I don't really see how Zendikar gets out of this one, Ulamog may have been slow but he and his spawn were doing a thorough job scouring Zendikar, and now his big brother has come up to help. I don't know if this is what WOTC will choose, but I think a cool direction OGW's story could go would be the last legs of Zendikar, seeing the PW try to rally and save the last of the Zendikari as one by one they lose allies and characters we've grown attached too. Noyan Dar killed covering the escape from Sea Gate, Munda driven mad by Kozilek, and Drana being dominated by the eldrazi. Finally, Tazri convinces the PW to leave right before the titans destroy the plane, making them promise to never let another world suffer the same fate (hence the oath). That story would be utterly chilling, would establish the titans as the threat they are, and I would read the hell out it.
*Disclaimer* bad or good I always look forward to UR so in all honesty regardless of plot I'm going to read the hell out it
I think that would be very powerful and send the message that Wizards is willing to sacrifice planes for the sake of the story. It definitely seems like Zendikar is a lost cause, and any kind of oath sounds like it would be after the fact.
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I don't really see how Zendikar gets out of this one, Ulamog may have been slow but he and his spawn were doing a thorough job scouring Zendikar, and now his big brother has come up to help. I don't know if this is what WOTC will choose, but I think a cool direction OGW's story could go would be the last legs of Zendikar, seeing the PW try to rally and save the last of the Zendikari as one by one they lose allies and characters we've grown attached too. Noyan Dar killed covering the escape from Sea Gate, Munda driven mad by Kozilek, and Drana being dominated by the eldrazi. Finally, Tazri convinces the PW to leave right before the titans destroy the plane, making them promise to never let another world suffer the same fate (hence the oath). That story would be utterly chilling, would establish the titans as the threat they are, and I would read the hell out it.
*Disclaimer* bad or good I always look forward to UR so in all honesty regardless of plot I'm going to read the hell out it
1st, this story was absolutely great. I haven't been on the whole "Ulamog was ruined by being a walking stomach" side of the forums, but I do agree he could been written far more menacingly. On the other hand, Ulamog was never meant to be the scariest of the 3. He's far smaller than Kozilek and Emrakul, as well as having the simplest concept among the 3. Kozilek warps minds, perception and space, Emrakul time and sentient life and Ulamog.....eats stuff. Not really meant to be the complex one of the 3. Which is why he got his set 1st, so when we see Kozilek now and Emrakul later, we have a better scope of how powerful/incomprehensible they are.
On the other hand, like some have said, I wonder where things go from here. As the first Oath story, the bar has been set very high. Good pacing, action, description and imagery; Kelly Digges continues to be great. Going to be tough to keep this pace of action going.
2 - I would like to see Omnath as well at some point, but what can Omnath do at this point that Lorton couldn't? It just seems to be that the Zendikari are beyond outmatched by Ulamog alone, and now with Kozilek risen, this seems like doomsday for the world.
3 - it would seem to me 3 possibilities exist for Zendikar and the story:
A), the plane is completely lost, like the world that Nahiri and Sorin lost to Ulamog in The Lithomancer article. All or most of the walkers leave (I'd imagine either Gideon or Nissa would refuse to leave if worst came to worst), and the denizens are all lost. Although this seems the most likely currently, it also is the option I'd put the least money on. Zendikar has been too much of a success for Wizards to throw away. Yes, there have to be stakes to the titans emerging, but monetarily Zendikar seems too big of a selling point and popularity-wise to erase. I don't see Wizards letting that go.
B), Zendikar survives, but only barely. The world receives near irreparable damage, and the Titans either flee or are imprisoned; most likely just Ulamog given Kiora's article and the story of Cosi and Ula. Maybe with Ugin's aid, the walkers find some way to capture Ulamog, or drive he and Kozilek off. Maybe one of the ZendikarI pulls some deus ex machina event and saves the day? Hard to say at this point. I feel this would be the most likely. A LOT of Zendikari figures are lost, maybe a walker or two, but the plane survives as a scarred husk of the adventure world we all once loved before somebody in Creative decided to unleash Lovecraft upon the plane ( I don't dislike the Eldrazi; they just kind of bore me compared to adventure world. Neither here nor there, though).
C), combination of the 2. As pointed out above, Eldrazi (Ulamog most likely, again, as Kozilek has been built up too much to use for only a small set and is stated to be more powerful than Ulamog) are bound to plane - imprisoned or not - by Ugin and/or the new Oathengers. In their rage/distortion of mana, Zendikar would die, but slowly versus immediately. It would be sacrificed to save other worlds. I certainly hope not, but it wouldn't surprise me to see.
We could also get some out of left field resolution, like the Eldrazi get bored and bounce, or Nahiri suddenly pops in to the picture. One random thought: what if Ugin is so amoral and indifferent to the whims of one world that he warps into a colorless Bolas? Not inherently evil, but just so farsighted he doesn't care who is hurt in the present. Would be an interesting take.
All I know is that today's article makes me very sad about the likely future for my favorite legend in the game and my most beloved Commander, Drana. If she goes down, please let her go out in style. Or you know, do that whole eat an Eldrazi, spark up and bounce deal? Something cool? No? She's gonna die, most likely? Dang. I'll just go grab my edh deck and sit in the corner all depressed.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
I just read the Lithomancer article and wow, was it good. I wish that Ulamog had been portrayed in the URs in the way he was portrayed on that other plane. I always thought that All is Dust showed Zendikar but I guess not. I wonder why Ulamog hasn't done anything like that on Zendikar yet.
What exactly does Emrakul do? It is pretty clear what the other two titans do, but the only thing I can think of is what is shown in Gravitational Shift.
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I just read the Lithomancer article and wow, was it good. I wish that Ulamog had been portrayed in the URs in the way he was portrayed on that other plane. I always thought that All is Dust showed Zendikar but I guess not. I wonder why Ulamog hasn't done anything like that on Zendikar yet.
What exactly does Emrakul do? It is pretty clear what the other two titans do, but the only thing I can think of is what is shown in Gravitational Shift.
I'm under the impression from the fat pack guide description that she doesn't affect space and locations, but moreso biological life. Warping minds and such. From the card I'd also guess time. Ulamog is hunger and suction/devouring, Kozilek deceit and corruption, Emrakul I'd guess is time and reality warping, although that kind of overlaps with Kozilek to some extent.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
All I know is that today's article makes me very sad about the likely future for my favorite legend in the game and my most beloved Commander, Drana. If she goes down, please let her go out in style. Or you know, do that whole eat an Eldrazi, spark up and bounce deal? Something cool? No? She's gonna die, most likely? Dang. I'll just go grab my edh deck and sit in the corner all depressed.
This is exactly my reason for why I'm hoping OGW goes the way I said above. I like Zendikar as a world, Drana is awesome, Noyan Dar was a home run and even Munda, Tazri, and Jori en are cool (they are just a little less developed not having been the sole focus of a UR).
If the titans destroy an entire beloved world along with a bunch of characters that I think most of us genuinely like, and would've liked to see more of? Holy crap, these guys don't play. That would be emotional impact on storytelling on a scale that we don't always get in mtg. As I said, I like Zendikar, and I really like a lot of the Zendikari characters, so I'd be fine with a plot that ultimately saves it, even if it is a deus ex machina moment, but I think following our cast of characters as they lose their allies one by one and are forced to slowly recognize that there is nothing they can do would be one hell of a story.
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GU Kruphix's "Hug Assassin" RW Kalemne's "Play Fatties and Hope for the Best!" BUGW Atraxa's "All counters, all the time"
I just read the Lithomancer article and wow, was it good. I wish that Ulamog had been portrayed in the URs in the way he was portrayed on that other plane. I always thought that All is Dust showed Zendikar but I guess not. I wonder why Ulamog hasn't done anything like that on Zendikar yet.
What exactly does Emrakul do? It is pretty clear what the other two titans do, but the only thing I can think of is what is shown in Gravitational Shift.
I'm under the impression from the fat pack guide description that she doesn't affect space and locations, but moreso biological life. Warping minds and such. From the card I'd also guess time. Ulamog is hunger and suction/devouring, Kozilek deceit and corruption, Emrakul I'd guess is time and reality warping, although that kind of overlaps with Kozilek to some extent.
The Rise of Eldrazi fat pack? Or the Battle for Zendikar fat pack? If it is the latter I will probably buy one since a guide to the Eldrazi sounds pretty cool.
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Battle for Zendikar one. Just a paragraph each, but they sort of summarized what each titan is about
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
All I know is that today's article makes me very sad about the likely future for my favorite legend in the game and my most beloved Commander, Drana. If she goes down, please let her go out in style. Or you know, do that whole eat an Eldrazi, spark up and bounce deal? Something cool? No? She's gonna die, most likely? Dang. I'll just go grab my edh deck and sit in the corner all depressed.
This is exactly my reason for why I'm hoping OGW goes the way I said above. I like Zendikar as a world, Drana is awesome, Noyan Dar was a home run and even Munda, Tazri, and Jori en are cool (they are just a little less developed not having been the sole focus of a UR).
If the titans destroy an entire beloved world along with a bunch of characters that I think most of us genuinely like, and would've liked to see more of? Holy crap, these guys don't play. That would be emotional impact on storytelling on a scale that we don't always get in mtg. As I said, I like Zendikar, and I really like a lot of the Zendikari characters, so I'd be fine with a plot that ultimately saves it, even if it is a deus ex machina moment, but I think following our cast of characters as they lose their allies one by one and are forced to slowly recognize that there is nothing they can do would be one hell of a story.
Would totally be a great story, and I am one to say that events have to have some sort of stakes, such as when I advocate more walkers have been needing to get the proverbial axe (or Garruk's. That works too), but man it would hurt me to see Drana go. I'd like to see the impact such a turn would take on Nissa and Jace the most, I think, despite liking them the least. Jace thinks he's got the answer for everything, but how does he explain failing an entire world? Nissa chose to let the Eldrazi loose. We've seen her grappling with that a bit, but seeing her own home lost a result could be the kind of motivation needed to push her to become the type of face of green Creative wants her to be.
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Vorthos-player with way too much time on his hands and a love of thematic decks.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
Just can't see this being the end for Zendikar. Story-wise, we're at the point where we, as the readers, are supposed to believe that there's no way out and that all hope is lost. Suddenly, the tide will turn and things will get better for our heroes.
Secondly, everyone seems to be under the impression that Magic: the Gathering is a story-driven product. It's not. This isn't some series of short-stories or novels whose sole purpose is to keep the reader coming back week after week for more. The point of the story is to sell cardboard. Don't delude yourselves into believing otherwise. And Zendikar sells cardboard very well. Thus, Zendikar will not be destroyed. It is a valuable piece of intellectual property that can be used 5-10 years later to sell even more cardboard.
All I know is that today's article makes me very sad about the likely future for my favorite legend in the game and my most beloved Commander, Drana. If she goes down, please let her go out in style. Or you know, do that whole eat an Eldrazi, spark up and bounce deal? Something cool? No? She's gonna die, most likely? Dang. I'll just go grab my edh deck and sit in the corner all depressed.
I know the pain... but hey, at least Drana got some great screen time.
I'm also interested to see what happens to the legends of Zendikar as well. Wizards seem intent on tying up loose ends for the previous Zendikar legends (Kalitas = enslaved and/or dead, Tuktuk = eaten by Zada, Omnath = angry). Noyan Dar and Zada are lovable scamps. I can't imagine Drana not fighting back.
Emrakrul is time and despair. She embodies hopelessness, physical and emotional distance, the void and fear of being alone. With Kozilek reality is warped so even allies turn to enemies. But with Emrakrul, one look at her and the opponent simply admits defeat. It's clearly the most powerful ability of all, as she breaks the spirits of warriors by merely existing.
The UR - very well done, as expected of Kelly Digges, and a highlight in the BFZ lineup of URs and even of all recent URs in general, really.
Lorthos was truly a moment of excitement for me. His summoning, the idea he still exists after all this time and after such an extensive Eldrazi assault. His limited yet alluring lore made Lorthos a mysterious force of nature - and the mightiest creature of Zendikar's oceans. But most importantly, a familiar face that links us to the nostalgia of the adventure world we all grew to love. A time when natural Zendikari threats like Lorthos of Murasa were the greatest primordial forces of the true, virgin Zendikar before the Eldrazi release. Here we see this familiar legend join the battle, but the most significant thing about Lorthos isn't that he made Kozilek look like a threat - but that Lorthos in a way embodies Zendikar itself. Lorthos is the mightiest natural force Zendikar's oceans have to represent them - that was all of Zendikar's oceans doing the most they could, and like the plane itself, the Eldrazi tore it apart like nothing. This was the most tragic thing about Lorthos's loss... Great ancient legendaries we remember with awe from the original wild and tempestuous world of Zendikar are proving meaningless. If the greatest of creatures that thrive as legends on a harsh plane like Zendikar can't last a moment, what hope is left?
Kiora watching Lorthos die was truly tragic. This was the greatest creature of her home world. There was a time she'd have feared or even revered him as they had Cosi. He was the tidebringer, worthy of myths. Instead weilding him in battle and having his trust meant nothing. His loss is a sign of Zendikar's sealed fate.
So finally the theft of Thassa's bident is avenged with the punishment of Kiora's hubris and her lesson in humility. In a strange way I found that equally heartbreaking. Kiora shares this fate with Gideon. She wields the weapon of a Theros god, turns it on another god in a moment of hubris, and fells all her loved ones with her trust in it while they had their trust in her. In the end, Kiora destroyed herself. I love how the Greek mythology theme of Theros and the downfall of the hero carried over to Zendikar and to Kiora from Theros, through the Bident. As expected, even the mighty Dekella, the greatest artifact on all of Zendikar and a god weapon, was nothing. And Kiora learned an even more scathing lesson here - even when she convinced herself that she had defeated Thassa, she lost. Stealing the Bident gave her the confidence that ended Kiora. Thassa is a true god, a thinking, feeling being. Kiora could pique Thassa's curiosity with talk of foreign oceans or tempt her with flattery and a good show in exchange for devotion. Thassa is capable of having interests. But Kozilek cannot be understood or reasoned with. He cannot be stalled or bribed or intrigued. I bet she'd have rather died on Theros under the Bident now than ever having stolen it and learned this lesson. If she has survived, she will be a very different character for it.
About time.
I wonder what became of the Bident. Seeing it in action is always a favorite moment of mine, but if one of the titans cross over it, no doubt the weapon is dust. Perhaps Gideon will retrieve it. Perhaps Kiora will have an epiphany in the depths and seek it again with a newfound sense of purpose. Or that her sister will come upon it and show more responsibility with the weapon, which Kiora leaves to her. Many possibilities, but the contras between Thassa and Kozilek just shows what sort of threat the Eldrazi truly are. I loved how Kozilek was portrayed. Leave it to Digges to know how to finally give us the villains these titans were always meant to be.
And Ulamog IS intimidating and a horror. It's just Krienes that was more frightening and she overshadowed Ulamog.
Most powerful line in the UR: "...Kiora saw where she had gone wrong"
I've enjoyed these recent URs (post-Commander) a lot more than the filler beforehand; the pacing still feels weird, which was evident during the Avengers-assembly story when they trap Ulamog. And I think we're all in agreement that the Gideon vs Ulamog thing was pathetic.
Looking forward to see the events of Oath of the Gatewatch unfold, but I'm definitely rooting for the villains.
we're all in agreement that the Gideon vs Ulamog thing was pathetic.
Hello, been lurking about here for a bit and felt it was time to point out that with Lorthos there, Ulamog may have been looking at the Giant Kraken heading towards him, and the "Attacks" on Gideon were just him swatting at an annoying little until that little fly didn't splat when the tentacles hit it, when Ulamog actually pushed at Gideon with one hand "it felt as if an entire world was pushing against him"
I still think it was a little goofy, but it is less outrageous now, and honestly there was nothing else for Gideon to really do, Nissa and Jace were handling the hedrons, Kiora was dealing with the spawn around the Titan. Gideon had not much else to do during the climax.
I don't really buy the argument that he had nothing else to do. I'm fine with Gideon going up to Ulamog directly and thinking he can hold him off. I'm not fine with the fact that he was successful.
People have already covered this topic so I don't really want to go too deep into it, but being that close to Ualmog should be unbearable, let alone being struck by him. Even if Ulamog was 'distracted', I really don't see how anybody could remain on their feet after being struck by him.
Emrakrul is time and despair. She embodies hopelessness, physical and emotional distance, the void and fear of being alone. With Kozilek reality is warped so even allies turn to enemies. But with Emrakrul, one look at her and the opponent simply admits defeat. It's clearly the most powerful ability of all, as she breaks the spirits of warriors by merely existing.
The UR - very well done, as expected of Kelly Digges, and a highlight in the BFZ lineup of URs and even of all recent URs in general, really.
Lorthos was truly a moment of excitement for me. His summoning, the idea he still exists after all this time and after such an extensive Eldrazi assault. His limited yet alluring lore made Lorthos a mysterious force of nature - and the mightiest creature of Zendikar's oceans. But most importantly, a familiar face that links us to the nostalgia of the adventure world we all grew to love. A time when natural Zendikari threats like Lorthos of Murasa were the greatest primordial forces of the true, virgin Zendikar before the Eldrazi release. Here we see this familiar legend join the battle, but the most significant thing about Lorthos isn't that he made Kozilek look like a threat - but that Lorthos in a way embodies Zendikar itself. Lorthos is the mightiest natural force Zendikar's oceans have to represent them - that was all of Zendikar's oceans doing the most they could, and like the plane itself, the Eldrazi tore it apart like nothing. This was the most tragic thing about Lorthos's loss... Great ancient legendaries we remember with awe from the original wild and tempestuous world of Zendikar are proving meaningless. If the greatest of creatures that thrive as legends on a harsh plane like Zendikar can't last a moment, what hope is left?
Kiora watching Lorthos die was truly tragic. This was the greatest creature of her home world. There was a time she'd have feared or even revered him as they had Cosi. He was the tidebringer, worthy of myths. Instead weilding him in battle and having his trust meant nothing. His loss is a sign of Zendikar's sealed fate.
So finally the theft of Thassa's bident is avenged with the punishment of Kiora's hubris and her lesson in humility. In a strange way I found that equally heartbreaking. Kiora shares this fate with Gideon. She wields the weapon of a Theros god, turns it on another god in a moment of hubris, and fells all her loved ones with her trust in it while they had their trust in her. In the end, Kiora destroyed herself. I love how the Greek mythology theme of Theros and the downfall of the hero carried over to Zendikar and to Kiora from Theros, through the Bident. As expected, even the mighty Dekella, the greatest artifact on all of Zendikar and a god weapon, was nothing. And Kiora learned an even more scathing lesson here - even when she convinced herself that she had defeated Thassa, she lost. Stealing the Bident gave her the confidence that ended Kiora. Thassa is a true god, a thinking, feeling being. Kiora could pique Thassa's curiosity with talk of foreign oceans or tempt her with flattery and a good show in exchange for devotion. Thassa is capable of having interests. But Kozilek cannot be understood or reasoned with. He cannot be stalled or bribed or intrigued. I bet she'd have rather died on Theros under the Bident now than ever having stolen it and learned this lesson. If she has survived, she will be a very different character for it.
About time.
I wonder what became of the Bident. Seeing it in action is always a favorite moment of mine, but if one of the titans cross over it, no doubt the weapon is dust. Perhaps Gideon will retrieve it. Perhaps Kiora will have an epiphany in the depths and seek it again with a newfound sense of purpose. Or that her sister will come upon it and show more responsibility with the weapon, which Kiora leaves to her. Many possibilities, but the contras between Thassa and Kozilek just shows what sort of threat the Eldrazi truly are. I loved how Kozilek was portrayed. Leave it to Digges to know how to finally give us the villains these titans were always meant to be.
And Ulamog IS intimidating and a horror. It's just Krienes that was more frightening and she overshadowed Ulamog.
Most powerful line in the UR: "...Kiora saw where she had gone wrong"
This was fantastic. And it completely encapsulates why I felt how I felt about Lorthos's end. The tragedy, the irony, the lessons learned, the horror, the hopelessness, the regret, etc. I could actually FEEL all of those things reading this story. Let's hope this level of excellent writing continues.
Re: Ulamog - He is just as scary and devastating in his own right. He just hasn't had the time to shine. And I doubt OGW is going to be Kozilek's show. I have a feeling we'll get to see Ulamog's fierceness soon enough.
I think Kiora losing Dekalla is a set-up for her symoblic defeat later on. I predict that Kiora's sister will find it, which marks her truest fear that Kiora's dead.
Honestly, there was a better chance of Sarkhan dying at the end of Fate Reforged's story than there is with Kiora being dead right now (or dying at any point in the near future). They are investing way too much character development with her right now, and they have been ever since the story where she stole Thassa's bident. Having her die right when the reader expects the payoff of her learning from her past actions is really REALLY poor writing.
Sure, people are allowed to dislike her character, but she fills an indispensable role in the MTG character stable, not only of being one of the rare GU characters and the only GU planeswalker, but also of someone who is coming to grips with the fact that the faith on which she was raised ever since she could remember is a complete sham. It's obvious that her anger at the "gods" (both on Theros and on Zendikar) is responsible for her reckless actions, and this anger is because of her crisis of faith. It's a very painful thing to evolve from faithful reverence to agnosticism/atheism, and they've portrayed Kiora's evolution very well.
I am very happy with the representation of Kozilek in the recent UR.
I've completly lost the feeling of fear and awe that Ulamog had during the original Zendikar, after the whole Gideon vs Ulamog nonesense, but Kozilek, now THAT is good storytelling! He is described so WELL, completly impossible, unfathomable, and insanely structured. Well done, Kelly!
Kiora's revelation is fantastic, I'm glad to see this character finally wisening up, and I have to say I really don't mind her surviving or not, as even if she survives, I think she'll go through a change.
All in all, I enjoyed reading it, though I hoped it would go beyond just Kiora Vs. Kozilek. Oh well.
Great story. I wasn't too concerned with Ulamog's portrayal up to this point, but once they introduced Kozilek, I'm totally on boat with the fact that yeah, THAT'S how you're supposed to portray a world-ending titan of pure destruction. Goddamn Kozilek's mere presence in the story was outstanding.
Someone discussed the possibility of Kiora's death in this thread. As I said there as well, I'm pretty sure Kiora is alive. I mean, a merfolk Planeswalker that charged into battle Leeroy Jenkins style and then freaking drowned? That would be so pathetic, she would turn into M:tG's version of Yamcha.
[quote from="orlouge82 »" They are investing way too much character development with her right now, and they have been ever since the story where she stole Thassa's bident. Having her die right when the reader expects the payoff of her learning from her past actions is really REALLY poor writing.[/quote]
Man, Ned Stark is the main character, he'll be fine.
Robb Stark sure seems like an important character, he's totally going to avenge his dad!
Stannis has really gotten a lot of characterization this season, he's clearly going to oust the Boltons and make Jon a Stark.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Is Lorthos itself dead, or is he still sleeping on the other side of the planet? I thought when a planeswalker summons he or she doesn't actually summon the being itself but an idealized manifestation of that creature from the aether instead?
They are investing way too much character development with her right now, and they have been ever since the story where she stole Thassa's bident. Having her die right when the reader expects the payoff of her learning from her past actions is really REALLY poor writing.
Man, Ned Stark is the main character, he'll be fine.
Robb Stark sure seems like an important character, he's totally going to avenge his dad!
Stannis has really gotten a lot of characterization this season, he's clearly going to oust the Boltons and make Jon a Stark.
Game of Thrones is quite unique in its willingness to kill off central characters. It's actually one of the most divisive things about the show. It's anything but typical for storytelling.
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I think that would be very powerful and send the message that Wizards is willing to sacrifice planes for the sake of the story. It definitely seems like Zendikar is a lost cause, and any kind of oath sounds like it would be after the fact.
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This is what I want.:)
1st, this story was absolutely great. I haven't been on the whole "Ulamog was ruined by being a walking stomach" side of the forums, but I do agree he could been written far more menacingly. On the other hand, Ulamog was never meant to be the scariest of the 3. He's far smaller than Kozilek and Emrakul, as well as having the simplest concept among the 3. Kozilek warps minds, perception and space, Emrakul time and sentient life and Ulamog.....eats stuff. Not really meant to be the complex one of the 3. Which is why he got his set 1st, so when we see Kozilek now and Emrakul later, we have a better scope of how powerful/incomprehensible they are.
On the other hand, like some have said, I wonder where things go from here. As the first Oath story, the bar has been set very high. Good pacing, action, description and imagery; Kelly Digges continues to be great. Going to be tough to keep this pace of action going.
2 - I would like to see Omnath as well at some point, but what can Omnath do at this point that Lorton couldn't? It just seems to be that the Zendikari are beyond outmatched by Ulamog alone, and now with Kozilek risen, this seems like doomsday for the world.
3 - it would seem to me 3 possibilities exist for Zendikar and the story:
A), the plane is completely lost, like the world that Nahiri and Sorin lost to Ulamog in The Lithomancer article. All or most of the walkers leave (I'd imagine either Gideon or Nissa would refuse to leave if worst came to worst), and the denizens are all lost. Although this seems the most likely currently, it also is the option I'd put the least money on. Zendikar has been too much of a success for Wizards to throw away. Yes, there have to be stakes to the titans emerging, but monetarily Zendikar seems too big of a selling point and popularity-wise to erase. I don't see Wizards letting that go.
B), Zendikar survives, but only barely. The world receives near irreparable damage, and the Titans either flee or are imprisoned; most likely just Ulamog given Kiora's article and the story of Cosi and Ula. Maybe with Ugin's aid, the walkers find some way to capture Ulamog, or drive he and Kozilek off. Maybe one of the ZendikarI pulls some deus ex machina event and saves the day? Hard to say at this point. I feel this would be the most likely. A LOT of Zendikari figures are lost, maybe a walker or two, but the plane survives as a scarred husk of the adventure world we all once loved before somebody in Creative decided to unleash Lovecraft upon the plane ( I don't dislike the Eldrazi; they just kind of bore me compared to adventure world. Neither here nor there, though).
C), combination of the 2. As pointed out above, Eldrazi (Ulamog most likely, again, as Kozilek has been built up too much to use for only a small set and is stated to be more powerful than Ulamog) are bound to plane - imprisoned or not - by Ugin and/or the new Oathengers. In their rage/distortion of mana, Zendikar would die, but slowly versus immediately. It would be sacrificed to save other worlds. I certainly hope not, but it wouldn't surprise me to see.
We could also get some out of left field resolution, like the Eldrazi get bored and bounce, or Nahiri suddenly pops in to the picture. One random thought: what if Ugin is so amoral and indifferent to the whims of one world that he warps into a colorless Bolas? Not inherently evil, but just so farsighted he doesn't care who is hurt in the present. Would be an interesting take.
All I know is that today's article makes me very sad about the likely future for my favorite legend in the game and my most beloved Commander, Drana. If she goes down, please let her go out in style. Or you know, do that whole eat an Eldrazi, spark up and bounce deal? Something cool? No? She's gonna die, most likely? Dang. I'll just go grab my edh deck and sit in the corner all depressed.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
What exactly does Emrakul do? It is pretty clear what the other two titans do, but the only thing I can think of is what is shown in Gravitational Shift.
RGTron
UGInfect
URStorm
WUBRAd Nauseam
BRGrishoalbrand
URGScapeshift
WBGAbzan Company
WUBRGAmulet Titan
BRGLiving End
WGBogles
I'm under the impression from the fat pack guide description that she doesn't affect space and locations, but moreso biological life. Warping minds and such. From the card I'd also guess time. Ulamog is hunger and suction/devouring, Kozilek deceit and corruption, Emrakul I'd guess is time and reality warping, although that kind of overlaps with Kozilek to some extent.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
This is exactly my reason for why I'm hoping OGW goes the way I said above. I like Zendikar as a world, Drana is awesome, Noyan Dar was a home run and even Munda, Tazri, and Jori en are cool (they are just a little less developed not having been the sole focus of a UR).
If the titans destroy an entire beloved world along with a bunch of characters that I think most of us genuinely like, and would've liked to see more of? Holy crap, these guys don't play. That would be emotional impact on storytelling on a scale that we don't always get in mtg. As I said, I like Zendikar, and I really like a lot of the Zendikari characters, so I'd be fine with a plot that ultimately saves it, even if it is a deus ex machina moment, but I think following our cast of characters as they lose their allies one by one and are forced to slowly recognize that there is nothing they can do would be one hell of a story.
RG 8-Whack
BWG Abzan midrange
GRB Living End
UWB Spirit Control
GU Kruphix's "Hug Assassin"
RW Kalemne's "Play Fatties and Hope for the Best!"
BUGW Atraxa's "All counters, all the time"
The Rise of Eldrazi fat pack? Or the Battle for Zendikar fat pack? If it is the latter I will probably buy one since a guide to the Eldrazi sounds pretty cool.
RGTron
UGInfect
URStorm
WUBRAd Nauseam
BRGrishoalbrand
URGScapeshift
WBGAbzan Company
WUBRGAmulet Titan
BRGLiving End
WGBogles
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
Would totally be a great story, and I am one to say that events have to have some sort of stakes, such as when I advocate more walkers have been needing to get the proverbial axe (or Garruk's. That works too), but man it would hurt me to see Drana go. I'd like to see the impact such a turn would take on Nissa and Jace the most, I think, despite liking them the least. Jace thinks he's got the answer for everything, but how does he explain failing an entire world? Nissa chose to let the Eldrazi loose. We've seen her grappling with that a bit, but seeing her own home lost a result could be the kind of motivation needed to push her to become the type of face of green Creative wants her to be.
EDH - Yes, Each One is Named After a Song. I love tying music to my decks.
B Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief B - Fear of the Dark
WG Sigarda, Heron's Grace WG - Strength in Numbers
RG Xenagos, God of Revels RG - Fullmoon (It's werewolves)
RW Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier RW - The End is Nigh
60 Card Kitchen Table Decks
WUB Avacyn, Spirit Ferrier
RG Arlinn Kord's Howlpack
Secondly, everyone seems to be under the impression that Magic: the Gathering is a story-driven product. It's not. This isn't some series of short-stories or novels whose sole purpose is to keep the reader coming back week after week for more. The point of the story is to sell cardboard. Don't delude yourselves into believing otherwise. And Zendikar sells cardboard very well. Thus, Zendikar will not be destroyed. It is a valuable piece of intellectual property that can be used 5-10 years later to sell even more cardboard.
I know the pain... but hey, at least Drana got some great screen time.
I'm also interested to see what happens to the legends of Zendikar as well. Wizards seem intent on tying up loose ends for the previous Zendikar legends (Kalitas = enslaved and/or dead, Tuktuk = eaten by Zada, Omnath = angry). Noyan Dar and Zada are lovable scamps. I can't imagine Drana not fighting back.
"Kiora is the Aquaman of planeswalkers."
"Useless and everyone pretends to like her?"
The UR - very well done, as expected of Kelly Digges, and a highlight in the BFZ lineup of URs and even of all recent URs in general, really.
Lorthos was truly a moment of excitement for me. His summoning, the idea he still exists after all this time and after such an extensive Eldrazi assault. His limited yet alluring lore made Lorthos a mysterious force of nature - and the mightiest creature of Zendikar's oceans. But most importantly, a familiar face that links us to the nostalgia of the adventure world we all grew to love. A time when natural Zendikari threats like Lorthos of Murasa were the greatest primordial forces of the true, virgin Zendikar before the Eldrazi release. Here we see this familiar legend join the battle, but the most significant thing about Lorthos isn't that he made Kozilek look like a threat - but that Lorthos in a way embodies Zendikar itself. Lorthos is the mightiest natural force Zendikar's oceans have to represent them - that was all of Zendikar's oceans doing the most they could, and like the plane itself, the Eldrazi tore it apart like nothing. This was the most tragic thing about Lorthos's loss... Great ancient legendaries we remember with awe from the original wild and tempestuous world of Zendikar are proving meaningless. If the greatest of creatures that thrive as legends on a harsh plane like Zendikar can't last a moment, what hope is left?
Kiora watching Lorthos die was truly tragic. This was the greatest creature of her home world. There was a time she'd have feared or even revered him as they had Cosi. He was the tidebringer, worthy of myths. Instead weilding him in battle and having his trust meant nothing. His loss is a sign of Zendikar's sealed fate.
So finally the theft of Thassa's bident is avenged with the punishment of Kiora's hubris and her lesson in humility. In a strange way I found that equally heartbreaking. Kiora shares this fate with Gideon. She wields the weapon of a Theros god, turns it on another god in a moment of hubris, and fells all her loved ones with her trust in it while they had their trust in her. In the end, Kiora destroyed herself. I love how the Greek mythology theme of Theros and the downfall of the hero carried over to Zendikar and to Kiora from Theros, through the Bident. As expected, even the mighty Dekella, the greatest artifact on all of Zendikar and a god weapon, was nothing. And Kiora learned an even more scathing lesson here - even when she convinced herself that she had defeated Thassa, she lost. Stealing the Bident gave her the confidence that ended Kiora. Thassa is a true god, a thinking, feeling being. Kiora could pique Thassa's curiosity with talk of foreign oceans or tempt her with flattery and a good show in exchange for devotion. Thassa is capable of having interests. But Kozilek cannot be understood or reasoned with. He cannot be stalled or bribed or intrigued. I bet she'd have rather died on Theros under the Bident now than ever having stolen it and learned this lesson. If she has survived, she will be a very different character for it.
About time.
I wonder what became of the Bident. Seeing it in action is always a favorite moment of mine, but if one of the titans cross over it, no doubt the weapon is dust. Perhaps Gideon will retrieve it. Perhaps Kiora will have an epiphany in the depths and seek it again with a newfound sense of purpose. Or that her sister will come upon it and show more responsibility with the weapon, which Kiora leaves to her. Many possibilities, but the contras between Thassa and Kozilek just shows what sort of threat the Eldrazi truly are. I loved how Kozilek was portrayed. Leave it to Digges to know how to finally give us the villains these titans were always meant to be.
And Ulamog IS intimidating and a horror. It's just Krienes that was more frightening and she overshadowed Ulamog.
Most powerful line in the UR: "...Kiora saw where she had gone wrong"
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
Kelly Digges definitely knows how to spin a tale.
"Kiora is the Aquaman of planeswalkers."
"Useless and everyone pretends to like her?"
Looking forward to see the events of Oath of the Gatewatch unfold, but I'm definitely rooting for the villains.
Cosi always wins.
Hello, been lurking about here for a bit and felt it was time to point out that with Lorthos there, Ulamog may have been looking at the Giant Kraken heading towards him, and the "Attacks" on Gideon were just him swatting at an annoying little until that little fly didn't splat when the tentacles hit it, when Ulamog actually pushed at Gideon with one hand "it felt as if an entire world was pushing against him"
I still think it was a little goofy, but it is less outrageous now, and honestly there was nothing else for Gideon to really do, Nissa and Jace were handling the hedrons, Kiora was dealing with the spawn around the Titan. Gideon had not much else to do during the climax.
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
The Gitrog Monster
Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
People have already covered this topic so I don't really want to go too deep into it, but being that close to Ualmog should be unbearable, let alone being struck by him. Even if Ulamog was 'distracted', I really don't see how anybody could remain on their feet after being struck by him.
This was fantastic. And it completely encapsulates why I felt how I felt about Lorthos's end. The tragedy, the irony, the lessons learned, the horror, the hopelessness, the regret, etc. I could actually FEEL all of those things reading this story. Let's hope this level of excellent writing continues.
Re: Ulamog - He is just as scary and devastating in his own right. He just hasn't had the time to shine. And I doubt OGW is going to be Kozilek's show. I have a feeling we'll get to see Ulamog's fierceness soon enough.
Sure, people are allowed to dislike her character, but she fills an indispensable role in the MTG character stable, not only of being one of the rare GU characters and the only GU planeswalker, but also of someone who is coming to grips with the fact that the faith on which she was raised ever since she could remember is a complete sham. It's obvious that her anger at the "gods" (both on Theros and on Zendikar) is responsible for her reckless actions, and this anger is because of her crisis of faith. It's a very painful thing to evolve from faithful reverence to agnosticism/atheism, and they've portrayed Kiora's evolution very well.
I've completly lost the feeling of fear and awe that Ulamog had during the original Zendikar, after the whole Gideon vs Ulamog nonesense, but Kozilek, now THAT is good storytelling! He is described so WELL, completly impossible, unfathomable, and insanely structured. Well done, Kelly!
Kiora's revelation is fantastic, I'm glad to see this character finally wisening up, and I have to say I really don't mind her surviving or not, as even if she survives, I think she'll go through a change.
All in all, I enjoyed reading it, though I hoped it would go beyond just Kiora Vs. Kozilek. Oh well.
WUR Control
WB Tokens
Someone discussed the possibility of Kiora's death in this thread. As I said there as well, I'm pretty sure Kiora is alive. I mean, a merfolk Planeswalker that charged into battle Leeroy Jenkins style and then freaking drowned? That would be so pathetic, she would turn into M:tG's version of Yamcha.
Man, Ned Stark is the main character, he'll be fine.
Robb Stark sure seems like an important character, he's totally going to avenge his dad!
Stannis has really gotten a lot of characterization this season, he's clearly going to oust the Boltons and make Jon a Stark.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Is Lorthos itself dead, or is he still sleeping on the other side of the planet? I thought when a planeswalker summons he or she doesn't actually summon the being itself but an idealized manifestation of that creature from the aether instead?
Game of Thrones is quite unique in its willingness to kill off central characters. It's actually one of the most divisive things about the show. It's anything but typical for storytelling.