I don't follow the lore of Magic like many other players. I am curious to know based on the story and other known information, what characters are likely to receive cards in the Rivals of Ixlan set? What is their likely color identity and what type of mechanics or abilities would these creatures have based on lore?
I don't follow the lore of Magic like many other players. I am curious to know based on the story and other known information, what characters are likely to receive cards in the Rivals of Ixlan set? What is their likely color identity and what type of mechanics or abilities would these creatures have based on lore?
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn ( elder dinosaur with flying)
Nezahal, Primal Tide ( elder dinosaur, probably with hexproof)
Zacama, Primal Calamity ( or elder dinosaur, almost certainly mythic)
Elendra, the Dusk Rose ( vampire, anyone's guess for mechanics)
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca ( merfolk that will likely interact with city's blessing given role in story)
There could be others (note the lack of pirates), but these are as good as confirmed since their full card names appear in the art book.
There isn't much in terms of lore. Kumena is a merfolk who searched for the golden city of Orazca (the merfolk are supposed to protect from everyone, including themselves, but Kumena went rogue). Evidently he found it, causing the city to rise out of the ground and the six elder dinosaurs to be released.
Elendra was a human on Torrezon (another continent on the plane where the vampires and pirates come from). She went to Ixalan centuries ago and became the first to receive the "blessing" of vampirism, likely from the bat god Aclazotz (Temple of Aclazotz). She returned to Torrezon and taught other humans how to become vampires. Later, the Immortal Sun was stolen from Torrezon and taken to Ixalan. She went back to Ixalan in search of it and is evidently still alive there.
I don't follow the lore of Magic like many other players. I am curious to know based on the story and other known information, what characters are likely to receive cards in the Rivals of Ixlan set? What is their likely color identity and what type of mechanics or abilities would these creatures have based on lore?
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn ( elder dinosaur with flying)
Nezahal, Primal Tide ( elder dinosaur, probably with hexproof)
Zacama, Primal Calamity ( or elder dinosaur, almost certainly mythic)
Elendra, the Dusk Rose ( vampire, anyone's guess for mechanics)
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca ( merfolk that will likely interact with city's blessing given role in story)
There could be others (note the lack of pirates), but these are as good as confirmed since their full card names appear in the art book.
There isn't much in terms of lore. Kumena is a merfolk who searched for the golden city of Orazca (the merfolk are supposed to protect from everyone, including themselves, but Kumena went rogue). Evidently he found it, causing the city to rise out of the ground and the six elder dinosaurs to be released.
Elendra was a human on Torrezon (another continent on the plane where the vampires and pirates come from). She went to Ixalan centuries ago and became the first to receive the "blessing" of vampirism, likely from the bat god Aclazotz (Temple of Aclazotz). She returned to Torrezon and taught other humans how to become vampires. Later, the Immortal Sun was stolen from Torrezon and taken to Ixalan. She went back to Ixalan in search of it and is evidently still alive there.
Insightful analysis.
Not sure if mono blue dino will get hexproof. It seems like they have been straying away from giving legendary creatures hexproof for commander purposes (because it's less fun due to it not being interactive). Perhaps blue could be unblockable or flying. White could be lifelink or vigilance.
I don't follow the lore of Magic like many other players. I am curious to know based on the story and other known information, what characters are likely to receive cards in the Rivals of Ixlan set? What is their likely color identity and what type of mechanics or abilities would these creatures have based on lore?
Zetalpa, Primal Dawn ( elder dinosaur with flying)
Nezahal, Primal Tide ( elder dinosaur, probably with hexproof)
Zacama, Primal Calamity ( or elder dinosaur, almost certainly mythic)
Elendra, the Dusk Rose ( vampire, anyone's guess for mechanics)
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca ( merfolk that will likely interact with city's blessing given role in story)
There could be others (note the lack of pirates), but these are as good as confirmed since their full card names appear in the art book.
There isn't much in terms of lore. Kumena is a merfolk who searched for the golden city of Orazca (the merfolk are supposed to protect from everyone, including themselves, but Kumena went rogue). Evidently he found it, causing the city to rise out of the ground and the six elder dinosaurs to be released.
Elendra was a human on Torrezon (another continent on the plane where the vampires and pirates come from). She went to Ixalan centuries ago and became the first to receive the "blessing" of vampirism, likely from the bat god Aclazotz (Temple of Aclazotz). She returned to Torrezon and taught other humans how to become vampires. Later, the Immortal Sun was stolen from Torrezon and taken to Ixalan. She went back to Ixalan in search of it and is evidently still alive there.
Insightful analysis.
Not sure if mono blue dino will get hexproof. It seems like they have been straying away from giving legendary creatures hexproof for commander purposes (because it's less fun due to it not being interactive). Perhaps blue could be unblockable or flying. White could be lifelink or vigilance.
My guesses mainly come from the images from the Ixalan art book (https://imgur.com/gallery/kizSI). The (presumably) blue one is the sea monster-like one and the (presumably) white one has wings. Since the black and green members of the cycle seem to indicate that each would have a single evergreen keyword, I think that flying is a safe bet for white.
Blue doesn't have access to many evergreen keywords so I tried to figure out its keyword by process of elimination. It isn't flying because the white one has flying and the blue one clearly doesn't fly in its art. Prowess is an option for blue but would be pretty lame on a large creature (the same can be said for Tetzimoc's deathtouch, but prowess even more so). That pretty much leaves hexproof and flash, and hexproof shows up much more frequently on large sea creatures than flash. But as you said, unblockable is also a possibility, and it wouldn't be the first time that unblockable was used as a replacement for an evergreen keyword in a cycle (Azorius Herald, Dimir Keyrune).
It's difficult to guess what the non-keyword abilities will be for the other members of the cycle. The static cost reduction on the green one and the activated ability on the black one have little in common, except that both affect the card while it's in your hand, but not while it's on the battlefield. It's possible that the other three (or four, depending on whether or not the multicolored one breaks form) might also have abilities that function in your hand, or at least in a zone other than the battlefield. Or they might not. We'll find out in a few days.
It's possible that Azor appears as a Legendary Creature and not a Planeswalker - although I hope this isn't the case. Actually part of me also hopes it it is because it may be the key ingredient Sphinx decks need.
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Azor being a legendary creature (period, meaning he's stuck on Ixalan) would be a pain for me mostly because it'd be a lost opportunity for Ravnica's story.
Yes, in addition to that - in fact that's the card that makes Sphinx decks possible in the first place. Sphinx decks are so almost there but so not quite. They lack a really good commander in WU - the three legendary WU sphinges don't really pack enough oomph for the deck to be viable as a commander. Medomai the Ageless is probably the best of them right now (but like most sphinges - he's expensive and doesn't really do enough to make for a good commander). It's hard to explain... but Sphinges just need ... more.
Yes, in addition to that - in fact that's the card that makes Sphinx decks possible in the first place. Sphinx decks are so almost there but so not quite. They lack a really good commander in WU - the three legendary WU sphinges don't really pack enough oomph for the deck to be viable as a commander. Medomai the Ageless is probably the best of them right now (but like most sphinges - he's expensive and doesn't really do enough to make for a good commander). It's hard to explain... but Sphinges just need ... more.
Actually if the commander is esper WUB then you would be able to use all the sphinxes expect for one Arjun, the Shifting Flame
It's possible that Azor appears as a Legendary Creature and not a Planeswalker - although I hope this isn't the case. Actually part of me also hopes it it is because it may be the key ingredient Sphinx decks need.
Well, now we've got Angrath, Huatli 2.0 and MaRo's confirmation that there will be only two planeswalkers in RIX.
It's possible that Azor appears as a Legendary Creature and not a Planeswalker - although I hope this isn't the case. Actually part of me also hopes it it is because it may be the key ingredient Sphinx decks need.
Well, now we've got Angrath, Huatli 2.0 and MaRo's confirmation that there will be only two planeswalkers in RIX.
EDH Sphinx players, rejoice!
That's assuming Azor directly supports Sphinxes in any way. Considering that thing about his interactions with Sphinxes on various planes, I wouldn't doubt it, but he could also do more generic Azorius things as a callback to the guild he founded.
Alright I've been crunching the numbers and it looks like this set is going to have 23 multicolored cards. 151 is World Shaper, but 152 is Angrath, the Flame-Chained. 173 is Storm the Vault, and 175 is Awakened Amalgam, so 174 must be Zacama, Primal Calamity. 152 through 174 means 23 multicolored cards, which is quite a lot for a small set without a multicolor theme.
Here's what we consider as good as confirmed so far:
8 archetype-defining uncommons (every color pair except WU and BG, just like Ixalan)
That's 18 cards. 23 minus 18 leaves 5 more unaccounted for. Previously, I was wondering if there might ally-colored DFC enchantments in addition to enemy ones. But we also need to have Azor in there someone, since he's obviously WU. So what if... Azor is part of the DFC cycle?
Think about it. We get 9 regular DFC enchantments at rare: one for every color pair except WU. The WU member of the cycle, however, is mythic rare, and instead of flipping from an enchantment to a land, it flips from a legendary creature to a planeswalker.
It would be an exception to all Ixalan DFCs being all lands on the back, but Ulrich was a similar exception to all Eldritch Moon DFCs being eldrazi on the back. It also contradicts Maro's statement that Rivals has two planeswalkers, but Maro is known to say things that are only true by technicality, and for the purposes of counting the number of cards of a certain type/color/rarity, usually only the front sides of DFCs are counted. By that logic, Ixalan has two planeswalkers and 9 legendary creatures (one which just happens to be a planeswalker on the back).
This is by no means a guarantee, and there are other cards that could account for the missing spots, but I think that this would explain a lot - why there are so many multicolored cards in this set, why Huatli was allowed to be the second planeswalker despite Azor being on the plane as well, why Azor losing his spark was included in the story, and why Azor was even included in the story in the first place (if he's not able to go to Ravnica, then what would even be the point of introducing him?)...
So if I'm correct, the multicolored cards will end up being:
Azor confirmed once and for all (even though the art book confirmed it)
Yeah, theory has been shot down. This means no allied color DFC enchantments either. Evidently we'll be getting WU and BG uncommons in place of two of them, with Jungle Creeper being already spoiled and the WU one still unrevealed. Protean Raider was also spoiled today, so the one remaining multicolor card will likely be a rare dinosaur (similar to how Regisaur Alpha mirrored Hostage Taker in Ixalan).
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
W Quetzalcoatlus
U Plesiosaurus
B some mutant anklosaurus
R Spinosaurus
G Tyranosaurus rex
?WUBRG? Three headed tyranosaurus rex (most likely RGW)
There could be others (note the lack of pirates), but these are as good as confirmed since their full card names appear in the art book.
There isn't much in terms of lore. Kumena is a merfolk who searched for the golden city of Orazca (the merfolk are supposed to protect from everyone, including themselves, but Kumena went rogue). Evidently he found it, causing the city to rise out of the ground and the six elder dinosaurs to be released.
Elendra was a human on Torrezon (another continent on the plane where the vampires and pirates come from). She went to Ixalan centuries ago and became the first to receive the "blessing" of vampirism, likely from the bat god Aclazotz (Temple of Aclazotz). She returned to Torrezon and taught other humans how to become vampires. Later, the Immortal Sun was stolen from Torrezon and taken to Ixalan. She went back to Ixalan in search of it and is evidently still alive there.
Insightful analysis.
Not sure if mono blue dino will get hexproof. It seems like they have been straying away from giving legendary creatures hexproof for commander purposes (because it's less fun due to it not being interactive). Perhaps blue could be unblockable or flying. White could be lifelink or vigilance.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
My guesses mainly come from the images from the Ixalan art book (https://imgur.com/gallery/kizSI). The (presumably) blue one is the sea monster-like one and the (presumably) white one has wings. Since the black and green members of the cycle seem to indicate that each would have a single evergreen keyword, I think that flying is a safe bet for white.
Blue doesn't have access to many evergreen keywords so I tried to figure out its keyword by process of elimination. It isn't flying because the white one has flying and the blue one clearly doesn't fly in its art. Prowess is an option for blue but would be pretty lame on a large creature (the same can be said for Tetzimoc's deathtouch, but prowess even more so). That pretty much leaves hexproof and flash, and hexproof shows up much more frequently on large sea creatures than flash. But as you said, unblockable is also a possibility, and it wouldn't be the first time that unblockable was used as a replacement for an evergreen keyword in a cycle (Azorius Herald, Dimir Keyrune).
It's difficult to guess what the non-keyword abilities will be for the other members of the cycle. The static cost reduction on the green one and the activated ability on the black one have little in common, except that both affect the card while it's in your hand, but not while it's on the battlefield. It's possible that the other three (or four, depending on whether or not the multicolored one breaks form) might also have abilities that function in your hand, or at least in a zone other than the battlefield. Or they might not. We'll find out in a few days.
You mean in addition to Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign?
Azor being a legendary creature (period, meaning he's stuck on Ixalan) would be a pain for me mostly because it'd be a lost opportunity for Ravnica's story.
Actually if the commander is esper WUB then you would be able to use all the sphinxes expect for one
Arjun, the Shifting Flame
B involved sphinx's
Well, now we've got Angrath, Huatli 2.0 and MaRo's confirmation that there will be only two planeswalkers in RIX.
EDH Sphinx players, rejoyce!
That's assuming Azor directly supports Sphinxes in any way. Considering that thing about his interactions with Sphinxes on various planes, I wouldn't doubt it, but he could also do more generic Azorius things as a callback to the guild he founded.
Here's what we consider as good as confirmed so far:
That's 18 cards. 23 minus 18 leaves 5 more unaccounted for. Previously, I was wondering if there might ally-colored DFC enchantments in addition to enemy ones. But we also need to have Azor in there someone, since he's obviously WU. So what if... Azor is part of the DFC cycle?
Think about it. We get 9 regular DFC enchantments at rare: one for every color pair except WU. The WU member of the cycle, however, is mythic rare, and instead of flipping from an enchantment to a land, it flips from a legendary creature to a planeswalker.
It would be an exception to all Ixalan DFCs being all lands on the back, but Ulrich was a similar exception to all Eldritch Moon DFCs being eldrazi on the back. It also contradicts Maro's statement that Rivals has two planeswalkers, but Maro is known to say things that are only true by technicality, and for the purposes of counting the number of cards of a certain type/color/rarity, usually only the front sides of DFCs are counted. By that logic, Ixalan has two planeswalkers and 9 legendary creatures (one which just happens to be a planeswalker on the back).
This is by no means a guarantee, and there are other cards that could account for the missing spots, but I think that this would explain a lot - why there are so many multicolored cards in this set, why Huatli was allowed to be the second planeswalker despite Azor being on the plane as well, why Azor losing his spark was included in the story, and why Azor was even included in the story in the first place (if he's not able to go to Ravnica, then what would even be the point of introducing him?)...
So if I'm correct, the multicolored cards will end up being:
This will probably get either confirmed or disproven very soon, but I wanted to get it out here before that happens. Thoughts, anyone?
Regarding Azor's abilities, I also think he won't support sphinxes as a tribe, but he'll be more in character, centered on some taxing/binding/retaining effect (we've just had a taste of it with recently spoiled Sphinx's Decree: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/787643-sphinxs-decree).
Yeah, theory has been shot down. This means no allied color DFC enchantments either. Evidently we'll be getting WU and BG uncommons in place of two of them, with Jungle Creeper being already spoiled and the WU one still unrevealed. Protean Raider was also spoiled today, so the one remaining multicolor card will likely be a rare dinosaur (similar to how Regisaur Alpha mirrored Hostage Taker in Ixalan).
So: