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vorthosjay · 7 years ago

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Let’s Talk About Hour of Devastation

It’s finally here: Hour of Devastation by Ken Troop. This story has a lot of baggage to work through, being the pivotal moment that shifts the Gatewatch from their ‘Phase 1′ to ‘Phase 2′. If you’ve ever wondered if Wizards realized the problems inherent in the Gatewatch, this story should settle all doubt.

It’s fun. We certainly get better insight into Nicol Bolas than any time in the last ten years, but if you were looking for resolution to any lingering plot threads, they’re not here. And that’s kind of disappointing.

This is a LONG one, people, so settle in.

Hour of Devastation by Simon Dominic

Either he would have deaths, screams, and blood, or he would, perhaps, have something better.

Okay, so the first thing we have to get out of the way is that we don’t have resolutions to those lingering Bolas threads between Alara and Amonkhet. On that front, this story is very unsatisfying.

This is the first of the new mysteries that we’ll be tracking going forward. Why does Bolas want the Gatewatch broken and in the wild? I have enough faith in the post-Origins team setting up for the long term that I think there’s something planned there... but will it be satisfying when it pays off?

They fancied themselves The Gatewatch. As though for some bizarre reason there were gates scattered throughout the Multiverse. That deserved watching.

And here is the beginning of Bolas disassembling everything about the Gatewatch. Bolas is exposing those obvious flaws in the Gatewatch.

Why does Bolas want heroes out in the wild? What possible reason could it serve?

The heroes, Nicol Bolas thought. Bless them, each and every one.

I didn’t know Nicol Bolas was from the south.

No matter. There were others, if need be.

Who? The Takewatch, maybe :D

His roar echoed the cries of countless other predators throughout the eons, predators who have no more need to be silent. Over the long years, Nicol Bolas knew it served him poorly to be too much the dragon. But it was no fun to be the dragon too little.

This is so relatable.

Oh, they probably had a plan. A plan, charitably, could consist of kill the dragon. Or, you burn it, you zombie it, you elemental it, you illusion it, you block it. These were all, given enough leeway, plans. And plans of similar competence had served them well enough in their recent escapades. Nicol Bolas could appreciate efficiency. Why bother being smart when the Multiverse so conveniently conspired to keep your idiocy alive?

This story is more or less Bolas reading directly from the storyline forums.

He wondered how much it would crush their spirits if he applauded. Metaphorically, of course. His talons did not clap together well.

Look, for all that I wished we’d have learned some whys in this story, Bolas is great. He chews exactly how much scenery I would expect him to. He is both witty and terrifying.

More than several, ideally, but unless you are a brilliant elder dragon archmage planeswalker, several would suffice.

That’s a heck of a creature type.

They were children of a civilized and gelded age, these planeswalkers, this Gatewatch. They had no idea of the dangers lying in wait, ready to kill them . . . or worse. Their lack of actual power had somehow protected them from all the ways they could have died.

Catch that he says gelded, not gilded? I missed it the first time and it was John Dale Beety on twitter that made me notice it.

He’s referring to the relative safety of the post-Mending era. How things have seemed to be calm because evil god-like planeswalkers aren’t being constantly created (or evil just-a-guy planeswalkers).

Nothing about this day had gone as planned.

The irony of this comment, multiplied by all the Gatewatch members who’ve expressed it, is great when juxtaposed with what Bolas thinks of their planning.

We hit him with everything we've got. He will fall, Gideon thought back at him.

No, this is a bad idea and I’ve been telling you for a while Gideon is a terrible leader and just keeps doing dumb things that will get people killed.

Jace had never encountered a mind so impenetrable, except for . . . the merest moment of a memory surfaced of a mind as smooth and dazzling as a wall of crystal. But even as the thought entered his mind, it erased itself, and he could not remember where he had seen such a thing—or even what kind of thing it was.

What . . . Jace shook off the sudden fugue that had overtaken him. It hadn't seemed to come from Bolas, but rather from inside himself. What was I thinking about? But he could not recall. Bolas's mind still loomed in front of him, closed and locked, as he futilely sought purchase.

Here’s our Jace story hook. Before Jace’s mind is wiped, we get a hint that his old memories are still there. This is clearly a reference to Alhammarett

He did not move to attack them, merely continuing to fling a helpless Gideon against the wall.

Look, the idea that all Bolas had to do against Gideon was keep flinging him against a wall with his tail is amazing. His over-reliance on his aura has always been a mistake. Where is Gideon’s hieromancy? Why wasn’t he summoning magic chains to bind Bolas?

Without conscious thought, he began planeswalking away blindly, not knowing or caring where. He had to avoid that darkness.

He felt himself being pulled across the Blind Eternities as the wave of darkness struck, and then he knew nothing at all.

Okay, so as we enter Ixalan, Jace is playing the part of the amensiac castaway. Will this lead to an alliance with Vraska?

Find out Monday on my first look at Ixalan!

"That was your mind expert, I believe? Do you have a spare? I can wait, or I promise not to listen if you shout at each other."

I thought Nicol Bolas was an Elder Dragon not a Troll.

Nicol Bolas lingered on each word, his voice rumbling through the open plaza, punctuated only by the continued thwaps as he bounced Gideon off the wall.

I giggled every time. I might be evil.

You have never been such a fool as to think you can win this battle, Liliana, whispered the Raven Man.

Raven Man with the sage advice. I don’t want to comment to much about the Raven Man piece here. I don’t believe Nicol Bolas is the Raven Man, but how the Raven Man views Bolas is interesting.

You alone amongst them know what true power can be again.

Can be... again? What does that mean? Might Bolas actually be looking to undo the Mending, as I’ve speculated in the past?

The dragon continued in his smooth voice. "Do you know, Liliana, how to use the Chain Veil so that it doesn't rupture your skin or drain you of life? Do you know how to make the spirits of the Onakke serve you as their master instead of seeking the destruction of your soul and body? I do, Liliana. I do."

He lies! screamed the Onakke in her head. Interloper! We will crush him!

You know he speaks truth, Liliana. He can help you. The Raven Man.

In case you were wondering, the Raven Man and the Onakke are clearly not on the same side.

That each of you has lived so long is merely a function of how useful you can be to me.

This is also what I’ve been saying for a while.

Nicol Bolas looked down at the planeswalkers and smiled. "And then there were three. I didn't want to annoy your dear departed necromancer, but between us, I admit I know a fair bit of necromancy. Do you have an opening in your Gatewatch? Is there some type of application process?"

IS there some kind of an application process?

Why is it that a 30,000 year old Elder Dragon has to be the one to suggest? Do the Gatewatch have bylaws? Honestly, I’m as surprised as Bolas that they’ve lasted this long.

Her fire was blinding white, coruscating rivers of flame that lashed the dragon. Bolas's eyes narrowed, and he was forced backward for the first time in the fight, letting Gideon drop to the ground as the dragon retreated.

Blinding white fire, eh? And all of a sudden, Bolas needed to avoid her flames?

Remember when I said it would be cool if Chandra learns to cast the Purifying Fire, like she learned to cast Ghostflame? Both could have served her well here, and I think that might be something we see in the future.

The Purifying Fire cover art by Michael Komarck

"Chandra Nalaar. You had so many useful characteristics. Powerful. Emotionally unstable. Easy to manipulate. Refreshingly predictable unpredictability. I really wanted to make this work." Bolas's voice boomed through the empty air. I am not easy to manipulate, she thought, her anger revving up. Her flames lit up the night sky.

Is... is Bolas complaining about Millennials, here?

I mean, I totally feel his point. ADHD caricature Chandra is frequently disappointing, but still. Wag a walking stick at her, too, Bolas.

Wow, that's a lot of pain.

Look, I have some problems with Chandra’s immature characterization sometimes, but at least this girl keeps it real.

She had thought her destiny to be different on this world, had thought her time in Kefnet's temple opened up possibilities previously unimagined . . . but no. Kefnet and the other gods lay dead in the streets, their threads cut short, their uses unexplored.

GDI Ken Troop. Now that he knows we know to hunt for meaning in his articles, he’s throwing red herrings into the mix.

Nissa had never questioned the purpose of the Gatewatch before. There was always an immediate need, wrongs to be righted, evil to be overcome. And it had worked. For so long it had worked. Until now. Until a dragon of immense power and intellect had shown the errors of coming in unprepared and underpowered.

Perhaps there was a better way.

Such musings occupied her as she fought to regain control of the land. If she were to have any chance in this fight, it would be through the earth.

I’m curious to see where Nissa goes with this. I think we’ll be seeing her explore that tentative connection with Emrakul more as time goes on.

All of Gideon's invulnerability had proven little worth against an opponent with the size and strength and mass of the dragon.

OK. Nicol Bolas is big... but Gideon went toe-to-toe with this.

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger by Michael Komarck

"Gideon Jura, you are very bad at analyzing reality. I have fought against thousands of generals, thousands of tacticians and strategists and battle masterminds. You might be the worst. Let me help you. Ignoring obvious reality is a fatal flaw in our line of work. By all means, I understand the importance of . . .aspirations, but being able to accurately assess the facts in front of you is an essential skill in the trade."

Thank you, Bolas. It’s funny, Bolas is giving each member of the Gatewatch exactly what they need to hear. Is this narrative convenience, the author dissembling this for us, the reader? Or is Bolas purposefully trying to turn them into more useful tools?

"I could kill you, Gideon, anytime I want. But I suspect you would not mind dying, the way you play so carelessly with your life. And the lives of others." Gideon thrashed his head back and forth, desperate to escape.

Gideon was shocked to realize that a part of him yearned to stay. To no more feel the guilt of losing Drasus, Olexo, all his Irregulars. All the people he had seen die on Zendikar. He didn't want any more death on his hands. He could just . . . let go.

GIDEON WANTS TO DIE. @sarpadianempiresvol-viii has been calling this for a long while now, and I agree. It’s nice to see it confirmed.

He willed his body through the Blind Eternities, the hole the dragon left in his shoulder only the most visible of his wounds.

Looks like Gideon still has his arm, folks.

"No, master, I did not doubt. I was . . . delayed. You defeated them as quickly as you predicted." He glanced around the plaza, looking for bodies of planeswalkers that weren't there. "I can seek to find where—"

"No. It does not matter. This was better than blood."

Tezzeret looked at him quizzically, but knew he would offer no more explanation.

"Master, I should update you on . . ."

Okay, a few things. What delayed Tezzeret? Or is he just lying (probably). What does he need to update Bolas on?

Why is this better than blood? I’m legitimately kind of tired of vague Bolas plot set-ups. After around ten years later, the old Bolas fatigue is setting in again.

"Later. Go and tell Ral Zarek to come to me. His progress is too slow."

Okay, what the hell. Is Project Lightning Bug actually Nicol Bolas’s deal? Is it some other project? Was this actually planned? I’ve got to go back and re-read a whole lot of Ral stories to see if this secondary master was ever hinted at.

Homing Lightning by Slawomir Maniak

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