Didn't Ravnica have a barrier between it and other planes destroyed in Dissension? In that case, other creatures could have traveled there somehow.
Or Wizards prefers diversity over storyline accuracy so we're really just splitting hairs here. I'd rather see some Gorgons, Angels, and Dragons than more Goblins, Zombies, or Humans.
...you ARE aware that this was the hodgepodge world predominantly descended from numerous waves of immigrants, right? In the first block, we saw loxodon, vedalken, djinn, nephilim, centaurs, minotaurs, the Worm type & Mutant type & Giant type & Saproling type & many others for the first time in quite a while, and in the books there were orcs and owl-folk and others. We saw flamekin here 2 years before Lorwyn! And I might add, it's a big honking city built upon several layers of millennia-old city, across a whole world, so it's not unreasonable to think there are some other creatures out there that don't get cards (does anybody honestly think a post-medieval fantasy city world isn't going to have mice or pigeons?!?). And as I can't believe I have to keep pointing out, Shadowmoor (ironically for the nontribal block) had quite a few concurrent representatives of different creature types. Goblins had FIVE, counting stream hoppers.
"For diversity" is not an acceptable excuse in this setting. They came up with a reasonable excuse for merfolk to show up (albeit not why they'd master a guild so quickly, seems like a more interesting story than running through a maze "just 'cause"); there's no reason to believe they couldn't have come up with good reasons for unseen creatures in other parts of the city world to show up, old creature type or not. And if they really, really feel the need to have these color-based staples in there so much, there shouldn't have been a giant dragon that combos with other dragons to summon equally huge dragons that are bigger than the actual dragon consistent with the mythology. Just saying.
P.S. Why the gorgon? We're going to Greek-myth-world next block, we could've filled our quota there!
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
Since the topic implies that we've forgiven the dragons, what about the dragons of Innistrad? I think they could have worked, and went over better with the Vorthosi, if the flavor text presented them as Dukes of Hell. The demons of Innistrad, then, could have been created in the image of the dragons, or Dukes of Hell. Infernal beings of a higher rank than the demons, with devils being the lowest rank.
I could just summon Barinellos, he being the expert on all things Ravnican, but I'm out of goats to sacrifice.
Your goats are all gristle and horns anyways...
It was largely subtext in Dissension, but you might as well check Cory's thread as well. It'd be nice to index what he might have said.
@Voila: Ogres, not orcs.
As to the gorgons, for interblock synergy. Same reason we saw some Cyclopes show up in m14.
Your goats are all gristle and horns anyways...
It was largely subtext in Dissension, but you might as well check Cory's thread as well. It'd be nice to index what he might have said.
@Voila: Ogres, not orcs.
As to the gorgons, for interblock synergy. Same reason we saw some Cyclopes show up in m14.
1.) An owl-folk was actually encountered in the first book. And owl-folk were mentioned again in one of the in-betweens in the 3rd.
2.) Orcs were given a mention in the books. You are correct in saying that this stuff is subtext, but my point about "diversity" still stands in that there's already a solid base without having to screw over mythology.
3.) And again, with the gorgons, have it fit the setting. A statue of a gorgon that suffered turnabout comes back to life, a spell of Vraska's, a zombie of one of the Sisters, a metamorphic weird playing hooky, a nightmare story brought to life by a Dimir spirit, speaking of spirits - the many ghosts that populate this setting??? Do you see how easy that was?
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
I'm sure one of the older story nuts can correct me, but if I am not mistaken, the original novels suggested that the reason that Ravnica has such a diversity of races is because they're the ancestors of creatures summoned by Planeswalkers for duels.
That's really cool (if so).
I really liked the old, old summoning ideas put forth in some of the old, old books that summoning was exactly what it sounds like: summoning a creature from one place to another, or one plane to another.
I remember in the Whispering Woods trilogy that we saw a Planeswalker who had an island off somewhere on some private plane where he kept all his creatures until he needed them.
Another short story from waaaaaay back in the day followed the leftovers of a Planeswalker's army AFTER a battle where he summoned them from all across the multi-verse, promptly lost the battle, then high-tailed it off so fast that he left everyone behind.
The idea that Ravnica was a dumping ground for summoned creatures is pretty awesome. I'd love to see someone confirm this to have really been the case. I know these days they don't like the idea that summoning is actually pulling the creature itself across the multi-verse.
1.) An owl-folk was actually encountered in the first book. And owl-folk were mentioned again in one of the in-betweens in the 3rd.
Yeah, I didn't mention anything about that being incorrect.
2.) Orcs were given a mention in the books. You are correct in saying that this stuff is subtext, but my point about "diversity" still stands in that there's already a solid base without having to screw over mythology.
THIS is what you got incorrect. They had ogres and half-ogres, not orcs.
Also, you should probably NOT put words in other people's mouths. I wasn't saying a word about your "point about diversity".
I think it makes sense to have more dragons because their were dragons like hunted dragon in old Ravnica and there was also the baby dragons in the books. Why couldn't there be more dragon eggs somewhere and they hatched while Niv Mizzet was wimping out in Dissension and wasn't paying attention? There are many possibilities if you open your mind to new reasons.
Maybe Vraska did bring more gorgons and they were able to breed. Maybe Szadek limited other vampires so that he could be the one cool vampire but without him the underground vampire societies thrived and got more mainstream. Maybe all the nephilim died because no one liked them and a lot of them got killed anyway. Nature evolves and populations change. Why should this be different on Ravnica cause I dont think it is different after all!
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Nicol Bolas is so awesome! And so is Kokusho! Bolas x Kokusho 4eva!!! <3
Read their story here!
...you ARE aware that this was the hodgepodge world predominantly descended from numerous waves of immigrants, right? In the first block, we saw loxodon, vedalken, djinn, nephilim, centaurs, minotaurs, the Worm type & Mutant type & Giant type & Saproling type & many others for the first time in quite a while, and in the books there were orcs and owl-folk and others. We saw flamekin here 2 years before Lorwyn! And I might add, it's a big honking city built upon several layers of millennia-old city, across a whole world, so it's not unreasonable to think there are some other creatures out there that don't get cards (does anybody honestly think a post-medieval fantasy city world isn't going to have mice or pigeons?!?). And as I can't believe I have to keep pointing out, Shadowmoor (ironically for the nontribal block) had quite a few concurrent representatives of different creature types. Goblins had FIVE, counting stream hoppers.
"For diversity" is not an acceptable excuse in this setting. They came up with a reasonable excuse for merfolk to show up (albeit not why they'd master a guild so quickly, seems like a more interesting story than running through a maze "just 'cause"); there's no reason to believe they couldn't have come up with good reasons for unseen creatures in other parts of the city world to show up, old creature type or not. And if they really, really feel the need to have these color-based staples in there so much, there shouldn't have been a giant dragon that combos with other dragons to summon equally huge dragons that are bigger than the actual dragon consistent with the mythology. Just saying.
P.S. Why the gorgon? We're going to Greek-myth-world next block, we could've filled our quota there!
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
Your goats are all gristle and horns anyways...
It was largely subtext in Dissension, but you might as well check Cory's thread as well. It'd be nice to index what he might have said.
@Voila: Ogres, not orcs.
As to the gorgons, for interblock synergy. Same reason we saw some Cyclopes show up in m14.
1.) An owl-folk was actually encountered in the first book. And owl-folk were mentioned again in one of the in-betweens in the 3rd.
2.) Orcs were given a mention in the books. You are correct in saying that this stuff is subtext, but my point about "diversity" still stands in that there's already a solid base without having to screw over mythology.
3.) And again, with the gorgons, have it fit the setting. A statue of a gorgon that suffered turnabout comes back to life, a spell of Vraska's, a zombie of one of the Sisters, a metamorphic weird playing hooky, a nightmare story brought to life by a Dimir spirit, speaking of spirits - the many ghosts that populate this setting??? Do you see how easy that was?
About any "subpar" mechanics or cards: Context is king.
If I make a templating or grammar error, let me know.
The franchise MtG most resembles is Battlestar Galactica. Why? Its players exist in, at most, a dozen different models at any given point in time, with perhaps up to 3% variation, 5% if you're lucky.
That's really cool (if so).
I really liked the old, old summoning ideas put forth in some of the old, old books that summoning was exactly what it sounds like: summoning a creature from one place to another, or one plane to another.
I remember in the Whispering Woods trilogy that we saw a Planeswalker who had an island off somewhere on some private plane where he kept all his creatures until he needed them.
Another short story from waaaaaay back in the day followed the leftovers of a Planeswalker's army AFTER a battle where he summoned them from all across the multi-verse, promptly lost the battle, then high-tailed it off so fast that he left everyone behind.
The idea that Ravnica was a dumping ground for summoned creatures is pretty awesome. I'd love to see someone confirm this to have really been the case. I know these days they don't like the idea that summoning is actually pulling the creature itself across the multi-verse.
How To Keep Your FOIL Cards From Curling: http://youtu.be/QTmubrS8VnI
The Best Deck Boxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEwgLph_Pjk
The Best Binders: http://youtu.be/H5IauASYWjk
Yeah, I didn't mention anything about that being incorrect.
THIS is what you got incorrect. They had ogres and half-ogres, not orcs.
Also, you should probably NOT put words in other people's mouths. I wasn't saying a word about your "point about diversity".
Maybe Vraska did bring more gorgons and they were able to breed. Maybe Szadek limited other vampires so that he could be the one cool vampire but without him the underground vampire societies thrived and got more mainstream. Maybe all the nephilim died because no one liked them and a lot of them got killed anyway. Nature evolves and populations change. Why should this be different on Ravnica cause I dont think it is different after all!
Nicol Bolas is so awesome! And so is Kokusho!
Bolas x Kokusho 4eva!!! <3
Read their story here!
BMy Little KokushoB
RBRakdos UNLEASHED!!!RB
My Standard Decks:
UGRakdos, Bolas, and Ludevic Go To A PartyUG