Well, someone hit the brakes on the hype train for this set.
For the last five months everyone was buzzing with excitement about the Innistrad story, engaging with the puzzles and mystery and characters and lauding it as a flavor hit, a well-handled tale and a step in the right direction. Then Eldritch Moon comes out and it seems there's mostly just disappointment. Is that just a few voices here, or do you reckon that's the sentiment of the fan base at large?
Don't get me wrong, Marit Lage > Eldrazi all day, but Emrakul is still being done very well this set. Emrakul isn't the direction I would have taken the story, but I'm satisfied at least with what's being done with her in Eldritch Moon.
As fans, I think we tend to evaluate stories based on the tale *we* prefer to see told, rather than on the story the author is actually telling. Unlike Battle For Zendikar, this really isn't a bad ending at all. Instead of four neowalkers killing two Eldrazi Titans, you have three of them (including the uber-powered Tamiyo) merely imprisoning just one. The moon being a prison makes intuitive sense, and it has been foreshadowed for a long time--I think since the previous block? And this time around we lose at least three named characters who we actually care about. The conflict has consequences the fans can actually feel.
You can argue that's the bare minimum for a good story. And you'd be right. The Shadows/Moon story is fine. Not great, but certainly not poor. It could have been better, but what we got was still a big improvement over the last story. It works, and I'm satisfied.
There is one thing that I don't think was properly explained (... to my satisfaction): WHY WOULD NAHIRI WANT EMRAKUL TO ASSUME PHYSICAL FORM? That was more for the sake of the original prison on Zendikar. If she wanted Emrakul to run rampant, having Emrakul manifest physically on Innistrad seems rather silly to do because of being able to directly interact with the Eldrazi.
The titans actually naturally manifest in physical form after feeding off the plane for a while. This was established in the Lithomancer, when Ulamog manifested on the plane Sorin and Nahiri were defending to deal the world the killing blow.
I could be remembering Rise of the Eldrazi incorrectly, but to my recollection it went along these lines as far as the creation of the Eye of Ugin was concerned:
- Sorin provided the lure to bring the three titans to Zendikar.
- Nahiri provided the hedron network to prevent them from leaving Zendikar.
- Ugin provided the means to force them to appear physically, so that the prison could work in the first place. This had to do with Ugin's magic being somewhat unique and akin to the Eldrazi's 'colorless' nature.
There was also an implication, iirc, that Eldrazi don't typically manifest physically while nom'ing planes. They have to have 'help'.
So power of friendship now allows our neowalker friends to cast mighty spells of tremendous power that shake the foundations of the planes? Well done, Jace!
It would be nice if Nahiri didn't look like she is about to sneeze in her artwork for this block. I need more avatars!
Oh well, I guess fan-art it is.
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Vorthos Cartography - Check out my completed maps of Zendikar and Innistrad!
"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit
I'm curious why the undead/zombies seem to get a reprieve from Emrakul's influence, though.
Its a really good question. It cant be because "they dont have a mind, they are like puppets" because Emrakul affects rocks and plants, even if Emrakul can control them where is the physical transformation? trees change, buildings change, everything change except the undeads and some creatures. If Emrakul can transform plants and buildings, why not the earth? earth and rock are very similar. If im a half-eldrazi, someone kill me and revive me, i will still be a Emrakul's minion or i will be free? A lich (intelligent undead) can be mindcontrolled and transformed by Emrakul? so many questions...
What if its because the former human half of hanweir? All the citizens becoming one with hanweir itself. The reason its an eldrazi ooze.
Now based on what spirits and zombies and constructs I have seen in Eldritch Moon, what if its because they weren't of living matter? Dead things and artificial things are not within Emrakul's domain?
I don't think he's necessarily talking about Hanweir though. There's this one image on the official site that has a caption that reads, "Emrakul's influence even extends to inanimate objects like the streets and buildings of the towns themselves." Associated image
Here's the page it came from: http://magic.wizards.com/en/access-magic-eldritch-moon-episode-2 (scroll all the way to the bottom to "Twisted Visions.")
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
So power of friendship now allows our neowalker friends to cast mighty spells of tremendous power that shake the foundations of the planes? Well done, Jace!
Yep. God damn that's some terrible writing.
Also, anteater face guy from the first post looks ridiculously hilarious.
Do you know what would be a great ending to this story?
The horrifying visage of the biggest baddest Eldrazi you've ever seen crumbles before you as you throw rocks into her exposed brain. The creature shrivels up and dies, it's thrashing tentacles devastating untold miles of Innistrad's surface. You've done it. The nightmare is over. Innistrad may be saved, but it is also a wreck. You wonder where the mutated denizens will go, now that Emrakul's dead, now, wiping the sweat from your forehead, you planeswalk away and begin the long trek to find even more help. Rebuilding Innistrad ought to be a lot more fun than ruining it was.
I will say the fact that it takes at least a moon sized object and the power of a planet to effectively deal with an Eldrazi is something to consider. Yeah, it sucks that our representations of cosmic horrors ended up written out within two blocks, but it took that much power to do it. And that it was unique properties of those planets that made killing/capturing possible at all: Zen's potent mana and Inn's unique silver moon. Had the Titans appeared elsewhere, then I'd find it tougher to go with their defeat.
Just my thoughts on all this now that we know the ending for the last Titan.
I will say the fact that it takes at least a moon sized object and the power of a planet to effectively deal with an Eldrazi is something to consider. Yeah, it sucks that our representations of cosmic horrors ended up written out within two blocks, but it took that much power to do it. And that it was unique properties of those planets that made killing/capturing possible at all: Zen's potent mana and Inn's unique silver moon. Had the Titans appeared elsewhere, then I'd find it tougher to go with their defeat.
Just my thoughts on all this now that we know the ending for the last Titan.
The Story for Oath of the Gate Watchers Is meh. Wizards made a mistake on it. The Gatewatch needed a good start to be ok soo they let Jace be Mr. Knoweverything that can make Ulamog mortal as well Kozilek using laylines. Ulamog i can understand as he was the most agressive Titan ( and yet has his psionics powers completely forgeted) and besides being a very hard manifestaton of the Titan it Hadn"t passive defenses. But Kozilek Had a aura if warping realities, spells didn't worked against hin, but wet Jace knows how to do every thing... If in Oath just Ulamog had fall, Kozilek later escaping or being imprisioned, now people would be way happy and ok With the Story Line ( also with a Titan on the loose, Kozilek ) people would actualy be hyped about a another Eldrazi set.
This time Wizards failed really badly
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For the last five months everyone was buzzing with excitement about the Innistrad story, engaging with the puzzles and mystery and characters and lauding it as a flavor hit, a well-handled tale and a step in the right direction. Then Eldritch Moon comes out and it seems there's mostly just disappointment. Is that just a few voices here, or do you reckon that's the sentiment of the fan base at large?
Don't get me wrong, Marit Lage > Eldrazi all day, but Emrakul is still being done very well this set. Emrakul isn't the direction I would have taken the story, but I'm satisfied at least with what's being done with her in Eldritch Moon.
As fans, I think we tend to evaluate stories based on the tale *we* prefer to see told, rather than on the story the author is actually telling. Unlike Battle For Zendikar, this really isn't a bad ending at all. Instead of four neowalkers killing two Eldrazi Titans, you have three of them (including the uber-powered Tamiyo) merely imprisoning just one. The moon being a prison makes intuitive sense, and it has been foreshadowed for a long time--I think since the previous block? And this time around we lose at least three named characters who we actually care about. The conflict has consequences the fans can actually feel.
You can argue that's the bare minimum for a good story. And you'd be right. The Shadows/Moon story is fine. Not great, but certainly not poor. It could have been better, but what we got was still a big improvement over the last story. It works, and I'm satisfied.
I give this block a 3.5 out of 5.
I edited OP with the cards already known, as well as these three that are now revealed.
Retired EDH - Tibor and Lumia | [PR]Nemata |Ramirez dePietro | [C]Edric | Riku | Jenara | Lazav | Heliod | Daxos | Roon | Kozilek
- Sorin provided the lure to bring the three titans to Zendikar.
- Nahiri provided the hedron network to prevent them from leaving Zendikar.
- Ugin provided the means to force them to appear physically, so that the prison could work in the first place. This had to do with Ugin's magic being somewhat unique and akin to the Eldrazi's 'colorless' nature.
There was also an implication, iirc, that Eldrazi don't typically manifest physically while nom'ing planes. They have to have 'help'.
Past Ruminations
Links are broken, will fix in near future.
- Kaladesh
- Zendikar
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Alara Reborn
- Innistrad <- Personal Favorite
- Dark Ascension
- Avacyn Restored
- Theros
- Return to Ravnica
- Tarkir
Emrakul's Influence in the third post is still missing.
W(W/U)U Ephara - Flash & Taxes W(W/U)U || B(B/G)G Meren - Circle of Life B(B/G)G
RGW Marath - Ever shifting Wilds RGW || (U/R)C(W/B) Breya - Artificial Dominion (U/R)C(W/B)
UBR Becket Brass - take what you can, give nothing back UBR
Oh well, I guess fan-art it is.
"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit
I don't think he's necessarily talking about Hanweir though. There's this one image on the official site that has a caption that reads, "Emrakul's influence even extends to inanimate objects like the streets and buildings of the towns themselves." Associated image
Here's the page it came from: http://magic.wizards.com/en/access-magic-eldritch-moon-episode-2 (scroll all the way to the bottom to "Twisted Visions.")
Yep. God damn that's some terrible writing.
Also, anteater face guy from the first post looks ridiculously hilarious.
The horrifying visage of the biggest baddest Eldrazi you've ever seen crumbles before you as you throw rocks into her exposed brain. The creature shrivels up and dies, it's thrashing tentacles devastating untold miles of Innistrad's surface. You've done it. The nightmare is over. Innistrad may be saved, but it is also a wreck. You wonder where the mutated denizens will go, now that Emrakul's dead, now, wiping the sweat from your forehead, you planeswalk away and begin the long trek to find even more help. Rebuilding Innistrad ought to be a lot more fun than ruining it was.
This time Wizards failed really badly