I agree, Ashiok, that the action sequences are not particularly great. The problem to me isn't being that they describe overly (though this is a personal pet peeve in general that basically makes it impossible to read Tolkien for me). Descriptive language is great when used correctly. I want a picture painted. I enjoy being able to read a scene like I'm watching a movie. The problem is that the writers generally fail to impart what should be an interesting action sequence as anything of the sort. They often seem too busy showing off a characters unique ability to really make a gripping fight. The lack of stakes doesn't really help either, but I would call that a different criticism.
That all said I still enjoyed the story. Thought the betrayal of the noble was a little strange but she's a planeswalker. Minus her home plane, The stakes to her career are low when she can just find a new plane in need of her skills. The twist was grossly obvious and contrived. The only reason for it was to say that she wasn't just some ghost killer but also has a sense of justice. A forced way of saying here's a new W/B 'walker.
Her character is still quite likeable though. She has neat abilities and seems like a good addition to the ever-growing cast of 'walkers. Excited to see her card more than anything.
Story still gets a B for being just fine at stepping us into the world of Fiora again, and for introducing a character that I do want to see more of.
I'm really surprised to hear everyone saying Kaya's going to be WB, when everything seems to point to UB for me. I literally can't see any white in her at all. Her analytical approach, her phasing abilities, the color in her art, everything point to blue.
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I'm really surprised to hear everyone saying Kaya's going to be WB, when everything seems to point to UB for me. I literally can't see any white in her at all. Her analytical approach, her phasing abilities, the color in her art, everything point to blue.
Her sense of justice and the conviction to her beliefs indicate white.
Black is inherently selfish and would be unlikely to give up the second half of her payment to let a ghost seek vengeance.
Adding blue wouldn't change that selfishness at all. Adding white would.
UB simply wouldn't care that the noble who hired her killed his own mother unless that fact somehow benefited them. WB would.
Seems like WB is a pretty good bet yeah. The reveal didn't really make sense to me...he left another of the same signet rings in the room where he killed her? Or was that her ring? Did she rip up his shirt and the portrait of him after she died?
Something about the ghosts death must have tipped her off. It's a bit fuzzy, but must have been crystal clear for her to let her client die for it.
Honestly thought the assassin made total sense as W/B, U seems odd without the W, and Esper would be really odd as a combo. Sure it's the spirit colors, but it's thematically artifact focused. That and U/B doesn't seem like a color combo that would care about how the ghost died unless it impacted the job. I would see U/B blackmailing the client or some such instead.
Completely terrible story and a bad introduction to who, I assume, is one of the main characters of the new Conspiracy set.
Kaya comes across as a pastiche of tired cliches. She comes from nobility, but not that kind of nobility. She's down with the cause, she keeps it real. The primary people she interacts with are total boneheads in a city/plane entirely built upon intrigue; a great, and oh-so-subtle way of selling her cleverness to the readers. She's got a real hatred of ghosts...except when that gets in the way of her totally original (DO NOT STEAL!), grizzled, anti-hero morality. She's hardboiled (even has her own favorite drink!), but still able to yuk it up in that fresh, Whedonesque style of snark. And she dual-wields!
The story itself is equally bad, especially the boring "twist". I thought Fiora was supposed to be a hotbed of deciet, with webs of schemes interwoven upon each other. This job could have been a setup to anything; was it Marchesa testing our heroine? A trap by Brago loyalists who got wind of the assassination job up next for her? Bolas? Old Phyrexians trying to capture and compleat a specimen that can get revenge on Gerrard's ghost? Nah...here's a chance for Kaya to look edgy and cool...or at least that's what the focus groups and consultants said!
That is what I am thinking. She is an assassin and doesn't mind "killing" but her having the nobel face his mother defiant had a white streak. Plus WB is the colors of spirits and she seems to be our spirit walker in the same way Liliana is the zombie walker or Serra was the angel walker.
So Liliana creates and controls zombies. Serra I am not sure of but I would assume that she is similar in creating and possibly controlling angels? Kaya does not create nor control ghosts. So this parallel seems very out of place. She actually hunts and destroys them. Also her powers do not seem to interact with the ghosts, she appears to need her daggers to do that? Maybe she was using them as a focal point but it seemed more like using an artifact that interacts with the ghosts and ghost realm.
I am not sure which way I would go on her colors yet. Can see any of them in her. Probably right now leaning toward BG. The B for sort of the rogue for hire aspect. The G in that she is hunting some unnatural which are the spirits.
That is what I am thinking. She is an assassin and doesn't mind "killing" but her having the nobel face his mother defiant had a white streak. Plus WB is the colors of spirits and she seems to be our spirit walker in the same way Liliana is the zombie walker or Serra was the angel walker.
So Liliana creates and controls zombies. Serra I am not sure of but I would assume that she is similar in creating and possibly controlling angels? Kaya does not create nor control ghosts. So this parallel seems very out of place. She actually hunts and destroys them. Also her powers do not seem to interact with the ghosts, she appears to need her daggers to do that? Maybe she was using them as a focal point but it seemed more like using an artifact that interacts with the ghosts and ghost realm.
She could actually phaseshift into the spirit realm without her daggers, as shown when she one time grabs the tail of the ghost and the other time when she shifted her legs when the nobleman tried to grab her.
Also, when they ever make a deck with her, you can bet real money that it will have a bunch of ghosts in it, if it's not completely a tribal ghost deck. So calling her the "ghost" planeswalker in the same style as Liliana is a "zombie" planeswalker is probably not to far off.
Completely terrible story and a bad introduction to who, I assume, is one of the main characters of the new Conspiracy set.
Kaya comes across as a pastiche of tired cliches. She comes from nobility, but not that kind of nobility. She's down with the cause, she keeps it real. The primary people she interacts with are total boneheads in a city/plane entirely built upon intrigue; a great, and oh-so-subtle way of selling her cleverness to the readers. She's got a real hatred of ghosts...except when that gets in the way of her totally original (DO NOT STEAL!), grizzled, anti-hero morality. She's hardboiled (even has her own favorite drink!), but still able to yuk it up in that fresh, Whedonesque style of snark. And she dual-wields!
They hired a consultant to combat her being a cliche, so if you believe failed at that, definitely let them know. I didn't read the story since ghost assassin wasn't an urgent read for me, so I don't have my own opinion on it, just letting you know.
That is what I am thinking. She is an assassin and doesn't mind "killing" but her having the nobel face his mother defiant had a white streak. Plus WB is the colors of spirits and she seems to be our spirit walker in the same way Liliana is the zombie walker or Serra was the angel walker.
So Liliana creates and controls zombies. Serra I am not sure of but I would assume that she is similar in creating and possibly controlling angels? Kaya does not create nor control ghosts. So this parallel seems very out of place. She actually hunts and destroys them. Also her powers do not seem to interact with the ghosts, she appears to need her daggers to do that? Maybe she was using them as a focal point but it seemed more like using an artifact that interacts with the ghosts and ghost realm.
She could actually phaseshift into the spirit realm without her daggers, as shown when she one time grabs the tail of the ghost and the other time when she shifted her legs when the nobleman tried to grab her.
This is also kind of inconsistent - I remember it stating that she couldn't follow the ghost up, so she is bound by gravity/things to stand on, but she can phase through the walls, but if she phases out her legs she doesn't fall through the ground? I guess this has always been a problem for phasing characters in many media though.
There is a surprisingly large number of story-relevant ghosts strewn about that she could deal with, so it seems like a good hook for a character though.
That is what I am thinking. She is an assassin and doesn't mind "killing" but her having the nobel face his mother defiant had a white streak. Plus WB is the colors of spirits and she seems to be our spirit walker in the same way Liliana is the zombie walker or Serra was the angel walker.
So Liliana creates and controls zombies. Serra I am not sure of but I would assume that she is similar in creating and possibly controlling angels? Kaya does not create nor control ghosts. So this parallel seems very out of place. She actually hunts and destroys them. Also her powers do not seem to interact with the ghosts, she appears to need her daggers to do that? Maybe she was using them as a focal point but it seemed more like using an artifact that interacts with the ghosts and ghost realm.
She could actually phaseshift into the spirit realm without her daggers, as shown when she one time grabs the tail of the ghost and the other time when she shifted her legs when the nobleman tried to grab her.
This is also kind of inconsistent - I remember it stating that she couldn't follow the ghost up, so she is bound by gravity/things to stand on, but she can phase through the walls, but if she phases out her legs she doesn't fall through the ground? I guess this has always been a problem for phasing characters in many media though.
There is a surprisingly large number of story-relevant ghosts strewn about that she could deal with, so it seems like a good hook for a character though.
Maybe she just phased out her legs, and not her feet? We don't know how fine-tuned this magic is. Maybe she can phase out everything but the soles of her shoes, if she wanted.
The "bound by gravity" and the like may have been more in reference to the idea that she can't stay phased forever. I felt like there was some implication that it wasn't a terribly pleasant place to be if you're alive.
I'm also curious what she might feel about arguably good ghosts, a la Geist of St. Traft. That'd be interesting.
I also wonder if she thinks of the humans or the ghosts more as the clients. Her job is, technically, to help the ghosts pass on. It's just that sometimes it's easier to do that with a stabbing, and other times by dragging some living shmuck into a building to die.
Re: her colours. Although I still think Esper is possible (unblockable rogue and all that), it's the references to her magic showing as things like a 'flash of purple-white light' that most settles me on WB. Wizards do like to colour-code magical effects pretty regularly.
In a little interview they do with Monique Jones who was the consult on Kaya character say we gonna a lot more about her, which I'm guessing means Kaya is gonna end up being a major character in this story.
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This is also kind of inconsistent - I remember it stating that she couldn't follow the ghost up, so she is bound by gravity/things to stand on, but she can phase through the walls, but if she phases out her legs she doesn't fall through the ground? I guess this has always been a problem for phasing characters in many media though.
There is a surprisingly large number of story-relevant ghosts strewn about that she could deal with, so it seems like a good hook for a character though.
She specifically mentions bringing her leading arm back into the mortal realm to 'anchor' herself.
Re: her colours. Although I still think Esper is possible (unblockable rogue and all that), it's the references to her magic showing as things like a 'flash of purple-white light' that most settles me on WB. Wizards do like to colour-code magical effects pretty regularly.
That all said I still enjoyed the story. Thought the betrayal of the noble was a little strange but she's a planeswalker. Minus her home plane, The stakes to her career are low when she can just find a new plane in need of her skills. The twist was grossly obvious and contrived. The only reason for it was to say that she wasn't just some ghost killer but also has a sense of justice. A forced way of saying here's a new W/B 'walker.
Her character is still quite likeable though. She has neat abilities and seems like a good addition to the ever-growing cast of 'walkers. Excited to see her card more than anything.
Story still gets a B for being just fine at stepping us into the world of Fiora again, and for introducing a character that I do want to see more of.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Her sense of justice and the conviction to her beliefs indicate white.
Black is inherently selfish and would be unlikely to give up the second half of her payment to let a ghost seek vengeance.
Adding blue wouldn't change that selfishness at all. Adding white would.
UB simply wouldn't care that the noble who hired her killed his own mother unless that fact somehow benefited them. WB would.
Honestly thought the assassin made total sense as W/B, U seems odd without the W, and Esper would be really odd as a combo. Sure it's the spirit colors, but it's thematically artifact focused. That and U/B doesn't seem like a color combo that would care about how the ghost died unless it impacted the job. I would see U/B blackmailing the client or some such instead.
Kaya comes across as a pastiche of tired cliches. She comes from nobility, but not that kind of nobility. She's down with the cause, she keeps it real. The primary people she interacts with are total boneheads in a city/plane entirely built upon intrigue; a great, and oh-so-subtle way of selling her cleverness to the readers. She's got a real hatred of ghosts...except when that gets in the way of her totally original (DO NOT STEAL!), grizzled, anti-hero morality. She's hardboiled (even has her own favorite drink!), but still able to yuk it up in that fresh, Whedonesque style of snark. And she dual-wields!
The story itself is equally bad, especially the boring "twist". I thought Fiora was supposed to be a hotbed of deciet, with webs of schemes interwoven upon each other. This job could have been a setup to anything; was it Marchesa testing our heroine? A trap by Brago loyalists who got wind of the assassination job up next for her? Bolas? Old Phyrexians trying to capture and compleat a specimen that can get revenge on Gerrard's ghost? Nah...here's a chance for Kaya to look edgy and cool...or at least that's what the focus groups and consultants said!
I'm kind of missing sural-slinging right now...
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URStorm
WUBRAd Nauseam
BRGrishoalbrand
URGScapeshift
WBGAbzan Company
WUBRGAmulet Titan
BRGLiving End
WGBogles
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So Liliana creates and controls zombies. Serra I am not sure of but I would assume that she is similar in creating and possibly controlling angels? Kaya does not create nor control ghosts. So this parallel seems very out of place. She actually hunts and destroys them. Also her powers do not seem to interact with the ghosts, she appears to need her daggers to do that? Maybe she was using them as a focal point but it seemed more like using an artifact that interacts with the ghosts and ghost realm.
I am not sure which way I would go on her colors yet. Can see any of them in her. Probably right now leaning toward BG. The B for sort of the rogue for hire aspect. The G in that she is hunting some unnatural which are the spirits.
She could actually phaseshift into the spirit realm without her daggers, as shown when she one time grabs the tail of the ghost and the other time when she shifted her legs when the nobleman tried to grab her.
Also, when they ever make a deck with her, you can bet real money that it will have a bunch of ghosts in it, if it's not completely a tribal ghost deck. So calling her the "ghost" planeswalker in the same style as Liliana is a "zombie" planeswalker is probably not to far off.
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They hired a consultant to combat her being a cliche, so if you believe failed at that, definitely let them know. I didn't read the story since ghost assassin wasn't an urgent read for me, so I don't have my own opinion on it, just letting you know.
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This is also kind of inconsistent - I remember it stating that she couldn't follow the ghost up, so she is bound by gravity/things to stand on, but she can phase through the walls, but if she phases out her legs she doesn't fall through the ground? I guess this has always been a problem for phasing characters in many media though.
There is a surprisingly large number of story-relevant ghosts strewn about that she could deal with, so it seems like a good hook for a character though.
Maybe she just phased out her legs, and not her feet? We don't know how fine-tuned this magic is. Maybe she can phase out everything but the soles of her shoes, if she wanted.
The "bound by gravity" and the like may have been more in reference to the idea that she can't stay phased forever. I felt like there was some implication that it wasn't a terribly pleasant place to be if you're alive.
I'm also curious what she might feel about arguably good ghosts, a la Geist of St. Traft. That'd be interesting.
I also wonder if she thinks of the humans or the ghosts more as the clients. Her job is, technically, to help the ghosts pass on. It's just that sometimes it's easier to do that with a stabbing, and other times by dragging some living shmuck into a building to die.
Re: her colours. Although I still think Esper is possible (unblockable rogue and all that), it's the references to her magic showing as things like a 'flash of purple-white light' that most settles me on WB. Wizards do like to colour-code magical effects pretty regularly.
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http://colorwebmag.com/2016/08/04/6-questions-you-might-have-about-magic-the-gatherings-kaya-ghost-assassin-answered/
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I like Kaya. She was a fun character, and I'm interested to see her expanded further.
She specifically mentions bringing her leading arm back into the mortal realm to 'anchor' herself.
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[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Thanks for the link
Zero. At least the ones you listed. The set is not designed for making Spike's wallet happier.
Snapcaster is needed for MM3, Guide is outright atrocious in multiplayer, fetchlands - just no.
Also, not a storyline question. At all.
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