So it seems to me a little strange that we haven't heard yet what will come after Dominaria. Maybe I'm jumpin' the gun a little, but haven't we been knowing about three sets or subsets in advance of what was coming, at least for the last year or so?
Are there any rumors out there any of you have heard about what it might be? Speculations?
So it seems to me a little strange that we haven't heard yet what will come after Dominaria. Maybe I'm jumpin' the gun a little, but haven't we been knowing about three sets or subsets in advance of what was coming, at least for the last year or so?
If they didn't have the big announcement week this summer, we'd just be learning about Dominaria now in September and we do know about 3 sets already in advance, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria and Coreset 2019.
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"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
So it seems to me a little strange that we haven't heard yet what will come after Dominaria. Maybe I'm jumpin' the gun a little, but haven't we been knowing about three sets or subsets in advance of what was coming, at least for the last year or so?
If they didn't have the big announcement week this summer, we'd just be learning about Dominaria now in September and we do know about 3 sets already in advance, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria and Coreset 2019.
So, what plotlines do we still have hanging?
- New Phyrexia, but it was repeatedly said that Phyrexians are better as an invading force and they are not going anywhere without outside help.
- Theros, when we left there was still an unresolved problem with Ashiok, and Dack went to the underworld where Elspeth is still waiting.
- Ravnica, with the guildpact gone for so long, things are going to get ugly sooner or later. Also, Vraska.
- Innistrad will be finding a new balance of power with Avacyn gone and Sorin stoned, but we have been there relatively recently.
- Ob Nixilis can show up wherever just to screw with the Gatewatch.
- Bolas and his grand shceme, of course, but we could use a break from that.
- The whole mess around Lili, with the Raven man, the Veil and her fourth demon. We might get something in Dominaria.
- Garruk is still out there hunting.
- Whatever the consequences of killing two Eldrazi titans will be, if they manifest in forseeable future at all.
I am sure forgetting something, it's kinda hard to keep up with all the storylines going on, especially when it takes years to continue (which might improve under the new system). My bet is on the Theros line, Ajani is the perfect hook for the now-necessary Gatewatch involvement.
I know Wizards isn't crazy about the idea, but of all the planes from before I was playing, that is the one I have always thought was coolest, I would love a return.
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Project Booster Fun makes it less fun to open a booster.
Fall 2018: Regatha
Winter 2019: [Name of new plane]
Spring 2019: Return to Theros
(Summer 2019: Core 2020)
Fall 2019: Return to Theros part 2
Winter 2020: Ravnica 3
Spring 2020: Ravnica 3 part 2
(Alternatively, Fall 2018 is Dominaria part 2 or a brief Ravnica check-in, and all of the non-core stuff gets pushed back a spot.)
I'm still convinced that the next year or so of unannounced sets will be continuing the current "Gatewatch divided" arc, following the order of their Defeats in the Hour of Devastation story: Jace on Ixalan, Lili on Dominaria, then Chandra, Nissa, and finally Gideon.
Chandra most likely retreated to somewhere familiar to her to heal, and it's way too soon for another Kaladesh set, so taking advantage of the new blockless structure to spend a single set on Regatha makes sense - especially since Dominaria is reintroducing Jaya to the story, making the plane where she has a devout following a logical follow-up.
Likewise, it's still too soon for another Zendikar set, and we don't know much about Nissa's interplanar exploits pre-BFZ, so she's a lot more up in the air: a Lorwyn/Shadowmoor set is possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath. A set featuring a properly new plane would help with the slew of revisit sets to follow.
(Wilder speculation: that new plane will be a Wild West-themed plane...which is also Angrath's home plane. The way the story writers have talked about Angrath make him feel partly like a plant for an already-in-the-works future set to me, and a cow bull boy man blacksmith would be a perfect fit in the wild west. Nissa's piece of the story is the most "available" piece of story space to follow up on his story.)
And then that leaves Gideon. It actually will have been long enough since original Theros for a revisit at that point (six years), and the Amonkhet block story set up a number of plot threads to reconnect Gideon to his home plane: this is the most obvious landing location of any of them. This is also the arc most likely to be its own Thing outside of recovery (especially with the potential for a Heliud/Heliod plot on the heels of a revelation in Regatha), so it's the most likely of the bunch to get two sets.
And, finally, the part where the Gatewatch come back together for the Bolas rematch...all roads seem to be leading to Ravnica at this point. As noted above, it's possible we get a set very soon first, seeing the state the plane is in without the Living Guildpact (focusing on the enemy-colored guilds, probably, since that's where most of the internal strife has been shown so far?), but Ravnica is by far the most likely candidate for where this arc will end.
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"The true measure of all heroes is not what they achieve, but who they inspire." —Triumph of Gerrard
I too actually really like the lighter tone and art from the set. Would love a return to lorwyn but there are literally zero plot hooks to go back. No walkers have a vested interest there that I'm aware of.
With the new Jaya art, I could see her taking a bigger role after dominaria and opening a new plane or pointing the gatewatch's focus elsewhere. She's a really big asset imho to just use for a set.
Core will probably be our check up on everything. Bolas, phyrexians, rav, etc.
The story seems pretty heavily seeded for a ravnica return. I was hoping jaces amnesia would last longer and have a resolve in another block (re return to Rav). Vraska has a strong motive right now because of rav. Ral zarek was name dropped too. That's just a bunch going on aside from the pure speculation on azor and what have you in the story forums.
I'd like a break from bolas and eldrazi personally. I kind of liked the feel of tarkir the most in recent sets. It delivered a diverse world with lots of fan favorites (dragons, fetches, etc.) Somwthing akin to that would be welcome.
I'd expect two return planes in a row with Ravnica and Theros (unless we get a surprise from Alara, Lorwyn or New Phyrexia) since those will be the sets hitting the time frame they like to return to sets.
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Fall 2018: Regatha
Winter 2019: [Name of new plane]
Spring 2019: Return to Theros
(Summer 2019: Core 2020)
Fall 2019: Return to Theros part 2
Winter 2020: Ravnica 3
Spring 2020: Ravnica 3 part 2
i appreciate your willingness to make a blind guess. i don't think you're too far off either. regatha is certainly getting some support in the form of lore and character connections but i'm not completely sold on it. as described it is basically just a plane with some dust and firey stuff. turning it into the wild west plane would actually be pretty smart. i feel like we're going to see the viking plane with raven man sooner rather than later though.
i don't think ravnica 3 is going to be two sets. i think it's going to be one set with a vryn companion set. they can use jace to connect the two planes in narrative terms. the ravnica set will be bolas eternal invasion with vraska(?), tezzeret(?), and ral being installed as guildmasters, the vryn set will involve jace going home to get help.
i also don't think return to theros needs to be two sets.
I expect a return to Theros before long, with Gideon as the main protagonist.
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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.
We did just get three new planes in a row, and it's been so long since we've been to Dominaria that it feels like a fourth. Anyway, I think we'll be heading to New Phyrexia or Ravnica. As much as I'm already tired of Ravnica just talking about it, people love it.
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Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
I’m more concerned with this question. With Coresets in and all large sets, are we still getting announcement days half years or annually? Like will we get 2 announcement days a year or only one? I feel like it will be annual now since:
A. With coresets, we already know summers block and the spring announcement will only reveal one block technically.
B. With larger sets, we will probably get lesser supplementary sets like conspiracy and commanders. We didn’t get a lot for the first half of 2018 as it is.
Oh, and one more thing: Jace is getting his memories back, maybe even all of them or at least enough to know where he came from. A proper set on Vryn seems inevitable in the near future.
So, what plotlines do we still have hanging?
- New Phyrexia, but it was repeatedly said that Phyrexians are better as an invading force and they are not going anywhere without outside help.
- Theros, when we left there was still an unresolved problem with Ashiok, and Dack went to the underworld where Elspeth is still waiting.
- Ravnica, with the guildpact gone for so long, things are going to get ugly sooner or later. Also, Vraska.
- Innistrad will be finding a new balance of power with Avacyn gone and Sorin stoned, but we have been there relatively recently.
- Ob Nixilis can show up wherever just to screw with the Gatewatch.
- Bolas and his grand shceme, of course, but we could use a break from that.
- The whole mess around Lili, with the Raven man, the Veil and her fourth demon. We might get something in Dominaria.
- Garruk is still out there hunting.
- Whatever the consequences of killing two Eldrazi titans will be, if they manifest in forseeable future at all.
I am sure forgetting something, it's kinda hard to keep up with all the storylines going on, especially when it takes years to continue (which might improve under the new system). My bet is on the Theros line, Ajani is the perfect hook for the now-necessary Gatewatch involvement.
I'm not sure if it counts, but we don't know where Nahiri's gone off to, and there's no telling what she will do next.
Also, I think sets dedicated to Regatha, Vryn and Return to Theros (which is practically guaranteed at this point with the amount of foreshadowing they've been doing) are something that should be in the cards, given the direction the story has been going.
I'm also going to echo the amount of Ravnica focus that's been in the story recently, especially in Ixalan. Doubly so if the speculation about Azor being involved with Ixalan has merit. That + Return to Ravnica being ages ago + Ravnica being a popular plane means that it'd honestly be jarring if Ravnica doesn't have a return set in the near future.
So, what plotlines do we still have hanging?
- New Phyrexia, but it was repeatedly said that Phyrexians are better as an invading force and they are not going anywhere without outside help.
- Theros, when we left there was still an unresolved problem with Ashiok, and Dack went to the underworld where Elspeth is still waiting.
- Ravnica, with the guildpact gone for so long, things are going to get ugly sooner or later. Also, Vraska.
- Innistrad will be finding a new balance of power with Avacyn gone and Sorin stoned, but we have been there relatively recently.
- Ob Nixilis can show up wherever just to screw with the Gatewatch.
- Bolas and his grand shceme, of course, but we could use a break from that.
- The whole mess around Lili, with the Raven man, the Veil and her fourth demon. We might get something in Dominaria.
- Garruk is still out there hunting.
- Whatever the consequences of killing two Eldrazi titans will be, if they manifest in forseeable future at all.
I am sure forgetting something, it's kinda hard to keep up with all the storylines going on, especially when it takes years to continue (which might improve under the new system). My bet is on the Theros line, Ajani is the perfect hook for the now-necessary Gatewatch involvement.
I'm not sure if it counts, but we don't know where Nahiri's gone off to, and there's no telling what she will do next.
Also, I think sets dedicated to Regatha, Vryn and Return to Theros (which is practically guaranteed at this point with the amount of foreshadowing they've been doing) are something that should be in the cards, given the direction the story has been going.
I'm also going to echo the amount of Ravnica focus that's been in the story recently, especially in Ixalan. Doubly so if the speculation about Azor being involved with Ixalan has merit. That + Return to Ravnica being ages ago + Ravnica being a popular plane means that it'd honestly be jarring if Ravnica doesn't have a return set in the near future.
[quote from="SilverWolf_27 »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/speculation/786861-what-comes-after-dominaria?comment=6"]I'm not sure if it counts, but we don't know where Nahiri's gone off to, and there's no telling what she will do next.
an unhinged white aligned planeswalker with an affinity for artifice? i feel like she could find herself surprisingly at home on new phyrexia.
Oh, and one more thing: Jace is getting his memories back, maybe even all of them or at least enough to know where he came from. A proper set on Vryn seems inevitable in the near future.
Yeah, I was kinda hoping they might have tackled that a different way. Dovin Baan, being an evidently well-traveled and informed planeswalker, seemed like the perfect candidate to mention Vryn off-handedly, to give Jace a lead to follow to his home plane.
But hey, Jace bashed his head on a rock and now all the memories are flowing back, because they weren't reallyerased, they were just hiding the whole time. So now he can go visit his old home with his new snake-haired girlfriend (or not? Man, I'm gonna be really disappointed if all those Jace-Vraska scenes amount to nothing. You got me shipping, Wizards! Please don't sink it!).
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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.
Dominaria will feature Liliana (B), Jaya (R), Ajani (GW). Liliana will probably be the main character. She could fight her last demon here. The Onakke or the Raven Man could become the main antagonist of the set. Jaya, Ajani, or both will help fight whoever the antagonist is. Ajani will find out what happened on Amonkhet from Liliana. He will also probably try to get Liliana to rejoin the Gatewatch, but he may or may not succeed. Jaya might not have a huge story presence, but it's important that she gets a card here because (1.) nostalgia and (2.) they can't have two mono-red planeswalkers in one set, so if they want her to interact with Chandra in a future set then Jaya will have to get her card here rather than there.
After that, I expect that our next four "blocks" will be these, although the order is up in the air:
A single set on Regatha. The sooner this one happens, the better, because they should strike while the iron is hot after introducing Jaya (and it will be soon enough that people won't expect a new card, similar to Ugin in BFZ). The main character will be Chandra, obviously. I also think that Narset makes a lot of sense. A plane with monks that teach red magic? Seems like a good place for a planeswalker from a monk clan who needs to learn red magic so that she can bring back the Jeskai when we return to Tarkir. The actual plot, outside of long-awaited interaction between Chandra and Jaya, is anyone's guess, but we should learn more about the Order of Heliud to set up Return to Theros.
Two sets on Ravnica, five with each guild. They've been doing a ton to set this up so it will probably happen relatively soon. However, if they want to give cards to Jace, Vraska, and/or Azor, then they might want some distance between it and Ixalan. We already know that Teysa wants get rid of the Obzedat (I wonder if there's a WB planeswalker that could help her with that?), and that Vraska and Mazirek are trying to overthrow Jarad. Feather has been freed so she will probably get her card (finally) and have a conflict with Aurelia. The other guilds that aren't to busy having civil wars within the guild will probably just go to war with each other in the Guildpact's absence, as they often do. Ral Zarek will probably play a major role and likely an antagonistic one, given that he works for Bolas. My only other prediction is that Azor will take over Jace's job as Guildpact, because clearly creative is having trouble because they made the mistake of tying their most popular/commonly-used planeswalker to a single plane.
Two sets on Theros, with Gideon as the main protagonist. Ashiok is a perfectly good antagonist so it would be a shame if they didn't use him. Unless they decide to retcon the comics, Dack should be on Theros fighting Ashiok. Samut might also be there, because there's really nowhere else to go with her character than Theros or Return to Amonkhet (which may or may not even happen). Elspeth will obviously come back, maybe as planeswalker, maybe as a god, or maybe just a zombie. They should also be able to use Regatha to explain the connection between Heliod and the Order of Heliud, and this is where we would get the payoff for that.
One set, probably on a new plane, featuring Nissa. We're doing solo arcs for each of the Gatewatch, so there needs to be one for Nissa. It's too soon to return to Zendikar, and WotC doesn't seem too interested in returning to Lorwyn-Shadowmoor (nor does Nissa, considering that she evidently was there for five minutes and never thought about it again).
If I had to guess, I'd say that it will go Dominaria, Core Set, Regatha, Ravnica 3 Part 1, Ravnica 3 Part 2, Core Set, new plane with Nissa, Return to Theros Part 1, Return to Theros Part 2. This would put the solo arcs for the Origins 5 in the order of their defeats (with an intermission for Ravnica 3), put Regatha soon after Dominaria for the Jaya connection, and give a cushion between Ixalan and Ravnica 3 so that certain walkers can get new cards without pushing Ravnica 3 too far into the future. That said, the order could vary a little bit. Ravnica 3 could easily come before Regatha, or Theros could come before the new plane.
If I had to guess, I'd say that it will go Dominaria, Core Set, Regatha, Ravnica 3 Part 1, Ravnica 3 Part 2, Core Set, new plane with Nissa, Return to Theros Part 1, Return to Theros Part 2.
One possibility I've not seen anyone mention yet is that they will be using the Core Set as an actual story expansion. Have you considered that Regatha could also be Core 2018? Regatha was the historical core set plane for a few years, and they might not want to expand on it enough for a full expansion on top of that fact. If they make the Core set an actual plot point (and not just an interlude like previous Cores), they will not only have a solid story focused mechanical basis for the half new - half old way they are now doing them, but also help keep the plot moving along just as fast, which is something they've made a priority out of for the last few years.
Also, while Ravnica makes sense for a 2 part Return set (it being basically impossible to cram all 10 guilds into one set), Theros doesn't IMHO. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel for new mechanics the last time they went there (see: Tribute's existence, and the massive under utilization of Constellation since they handicapped themselves to much on the enchantment theme), and with Born of the Gods being widely regarded as the worst second set ever, I can't see them sticking their hand back into the snake pit for a second time after getting bit multiple times the first.
Other than that, I think you've got a good/probable road map here, even if I disagree with a few of the specific choices.
I like what I'm seeing for the most part. I think that if Nissa goes to a new plane, it would be a plane suited to her abilities.
Innistrad and Amonkhet are not planes she can do well on, due to the corruption present on both planes. The plane we see her on might actually be similar to Zendikar in terms of having a strong worldsoul to communicate with and copious amounts of mana that won't kill her if she tries to wield it. Another thing to note about Nissa is that "Become the hand that moves" thing that seemed to be developing while she was on Amonkhet. It could be foreshadowing for some huge development she will get later down the road (and let's be honest, she arguably has one of the most OP ability sets of any of the Gatewatch already), or it could be an un-fired Chekhov's Gun.
Is it possible that Shandalar can get a set to itself for once? I can see Nissa being there.
One possibility I've not seen anyone mention yet is that they will be using the Core Set as an actual story expansion. Have you considered that Regatha could also be Core 2018? Regatha was the historical core set plane for a few years, and they might not want to expand on it enough for a full expansion on top of that fact. If they make the Core set an actual plot point (and not just an interlude like previous Cores), they will not only have a solid story focused mechanical basis for the half new - half old way they are now doing them, but also help keep the plot moving along just as fast, which is something they've made a priority out of for the last few years.
considering that regatha doesn't strike me as an overwhelmingly unique place, this is an idea i could get behind.
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Are there any rumors out there any of you have heard about what it might be? Speculations?
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
If they didn't have the big announcement week this summer, we'd just be learning about Dominaria now in September and we do know about 3 sets already in advance, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria and Coreset 2019.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Good point. I forgot about the Coreset.
It is time 4 da next Multicolor-themed Block !
Last one was Ravnica itself 6 years prior to Fall 2018 block.
- New Phyrexia, but it was repeatedly said that Phyrexians are better as an invading force and they are not going anywhere without outside help.
- Theros, when we left there was still an unresolved problem with Ashiok, and Dack went to the underworld where Elspeth is still waiting.
- Ravnica, with the guildpact gone for so long, things are going to get ugly sooner or later. Also, Vraska.
- Innistrad will be finding a new balance of power with Avacyn gone and Sorin stoned, but we have been there relatively recently.
- Ob Nixilis can show up wherever just to screw with the Gatewatch.
- Bolas and his grand shceme, of course, but we could use a break from that.
- The whole mess around Lili, with the Raven man, the Veil and her fourth demon. We might get something in Dominaria.
- Garruk is still out there hunting.
- Whatever the consequences of killing two Eldrazi titans will be, if they manifest in forseeable future at all.
I am sure forgetting something, it's kinda hard to keep up with all the storylines going on, especially when it takes years to continue (which might improve under the new system). My bet is on the Theros line, Ajani is the perfect hook for the now-necessary Gatewatch involvement.
Yea, I'll see myself out now.
I know Wizards isn't crazy about the idea, but of all the planes from before I was playing, that is the one I have always thought was coolest, I would love a return.
Winter 2019: [Name of new plane]
Spring 2019: Return to Theros
(Summer 2019: Core 2020)
Fall 2019: Return to Theros part 2
Winter 2020: Ravnica 3
Spring 2020: Ravnica 3 part 2
(Alternatively, Fall 2018 is Dominaria part 2 or a brief Ravnica check-in, and all of the non-core stuff gets pushed back a spot.)
I'm still convinced that the next year or so of unannounced sets will be continuing the current "Gatewatch divided" arc, following the order of their Defeats in the Hour of Devastation story: Jace on Ixalan, Lili on Dominaria, then Chandra, Nissa, and finally Gideon.
Chandra most likely retreated to somewhere familiar to her to heal, and it's way too soon for another Kaladesh set, so taking advantage of the new blockless structure to spend a single set on Regatha makes sense - especially since Dominaria is reintroducing Jaya to the story, making the plane where she has a devout following a logical follow-up.
Likewise, it's still too soon for another Zendikar set, and we don't know much about Nissa's interplanar exploits pre-BFZ, so she's a lot more up in the air: a Lorwyn/Shadowmoor set is possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath. A set featuring a properly new plane would help with the slew of revisit sets to follow.
(Wilder speculation: that new plane will be a Wild West-themed plane...which is also Angrath's home plane. The way the story writers have talked about Angrath make him feel partly like a plant for an already-in-the-works future set to me, and a
cowbullboyman blacksmith would be a perfect fit in the wild west. Nissa's piece of the story is the most "available" piece of story space to follow up on his story.)And then that leaves Gideon. It actually will have been long enough since original Theros for a revisit at that point (six years), and the Amonkhet block story set up a number of plot threads to reconnect Gideon to his home plane: this is the most obvious landing location of any of them. This is also the arc most likely to be its own Thing outside of recovery (especially with the potential for a Heliud/Heliod plot on the heels of a revelation in Regatha), so it's the most likely of the bunch to get two sets.
And, finally, the part where the Gatewatch come back together for the Bolas rematch...all roads seem to be leading to Ravnica at this point. As noted above, it's possible we get a set very soon first, seeing the state the plane is in without the Living Guildpact (focusing on the enemy-colored guilds, probably, since that's where most of the internal strife has been shown so far?), but Ravnica is by far the most likely candidate for where this arc will end.
With the new Jaya art, I could see her taking a bigger role after dominaria and opening a new plane or pointing the gatewatch's focus elsewhere. She's a really big asset imho to just use for a set.
Core will probably be our check up on everything. Bolas, phyrexians, rav, etc.
The story seems pretty heavily seeded for a ravnica return. I was hoping jaces amnesia would last longer and have a resolve in another block (re return to Rav). Vraska has a strong motive right now because of rav. Ral zarek was name dropped too. That's just a bunch going on aside from the pure speculation on azor and what have you in the story forums.
I'd like a break from bolas and eldrazi personally. I kind of liked the feel of tarkir the most in recent sets. It delivered a diverse world with lots of fan favorites (dragons, fetches, etc.) Somwthing akin to that would be welcome.
In seriousness, Wild West plane is on the long shortlist...
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
i appreciate your willingness to make a blind guess. i don't think you're too far off either. regatha is certainly getting some support in the form of lore and character connections but i'm not completely sold on it. as described it is basically just a plane with some dust and firey stuff. turning it into the wild west plane would actually be pretty smart. i feel like we're going to see the viking plane with raven man sooner rather than later though.
i don't think ravnica 3 is going to be two sets. i think it's going to be one set with a vryn companion set. they can use jace to connect the two planes in narrative terms. the ravnica set will be bolas eternal invasion with vraska(?), tezzeret(?), and ral being installed as guildmasters, the vryn set will involve jace going home to get help.
i also don't think return to theros needs to be two sets.
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.
My 720 Peasant Cube
A. With coresets, we already know summers block and the spring announcement will only reveal one block technically.
B. With larger sets, we will probably get lesser supplementary sets like conspiracy and commanders. We didn’t get a lot for the first half of 2018 as it is.
I'm not sure if it counts, but we don't know where Nahiri's gone off to, and there's no telling what she will do next.
Also, I think sets dedicated to Regatha, Vryn and Return to Theros (which is practically guaranteed at this point with the amount of foreshadowing they've been doing) are something that should be in the cards, given the direction the story has been going.
I'm also going to echo the amount of Ravnica focus that's been in the story recently, especially in Ixalan. Doubly so if the speculation about Azor being involved with Ixalan has merit. That + Return to Ravnica being ages ago + Ravnica being a popular plane means that it'd honestly be jarring if Ravnica doesn't have a return set in the near future.
Tibalt!!! Where's that devil off to
an unhinged white aligned planeswalker with an affinity for artifice? i feel like she could find herself surprisingly at home on new phyrexia.
Yeah, I was kinda hoping they might have tackled that a different way. Dovin Baan, being an evidently well-traveled and informed planeswalker, seemed like the perfect candidate to mention Vryn off-handedly, to give Jace a lead to follow to his home plane.
But hey, Jace bashed his head on a rock and now all the memories are flowing back, because they weren't really erased, they were just hiding the whole time. So now he can go visit his old home with his new snake-haired girlfriend (or not? Man, I'm gonna be really disappointed if all those Jace-Vraska scenes amount to nothing. You got me shipping, Wizards! Please don't sink it!).
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.
Dominaria will feature Liliana (B), Jaya (R), Ajani (GW). Liliana will probably be the main character. She could fight her last demon here. The Onakke or the Raven Man could become the main antagonist of the set. Jaya, Ajani, or both will help fight whoever the antagonist is. Ajani will find out what happened on Amonkhet from Liliana. He will also probably try to get Liliana to rejoin the Gatewatch, but he may or may not succeed. Jaya might not have a huge story presence, but it's important that she gets a card here because (1.) nostalgia and (2.) they can't have two mono-red planeswalkers in one set, so if they want her to interact with Chandra in a future set then Jaya will have to get her card here rather than there.
After that, I expect that our next four "blocks" will be these, although the order is up in the air:
If I had to guess, I'd say that it will go Dominaria, Core Set, Regatha, Ravnica 3 Part 1, Ravnica 3 Part 2, Core Set, new plane with Nissa, Return to Theros Part 1, Return to Theros Part 2. This would put the solo arcs for the Origins 5 in the order of their defeats (with an intermission for Ravnica 3), put Regatha soon after Dominaria for the Jaya connection, and give a cushion between Ixalan and Ravnica 3 so that certain walkers can get new cards without pushing Ravnica 3 too far into the future. That said, the order could vary a little bit. Ravnica 3 could easily come before Regatha, or Theros could come before the new plane.
Thoughts?
One possibility I've not seen anyone mention yet is that they will be using the Core Set as an actual story expansion. Have you considered that Regatha could also be Core 2018? Regatha was the historical core set plane for a few years, and they might not want to expand on it enough for a full expansion on top of that fact. If they make the Core set an actual plot point (and not just an interlude like previous Cores), they will not only have a solid story focused mechanical basis for the half new - half old way they are now doing them, but also help keep the plot moving along just as fast, which is something they've made a priority out of for the last few years.
Also, while Ravnica makes sense for a 2 part Return set (it being basically impossible to cram all 10 guilds into one set), Theros doesn't IMHO. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel for new mechanics the last time they went there (see: Tribute's existence, and the massive under utilization of Constellation since they handicapped themselves to much on the enchantment theme), and with Born of the Gods being widely regarded as the worst second set ever, I can't see them sticking their hand back into the snake pit for a second time after getting bit multiple times the first.
Other than that, I think you've got a good/probable road map here, even if I disagree with a few of the specific choices.
I like what I'm seeing for the most part. I think that if Nissa goes to a new plane, it would be a plane suited to her abilities.
Innistrad and Amonkhet are not planes she can do well on, due to the corruption present on both planes. The plane we see her on might actually be similar to Zendikar in terms of having a strong worldsoul to communicate with and copious amounts of mana that won't kill her if she tries to wield it. Another thing to note about Nissa is that "Become the hand that moves" thing that seemed to be developing while she was on Amonkhet. It could be foreshadowing for some huge development she will get later down the road (and let's be honest, she arguably has one of the most OP ability sets of any of the Gatewatch already), or it could be an un-fired Chekhov's Gun.
Is it possible that Shandalar can get a set to itself for once? I can see Nissa being there.
considering that regatha doesn't strike me as an overwhelmingly unique place, this is an idea i could get behind.