexian Invasion. Guest starring Teshar, the Ancestor’s Apostle, and Aryel, Knight of Windgrace!

I’ve loved getting to work on the story—and planning what’ll come next. Give it a view and a comment if you’re interested in bridging March of the Machine to MOM: Aftermath!

[revanezendikar]

Danitha Capashen 🤍🤍

[dnrtransfer]

We Sponsor Your Event

DNR TRANSFER - Your Transportation Partner By offering an exceptional service with no detail unattended, we are proudly recognized as a leading provider of ground transportation throughout the United Kingdom. ☎️+44 3337 330666 📧info@dnrtransfer.com 📱+44 3337 330666 💻www.dnrtransfer.com

dnr #dnrtransfer #saga #taxilondon #taxidriver #taxi #londontaxi #limo #limoservice #fypシ #viral #londontaxiservice #londonairporttransfers #LondonMiniCabs #mercedesbenz #fypシ゚viralシ #london #uk #ukevents #londontaxis #CarService #reliable #ReliableTransportation #events2024 #everyone #eventplanner #fashionshow #musicfestival

Crown Entertainment Saga Danitha Ranasingha

[markrosewater]

Hey, can I ask why Danitha is G/W and not just White like the rest of her printings? Adding trample if she's green makes sense, but the rest of her feels like she could have stayed Mono-White.

It showed an evolution of her character and allowed you to play with white and green cards with her as your Commander.

[inventors-fair]

Second Verse: Wordplay Runners-up! ~

Our runners-up this week are @an-anarchist-shapeshifter​, @askkrenko​ and @misterstingyjack​!

@an-anarchist-shapeshifter​ — Back to Back

Nitpick first: “Up to two target creatures EACH get” etc. That said, this was one of my favorite cards in general this week. I love flashback, I love combat tricks, and vigilance is one of my favorite mechanics although I honestly couldn’t tell you why. Heroic as well is a fun one. Sorcery speed is a good limiter, and the symmetry exhibited on this card is just delightful. I don’t think I envision this one being a P1P1 but does that really matter? The format could extend beyond, so who knows what payoffs exist in the imagination.

With Danitha and Radha there, well, I already know the card from which it comes so I’m kinda iffy on imposing my own flavor, but in terms of other worlds, I can definitely see places where flashback would lead to some awesome heroics over time manipulation and whatnot. Honestly I’m shocked we haven’t seen it anywhere but Dominaria and Innistrad in a premier set. What about a theatre camp, hm? WotC, you taking notes? Strixhaven: Opening Night when?

@askkrenko​ — Bear Bones

This card was beloved by a lot of people and got a huge amount of buzz going. I felt the exact same buzz, and I also feel without a doubt that this card wouldn’t be printed at common. It’s recursive with the only limit being a) staying in your graveyard and b) being able to draw something. I love these effects, I truly do. I also have been on the giving end of infinite recursion at a relatively low cost, and lemme tell you, having a number of these bears—oh my God, they’re bears. This card is really special. I gotta nix the common nature of it simply for efficiency’s sake.

As an uncommon? Right up in my face, immediately, give it now. It’ll go to file and someone will come up with incredible flavor for it. Maybe something about the arms, yeah? Or bearing a grudge? Seriously, if it wasn’t for the condition of this contest’s rarity, this would be a smash hit. Obviously I’d’ve liked flavor text, and you know what? Maybe in some Masters set this card could be reprinted as a common and ruin Pauper. Doesn’t matter. As a designer, just rawly, you did a stellar job.

@misterstingyjack​ — Forge Ahead

This card gets my vote for “well I’m not exactly frothing at the mouth but I like it a lot.” I think that there were a lot of conservatively powerful designs, which I think I appreciate for common, and this card is a reminder of both my inability to see power before getting blown out and my draft experience telling me that, depending on the environment, this card’s either a T4 kill or a “time in the round” last-ditch swing in a complex game. But, hey, adding four power to the board is hella fun no matter what, right?

The name’s really fantastic, though, and I think I appreciate that a lot. It’s hopeful, it’s a pun in some sense, it’s powerful, it’s playful, and it makes sense even if you don’t get it. That’s really one of the best parts about this contest, where even if the puns aren’t going to land or aren’t designed to be the focal point of the card, the cards still end up being really fun to read regardless. I have an affinity for this card, and I hope people see how it’s demonstrable of the mood I was hoping for.

Commentary will be slow-going but eventual. Tally ho! - @abelzumi​

[danco110]

“I’ve got your back, Leonie.”

“Thank you, sir!”

The honor guard knight rode forward, strengthened by her marshal’s bolstering magic. She easily rode down the enemy formation and broke the skeletons back into loose bones.

“Great work, knight!”

“Couldn’t have done it without your magic, Marshal Jonah!” Leonie held her crimson banner high as she rode back to her commander, who was grinning at the heroic display. “You’re great, too!”

The older knight chuckled. “That so? Then maybe you could raise one of those banners of yours in my name one day!”

“Er…yeah, sure.”

Jonah’s expression grew deadpan upon noticing Leonie’s hesitation. “Something wrong with that idea, knight?”

“Well, no, sir,” Leonie lied. “It’s just…I’m not sure your exploits are, ah, flashy enough to immortalize?”

“‘Flashy,’” Jonah echoed, with a knowing smirk.

“Y-Yes!”

“Then who would be an example of someone flashy enough, in your estimation?”

“Well, there are plenty of renowned heroes. Like…er…”

Jonah rolled his eyes and smiled. “Maybe, Danitha-”

“Oh, Danitha Capashen!” Leonie swooned. “Now there’s a knight! Beautiful, generous, and an amazing fighter, with a fierce will that’s second to none!”

“Ah, just to confirm, we are still talking about who you’d rather be an honor guard for, right?”

“O-Oh, yes!” Leonie snapped out of her reverie with embarrassed blush. “Yes, honor guard. That’s right, sir.”

“Just making sure,” Jonah chuckled.

[I wonder whether there’s an in-universe metric, for who counts as a legendary card and who doesn’t?]