Wait... is Kumena *done*? Already? After all that buildup? What about the Tyrant of Orazca? What about the dangerous opponent that Tishana was so determined to stop? He was such an interesting villain with believable goals, and he just gets punked like that in the opening scene of Rivals by a two-dimensional cartoon like Vona?
Either he'll be back, or that was just the biggest waste of potential I've seen from the Magic story in ages.
Wait... is Kumena *done*? Already? After all that buildup? What about the Tyrant of Orazca? What about the dangerous opponent that Tishana was so determined to stop? He was such an interesting villain with believable goals, and he just gets punked like that in the opening scene of Rivals by a two-dimensional cartoon like Vona?
Either he'll be back, or that was just the biggest waste of potential I've seen from the Magic story in ages.
I really hope he didn't just die like a chump, because that would be extraordinarily anti-climactic.
Otherwise, I'd get the impression that 90% of their writing efforts went into Vraska and Jace.
Also, I have a semi-random question: If Jace somehow manages to do to Bolas what he did to Alhammaret, would you feel pity for Bolas?
On the difference in between the two halves of the story. I noticed that this one didn’t credit a specific author. It says, “By R&D Narrative Team” so probably a collaborator work
They started doing that during the Ixalan stories, all thought since each character/storyline thread is written by a different author I won't be surprised if it was a collaborator work.
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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"
Wait... is Kumena *done*? Already? After all that buildup? What about the Tyrant of Orazca? What about the dangerous opponent that Tishana was so determined to stop? He was such an interesting villain with believable goals, and he just gets punked like that in the opening scene of Rivals by a two-dimensional cartoon like Vona?
Either he'll be back, or that was just the biggest waste of potential I've seen from the Magic story in ages.
I really hope he didn't just die like a chump, because that would be extraordinarily anti-climactic.
Otherwise, I'd get the impression that 90% of their writing efforts went into Vraska and Jace.
Also, I have a semi-random question: If Jace somehow manages to do to Bolas what he did to Alhammaret, would you feel pity for Bolas?
It's like Vraska said, no one deserves that, he literally turned his mentor's mind into that of infant.
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BWG
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
Also, I have a semi-random question: If Jace somehow manages to do to Bolas what he did to Alhammaret, would you feel pity for Bolas?
It's like Vraska said, no one deserves that, he literally turned his mentor's mind into that of infant.
In Magic digital game, it was already revealed that Jace's symbol derived from Alhammaret's collar.
Originally, Jace killed his mentor out of rage for erasing his memory of planeswalking, but regretted his mistake, therefore wiped out his own memory. New "Origin" story edited that and stated that Alhamarret did all of the above while using his student as an agent to maintain the balance of war so the Mage Rings would remain intact (while taking the money, which I found unconvincing and unnecessary). Jace made Alhammaret forget how to breath at the risk of his own mind, the process killed his teacher and planeswalked him away to Ravnica, his memory loss was due to that gamble.
So here is the third version of the past, a combination of both, where Jace was betrayed by Alhammaret, and in a fit he destroyed Alhammaret's mind, rendered him a defenseless infant. Jace tried to heal his teacher but his guilt had already started the avoidance, which planeswalked him away and locked away the memory. Alhammaret probably died of malnutrition, agonized and confused over a long week, until he stop breathing. Yeah, no one deserved that. As much as Jace was a coward for running away from his deed through self-induced amnesia, it's understandable for a young man who finally learned to trust only to find betrayal. Jace using his teacher's collar as his symbol might've been a subconscious act of reminder of the tragedy.
Jace's memory of Alhammaret would probably affect how he handles Azor, who is without a doubt MUCH more powerful than Alhammaret. Who knows, Azor might even be Alhammaret's acquaintance or teacher at one point and immediately recognizes Jace's symbol (Alhammaret's collar). Azor might even told Jace that it was HIM who invented the Mage Rings, and Alhammaret was appointed to watch over the balance. O_O
My mind went Azor but I don't think so. Maybe the bat god and/or Elenda?
Well, looking at the art of Azor, the Lawbringer and Sanctum of the Sphinx, the Immortal Sun is clearly on the ceiling, but Kumena describes it as being on the floor. That means that Azor's Sanctum is directly underneath the upper temple that Kumena was operating from. So it would make a lot of sense for Azor to be the voice. He could actually be just shouting at Kumena, no telepathic magic required.
Wait... is Kumena *done*? Already? After all that buildup? What about the Tyrant of Orazca? What about the dangerous opponent that Tishana was so determined to stop? He was such an interesting villain with believable goals, and he just gets punked like that in the opening scene of Rivals by a two-dimensional cartoon like Vona?
Either he'll be back, or that was just the biggest waste of potential I've seen from the Magic story in ages.
Rule #1 of storylines like this one: No one is dead unless you see the body. Within the last year or so they've already pulled this exact same stunt with Pia Nalaar, Jaya Ballard, and Vona. Kumena will be back. If he was actually dead, they would have made sure that we all know it. If there's even a shadow of a doubt about a character's fate, it means that the writers want to have the ability to bring that character back when they see fit.
Jace's memory of Alhammaret would probably affect how he handles Azor, who is without a doubt MUCH more powerful than Alhammaret. Who knows, Azor might even be Alhammaret's acquaintance or teacher at one point and immediately recognizes Jace's symbol (Alhammaret's collar). Azor might even told Jace that it was HIM who invented the Mage Rings, and Alhammaret was appointed to watch over the balance. O_O
That would make a lot of sense. I was already expecting Vraska to be hostile towards Azor given her experience with his guild, but I thought that Jace would have to mediate between them. But the way that Azor was introduced in this story makes it seem like Jace is also going to be hostile towards Azor, at least at first. And the fact that they finally pointed out the connection between Jace's symbol and Alhammaret's collar can't be a coincidence either. There is almost definitely some sort of connection between Azor and Alhammaret, a connection that we will learn once we finally see Azor and Jace have a conservation. Maybe Azor and Alhammaret knew each other in the past like you said, or maybe Azor doesn't know him personally but is rather the progenitor of all sphinxes on Vryn. It would explain why Azor and Alhammaret have faces that are noticeably more humanlike than any other sphinxes we've seen. Alhammaret would have to be around for several centuries to have known Azor before the latter trapped himself on Ixalan, and we don't know if that's possible since we don't know the lifespan of sphinxes. But Alhammaret and all other sphinxes on Vryn being descendants of Azor could easily fit with the timeline and what we know about Azor.
Jace and Vraska lack something that was sorely missing between Jace and Liliana: Chemistry.
After reading this post again (yeah I liked it that much), I spotted something: you mean to say that Jace and Vraska HAVE chemistry, not that they LACK it, right?
Yeah, but I hope that the context of the rest of the post made it obvious that was a mistake.
I guess that explains archduke's post? Anyway, fixing it now.
It's like Vraska said, no one deserves that, he literally turned his mentor's mind into that of infant.
You say that, but Bolas probably wouldn't hesitate to do the same to someone else if he felt like it. This question might be relevant, because Jace's mind magic is his best weapon against Bolas (despite it being ineffective against Nicky B at the moment), and he might have to go all out like he did with Alhammaret.
My mind went Azor but I don't think so. Maybe the bat god and/or Elenda?
Well, looking at the art of Azor, the Lawbringer and Sanctum of the Sphinx, the Immortal Sun is clearly on the ceiling, but Kumena describes it as being on the floor. That means that Azor's Sanctum is directly underneath the upper temple that Kumena was operating from. So it would make a lot of sense for Azor to be the voice. He could actually be just shouting at Kumena, no telepathic magic required.
Could be but it seems more of sinister presence. I think Azor is quite happy trying to protect the sun from what we know of him.
Interesting how Azor symbolically could stand in for both Jace and Vraska trauma, as a sphinx and founder of the Azorius.
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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"
My mind went Azor but I don't think so. Maybe the bat god and/or Elenda?
Well, looking at the art of Azor, the Lawbringer and Sanctum of the Sphinx, the Immortal Sun is clearly on the ceiling, but Kumena describes it as being on the floor. That means that Azor's Sanctum is directly underneath the upper temple that Kumena was operating from. So it would make a lot of sense for Azor to be the voice. He could actually be just shouting at Kumena, no telepathic magic required.
Could be but it seems more of sinister presence. I think Azor is quite happy trying to protect the sun from what we know of him.
Interesting how Azor symbolically could stand in for both Jace and Vraska trauma, as a sphinx and founder of the Azorius.
Speaking of Sphinxes, I'm also hoping that Azor showing up means we get Crucius eventually too.
Speaking of Sphinxes, I'm also hoping that Azor showing up means we get Crucius eventually too.
My theory for now is they are one in the same, since Test of Metal is non-canon anymore.
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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"
Y'know, I feel like Kumena going down so easily makes a lot of sense, tbh. His magic is about shaping natural elements of water and trees. The Immortal Sun doesn't give him any new powers, it just amplifies the ones he has, and he was standing on a sterile block of gold. He was literally out of his element, and the vampires just didn't give him any chance to work some big magic spell on them.
As for Vraska and Jace, I'm so excited to just like both of them as characters. Now when I see his name next to some dumb quote in flavour text I'll be like "oh hey, it's that guy who's kind of awkward but likeable, I can really root for him" instead of "wow, there goes Quippy McEdgelord again"
My mind went Azor but I don't think so. Maybe the bat god and/or Elenda?
Well, looking at the art of Azor, the Lawbringer and Sanctum of the Sphinx, the Immortal Sun is clearly on the ceiling, but Kumena describes it as being on the floor. That means that Azor's Sanctum is directly underneath the upper temple that Kumena was operating from. So it would make a lot of sense for Azor to be the voice. He could actually be just shouting at Kumena, no telepathic magic required.
Could be but it seems more of sinister presence. I think Azor is quite happy trying to protect the sun from what we know of him.
Interesting how Azor symbolically could stand in for both Jace and Vraska trauma, as a sphinx and founder of the Azorius.
Just in relation to the location of Azor's Sanctum; the story describes that there are two doors in the tower, a large one with a complicated lock, and the small one that Kumena used, which lead to a set of stairs up to the Immortal Sun platform. It's pretty obvious that the large door with a lock on it is then Azor's, which when combined with the Voice's insistence that Kumena "free [it]" plus Kumena's musings as to if Orazca is less of a Stronghold and more of a Prison inclines me to ask.... is Azor actually a prisoner in Orazca? And if so, who trapped him? Bolas? Is that how Bolas even knew about Ixalan?
Also, I have a semi-random question: If Jace somehow manages to do to Bolas what he did to Alhammaret, would you feel pity for Bolas?
At this point after his intention all this time have been revealed, for all I care Jace can Deus Ex Machina Bolas away coz I'm tiring a bit of him. (And I am not the biggest Jace fan ever...)
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Is The power of the Immortal Sun really so incredible if two vampires can jump you for it like a back-alley mugging? The ease that Kumena got defeated with kind of threw me but i actually feel better anout it after reading other people’s posts. A lot of ideas that make a lot of sense. I’ll be shocked if Kumena is dead though. Throwing a merfolk out the window of a building surrounded by water doesn’t seem like a very permanent solution. Im pretty sure he’ll come back (probably w/ some henchmen) to try to get the sun back.
Jace/Vraska 5ever. Awesome story is awesome.
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UG Merfolk 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"
Kumena's piece of the story left a lot to be desired.
Things I took away from this story:
Kumena isn't dead - they threw him off a ledge and didn't wait to see him hit the floor.
Alhammarret isn't dead - he's unable to breathe involuntarily. Again, Jace left without seeing him dead.
Also Jace looks nothing like his mother.
is Azor actually a prisoner in Orazca? And if so, who trapped him? Bolas? Is that how Bolas even knew about Ixalan?
And then used Azor's spark to power the Sun. It's a fitting way to deal with a powerful rival planeswalker, and serve as a dumping ground for planeswalkers you need to dispose of.
The Kumena part was a bit dull and rushed, but I am frankly okay with that for reasons in spoilers
We know that the City is just a Vault for the Sun..so the actual War for it is a tad irrelevant once Tezzy just bops off with it, on the other hand I am really sad that the "race" for the Sun was resolved at the very start of the stories, I was hoping for a big more dungeon crawling.
The Vraska part was bloody fantastic, there is actual..personality involved with the romance especially now that Jace has gotten enough development to act like a person instead of mono-blue cardboard cut out.
Knowing what will happen with the Mind Wipe..makes me jones even more for the Anti-Oath Ambition cards I keep wishing they would make
About Kumena: Are we sure that he was on the REAL sun? My guess is that there are a lot of fake Suns in Orazca, to confuse invaders. Like the chamber of the Grail in Indiana Jones.
About Kumena: Are we sure that he was on the REAL sun? My guess is that there are a lot of fake Suns in Orazca, to confuse invaders. Like the chamber of the Grail in Indiana Jones.
if we had more stories..I would 100% buy this, but there is a bunch to wrap up in the time they have left.
About Kumena: Are we sure that he was on the REAL sun? My guess is that there are a lot of fake Suns in Orazca, to confuse invaders. Like the chamber of the Grail in Indiana Jones.
if we had more stories..I would 100% buy this, but there is a bunch to wrap up in the time they have left.
The other issue with this thought is that the story shows both Kumena's and Vona's Ascension cards, which implies that they Ascended, which implies that yes, indeed this is The Immortal Sun.
About Kumena: Are we sure that he was on the REAL sun? My guess is that there are a lot of fake Suns in Orazca, to confuse invaders. Like the chamber of the Grail in Indiana Jones.
if we had more stories..I would 100% buy this, but there is a bunch to wrap up in the time they have left.
The other issue with this thought is that the story shows both Kumena's and Vona's Ascension cards, which implies that they Ascended, which implies that yes, indeed this is The Immortal Sun.
Well, they ascended...to the top of the temple. Kumena, at least, didn't look THAT different from usual
By the way... I just noticed: What's with Azor? It's the second time he created a race between various parts/guilds with the award being vast power... the Race for the Immortal Sun and the Guildpact/Implicit Maze...
Just finished reading the story (was away from my desk for most of the day yesterday), and I'm just blown away at the quality of the writing in the Jace/Vraska part (the Kumena stuff was more of the same corny chaff from Creative, to be honest).
They are one of the most -- if not THE most -- heartfelt and believable romances ever depicted in MtG lore. Not only is there a genuine emotional connection between the two, but each plays a positive role in the other's life, with each helping the other to be a better person.
I was never a Jace fan, but after his ordeal on Ixalan and his relationship with Vraska, he's one of my favorite members of both the Gatewatch (sorry Jace, Ajani is still #1), and all neowalkers in the current stable. And it's thanks to Vraska. The time he spent with Vraska made him a far more likable character and generally just a better person.
Just finished reading the story (was away from my desk for most of the day yesterday), and I'm just blown away at the quality of the writing in the Jace/Vraska part (the Kumena stuff was more of the same corny chaff from Creative, to be honest).
They are one of the most -- if not THE most -- heartfelt and believable romances ever depicted in MtG lore. Not only is there a genuine emotional connection between the two, but each plays a positive role in the other's life, with each helping the other to be a better person.
I was never a Jace fan, but after his ordeal on Ixalan and his relationship with Vraska, he's one of my favorite members of both the Gatewatch (sorry Jace, Ajani is still #1), and all neowalkers in the current stable. And it's thanks to Vraska. The time he spent with Vraska made him a far more likable character and generally just a better person.
Ironically, we have Bolas to thank for all of this from a story point of view, as his mental attack on Jace inadvertently made the latter planeswalk randomly to Ixalan, and he intentionally sent Vraska there to fetch the Sun.
So, in a pretty disturbing sort of way, Bolas is the best thing to happen to Jace.
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Either he'll be back, or that was just the biggest waste of potential I've seen from the Magic story in ages.
I really hope he didn't just die like a chump, because that would be extraordinarily anti-climactic.
Otherwise, I'd get the impression that 90% of their writing efforts went into Vraska and Jace.
Also, I have a semi-random question: If Jace somehow manages to do to Bolas what he did to Alhammaret, would you feel pity for Bolas?
They started doing that during the Ixalan stories, all thought since each character/storyline thread is written by a different author I won't be surprised if it was a collaborator work.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
It's like Vraska said, no one deserves that, he literally turned his mentor's mind into that of infant.
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
In Magic digital game, it was already revealed that Jace's symbol derived from Alhammaret's collar.
Originally, Jace killed his mentor out of rage for erasing his memory of planeswalking, but regretted his mistake, therefore wiped out his own memory. New "Origin" story edited that and stated that Alhamarret did all of the above while using his student as an agent to maintain the balance of war so the Mage Rings would remain intact (while taking the money, which I found unconvincing and unnecessary). Jace made Alhammaret forget how to breath at the risk of his own mind, the process killed his teacher and planeswalked him away to Ravnica, his memory loss was due to that gamble.
So here is the third version of the past, a combination of both, where Jace was betrayed by Alhammaret, and in a fit he destroyed Alhammaret's mind, rendered him a defenseless infant. Jace tried to heal his teacher but his guilt had already started the avoidance, which planeswalked him away and locked away the memory. Alhammaret probably died of malnutrition, agonized and confused over a long week, until he stop breathing. Yeah, no one deserved that. As much as Jace was a coward for running away from his deed through self-induced amnesia, it's understandable for a young man who finally learned to trust only to find betrayal. Jace using his teacher's collar as his symbol might've been a subconscious act of reminder of the tragedy.
Jace's memory of Alhammaret would probably affect how he handles Azor, who is without a doubt MUCH more powerful than Alhammaret. Who knows, Azor might even be Alhammaret's acquaintance or teacher at one point and immediately recognizes Jace's symbol (Alhammaret's collar). Azor might even told Jace that it was HIM who invented the Mage Rings, and Alhammaret was appointed to watch over the balance. O_O
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
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Well, looking at the art of Azor, the Lawbringer and Sanctum of the Sphinx, the Immortal Sun is clearly on the ceiling, but Kumena describes it as being on the floor. That means that Azor's Sanctum is directly underneath the upper temple that Kumena was operating from. So it would make a lot of sense for Azor to be the voice. He could actually be just shouting at Kumena, no telepathic magic required.
Rule #1 of storylines like this one: No one is dead unless you see the body. Within the last year or so they've already pulled this exact same stunt with Pia Nalaar, Jaya Ballard, and Vona. Kumena will be back. If he was actually dead, they would have made sure that we all know it. If there's even a shadow of a doubt about a character's fate, it means that the writers want to have the ability to bring that character back when they see fit.
That would make a lot of sense. I was already expecting Vraska to be hostile towards Azor given her experience with his guild, but I thought that Jace would have to mediate between them. But the way that Azor was introduced in this story makes it seem like Jace is also going to be hostile towards Azor, at least at first. And the fact that they finally pointed out the connection between Jace's symbol and Alhammaret's collar can't be a coincidence either. There is almost definitely some sort of connection between Azor and Alhammaret, a connection that we will learn once we finally see Azor and Jace have a conservation. Maybe Azor and Alhammaret knew each other in the past like you said, or maybe Azor doesn't know him personally but is rather the progenitor of all sphinxes on Vryn. It would explain why Azor and Alhammaret have faces that are noticeably more humanlike than any other sphinxes we've seen. Alhammaret would have to be around for several centuries to have known Azor before the latter trapped himself on Ixalan, and we don't know if that's possible since we don't know the lifespan of sphinxes. But Alhammaret and all other sphinxes on Vryn being descendants of Azor could easily fit with the timeline and what we know about Azor.
Yeah, but I hope that the context of the rest of the post made it obvious that was a mistake.
I guess that explains archduke's post? Anyway, fixing it now.
You say that, but Bolas probably wouldn't hesitate to do the same to someone else if he felt like it. This question might be relevant, because Jace's mind magic is his best weapon against Bolas (despite it being ineffective against Nicky B at the moment), and he might have to go all out like he did with Alhammaret.
Could be but it seems more of sinister presence. I think Azor is quite happy trying to protect the sun from what we know of him.
Interesting how Azor symbolically could stand in for both Jace and Vraska trauma, as a sphinx and founder of the Azorius.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Speaking of Sphinxes, I'm also hoping that Azor showing up means we get Crucius eventually too.
My theory for now is they are one in the same, since Test of Metal is non-canon anymore.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
As for Vraska and Jace, I'm so excited to just like both of them as characters. Now when I see his name next to some dumb quote in flavour text I'll be like "oh hey, it's that guy who's kind of awkward but likeable, I can really root for him" instead of "wow, there goes Quippy McEdgelord again"
Excellent ENG references.
Just in relation to the location of Azor's Sanctum; the story describes that there are two doors in the tower, a large one with a complicated lock, and the small one that Kumena used, which lead to a set of stairs up to the Immortal Sun platform. It's pretty obvious that the large door with a lock on it is then Azor's, which when combined with the Voice's insistence that Kumena "free [it]" plus Kumena's musings as to if Orazca is less of a Stronghold and more of a Prison inclines me to ask.... is Azor actually a prisoner in Orazca? And if so, who trapped him? Bolas? Is that how Bolas even knew about Ixalan?
Temper your expectations a bit.
At this point after his intention all this time have been revealed, for all I care Jace can Deus Ex Machina Bolas away coz I'm tiring a bit of him. (And I am not the biggest Jace fan ever...)
Serra Stan - Angel Enthusiast - Garruk and Tyvar thirsty follower - Flavor and Art Enthusiast
Jace/Vraska 5ever. Awesome story is awesome.
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"
Things I took away from this story:
Kumena isn't dead - they threw him off a ledge and didn't wait to see him hit the floor.
Alhammarret isn't dead - he's unable to breathe involuntarily. Again, Jace left without seeing him dead.
Also Jace looks nothing like his mother.
MTG writers do these things very much on purpose.
And then used Azor's spark to power the Sun. It's a fitting way to deal with a powerful rival planeswalker, and serve as a dumping ground for planeswalkers you need to dispose of.
Modern:R 8Whack R|W White Knights W
The Vraska part was bloody fantastic, there is actual..personality involved with the romance especially now that Jace has gotten enough development to act like a person instead of mono-blue cardboard cut out.
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
if we had more stories..I would 100% buy this, but there is a bunch to wrap up in the time they have left.
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
The other issue with this thought is that the story shows both Kumena's and Vona's Ascension cards, which implies that they Ascended, which implies that yes, indeed this is The Immortal Sun.
Well, they ascended...to the top of the temple. Kumena, at least, didn't look THAT different from usual
By the way... I just noticed: What's with Azor? It's the second time he created a race between various parts/guilds with the award being vast power... the Race for the Immortal Sun and the Guildpact/Implicit Maze...
They are one of the most -- if not THE most -- heartfelt and believable romances ever depicted in MtG lore. Not only is there a genuine emotional connection between the two, but each plays a positive role in the other's life, with each helping the other to be a better person.
I was never a Jace fan, but after his ordeal on Ixalan and his relationship with Vraska, he's one of my favorite members of both the Gatewatch (sorry Jace, Ajani is still #1), and all neowalkers in the current stable. And it's thanks to Vraska. The time he spent with Vraska made him a far more likable character and generally just a better person.
Ironically, we have Bolas to thank for all of this from a story point of view, as his mental attack on Jace inadvertently made the latter planeswalk randomly to Ixalan, and he intentionally sent Vraska there to fetch the Sun.
So, in a pretty disturbing sort of way, Bolas is the best thing to happen to Jace.