#vaevictus asmadi

[thecornwall]

Cornwall's Random Card of the Day #797: Vaevictus Asmadi

Vaevictus Asmadi is a rare from Legends.

This guy has three abilities which pretty much boil down to firebreathing. They probably coulda had it be "{1}: CARDNAME gets +1/+0 until end of turn" and still retain its functionality. Weirdly, modern templating lingo can only get that down from three lines to two. I'm sad they didn't do like a red for firebreathing, black for the shade ability, and green for toughness pumping, which still woulda been a bit problematic but woulda been fully in-line with how the colour pie and Magic in general worked at the time, rather than just face-pumping.

[violetsystems]

I should probably get back to writing in the morning again tomorrow to provide some vague context of where I'm at headspace wise. I do really like the people I work with. It feels more intersectional than where I was at and I think it is a little more genuine. Everybody is very passionate and sweet about everything. The commute through the rest of the city can be weird and I feel there's a lot of forced activism and bullying going on. There's also a lot of Jesus stuff that kind of surrounds me outside of work. The environment I work in is interfaith. So there's a lot of opportunity to be conversational for a change without being prodded about your own beliefs. All of my high school and college were religious schools. This environment I'm in now at work is way more progressive and positive. Work life balance can be tricky when you are trying to wrap your head around a new job, people and schedule. But I generally am not unhappy about the position at all. I always felt like I wasn't cool or good enough in art school. There's a lot of that outside in the world today. Making people feel bad about their struggles, shortcomings, and personal challenges. People don't care when you are working on yourself. They just want to neg you down so they can feel good about themselves. That isn't the atmosphere where I'm employed now. I have talks about books, Kpop Stans, magic the gathering, cricket as a sport, the theological and social implications of the caste system in India. And I can speak freely about the duality of man and how it resembles the Chimera Ant arc in Hunter X Hunter without being judged. People even know and empathize with Togashi's back problems there. It fucks me up that I was so isolated for so long. And community around here can be forced out of fear and need for control. But we're not all the same person. And we don't all have the same problems or struggles. And when we don't communicate them outside of following someone around in a t shirt, pamphlet or consent to bother it starts to be something else entirely. You want to put me up on a cross that's going to cost you extra. But for the most part, I'm happy to be employed again. I just need my space to settle and grow. I've been so hurt by everything the last three years. And truthfully it still stings. But if we get this magic group together for a commander league at work. Then we can talk about the theology of Vaevictus Asmadi someday without someone scratching their head asking if this is marketable or not.

[justicefortyvarkell]

I literally made this joke at the LGS a couple days ago. We figured Old Rutstein in the command zone, gives you Old Stickfingers, Old Gnawbone, Old One Eye and Grandma Sengir, but thinking on it now Vaevictus Asmadi (creature type ELDER dragon) gives you an extra color. Maybe Morophon naming Elder if you feel like stretching it.

If you really feel like stretching it sOLDier, Goblin wELDER, but there's no 5-color legends that fit even under this stretch.

Commander's Nursing Home: all creatures (bonus points for as many non-creature spells as possible) must have old, elder, or ancient in their name.

I love it

[chiyukiakasuna]

kinda redraw of old Vaevictus Asmadi??

[dapper-delinquent]

I played Yarok for the first time last night

I built my first Sultai deck in YEARS (last one was Damia, Sage of Stone, if that tells you how long). I built Yarok Constellation! Its 90% enchantment based with a handful of "goodstuff", and it actually played a LOT better than i was expecting! The only downside i currently have is EXTREME vulnerability to enchantment wipes, which, obviously, is the major drawback of the archetype. I actually ended up winning one game (4 player FFA) because of Vaevictus Asmadi making me sac Yarok, that got me Avenger of Zendikar (thanks Retreat to Coralhelm) while i had 14 lands on the field. I recast yarok, cast Khalni Heart Garden, cast Farhaven Elf, Land for turn, pop the garden, swing with FOURTEEN 10/10s for 3 way lethal :)

[jones-friend]

Decks for Sale

I’m looking to downsize my collection. I want to reduce the number of EDH decks I own. They’re going to be for sale here and all you’ll pay is the cost of the cardboard, I’ll ship and they’ll come with a deckbox and dragonshield sleeves. DM me if you’re interested:

Daretti, Ingeious Iconoclast

Nikya of the Old Ways

Tiana, Ship’s Caretaker

Unesh, Cryosphinx Sovereign

Whisper, Blood Liturgist

Vaevictus Asmadi, the Dire

Tasigur, the Golden Fang

Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Izoni, Thousand-Eyed

Dovin, Grand Arbiter

Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice

Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund

Queen Marchesa

Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis

Breya, Etherium Shaper

Phelddagrif

[abzanascendancy]

In Today’s Magic Story...

Chronicle of Bolas: Things Unseen

Last time, Bolas was doing Bolas things! This time, can Naiva and Baishya escape the Ojutai attack?

Oh wow Yasova already had grandchildren when she submitted to Atarka. Blimey.

Oh a “handsome young wanderer”? Someone has a crush~

Excuse you? She may be old, but Yasova can... hang on let me check her card...

As soon as it’s her turn to attack, she can turn the aven translator against the dragon, or vice versa! She ain’t the one who takes things lying down! Do not underestimate your granny!

I agree with Naiva: it shouldn’t be this way. Khans should be ruling instead of dragons, and the Abzan should have a much better mechanic.

Yes, I maintain that Outlast and all the +1/+1 counter tribal associated with it is still better than Bolster. Bite me.

Keeping her hand hidden from the aven on the rock, Grandmother gestured Kill.

I imagine the DOOM theme kicking in here, for what will be an obvious showing of badassery.

Hold up. You go after the aven first??? I mean yeah, take out the mobs and such, but you have a dragon that’s still around, un-debuffed, and fully ready to fight. You guys are bad at tactics.

Also it takes three of them to kill an aven. Just putting that out there.

This is actually a nice crop of Icefall Regent.

Fec and his pecs are good at archery. I’ve been dying to make that rhyme since last week when I missed it.

Reminder that Atarka dragons eat Ojutai dragons for breakfast.

Naiva feeling a bit envious of her sister there, desiring power. Yet more parallels to Nicol and Ugin.

He turned his dark gaze on her. "I will die one way or the other, whether now or later. Discipline teaches us to accept what cannot be escaped."

Are you sure you’re a Jeskai monk? ‘Cause you have a little green in you.

"The rock saved me. I have not seen such a display of earth magic before. May I know your name?" "That wasn't me. That was my twin, Baishya."

OOF. That's gotta hurt.

Grandma Yasova has had enough of your flirting. Get a room.

By now the dragons had vanished from sight, although now and again a faint thunder marked the direction of their battle.

You sure that’s not a Kolaghan dragon?

Grandmother gave her a thoughtful look. "Has your sister said nothing to you about planes? I thought she told you everything." Naiva's chest grew tight. "You've talked about such matters with Baishya and never with me?" she asked indignantly.

This kid’s gonna kill her twin.

I can just imagine a baby Nicol and Ugin napping together and it is adorable.

Plants are alive too. You heard it from Ugin.

Sometimes the denseness of this living web comforted me. Sometimes the sheer weight of living things crowded about me like an incessant thunder that never ceases. At those times, life's jangling and roaring troubled my spirit. Sometimes its clamor humbled me, for among these teeming multitudes, I was but a single creature whose existence could be rubbed out and forgotten in an instant. A sapling oak may be crushed by the steps of passing aurochs, and no one would be the wiser. A hatchling chick may fall from the nest and be lost in the grass as if it had never existed. Not that a dragon is so insignificant as an oak or a sparrow, or so I thought, not understanding then that even the smallest, briefest life has its place. That even a dragon's name may be swallowed by the passage of time and vanish into the abyss of oblivion.

--Circle of Life plays in the background--

There’s your word of the day: rectilinear. Not to be confused with rectal-in-ear which... y’know what I regret that joke now.

Oh? Nicol Bolas being chased by Vaevictis Asmadi? *grabs popcorn* This is gonna be good!

Ugin: “I would die for you Nicol!” Nicol: “Thanks, that saves me a lot of time and effort.”

Is it only the Tarkir dragons that can breath things other than fire? ‘Cause Ugin, Bolas, and Vaevictus all breath fire.

So, I reached into my tiny arsenal of magical tricks and spun a pair of transparent, feather-light globes out of the nexus of colors and into the air.

 I underlined the important part here. Ugin’s transcending color already into transparency.

Anyone else: “Thanks for saving me!” Nicol: “Cool vape trick bro.”

"Where did you come from?" I rasped out.

Well Ugin, when an Ur-Dragon loves themself very much...

Ah, so Te Ju Ki is the originator of colorless magic. The eldrazi technically predate it, but they also transcend magic, so...

"No human, however old, can ever be as wise as the youngest dragon, for we are born with the greatest dignity, intelligence, and power of all creatures." -- Nicol Bolas, pretentious asshole.

Yeah, but your Wisdom stat can still be higher than your intelligence stat. Just ask monks or clerics.

Ugin do learn about what Nicol learned. Get as much info from your enemy as you can. He’s not your enemy yet, but consider it a future investment.

"You shall see. And I will reveal to you my special learning regardless, because we are twins and we should share everything.” -- Nicol

Well you two did both die and get revived, so... par for course?

Nicol: “I know something you don’t!” Ugin: “Is it the planes beyond this one?” Nicol: D:

Oh, you’re referring to towns and villages and continents. Lame.

The other dragons he’s referring to are the Primeval dragons.

Anyway, I was sleepy.

Again, don’t know what award this goes under, but -- no wait! The Non-Sequitur Award! For out of nowhere lines like this that don’t match the gravitas of the preceding story!

Red deer? But... elk have never been in red!

"These are markers too big for humans to have made," I said. "I'm hungry," he answered.

... okay here’s my idea for a game. Hungry Hungry Hippos, but Bolas.

"I'll kill their leaders when I feel like it, but not now. Now I'm going to eat this delicious banquet you've so conveniently hunted for me." -- Palladia-Mors

Translation: “I’m too scared of them, thanks for letting me kill-steal, deal with it.”

NICOL BOLAS DID YOU JUST TRY AND USE MIND MAGIC ON YOUR TWIN HOW F*CKING DARE YOU

Very fitting that the much desired Rebecca Guay art is used for this birth mountain.

...yeah these humans are f*cked. Don’t talk shit about how you killed a dragon if you ain’t ready to kill more.

Two people tilted back their heads and were hit square on the face with a splash of my blood. One sank to the ground as in prayer, hands clasped at her chest, and those who had not reached the blood in time prostrated themselves around her. The other howled with glee, arms raised triumphantly as he shook spear and knife toward the sky in defiance, or as thanks for a heavenly portent.

... are we sure Sarkhan was born on Tarkir? These sound like his people.

Okay, so they do have other dragon skulls. Good to know.

Five settlements, five colors... They are on Dominaria, right? And not on Tarkir? Are we quite sure of that?

Dragons can’t cry.

"They are not as frail as you think them," said Nicol. "Greed is not frail. Ambition is not frail. Their weapons can kill us because they are clever. Because they work together, as they did when they killed our sister. They will come after us because we are dragons. They want to seize our power for themselves."

There’s the Black & Blue of Nicol Bolas.

"You won't have to kill anyone at all, brother. That I promise you. I have a plan, a very cunning plan, because I have taught myself to do something no one else can do." -- Nicol “I’ve got a secret but I’m not telling you” Bolas.

I don’t think it’s planeswalking. If it’s mind magic, then he’s gonna be pretty pissed when he meets Jace in a few thousand years.

But that sense of being left behind still rankled.

Naiva will remember this.

So to hide whisperers from Atarka, she had children sleep next to the grave of a ghost dragon, so that if they were magical it would trigger it early, and it would help them hide their magic...? You have met teenagers, right? Heck I was a moody teenager and I wouldn’t have hidden my magic! Also, this implies that you’re still getting them to use their magic, but only to hide it -- which still involves using magic that Atarka hates!

“My delicious cousin told me the truth before I ate her!”

Ooooooh snap! Tae Jin using ghostblade!

Now don’t stab the dragon in the eye -- that’s a waste of a good trophy!

"You wear the dragon mark of a ghostfire warrior. Shu Yun made a bargain that all the ghostfire warriors would die in exchange for the rest of the Jeskai people being allowed to live. So tell me: how is it that you even exist?"

Gee, I dunno Yasova. You made a bargain that all the mages would die in exchange for the Temur people being allowed to live. So tell me: how is it that your granddaughter even exists?

This is another award nominee. I don’t know what it is yet, but this two-facedness just needs to be remembered.

And that’s the end of another Magic Story! More spirituality from Ugin, more scheming from Bolas, and a love triangle... yeah that last one’s kinda forced, but oh well. The whole allegory/allusion thing between the twins and Ugin & Nicol is obvious, but I’m willing to see how it plays out. We got ice breath! Kill gestures! Three people to kill a single aven! Jealousy! Mistaken identity! Dragon fighting dragon! Power-hungry! Healing! Green Jeskai monks! Secret-keeping! Ugin’s singing Circle of Life! Existential crises! Vaevictis is a scaredy-cat! Colorless vape tricks! Not secret secrets! Other planes lands! Kill-stealing! Failed Mind Magic! Rebecca Guay! Sarkhan’s ancestors and you cannot tell me otherwise! Five color settlements! Nicol showing UBR! Nicol Bolas being Nicol Bolas! Bad parenting! Killing cousins! Ghostfire! Hypocrisy!

But will Naiva take the obvious path to becoming like Bolas? Will Baishya talk about things with her sister again? How did a ghostfire warrior survive? Will Yasova let it go in this frozen tundra? What can Bolas do that he (allegedly) taught himself that (supposedly) no one else can do? Can Ugin develop his colorless magic even further? Will they meet the primeval dragons? And when will Sarkhan’s ancestors move to Tarkir?

Stay tuned!

[nicol--bolas]

We’ve heard your thoughts on Ugin, how about the other elder dragons?

chromium: is Shiny Af i think thats pretty cool you can see your reflection in their scales

palladia mors: is a pretty cool dragon too i don't know if she's canonically dead or still sleeping

arcades sabboth: i think he looks beautiful on the outside but i hate his personality

merrevia sal: its sad that she was killed so young :/ i would have loved to have gotten to know her

vaevictus asmadi: <- a bitch

special shoutout to piru for mating with her cousin chromium and producing the most hideous offspring i have ever seen

[homebrewdtyrant]

Break Down of the New Elder Dragons: New Lore vs Card Design

Alright while reading these new MtG stories about the history of the elder dragons, I came across some card parallels I wanted to point out to folks who hadn't made the connection or wanted an explanation on why the Elders are the way they are. So let's dive right on in!

(SPOILER WARNING, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED CHILDREN)

Palladia-Mors: Has Hexproof until she deals damage to something. In her lore Palladia was a very reclusive dragon that stuck to her hunting grounds and tried not to mess with the other dragons or humans unless they wandered into her territory. It wasn't until Nicol Bolas defeated the dragon slayers and weakened Vaevictus Asmadi that she then ventured out into the world to expand her territory. So for her card design, Palladia-Mors stays hidden and out of sight (Hexproof) until she attacks and deals damage, revealing herself to others.

Arcades Sabboth: Loves defenders. Arcades is a very strategic and well thought out dragon, seeking to better humans and their culture thru learning and careful planning of civilization and its progress. But as Arcades becomes corrupted by the poisonous words of Nicol Bolas, his marvelous mind becomes maddened with words of power and conquest. "The other dragons seek to destroy all you have worked for! Destroy them first!" Now Arcades is out on a war path, leading his great armies into battle against his enemies. Walls and Defenders are the classic "castle defense" cards, so by mobilizing defenders into battle, he is essentially becoming a moving fort (for lack of better words) and with each new fort and stronghold he creates/captures, his militaristic might grows.

Chromium Rhuell: can transform into a human? Chromium in his lore is an observer. He watches and studies the workings of the world. So in his new lore, to interact with humans, he uses his magic to transform himself into a human to further get closer to them and study them. That is why in his new card he becomes a 1/1 human with Hexproof and unblockability. He can sneak thru the human masses without their notice or detection.

Vaevictus Asmadi: Loves to sacrifice things and rule the world. Vaevictus new card does puzzle me a bit, but I think from reading some of the lore I can try to pin point his card design? He's a very aggressive dragon and what he wants, he takes. So to try and work that into card design, they used the chaos warp effect to allow him to destroy your most precious permanents and when the damage is all done, who knows what youll be left with!

Nicol Bolas: Multiverses biggest drama dragon who likes to watch all the worlds burn. He's a sociopath. He enjoys inflicting pain on others and tries to justify his evil with words of revenge and retribution. So in his lore, as Nicol comes into his magical talents, he discovers he can warp the minds of others with his words and thoughts. He drives men to madness and turns dragons on their siblings. He even tries to brain wash his own brother into his service with words of guilt and fraternal love. But it's all a lie. So to represent this, Nicol Bolas causes his opponents to lose a bit of their minds when he enters the battlefield (discard a card). We'll maybe touch on his planeswalker side later.

Any thoughts or ideas I missed or anyone wants to touch on? Where my lore and card design buffs at??

[smoqueen]

lol....vaevictus asmadi LOL

[markrosewater]

Vaevictus Asmadi has never been accounted for. Last we saw of him he fought Palladia Mors and was wounded. He proceeded to retreat with no confirmation of death (and I believe the wound wasn't even close to a mortal wound).

FYI

[eclipsemeteor]

Relatively speaking. My decklist are:

Rhonas the Indomitable, Gargos, Razaketh, Syr Konrad, Teshar, Kwende, Anax, Neheb the Eternal, Jalira, Thryx, St. Traft, Locust God, an upcoming Zirda deck, Dragonlord Atarka, Yasova, Queen Marchesa, Zacama, Vaevictus Asmadi the Dire, Muldrotha, Anafenza the Foremost, Kraum/Reyhan, Kraum/Tynma, Maelstrom Wanderer, Kykar, Virtus/Gorm, and Aphemia.

Decks lists on demand

Wrexail the risen deep black blue let's cast all the things

Odric, master tactician (captain no blocks)

Yisan the wandering bard (green goodies)

Krenko mob boss (goblins for everyone)

Bosh the iron golem. ( mr burning up)

Ezi.. claws of progress (I spelled him wrong. But my one one is now 30/30)

Azami , lady of scrolls. ( krackens with wizard hats)

Isareth the awakener (black never say die... wait yes the do)

Sidisi, brood tyrant ( Cause this is Thriller!)

Wort, the Raidmother(dance dance muilty cast elements)

Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer. (Pillofort.. or why dont you attack someone else and how I learned it pays to profit)

Daxos The Returned (friend of enchantments )

Yennett cryptic sovereign. (Sphinx sirprises)

Ghave, guru of Spores (a really funguy) punny is it not

Dragon lord dromoka. (Fight club)

ZEDRUU. (GIFTING THE AMERICAN WAY OR MUILTI CASTING )

Astrid the masked ( out of the box enchanting)

Brudiclad, telchor engineer ( get in the mecha shingi)

Gshath, Sun's avatar (*Jurassic park theme song plays*)

Grenzo, dungeon warden ( knock knock heroes Rackdos)

Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer. ( harder better fast stronger Zakooooo)

Arahbo roar of the world. (Cats cats cats)

Spiders under construction no set commander yet.

[vorthosjay]

Who are the gods of Amonkhet?

So, I’ve talked a bit about Amonkhet, but I haven’t brought up any real speculation on who or what the Five Gods of Amonkhet are. If you haven’t read it, check out my article A First Look at Amonkhet

Let’s fix that. Here’s some ideas - some grounded, some off-the-wall - of who or what those Five Gods could be.

There’s question as to whether, as god-pharaoh, Bolas counts as one of the five gods. I think yes, but keep in mind it’s possible that he isn’t.

To Shard or Not to Shard

Given that Bolas himself should be appearing on Amonkhet, the number ‘five’ when it comes to Amonkhet becomes a question on Shards. Will Amonkhet be a shard-color block? I don’t know. It likely won’t be a shard block in the same way that Alara was, but we might see something more akin to Planar Chaos’ cycle of five wedge dragons, or Invasion’s sub-theme of shard primeval dragons, each of which had an accompanying lair, attendant, and charm. Of course, Magic 2013 managed to insert Bolas with no other multi-color cards whatsoever, so it could go either way. I’m rooting for some shards, though.

Magic 2013 Key Art by Brad Rigney

Aspects of Bolas

Nicol Bolas isn’t the kind of dragon to share the spotlight. While he often installs puppets throughout the planes to run his schemes without his direct supervision, I don’t think he’s going to let someone else take the spotlight on his personal plane. Instead, Bolas has probably created different ‘gods’ for the people to worship, each based on something he wants from them. For instance, one would be a god of knowledge, and his scholar class would fall under them, one would be a warrior, etc, all with traits that he wants his Worthy to exemplify.

Theros-style Gods

This theory rather depends on my Ashiok the Worthy theory. If Ashiok is indeed a Worthy working for Bolas, it’s possible that their research into the nature of Nyx has been used by Bolas to create Nyx-style gods for Amonkhet. While I liked this idea initially, looking at based on what we know now, I doubt we will be seeing Enchantment Gods on Amonkhet. The proximity to a heavy artifact block, plus the lack of enchantment support, seem like pretty big misses.

Planeswalker Minions

This one could go either way. The theory being that the ‘gods’ of Amonkhet are really just Bolas’ planeswalker minions. The theory being that we see them fall along roughly shard-lines. This largely came from Tamiyo showing up in Bant’s colors, but the theory depended on Tezzeret being Esper-colors on Kaladesh.

Demons and Powerful Beings

By far, the most likely solution is that the five gods will merely be extremely powerful beings on Amonkhet. No chance of rivaling Bolas, but more than strong enough to present a god-like image. Razaketh’s confirmed presence on Amonkhet seems to lend credence to this idea, and I speculate that Razaketh may be one of the five gods. The packaging leak seems to show another being or two that might also fill god roles, based on their appearances. In fact, some of the outfitting seems to indicate factions (or devotion to certain gods), leading me to renewed hope on shards showing up.

Given the prominence of the Jackal-head in the Amonkhet Key Art, it seems that one of the ‘gods’ will be a Jackal-head being. The being with the magnificent Cat Mask in the packaging leak seems to be another. Razaketh the demon may be a third, leaving the final few unknown.

Of course, I have one more delightfully off-the-wall theory for you.

Elder Dragons

Another intriguing - although remote - idea is that the five gods of Amonkhet are Bolas and his Elder Dragon relatives. “But Jay,” You might be saying, “All the other Elder Dragons are dead!”

Not so. Tinfoil hats, everybody. Wear ‘em.

Check out the line about the Elder Dragons from Nicol Bolas’ profile:

Witness to countless wars, cataclysms, and rivalries, Bolas is one of only five elder dragons to survive the Dragon War.

Remember,  the other four Elder Dragons to survive were Arcades Sabboth, Chromium, Paladia-Mors, and Vaevictus Asmadi. Their fates, based on the profile, are left unmentioned. Given that the other four are dead, wouldn’t it be more productive to say “Only remaining survivor”? And with the elder type showing up again on Tarkir, it seems like creative might be testing the waters for their return, or at least to be able to use the type more.

If you want more details on them, read @thesquirle‘s excellent piece on Elder Dragons. Much of the actual lore on Elder Dragons is at best spotty, and comes entirely from pre-mending sources - many of which have already been retconned.

Pitchforks down, please. Ever since Tarkir it seems we’ve been slowly moving in this direction - or at the very least revising the concept so that there are ‘elder’ dragons without having to also be ‘Elder Dragons’. I’m interested to see how it will turn out.