Another decent, albeit fast-paced story. Though 'no one has ever seen a shade or skin witch to report back' became 'scouts report a shade is coming and let's make you look like a perfect skin witch' pretty fast.
Liliana is improving, but it's still a long way to being likeable to me, personally.
I will be curious how Old Man Teferi becomes young Teferi, and how Jhoira contained the power of a spark (*a* spark, I think? Not his original?).
Jay as always makes a strong and informed argument about who the Raven Man is. I personally hope it's a new character, but I'll be fine if Jay's theory is proven correct. I'm a big fan of corvids, so I'd like more raven themed art things, and I don't know if Lim had anything to do with ravens.
In fact, maybe it would be a cruel twist for Liliana, after finally improving and becoming a better person, to be then possessed by something evil.
Also, how do we know killing all the demons won't wipe out their deals with Liliana? What kind of system would that be if you could just kill them and keep what they gave you? That would also be a twist if by killing her last demon, she destroys their gifts and speed-ages.
Also, how do we know killing all the demons won't wipe out their deals with Liliana? What kind of system would that be if you could just kill them and keep what they gave you? That would also be a twist if by killing her last demon, she destroys their gifts and speed-ages.
...which would have her desperately searching for a new solution, and could put her....
Also, how do we know killing all the demons won't wipe out their deals with Liliana? What kind of system would that be if you could just kill them and keep what they gave you? That would also be a twist if by killing her last demon, she destroys their gifts and speed-ages.
...which would have her desperately searching for a new solution, and could put her....
Also: I like the idea of Lin-Dul being the raven man but does the timeline work out? I dont know much about it but it seems he was sealed away on Shandalar a long time ago amd Lili is only a few hundred years old. But she saw the Raven Man for the first time on Dominaria before she sparked and before she had the chain veil. Would he, in that state, have enough power to project himself across planes like that and read her mind?
I think it is supposed to feel forced. Belzenlok leads the Cabal, he rules the Stronghold, he has the Blackblade, he killed an elder dragon, and so on.
This is what I'd thought, its made pretty implicit in the first story. There's a pretty clear Orwellian theme to the Cabal.
Ah cool, I don't know the Karona story well enough to have noticed that detail about Kuberr. Well played, Wizards!
Also: I like the idea of Lin-Dul being the raven man but does the timeline work out? I dont know much about it but it seems he was sealed away on Shandalar a long time ago amd Lili is only a few hundred years old. But she saw the Raven Man for the first time on Dominaria before she sparked and before she had the chain veil. Would he, in that state, have enough power to project himself across planes like that and read her mind?
Jay reposted his exhaustive entry on the raven man 1 page back. check that out.
I do feel resolving the Josu conflict was too soon for the second story. Ideally he'd have been toward the end, right before (or after) Belzenok was defeated. I'd have liked to see the weight of Josu gnaw on and change Lilliana over the course of this arc, rather than resolve it so soon. Granted the revelation it brought to her was equally daunting, but IDK, it's not that it felt rushed, just too soon to remove such a neat plot point.
I agree with the statement above that I admire how dimensional and textured the use of Magic is here. That said, I will always love my Kelly Digges.
Maybe when Josu said "It cannot end, Liliana. Not while you still live.", he meant his undeadness? I interpreted it like that with the first reading, and this way the conflict isn't resolved yet, but put aside for a later plot twist.
Gideon is THE man, and I have no shame in saying that I as gay dude I'd totally date the guy. Or guys like him.
Tactical, kind and likes to get scrappy. What's not to like?!? I wanna wrestle him to floor haha!
(sorrynotsorry)
He could use more facial hair. Funny, he came from a culture where men have fabulous facials, yet chose to remain clean shaven.
Deploy the Gatewatch seems to be a nice depiction of Gid and Lili's relationship now. I guess while Jace is cute for Lili, he's blue and Lili relate herself too much with him to feel the need to change, same with her relationship with Chandra, whom I think Lili appreciates but again not enough to change her. it takes an opposition personality (or color pie) like Nissa and Gideon to show Lili that, "you are wrong!" in different ways, Nissa with honesty like a green, and Gid with sincere companionship of white. Lili learning to trust and be honest is a great development without her changing her core, just how she does things; even an immortal hag could learn a new trick.
All the more reason for Gid to pick up the Black Blade.
I like the stories thus far because, just like Ixalan, character development is what makes it appealing, though I confess I find the part with Josu pretty rushed, but not enough to damage it the same way previous stories did, mainly because he "mattered". In Amonkhet stories where they try to shift between characters they had to minimize the rest, like how they tell the stories of Samut, Gods, and other natives, while the Gatewatch were just running around yelling, "We need a plan!"
EDIT: I think the Raven Man is NOT Bolas, though his eyes have some reptilian feel to them, even the smile reminds me of Bolas because he's the only dragon that smiles this much, that doesn't mean he is Raven Man. Could be another dragon. I would prefer Raven Man being a mentor to Liliana same way Alhammarret to Jace, Jaya(Luti) to Chandra, Hixus to Gideon, etc, but not entirely melodious or cliche like "him being Bolas".
It seems strange that Lilliana relies so much on the Chain Veil. She's centuries old and once an Oldwalker. You'd think she'd be more capable.
Her campaign to slay her demon creditors was kick-started by the Chain Veil. They're stronger than her in a vacuum, so she wouldn't have dared attempt to kill them on her own.
That's also why she decided to "enlist" the Gatewatch. They were her way of dealing with her demons without needing to use the Chain Veil.
It seems strange that Lilliana relies so much on the Chain Veil. She's centuries old and once an Oldwalker. You'd think she'd be more capable.
Her campaign to slay her demon creditors was kick-started by the Chain Veil. They're stronger than her in a vacuum, so she wouldn't have dared attempt to kill them on her own.
That's also why she decided to "enlist" the Gatewatch. They were her way of dealing with her demons without needing to use the Chain Veil.
The Demons sure...I think the point is more her needing the Veil to help take out Lich Josu.
Granted yes Liliana is an Oldwalker but not all Oldwalkers are on equal power levels and power level tends to scale with experience hence why all the other Oldwakers except maybe Ob Nixilis are a millennium plus.
Liliana is the last known Oldwalker and lets be honest doesn't seem the type who did much training since her main motivations for her demon contract was vanity which suggest she is the type to take a shortcut that is the Veil instead of relying on her own abilities. She was a nobody Pre Mending and a small fish in a Big Pond of Dominaria and fled to a plane where the top dog in Sorin let her stick around cause she didnt register as even a potential problem which doesn't exactly speak highly of her skills when you consider something about Innistrad seems to make her more powerful then she is on a standard plane.
Beyond that if she was too powerful without the Chain Veil why would she need the rest of the Gatewatch? Only Nissa has a unique skill in leyline manipulation which I suppose makes this Return to Dominaria interesting...Considering the likes of Teferi, Karn, Jaya and Jodah should all utterly outclass the Gatewatch.
The theory about Karn and Teferi wearing parts of Jaya's robes as potential remembrance got shot down, IMO.
Chandra is wearing her goggles, that is beyond doubt. But the waist-sash Karn has and the rag Teferi has on his staff (even on Opt as mortal) have just similar colors to Jaya's robes.
What is strange is that when Teferi opts to take his spark back, he apparently revert from wizened Idris Elba in Ragnarok-Heimdall mode into his LeVar Burton mode and suddenly appears younger. What is not supposed to happen.
Also, the story spotlight #2, Final Parting, that (based on the "Jaya dies" theory)I suspected to be Jodah and Jaya's final goodbye, might on the other hand be the end of current story, and the final parting of Liliana and Josu...
I don't see why not...he is a master of time magic and the spark does make you more powerful then the average mage so getting his Spark may allow him to suppress his aging or it could be he is simply not bothering to suppress his aging cause he is depressed so reigniting his spark makes him to snap out of it and he decides to start suppressing his aging again.
It seems strange that Lilliana relies so much on the Chain Veil. She's centuries old and once an Oldwalker. You'd think she'd be more capable.
She’s a powerful necromancer, but creating zombies won’t help her unmake her brother or defeat ancient demons. Also, not all oldwalkers are on the same power level and post mending she’s not more powerful than PWs who sparked after the mending.
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I don't see why not...he is a master of time magic and the spark does make you more powerful then the average mage so getting his Spark may allow him to suppress his aging or it could be he is simply not bothering to suppress his aging cause he is depressed so reigniting his spark makes him to snap out of it and he decides to start suppressing his aging again.
You do not understand. This is not an oldwalker anymore, who could change appearance on a whim. He can maybe suppress aging, but he shall not be able to shapeshift into a younger version of self. Suppress does not mean reverse.
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Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I don't see why not. Sure post mending there are more limits but I hardly think the magic system in MTG is so well defined that you can say Teferi cannot use his magic to modify his appearance. There is a massive gap between being an Oldwalker who can turn themselves into a tent and being post mending and still able to make yourself look younger.
It seems strange that Lilliana relies so much on the Chain Veil. She's centuries old and once an Oldwalker. You'd think she'd be more capable.
She’s a powerful necromancer, but creating zombies won’t help her unmake her brother or defeat ancient demons. Also, not all oldwalkers are on the same power level and post mending she’s not more powerful than PWs who sparked after the mending.
Ignoring the Chain Veil, which Neowalkers would you rate as stronger then Liliana Vess? Although I should note she is the weakest confirmed Oldwalker in the story so I wouldn't really use her a standard to say the average Neowalker is as strong or stronger then the average Oldwalker. I honestly say someone like Ob Nixilis is more the average Oldwalker and he did work against the Gatewatch.
I don't see why not. Sure post mending there are more limits but I hardly think the magic system in MTG is so well defined that you can say Teferi cannot use his magic to modify his appearance. There is a massive gap between being an Oldwalker who can turn themselves into a tent and being post mending and still able to make yourself look younger.
It seems strange that Lilliana relies so much on the Chain Veil. She's centuries old and once an Oldwalker. You'd think she'd be more capable.
She’s a powerful necromancer, but creating zombies won’t help her unmake her brother or defeat ancient demons. Also, not all oldwalkers are on the same power level and post mending she’s not more powerful than PWs who sparked after the mending.
Ignoring the Chain Veil, which Neowalkers would you rate as stronger then Liliana Vess? Although I should note she is the weakest confirmed Oldwalker in the story so I wouldn't really use her a standard to say the average Neowalker is as strong or stronger then the average Oldwalker. I honestly say someone like Ob Nixilis is more the average Oldwalker and he did work against the Gatewatch.
Probably one of the best examples of a post-Mending Oldwalker that isn't as crazy powerful as Ugin, Karn or Bolas, but isn't as "weak" as Liliana, is Nahiri.
This woman can literally bend the leylines to suit her needs (because leylines flow through the rock that she can manipulate), but she has to make preparations to gain the advantage, as shown with her fight with Sorin.
Thinking about it, Jhoira wasn't the only Tolarian scholar who drank Time Water, just the first person to discover the phenomenon and exploit it. Teferi himself used it after they liberated him from his temporal prison (he even drank the fast-time water to see if it would age him faster to "catch up" with Jhoira as a kid), but at the time no one knew his Planeswalker's Spark had ignited, even himself. Its possible that his spark really does have temporal properties because of all this time-experiment shenanigans both he and the other Tolarians were doing. Plus, remember that most of the Neo-Walkers seem to have unique superpowers of some sort, including some of the old-walkers (e.g. Karn having access to his Time Travel and Legacy Weapon abilities, at least on his first planswalker card). So I could see maybe it giving him ten or twenty years back, if only as a one-time deal. The question is, how could Jhoira recover Teferi's spark in particular?
One thing is certain, if she can somehow recover planeswalker sparks and put them into powerstones for safekeeping, she really is the greatest artificer to ever live.
Yeah Nahiri could be good although I consider Leyline Manipulation a pretty strong ability granted it has setup time but once you do set it up, its disgustingly powerful. And she did beat Ob Nixilis albiet as an Oldwalker.
Neowalkers tend to be hard specialist. Oldwalkers tend to be far more generalist even if most have some specialties as well. So Teferi is most known for time magic sure but he also has telepathy, polymorph, and assorted other standard wizard abilities. Honestly, I say Nahiri is the most specialist of the Oldwalkers by far at least among the active ones and Jaya I guess. While Neowalkers can do like one thing....Gideon can make shields, Chandra can toss fireballs, and Jace can manipulate minds. Heck I don't even know what some special abilities are what does Samut do again?
Now how Jhoira does it no idea...maybe Karn goes back in time with the device to capture some or she does some research on Karn since how he got a spark is a bit weird.
Define speedster? I seem to remember Sorin moving so fast Nahiri couldn't actually follow his moves. We talking that fast or are we talking something closer to the speed of Cheetah.
Define speedster? I seem to remember Sorin moving so fast Nahiri couldn't actually follow his moves. We talking that fast or are we talking something closer to the speed of Cheetah.
I mean that she can augment mainly her running speed. Think the Flash, but not as overpowered.
It's not surprising you aren't aware of this, since they didn't really play it up very much. Probably her most shining moment with that ability was when she used it to push The Scorpion God on that obelisk to prime him for Hazoret to burninate him.
Liliana is improving, but it's still a long way to being likeable to me, personally.
I will be curious how Old Man Teferi becomes young Teferi, and how Jhoira contained the power of a spark (*a* spark, I think? Not his original?).
Jay as always makes a strong and informed argument about who the Raven Man is. I personally hope it's a new character, but I'll be fine if Jay's theory is proven correct. I'm a big fan of corvids, so I'd like more raven themed art things, and I don't know if Lim had anything to do with ravens.
In fact, maybe it would be a cruel twist for Liliana, after finally improving and becoming a better person, to be then possessed by something evil.
Also, how do we know killing all the demons won't wipe out their deals with Liliana? What kind of system would that be if you could just kill them and keep what they gave you? That would also be a twist if by killing her last demon, she destroys their gifts and speed-ages.
...which would have her desperately searching for a new solution, and could put her....
...wait for it....
...right In Bolas's Clutches!
Click the pic for more info.
I wouldn't be surprised if that was Bolas's reason for brokering her deals all along.
Roll credits!!
Also: I like the idea of Lin-Dul being the raven man but does the timeline work out? I dont know much about it but it seems he was sealed away on Shandalar a long time ago amd Lili is only a few hundred years old. But she saw the Raven Man for the first time on Dominaria before she sparked and before she had the chain veil. Would he, in that state, have enough power to project himself across planes like that and read her mind?
Ah cool, I don't know the Karona story well enough to have noticed that detail about Kuberr. Well played, Wizards!
Jay reposted his exhaustive entry on the raven man 1 page back. check that out.
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I agree with the statement above that I admire how dimensional and textured the use of Magic is here. That said, I will always love my Kelly Digges.
|| 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 ||
He could use more facial hair. Funny, he came from a culture where men have fabulous facials, yet chose to remain clean shaven.
Deploy the Gatewatch seems to be a nice depiction of Gid and Lili's relationship now. I guess while Jace is cute for Lili, he's blue and Lili relate herself too much with him to feel the need to change, same with her relationship with Chandra, whom I think Lili appreciates but again not enough to change her. it takes an opposition personality (or color pie) like Nissa and Gideon to show Lili that, "you are wrong!" in different ways, Nissa with honesty like a green, and Gid with sincere companionship of white. Lili learning to trust and be honest is a great development without her changing her core, just how she does things; even an immortal hag could learn a new trick.
All the more reason for Gid to pick up the Black Blade.
I like the stories thus far because, just like Ixalan, character development is what makes it appealing, though I confess I find the part with Josu pretty rushed, but not enough to damage it the same way previous stories did, mainly because he "mattered". In Amonkhet stories where they try to shift between characters they had to minimize the rest, like how they tell the stories of Samut, Gods, and other natives, while the Gatewatch were just running around yelling, "We need a plan!"
EDIT: I think the Raven Man is NOT Bolas, though his eyes have some reptilian feel to them, even the smile reminds me of Bolas because he's the only dragon that smiles this much, that doesn't mean he is Raven Man. Could be another dragon. I would prefer Raven Man being a mentor to Liliana same way Alhammarret to Jace, Jaya(Luti) to Chandra, Hixus to Gideon, etc, but not entirely melodious or cliche like "him being Bolas".
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
|| 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 ||
Thanks to DarkNightCavalier from Heroes of the Plane Studios for this sick Signature.
is it me, or does bearded Teferi look like LeBron James?
Click the pic for more info.
Her campaign to slay her demon creditors was kick-started by the Chain Veil. They're stronger than her in a vacuum, so she wouldn't have dared attempt to kill them on her own.
That's also why she decided to "enlist" the Gatewatch. They were her way of dealing with her demons without needing to use the Chain Veil.
The Demons sure...I think the point is more her needing the Veil to help take out Lich Josu.
Granted yes Liliana is an Oldwalker but not all Oldwalkers are on equal power levels and power level tends to scale with experience hence why all the other Oldwakers except maybe Ob Nixilis are a millennium plus.
Liliana is the last known Oldwalker and lets be honest doesn't seem the type who did much training since her main motivations for her demon contract was vanity which suggest she is the type to take a shortcut that is the Veil instead of relying on her own abilities. She was a nobody Pre Mending and a small fish in a Big Pond of Dominaria and fled to a plane where the top dog in Sorin let her stick around cause she didnt register as even a potential problem which doesn't exactly speak highly of her skills when you consider something about Innistrad seems to make her more powerful then she is on a standard plane.
Beyond that if she was too powerful without the Chain Veil why would she need the rest of the Gatewatch? Only Nissa has a unique skill in leyline manipulation which I suppose makes this Return to Dominaria interesting...Considering the likes of Teferi, Karn, Jaya and Jodah should all utterly outclass the Gatewatch.
The theory about Karn and Teferi wearing parts of Jaya's robes as potential remembrance got shot down, IMO.
Chandra is wearing her goggles, that is beyond doubt. But the waist-sash Karn has and the rag Teferi has on his staff (even on Opt as mortal) have just similar colors to Jaya's robes.
What is strange is that when Teferi opts to take his spark back, he apparently revert from wizened Idris Elba in Ragnarok-Heimdall mode into his LeVar Burton mode and suddenly appears younger. What is not supposed to happen.
Also, the story spotlight #2, Final Parting, that (based on the "Jaya dies" theory)I suspected to be Jodah and Jaya's final goodbye, might on the other hand be the end of current story, and the final parting of Liliana and Josu...
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
She’s a powerful necromancer, but creating zombies won’t help her unmake her brother or defeat ancient demons. Also, not all oldwalkers are on the same power level and post mending she’s not more powerful than PWs who sparked after the mending.
JundBGR
RW Blood MoonRW
Pauper
Delver U
Elves G
Control B
Commander
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Niv-Mizzet, Parun UR
Tymna and Ravos WB
You do not understand. This is not an oldwalker anymore, who could change appearance on a whim. He can maybe suppress aging, but he shall not be able to shapeshift into a younger version of self. Suppress does not mean reverse.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
Ignoring the Chain Veil, which Neowalkers would you rate as stronger then Liliana Vess? Although I should note she is the weakest confirmed Oldwalker in the story so I wouldn't really use her a standard to say the average Neowalker is as strong or stronger then the average Oldwalker. I honestly say someone like Ob Nixilis is more the average Oldwalker and he did work against the Gatewatch.
Probably one of the best examples of a post-Mending Oldwalker that isn't as crazy powerful as Ugin, Karn or Bolas, but isn't as "weak" as Liliana, is Nahiri.
This woman can literally bend the leylines to suit her needs (because leylines flow through the rock that she can manipulate), but she has to make preparations to gain the advantage, as shown with her fight with Sorin.
One thing is certain, if she can somehow recover planeswalker sparks and put them into powerstones for safekeeping, she really is the greatest artificer to ever live.
Neowalkers tend to be hard specialist. Oldwalkers tend to be far more generalist even if most have some specialties as well. So Teferi is most known for time magic sure but he also has telepathy, polymorph, and assorted other standard wizard abilities. Honestly, I say Nahiri is the most specialist of the Oldwalkers by far at least among the active ones and Jaya I guess. While Neowalkers can do like one thing....Gideon can make shields, Chandra can toss fireballs, and Jace can manipulate minds. Heck I don't even know what some special abilities are what does Samut do again?
Now how Jhoira does it no idea...maybe Karn goes back in time with the device to capture some or she does some research on Karn since how he got a spark is a bit weird.
She's a speedster.
Define speedster? I seem to remember Sorin moving so fast Nahiri couldn't actually follow his moves. We talking that fast or are we talking something closer to the speed of Cheetah.
I mean that she can augment mainly her running speed. Think the Flash, but not as overpowered.
It's not surprising you aren't aware of this, since they didn't really play it up very much. Probably her most shining moment with that ability was when she used it to push The Scorpion God on that obelisk to prime him for Hazoret to burninate him.