Hearing about Ravnica recently gives me a gut feeling that there are two possible story scenarios for this new setting:
1. This could actually be Mercadia in a new form, same plane, different attitude.
2. This could be a world invaded/controlled by the Phyrexians in the past, and the storyline centralizes around a malevolent power attempting to do something involving returning Phyrexian to it's former dominance in some way.
I was wonder about people's conceptions of Ravnica themself, and what they think is going to be the central plot to the whole storyline.
I doubt it's Mercadia. Too much water in the picture. The only city-ish thing on the Mercadian plane that's got that much water around it is Rishada, which didn't strike me as a place worthy of a block.
In the largest metropolis of a city-covered plane, perspectives will clash and laws will be tested. From the depths under the city to its lofty spires above, Ravnica's citizens eke out an existence even as all around them ancient guilds vie for control and power.
That to me sounds more like Arena than anything... maybe not quite so much fighting, but ancient guilds vying for control of everything with the people kinda starving all around them is pretty much what Arena was about. My guess is that the story will revolve around a character somewhat like Garth, champion of the common people, trying to bring down the guilds, and so forth.
It depends on where Ravnica is in terms of the Magic timeline. Mercadia could of changed significantly in a long timespan, and Orim and Cho-Manno I believe would be prime canidates to do something significant for a realm in any degree. Just saying that it is a possibility. I more strongly support my second thesis over the first, of course, just because Magic will not let Phyrexians and/or Yawgmoth die a decent death into obscurity.
Anyone with information otherwise (about the timeline and Ravnica's whereabouts), strike me down now before I make another point I'm going to regret later.
I would be absolutly overjoyed if they took this in a direction similar to Arena. That was my first Magic book so maybe I'm biased a bit, but to me Arena captures alot of the dueling spirit of MtG while still maintaining a larger plotline. I could see a scenario along the line of JeffV's: the champion of the people attracts the attention of the big guilds and they try to paint him as a threat and nix him. he then proceeds to take them to task and brings down the corrupt institutions. Kinda cliche, but that could be spiced up with some plot twists/tricks.
I can see that it's pretty cliche, but unfortunately the whole Magic storyline has become kinda cliche lately... Hero (Gerrard, Kamahl, Glissa, Toshi/Michiko) fights a war against huge overpowerful enemy (Phyrexia, Cabal, big fat artifact guy I don't remember, O-Kagachi/Spirit world), overcomes great adversity and winds up victorious, and someone becomes a planeswalker. With different themes, the Magic storyline has pretty much been rinse/repeat post-revision. I could say the same thing about Urza in the Brothers' War, Jodah in Ice Age, Tetsuo in Legends 2...
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, they manage to vary it enough to keep it interesting and keep all of us reading it, but the major theme has been the same for the vast majority of the post-revision story arcs. I honestly don't see Ravnica being much different.
I can see that it's pretty cliche, but unfortunately the whole Magic storyline has become kinda cliche lately... Hero (Gerrard, Kamahl, Glissa, Toshi/Michiko) fights a war against huge overpowerful enemy (Phyrexia, Cabal, big fat artifact guy I don't remember, O-Kagachi/Spirit world), overcomes great adversity and winds up victorious, and someone becomes a planeswalker. With different themes, the Magic storyline has pretty much been rinse/repeat post-revision. I could say the same thing about Urza in the Brothers' War, Jodah in Ice Age, Tetsuo in Legends 2...
Well, Urza and Mishra were both pretty powerful, and with Urza vs. Phyrexia, Urza was still ridiculously powerful. Plus, Jodah kinda just stumbled around a lot
If anyone else here knows what Eberron is, then Ravnica seems like a ripoff of that. "From the highest peaks to the depths below"? Sounds like Sharn to me.
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EvilDuck, I'm seeing the possible resemblance...but although I hate to say it, Eberron is probably a much better setting than Ravnica will be. (Playing through a campaign right now and loving it.)
1. This could actually be Mercadia in a new form, same plane, different attitude.
2. This could be a world invaded/controlled by the Phyrexians in the past, and the storyline centralizes around a malevolent power attempting to do something involving returning Phyrexian to it's former dominance in some way.
I was wonder about people's conceptions of Ravnica themself, and what they think is going to be the central plot to the whole storyline.
That to me sounds more like Arena than anything... maybe not quite so much fighting, but ancient guilds vying for control of everything with the people kinda starving all around them is pretty much what Arena was about. My guess is that the story will revolve around a character somewhat like Garth, champion of the common people, trying to bring down the guilds, and so forth.
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Anyone with information otherwise (about the timeline and Ravnica's whereabouts), strike me down now before I make another point I'm going to regret later.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, they manage to vary it enough to keep it interesting and keep all of us reading it, but the major theme has been the same for the vast majority of the post-revision story arcs. I honestly don't see Ravnica being much different.
DCI Level 2 Judge
Former MTGnews.com Administrator
MTGnews Best Rulings Giver 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Remember the Ascended
MagicCardsForSale.com
I'm selling lots of cards! Click here for my CardShark listing!
Well, Urza and Mishra were both pretty powerful, and with Urza vs. Phyrexia, Urza was still ridiculously powerful. Plus, Jodah kinda just stumbled around a lot
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