The joke is that Jace Beleren is now the Living Guildpact and does own Ravnica.
Own?
What.
No, no he does not.
Being the living guildpact means that the guilds are magically obligated to follow his judgements, but they don't have to like them and there's nothing stopping them from finding loopholes.
It's strongly implied that making the Guildpact a living breathing fleshbag full of blood has made Jace an easy target, and now he's got a whole bunch of people who'd rather live in an unfettered Ravnica out to kill him.
Most promo arts are probably worse off so they won't take the sheen off the original... I believe that's on purpose. Most promos are quickies anyways...
Personally, I think it's strange, In "The Secretist" Jace never fought against Vraska, and Vraska wasn't even mentioned in the book, Jace DID however fight against Ral Zarek in the book, and honestly, that would've made for a better Vs. I think...
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[W]FREE STONEFORGE MYSTIC and JACE THE MINDSCULPTOR[/W]
So, here my piece on this duel deck. Looking at the cover art:
Jace: "Vraska, we need to talk."
Vraska: "What's wrong, Mister Guildpact? Your eyes look a little white around the edges."
Jace: "Temperary blindness, a safeguard against some of your more well known tactics."
Vraska: "You wound me. Here I thought you wanted to be civil."
Jace: "You know why I am here. As the Guildpact, Ravnica's peace rests heavily on me, and you know I can't let continue these murders."
Vraska: "Assassinations, Jace. DESERVED deaths. And don't talk to me about peace. Do you really think a Guildpact stops brutality, senseless violence, murder? Did the Guildpact stop those worms of Azor for desecrating the Rot farms? From slaughtering my allies? From beating me to near-death and sending me THERE? No, Jace. You are nothing, you cannot stop progress."
Jace: "But I can stop you. Your personal vendettas are a scourge, and you do not have the right to decide who lives and dies."
Vraska: "Look me in the eyes and say that, mind mage. The world will never be this perfect coexisting utopia that you seem to think your existence means now."
Jace: "Stand down, or I will be forced to take your apprehension into my own hands."
Vraska: "Try and stop me, and I assure you, you're death is set in stone. Farewell."
I fear I won't have much time to play Magic these days.
I get to watch worlds develop around me.
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
To all those people saying that Jace's artwork is perfect because he's a politician now, I disagree. The art is terrible on multiple levels.
First, the colors are washed out and the textures make it seem like it was done with colored pencils or something. This doesn't feel like a high quality, professional illustration, it feels like a mediocre fan art.
Second, as someone already mentioned, the artist used "realistic" proportions, giving Jace a large head and midsection, which makes him look very dumpy. Jace's hairstyle (or lack thereof) and uncharacteristically ugly face also add to him looking below average.
Third, Jace's pose and the composition of the artwork in general is boring. The fact that he's a politician now is no excuse. Artwork depicting politicians can still look cool.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I'm pretty sure that when the person compared Jace's artwork to a politician, he was commenting on how boring and/or ugly Jace looked. The average politician does not make a good model for fantasy artwork, so responding with "Oh well Jace is a politician now" is missing the point.
Nah, we got promo Jarad actually before the set he'd be released in! This DD might also preview some cards, and both Planeswalkers have relevency so at least it's better than sorin vs tibalt(although, the sorin deck was solid, and...blightning?)
Unlikely. The general trend is now:
-Spring Duel Decks are planeswalker v. planeswalker and won't be featuring new cards.
-Fall Duel Decks have flavor based on the upcoming block without planeswalkers and will include a few cards from the fall set of the upcoming block.
I feel like I read this somewhere, but now can't find it.
He is dumpy.
It is explicitly canon that Jace is kind of pudgy when he doesn't forget to eat and sleep while working on whatever the latest thing to capture his curiosity is.
eek, really gotta agree with the "worst art on a pw" camp. That jace is turrible.
Also, why is he getting another duel deck before others? also, I think itd be cooler with the 5 mana jace or midsculptor (i know thats stupid to say btw before you flame), even though neither is the ravnica version.
will probably buy, but I was really hoping for a more exciting set of pw's after the recent disappointments in the series..
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The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void but always yields to purifying light.
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
Man, that art is rough. As somebody who pretty much ignored new cards since Innistrad I'm looking forward to picking up things I missed with these decks.
If Jace really does remain on the Ravnica plane to be a politician, it's unlikely that he'll show up in future planes for the conceivable future. Maybe this will be the very last printing of Jace we will see for awhile.
With the storyline, I was hoping for him to be set up against shocker the stalker rather than her. Frankly, I liked her as a Planeswalker and find her very good to use altogether. However, I feel that the versus deck had to include a different tally, though, especially since Jace was set up storyline so much against Zarek.
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Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
Vraska’s looking tasty as usual. I really don’t like the new art for Jace, however. As for the DD itself, I can say I like the idea but I shall reserve judgement until I get more details on decklists, etc. Alternate art Vraska is always welcome though.
-Spring Duel Decks are planeswalker v. planeswalker and won't be featuring new cards.
-Fall Duel Decks have flavor based on the upcoming block without planeswalkers and will include a few cards from the fall set of the upcoming block.
I feel like I read this somewhere, but now can't find it.
It's certainly a different interpretation of Jace, but it's in line with his character's development.
I like the subtle contrasting of the background. Notice that Jace is in the light, framed by an open arch, with the city behind him. In contrast, Vraska is in the dark, framed by a shadowy corridor, surrounded by petrified victims.
It's not necessarily a rivalry I would have anticipated, but it's an interesting take on the radical new political dynamic in Ravnica in the wake of the Implicit Maze.
If I thought a work of art was terrible, I'd say so. I don't care if the artist were my best friend, and it doesn't matter if someone from Salvation made this particular piece.
But I'm really struggling to understand how people consider it to be bad.
For me, the art is "only" proficient, which is below the standard of work Igor normally puts out. There's just nothing particularly compelling in these depictions, whereas a lot of his other works are oozing with character and atmosphere (Nirkana Revenant is one of the best Magic works of all time in my opinion).
I swear, most artists phone it in when doing art for these products. Most of the time, the art seems worse than the original card. I understand it makes no sense from a professional perspective, but it's just strange to see.
Still continue to be pretty sure that Jace is wearing armor and is not actually fatter. Dude looks exactly like a dude wearing ballistic armor under clothes looks.
I really like this Jace art actually. (His leftmost thigh seems a bit thick, but I can deal with that.) It feels more like a controlled blue Mage than the original, which almost feels like a white card. If only I could get this in a non foil version.
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Own?
What.
No, no he does not.
Being the living guildpact means that the guilds are magically obligated to follow his judgements, but they don't have to like them and there's nothing stopping them from finding loopholes.
It's strongly implied that making the Guildpact a living breathing fleshbag full of blood has made Jace an easy target, and now he's got a whole bunch of people who'd rather live in an unfettered Ravnica out to kill him.
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I write flavor articles for RoxieCards.
I play and judge at Giga Bites Cafein Marietta, Georgia.
Most promo arts are probably worse off so they won't take the sheen off the original... I believe that's on purpose. Most promos are quickies anyways...
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[W]FREE STONEFORGE MYSTIC and JACE THE MINDSCULPTOR[/W]
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Jace: "Vraska, we need to talk."
Vraska: "What's wrong, Mister Guildpact? Your eyes look a little white around the edges."
Jace: "Temperary blindness, a safeguard against some of your more well known tactics."
Vraska: "You wound me. Here I thought you wanted to be civil."
Jace: "You know why I am here. As the Guildpact, Ravnica's peace rests heavily on me, and you know I can't let continue these murders."
Vraska: "Assassinations, Jace. DESERVED deaths. And don't talk to me about peace. Do you really think a Guildpact stops brutality, senseless violence, murder? Did the Guildpact stop those worms of Azor for desecrating the Rot farms? From slaughtering my allies? From beating me to near-death and sending me THERE? No, Jace. You are nothing, you cannot stop progress."
Jace: "But I can stop you. Your personal vendettas are a scourge, and you do not have the right to decide who lives and dies."
Vraska: "Look me in the eyes and say that, mind mage. The world will never be this perfect coexisting utopia that you seem to think your existence means now."
Jace: "Stand down, or I will be forced to take your apprehension into my own hands."
Vraska: "Try and stop me, and I assure you, you're death is set in stone. Farewell."
Whee vorthos
I get to watch great leaders, terrible oppressors, and trend setters rise and fall.
Limited, Standard, Modern, everything is a different playing field I feel I can observe, but will not actually touch.
I look forward to the stories I will hear.
And more so to the ones I will watch unfold first hand.
Isn't the unknown exciting?
First, the colors are washed out and the textures make it seem like it was done with colored pencils or something. This doesn't feel like a high quality, professional illustration, it feels like a mediocre fan art.
Second, as someone already mentioned, the artist used "realistic" proportions, giving Jace a large head and midsection, which makes him look very dumpy. Jace's hairstyle (or lack thereof) and uncharacteristically ugly face also add to him looking below average.
Third, Jace's pose and the composition of the artwork in general is boring. The fact that he's a politician now is no excuse. Artwork depicting politicians can still look cool.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I'm pretty sure that when the person compared Jace's artwork to a politician, he was commenting on how boring and/or ugly Jace looked. The average politician does not make a good model for fantasy artwork, so responding with "Oh well Jace is a politician now" is missing the point.
Unlikely. The general trend is now:
-Spring Duel Decks are planeswalker v. planeswalker and won't be featuring new cards.
-Fall Duel Decks have flavor based on the upcoming block without planeswalkers and will include a few cards from the fall set of the upcoming block.
I feel like I read this somewhere, but now can't find it.
Draft my cube! (630 cards)
He is dumpy.
It is explicitly canon that Jace is kind of pudgy when he doesn't forget to eat and sleep while working on whatever the latest thing to capture his curiosity is.
Level 1 Judge
I write flavor articles for RoxieCards.
I play and judge at Giga Bites Cafein Marietta, Georgia.
I can't.
But.
Oh god art.
Why oh why oh why.
Also, why is he getting another duel deck before others? also, I think itd be cooler with the 5 mana jace or midsculptor (i know thats stupid to say btw before you flame), even though neither is the ravnica version.
will probably buy, but I was really hoping for a more exciting set of pw's after the recent disappointments in the series..
I invision a future where one is not mighty when he can silence a crowd with brutality,
but when he leaves them speechless with wisdom.
Her Shop on Etsy
THS-KTK: Rabble Red
RTR-THS: Dega Midrange
INN-RTR: Boros Humans
SOM-INN: B/u Control
Modern: Mono-Black Infect
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
Well, at least this should decrease the price of Jace?
Boo this man.
meat's Trade Corner
Because really, to be fair, the original Lorwyn Jace had pretty terrible art.
It was pointed out at the beginning of the Sorin vs. Tibalt decklist article.
For me, the art is "only" proficient, which is below the standard of work Igor normally puts out. There's just nothing particularly compelling in these depictions, whereas a lot of his other works are oozing with character and atmosphere (Nirkana Revenant is one of the best Magic works of all time in my opinion).
I swear, most artists phone it in when doing art for these products. Most of the time, the art seems worse than the original card. I understand it makes no sense from a professional perspective, but it's just strange to see.
meat's Trade Corner