The more popular Magic becomes, the less likely Wizards is to kill off a character. I also think Venser was a big exception because he was introduced as a Planeswalker with the intention that he would die in the same block. Remember, Wizards is a business first, and they are a company that makes money from its intellectual property. Yes, the intellectual property is printed on the tangible medium of cardboard, but such a company is not going to reduce its IP portfolio unless it were more profitable to do so. The intuitive counterargument to this is overcrowding -- that is, there being too many Planeswalkers that interest in individual walkers is largely diluted. But the way that Magic is growing right now, that is certainly not going to be a problem. And even if it were, there are a variety of other less permanent ways of shelving characters besides killing them off. Ajani isn't going to die. It's just not going to happen.
The more popular Magic becomes, the less likely Wizards is to kill off a character. I also think Venser was a big exception because he was introduced as a Planeswalker with the intention that he would die in the same block. Remember, Wizards is a business first, and they are a company that makes money from its intellectual property. Yes, the intellectual property is printed on the tangible medium of cardboard, but such a company is not going to reduce its IP portfolio unless it were more profitable to do so. The intuitive counterargument to this is overcrowding -- that is, there being too many Planeswalkers that interest in individual walkers is largely diluted. But the way that Magic is growing right now, that is certainly not going to be a problem. And even if it were, there are a variety of other less permanent ways of shelving characters besides killing them off. Ajani isn't going to die. It's just not going to happen.
I dunno. I wouldn't be so sure that it wouldn't happen. Personally, I think that a major character's death once in a while is good for stories. Like Game of Thrones, or Boardwalk Empire, where memorable characters die. It would really gives the impression that the stakes are really high, and that planeswalkers are still vulnerable. I definitely wouldn't see them kill Jace, but Ajani? A planeswalker that's already had multiple versions including multicolored ones? If there were to kill one off down the road, he's probably one of the top three most likely to die.
This isn't the same thing as a TV show or a story. Each individual character in the MtG world sells. Ajani is one of, if not THE chase Mythic in Journey Into Nyx. Wizards can select any number of Planeswalker characters from its stable and make a card that will almost always generate sales. People want to open Planeswalkers in their packs. That's why characters were so easily killed off in the MtG universe pre-Mending: there were no Planeswalker cards. Planeswalkers died ALL THE TIME back then. Heck, they aren't even going to kill off Tibalt, and he's WAAAAY less popular than Ajani.
Keeping the story "fresh" or whatever is a distant second to selling packs. And Planeswalkers sell packs.
They should kill off elspeth so interesting things can happen in the storyline and people can actually do things rather than some randomly overpowered walker being all 'waah waah I dont want to fight these phyrexians who I have endless hatred for!' like can xenagos just curbstomp her or something, would be bliss
This isn't the same thing as a TV show or a story. Each individual character in the MtG world sells. Ajani is one of, if not THE chase Mythic in Journey Into Nyx. Wizards can . People want to open Planeswalkers in their packs. That's why characters were so easily killed off in the MtG universe pre-Mending: there were no Planeswalker cards. Planeswalkers died ALL THE TIME back then. Heck, they aren't even going to kill off Tibalt, and he's WAAAAY less popular than Ajani.
Keeping the story "fresh" or whatever is a distant second to selling packs. And Planeswalkers sell packs.
Well, it may change with Theros, but Ajani is apparently not the most popular planeswalker.
Anyway, if Wizards can "select any number of Planeswalker characters from its stable and make a card that will almost always generate sales", then what would be the loss if one of them dies- from a business perspective?
I don't think Ajani will be the one who dies, but Elspeth. From all the articles and the trailer, all the hints point towards Elspeth. If Ajani dies, it would be because he sacrifices himself to save Elspeth.
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The only difference between insanity and intelligence, is the level of success.
Anyway, if Wizards can "select any number of Planeswalker characters from its stable and make a card that will almost always generate sales", then what would be the loss if one of them dies- from a business perspective?
Variety. Consumers want it, and get bored with a product that fails to offer it. Ajani is very unique, in that he is a cat Planeswalker who shifts between the Naya colors. He's also the only one of the current walkers who was able to go toe-to-toe with Nicol Bolas and fight him to a standstill.
Wizards wants a large variety of Planeswalkers to fit any given situation. And they keep making more Planeswalkers to fill in different niches in their market. The only two Planeswalkers that overlap in any significant way are Ral Zarek and Dack Fayden: both are scoundrel-type UR walkers who call Ravnica their home (Dack is not native to the plane, but he has stated in the comics that Ravnica is as much his home as anywhere else). I know that Dack hasn't been officially confirmed as a UR walker, but his DotP 2014 deck is UR (and a dang good one at that), and DotP games have historically made a big impact on the paper game.
Anyhow, my point is that Wizards wants to have a Planeswalker for every potential player out there. Ajani may not be the most popular of the Lorwyn Five, but he's still got quite a following. And until there's a similar Leonin Planeswalker created in much the same vein as him, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
EDIT: Also, I don't think Elspeth's going to die, either. Jenna Helland said at one of the PAX panels or something that she loves Elspeth as a character. Plus, female Planeswalkers tend to be fairly popular among the male player base for some reason.
I think they could get away with removing Ajani without upsetting too many fans. He's my favorite walker, and i would be sad for the character if he died, but if it meant making way for new and different planeswalkers, i would be all for it.
I feel like once a planeswalker gets reprinted a few times, they start to get a little stale, and you can really see how similar they tend to be. Out of all of the multiple varieties off the same walker (garruk, Jace, Ajani, Chandra, lilly blah blah blah) Ajani has certainly been the most flexible. He branched out from white to both red and green. Garruk hit black once recently ( and got an interesting flip, literally) but the rest have been pretty much monocolor, and done most of the same things. Even Ajani has done a lot of the same things. These new variations of old walkers also seem to overshadow newer walkers to me.
I mean, there are 44 walker cards that we know of, and 23 different walkers. 13 of those 23 are one ofs. so those 10 leftover walkers have 31 cards for each of them, which is an average of a little over 3 cards for each. (Though most have 4 or 2 except lilly.) So if the average for multiple of walkers is a little over 3, once you hit 4 cards, you kinda start to see a lot of them, and that gets stale to me. Love ajani, Love what he does and his story, but i dont need a different incarnation of him every set that comes out. I understand the spark isn't a thing that happens very often, but over all these multiverses and planes, i think we could see a few more, or at least some more incarnations of those one ofs.
And once we hit a certain number of walkers, it will be too many to keep track of. So something has to happen to explain why we stop seeing those ones with lots of cards. And the 4 ofs being Chandra, Jace, Garruk, Ajani, and probably elspeth soon, the least popular one to me seems like it will be ajani, even if he is the only non human in the bunch.
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Whats the big deal about black lotus you ask? Well you see, there is no big deal about it. It IS the big deal.
This isn't the same thing as a TV show or a story. Each individual character in the MtG world sells. Ajani is one of, if not THE chase Mythic in Journey Into Nyx. Wizards can select any number of Planeswalker characters from its stable and make a card that will almost always generate sales. People want to open Planeswalkers in their packs. That's why characters were so easily killed off in the MtG universe pre-Mending: there were no Planeswalker cards. Planeswalkers died ALL THE TIME back then. Heck, they aren't even going to kill off Tibalt, and he's WAAAAY less popular than Ajani.
Keeping the story "fresh" or whatever is a distant second to selling packs. And Planeswalkers sell packs.
Story is story, regardless of the medium. And there seems to be some flaw in your line of thought. If planeswalkers sell packs, then it doesn't matter if one is gone and then replaced once in a while. Packs are always going to be sold. The players that treat MTG as a game primarily aren't going to care enough in the first place. For those you also are fans of the stories, it might spice things up. For example, I like Venser, a lot, and I thought what they did with him was cool. I'm not saying I WANT Ajani to die, or that he will, or any planeswalker for that fact, but you insist that Wizards WON'T, like a guarantee, and the reasons aren't strong enough. It's not death and taxes.
which character's story has run its course? Based on the trailer, I think an argument could be made that somebody will die and maybe nobody will die. I don't see how Elspeth's story would conclude with her saving Theros or it's pantheon. Maybe more of a rite of passage for her to overcome and conquer. Ajani has been through a lot, rage, acceptance, and now more than a leader, a mentor. What about Xenagos? I find it hard to believe that a planeswalker would let anyone possibly kill him without planes walking away. Unless he is true lay that arrogant... Maybe his tragic flaw.
Story wise, what does Ajani have left to tell? I think there are a lot more to tell about elspeth, bant,phyerexians...
If anyone was going to die, I'd say Ajani's time is up. But it might be thier intent on building tension that elspeth is going to die. Elspeth running away a lot seems selfish, Maybe giving herself for theros is exactly how her story should end... Just some thoughts.
Its funny, I had an idea about Ajani dying in a Planeswalkers vs. Eldrazi themed Return to Zendikar block quite awhile ago. I wasn't basing the idea on anything remotely factual, it was just a thought I had. I believe I posted something about it in one of the RTZ posts some time ago. So I guess my vote is: Yes, at the hands of the Eldrazi, on the plane of Zendikar.
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It's not as if the evidence is missing. There's a ton a verbage in the past week, and precious info is hard to sieve out. Moderators also have their hands full, plus one or two of them may not have posted the pictures or "evidence" under the OP. Maybe it's not needed, but I feel it could be helpful for those who have difficulty navigating the mess.
Anyways, I think Ajani is not as popular because he's hard to cosplay. lololol
Also, they sort of had to kill off Venser because he had a lot of baggage with regards to his character, timeline idiosyncrasy, etc. It was better that he died, so Wizards have less lying/covering up to do.
Everything has a cycle. Her story will definitely not end here. She's very popular. She was born in a world full of Phyrexians, and she'll end it with the Phyrexians. Or die trying.
Yeah Elspeth has a lot left in her. She's also super popular. It's hard not to love Elspeth. I feel like if they don't kill of Ajani, he is going to need more support coming his way in the coming time. The cat tribe is pretty big with 120 members, but ajani only has 8 cards with his name, half of them are him. So i'd like to see some more ajani named cards or something like that at least if they aren't killing him off. But right now the proportion of love he's getting is off.
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Whats the big deal about black lotus you ask? Well you see, there is no big deal about it. It IS the big deal.
Story wise, what does Ajani have left to tell? I think there are a lot more to tell about elspeth, bant,phyerexians...
Story wise, what does Elspeth have left to tell? I think there are a lot more to tell about Ajani, Naya, Nicol Bolas ..
Well, her conflict with Phyrexia, but also her personal development of her courage. I think either she or Ajani will die, and we'll see some Rescue from the Underworld action between the two of them. Elspeth however is most likely to stay dead by some definition.
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3WWU, 2GWW, and 4RWW! These were the mana costs chosen to summon the perfect little angel! But Professor Avacyn accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction! Chemical x Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Gisela, Bruna, and Sigarda have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!
I can't see Elspeth staying dead at all. Especially with her fancy new flavor on the new spoiled card Decide. So i think she wins her battle with Xenagos, so she isn't going to be getting killed by him. Unless she gets a fresh enemy next set, i think she is sticking around for a while. She doesn't seem like she is aging too bad, and it hasn't been too long either, which is where my initial speculation that Ajani is going to die of old age comes from.
But it really hasn't been long enough for him to die like that.
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Whats the big deal about black lotus you ask? Well you see, there is no big deal about it. It IS the big deal.
Yeah so Ajani probably won't be dying to Bolas then. So i wonder how they are going to kill him. He'd better die to someone powerful. Some kind of planeswalker. Not just some normal creature.
Perhaps the Ashiok/Phenax tandem could have something to do with it? Ashiok could very well be an agent of Nicol Bolas...
Yeah so Ajani probably won't be dying to Bolas then. So i wonder how they are going to kill him. He'd better die to someone powerful. Some kind of planeswalker. Not just some normal creature.
Perhaps the Ashiok/Phenax tandem could have something to do with it? Ashiok could very well be an agent of Nicol Bolas...
Huh. That would be cool. Elspeth killed by her own shocking images of Phyrexia, and her failure to do anything before now. Or just an army of Returned lol
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3WWU, 2GWW, and 4RWW! These were the mana costs chosen to summon the perfect little angel! But Professor Avacyn accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction! Chemical x Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Gisela, Bruna, and Sigarda have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!
That is a cool idea. I like the constant threat that anything and everything could be a threat to Bolas. Ajani already survived bolas once though, so i think if he and elspeth together took on bolas or his agents, they wouldn't be in too much trouble unless he was assassinated.
I could see ajani being assassinated.
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Whats the big deal about black lotus you ask? Well you see, there is no big deal about it. It IS the big deal.
When Lorwyn debuted with the planeswalkers, Ajani was the lowest scoring one in market research. With time, players starting warming up to him and now he ranks much higher.
i think PW deaths will stick mostly to side characters. the L5 are the "iconic planeswalkers" and, therefore, probably not disposable. its much easier to kill a one off PW than one who has been a central part of what is currently one of the main plots of the multi-verse. not to mention that arc is no where near completed. it doesnt make sense to kill him, its bad business and bad story telling. Ajani is probably the most powerful known walker currently living, aside from bolas. without ajani bolas wins unless wizards makes up a replacement that is somehow strong enough or cant be mind-effed and that would feel contrived.
edit: i also feel the cosplay scavenger hunt sheet does NOT count as confirmation of what PWs will be in M15. it is possible that it is correct but it is not confirmation so people should stop treating it as such.
I dunno. I wouldn't be so sure that it wouldn't happen. Personally, I think that a major character's death once in a while is good for stories. Like Game of Thrones, or Boardwalk Empire, where memorable characters die. It would really gives the impression that the stakes are really high, and that planeswalkers are still vulnerable. I definitely wouldn't see them kill Jace, but Ajani? A planeswalker that's already had multiple versions including multicolored ones? If there were to kill one off down the road, he's probably one of the top three most likely to die.
Keeping the story "fresh" or whatever is a distant second to selling packs. And Planeswalkers sell packs.
Well, it may change with Theros, but Ajani is apparently not the most popular planeswalker.
Anyway, if Wizards can "select any number of Planeswalker characters from its stable and make a card that will almost always generate sales", then what would be the loss if one of them dies- from a business perspective?
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Variety. Consumers want it, and get bored with a product that fails to offer it. Ajani is very unique, in that he is a cat Planeswalker who shifts between the Naya colors. He's also the only one of the current walkers who was able to go toe-to-toe with Nicol Bolas and fight him to a standstill.
Wizards wants a large variety of Planeswalkers to fit any given situation. And they keep making more Planeswalkers to fill in different niches in their market. The only two Planeswalkers that overlap in any significant way are Ral Zarek and Dack Fayden: both are scoundrel-type UR walkers who call Ravnica their home (Dack is not native to the plane, but he has stated in the comics that Ravnica is as much his home as anywhere else). I know that Dack hasn't been officially confirmed as a UR walker, but his DotP 2014 deck is UR (and a dang good one at that), and DotP games have historically made a big impact on the paper game.
Anyhow, my point is that Wizards wants to have a Planeswalker for every potential player out there. Ajani may not be the most popular of the Lorwyn Five, but he's still got quite a following. And until there's a similar Leonin Planeswalker created in much the same vein as him, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
EDIT: Also, I don't think Elspeth's going to die, either. Jenna Helland said at one of the PAX panels or something that she loves Elspeth as a character. Plus, female Planeswalkers tend to be fairly popular among the male player base for some reason.
I think they could get away with removing Ajani without upsetting too many fans. He's my favorite walker, and i would be sad for the character if he died, but if it meant making way for new and different planeswalkers, i would be all for it.
I feel like once a planeswalker gets reprinted a few times, they start to get a little stale, and you can really see how similar they tend to be. Out of all of the multiple varieties off the same walker (garruk, Jace, Ajani, Chandra, lilly blah blah blah) Ajani has certainly been the most flexible. He branched out from white to both red and green. Garruk hit black once recently ( and got an interesting flip, literally) but the rest have been pretty much monocolor, and done most of the same things. Even Ajani has done a lot of the same things. These new variations of old walkers also seem to overshadow newer walkers to me.
I mean, there are 44 walker cards that we know of, and 23 different walkers. 13 of those 23 are one ofs. so those 10 leftover walkers have 31 cards for each of them, which is an average of a little over 3 cards for each. (Though most have 4 or 2 except lilly.) So if the average for multiple of walkers is a little over 3, once you hit 4 cards, you kinda start to see a lot of them, and that gets stale to me. Love ajani, Love what he does and his story, but i dont need a different incarnation of him every set that comes out. I understand the spark isn't a thing that happens very often, but over all these multiverses and planes, i think we could see a few more, or at least some more incarnations of those one ofs.
And once we hit a certain number of walkers, it will be too many to keep track of. So something has to happen to explain why we stop seeing those ones with lots of cards. And the 4 ofs being Chandra, Jace, Garruk, Ajani, and probably elspeth soon, the least popular one to me seems like it will be ajani, even if he is the only non human in the bunch.
Story is story, regardless of the medium. And there seems to be some flaw in your line of thought. If planeswalkers sell packs, then it doesn't matter if one is gone and then replaced once in a while. Packs are always going to be sold. The players that treat MTG as a game primarily aren't going to care enough in the first place. For those you also are fans of the stories, it might spice things up. For example, I like Venser, a lot, and I thought what they did with him was cool. I'm not saying I WANT Ajani to die, or that he will, or any planeswalker for that fact, but you insist that Wizards WON'T, like a guarantee, and the reasons aren't strong enough. It's not death and taxes.
Story wise, what does Ajani have left to tell? I think there are a lot more to tell about elspeth, bant,phyerexians...
If anyone was going to die, I'd say Ajani's time is up. But it might be thier intent on building tension that elspeth is going to die. Elspeth running away a lot seems selfish, Maybe giving herself for theros is exactly how her story should end... Just some thoughts.
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Anyways, I think Ajani is not as popular because he's hard to cosplay. lololol
Also, they sort of had to kill off Venser because he had a lot of baggage with regards to his character, timeline idiosyncrasy, etc. It was better that he died, so Wizards have less lying/covering up to do.
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Well, her conflict with Phyrexia, but also her personal development of her courage. I think either she or Ajani will die, and we'll see some Rescue from the Underworld action between the two of them. Elspeth however is most likely to stay dead by some definition.
But it really hasn't been long enough for him to die like that.
Perhaps the Ashiok/Phenax tandem could have something to do with it? Ashiok could very well be an agent of Nicol Bolas...
Huh. That would be cool. Elspeth killed by her own shocking images of Phyrexia, and her failure to do anything before now. Or just an army of Returned lol
I could see ajani being assassinated.
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edit: i also feel the cosplay scavenger hunt sheet does NOT count as confirmation of what PWs will be in M15. it is possible that it is correct but it is not confirmation so people should stop treating it as such.