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.
Bolas for best wing man award 2018. He knows lili isn't good for him either.
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.
Bolas for best wing man award 2018. He knows lili isn't good for him either.
Bolas: All of you need character development, so I'll send Jace to Ixalan without me knowing it to hook up with Vraska and become a more likable character.
Chandra: How am I getting character development?
Bolas: I don't want to spoil it, but the hint is that it doesn't involve fire or rebelling against something.
Ixalan is the first set where the changes were made to scale down the exposure of the gatewatch and it's been great so far. If they can take the character i hated the most and make a pretty interesting story with him, i can't wait to read the stories with the others.
So, I went for my daily check into the Geocashing... and I'm just not even going to bother anymore. All four factions have gained 100,000+ miles since I last checked (Maybe 16hours ago).
I just. I can't even reconcile the numbers I see currently with the numbers I've been seeing over the last couple days.
Merfolk have jumped from ~19k up to 137.2k (After having LOST 6,000 miles previously)
Vampires have jumped from ~47k up to 137.5k (After having LOST 2,000 and 3,000 miles on previous checks)
Pirates have jumped from ~37k up to 161.5k
and Dinosaurs have jumped from ~7k up to 171.3k
So... And I'm the only one here who still cheers for a "Jace x Lili" happy ending?
I even find the relationship Jace and Vraska interesting, but I see no future in this because liliana is the only one where the "true" Jace has some love interest (and is reciprocated, even if it is in a strange way). Besides the fact that Lili is a more interesting character than Vraska.
And I do not even need to say i've always liked our blue mind sculptor. I'm glad to see him back with all his thoughts (or part of them). I liked this "new Jace" of Ixalan, but found it a bit silly.
So... And I'm the only one here who still cheers for a "Jace x Lili" happy ending?
I even find the relationship Jace and Vraska interesting, but I see no future in this because liliana is the only one where the "true" Jace has some love interest (and is reciprocated, even if it is in a strange way). Besides the fact that Lili is a more interesting character than Vraska.
And I do not even need to say i've always liked our blue mind sculptor. I'm glad to see him back with all his thoughts (or part of them). I liked this "new Jace" of Ixalan, but found it a bit silly.
Yes, Lili in the Gatewatch was a mistake, her personality profile is not heroic in the least and they 100% would have been better off making a new Mono-Black walker to join the Gatewatch as opposed to using her.
So... And I'm the only one here who still cheers for a "Jace x Lili" happy ending?
There is no happy ending as long as Liliana keeps trying to act like she doesn't care about anyone else. Thus far, Liliana x Jace has been "I mean it's not like I like you or anything." at best and downright toxic at worst, and the worst part about it is that she does genuinely care about Jace. Liliana's display of emotion when she pleaded to the Gatewatch to flee from Bolas was a huge turning point for her character, because it shows that she does care. Even something as minor as her being off-put by what the Hours were doing to the people on Amonkhet was noteworthy, because it meant that even she had her limits.
I even find the relationship Jace and Vraska interesting, but I see no future in this because liliana is the only one where the "true" Jace has some love interest (and is reciprocated, even if it is in a strange way).
What do you mean by the "true" Jace? I don't know if you've noticed, but we've never seen the "true" Jace (meaning, Jace with all his memories intact) outside of his one story on Vryn, and I doubt that Jace would have put up with Liliana's games or even consider entering the Infinite Consortium with all Alhammaret put him through.
And I do not even need to say i've always liked our blue mind sculptor. I'm glad to see him back with all his thoughts (or part of them). I liked this "new Jace" of Ixalan, but found it a bit silly.
You found what a bit silly? That he was actually enjoying his life in what seemed to be an eternity? That he was actually open about his fascination with everything around him, and displayed how creative he can be? That he was actually more sociable and a good listener? Which part did you find silly?
Calling it now: by the time Vraska regains her memory of loving Jace, she will come back to find he and Liliana have been getting closer once again, and "did you wipe my memories and send me on a potentially suicidal mission just you could be free to fool around with another woman?" will ensue.
You heard it here first, people.
The love triangle is practically a given if the Vraska sleeper agent thing is true, and they don't kill her off (at this point, they would risk the wrath of many readers if they do).
Twitter had a few polls for the choose your own ended. Looking through Dinosaurs was the popular choice in all the polls (as well as most of the comments (on topic) being in support for dinosaurs) and merfolk and pirates where very neck n neck for second place; https://twitter.com/wizards_magic/status/951242256144531456
Dinosaurs are in 1st place and got 15 point
Merfolk are in 2nd place and got 11 points
Pirates are in 3rd and got 9 point
Vampires are in 4th and got 7 points
This is just the first round thought and they going be holding more polls on and Geocaching will be added in.
“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"
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.
Bolas for best wing man award 2018. He knows lili isn't good for him either.
Can you imagine Bolas as the best man at the Jace/Vraska wedding?
Imagine the embarrassing best man speech he'd give...
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.
Bolas for best wing man award 2018. He knows lili isn't good for him either.
Can you imagine Bolas as the best man at the Jace/Vraska wedding?
Imagine the embarrassing best man speech he'd give...
Bolas: When I attacked Jace's mind and sent him hurtling across the Blind Eternities to a backwater plane that traps walkers, I didn't think that he'd end up on the same plane as the gorgon assassin I hired to fetch a shiny piece of rock. But it did happen. They went against my expectations, hooked up, and hoisted the masts on the most unexpected ship in this multiverse's history. The prize of Orazca wasn't the golden city or the Immortal Sun. It was this relationship right here. Enjoy it while it lasts before my plots that span centuries come to fruition.
So... And I'm the only one here who still cheers for a "Jace x Lili" happy ending?
I even find the relationship Jace and Vraska interesting, but I see no future in this because liliana is the only one where the "true" Jace has some love interest (and is reciprocated, even if it is in a strange way). Besides the fact that Lili is a more interesting character than Vraska.
And I do not even need to say i've always liked our blue mind sculptor. I'm glad to see him back with all his thoughts (or part of them). I liked this "new Jace" of Ixalan, but found it a bit silly.
There is no "true" Jace, Jace is the name we give to the male telepath born in Vryn who was manipulated by his mentor, lost his memories, planeswalked to Ravnica met Emmara, you know the rest.
Second IxaJace is imo one of the most important moments in Jace story, because we see that despite everything, at his core he is a good man, he lost his memories twice, in none of these time he uses his powers to manipulate others or with malicious purposes, instead the first time he lost his memories (i'm not counting the many incidents with his mentor) he went to Ravnica, used his powers every now and again to understand where he was and get to know a little more about his new city, the second time (Ixalan) Vraska was terrified, she knew that a Jace without his memories was extremely dangerous, but again, instead of using his power to manipulate etc, he uses it to help others, to understand others (Vraska) and even to make Vraska more confortable (when he created an illusion of Ravnica in the winter) so for me, Ixalan showed me that Jace is actually an amazing character, there was nothing silly about it.
And finally about Lily x Jace, WotC is going to need A LOT of Liliana centered stories to make her as real as Vraska is, when i first saw Vraska, i loved it simply because i loved her aesthetics, but i thought" she's probably going to be a generic Gorgon murderer" and the C16 story and Ixalan made me realize that no, she doesn't need to be a generic assassins just because she is a gorgon and has black as one of her colors, but Liliana (IMO) is the tipical sexy necromancer, she is ruthless and manipulative and uses her beauty as a way to manipulate others and she... wait that's all she is, Liliana is a powerful woman there is no denying that, she is beautiful, but she isn't human, i find easier to realte to Rakdos then to Liliana, so no i don't think the current Liliana has any chance with Jace, at the end of today story Jace said somethin like "A while ago i would have died climbing those stairs or at least pass out" (i don't remember his exact words), but that meant that he changed, he is stronger now and not just physicaly, he is mentally stronger, he won't be manipulated by her again, that's what i think.
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BWG
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
There is no happy ending as long as Liliana keeps trying to act like she doesn't care about anyone else. Thus far, Liliana x Jace has been "I mean it's not like I like you or anything." at best and downright toxic at worst, and the worst part about it is that she does genuinely care about Jace. Liliana's display of emotion when she pleaded to the Gatewatch to flee from Bolas was a huge turning point for her character, because it shows that she does care. Even something as minor as her being off-put by what the Hours were doing to the people on Amonkhet was noteworthy, because it meant that even she had her limits.
Yes, if she continues to act that way there will be no "happy ending". But I think that since the character was introduced to us, there has been some improvement in her personality, she has already dismantled or has affective thoughts now than before in relation to Jace (the core of the story of "argents of artifice" is about it). And I think that progress is continuous, so if we get to an "end", she will end up being honest with herself.
What do you mean by the "true" Jace? I don't know if you've noticed, but we've never seen the "true" Jace (meaning, Jace with all his memories intact) outside of his one story on Vryn, and I doubt that Jace would have put up with Liliana's games or even consider entering the Infinite Consortium with all Alhammaret put him through.
That's why I used some ("") in the term "true."
When I used the word "true" to speak of Jace, I was referring to the Jace we knew before having his mind wiped by Bolas: Mental Magician, Living Pact, Ravnica's Citizenship, Gatewatch member, no childhood memories, etc. The character we knew before.
I think now, Jace is a mix of past and present. But the fact that he is now aware of what he was and what he was doing, will lead him to take actions more like the "true" Jace. (But that's just my guess)
Where I wrote "true", you can read "past" or "previous".
You found what a bit silly? That he was actually enjoying his life in what seemed to be an eternity? That he was actually open about his fascination with everything around him, and displayed how creative he can be? That he was actually more sociable and a good listener? Which part did you find silly?
I'm not saying I did not like it, I even liked it. The first chapter on the useless island was the best thing I read in magic's lore to this day. But just being fascinated by anything made him look a little silly. I mean, when you are a planeswalker with colossal knowledge, you hardly feel impressed and tend to have a sharper critical sense.
Living freely and enjoying life is good too. But when you know so many things and have many responsibilities, you tend to ponder about your actions.
I think this period of Jace's life was like a good summer vacation, but now it's time to get back to work and solve some ***** in the multiuniverse.
There is no "true" Jace, Jace is the name we give to the male telepath born in Vryn who was manipulated by his mentor, lost his memories, planeswalked to Ravnica met Emmara, you know the rest.
Second IxaJace is imo one of the most important moments in Jace story, because we see that despite everything, at his core he is a good man, he lost his memories twice, in none of these time he uses his powers to manipulate others or with malicious purposes, instead the first time he lost his memories (i'm not counting the many incidents with his mentor) he went to Ravnica, used his powers every now and again to understand where he was and get to know a little more about his new city, the second time (Ixalan) Vraska was terrified, she knew that a Jace without his memories was extremely dangerous, but again, instead of using his power to manipulate etc, he uses it to help others, to understand others (Vraska) and even to make Vraska more confortable (when he created an illusion of Ravnica in the winter) so for me, Ixalan showed me that Jace is actually an amazing character, there was nothing silly about it.
And finally about Lily x Jace, WotC is going to need A LOT of Liliana centered stories to make her as real as Vraska is, when i first saw Vraska, i loved it simply because i loved her aesthetics, but i thought" she's probably going to be a generic Gorgon murderer" and the C16 story and Ixalan made me realize that no, she doesn't need to be a generic assassins just because she is a gorgon and has black as one of her colors, but Liliana (IMO) is the tipical sexy necromancer, she is ruthless and manipulative and uses her beauty as a way to manipulate others and she... wait that's all she is, Liliana is a powerful woman there is no denying that, she is beautiful, but she isn't human, i find easier to realte to Rakdos then to Liliana, so no i don't think the current Liliana has any chance with Jace, at the end of today story Jace said somethin like "A while ago i would have died climbing those stairs or at least pass out" (i don't remember his exact words), but that meant that he changed, he is stronger now and not just physicaly, he is mentally stronger, he won't be manipulated by her again, that's what i think.
I think most of the things I've answered to Etherium Sage can be used to debate with you. I would answer you in detail, but I have to leave now. Sorry.
I think Liliana is supposed to be the villain, just a marginally sympathetic one. We know where she is coming from, we witness her fears, we see things through her eyes and the eyes of people who like her, and we even see the moments where she begins to make connections with people, and know that to some extent she really does feel for Jace and Chandra. But that just makes it all the more striking when she continually gives in to her worst impulses and sacrifices the opportunity to form deeper relationships from those connections in order to manipulate her friends to her own ends. With Bolas, your reaction is "well yeah, he's Bolas, of course he's going to murder a plane and toy with the survivors." He an ancient being, and a reptillian predator, even before getting in to the mustache twirling, so of course he views everyone around him as pawns to be sacrificed. With Liliana, she's just human enough that she could, if she wanted to, form meaningful relationships and be a better person, even as a necromancer. She is capable of thinking like a normal human being. She has chosen not to, and chosen to resist any impulses to do so why actively reveling in her darker nature. She is human, but she doesn't want to be.
Vraska is the best female character, and my current favorite character overall. I think Liliana is well written, but not very likeable, while Nissa is boring and trite and Chandra is annoying a poorly written, especially her dialogue. Vraska is an adult with relatable emotions. She's the most well developed, and most likeable.
Jace is finally paying off, after all these years. His character needed this sort of reset, whether it was planned or a result of his general unlikeability in the past. I sort of liked how they have presented him over the past couple of years as kind of a moron, a guy who might be smart but makes a lot of stupid mistakes and does a lot of stupid things. It undercut his initial characterization as "1337 mind mage whose also a player avatar". It made him flawed, and made him somewhat interesting. I think during this period creative new his path was heading in the current direction.
The high quality of the Vraska Jace portion just made the Kumena portion that much more embarrassing. Kumena struts around like a peacock bragging to himself about how smart he is and how his power level is going to be over 9000, then this happens:
Kumena: "You fool, I am filled with the legendary power of a magical sun! I have ascended beyond such trivial things as gold, and I shall wipe all other races from Ixilan! I have unlimited cosmic power, one vampire can never stand against me! Mwuhahahahhahahalollollo11llonell *Thanos Pose*"
Vona: How about... TWO VAMPIRES lol *Mavren Fien's entry music plays*
The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I think the issue with Chandra / lili is that creative shoe horns too much of the color pie into them. With Vraska we've seen leadership (which has historically been depicted as white), murder (black), care and connectedness with Jace/crew (green), love and empathy for Jace and his history (red), and she's not as dumb as a brick. She's relatable because the color pie is just the human psyche broken into shards...sentient beings should display every color in some capacity for us to relate. It's okay to favor some emotions, but there is an issue when the character is defined by them (nissa's standoffishness because of her relation to nature, Chandra's impulsive nature, Gideon's moral struggles on Amonkhet). She feels believable and I praise them for doing it in such a short time. I genuinely like Vraska, at her highs and her lows. I like that they didn't retcon her first meeting with Jace or magic hand wave it away with mind magic. They tackled a hard situation and addressed it in a way that felt vulnerable, real, and well done.
Jace is the same thing, he is good when all his history and records are striped from him. He clearly favors intellect over brute force, but we see him get into a physical fight with a vampire, compassionate understanding for Vraska, and step into a leadership role while drawing a line in the sand for moral code (eldrazi eating everyone isnt cool, everyone being killed in the hero farm on Amonkhet isn't cool, kaladesh being on lockdown under the government isn't cool... etc.) Jace is now starting to become more than just "blue," but it has taken a long time. I'm not a huge Jace fanboy, but I do like him more now than previously.
This really does go back to why Urza is beloved by so many. He's multifaceted, imperfect, and at times relatable. Even if he was the strongest of his peers before the mending brought walkers down to a more reasonable (which I disagree that it did anything worth while) level.
At the end of the day I need to be able to read of a characters trials, ambitions, and habitat and be able to relate to them for it to be a compelling story. Eldrazi are cool once, but not two blocks in a row because I can't relate to "I have no reason for doing these terrible things because you can't comprehend them." Like wtf would Tazri have a mental image for all eternity of Kozilek like that...why would kozilek even care or why would she interpret things that way? Amonkhet was dark, but bolas' goals were defined prior to so I can see where he's coming from...he's trying to regain lost power. Like mankinds efforts of youth (excursions for the fountain of youth, consuming mercury, new scientific advancements tested on animals - all have grey areas but the goal is relatable).
Creative needs to explore this kind of writing, and I worry that 6 stories is an inadequate time frame to do so (which is what I attribute Kumena's part to). I don't know if you can have a cast of this size and develop everyone to a satisfactory extent in what amounts to 10-15 chapters in a book. Heck, look at something like the hobbit. There was a large cast, but only a select few get screen time, and even fewer develop via dialogue with multiple characters.
I actually see Vraskas leadership traits as being a different take on black green rather than white. It's greens communitarianism melded with blacks independence and need for self determination. White takes a top down, ordely approach to leadership, but Vraska is motivated by a need for self determination and a desire to share that with others as the natural state of things, the former a black aspect and the latter a green one. She leads not to command but to guide others, to cast down what she sees as an artificial system oppressing people in favor of a more naturalistic system where everyone gets to control their own Fate.
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The Meaning of Life: "M-hmm. Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations"
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Whether its blue players countering your spells, red players burning you out, or combo, if you have a problem with an aspect of Magic's gameplay, you can fix it!
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I know almost nothing about geocaching, but surely Wizards owes us some sort of explanation for this bizarre situation.
Funny you mention that because something just accured to me.
Maybe we were rig the first time and being a "pure mirridon" vs "new phyrexia" scenario.
And dinosaurs is it
The theory goes something like this they control the elders from the immortal sun yes? And also they came from the golden city as well right? Well bolas wins again and gets the sun. According to the art book
So....what's controlling the elders so woulden't they would eat up whoever won?
So, what happens if the Dino's win? Orazca becomes Jurassic Park ?
The Sun Empire gets a massive morale boost, the king/emperor guy uses that to fuel his expansionist ways and they force the River Heralds, Brazen Coalition and Legion of Dusk out. Mad with power and not content with ruling all of Ixalan (the continent) they sail for Torrezzon to wage war against the Legion of Dusk in Ixalan 2: Vampiric Bugaloo with the belief that it is their right/destiny to rule all of Ixalan (the plane).
Guys, I'm sorry if this has already been asked, but how did Kumena manage to find Orazca? Wasn't it magically hidden? I find it odd that if any merfolk could just find it at will, it remained a secret even from themselves for ao long.
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Bolas for best wing man award 2018. He knows lili isn't good for him either.
Heh. Wing man. Cuz he's a dragon.
Bolas: All of you need character development, so I'll send Jace to Ixalan without me knowing it to hook up with Vraska and become a more likable character.
Chandra: How am I getting character development?
Bolas: I don't want to spoil it, but the hint is that it doesn't involve fire or rebelling against something.
Bravo to wotc for making these changes
I just. I can't even reconcile the numbers I see currently with the numbers I've been seeing over the last couple days.
Merfolk have jumped from ~19k up to 137.2k (After having LOST 6,000 miles previously)
Vampires have jumped from ~47k up to 137.5k (After having LOST 2,000 and 3,000 miles on previous checks)
Pirates have jumped from ~37k up to 161.5k
and Dinosaurs have jumped from ~7k up to 171.3k
I even find the relationship Jace and Vraska interesting, but I see no future in this because liliana is the only one where the "true" Jace has some love interest (and is reciprocated, even if it is in a strange way). Besides the fact that Lili is a more interesting character than Vraska.
And I do not even need to say i've always liked our blue mind sculptor. I'm glad to see him back with all his thoughts (or part of them). I liked this "new Jace" of Ixalan, but found it a bit silly.
Yes, Lili in the Gatewatch was a mistake, her personality profile is not heroic in the least and they 100% would have been better off making a new Mono-Black walker to join the Gatewatch as opposed to using her.
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
There is no happy ending as long as Liliana keeps trying to act like she doesn't care about anyone else. Thus far, Liliana x Jace has been "I mean it's not like I like you or anything." at best and downright toxic at worst, and the worst part about it is that she does genuinely care about Jace. Liliana's display of emotion when she pleaded to the Gatewatch to flee from Bolas was a huge turning point for her character, because it shows that she does care. Even something as minor as her being off-put by what the Hours were doing to the people on Amonkhet was noteworthy, because it meant that even she had her limits.
What do you mean by the "true" Jace? I don't know if you've noticed, but we've never seen the "true" Jace (meaning, Jace with all his memories intact) outside of his one story on Vryn, and I doubt that Jace would have put up with Liliana's games or even consider entering the Infinite Consortium with all Alhammaret put him through.
That's an opinion, not a fact. I think they're both equally interesting, but in different ways.
You found what a bit silly? That he was actually enjoying his life in what seemed to be an eternity? That he was actually open about his fascination with everything around him, and displayed how creative he can be? That he was actually more sociable and a good listener? Which part did you find silly?
The love triangle is practically a given if the Vraska sleeper agent thing is true, and they don't kill her off (at this point, they would risk the wrath of many readers if they do).
https://twitter.com/wizards_magic/status/951242256144531456
Dinosaurs are in 1st place and got 15 point
Merfolk are in 2nd place and got 11 points
Pirates are in 3rd and got 9 point
Vampires are in 4th and got 7 points
This is just the first round thought and they going be holding more polls on and Geocaching will be added in.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Can you imagine Bolas as the best man at the Jace/Vraska wedding?
Imagine the embarrassing best man speech he'd give...
Click the pic for more info.
Bolas: When I attacked Jace's mind and sent him hurtling across the Blind Eternities to a backwater plane that traps walkers, I didn't think that he'd end up on the same plane as the gorgon assassin I hired to fetch a shiny piece of rock. But it did happen. They went against my expectations, hooked up, and hoisted the masts on the most unexpected ship in this multiverse's history. The prize of Orazca wasn't the golden city or the Immortal Sun. It was this relationship right here. Enjoy it while it lasts before my plots that span centuries come to fruition.
There is no "true" Jace, Jace is the name we give to the male telepath born in Vryn who was manipulated by his mentor, lost his memories, planeswalked to Ravnica met Emmara, you know the rest.
Second IxaJace is imo one of the most important moments in Jace story, because we see that despite everything, at his core he is a good man, he lost his memories twice, in none of these time he uses his powers to manipulate others or with malicious purposes, instead the first time he lost his memories (i'm not counting the many incidents with his mentor) he went to Ravnica, used his powers every now and again to understand where he was and get to know a little more about his new city, the second time (Ixalan) Vraska was terrified, she knew that a Jace without his memories was extremely dangerous, but again, instead of using his power to manipulate etc, he uses it to help others, to understand others (Vraska) and even to make Vraska more confortable (when he created an illusion of Ravnica in the winter) so for me, Ixalan showed me that Jace is actually an amazing character, there was nothing silly about it.
And finally about Lily x Jace, WotC is going to need A LOT of Liliana centered stories to make her as real as Vraska is, when i first saw Vraska, i loved it simply because i loved her aesthetics, but i thought" she's probably going to be a generic Gorgon murderer" and the C16 story and Ixalan made me realize that no, she doesn't need to be a generic assassins just because she is a gorgon and has black as one of her colors, but Liliana (IMO) is the tipical sexy necromancer, she is ruthless and manipulative and uses her beauty as a way to manipulate others and she... wait that's all she is, Liliana is a powerful woman there is no denying that, she is beautiful, but she isn't human, i find easier to realte to Rakdos then to Liliana, so no i don't think the current Liliana has any chance with Jace, at the end of today story Jace said somethin like "A while ago i would have died climbing those stairs or at least pass out" (i don't remember his exact words), but that meant that he changed, he is stronger now and not just physicaly, he is mentally stronger, he won't be manipulated by her again, that's what i think.
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
Didn't they already print it?
If it's even half as good as the conversation he had with the Gatewatch, I'd pay money to attend the wedding.
Yes, if she continues to act that way there will be no "happy ending". But I think that since the character was introduced to us, there has been some improvement in her personality, she has already dismantled or has affective thoughts now than before in relation to Jace (the core of the story of "argents of artifice" is about it). And I think that progress is continuous, so if we get to an "end", she will end up being honest with herself.
That's why I used some ("") in the term "true."
When I used the word "true" to speak of Jace, I was referring to the Jace we knew before having his mind wiped by Bolas: Mental Magician, Living Pact, Ravnica's Citizenship, Gatewatch member, no childhood memories, etc. The character we knew before.
I think now, Jace is a mix of past and present. But the fact that he is now aware of what he was and what he was doing, will lead him to take actions more like the "true" Jace. (But that's just my guess)
Where I wrote "true", you can read "past" or "previous".
Yes, that's just my opinion.
As the fact that I prefer to see a "JacexLili" than a "JacexVraska", it's just my opinion.
Many of the thoughts I'm sharing with you are just my opinion. hahaha
I'm not saying I did not like it, I even liked it. The first chapter on the useless island was the best thing I read in magic's lore to this day. But just being fascinated by anything made him look a little silly. I mean, when you are a planeswalker with colossal knowledge, you hardly feel impressed and tend to have a sharper critical sense.
Living freely and enjoying life is good too. But when you know so many things and have many responsibilities, you tend to ponder about your actions.
I think this period of Jace's life was like a good summer vacation, but now it's time to get back to work and solve some ***** in the multiuniverse.
I think most of the things I've answered to Etherium Sage can be used to debate with you. I would answer you in detail, but I have to leave now. Sorry.
Vraska is the best female character, and my current favorite character overall. I think Liliana is well written, but not very likeable, while Nissa is boring and trite and Chandra is annoying a poorly written, especially her dialogue. Vraska is an adult with relatable emotions. She's the most well developed, and most likeable.
Jace is finally paying off, after all these years. His character needed this sort of reset, whether it was planned or a result of his general unlikeability in the past. I sort of liked how they have presented him over the past couple of years as kind of a moron, a guy who might be smart but makes a lot of stupid mistakes and does a lot of stupid things. It undercut his initial characterization as "1337 mind mage whose also a player avatar". It made him flawed, and made him somewhat interesting. I think during this period creative new his path was heading in the current direction.
The high quality of the Vraska Jace portion just made the Kumena portion that much more embarrassing. Kumena struts around like a peacock bragging to himself about how smart he is and how his power level is going to be over 9000, then this happens:
Kumena: "You fool, I am filled with the legendary power of a magical sun! I have ascended beyond such trivial things as gold, and I shall wipe all other races from Ixilan! I have unlimited cosmic power, one vampire can never stand against me! Mwuhahahahhahahalollollo11llonell *Thanos Pose*"
Vona: How about... TWO VAMPIRES lol *Mavren Fien's entry music plays*
Kumena: *Gets thrown out of a window*
God damn clownshoes.
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
Jace is the same thing, he is good when all his history and records are striped from him. He clearly favors intellect over brute force, but we see him get into a physical fight with a vampire, compassionate understanding for Vraska, and step into a leadership role while drawing a line in the sand for moral code (eldrazi eating everyone isnt cool, everyone being killed in the hero farm on Amonkhet isn't cool, kaladesh being on lockdown under the government isn't cool... etc.) Jace is now starting to become more than just "blue," but it has taken a long time. I'm not a huge Jace fanboy, but I do like him more now than previously.
This really does go back to why Urza is beloved by so many. He's multifaceted, imperfect, and at times relatable. Even if he was the strongest of his peers before the mending brought walkers down to a more reasonable (which I disagree that it did anything worth while) level.
At the end of the day I need to be able to read of a characters trials, ambitions, and habitat and be able to relate to them for it to be a compelling story. Eldrazi are cool once, but not two blocks in a row because I can't relate to "I have no reason for doing these terrible things because you can't comprehend them." Like wtf would Tazri have a mental image for all eternity of Kozilek like that...why would kozilek even care or why would she interpret things that way? Amonkhet was dark, but bolas' goals were defined prior to so I can see where he's coming from...he's trying to regain lost power. Like mankinds efforts of youth (excursions for the fountain of youth, consuming mercury, new scientific advancements tested on animals - all have grey areas but the goal is relatable).
Creative needs to explore this kind of writing, and I worry that 6 stories is an inadequate time frame to do so (which is what I attribute Kumena's part to). I don't know if you can have a cast of this size and develop everyone to a satisfactory extent in what amounts to 10-15 chapters in a book. Heck, look at something like the hobbit. There was a large cast, but only a select few get screen time, and even fewer develop via dialogue with multiple characters.
https://www.geocaching.com/promotions/promo/magic/
dinosaurs gone from last place to first place
read the story execellent
man jace feels guilty about killing his own master i don't blame him
and vraska feeling so sad for him when she sees those memorys
but ammeisa is not quite gone yet the only thing missing is the truth about bolas
Onering's 4 simple steps that let you solve any problem with Magic's gameplay
Step 1: Identify the problem. What aspect of Magic don't you like? Step 2: Find out how others deal with the problem. How do players deal with this aspect of the game when they run into it? Step 3: Do what those players do. Step 4: No more problem. Bonus: You are now better at Magic. Enjoy those extra wins!
I know almost nothing about geocaching, but surely Wizards owes us some sort of explanation for this bizarre situation.
Funny you mention that because something just accured to me.
Maybe we were rig the first time and being a "pure mirridon" vs "new phyrexia" scenario.
And dinosaurs is it
The theory goes something like this they control the elders from the immortal sun yes? And also they came from the golden city as well right? Well bolas wins again and gets the sun. According to the art book
So....what's controlling the elders so woulden't they would eat up whoever won?
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
The Sun Empire gets a massive morale boost, the king/emperor guy uses that to fuel his expansionist ways and they force the River Heralds, Brazen Coalition and Legion of Dusk out. Mad with power and not content with ruling all of Ixalan (the continent) they sail for Torrezzon to wage war against the Legion of Dusk in Ixalan 2: Vampiric Bugaloo with the belief that it is their right/destiny to rule all of Ixalan (the plane).