"Sure is a nice protective forcefield you have there. It'd be a real shame if anything happened to it."
Definitely looking forward to Act II. I wonder what sorts of nasties Bolas-Desert world can cough up.
Agreed. Bolas has had ages to work on his plane, so I do imagine there's a handful of nasty surprises awaiting anybody.
Heck the desert of Amonkhet seems like an natural anti-planeswalker trap. Any walker who wasn't a native of Amonkhet or didn't have a guide would most likely end up arriving in the desert and unless they where a skill necromancer as Liliana the zombies would easily overwhelm and then the wurms are a whole other issues.
Also, if they somehow do beat Bolas like the copout Bolas-beat-himself-with-Ajani's-magic I will scream.
How was it a copout? Bolas had just gotten juiced up from being a mortal elder dragon (the first chapter talks about how much Bolas was feeling his age) and did't even know how powerful he was and Ajani using soul magic was set up through out Alara Unbroken (as well as being set-up on Ajani Goldmane ultimate).
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“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"
So far, everything seems to align with what I predicted even before the end of Aether Revolt story:
- Gideon facing gods again, and his feelings (Renewed Faith)
- Gideon having a big introspection moment at the end of the first story
- Gatewatch now having two white-aligned tanks
- Name of his card: Gideon of the Trials
- the spoiler "reward" for completing the trials...
Gideon is not leaving Amonkhet. Either he will be killed, enslaved, or somehow becomes a part of this world forever.
Not unreasonable conclusion, but missing an element that makes this line of storytelling interesting.
The formula "Everyone who completes the trials dies; the hero completes the trials; the hero dies like everyone before" is not interesting. You may be jaded to the quality of the writing, but the stories still contain their turns and twists - even if they are foreseeable to you and me. And at the very least Gideon's character arc must play into the transition into the next set - which very well might be "because a runner of the trials was not properly sacrificed (being impervious to damage) the protection that is guaranteed only through the sacrifices falters" >> Hour of Devastation.
It's definitely also the repetitiveness of "monowhite 'walker goes on quest for local Gods, dies" that makes the proposed outcome unlikely. I expect the Gatewatch to suffer a loss and eventually a death, but at the moment they are probably due for a loss that allows all of them to reflect on it. The inevitable turbulence surrounding Liliana, losing to Bolas no matter how, those are two things that are plenty to chew on even without a major death. Unless you suggest the death of Gideon is accompanied with otherwise accomplishing their objective (which is a story I can see coming, but isn't IMO set up well for in Amonkhet-block).
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I'm SO SICK of the "too strong for Standard" argument. It's the new "Dies to removal". We can have a two mana 4/4 with a zillion abilities, but we can't just have Accumulated Knowledge. Makes sense.
Zendikar wasn't part of his plans, though. It was more of a case study. Or were there Bolas-horn monuments that I missed?
What does "part of his plans" mean in this context? We don't know his plans, so no way to say for certain. It might have been incorporated in his plans at a later point. It might be a case study. But just because Zendikar has not been annexed into his interplanar empire doesn't tell us anything. Alara didn't have Bolas-horns while Bolas was plotting on Grixis after all - planes with different roles in your scheming receive different treatment.
Even a "case study" can be part of your plan e. g. you would want to have one as a demonstration of your plane-devouring weapon to refer to before extorting people with it etc.
Who knows? We would have to know the plans of Bolas to know they do not involve a means of control. All we know he went out of his way to release the Eldrazi, so he better have a reason. Otherwise releasing the plane-eaters on a whim would just be as uncharacteristic as incorporating them into his plans without means of control. *shrug*
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I definitely agree that Bolas would never unleash something like the Eldrazi unless he knew he was safe from their effects. I don't necessarily think he thought he could control them, but I am sure he had contingency plans in place if ever they became a threat to him.
From the story elements, it is very clear that Bolas manipulated Jace, Chandra, and Vol to release the Eldrazi. My current belief is that he was playing a Xanatos Gambit of the 'heads I win, tails you lose' sort. If he found out about them through Ugin, then he knows its took 3 oldwalkers 40 years to simply imprison them. It may have been something as simple as hoping to eliminate Sorin and Nahiri because they would die trying to imprison them again without Ugin.
Catface God = White = Bant
Birdface God = Blue = Esper
Crocodileface God = Black = Grixis
Jackalface God = Red = Jund
Snakeface God = Green = Naya
Bant, protecting the weak, nurturing them so they can become strong as well.
Esper, the cold and calculating, fits the theme of the ibis-headed Toth, the Scribe of the Gods, recording all results of all trials.
Jund, natural life-cycle, also focus on the dead staying dead.
Naya, being one with nature, receiving it's bounties, fifth promo pic in OP made me instantly think of Trace of Abundance. Perhaps one full color and one hybrid-mana will be the theme of the Gods rather than 3 full colors?
Grixis, someone else linked Ammit ealier, an Egyptian demon with the head of a crocodile "Devourer of the Dead",
"Ammit was not worshipped; instead she embodied all that the Egyptians feared, threatening to bind them to eternal restlessness if they did not follow the principle of Ma'at."
Zombies anyone? What more fitting shard that then heavy Zombie themed shard of Grixis?
EDIT: Also makes perfect sense for the invocation art for Vindicate and Maelstrom Pulse, Cat doesn't have Black, Croc doesn't have White, they need to team up for the WB spell, same with Snake and Croc for the BG spell.
One thing though that I believe you should factor in is that this plane is under Bolas control so all these should have a twisted element of service, like when we saw the preview article explaining embalm.
Bant protects the weak so they can serve. Esper records and learns the best ways, the ways mortals have served. Jund follows the natural cycle of life, passion, death, all in service building monuments. Naya grows the strongest champions to serve . And Grixis shows us what happens to those who didn't serve properly in life.
I definitely agree that Bolas would never unleash something like the Eldrazi unless he knew he was safe from their effects. I don't necessarily think he thought he could control them, but I am sure he had contingency plans in place if ever they became a threat to him.
From the story elements, it is very clear that Bolas manipulated Jace, Chandra, and Vol to release the Eldrazi. My current belief is that he was playing a Xanatos Gambit of the 'heads I win, tails you lose' sort. If he found out about them through Ugin, then he knows its took 3 oldwalkers 40 years to simply imprison them. It may have been something as simple as hoping to eliminate Sorin and Nahiri because they would die trying to imprison them again without Ugin.
And if they die trying, how does Bolas win? He'd have to deal with Eldrazi somehow. And if they succeed how does he succeed then?
It's not heads I win tails you lose, it's heads something happens that we don't have all the context for, tails something else happens that we don't have all the context for.
I definitely agree that Bolas would never unleash something like the Eldrazi unless he knew he was safe from their effects. I don't necessarily think he thought he could control them, but I am sure he had contingency plans in place if ever they became a threat to him.
From the story elements, it is very clear that Bolas manipulated Jace, Chandra, and Vol to release the Eldrazi. My current belief is that he was playing a Xanatos Gambit of the 'heads I win, tails you lose' sort. If he found out about them through Ugin, then he knows its took 3 oldwalkers 40 years to simply imprison them. It may have been something as simple as hoping to eliminate Sorin and Nahiri because they would die trying to imprison them again without Ugin.
And if they die trying, how does Bolas win? He'd have to deal with Eldrazi somehow. And if they succeed how does he succeed then?
It's not heads I win tails you lose, it's heads something happens that we don't have all the context for, tails something else happens that we don't have all the context for.
As I said, I don't think Bolas would have started down the path of releasing the Eldrazi without having some form of insurance against them. My brother and I have speculated (with evidence from SOI and also Vraska's PW to 'nowhere') that it is possible to 'cut off' planes from the Blind Eternities, and that Bolas has at least one plane where he is safe from the Eldrazi.
To answer your question directly, if Sorin and Nahiri die trying to defeat the Eldrazi, that's two less oldwalkers running around for Bolas to deal with. If they succeed, a multiplanar threat is dealt with. It's a win/win for him as long as the negative consequences of either branch can be controlled or minimized.
Whether or not Bolas was correct in his thoughts by this line of thinking is an entirely different affair, of course.
Bolas released the Eldrazi. This is about as unambiguous as can be. The question of why, for what purpose, hasn't been answered yet though. It's possible that Creative doesn't have an answer, they just wanted to have Bolas tie into Zendikar so he stayed tied to the story and that was what they decided for him to do. Maybe we will find out on Amonkhet why he did that, but I kind of doubt it. The Eldrazi getting pushed out of the story as hastily as they did feels like they wanted to focus on other aspects. Emrakul not being destroyed but sealed just feels like them wanting them in reserve if they feel like the story benefits from them.
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'It is the sural thrust that pierces the shield.'
'It is by thy [Bolas's] will that I set my mind in motion...' --Alternate flavor text of Mindcensor...
And we have a God-Pharaoh...
Yeah, they're hitting a lot more than just Egypt here...
"sand wurms"
Heck the desert of Amonkhet seems like an natural anti-planeswalker trap. Any walker who wasn't a native of Amonkhet or didn't have a guide would most likely end up arriving in the desert and unless they where a skill necromancer as Liliana the zombies would easily overwhelm and then the wurms are a whole other issues.
How was it a copout? Bolas had just gotten juiced up from being a mortal elder dragon (the first chapter talks about how much Bolas was feeling his age) and did't even know how powerful he was and Ajani using soul magic was set up through out Alara Unbroken (as well as being set-up on Ajani Goldmane ultimate).
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Not unreasonable conclusion, but missing an element that makes this line of storytelling interesting.
The formula "Everyone who completes the trials dies; the hero completes the trials; the hero dies like everyone before" is not interesting. You may be jaded to the quality of the writing, but the stories still contain their turns and twists - even if they are foreseeable to you and me. And at the very least Gideon's character arc must play into the transition into the next set - which very well might be "because a runner of the trials was not properly sacrificed (being impervious to damage) the protection that is guaranteed only through the sacrifices falters" >> Hour of Devastation.
It's definitely also the repetitiveness of "monowhite 'walker goes on quest for local Gods, dies" that makes the proposed outcome unlikely. I expect the Gatewatch to suffer a loss and eventually a death, but at the moment they are probably due for a loss that allows all of them to reflect on it. The inevitable turbulence surrounding Liliana, losing to Bolas no matter how, those are two things that are plenty to chew on even without a major death. Unless you suggest the death of Gideon is accompanied with otherwise accomplishing their objective (which is a story I can see coming, but isn't IMO set up well for in Amonkhet-block).
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
...and winning. Better not get too attached to those 'gods', they are merely the next stepping-stone for jace & friends.
Absolutely love the art though, might be my favourite plane of all time, if this goes on.
What does "part of his plans" mean in this context? We don't know his plans, so no way to say for certain. It might have been incorporated in his plans at a later point. It might be a case study. But just because Zendikar has not been annexed into his interplanar empire doesn't tell us anything. Alara didn't have Bolas-horns while Bolas was plotting on Grixis after all - planes with different roles in your scheming receive different treatment.
Even a "case study" can be part of your plan e. g. you would want to have one as a demonstration of your plane-devouring weapon to refer to before extorting people with it etc.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
*implies he cannot control the Eldrazi*
Who knows? We would have to know the plans of Bolas to know they do not involve a means of control. All we know he went out of his way to release the Eldrazi, so he better have a reason. Otherwise releasing the plane-eaters on a whim would just be as uncharacteristic as incorporating them into his plans without means of control. *shrug*
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
From the story elements, it is very clear that Bolas manipulated Jace, Chandra, and Vol to release the Eldrazi. My current belief is that he was playing a Xanatos Gambit of the 'heads I win, tails you lose' sort. If he found out about them through Ugin, then he knows its took 3 oldwalkers 40 years to simply imprison them. It may have been something as simple as hoping to eliminate Sorin and Nahiri because they would die trying to imprison them again without Ugin.
One thing though that I believe you should factor in is that this plane is under Bolas control so all these should have a twisted element of service, like when we saw the preview article explaining embalm.
Bant protects the weak so they can serve. Esper records and learns the best ways, the ways mortals have served. Jund follows the natural cycle of life, passion, death, all in service building monuments. Naya grows the strongest champions to serve . And Grixis shows us what happens to those who didn't serve properly in life.
And if they die trying, how does Bolas win? He'd have to deal with Eldrazi somehow. And if they succeed how does he succeed then?
It's not heads I win tails you lose, it's heads something happens that we don't have all the context for, tails something else happens that we don't have all the context for.
As I said, I don't think Bolas would have started down the path of releasing the Eldrazi without having some form of insurance against them. My brother and I have speculated (with evidence from SOI and also Vraska's PW to 'nowhere') that it is possible to 'cut off' planes from the Blind Eternities, and that Bolas has at least one plane where he is safe from the Eldrazi.
To answer your question directly, if Sorin and Nahiri die trying to defeat the Eldrazi, that's two less oldwalkers running around for Bolas to deal with. If they succeed, a multiplanar threat is dealt with. It's a win/win for him as long as the negative consequences of either branch can be controlled or minimized.
Whether or not Bolas was correct in his thoughts by this line of thinking is an entirely different affair, of course.