"I spent FIVE THOUSAND YEARS watching as the mere presence of the Eldrazi ravaged my plane and my people because YOU TOLD ME they couldn't be killed, AND IT WAS ALL A LIE!"
To be fair, Nahiri and Sorin tried to kill the Eldrazi before; if two Oldwalkers couldn't do it... well, I'd probably be safe to assume they couldn't be killed. I don't think Ugin lied; he probably assumed it couldn't be done.
However, while we're on the subject; using the Hedron Network to make Ulamog and Kozilek mortal and killable (which I consider to be a complete Deus Ex Machina, but still)... how did Nahiri not know it could do that? She BUILT the bloody things!
Mark Zuckerberg didn't know Facebook would become the worldwide leader in social networking and marketing when he built it. He just wanted a site where friends could talk to each other.
The point is- just because you invented/created it doesn't mean you're going to realize its full potential.
"I spent FIVE THOUSAND YEARS watching as the mere presence of the Eldrazi ravaged my plane and my people because YOU TOLD ME they couldn't be killed, AND IT WAS ALL A LIE!"
To be fair, Nahiri and Sorin tried to kill the Eldrazi before; if two Oldwalkers couldn't do it... well, I'd probably be safe to assume they couldn't be killed. I don't think Ugin lied; he probably assumed it couldn't be done.
From The Lithomancer
"We must find a way to destroy them," said Sorin.
"That may not be possible," said Ugin, "and it certainly isn't wise."
This implies Ugin never tried to destroy them. What he did say not to try and kill them since they might have a bigger role in the multiverse.
However, while we're on the subject; using the Hedron Network to make Ulamog and Kozilek mortal and killable (which I consider to be a complete Deus Ex Machina, but still)...
Nope. A Deus Ex Machina is when a conflict is s resolved with no set up and comes out of nowhere. Everything about making them mortal and killing them was set up during Jaces talks with Ugin and all of Nissa ...stories...about being able to use/talk too all of Zendikars mana/heart.
how did Nahiri not know it could do that? She BUILT the bloody things!
She never tried.
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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"
We got a lot of card moments today. Not a bad story, but a little bit of a mess. Aside from some cringe worthy dialogue from Gideon, it was great seeing all the characters interact with each other. I assume next week's story will revolve around Liliana? Its story spotlight card is "Battle at the Bridge", after all.
What a gentleman Baan is. Sabotages Heart of Kiran and then "You might wanna land this thing... and get off". Any other being in the multiverse and that's a taunt. Here, its just Baan being Baan.
Not a bad entry today, a lot of small moments that added up to a decent chapter.
I think the moment that most stands out was this snippet of Gideon's thoughts:
"Gideon crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling. He wished he could scoop up everyone on this world onto this ship, and then reach his arms around the whole thing. Wrap all the soft people in an impenetrable hug. Everyone in his life always seemed to get into situations proving how fragile they were."
When I read this, I thought that this was something Superman would say. Supes even said something similar in the Justice League: Unlimited finale, telling Darkseid that he holds back lest he hurts someone, that he feels he lives in a world made of cardboard.
I just feel this adds a little more depth to Gideon, a personal frustration that saving the world is exhausting when it's a constant.
Anyone else just getting a bit tired of the constant battlefield, tactical scenarios and stories? If BFZ was a weird Call of Duty-esquire campaign, it feels like Aether Revolt has become Attack on the Death Star. Which I love in Star Wars, but not Magic. Maybe it's just that outside of equipment, I'm not a huge artifacts. I dunno. Just feels.....decidedly un-magical to me.
Story is decent. Dovin is a delight as always, even being a nice antithesis to the way I feel I'd act in most scenarios. Gideon is becoming more Supermanish in his logic, which I don't hate, and Ajani learning Nissa is almost if not stronger than he is is was a fun moment. I'd just like some more, you know, spells already. At least in SOI and EDM we got some spells and magical combat whether between Nahiri and her lithomancy and Sorin and his blood magic or Liliana with her death-casting and necromancy. Been a lot of vehicle stuff here, and I'm just bored with it. Great if you like it, but it just doesn't do much for me.
Please let Liliana and Tezzeret's showdown be good.
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.
Alas,no matter how Doug tries,he is not,and will never be a good storywriter.
It just seems that everything he writes ends up a little off. Too fast pacing. Too cheesy joke. Too descriptive moment,too bad dialogue. A word redundant here,missing there. And when you have the awesome work of Chris L'Etoile with the same characters to compare,this reads like a second-rate fanfic.
It would also help not trying to cram as many things as possible into one story...and if you really have to,then let someone else than Doug write it. This read a lot of like Battle of Thraben - resulting in not enough time for everything and important things happening too fast (death of Brisela,for example).
So Dovin just...planeswalked away. And Hungry Flames were just...toothless.
One thing left me wondering. We are practically at the end of story. Battle is next,and then epilogue (Dark Intimations). Aether Revolt hits shelves this Friday. WHAT are we supposed to read whole February and March?!
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100% Vorthos Spike and Storyline Expert
Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I am predicting the Amonkhet story might be starting earlier than we think, so that we do get some Magic story fix between now and the next block. Perhaps after Battle and Dark Intimations, maybe we will get a Dovin Baan, Tezzerret or Nicol Bolas background story (A Nicol Bolas story of what he has been up to on Amonkhet would get me quite excited).
Overall I do agree with this week's story's pacing. I felt it was a little rushed, so I pretty much ended up just skimming it :/ Let's help the Battle at the Bridge is very well fleshed out.
Ideally they'll develop the Gatewatch during that time. We'll see them regroup on Ravnica, and see a few stories of them on Amonkhet scoping the situation out and planning. Getting a feel for the new plane none of them have seen before. Something toned down that focuses on them as characters at the challenge ahead on this new, mysterious world.
Knowing WOTC though, it'll be two months of nothing and then the Gatewatch will get thrown into the midst of another bloody war with Gideon whipping surral back and forth.
Alas,no matter how Doug tries,he is not,and will never be a good storywriter.
It just seems that everything he writes ends up a little off. Too fast pacing. Too cheesy joke. Too descriptive moment,too bad dialogue. A word redundant here,missing there. And when you have the awesome work of Chris L'Etoile with the same characters to compare,this reads like a second-rate fanfic.
It would also help not trying to cram as many things as possible into one story...and if you really have to,then let someone else than Doug write it. This read a lot of like Battle of Thraben - resulting in not enough time for everything and important things happening too fast (death of Brisela,for example).
So Dovin just...planeswalked away. And Hungry Flames were just...toothless.
One thing left me wondering. We are practically at the end of story. Battle is next,and then epilogue (Dark Intimations). Aether Revolt hits shelves this Friday. WHAT are we supposed to read whole February and March?!
Hopefully? The Gatewatch characters going about their daily routines - I mean, what do these people do when they're not kicking Eldritch Abominations in the junk or getting swept up in societal powerstruggles?
I'd just like to see Jace do some Guildpact work, since that's kind of his job, and let the other five members just... hang out. Show us what they do when they're off the clock.
Alas,no matter how Doug tries,he is not,and will never be a good storywriter.
It just seems that everything he writes ends up a little off. Too fast pacing. Too cheesy joke. Too descriptive moment,too bad dialogue. A word redundant here,missing there. And when you have the awesome work of Chris L'Etoile with the same characters to compare,this reads like a second-rate fanfic.
It would also help not trying to cram as many things as possible into one story...and if you really have to,then let someone else than Doug write it. This read a lot of like Battle of Thraben - resulting in not enough time for everything and important things happening too fast (death of Brisela,for example).
So Dovin just...planeswalked away. And Hungry Flames were just...toothless.
One thing left me wondering. We are practically at the end of story. Battle is next,and then epilogue (Dark Intimations). Aether Revolt hits shelves this Friday. WHAT are we supposed to read whole February and March?!
Hopefully? The Gatewatch characters going about their daily routines - I mean, what do these people do when they're not kicking Eldritch Abominations in the junk or getting swept up in societal powerstruggles?
I'd just like to see Jace do some Guildpact work, since that's kind of his job, and let the other five members just... hang out. Show us what they do when they're off the clock.
We got quite a good look at their daily routine in Homesick. It was more or less exactly what you would expect them to do in their down time, but I don't expect many of these types of stories simply because magic isn't telling a sitcom though the occasion break to the lighter mood is welcome.
I am predicting the Amonkhet story might be starting earlier than we think, so that we do get some Magic story fix between now and the next block. Perhaps after Battle and Dark Intimations, maybe we will get a Dovin Baan, Tezzerret or Nicol Bolas background story (A Nicol Bolas story of what he has been up to on Amonkhet would get me quite excited).
Overall I do agree with this week's story's pacing. I felt it was a little rushed, so I pretty much ended up just skimming it :/ Let's help the Battle at the Bridge is very well fleshed out.
I would absolutely love a few weeks of stories about the denizens of Amonkhet to set up the mythos, especially from the perspective of someone who is preparing for the trials, maybe from being a kid to an adult. Then when the set begins, in pop planeswalkers to screw up the oasis.
I love how Hope of Ghirapur got a card even though it literally never had the chance to work as intended, and just ended up as a flying box. Really, it would have made more sense and been way more hilarious if it somehow let you Fling Planeswalkers at people for damage.
I love how Hope of Ghirapur got a card even though it literally never had the chance to work as intended, and just ended up as a flying box. Really, it would have made more sense and been way more hilarious if it somehow let you Fling Planeswalkers at people for damage.
It can still fly though and if Dovin Baan had no way to communicate his success to Tezzeret (which is in the realm of possibility), then it still serves as a great distraction. They figured out an alternate route to disruption and when there are "two", one can become a decoy... waitaminutethissoundsalotlikethefinaleinPacificRim...
I must say that despite Chandra being my least favorite Gatewatch character prior to Kaladesh, she's going through a lot of improvement in this block. A character can only grow while handling his or her personal demon, and this block is filled with her coping with her past and attempts to embrace a new future, for the sake of her parents to start, and now for the sake of her own.
Funny how it takes two blue mages, Baral and Baan, to actualize Chandra, much like how Liliana works Gideon over with their differences. Chandra will be well in time, I hope others follow also.
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
The story doesn't need to be Game of Thrones but these are huge, often world-threatening conflicts. And yet the protagonists always live, every single one of them, even the minor characters. It's not believable at all. It ruins the story for me and I can't be the only one.
To add insult to injury, they give us these near-death experiences as if that somehow makes up for it. Gideon almost drowns. Jace and Tamiyo are almost killed by Avacyn. Thalia and Sigarda are almost killed by Brisela. Chandra, Nissa, and Pashiri almost die in the deadlock trap. Then Chandra and Pashiri almost die again fighting Baral. "Shadowblayde" almost dies in the most recent story. These are just the times when characters were extremely close to death; there are plenty of other battles in which they easily could have died, but didn't. What are the odds that every single protagonist survived every single one of these situations? Very, very, ridiculously low.
Gatewatch plot armor is something that I disagree with but I understand. There's been a lot of work going into characterizing these planeswalkers (not very well, imo) and forming this team. They don't want to sacrifice any of them, at least not yet. Fine. That's reasonable. But at least let some minor characters die so that people can actually take the conflicts seriously. You can't give all the good guys plot armor. Faceless foot soldiers dying does nothing for emotional investment. Nothing. Just let someone, anyone, die. Not an antagonist, not some unnamed character, not someone without a card just introduced in that story. A real character death. It makes the stories more interesting and easier to believe, and actually invests the reader's emotions in it.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I've never really understood this stance. What long running serializations kill off characters with any regularity(besides GoT Way too many people die in that, it seems more for shock than plot most times)?
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I've never really understood this stance. What long running serializations kill off characters with any regularity(besides GoT Way too many people die in that, it seems more for shock than plot most times)?
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
I find the whole 'we need a death to happen' thing doesn't really work with what MTG is: a game. Our characters are part game piece, part marketing.Killing them means they can't be printed in main sets.
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I've never really understood this stance. What long running serializations kill off characters with any regularity(besides GoT Way too many people die in that, it seems more for shock than plot most times)?
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
Characters die in books, movies, and TV shows all the time. Of course, there are some in which death is appropriate and some in which it is not, but MtG is a game all about fighting in gameplay and story so I can't imagine how it wouldn't be appropriate to have a casualty once in a while (excluding the unnamed, ordinary people and villains).
It's entirely possible that the genres you watch/read have little to no death, but stories about fighting (and, in fact, fantasy in general) typically does have plenty of character deaths (as they should, logically speaking).
Serious consequences other than death are welcome and would be appreciated, but we get very little of that, too. We need to see at least occasional deaths of emotional impact still, though. We haven't had one since what, Origins with Kiran Nalaar? That's a year and a half of weekly stories without one!
And we're not three stories in; we're three storylines in. This appears to be a trend, and that concerns me. I hope I'm wrong, though.
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I've never really understood this stance. What long running serializations kill off characters with any regularity(besides GoT Way too many people die in that, it seems more for shock than plot most times)?
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
I find the whole 'we need a death to happen' thing doesn't really work with what MTG is: a game. Our characters are part game piece, part marketing.Killing them means they can't be printed in main sets.
Notice how characters die in-game all the time, and the stories are just as violent as the gameplay.
Like I said, I can forgive the plot armor for important, iconic, and (supposedly) well-developed characters like the Gatewatch. The problem is when the plot armor extends to every single protagonistic side character for a year and a half. It's ridiculous and unbelievable.
(Yes, obviously the entire premise of a fantasy story like this is unbelievable but if things could actually kind of make sense within the rules given to us by canon or by logic, then that would be a lot better.)
I hate to bring this up again but it needs to be said: no one is dying. At all. Since Origins only four characters with cards have died: Avacyn, Brisela, Kozilek, and Ulamog. That's all. Only antagonists. And no one at all in Kaladesh.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I've never really understood this stance. What long running serializations kill off characters with any regularity(besides GoT Way too many people die in that, it seems more for shock than plot most times)?
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
I actually think it's a little funny when you compare the carded character deaths in the Gatewatch blocks (Battle for Zendikar, Shadows over Innistrad and Kaladesh) to the Odyssey/Onslaught blocks.
Of the characters in the Odyssey/Onslaught block who got actual cards:
by the end of that story arc, only Jeska is alive, with Thriss', Llawan's and Eesha's fates unknown - everyone else is dead. Compare to BfZ, where I don't think a single carded character outside of Ulamog and Kozilek bit it, or SoI, where we can add Avacyn, Bruna and Gisela (Brisela), and... I can't think of anyone else (did I miss someone?).
It feels like the Gatewatch might have gone too far in the opposite direction from the Odyssey/Onslaught blocks; if Odyssey had too much death, then the Gatewatch hasn't had enough death - or just serious consequences. When fighting Eldritch Abominations that the godlike Oldwalkers couldn't kill conventionally, by chanelling an entire planes worth of mana, and the only consequence is that the two Neowalkers involved felt a little under the weather for a week? Yeah, that diminishes the ending, the enormity of what the characters have accomplished.
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Mark Zuckerberg didn't know Facebook would become the worldwide leader in social networking and marketing when he built it. He just wanted a site where friends could talk to each other.
The point is- just because you invented/created it doesn't mean you're going to realize its full potential.
From The Lithomancer
This implies Ugin never tried to destroy them. What he did say not to try and kill them since they might have a bigger role in the multiverse.
Nope. A Deus Ex Machina is when a conflict is s resolved with no set up and comes out of nowhere. Everything about making them mortal and killing them was set up during Jaces talks with Ugin and all of Nissa ...stories...about being able to use/talk too all of Zendikars mana/heart.
She never tried.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/breaking-points-2017-01-18
So Dovin just planeswalked away, not even singed by Hungry Flames.
We are going to the finale next week or so.
Not entirely bad, for Doug Beyer...
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
So Gideon is against killing the psychopath tezeret but have no problems if Jace mindscrews him?
|| 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 ||
I think the moment that most stands out was this snippet of Gideon's thoughts:
"Gideon crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling. He wished he could scoop up everyone on this world onto this ship, and then reach his arms around the whole thing. Wrap all the soft people in an impenetrable hug. Everyone in his life always seemed to get into situations proving how fragile they were."
When I read this, I thought that this was something Superman would say. Supes even said something similar in the Justice League: Unlimited finale, telling Darkseid that he holds back lest he hurts someone, that he feels he lives in a world made of cardboard.
I just feel this adds a little more depth to Gideon, a personal frustration that saving the world is exhausting when it's a constant.
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
Story is decent. Dovin is a delight as always, even being a nice antithesis to the way I feel I'd act in most scenarios. Gideon is becoming more Supermanish in his logic, which I don't hate, and Ajani learning Nissa is almost if not stronger than he is is was a fun moment. I'd just like some more, you know, spells already. At least in SOI and EDM we got some spells and magical combat whether between Nahiri and her lithomancy and Sorin and his blood magic or Liliana with her death-casting and necromancy. Been a lot of vehicle stuff here, and I'm just bored with it. Great if you like it, but it just doesn't do much for me.
Please let Liliana and Tezzeret's showdown be good.
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
Alas,no matter how Doug tries,he is not,and will never be a good storywriter.
It just seems that everything he writes ends up a little off. Too fast pacing. Too cheesy joke. Too descriptive moment,too bad dialogue. A word redundant here,missing there. And when you have the awesome work of Chris L'Etoile with the same characters to compare,this reads like a second-rate fanfic.
It would also help not trying to cram as many things as possible into one story...and if you really have to,then let someone else than Doug write it. This read a lot of like Battle of Thraben - resulting in not enough time for everything and important things happening too fast (death of Brisela,for example).
So Dovin just...planeswalked away. And Hungry Flames were just...toothless.
One thing left me wondering. We are practically at the end of story. Battle is next,and then epilogue (Dark Intimations). Aether Revolt hits shelves this Friday. WHAT are we supposed to read whole February and March?!
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Overall I do agree with this week's story's pacing. I felt it was a little rushed, so I pretty much ended up just skimming it :/ Let's help the Battle at the Bridge is very well fleshed out.
Knowing WOTC though, it'll be two months of nothing and then the Gatewatch will get thrown into the midst of another bloody war with Gideon whipping surral back and forth.
|| 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 ||
Hopefully? The Gatewatch characters going about their daily routines - I mean, what do these people do when they're not kicking Eldritch Abominations in the junk or getting swept up in societal powerstruggles?
I'd just like to see Jace do some Guildpact work, since that's kind of his job, and let the other five members just... hang out. Show us what they do when they're off the clock.
I would absolutely love a few weeks of stories about the denizens of Amonkhet to set up the mythos, especially from the perspective of someone who is preparing for the trials, maybe from being a kid to an adult. Then when the set begins, in pop planeswalkers to screw up the oasis.
It can still fly though and if Dovin Baan had no way to communicate his success to Tezzeret (which is in the realm of possibility), then it still serves as a great distraction. They figured out an alternate route to disruption and when there are "two", one can become a decoy... waitaminutethissoundsalotlikethefinaleinPacificRim...
Funny how it takes two blue mages, Baral and Baan, to actualize Chandra, much like how Liliana works Gideon over with their differences. Chandra will be well in time, I hope others follow also.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
The story doesn't need to be Game of Thrones but these are huge, often world-threatening conflicts. And yet the protagonists always live, every single one of them, even the minor characters. It's not believable at all. It ruins the story for me and I can't be the only one.
To add insult to injury, they give us these near-death experiences as if that somehow makes up for it. Gideon almost drowns. Jace and Tamiyo are almost killed by Avacyn. Thalia and Sigarda are almost killed by Brisela. Chandra, Nissa, and Pashiri almost die in the deadlock trap. Then Chandra and Pashiri almost die again fighting Baral. "Shadowblayde" almost dies in the most recent story. These are just the times when characters were extremely close to death; there are plenty of other battles in which they easily could have died, but didn't. What are the odds that every single protagonist survived every single one of these situations? Very, very, ridiculously low.
Gatewatch plot armor is something that I disagree with but I understand. There's been a lot of work going into characterizing these planeswalkers (not very well, imo) and forming this team. They don't want to sacrifice any of them, at least not yet. Fine. That's reasonable. But at least let some minor characters die so that people can actually take the conflicts seriously. You can't give all the good guys plot armor. Faceless foot soldiers dying does nothing for emotional investment. Nothing. Just let someone, anyone, die. Not an antagonist, not some unnamed character, not someone without a card just introduced in that story. A real character death. It makes the stories more interesting and easier to believe, and actually invests the reader's emotions in it.
It honestly feels like these stories are being written for eight year olds who can't handle any of their favorite characters dying. As the story needed anything else to make it feel more like a superhero comic for children than a legitimate fantasy story.
If no one is killed by Bolas in Amonkhet, not a single named character, then I'm done with the story.
I don't want to sound rude or condescending I'm honestly curious because enough people here have voiced such an opinion that it leads me to believe that (semi-main or important side)characters do in fact die fairly often in other stories that I simply don't read. I'm open to the possibility that I don't expose myself to the proper sources but currently it just sounds ridiculous that no one goes about killing important characters with any regularity(besides that one) and a significant number of people expect it here.
If you just mean significant consequences like death then I can understand where you're coming from a bit better, but considering we're still on only the third story it still seems rather premature.
I find the whole 'we need a death to happen' thing doesn't really work with what MTG is: a game. Our characters are part game piece, part marketing.Killing them means they can't be printed in main sets.
Characters die in books, movies, and TV shows all the time. Of course, there are some in which death is appropriate and some in which it is not, but MtG is a game all about fighting in gameplay and story so I can't imagine how it wouldn't be appropriate to have a casualty once in a while (excluding the unnamed, ordinary people and villains).
It's entirely possible that the genres you watch/read have little to no death, but stories about fighting (and, in fact, fantasy in general) typically does have plenty of character deaths (as they should, logically speaking).
Serious consequences other than death are welcome and would be appreciated, but we get very little of that, too. We need to see at least occasional deaths of emotional impact still, though. We haven't had one since what, Origins with Kiran Nalaar? That's a year and a half of weekly stories without one!
And we're not three stories in; we're three storylines in. This appears to be a trend, and that concerns me. I hope I'm wrong, though.
Notice how characters die in-game all the time, and the stories are just as violent as the gameplay.
Like I said, I can forgive the plot armor for important, iconic, and (supposedly) well-developed characters like the Gatewatch. The problem is when the plot armor extends to every single protagonistic side character for a year and a half. It's ridiculous and unbelievable.
(Yes, obviously the entire premise of a fantasy story like this is unbelievable but if things could actually kind of make sense within the rules given to us by canon or by logic, then that would be a lot better.)
as for the heroes/planeswalkers themselves, i think they ought to develop some more for a deeper meaning for their deaths, if ever.
I actually think it's a little funny when you compare the carded character deaths in the Gatewatch blocks (Battle for Zendikar, Shadows over Innistrad and Kaladesh) to the Odyssey/Onslaught blocks.
Of the characters in the Odyssey/Onslaught block who got actual cards:
Kamahl
Jeska/Phage
Balthor
Chainer
Braids
The Cabal Patriarch
Seton
Thriss
Kirtar
Pianna
Teroh
Eesha
Aboshan
Laquatus
Llawan
Ixidor
Akroma
Karona
by the end of that story arc, only Jeska is alive, with Thriss', Llawan's and Eesha's fates unknown - everyone else is dead. Compare to BfZ, where I don't think a single carded character outside of Ulamog and Kozilek bit it, or SoI, where we can add Avacyn, Bruna and Gisela (Brisela), and... I can't think of anyone else (did I miss someone?).
It feels like the Gatewatch might have gone too far in the opposite direction from the Odyssey/Onslaught blocks; if Odyssey had too much death, then the Gatewatch hasn't had enough death - or just serious consequences. When fighting Eldritch Abominations that the godlike Oldwalkers couldn't kill conventionally, by chanelling an entire planes worth of mana, and the only consequence is that the two Neowalkers involved felt a little under the weather for a week? Yeah, that diminishes the ending, the enormity of what the characters have accomplished.