Ok, in the official Shadows of Innistrad trailer, Jace is concerned about the twisting madness that is corrupting Innistrad. Specifically he mentions that he's worried it might consume him personally. https://youtu.be/GopkHUg2XCY?t=45s
So, here's my hypothesis. Jace finds the secret evil force on Innistrad and is tainted or corrupted by it, seemingly not a big deal at the time, his spark protects him. Later he returns to Ravnica to fulfill his duties in the Guildpact, and the mad taint passes from him into one or more guild leaders via his telepathy, and that's the impetus for the next Ravnica plot.
Personally, I am sick and tired of Ravnica (especially the Guilds part - I'd really enjoy a novel approach to color pairs), but I understand where is the enthusiasm for the setting coming from. As Sanguivore already said, the plane was in for civil war already, no need to cross the streams here. I don't think they'd try to mix up a setting as specific as Ravnica with tropes not fitting into it, especially since they also developed another setting specifically for such tropes and they also want some variety in flavor of blocks.
Also, I just don't see SoI/EMN ending in any other way than with Jace solving each and every issue present, since he's so smart and great and everything. Unless the Creative change their approach, the stakes here are non-existent.
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standard: BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
Jace might figure stuff out (that's what the smart guy is supposed to do), but that doesn't mean he's going to save Innistrad and fill out its taxes too. Avacyn's a goner and either Nahiri or Sorin might possibly die as a result of their ill-timed feud.
And FYI, Jace didn't stop the Eldrazi alone. He needed four planeswalkers plus an entire army to help. If memory serves me correctly, the only victories Jace has had are against Chandra, Tezzeret, Vraska, and as part of joint efforts against Ob Nixilis and the Eldrazi. One could count becoming Guildpact as well, but that position carries great risk with it, not to mention he lost one of his closest friends in the process. There's also his narrow victory over Alhammarret, and that one cost him most of his memory and very nearly his life. He allegedly put the Hedron in Garruk, restraining the curse, but Garruk has become a planeswalker-hunting monstrosity
Then there's Jace's defeats; Tezzeret once beat him soundly as punishment, Bolas effortlessly shrugged him off, Garruk nearly pounded his face in, he got knocked flat during Chandra's duel with Sarkhan, Garruk nearly killed him and has so far thwarted his efforts to help him, and most recently Jace was at Liliana's mercy, though she of course didn't intend to kill him so much as make a point. And based on the art with Sorin, Jace is going to get roughed up some more in the course of SOI's story (which I'm sure Jaters are going to just love ).
So Jace isn't some godmode Sue that can effortlessly beat everything that comes his way. He doesn't always get what he wants, he doesn't always walk away unscathed, and he often needs help.
And before anybody calls me fanboy, I'll have you know that Jace isn't my favorite MTG character by any stretch, though I've grown more fond of him after reading the recent stories. I'm simply not some irrational Jater that insists on wishing for his death everytime he comes up.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Jace might figure stuff out (that's what the smart guy is supposed to do), but that doesn't mean he's going to save Innistrad and fill out its taxes too. Avacyn's a goner and either Nahiri or Sorin might possibly die as a result of their ill-timed feud.
And FYI, Jace didn't stop the Eldrazi alone. He needed four planeswalkers plus an entire army to help. If memory serves me correctly, the only victories Jace has had are against Chandra, Tezzeret, Vraska, and as part of joint efforts against Ob Nixilis and the Eldrazi. One could count becoming Guildpact as well, but that position carries great risk with it, not to mention he lost one of his closest friends in the process. There's also his narrow victory over Alhammarret, and that one cost him most of his memory and very nearly his life. He allegedly put the Hedron in Garruk, restraining the curse, but Garruk has become a planeswalker-hunting monstrosity
Then there's Jace's defeats; Tezzeret once beat him soundly as punishment, Bolas effortlessly shrugged him off, Garruk nearly pounded his face in, he got knocked flat during Chandra's duel with Sarkhan, Garruk nearly killed him and has so far thwarted his efforts to help him, and most recently Jace was at Liliana's mercy, though she of course didn't intend to kill him so much as make a point. And based on the art with Sorin, Jace is going to get roughed up some more in the course of SOI's story (which I'm sure Jaters are going to just love ).
So Jace isn't some godmode Sue that can effortlessly beat everything that comes his way. He doesn't always get what he wants, he doesn't always walk away unscathed, and he often needs help.
And before anybody calls me fanboy, I'll have you know that Jace isn't my favorite MTG character by any stretch, though I've grown more fond of him after reading the recent stories. I'm simply not some irrational Jater that insists on wishing for his death everytime he comes up.
Everything you say is true, no discussing it. And I tent to exaggerate things for effect, so I might have gone a bit too far in my argument. The point, however, is, that Jace is Gary Stu. A decently veiled one, but Gary Stu nonetheless. As long as he's around, the outcome will be mostly positive and if there's one thing we can be sure about, it's that Jace is going to be fine. And that's the problem - we basically know that issues are getting solved (because it's a mystery and if Jace doesn't solve it, who does?) and nothing bad is happening to him. Though they may have somebody die (finally), and you might be right about it being either Sorin or Nahiri (Tamiyo is not safe either).
I'm not a mindless Jater, even if I come across as one sometimes. To tell the truth, I found this week's Jace story the quite enjoyable (probably due to stark contrast in quality with what's been going on lately), it's just that the character is too one-dimensional. That, and I don't understand why the poster boy needs to be blue, or rather, why there must be one specific poster face for the game (and no, the Origins five are not all poster faces).
Well, at least Jace isn't Liliana
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():
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standard: BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
Ravnica is already setting up for a civil war, anyway, that's why Gideon was planehopping from Zendikar to Ravnica and back.
Yep. My gues is that Jace will neglect his duties on Ravnica for too long while hopping around the planes with the Gatewatch. The imminent escalation has long been a risk. It's a direct continuation of RTR.
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():
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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]
So, here's my hypothesis. Jace finds the secret evil force on Innistrad and is tainted or corrupted by it, seemingly not a big deal at the time, his spark protects him. Later he returns to Ravnica to fulfill his duties in the Guildpact, and the mad taint passes from him into one or more guild leaders via his telepathy, and that's the impetus for the next Ravnica plot.
After the Mirrodin incident you'd think planeswalkers would be more careful and make an extra effort not to become interplanar disease vectors.
After the Mirrodin incident you'd think planeswalkers would be more careful and make an extra effort not to become interplanar disease vectors.
Well, Jace wouldn't have learned that anyway. Actually, who is even aware of New Phyrexia? Elspeth died, Koth and Tezzeret stayed there, Karn scarpered off, and Bolas is the cliche villain.
Jace might figure stuff out (that's what the smart guy is supposed to do), but that doesn't mean he's going to save Innistrad and fill out its taxes too. Avacyn's a goner and either Nahiri or Sorin might possibly die as a result of their ill-timed feud.
And FYI, Jace didn't stop the Eldrazi alone. He needed four planeswalkers plus an entire army to help. If memory serves me correctly, the only victories Jace has had are against Chandra, Tezzeret, Vraska, and as part of joint efforts against Ob Nixilis and the Eldrazi. One could count becoming Guildpact as well, but that position carries great risk with it, not to mention he lost one of his closest friends in the process. There's also his narrow victory over Alhammarret, and that one cost him most of his memory and very nearly his life. He allegedly put the Hedron in Garruk, restraining the curse, but Garruk has become a planeswalker-hunting monstrosity
Then there's Jace's defeats; Tezzeret once beat him soundly as punishment, Bolas effortlessly shrugged him off, Garruk nearly pounded his face in, he got knocked flat during Chandra's duel with Sarkhan, Garruk nearly killed him and has so far thwarted his efforts to help him, and most recently Jace was at Liliana's mercy, though she of course didn't intend to kill him so much as make a point. And based on the art with Sorin, Jace is going to get roughed up some more in the course of SOI's story (which I'm sure Jaters are going to just love ).
So Jace isn't some godmode Sue that can effortlessly beat everything that comes his way. He doesn't always get what he wants, he doesn't always walk away unscathed, and he often needs help.
And before anybody calls me fanboy, I'll have you know that Jace isn't my favorite MTG character by any stretch, though I've grown more fond of him after reading the recent stories. I'm simply not some irrational Jater that insists on wishing for his death everytime he comes up.
Everything you say is true, no discussing it. And I tent to exaggerate things for effect, so I might have gone a bit too far in my argument. The point, however, is, that Jace is Gary Stu. A decently veiled one, but Gary Stu nonetheless. As long as he's around, the outcome will be mostly positive and if there's one thing we can be sure about, it's that Jace is going to be fine. And that's the problem - we basically know that issues are getting solved (because it's a mystery and if Jace doesn't solve it, who does?) and nothing bad is happening to him. Though they may have somebody die (finally), and you might be right about it being either Sorin or Nahiri (Tamiyo is not safe either).
I'm not a mindless Jater, even if I come across as one sometimes. To tell the truth, I found this week's Jace story the quite enjoyable (probably due to stark contrast in quality with what's been going on lately), it's just that the character is too one-dimensional. That, and I don't understand why the poster boy needs to be blue, or rather, why there must be one specific poster face for the game (and no, the Origins five are not all poster faces).
Well, at least Jace isn't Liliana
I think you need to rexamine the term "gary stu". It doesnt mean that the character will win, it means they are super-competant,'perfect' and without flaw. If we are talking that characters will win, that is most stories. Batman lives and saves the day.
Well, Jace wouldn't have learned that anyway. Actually, who is even aware of New Phyrexia? Elspeth died, Koth and Tezzeret stayed there, Karn scarpered off, and Bolas is the cliche villain.
If someone else is aware I wouldn't know, but it's kinda awkward for the overarching story to have a planeswalker accidentally infect a whole plane all over again.
after reading the recent Magic Story with Jace on Innistrad, i nearly thought that he is to dump to survive -.-
try to use mind reading and illusion against werewolves in rage (without success),
try to turn invisible against zombies without eyes (without success) ...
i really think his intelligence is mostly overrated ...
Jace might figure stuff out (that's what the smart guy is supposed to do), but that doesn't mean he's going to save Innistrad and fill out its taxes too. Avacyn's a goner and either Nahiri or Sorin might possibly die as a result of their ill-timed feud.
And FYI, Jace didn't stop the Eldrazi alone. He needed four planeswalkers plus an entire army to help. If memory serves me correctly, the only victories Jace has had are against Chandra, Tezzeret, Vraska, and as part of joint efforts against Ob Nixilis and the Eldrazi. One could count becoming Guildpact as well, but that position carries great risk with it, not to mention he lost one of his closest friends in the process. There's also his narrow victory over Alhammarret, and that one cost him most of his memory and very nearly his life. He allegedly put the Hedron in Garruk, restraining the curse, but Garruk has become a planeswalker-hunting monstrosity.
Then there's Jace's defeats; Tezzeret once beat him soundly as punishment, Bolas effortlessly shrugged him off, Garruk nearly pounded his face in, he got knocked flat during Chandra's duel with Sarkhan, Garruk nearly killed him and has so far thwarted his efforts to help him, and most recently Jace was at Liliana's mercy, though she of course didn't intend to kill him so much as make a point. And based on the art with Sorin, Jace is going to get roughed up some more in the course of SOI's story (which I'm sure Jaters are going to just love ).
So Jace isn't some godmode Sue that can effortlessly beat everything that comes his way. He doesn't always get what he wants, he doesn't always walk away unscathed, and he often needs help.
And before anybody calls me fanboy, I'll have you know that Jace isn't my favorite MTG character by any stretch, though I've grown more fond of him after reading the recent stories. I'm simply not some irrational Jater that insists on wishing for his death everytime he comes up.
Everything you say is true, no discussing it. And I tent to exaggerate things for effect, so I might have gone a bit too far in my argument. The point, however, is, that Jace is Gary Stu. A decently veiled one, but Gary Stu nonetheless. As long as he's around, the outcome will be mostly positive and if there's one thing we can be sure about, it's that Jace is going to be fine. And that's the problem - we basically know that issues are getting solved (because it's a mystery and if Jace doesn't solve it, who does?) and nothing bad is happening to him. Though they may have somebody die (finally), and you might be right about it being either Sorin or Nahiri (Tamiyo is not safe either).
I just pointed out that he:
Lost his memories about his original home, including his family, and nearly his life in the process.
Got beaten in more ways than one by Tezzeret, Bolas, Chandra, Garruk, and Ral, at the very least.
Was betrayed by his ex-girlfriend.
Lost one of his closest friends thanks to said betrayal.
Lost the closest friend he'd had since the start of his new life on Ravnica, because she asked him to erase her memory of him.
after reading the recent Magic Story with Jace on Innistrad, i nearly thought that he is to dump to survive -.-
try to use mind reading and illusion against werewolves in rage (without success),
try to turn invisible against zombies without eyes (without success) ...
i really think his intelligence is mostly overrated ...
He Mind Controlled a Werewolf just fine. And what was he supposed to do against a horde of Zombies? Set them on fire? Even blue mages make mistakes.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
A tad late to reply, but I'm here nonetheless. I understand all the arguments you make. I admit, there's bad stuff happening to Jace.
But!
What we have here is an ongoing story about more than one character. A story of whole worlds, even. In such a story, every "main" character is expandable. However, we won't see Jace die or lose his mind, even though he is a narrator of a story very likely based, at least in form and structure, on lovecraftian fiction, which don't tend to end well for narrators. They could have had Tamiyo telling the story instead and dying or losing her mind in the end (which would even solve the constant requests for new main blue PW and/or more Tamiyo appearances by a questionably-sized, yet vocal part of the community). And yet we were given Jace.
And I think we can all agree that he's going to survive, probably without lasting negative effects (yes, we did get a story about him losing his memories, but that was a tragic backstory he was given right from the start, because, duh, every relatable character needs a tragic backstory, just look at Harry Potter).
How would you describe his personality? He's highly intelligent, reserved, sort of introspective, funny (meaning, stories from his viewpoints have the most quips per sentence, so he does appear to be funny on a certain subconscious level to the reader). He's in the story (like, every story - each and every standard since Lorwyn had at least one Jace card) just to serve as a relatable character to younger male readers. And he's not going anywhere, because that's the type of person WotC probably considers their main target audience. Okay, a Gary Stu would be a writer's wish fulfillment, which I'm not going to say Jace is (though I am going to imply that the character is exactly what the authors might have come up even if they wanted to create a Gary Stu, just because I can). But he is a surrogate character - for the projected reader: he is the hero, the one to always save the day (using his wits, since he's not physically strong - what a nerd ), he's ever so special and smart and funny. He's a bit socially reclusive, but it's not any issue for him. And he literally has no real personality traits (at least not in current story) that would make him distinguishable from what such a reader wishes him to be. He's just a marketing ploy (a successful one, to be sure), but he's not a well-conceived, nor well-written, character.
To address Manite's points:
1. the tragic origin story trope
2. sure he got beaten, but he always got away to tell the story. In many other stories with several main characters, the ones not written for young adults, he would have been dead at least two times.
3. But dude, he did have a girlfirend! *snicker* Literally a catwoman-type character, so that's not too bad either. Did we see Gideon having a girlfriend? (before anybody mentions Chandra as a possible romantic interest, do we know how things are after retcons?)
4 & 5 personal tragedies are needed to fake character development
Jace, as a writer's tool, does his job splendidly, he just doesn't fit into a story for a much wider audience that I think (emphasis on my opinion here) Magic story should be. And he sure has way too much spotlight considering WotC claims he's not the main main character.
Pleas, do correct me if I am mistaken in any way.
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():
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standard: BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
After the Mirrodin incident you'd think planeswalkers would be more careful and make an extra effort not to become interplanar disease vectors.
Well, Jace wouldn't have learned that anyway. Actually, who is even aware of New Phyrexia? Elspeth died, Koth and Tezzeret stayed there, Karn scarpered off, and Bolas is the cliche villain.
At the very least the god Kruphix is aware of the Phyrexians. Though I would assume that Elspeth at least mentioned them to Ajani. Other than that I don't know if anyone else has knowledge of them and the potential threat they pose.
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https://youtu.be/GopkHUg2XCY?t=45s
This thread
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/673934-4chan-poster-claims-egypt-theme-then-another
indicates that another return to Ravnica may be upcoming.
So, here's my hypothesis. Jace finds the secret evil force on Innistrad and is tainted or corrupted by it, seemingly not a big deal at the time, his spark protects him. Later he returns to Ravnica to fulfill his duties in the Guildpact, and the mad taint passes from him into one or more guild leaders via his telepathy, and that's the impetus for the next Ravnica plot.
i hope for more Guildless stuff too which are good against multicolor.
Also, I just don't see SoI/EMN ending in any other way than with Jace solving each and every issue present, since he's so smart and great and everything. Unless the Creative change their approach, the stakes here are non-existent.
BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
modern:
RGShaman Aggro
legacy:
UHigh Tide
German highlander:
BUG aggro control
EDH:
a positively unhealthy amount of decks
And FYI, Jace didn't stop the Eldrazi alone. He needed four planeswalkers plus an entire army to help. If memory serves me correctly, the only victories Jace has had are against Chandra, Tezzeret, Vraska, and as part of joint efforts against Ob Nixilis and the Eldrazi. One could count becoming Guildpact as well, but that position carries great risk with it, not to mention he lost one of his closest friends in the process. There's also his narrow victory over Alhammarret, and that one cost him most of his memory and very nearly his life. He allegedly put the Hedron in Garruk, restraining the curse, but Garruk has become a planeswalker-hunting monstrosity
Then there's Jace's defeats; Tezzeret once beat him soundly as punishment, Bolas effortlessly shrugged him off, Garruk nearly pounded his face in, he got knocked flat during Chandra's duel with Sarkhan, Garruk nearly killed him and has so far thwarted his efforts to help him, and most recently Jace was at Liliana's mercy, though she of course didn't intend to kill him so much as make a point. And based on the art with Sorin, Jace is going to get roughed up some more in the course of SOI's story (which I'm sure Jaters are going to just love ).
So Jace isn't some godmode Sue that can effortlessly beat everything that comes his way. He doesn't always get what he wants, he doesn't always walk away unscathed, and he often needs help.
And before anybody calls me fanboy, I'll have you know that Jace isn't my favorite MTG character by any stretch, though I've grown more fond of him after reading the recent stories. I'm simply not some irrational Jater that insists on wishing for his death everytime he comes up.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Everything you say is true, no discussing it. And I tent to exaggerate things for effect, so I might have gone a bit too far in my argument. The point, however, is, that Jace is Gary Stu. A decently veiled one, but Gary Stu nonetheless. As long as he's around, the outcome will be mostly positive and if there's one thing we can be sure about, it's that Jace is going to be fine. And that's the problem - we basically know that issues are getting solved (because it's a mystery and if Jace doesn't solve it, who does?) and nothing bad is happening to him. Though they may have somebody die (finally), and you might be right about it being either Sorin or Nahiri (Tamiyo is not safe either).
I'm not a mindless Jater, even if I come across as one sometimes. To tell the truth, I found this week's Jace story the quite enjoyable (probably due to stark contrast in quality with what's been going on lately), it's just that the character is too one-dimensional. That, and I don't understand why the poster boy needs to be blue, or rather, why there must be one specific poster face for the game (and no, the Origins five are not all poster faces).
Well, at least Jace isn't Liliana
BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
modern:
RGShaman Aggro
legacy:
UHigh Tide
German highlander:
BUG aggro control
EDH:
a positively unhealthy amount of decks
Yep. My gues is that Jace will neglect his duties on Ravnica for too long while hopping around the planes with the Gatewatch. The imminent escalation has long been a risk. It's a direct continuation of RTR.
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
After the Mirrodin incident you'd think planeswalkers would be more careful and make an extra effort not to become interplanar disease vectors.
Well, Jace wouldn't have learned that anyway. Actually, who is even aware of New Phyrexia? Elspeth died, Koth and Tezzeret stayed there, Karn scarpered off, and Bolas is the cliche villain.
I think you need to rexamine the term "gary stu". It doesnt mean that the character will win, it means they are super-competant,'perfect' and without flaw. If we are talking that characters will win, that is most stories. Batman lives and saves the day.
If someone else is aware I wouldn't know, but it's kinda awkward for the overarching story to have a planeswalker accidentally infect a whole plane all over again.
try to use mind reading and illusion against werewolves in rage (without success),
try to turn invisible against zombies without eyes (without success) ...
i really think his intelligence is mostly overrated ...
I just pointed out that he:
That's nothing bad happening to him?
He Mind Controlled a Werewolf just fine. And what was he supposed to do against a horde of Zombies? Set them on fire? Even blue mages make mistakes.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
But!
What we have here is an ongoing story about more than one character. A story of whole worlds, even. In such a story, every "main" character is expandable. However, we won't see Jace die or lose his mind, even though he is a narrator of a story very likely based, at least in form and structure, on lovecraftian fiction, which don't tend to end well for narrators. They could have had Tamiyo telling the story instead and dying or losing her mind in the end (which would even solve the constant requests for new main blue PW and/or more Tamiyo appearances by a questionably-sized, yet vocal part of the community). And yet we were given Jace.
And I think we can all agree that he's going to survive, probably without lasting negative effects (yes, we did get a story about him losing his memories, but that was a tragic backstory he was given right from the start, because, duh, every relatable character needs a tragic backstory, just look at Harry Potter).
How would you describe his personality? He's highly intelligent, reserved, sort of introspective, funny (meaning, stories from his viewpoints have the most quips per sentence, so he does appear to be funny on a certain subconscious level to the reader). He's in the story (like, every story - each and every standard since Lorwyn had at least one Jace card) just to serve as a relatable character to younger male readers. And he's not going anywhere, because that's the type of person WotC probably considers their main target audience. Okay, a Gary Stu would be a writer's wish fulfillment, which I'm not going to say Jace is (though I am going to imply that the character is exactly what the authors might have come up even if they wanted to create a Gary Stu, just because I can). But he is a surrogate character - for the projected reader: he is the hero, the one to always save the day (using his wits, since he's not physically strong - what a nerd ), he's ever so special and smart and funny. He's a bit socially reclusive, but it's not any issue for him. And he literally has no real personality traits (at least not in current story) that would make him distinguishable from what such a reader wishes him to be. He's just a marketing ploy (a successful one, to be sure), but he's not a well-conceived, nor well-written, character.
To address Manite's points:
1. the tragic origin story trope
2. sure he got beaten, but he always got away to tell the story. In many other stories with several main characters, the ones not written for young adults, he would have been dead at least two times.
3. But dude, he did have a girlfirend! *snicker* Literally a catwoman-type character, so that's not too bad either. Did we see Gideon having a girlfriend? (before anybody mentions Chandra as a possible romantic interest, do we know how things are after retcons?)
4 & 5 personal tragedies are needed to fake character development
Jace, as a writer's tool, does his job splendidly, he just doesn't fit into a story for a much wider audience that I think (emphasis on my opinion here) Magic story should be. And he sure has way too much spotlight considering WotC claims he's not the main main character.
Pleas, do correct me if I am mistaken in any way.
BUG The Baron (it doesn't work, but I try anyway)
modern:
RGShaman Aggro
legacy:
UHigh Tide
German highlander:
BUG aggro control
EDH:
a positively unhealthy amount of decks
At the very least the god Kruphix is aware of the Phyrexians. Though I would assume that Elspeth at least mentioned them to Ajani. Other than that I don't know if anyone else has knowledge of them and the potential threat they pose.