For the record, seeing Jace freak out at his own powers tickles me.
along with yelling "Useless Island!" that was almost as Meta as Bolas' musings on the Gatewatch,
I enjoyed this story immensely - Castaway Jace felt believable and relatable and real, instead of pandering. As well done as that part was, I am even more excited that we "got to the fireworks factory" immediately, with Jace and Vraska meeting at the end. Vraska's reaction felt about right to me - she started with her usual threats and violence, but her surprise seems in character because:
1) Mazirek's story showed us, if not a softer side of Vraska, certainly a more human side. Vraska is a stone-cold killer with an ironic sense of justice, but she also has a sense of humor, a love of art, a soft spot for underdogs and outcasts, and a fierce need for independence and self-reliance.
2) Related to the above, Vraska definitely feels like she has a predator's need for a real fight. Seeing the Almighty Living Guildpact who has thwarted her multiple times reduced to a clearly clueless, broken, bearded mess would be both shocking and probably a bit disappointing.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Sufferer of EDHD
Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
I'm usually as big a critic of the dialogue/characterization as anyone, but Vraska's reaction to Jace made perfect sense. She first threatened to kill him unless she got the information she needed from him, but the utter shock of seeing the almighty Living Guildpact laying blistered and sunburnt on a pile of bird-s*** with a scraggly beard almost certainly caused Vraska to react with shock.
Also, Vraska isn't really a through-and-through villain. She's kind of like the anti-bully bully. She does believe that she has her own sense of justice that she metes out on behalf of the downtrodden, and with Jace looking way more downtrodden than the great and powerful edifice of Ravnican authority he was when she last saw him, her hostility toward Jace was probably lessened significantly.
It's also worth noting that Vraska DID NOT try to kill Jace back in The Gorgon and The Guildpact. She wanted to use Jace.
And to be fair, Liliana has done far worse to him and they were STILL hooking up at Gatewatch HQ.
Anyone catch the direct quotes from Teysa's meeting with Jace in Family Values? I'm sure that's not going to be important later
Yeah, that stood out. I like how they've been setting up stuff for the Return to Return to Ravnica. It really gives off those overarching story vibes, even more so than than the main connections between the different blocks and sets.
"It had been quite some time since the incident with the fish, and the man had come to accept that things were much simpler now that he had lost his mind.
If it was true that his mind was disconnected from reality, then he needn't worry about the logistics of how he had arrived or who he had been before. His sanity was irrelevant if the only truth he could experience was his current reality.
How freeing it was to come to that realization!"
Joker would be proud. Never thought I'd enjoy a story with majority being Jace and only Jace. His responses after losing most memories are believable, but I feel the speed of him recognizing his magic power a little hastened, which is common in serialized stories.
The best part I love about the story though, was (illusionary) Liliana pointing out that Jace even prior to amnesia may not even be who he really was deep down. For a illusion mage AND a planeswalker, Jace could get away from a lot of trouble without taking responsibility, he could be anyone he want, but this is the first time where Jace lost his memories AND being alone on his own for a while, the situation forces him to learn, to adapt, to ponder who he wants to be for real.
Liliana is right, she was the best thing ever came to Jace, someone who challenges him not logically but emotionally, make him feel more than he think. Black color pie is filled with base desires, and desire is a great teacher. I was happy to see Jace vowed to be who he wants to be, and worked hard to survive, it's a sign of character development. Perhaps the next time we see Gatewatch they wouldn't be so juvenile.
Anyone catch the direct quotes from Teysa's meeting with Jace in Family Values? I'm sure that's not going to be important later
Yeah, that stood out. I like how they've been setting up stuff for the Return to Return to Ravnica. It really gives off those overarching story vibes, even more so than than the main connections between the different blocks and sets.
I WISH we were close enough to the MMO to start setting up a story for it. Given how they're only just now hiring things like art directors for the project, it's years away yet.
I'm usually as big a critic of the dialogue/characterization as anyone, but Vraska's reaction to Jace made perfect sense. She first threatened to kill him unless she got the information she needed from him, but the utter shock of seeing the almighty Living Guildpact laying blistered and sunburnt on a pile of bird-s*** with a scraggly beard almost certainly caused Vraska to react with shock.
Also, Vraska isn't really a through-and-through villain. She's kind of like the anti-bully bully. She does believe that she has her own sense of justice that she metes out on behalf of the downtrodden, and with Jace looking way more downtrodden than the great and powerful edifice of Ravnican authority he was when she last saw him, her hostility toward Jace was probably lessened significantly.
It's also worth noting that Vraska DID NOT try to kill Jace back in The Gorgon and The Guildpact. She wanted to use Jace.
And to be fair, Liliana has done far worse to him and they were STILL hooking up at Gatewatch HQ.
Of course I did. Look at my avatar.
Remember, Teysa visited Jace dozens, if not hundreds, of times to try and set her Obzedat trap.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Level 1 Judge
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
So does anyone know what the scars are supposed to be? Were they refering to the white markings? I always thought that was tattoos or something.
I assumed the scars were from Tezzeret torturing him with a mana blade. I hadn't considered that they could have been referring to his tattoos, during the podcasts some time ago they did mention that Jace doesn't remember where he got the tattoos, so who knows what they actually could be.
The scars are almost certainly his tattoos. I got a very Miles Vorkosigan vibe from them, specifically his surgical scars. I don't think Jace's are surgical, but the fact that they are so straight means either self-inflicted (i.e., tattoos) or very calculated torture.
And Teysa's cameo in the story put a huge smile on my face. Quite possibly my favorite character in all of Magic, and I know very little about her.
Yeah no those scars are definitely from Tez. Agents of Artifice went into detail on Tez torturing Jace with the mana blade all over his back. I didn't remember him going to the arm but that helps make sense of why, despite most of his cloak being gone in his card art, he still wears the glove on the hand without a sleeve.
You guys see what I am seeing in that big vesion of Ixalan's Binding art?
That's the Azorius sigil, isn't it?
What the hell was Azor looking for on Ixalan, and is the 'walking barrier his doing?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
What's the most resilient parasite? An idea.
A single idea from the human mind can build cities.
An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules...
You guys see what I am seeing in that big vesion of Ixalan's Binding art?
That's the Azorius sigil, isn't it?
What the hell was Azor looking for on Ixalan, and is the 'walking barrier his doing?
Its close but still significantly different. The outer ring is the major distinction, but the inner circle also has different markings than the Azorius sigil. The Azorius use a triangle composed of 3 smaller triangles enclosing a circle. The Ixalan binding lacks this distinction and has an outer circle so it seems safe to say they are merely similar magic circles.
I don't know. It's close enough to the Azorius signet that it wouldn't feel weird if this was Azor's doing. It'd be an interesting tie-in to the next return to Ravnica. Mmh.
Guess what Wizards accidentally uploaded when they updated the Ixalan map page? The whole Ixalan map.
It also looks like all the transform cards show spots on the map
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“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"
Has anyone mentioned what the spindown die will look like? I am hoping on a glittery gold with numbers!
Certainly not storyline related, and nobody knows what the prerelease spindown will look like, but gold's a safe bet as it's a pretty thematic shade for Ixalan (see: Orazca; the Immortal Sun...).
You guys see what I am seeing in that big vesion of Ixalan's Binding art?
That's the Azorius sigil, isn't it?
What the hell was Azor looking for on Ixalan, and is the 'walking barrier his doing?
That's what I'm seeing as well. It stood out to me that the story made it a point to describe the shape of the sigil (a triangle inscribed in a circle), instead of being more generic and just saying "a glowing magical sigil".
Somehow coffee in fantasy settings is even stranger to me than flintlock weapons / guns.
along with yelling "Useless Island!" that was almost as Meta as Bolas' musings on the Gatewatch,
Click the pic for more info.
1) Mazirek's story showed us, if not a softer side of Vraska, certainly a more human side. Vraska is a stone-cold killer with an ironic sense of justice, but she also has a sense of humor, a love of art, a soft spot for underdogs and outcasts, and a fierce need for independence and self-reliance.
2) Related to the above, Vraska definitely feels like she has a predator's need for a real fight. Seeing the Almighty Living Guildpact who has thwarted her multiple times reduced to a clearly clueless, broken, bearded mess would be both shocking and probably a bit disappointing.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
And to be fair, Liliana has done far worse to him and they were STILL hooking up at Gatewatch HQ.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
If it was true that his mind was disconnected from reality, then he needn't worry about the logistics of how he had arrived or who he had been before. His sanity was irrelevant if the only truth he could experience was his current reality.
How freeing it was to come to that realization!"
Joker would be proud. Never thought I'd enjoy a story with majority being Jace and only Jace. His responses after losing most memories are believable, but I feel the speed of him recognizing his magic power a little hastened, which is common in serialized stories.
The best part I love about the story though, was (illusionary) Liliana pointing out that Jace even prior to amnesia may not even be who he really was deep down. For a illusion mage AND a planeswalker, Jace could get away from a lot of trouble without taking responsibility, he could be anyone he want, but this is the first time where Jace lost his memories AND being alone on his own for a while, the situation forces him to learn, to adapt, to ponder who he wants to be for real.
Liliana is right, she was the best thing ever came to Jace, someone who challenges him not logically but emotionally, make him feel more than he think. Black color pie is filled with base desires, and desire is a great teacher. I was happy to see Jace vowed to be who he wants to be, and worked hard to survive, it's a sign of character development. Perhaps the next time we see Gatewatch they wouldn't be so juvenile.
Setting up a MMO-RPG even, eh?
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
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Of course I did. Look at my avatar.
Remember, Teysa visited Jace dozens, if not hundreds, of times to try and set her Obzedat trap.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
And Teysa's cameo in the story put a huge smile on my face. Quite possibly my favorite character in all of Magic, and I know very little about her.
You guys see what I am seeing in that big vesion of Ixalan's Binding art?
That's the Azorius sigil, isn't it?
What the hell was Azor looking for on Ixalan, and is the 'walking barrier his doing?
An idea.
A single idea from the human mind can build cities.
An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules...
Proud father of 25 EDH decks
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Certainly not storyline related, and nobody knows what the prerelease spindown will look like, but gold's a safe bet as it's a pretty thematic shade for Ixalan (see: Orazca; the Immortal Sun...).
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
That's what I'm seeing as well. It stood out to me that the story made it a point to describe the shape of the sigil (a triangle inscribed in a circle), instead of being more generic and just saying "a glowing magical sigil".
That map is useless to me.