I'm starting this up since there is a good chance Wednesday will be our first Kaladesh Magic Story. Update: It turns out Monday was a surprise Magic Story!
Remember, NO STORY SPOILERS are discussed in this thread. That means no leaks, nothing that hasn't been revealed by official sources. Even then, this thread should be focusing on the article of the week, NOT any revelations about the ending or anything like that.
I haven't finished reading but it dose confirm vedalken on Kaladesh and we might have a new walker card with Dovin Baan.
EDIT: Well he does have a planeswalker profile now. Odd thing his art looks blue/red, which would fight for space with Saheeli, although his magical ability to see when stuff is wrong, which I know so many people who have this ability, sounds W so maybe he is Jeski?
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I think it would be ever so much more interesting if Baan wasn't a Planeswalker. That would imply that the Kaladeshi have discovered a method for moving between Planes.
Which we all know who would want that...
If a PW were on Kaladesh, what would he be doing as the Minister of Inspections?
Very interesting, all told. It also confirms that the Consulate is a White/Blue (perhaps Esper) organization. I find it interesting that the two PWs from the Gatewatch not to go are the ones who are likely to sympathize best with the Consulate.
I think it would be ever so much more interesting if Baan wasn't a Planeswalker. That would imply that the Kaladeshi have discovered a method for moving between Planes.
Which we all know who would want that...
If a PW were on Kaladesh, what would he be doing as the Minister of Inspections?
Very interesting, all told. It also confirms that the Consulate is a White/Blue (perhaps Esper) organization. I find it interesting that the two PWs from the Gatewatch not to go are the ones who are likely to sympathize best with the Consulate.
“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I enjoyed today's story. That was the most characterisation the Origin Five got in long while and do like glimpses into the mundane life of heroes. It makes them feel more like real characteres to me. Chandra and Liliana getting along so well made me smile.
It was also a nice (if a tad too easy) setup for the stories going forward with word about the Gatewatch spreading. VAlso, raska was name dropped, maybe we see her again sooner than later. And they pretty much got rid of Jace for Kaladesh block, because he has guildpacting to do.
(And there were so many hooks for shipping fanfics in this. But is this a thing in the Magic fandom?)
new workout goals for next year: I want my wife to call me Beefslab. Just once. I'll also settle for "Mancake."
Looks like they're downplaying Chandra's pre-Eldrazi past with Gideon. They might have had something brewing , but now it appears as if he has been friendzoned. bummer.
So now the gatewatch get their own spot which happens to be Jace's Living Guildpact office? It's the new hall of Jacetus! These jokes just write themselves!
I fully finished it and I like that we are getting some character focus with the Gatewatch. I like we are seeing who they are still bumbling around trying to come together as a group off the battlefield. Fun to also see how the characters colors seems to connect, with Chandra getting along with Liliana and Nissa. Oh btw I'm not a huge shipper and I don't like trying to force ship same-sex couples, but holy cow I'm waiting to board the Chandra/Nissa train. That pov part with of Chandra trying to talk to Nissa has CHnadra way too nervous to just ask how to meditate. Also like we got a call back of Nissa old origins where it hinted she had visited Ravnica and had similar reaction as she was having in this story.
I also wonder about Saheeli role in this story since Dovin taken the spot most people where guessing at and he says, at least he believes, that no planeswalkers are in the rebels.
Since in a very indirect way Tamiyo was the link from Innistrad to Kaladesh can I get a half point on that? LOL
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“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
(And there were so many hooks for shipping fanfics in this. But is this a thing in the Magic fandom?)
Yes, if you know where to look. Tumblr is the prime place I've been seeing it.
Dovin is super super interesting and I'm really looking forward to how his planeswalker card will function - I don't think we've seen his magic before. The 'double wink' thing he does is a very neat quirk/tic.
Also, I'm really really going to hate it when Vraska petrifies Lavinia >_<
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Vorthos-y Johnny. All will be One
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
I didn't realize that Dovin Baan was a 'walker until I finished the story. Kind of a let down b/c I was wondering when they'd reveal how he got to Ravnica and how Kaladesh knew of other worlds. Baan is ok, very in line with a U/R 'walker from an artifact world. His ability to intrinsically analyze things is def within the Blue pie. He's kind of like Sylar from Heroes.
As far as having two U/R 'walkers from Kaladesh, I think we'll have a nice contrast between the hardcore rule following of Baan against the more free-form artifice and joy of creation that Saheeli radiates.
And for the story, agree with previous statements that it was nice to see everyone doing their day-to-days. And it was a longer story as well, which is most welcome.
I don't see where people are getting Dovin being UR. Everything I read hints more towards being UW than UR. He is seeking perfection (U) while maintaining the current order (W). I don't see any Red in him at all.
And yes I know his art has some red hints to it, but that doesn't sell me on him being a Red 'walker.
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I enjoyed the story. The portrayal of Chandra as a flustered 13 year old girl got a bit out of hand, but I suppose based on her past she would be somewhat emotionally stunted.
Why does Liliana always have to be the be the one to get the best of everyone else?
Are they trying to portray Nissa as having some sort of withdrawal as she remains in a city plane and net vists a plane of artifice where the mana is strictly controlled?
Is it a conscious effort to make Gideon the least likeable of the Gatewatch?
Does Jace have enough patience to keep the Gatewatch in his Sanctum?
Vedalken planeswalker was unexpected. Nice job WotC. I like it when we get something like that from out of the blue...
Did anyone catch that this story takes place about 4 years since, I assume, the event of Agents of Artifice?
Nice story to connect blocks. A bit disjointed, but a strong story for female walker character development. B today.
Lavinia knowing about Planeswalker is new, isn't it? Maybe I'm remembering wrong (it's been a while), but the story where Jace faced Vraska, I thought he was careful not mention planeswalkers.
Lavinia knowing about Planeswalker is new, isn't it? Maybe I'm remembering wrong (it's been a while), but the story where Jace faced Vraska, I thought he was careful not mention planeswalkers.
Yes it's new and kept as secret as possible so we don't wind up with Doctor Niv Mizzet vivisecting a planeswalker to get to the secret of the spark. It's specifically mentioned in-story that with 5 of them in a single building and Lavinia being there 24/7, Jace had no choice but to explain to her what the deal is and swore her to secrecy through Guildpact magic.
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Vorthos-y Johnny. All will be One
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
So Dovin Baan is the Industrial Engineering PW, huh? UW, almost certainly, then. (I say this as an IE.)
I wonder what happens when (not if) Baan meets the Phyrexians. Will he see them as perfect, or will he be a key to stopping them? (The fact that he is a vedalken I think is very important.)
Edit: I might also point out that Baan's sight is eerily close to what Raistlin was 'blessed' with in the Dragonlance books. Hopefully it doesn't create a similar situation.
Is it a conscious effort to make Gideon the least likeable of the Gatewatch?
I disagree completely. I think they're trying to make Gideon the most likable (or, at least, the most understanding) of the group, while actively trying to make Liliana the least likable. There's only so much snark you can pump into a character before it gets annoying and becomes a detriment to the story.
Either way, they are failing. Gideon is just so one dimensional. The big hearted ol' lunk. He reminds me a lot of Caramon from the Dragonlance books. And while I agree if you knew this guy in real life, he'd have the "Mr. Congeniality" award named in his honor. But in stories, just too bland. I do respect your opinion though and I can see how some people would dislike Liliana in the extreme. The writers just give her too many good lines for me to react negatively to her.
So Dovin Baan is the Industrial Engineering PW, huh? UW, almost certainly, then. (I say this as an IE.)
I wonder what happens when (not if) Baan meets the Phyrexians. Will he see them as perfect, or will he be a key to stopping them? (The fact that he is a vedalken I think is very important.)
Edit: I might also point out that Baan's sight is eerily close to what Raistlin was 'blessed' with in the Dragonlance books. Hopefully it doesn't create a similar situation.
No, not an IE Planeswalker. Everything always looks so good and doable on paper! The only PW who would be more of a bummer is a Quality Assurance PW. (and I say that as Food Industry QA Manager)
Dovin seems very much mono-blue to me. He doesn't seem to care much about any sort of greater good, just making things run as efficiently as they possibly can. He's as cold and detached as a character can be. I could understand adding white on the basis of a love of structure and organization, but those are traits that overlap with blue anyway. I am confused by the color scheme, though; no matter what color(s) he is it seems to split focus with Saheeli, whom we know to be UR and has a similar color scheme in her clothing.
So far our confirmed cast of planeswalker characters for the block is up to four: Chandra, Nissa, Dovin, and Saheeli. The color black is noticeably missing from that line-up, and possibly white depending on whether Dovin is mono-blue or white-blue. And with at least two blue walkers already present, at least one of whom works directly with artifacts, I think it's sadly unlikely we'll be seeing Tezzeret here, unless we get another Tamiyo situation with him being an "extra" planeswalker with narrow focus and color requirements (Esper, obviously).
Edit: Forgot about Liliana. Since she and Chandra planeswalked together, I guess it's likely she came to Kaladesh along with her. So that's five characters, though not all of them will necessarily have new cards. I'm guessing Liliana gets left out, since she just got a card in Eldritch Moon and I don't get the impression from this story that she'll be be getting very involved beyond advising Chandra in an attempt to gain her trust and/or manipulate her into achieving some goal she has for her.
luminum: I think that Saheeli and Baan are meant to be foils. One (Saheeli) is the expression of the creativity of Kaladesh--she's likely the person that Baan refers to who's made 'an entire new type/form of artifice'--and the other (Baan) is the expression of the order of Kaladesh, or at least the Consulate.
For them to be otherwise similar would make a lot of sense, I think.
I really want to hear about how the Gatewatch marketing department managed to get them moderately well known in three months. I mean defeating the Eldrazi (sort of) is impressive but wouldn't that be both impossible to confirm and meaningless to most people?
Actually that's always an issue for stories like this so maybe they'll gloss over it:
"In 2016, a crack walker unit destroyed two Eldrazi titans using a weapon they did not create. These men and women promptly imprisoned a third titan in maximum security stockade and moved to the Ravnica underground. Today, still wanted by the Eldrazi, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the Gatewatch."
EDIT:
Also, speculation, but given the name "Aether Revolt" the dependence of Kaladeshi magitech on aether and Baan's discovery of an unexpected problem he can't fix I'm betting that Aether turns out to be either sentient or nonrenewable (or both).
I always appreciate stories that show some personality... through interactions. Each of them plays a role here: Lilliana scheming (love how she messes up Jace's library and takes over), Nissa coping with the city, and Chandra conflicted with his past, present, and future. The fact that they don't know certain fruit/veggie on other planes is also a nice touch.
Jace and Gideon unfortunately weren't very interesting. Jace at least has Lilliana to banter with, Gideon hasn't gone through development after Zendikar. Not that I'm complaining about a righteous, big hearted oaf, but Ajani is so much more interesting as a mono white walker than Gideon the Cliche. (Where art thou, my big kitty?)
Am I the only one who thinks Baan is a WUR walker? Creativity within limits like a scientist over broken glasses? He could also be WU, to contrast Shaheeli's UR.
The PW networking is very intriguing because *drums* Bolas will no doubt become aware of it, and use it to his advantage, especially after the Eldrazi he helped released is killed/imprisoned. Kaladesh would be a prime Phyrexian invasion target.
I'm starting this up since there is a good chance Wednesday will be our first Kaladesh Magic Story.Update: It turns out Monday was a surprise Magic Story!Magic Origins
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Remember, NO STORY SPOILERS are discussed in this thread. That means no leaks, nothing that hasn't been revealed by official sources. Even then, this thread should be focusing on the article of the week, NOT any revelations about the ending or anything like that.
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I haven't finished reading but it dose confirm vedalken on Kaladesh and we might have a new walker card with Dovin Baan.
EDIT: Well he does have a planeswalker profile now. Odd thing his art looks blue/red, which would fight for space with Saheeli, although his magical ability to see when stuff is wrong, which I know so many people who have this ability, sounds W so maybe he is Jeski?
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Which we all know who would want that...
If a PW were on Kaladesh, what would he be doing as the Minister of Inspections?
Very interesting, all told. It also confirms that the Consulate is a White/Blue (perhaps Esper) organization. I find it interesting that the two PWs from the Gatewatch not to go are the ones who are likely to sympathize best with the Consulate.
He's got a profile; http://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planeswalkers/dovin-baan
EDIT: Kaladesh plane profile also is up and looks like Kaladesh has elves as well; http://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planes/kaladesh
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
It was also a nice (if a tad too easy) setup for the stories going forward with word about the Gatewatch spreading. VAlso, raska was name dropped, maybe we see her again sooner than later. And they pretty much got rid of Jace for Kaladesh block, because he has guildpacting to do.
(And there were so many hooks for shipping fanfics in this. But is this a thing in the Magic fandom?)
Looks like they're downplaying Chandra's pre-Eldrazi past with Gideon. They might have had something brewing , but now it appears as if he has been friendzoned. bummer.
So now the gatewatch get their own spot which happens to be Jace's Living Guildpact office? It's the new hall of Jacetus! These jokes just write themselves!
Click the pic for more info.
I also wonder about Saheeli role in this story since Dovin taken the spot most people where guessing at and he says, at least he believes, that no planeswalkers are in the rebels.
Since in a very indirect way Tamiyo was the link from Innistrad to Kaladesh can I get a half point on that? LOL
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Yes, if you know where to look. Tumblr is the prime place I've been seeing it.
Dovin is super super interesting and I'm really looking forward to how his planeswalker card will function - I don't think we've seen his magic before. The 'double wink' thing he does is a very neat quirk/tic.
Also, I'm really really going to hate it when Vraska petrifies Lavinia >_<
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
As far as having two U/R 'walkers from Kaladesh, I think we'll have a nice contrast between the hardcore rule following of Baan against the more free-form artifice and joy of creation that Saheeli radiates.
And for the story, agree with previous statements that it was nice to see everyone doing their day-to-days. And it was a longer story as well, which is most welcome.
And yes I know his art has some red hints to it, but that doesn't sell me on him being a Red 'walker.
and yes, I ship her with Liliana
Why does Liliana always have to be the be the one to get the best of everyone else?
Are they trying to portray Nissa as having some sort of withdrawal as she remains in a city plane and net vists a plane of artifice where the mana is strictly controlled?
Is it a conscious effort to make Gideon the least likeable of the Gatewatch?
Does Jace have enough patience to keep the Gatewatch in his Sanctum?
Vedalken planeswalker was unexpected. Nice job WotC. I like it when we get something like that from out of the blue...
Did anyone catch that this story takes place about 4 years since, I assume, the event of Agents of Artifice?
Nice story to connect blocks. A bit disjointed, but a strong story for female walker character development. B today.
Yes it's new and kept as secret as possible so we don't wind up with Doctor Niv Mizzet vivisecting a planeswalker to get to the secret of the spark. It's specifically mentioned in-story that with 5 of them in a single building and Lavinia being there 24/7, Jace had no choice but to explain to her what the deal is and swore her to secrecy through Guildpact magic.
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
I wonder what happens when (not if) Baan meets the Phyrexians. Will he see them as perfect, or will he be a key to stopping them? (The fact that he is a vedalken I think is very important.)
Edit: I might also point out that Baan's sight is eerily close to what Raistlin was 'blessed' with in the Dragonlance books. Hopefully it doesn't create a similar situation.
Either way, they are failing. Gideon is just so one dimensional. The big hearted ol' lunk. He reminds me a lot of Caramon from the Dragonlance books. And while I agree if you knew this guy in real life, he'd have the "Mr. Congeniality" award named in his honor. But in stories, just too bland. I do respect your opinion though and I can see how some people would dislike Liliana in the extreme. The writers just give her too many good lines for me to react negatively to her.
No, not an IE Planeswalker. Everything always looks so good and doable on paper! The only PW who would be more of a bummer is a Quality Assurance PW. (and I say that as Food Industry QA Manager)
So far our confirmed cast of planeswalker characters for the block is up to four: Chandra, Nissa, Dovin, and Saheeli. The color black is noticeably missing from that line-up, and possibly white depending on whether Dovin is mono-blue or white-blue. And with at least two blue walkers already present, at least one of whom works directly with artifacts, I think it's sadly unlikely we'll be seeing Tezzeret here, unless we get another Tamiyo situation with him being an "extra" planeswalker with narrow focus and color requirements (Esper, obviously).
Edit: Forgot about Liliana. Since she and Chandra planeswalked together, I guess it's likely she came to Kaladesh along with her. So that's five characters, though not all of them will necessarily have new cards. I'm guessing Liliana gets left out, since she just got a card in Eldritch Moon and I don't get the impression from this story that she'll be be getting very involved beyond advising Chandra in an attempt to gain her trust and/or manipulate her into achieving some goal she has for her.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
For them to be otherwise similar would make a lot of sense, I think.
Actually that's always an issue for stories like this so maybe they'll gloss over it:
"In 2016, a crack walker unit destroyed two Eldrazi titans using a weapon they did not create. These men and women promptly imprisoned a third titan in maximum security stockade and moved to the Ravnica underground. Today, still wanted by the Eldrazi, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... the Gatewatch."
EDIT:
Also, speculation, but given the name "Aether Revolt" the dependence of Kaladeshi magitech on aether and Baan's discovery of an unexpected problem he can't fix I'm betting that Aether turns out to be either sentient or nonrenewable (or both).
Jace and Gideon unfortunately weren't very interesting. Jace at least has Lilliana to banter with, Gideon hasn't gone through development after Zendikar. Not that I'm complaining about a righteous, big hearted oaf, but Ajani is so much more interesting as a mono white walker than Gideon the Cliche. (Where art thou, my big kitty?)
Am I the only one who thinks Baan is a WUR walker? Creativity within limits like a scientist over broken glasses? He could also be WU, to contrast Shaheeli's UR.
The PW networking is very intriguing because *drums* Bolas will no doubt become aware of it, and use it to his advantage, especially after the Eldrazi he helped released is killed/imprisoned. Kaladesh would be a prime Phyrexian invasion target.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
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Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
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