I think they said somewhere that he would be the most expensive planeswalker mana-wise. So that put him at around 6+. It will probably be 3UBR or 2UBBR.
As far as loyalty goes, there was a funny thing I've noticed. Most of the walkers starting loyalty is equal to their mana costs:
Garruk, Ajani Vengeant and Tezzeret are exceptions with loyalty equaling cmc-1. Chandra is unique with loyalty of cmc+1.
First guess: Nicol Bolas starting loyalty will be 5 or 7. Like all of the exceptions from the above mentioned rule of thumb his staring loyalty will probably be cmc-1 or cmc+1.
Second "wild" guess: There is a possibility in my mind that Nicol Bolas will be unique in the way that he won't have a + ability. Think of it flavor-wise: Why would a 25 000+ years old dragon planeswalker be loyal to You? Who are you to bother him to CITP anyway? He is power, he is ancient. He is to a planeswalker what a planeswalker is to an insect, as long as the Lord of the Wastes isn't around and those two would probably tie.
In this scenario his starting loaylaty would be 6+ depending on his abilites, his first minus ability would be -1, his second would deplete his loyalty in 2-3 activations and his ultimate would be truly that - Ultimate. Maybe something like this
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker 3UBR
-2: Draw a card.
-4: Nicol Bolas deals 3 damage to each creature.
-8: Target player discards his or her hand.
starting loyalty 8
The ultimate I'm not sure about but it really needs to be something BIG. Timmy big.
In my dream, the world had suffered a terrible disaster. A black haze shut out the sun, and the darkness was alive with the moans and screams of wounded people. Suddenly, a small light glowed. A candle flickered into life, symbol of hope for millions. A single tiny candle, shining in the ugly dark. I laughed and blew it out.
Many thanks to HotP Studios. Special thanks to DNC for this great sig.
Does anyone use the offical mtg website cuz if you dont here a link http:/www.wizards.com/magic/Magazine/Default.aspx.
if you do look on the arcana for the wallpaper of the week there are the current 4 alara planeswalkers fighting a dragon that is bigger than all of them which i personally think its nicol bolas
Well we do know one of themes of Conflux is "basic land types among land you control". With this in mind, Nicol might be the one too bring about the conflux (explaining the hatred of the other planeswalkers who, in their current forms, seem to love their own shard as it is). If it is, he may search for basic land and put them directly into play. He may even do something relative to the number of basic land in play, or spend more or less (or gain more or less) loyalty counters based on the number of basic land in play. That'd be crazy if he were 5 colored, but unlikely given his art and past theme(s).
Another piece of wild speculation and a question:
When do you think Wizards is going to release planeswalkers with non-activated abilities? i.e. static effects. I doubt it'll be this soon after revealing the card--I mean it took 10+ years and a really screwed up set to get a land with power and toughness...or colored artifacts. But we can be sure some day we'll see a static effect planeswalker since...well its magic. And in many cases innovation = mixing together two never-before-mixed values.
What's interesting here is that Nicol Bolas is the first planeswalker who can naturally (and, arguably, continously) fly. And while art =/= the ability to fly in Magic: The Gathering (see: blinking spirit), it would be neat to see a planeswalker with the ability:
Okay, I was thinking about the "Ultimate" abilities for each of the planeswalkers so far, and how they basically, if used at the right time, win you the game, or almost. That got me thinking about Nicol Bolas' Ultimate (because since he's gonna be expensive, his ability probably almost definitely WILL make you win), and reminded me of another "YOU WIN" card: Cruel Ultimatum. So far, (I think) every planeswalker ability has had a card that does the exact same thing (or an ability, or something), so...what if Nicol Bolas' Ultimate had the same text as Cruel Ultimatum. His starting mana is almost definitely 6, so his ultimate could be set up to be available after maybe 2-4 turns? Then...Cruel Ultimatum, you win? It makes sense, especially since that was just the Grixis Ultimatum. The only proof against this is that Cruel Ultimatum was just printed, and Wizards might want to make his Ultimate something totally new and awesome.
Assimilating previous pages of posts... how about something draconic?
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker 5UBR
Legendary Planeswalker Creature - Elder
Nicol Bolas has power and toughness each equal to his current loyalty.
Shroud, haste
+2: Nicol Bolas gains flying until your next turn. Creatures without flying or reach cannot attack Nicol Bolas until your next turn.
-X: You may choose a card you own from outside the game with converted mana cost X or less and play it without playing its mana cost. If it has X in its mana cost, X becomes equal to the number of loyalty counters you removed to play this ability
5
There. That sorts out his "ancient magic".
He is a dragon so you still get to smash face with him after all.
Shroud means you have to be able to man up and take him out with hand to hand, no circles of sugar garbage like oblivion ring. Plus it eases rules headaches.
+1: Each player sacrifices a permanent
-4: Target player discards his or her hand
-10: Remove all nonland permanents you don't control from the game. At the end of the turn, you lose the game.
Nicol Bolas Planeswalker UBBR
Planswalker-Nicol
+1: Look at the top card of your library, you may put this card on the bottom of your library.
-2: Until end of turn Creatures you control gain: If this creature deals damage to a player, that payer must discard a card.
-5: Draw a card, target player sacrifices a creature,Nicol Bolas deals 4 damage to target player.
\4/
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Standard-WW, Artifact/W Aggro.
Extended-?
Legacy-Mono Blue Fish.
Another Bolas 3UBR
+1: Return target permanent to its owner's hand.
-3: Each player discard all the cards in their hands, then draw that many cards. -8: ~ deals damage equal to the number of cards in all graveyards to target creature or player. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.
6 Loyalty
To Hambot, having a planeswalker have a p/t completely defeats the point of introducing them. For that you will have Terefi and Jaya like cards...
Artifact creatures are pretty cool.
They're artifacts mashed with creatures, giving them unique design space.
I see Nicol Bolas pushing into rarely used unique design space, based on their dragon philosophy - dragon powers should be available via attacking people.
The challenge is to create tension between using a cool big creature to win, or using an awesome set of planeswalker powers.
Simply doing lots of damage doesn't really feel correct as a planeswalker ultimate for a flagship card of the whole set. It has to do some of the most powerful effects ever printed like yawgmoth's will or insidious dreams or death wish, or more likely, a brand new effect that will define the card.
The problem with having 3 planeswalker powers is that it removes the room to have other cool abilities on the card. I believe Nicol Bolas will be the first planeswalker to have 2 really cool magic powers, along with something else like shroud to make him very difficult to remove with spells.
They're artifacts mashed with creatures, giving them unique design space.
I see Nicol Bolas pushing into rarely used unique design space, based on their dragon philosophy - dragon powers should be available via attacking people.
The challenge is to create tension between using a cool big creature to win, or using an awesome set of planeswalker powers.
Simply doing lots of damage doesn't really feel correct as a planeswalker ultimate for a flagship card of the whole set. It has to do some of the most powerful effects ever printed like yawgmoth's will or insidious dreams or death wish, or more likely, a brand new effect that will define the card.
The problem with having 3 planeswalker powers is that it removes the room to have other cool abilities on the card. I believe Nicol Bolas will be the first planeswalker to have 2 really cool magic powers, along with something else like shroud to make him very difficult to remove with spells.
Shroud could be a possibility as could other keywords or non-traditional planeswalker activated/static/triggered abilities. Almost anything is possible.
However Planeswalker - Creature is not. It's an amazing amount of headache space for a very tiny amount of design space. I would bet a significant amount of money that we will *never* see a planeswalker printed with Power/Toughness. It's a mixing of multiple distinct but too similar mechanics that are integral to the operation of the card type.
7 mana and 5 life to make someone discard their hand? That is hugely over costed. wit's end does it without life loss and it still sucks. I'd much rather Cruel Ultimatum the sucker. You couldn't have a counter spell as an ability since you can only play it as a sorcery.
To Hambot, having a planeswalker have a p/t completely defeats the point of introducing them. For that you will have Terefi and Jaya like cards.
Another Bolas 3UBR
+1: Return target permanent to its owner's hand.
-3: Each player discard all the cards in their hands, then draw that many cards.
-8: ~ deals damage equal to the number of cards in all graveyards to target creature or player. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.
6 Loyalty
A blue, red and black ability. Boomerang, wheel of fortune~esque (but easier for UB to abuse) and a soul burn based on graveyards which will be very chunky after the second ability.
You're right, I forgot about the sorcery speed limitation. Then I'd change "can't be countered" with "can use his abilities at instant speed during your mainphases.
One thing to remembr though, about Planeswalkers that is, is that they have (or had? I'm speaking pre-mending) access to "unlimited mana" from the Blind Eternities. Also, with this unlimited mana, they can also regenerate themselves at any time (assuming the damage hasn't obliterated them without any trace to regenerate.)
With that in mind, those enchantments very well could have been for a Planeswalker with "infinite mana", but despite us being these planesalkesr, we never had infinite mana or the ability to regenerate as the "old" 'Walkers did, making us very much the "Neo-'Walkers" we see today.
Little on the de-rail, but I have a question regarding Planeswalkers ability to regenerate themself's. From what I understand, as long as there is one spark of thier beging left, they can then re build them self's back up from that.
So that makes me wonder about the Planeswalker Dyfed; The planeswalker who brought Yawgmoth to Phyrexia. What ended up happened for the Ill-informed was, Yawgmoth stuck a dagger into her brian in wiggled with around, forcing her concouise to always rebuild the matter that was lost. He then opened her up, trying to find the spark that made her a Planeswalker, having her split open on the table.
When Rebbec was trying to save Glacian from Phyrexia she encountered Dyfed, on the table and went to the machine that was wiggling the probe around in her head to stop. She then died.
Well, my question is, why did she die ? Once the dagger was removed shouldn't she then regenerate herself and live?
My mild guess is his CMC will be 6 and his -ability will be some sort of straight out destroy creature effect. Maybe with some sort of limited selectivity a la Terror,etc.
I think it would be amazing he ends up having a "Remove all counters from all other permanents" ability thrown in there. In the current Standard, that would just be so devestating (Destroy all planeswalkers, remove the versatility of vivids, and give creatures another chance to persist? Yes please)
I heard from a "source" that Nico Bolas the planeswalker was going to fall somewhere along the lines of this:
Nico Bolas, Planeswalker (CMC unknown but I would have to probably go with 3UBR
Cumulative Upkeep: Tap all your lands, or something to this effect.
+1: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost.
-2: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost; this ability can be played as an instant.
-8: Target Opponent discards their hand and loses X life. Draw cards equal to the number of cards discarded by target opponent.
6 Loyalty
Once again, just something I heard that may have absolutely no truth at all to it but this is probably what I'd have to guess this thing is gonna do
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I heard from a "source" that Nico Bolas the planeswalker was going to fall somewhere along the lines of this:
Nico Bolas, Planeswalker (CMC unknown but I would have to probably go with 3UBR
Cumulative Upkeep: Tap all your lands, or something to this effect.
+1: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost.
-2: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost; this ability can be played as an instant.
-8: Target Opponent discards their hand and loses X life. Draw cards equal to the number of cards discarded by target opponent.
6 Loyalty
I doubt that your "source" is correct here. This thing is clunky, weak and doesn't act like a planeswalker. It plays your cards for you, Wizards has stated that planeswalkers are supposed to feel like another mini-player has entered the game. This just feels like you can play all your spells without worrying about casting cost, but can only play one per turn.
The last ability references X without any defined value for it and as stated above, cumulative upkeep tap all lands doesn't work. Not to mention that cumulative upkeep probably isn't in this set at all.
Once again let me reiterate...it's simply just what I "heard" and there is absolutely no proof to this at all hence it's speculation. The X in the -8 cost I meant to type in would be the life lost based on the amount of cards discarded in that way.
While I do agree that the whole "Tap all your lands" upkeep sounds like a bit of a stretch; I think something like "Tap a land you control" as a cumulative upkeep sounds a little better.
The guy I talked to about this said that some of this information was leaked to him at Worlds but I don't really know how credible that really is. Anyone's guess is as good as mine I suppose..
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My thought on Nicol Bolas, Planswalker's cmc is 6. My reason to this is because if he cost more then 6 he will have to compete with his ultimatium ,and I don't think wizards wants him to get over shadowed by his own spell.
Everyone has Bolas' cost being URB. But with the breaking of alara or having the shards coming back together as a result of Bolas' as people have speculated, don't you think he'd now have all 5 colors?
Here is my two cents for the final ability.
-9: Until end of turn you may play abilities on Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker any number of times.
Probably worded in another way though. What do you think? =)
probably not.... I doubt that is game breaking enough to warrant saying it is more game changing than Cruel Ultimatum. Not to mention, it really doesn't fit with what I know of Nicol Bolas's flavor.
As for what leads us to believe that Zesty's information is correct, is the fact that during the last spoiler season, Zesty's information was top-notch. As such we consider his information reliable. The only reason he has not spoiled anything as of late, as far as I can tell, is because the puzzlers have been asked to stop at the request of the mods from what I understand (until further notice).
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As far as loyalty goes, there was a funny thing I've noticed. Most of the walkers starting loyalty is equal to their mana costs:
Ajani Goldmane - 4 loyalty (2WW)
Jace Beleren - 3 loyalty (1UU)
Liliana Vess - 5 loyalty (3BB)
Chandra Nalaar - 6 loyalty (3RR)
Garruk Wildspeaker - 3 loyalty (2GG)
Elspeth, Knight-Errant - 4 loyalty (2WW)
Tezzeret the Seeker - 4 loyalty (3UU)
Ajani Vengeant - 3 loyalty (2RW)
Sarkhan Vol - 4 loayalty (2RG)
Garruk, Ajani Vengeant and Tezzeret are exceptions with loyalty equaling cmc-1. Chandra is unique with loyalty of cmc+1.
First guess: Nicol Bolas starting loyalty will be 5 or 7. Like all of the exceptions from the above mentioned rule of thumb his staring loyalty will probably be cmc-1 or cmc+1.
Second "wild" guess: There is a possibility in my mind that Nicol Bolas will be unique in the way that he won't have a + ability. Think of it flavor-wise: Why would a 25 000+ years old dragon planeswalker be loyal to You? Who are you to bother him to CITP anyway? He is power, he is ancient. He is to a planeswalker what a planeswalker is to an insect, as long as the Lord of the Wastes isn't around and those two would probably tie.
In this scenario his starting loaylaty would be 6+ depending on his abilites, his first minus ability would be -1, his second would deplete his loyalty in 2-3 activations and his ultimate would be truly that - Ultimate. Maybe something like this
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker 3UBR
-2: Draw a card.
-4: Nicol Bolas deals 3 damage to each creature.
-8: Target player discards his or her hand.
starting loyalty 8
The ultimate I'm not sure about but it really needs to be something BIG. Timmy big.
Many thanks to HotP Studios. Special thanks to DNC for this great sig.
Yeah, its in the rumor mill already...
Trade thread!
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=556274
or
http://darjarri.com
Another piece of wild speculation and a question:
When do you think Wizards is going to release planeswalkers with non-activated abilities? i.e. static effects. I doubt it'll be this soon after revealing the card--I mean it took 10+ years and a really screwed up set to get a land with power and toughness...or colored artifacts. But we can be sure some day we'll see a static effect planeswalker since...well its magic. And in many cases innovation = mixing together two never-before-mixed values.
What's interesting here is that Nicol Bolas is the first planeswalker who can naturally (and, arguably, continously) fly. And while art =/= the ability to fly in Magic: The Gathering (see: blinking spirit), it would be neat to see a planeswalker with the ability:
"Can only be attacked by creatures with Flying."
Custom Set: Pokemon: Generation 1
My mind numbing DC-10 stack!
Thoughts?
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker 5UBR
Legendary Planeswalker Creature - Elder
Nicol Bolas has power and toughness each equal to his current loyalty.
Shroud, haste
+2: Nicol Bolas gains flying until your next turn. Creatures without flying or reach cannot attack Nicol Bolas until your next turn.
-X: You may choose a card you own from outside the game with converted mana cost X or less and play it without playing its mana cost. If it has X in its mana cost, X becomes equal to the number of loyalty counters you removed to play this ability
5
There. That sorts out his "ancient magic".
He is a dragon so you still get to smash face with him after all.
Shroud means you have to be able to man up and take him out with hand to hand, no circles of sugar garbage like oblivion ring. Plus it eases rules headaches.
Nicol Bolas - Planeswalker cannot be countered.
-2: Do 3 damage to target creature or player, you lose 1 life.
-4: Counter target spell, you lose 2 life.
-8: Target player discards his or her hand, you lose 4 life.
Loyalty: 8
Planeswalker - Nicol
+1: Each player sacrifices a permanent
-4: Target player discards his or her hand
-10: Remove all nonland permanents you don't control from the game. At the end of the turn, you lose the game.
[4]
Nicol Bolas Planeswalker UBBR
Planswalker-Nicol
+1: Look at the top card of your library, you may put this card on the bottom of your library.
-2: Until end of turn Creatures you control gain: If this creature deals damage to a player, that payer must discard a card.
-5: Draw a card, target player sacrifices a creature,Nicol Bolas deals 4 damage to target player.
\4/
Extended-?
Legacy-Mono Blue Fish.
Holy EDH bomb, Batman...
--->DJ
Artifact creatures are pretty cool.
They're artifacts mashed with creatures, giving them unique design space.
I see Nicol Bolas pushing into rarely used unique design space, based on their dragon philosophy - dragon powers should be available via attacking people.
The challenge is to create tension between using a cool big creature to win, or using an awesome set of planeswalker powers.
Simply doing lots of damage doesn't really feel correct as a planeswalker ultimate for a flagship card of the whole set. It has to do some of the most powerful effects ever printed like yawgmoth's will or insidious dreams or death wish, or more likely, a brand new effect that will define the card.
The problem with having 3 planeswalker powers is that it removes the room to have other cool abilities on the card. I believe Nicol Bolas will be the first planeswalker to have 2 really cool magic powers, along with something else like shroud to make him very difficult to remove with spells.
Shroud could be a possibility as could other keywords or non-traditional planeswalker activated/static/triggered abilities. Almost anything is possible.
However Planeswalker - Creature is not. It's an amazing amount of headache space for a very tiny amount of design space. I would bet a significant amount of money that we will *never* see a planeswalker printed with Power/Toughness. It's a mixing of multiple distinct but too similar mechanics that are integral to the operation of the card type.
You're right, I forgot about the sorcery speed limitation. Then I'd change "can't be countered" with "can use his abilities at instant speed during your mainphases.
Little on the de-rail, but I have a question regarding Planeswalkers ability to regenerate themself's. From what I understand, as long as there is one spark of thier beging left, they can then re build them self's back up from that.
So that makes me wonder about the Planeswalker Dyfed; The planeswalker who brought Yawgmoth to Phyrexia. What ended up happened for the Ill-informed was, Yawgmoth stuck a dagger into her brian in wiggled with around, forcing her concouise to always rebuild the matter that was lost. He then opened her up, trying to find the spark that made her a Planeswalker, having her split open on the table.
When Rebbec was trying to save Glacian from Phyrexia she encountered Dyfed, on the table and went to the machine that was wiggling the probe around in her head to stop. She then died.
Well, my question is, why did she die ? Once the dagger was removed shouldn't she then regenerate herself and live?
Nico Bolas, Planeswalker (CMC unknown but I would have to probably go with 3UBR
Cumulative Upkeep: Tap all your lands, or something to this effect.
+1: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost.
-2: You may put a spell into play from your hand without paying it's converted mana cost; this ability can be played as an instant.
-8: Target Opponent discards their hand and loses X life. Draw cards equal to the number of cards discarded by target opponent.
6 Loyalty
Once again, just something I heard that may have absolutely no truth at all to it but this is probably what I'd have to guess this thing is gonna do
I doubt that your "source" is correct here. This thing is clunky, weak and doesn't act like a planeswalker. It plays your cards for you, Wizards has stated that planeswalkers are supposed to feel like another mini-player has entered the game. This just feels like you can play all your spells without worrying about casting cost, but can only play one per turn.
The last ability references X without any defined value for it and as stated above, cumulative upkeep tap all lands doesn't work. Not to mention that cumulative upkeep probably isn't in this set at all.
While I do agree that the whole "Tap all your lands" upkeep sounds like a bit of a stretch; I think something like "Tap a land you control" as a cumulative upkeep sounds a little better.
The guy I talked to about this said that some of this information was leaked to him at Worlds but I don't really know how credible that really is. Anyone's guess is as good as mine I suppose..
They hate us cause they ain't us.
They hate us cause they ain't us.
-9: Until end of turn you may play abilities on Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker any number of times.
Probably worded in another way though. What do you think? =)
11-3-1 @ GP Copenhagen: Top Stories of Grand Prix Copenhagen
probably not.... I doubt that is game breaking enough to warrant saying it is more game changing than Cruel Ultimatum. Not to mention, it really doesn't fit with what I know of Nicol Bolas's flavor.
As for what leads us to believe that Zesty's information is correct, is the fact that during the last spoiler season, Zesty's information was top-notch. As such we consider his information reliable. The only reason he has not spoiled anything as of late, as far as I can tell, is because the puzzlers have been asked to stop at the request of the mods from what I understand (until further notice).