Given what we know, what can we predict about the foreseeable future of Magic.
We know that roughly, we will be alternating between new blocks and return blocks.
We know that the 5 specific planeswalkers in Magic: Origins will play major roles in the upcoming blocks.
Its not unlikely that the some of the ten planes in Magic: Origins will play major roles in the upcoming blocks.
There are a few specific storylines that are reasonable to expect in the near future.
1) Battle for Zendikar - will feature at a minimum: Gideon, Kiora, Nissa, Sorin, Ugin, Sarkhan, Jace, Chandra, Ob Nixilus
2) Rescuing Elspeth - we just did Theros Block, but Elspeth is a fan favorite, and Ajani is pretty motivated to rescue her, and Heliod needs someone to bring him down a notch. While it probably won't be for 3 or 4 years, I would be surprised if we didn't return to Theros for a "Rescuing Elspeth" type story
3) Phyrexia - Phyrexia is the poster-child magic villan. New Phyrexia is was one of the best selling sets in recent memory. We also have a large number of walkers dedicated to this plane: Koth, Karn, Tezzeret, Venser(in spirit), Elspeth (in spirit), Nicol Bolas (by proxy). That said, I suspect we won't get a return block for Mirrodin, but instead the Phyrexians will invade a new plane, like they are prone to doing. That said, the plane being invaded is unterminable at this point.
4) Demon Hunting - Lilliana is one of the 5 walkers in origins, and hasn't been mentioned thus far. That said, she kinda has her own story going in the form of hunting down the 2 remaining demons with claims on her soul. Whatever the next new plane we travel to is, I fully expect one of Lilliana's demons will be there. Garruk will also probably follow her, in his unending effort to kill her. Also, this has to happen twice.
5) Where is Nicol Bolas? - Nicol Bolas has kinda gotten mentioned basically everywhere, from Zendikar to Mirrodin to Tarkir, but hasn't really featured in a block since Alara. As much as he loves his minions, he will need to get his hands dirty in order for magic fans to remember he exists. Also, once he realizes Ugin in alive, Nicol will probably try to kill him again. Sadly, again, it is hard to predict where this is likely to take place, and is probably on a new plane.
6) Ravnica, the plane where everybody knows your name - Ravnica is a major hub for planeswalkers. At least half we know of have spent at least some time here and Vraska and Ral and specific to this plane. While I actually doubt we will get a return to return to ravnica, I do expect it to play into the story. Expect meetings to continue to happen on Ravnica, and for ravnica characters (Niv-mizzet for one) to continue to play a role in the story.
Specific predictions:
1) Zendikar - known
2) Vyrn - of the 3 "new planes" from Origins, seems most likely to have demon on it for Lilliana to deal with
3) Return to Ulgrotha - every fan wants this to happen, its somewhere for Phyrexia to invade, I want to see phyrexian vampires, a lilliana demon could be here, the portal could finally be explained (as how phyrexians got in, or who their next victims are destined to be)
4) Kaladesh - of the 3 "new planes" seems to be the most interesting. Likely for this reason, but I'm not sure storywise where this goes
5) Lorwyn - Nicol Bolas did all the Alara stuff to take advantage of the Maelstrom. Of all the things we know about in the multiverse right now, "the Great Aurora" seems the next most potent thing for Bolas to attempt to exploit. The next time we see Nicol in the flesh (instead of acting through pawns) I predict it will be here. (Also, it is one of the ten planes from Origins, so that helps the probability a little).
6) somewhere completely new - Ulamog may be dealt with in BFZ, but Kozilek is still loose, dealt with here.
7) Theros - save Elspeth arc
8)somewhere completely new - Gideon finally completes his show-down with Emrakul.
Last, unlikely places for return arcs:
Innistrad - as crazy popular as it is, there is no story reason to go here. Sorin and Lilliana's stories here are over, and noone else has ties to this plane (except Tibalt who everyone hates).
Kamigawa - crazy unpopular, not one of the ten origins planes, no real story reason. Tamiyo is only known planeswalker associated with this plane, and she seems more than happy to be anywhere else.
Mercadia - as hilarious as a return to Mercadia would be, WHY? It would be glorious in that no one would expect it, but this plane almost saw Magic die. This is perhaps the only plane hated more than Kamigawa.
Alara - All the planeswalkers associated with this plane have moved on to other story-lines. There is no character which is really aching to come back here.
Tarkir - we just did this, and the story is pretty much wrapped up.
What does everyone else think? Is there something obvious that I missed?
Nice thread and some interesting ideas. I'm going to base this on some things we know. First we know that Liliana in the new story with Jace was worried about something and wanted Jace's help. Now given that she took the Chain Veil out and she seemed confident over having killed the two demons. Therefore I think that it must be something related to the Chain Veil. There have been several hints about Onnake Ogres recently (there was a horn of one in Jace's Sanctum in the last Uncharted Realms). This leads me to beleieve that there is a possibility that we might be going to Shandalar soon (where the Onnake are from).
The amount of thopters in Origins leads me to think that perhaps we might go to Kaladesh next. A Steampunk plane is on the short list and Maro confirmed that this was a Steampunk plane. Liliana might go there to get someone to try and look at the Chain Veil, and I suspect Chandra has unfinished business there. I am curious as to what job Chandra has got (it was mentioned at the San Diego panel that she had got a job).
I agree that we are likely to be going back to Theros at some point to rescue Elspeth from the Underworld there (please WotC...Elspeth must live again).
Going back to New Phyexia at some point is likely as we need to catch up on what Koth and Tezzeret are doing. Bolas has been plotting a lot of things, but so far we don't know what his motives in a lot of them are. I expect to eventually see his one remaining loyal agent (Ramesh) show up.
Personally I would like to go to Fiora as it looked like a cool world, but they may decide to keep it for Conspiracy 2.
Finally I expect to see Sorin go off and try and bring Nahiri back in a future block. It is clear that they had a falling out and that he did something to her, but what he did to her we don't yet know.
I would be honestly a bit shocked if they ever returned to Theros. Theros did not do good things and their policy tends to not be to return to blocks that at all resembled Kamigawa. Yes... I think we can throw Theros in with Kamigawa on the suck scale. I think they will "save" elspeth in some way or another in all likelihood because she has a lot of fans so it seems silly to actually have offed her for good. I just dont think it will be a return to theros that it happens in.
I also think it will be a minimum of another 3-5 years before we see Ravnica again. I don't think they are looking to tapdance on a specific set and returning it in the next 2 years seems like it would be in the range of too frequently.
If I had to make some sort of guess as to where our next "return" is going to be, it would be one of the following three:
1) Lorwyn - it was a well liked block with a land cycle that is often requested. While "tribal" cards wont be done again, tribal does tend to be well received. With the splash of tribal cards we got from origins it could make a good follow up to BfZ in that origins will rotate out removing some of what it would introduce to standard after only 6 months together. 2) Innistrad - This set sold like hot cakes. I think we are still probably a little ways away from a return based on how recently we were there but I think its a lot more likely than returning to any set we have already returned to as I think a third return to any plane is unlikely for some time still. 3) Alara - Honestly, my third guess is a long shot with anything I even consider as I don't think there are a lot of really big demand sets from a standpoint of fan favorites. I think Alara could happen again just because it was well received and it had a TON of amazing mechanics and cards. It honestly made me really sad to see RtR block as a multicolored set when compared with how freaking amazing Alara was a few years before it. In some ways, Khans resembled Alara but it was on the other three wedges so the mechanics and colors are swapped. I don't really strongly feel any suspicion that Alara would be picked but I think it was well received by fans in general. I don't pay attention to story enough to know what happened there or what a return would entail though.
Honestly, I hope they don't return to blocks too frequently. One in every three blocks is about the fastest I really want to see a return set pushed into circulation but they are sort of nice to see now and then.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
It might surprise you to learn that Theros outsold Innistrad. Only Khans has exceeded Theros in sales. In terms of popularity Theros is not in the Kamigawa level. There were certain issues with the implementation, but the Gods were popular and I fully expect to go back there someday.
Lorwyn on the other hand didn't do well on the WoTC internal polls. It is now Shadowmoor currently anyway, but I'm not sure that we'll head back there. Innistrad is almost a shoo in for a return. Alara is a possibility, though it was in a very mixed up state by the end of the last block with it on.
Ulgrotha? Of all the places you think are more likely to return to than Innistrad... Ulgrotha? Nah, brah, nah. I think we can say with almost total certainty that the block after BFZ will be a Lili block.
Does anyone else think we might be going to Regatha very soon? Of the ten planes only 3 have not been seen before to some extent, and of those 3 only one had almost nothing mentioned about it.
Vryn and Kaladesh we the setting of Jace and Chandra's origin stories respectively, but Chandra's story ended the minute she walked to Regatha and the only things we really know about it is that Jaya founded the Keral Keep monastery, the existence of the Order of Heliud (which may or may not be connected to the other Heliod), and the magical phenomenon called the Purifying Fire, and that's it.
I'm sure we will visit Vyrn and Kaladesh at some point, but as far as we know, Regatha is a blank slate to be built upon.
Ulgrotha is, sadly I may add, not going to happen, as at the time of its release Homelands was much reviled (why I cannot fathom as it contained a number of tournament staples.)
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
I stopped reading OP at "every fan wants a return to Ulgrotha". Magic player's capability to believe that everybody likes the same things they like is truly impresive.
I'm guessing we do get a return to Tarkir eventually--there seem to be hints that the memory of the clans has not been entirely wiped out. Perhaps new broods of enemy-colored dragons start spawning, or something.
I would say the next block will definitely contain Liliana and one of her demons and, as far as I can remember Maro's short list, it will likely be egypt-themed block.
From strange things in the same list "murder mystery, noir block" piqued my attention since that souns as one of possible developments of now Avacyn'd Innistrad.
What about Dominaria? I'm pretty sure a significant number of people would like that to return. It could also be where the Phyrexians try to go next as they have tried in the past and maybe want to give it another go. It would also allow, like Origins did, Wizards to bring back some of the flavor of old classic cards of mythic epicness. At least for me, my dream would be to have a return to Dominaria that is a jumbo set like in the days of old when we would have roughly 300+ cards in some sets. Shoot, the largest set to date had 422 if you don't count core sets, and if you do it is 449 with 5th edition. Seeing as blocks are now 2 sets instead of 3, they could certainly up the number of cards to tell more of a story within the cards. Anyway, this is my wish, and I think there is a possibility we head to Dominaria again as the focus of a set at some point in the not too distant future. I wouldn't try and claim it likely as the set following BFZ block, but it is a place where much can be done.
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All your base are belong to us!
RIP Batman guy. I hope somebody picks up the slack now that you are gone. Sick children need their Batman.
On balance, I could see quite a few reasons to go back to Ulgrotha, storyline-wise. Given modern design tools, it would certainly NOT suck the second time around. Neither would Kamigawa for that matter.. I don't understand why people seem to think it would be Homelands 2 Electric Boogaloo or something. If we're not ever going back to Innistrad, this would be a very obvious replacement if you ask me. There are so many vampires there--I don't see how they can possibly avoid going there forever as long as Sorin exists.
I also predict one of Lili's demons is on Regatha so we'll go there eventually. It seems like a fiery sort of place and we could definitely use some more red demons.
On balance, I could see quite a few reasons to go back to Ulgrotha, storyline-wise. Given modern design tools, it would certainly NOT suck the second time around. Neither would Kamigawa for that matter.. I don't understand why people seem to think it would be Homelands 2 Electric Boogaloo or something. If we're not ever going back to Innistrad, this would be a very obvious replacement if you ask me. There are so many vampires there--I don't see how they can possibly avoid going there forever as long as Sorin exists.
I also predict one of Lili's demons is on Regatha so we'll go there eventually. It seems like a fiery sort of place and we could definitely use some more red demons.
Neither a revisit Homelands (a.k.a. Ulgrotha) nor Kamigawa is going to happen because WotC considers them failures. Kamigawa was mismanaged from day one (over saturation of the legendary type coupled with lots of parasitic and just plain bad mechanics will do that), while Homelands suffered from being over produced (much like Fallen Empires, despite it both being flavorful and containing a number of tournament staples).
A revisit to Innistrad *is* going to happen. It is not a question of *if*, it is a question of *when*. The reason is quite simple: Innistrad was design and popularity wise a "home run", the only weak point was Avacyn Restored, and even that had a lot of strong points (it's primary problem was the lack of DFC's and building on earlier block themes). Pretty much, if a block is a success, then we will revisit the plane eventually. That means that both Innistrad, Theros, and Tarkir will be revisited in future blocks, just like we revisited Mirrodin (now New Phyrexia) and Ravnica, and will shortly revisit Zendikar. Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Alara are still up in the air as they where not quite as successful as WotC would have liked.
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
A new plane featuring Liliana seems to be a huge possibility for after Zendikar. While they may use an Origins plane, I suspect we'll see something new. (And as a shameless plug, if you wanted a quick read, check out my Innistrad fiction in my signature).
I wonder if there is any chance of a multi-plane block in the future--like Urza's Saga or Origins. That way, we could check in on Bolas, save Elspeth, take on the fourth of Lili's demons eventually, and so on. An Origins-like set every few years would not be terrible. We could test-drive new planes and revisit some old ones story-wise (and perhaps mechanics-wise).
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Dominian Scholar of the Old Guard, specializing in pre-revisionist (Armada comics) and revisionist (Brothers' War through Apocalypse)history
On balance, I could see quite a few reasons to go back to Ulgrotha, storyline-wise. Given modern design tools, it would certainly NOT suck the second time around. Neither would Kamigawa for that matter.. I don't understand why people seem to think it would be Homelands 2 Electric Boogaloo or something. If we're not ever going back to Innistrad, this would be a very obvious replacement if you ask me. There are so many vampires there--I don't see how they can possibly avoid going there forever as long as Sorin exists.
I also predict one of Lili's demons is on Regatha so we'll go there eventually. It seems like a fiery sort of place and we could definitely use some more red demons.
Neither a revisit Homelands (a.k.a. Ulgrotha) nor Kamigawa is going to happen because WotC considers them failures. Kamigawa was mismanaged from day one (over saturation of the legendary type coupled with lots of parasitic and just plain bad mechanics will do that), while Homelands suffered from being over produced (much like Fallen Empires, despite it both being flavorful and containing a number of tournament staples).
A revisit to Innistrad *is* going to happen. It is not a question of *if*, it is a question of *when*. The reason is quite simple: Innistrad was design and popularity wise a "home run", the only weak point was Avacyn Restored, and even that had a lot of strong points (it's primary problem was the lack of DFC's and building on earlier block themes). Pretty much, if a block is a success, then we will revisit the plane eventually. That means that both Innistrad, Theros, and Tarkir will be revisited in future blocks, just like we revisited Mirrodin (now New Phyrexia) and Ravnica, and will shortly revisit Zendikar. Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Alara are still up in the air as they where not quite as successful as WotC would have liked.
Cool.
I just read somewhere (I think it was this same thread?) they definitely were NOT going back because its storyline has been resolved, more or less. I think that was it.
I do agree Innistrad was super-flavorful and they knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed the block immensely and certainly wouldn't mind going back.
However.. I don't get a strong sense from MaRo's podcasts that he likes to repeat things just to repeat them. I mean--according to MaRo himself, Return to Ravnica was basically the only time they've ever done that and I get a bit of a vibe (completely subjective, admitted) that he has some regrets this happened. So then--where can they go with 'Gothic Horror World' after 1) the central conflict has been resolved and 2) just about every single horror trope in existence has already been done?
But I will say that now, thinking about it more, Ulgrotha doesn't make any sense to me anymore because it was also pretty much 'Gothic Horror World'. We certainly do not need TWO of those.
Guys, Didn't MaRo confirm somewhere that after the two-sets-per-block thing it was going to be one new plane every other block? So like after BFZ its gonna be a new plane, then a return, and so on?
Anyway YES we are probably gonna have a return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor for the following reasons:
- The two set per block change makes it more possible for a return to happen because they can have Set 1 Shadowmoor Set 2 Lorwyn (Lorwyn is currently Shadowmoor because of Nissa's Origin Story)
- The Nicol Bolas theory could also be true (he wants to manipulate the Aurora like he wanted the Maelstrom in Alara)
-The Tribal mechanics were very popular
As much as we want it to happen though, we probably wont have a return to Innistrad very soon.
-The story pretty much ended there and the only planeswalkers currently there are Tamiyo and Tibalt.
-We could see innistrad as the next plane the Phyrexians invade (Corrupted angels? Phyrexian Avacyn?)
On balance, I could see quite a few reasons to go back to Ulgrotha, storyline-wise. Given modern design tools, it would certainly NOT suck the second time around. Neither would Kamigawa for that matter.. I don't understand why people seem to think it would be Homelands 2 Electric Boogaloo or something. If we're not ever going back to Innistrad, this would be a very obvious replacement if you ask me. There are so many vampires there--I don't see how they can possibly avoid going there forever as long as Sorin exists.
I also predict one of Lili's demons is on Regatha so we'll go there eventually. It seems like a fiery sort of place and we could definitely use some more red demons.
Neither a revisit Homelands (a.k.a. Ulgrotha) nor Kamigawa is going to happen because WotC considers them failures. Kamigawa was mismanaged from day one (over saturation of the legendary type coupled with lots of parasitic and just plain bad mechanics will do that), while Homelands suffered from being over produced (much like Fallen Empires, despite it both being flavorful and containing a number of tournament staples).
A revisit to Innistrad *is* going to happen. It is not a question of *if*, it is a question of *when*. The reason is quite simple: Innistrad was design and popularity wise a "home run", the only weak point was Avacyn Restored, and even that had a lot of strong points (it's primary problem was the lack of DFC's and building on earlier block themes). Pretty much, if a block is a success, then we will revisit the plane eventually. That means that both Innistrad, Theros, and Tarkir will be revisited in future blocks, just like we revisited Mirrodin (now New Phyrexia) and Ravnica, and will shortly revisit Zendikar. Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Alara are still up in the air as they where not quite as successful as WotC would have liked.
Cool.
I just read somewhere (I think it was this same thread?) they definitely were NOT going back because its storyline has been resolved, more or less. I think that was it.
I do agree Innistrad was super-flavorful and they knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed the block immensely and certainly wouldn't mind going back.
However.. I don't get a strong sense from MaRo's podcasts that he likes to repeat things just to repeat them. I mean--according to MaRo himself, Return to Ravnica was basically the only time they've ever done that and I get a bit of a vibe (completely subjective, admitted) that he has some regrets this happened. So then--where can they go with 'Gothic Horror World' after 1) the central conflict has been resolved and 2) just about every single horror trope in existence has already been done?
But I will say that now, thinking about it more, Ulgrotha doesn't make any sense to me anymore because it was also pretty much 'Gothic Horror World'. We certainly do not need TWO of those.
Innistrad was essentially created as a replacement for Ulgrotha because they wanted to make a "Gothic Horror Block", and didn't want to use Ulgrotha because it was disliked when it was released by the way of over-production. It was simply a risk they where not willing to take and as such made a new world to fill it, and thus relegating Ulgrotha to supplementary products (and core sets).
And MaRo does like to repeat popular things, he wouldn't have made either Return to Ravnica nor Scars of Mirrodin if he didn't. But each time, he tries to make a new twist on the story. In Scars they had Phyrexia take over (and despite what some people thing, the signs where there since the original Mirrodin block in the form of the Mycosynth and the black oil), and in RTR they built the story and primary conflict about the disintegration of the old guildpact and the race through the maze. Both where fresh takes on the concepts established in the first visit to the planes, thus preventing them from feeling like a rehash (and both became huge successes because of it). The revisit to Zendikar continues the trend of us revisiting popular planes/settings. It is no longer a question of if we are going to revisit a plane, but rather when are we going to revisit a plane, and which one will it be. The answer for the revisit that will come after BFZ (with at least one, possibly two new planes in between) is still up in the air, but the likely culprit is either Dominaria or Innistrad, as both are highly popular settings.
Guys, Didn't MaRo confirm somewhere that after the two-sets-per-block thing it was going to be one new plane every other block? So like after BFZ its gonna be a new plane, then a return, and so on?
Anyway YES we are probably gonna have a return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor for the following reasons:
- The two set per block change makes it more possible for a return to happen because they can have Set 1 Shadowmoor Set 2 Lorwyn (Lorwyn is currently Shadowmoor because of Nissa's Origin Story)
- The Nicol Bolas theory could also be true (he wants to manipulate the Aurora like he wanted the Maelstrom in Alara)
-The Tribal mechanics were very popular
As much as we want it to happen though, we probably wont have a return to Innistrad very soon.
-The story pretty much ended there and the only planeswalkers currently there are Tamiyo and Tibalt.
-We could see innistrad as the next plane the Phyrexians invade (Corrupted angels? Phyrexian Avacyn?)
Regatha, Vryn and Kaladesh are very possible
A return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor is not impossible, but not likely, as MaRo considers large parts of the block failures. Including the Tribal mechanic, which he has gone on record to state was a huge mistake. It was also not that big of a success compared to for example Alara (which was a moderate, but not great, success, it wasn't until Zendikar that they started to make Home Runs.)
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
Kamigawa - crazy unpopular, not one of the ten origins planes, no real story reason. Tamiyo is only known planeswalker associated with this plane, and she seems more than happy to be anywhere else.
This was too funny to go unnoticed!
I can just see Tamiyo: "Aren't you from Kamigawa?" / "Oh, no, of course not. I'm from a far more well-received plane. I'm from Nebraska."
They wouldn't necessarily have to make an oppressor of humanity but they could say that in Sorin's absence due to the Eldrazi, Avacyn realized that the best way to ensure her purpose of protecting humanity would be to wage a full-scale genocide on the monsters that once preyed on humanity, leading the humans on a crusade to eradicate all non-human from the face of Innistrad. Then, when Sorin returns, he finds that the protector he created has turned her flock into a raving mob no better than the "beasts" they so zealously hunt to near extinction and that his creation has utterly destroyed the balance he wished to set and that.
I mean, of course the enjoyment of the masses is what would matter in the grand scheme of things but I know that I would personally enjoy this sort of 'Return To Innistrad' block partially because I think it would be could and partially because I'd love to see them flip the script and print Soulbond on Vampires, Werewolves and Stitchers as they'd have to band together to beat back the tide of human slayers.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
Theros is (sadly) popular, but Innistrad is extremely well loved. So far, we have returned to Dominaria (Time Spiral), Mirrodin (Scars), Ravnica (Return) and Zendikar (Battle for Zendikar). They like to space out the return blocks a bit. As everyone else stated in the thread, with some of the planes, the story is over, and there isn't a tugging concern from the characters to return.
Since they are now using planeswalkers to determine where the story goes, lets get a checklist going of what they are doing.
Ajani - Theros, trying to mess with the gods, specifically Heliod.
Ashiok - Theros, using dreams to mess with stuff. No ties, will go after nightmares.
Chandra - Confirmed for Zendikar. Became grandmaster of the firebenders.
Dack Fayden - Stealing stuff. He seems relegated to supplemental products.
Daretti - Building Stuff. He also seems relegated to supplemental products.
Domri Rade - Ravnica probably. Will pop up when they go to a plane with big red green beaters.
Elspeth - Underworld on Theros. Probably will get rescued in 5-7 years.
Freyalise- Dead. Her story is over.
Garruk - Demoted out of main character status. Now a bad guy, according to Mark Rosewater.
Gideon - Confirmed for Battle of Zendikar. Recruiting good guys to fight Eldrazi.
Jace - Same as Gideon.
Karn - Elsewhere. Finding source of Phyrexian Oil. Most likely to appear in next Phyrexian arc.
Kiora - Confirmed for Battle of Zendikar. Stole Thassa's Bident.
Koth - New Phyrexia most likely. Resistance is dying out ):
Liliana - Left Ravnica probably. Demon hunting to continue most likely.
Nahiri - Somewhere that Sorin has to go. From his attitude, it isn't a pleasant place.
Narset - On Tarkir with Sarkhan, having fun with eachother.
Nicol Bolas - Scheming. Lost both Sarkhan and assurance that Ugin is dead.
Nissa - Returning for Battle of Zendikar.
Ob Nixilis - Still a scheming demon trapped on Zendikar. Confirmed for returning.
Ral Zarek - On Ravnica, and probably will stay on Ravnica. Helped Jace keep planeswalking a secret.
Sarkhan - On Tarkir, hanging out in paradise with Narset
Sorin Markov - Sent out to find Nahiri, which he isn't happy about.
Tamiyo - Studying on Innistrad. Probably our last glimpse of Kamigawa.
Teferi - Sparkless on Dominaria. Might be seen again if we go there again.
Tezzeret - Probably on New Phyrexia. Mentioned in stories. Linked to artifact based planes.
Tibalt- Who cares. Innistrad I guess...
Ugin - Confirmed to talk to Jace based on artwork.
Venser - Dead, and probably going to stay dead, according to Mark Rosewater.
Vraska - Ravnica, trying to cause chaos to hinder Jace.
Xenaogs - Dead. Might return due to shenanigans, but I doubt it.
Venser - Dead, and probably going to stay dead, according to Mark Rosewater.
Considering how Venser fused with Yawgmoth's physical remains in a teleporting incident and Yawgmoth became a god still alive on Phyrexia (assuming it hasn't collapsed due to mana imbalance), we might see Yawgmoth reanimate Venser's body and become a 'walker (finally). Besides, you can't stop the 'chops.
Mercadia - as hilarious as a return to Mercadia would be, WHY? It would be glorious in that no one would expect it, but this plane almost saw Magic die. This is perhaps the only plane hated more than Kamigawa.
Citation needed. I first experienced tuned, competitive Magic decks during the Urza's-Masques Standard, so I'm surely biased, but the game was far from dying by my recollection. I remember folks complaining about Mercadian Masques in comparison with Urza's Saga/Legacy/Destiny, which most players now consider perhaps the most overpowered/broken block ever.
As an aside, a Rishadan Port currently costs $95 TCGPlayer mid. When I bought a playset at $12 each back during its height of Standard popularity, people said I paid too much.
As another aside, it was specifically a Yawgmoth's Bargain deck that initiated me into competitive Magic. Blaze for 30, turn three - and Bargain wasn't even a good deck in that Standard! (That was, however, a pretty good hand for it.)
We know that roughly, we will be alternating between new blocks and return blocks.
We know that the 5 specific planeswalkers in Magic: Origins will play major roles in the upcoming blocks.
Its not unlikely that the some of the ten planes in Magic: Origins will play major roles in the upcoming blocks.
There are a few specific storylines that are reasonable to expect in the near future.
1) Battle for Zendikar - will feature at a minimum: Gideon, Kiora, Nissa, Sorin, Ugin, Sarkhan, Jace, Chandra, Ob Nixilus
2) Rescuing Elspeth - we just did Theros Block, but Elspeth is a fan favorite, and Ajani is pretty motivated to rescue her, and Heliod needs someone to bring him down a notch. While it probably won't be for 3 or 4 years, I would be surprised if we didn't return to Theros for a "Rescuing Elspeth" type story
3) Phyrexia - Phyrexia is the poster-child magic villan. New Phyrexia is was one of the best selling sets in recent memory. We also have a large number of walkers dedicated to this plane: Koth, Karn, Tezzeret, Venser(in spirit), Elspeth (in spirit), Nicol Bolas (by proxy). That said, I suspect we won't get a return block for Mirrodin, but instead the Phyrexians will invade a new plane, like they are prone to doing. That said, the plane being invaded is unterminable at this point.
4) Demon Hunting - Lilliana is one of the 5 walkers in origins, and hasn't been mentioned thus far. That said, she kinda has her own story going in the form of hunting down the 2 remaining demons with claims on her soul. Whatever the next new plane we travel to is, I fully expect one of Lilliana's demons will be there. Garruk will also probably follow her, in his unending effort to kill her. Also, this has to happen twice.
5) Where is Nicol Bolas? - Nicol Bolas has kinda gotten mentioned basically everywhere, from Zendikar to Mirrodin to Tarkir, but hasn't really featured in a block since Alara. As much as he loves his minions, he will need to get his hands dirty in order for magic fans to remember he exists. Also, once he realizes Ugin in alive, Nicol will probably try to kill him again. Sadly, again, it is hard to predict where this is likely to take place, and is probably on a new plane.
6) Ravnica, the plane where everybody knows your name - Ravnica is a major hub for planeswalkers. At least half we know of have spent at least some time here and Vraska and Ral and specific to this plane. While I actually doubt we will get a return to return to ravnica, I do expect it to play into the story. Expect meetings to continue to happen on Ravnica, and for ravnica characters (Niv-mizzet for one) to continue to play a role in the story.
Specific predictions:
1) Zendikar - known
2) Vyrn - of the 3 "new planes" from Origins, seems most likely to have demon on it for Lilliana to deal with
3) Return to Ulgrotha - every fan wants this to happen, its somewhere for Phyrexia to invade, I want to see phyrexian vampires, a lilliana demon could be here, the portal could finally be explained (as how phyrexians got in, or who their next victims are destined to be)
4) Kaladesh - of the 3 "new planes" seems to be the most interesting. Likely for this reason, but I'm not sure storywise where this goes
5) Lorwyn - Nicol Bolas did all the Alara stuff to take advantage of the Maelstrom. Of all the things we know about in the multiverse right now, "the Great Aurora" seems the next most potent thing for Bolas to attempt to exploit. The next time we see Nicol in the flesh (instead of acting through pawns) I predict it will be here. (Also, it is one of the ten planes from Origins, so that helps the probability a little).
6) somewhere completely new - Ulamog may be dealt with in BFZ, but Kozilek is still loose, dealt with here.
7) Theros - save Elspeth arc
8)somewhere completely new - Gideon finally completes his show-down with Emrakul.
Last, unlikely places for return arcs:
Innistrad - as crazy popular as it is, there is no story reason to go here. Sorin and Lilliana's stories here are over, and noone else has ties to this plane (except Tibalt who everyone hates).
Kamigawa - crazy unpopular, not one of the ten origins planes, no real story reason. Tamiyo is only known planeswalker associated with this plane, and she seems more than happy to be anywhere else.
Mercadia - as hilarious as a return to Mercadia would be, WHY? It would be glorious in that no one would expect it, but this plane almost saw Magic die. This is perhaps the only plane hated more than Kamigawa.
Alara - All the planeswalkers associated with this plane have moved on to other story-lines. There is no character which is really aching to come back here.
Tarkir - we just did this, and the story is pretty much wrapped up.
What does everyone else think? Is there something obvious that I missed?
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The amount of thopters in Origins leads me to think that perhaps we might go to Kaladesh next. A Steampunk plane is on the short list and Maro confirmed that this was a Steampunk plane. Liliana might go there to get someone to try and look at the Chain Veil, and I suspect Chandra has unfinished business there. I am curious as to what job Chandra has got (it was mentioned at the San Diego panel that she had got a job).
I agree that we are likely to be going back to Theros at some point to rescue Elspeth from the Underworld there (please WotC...Elspeth must live again).
Going back to New Phyexia at some point is likely as we need to catch up on what Koth and Tezzeret are doing. Bolas has been plotting a lot of things, but so far we don't know what his motives in a lot of them are. I expect to eventually see his one remaining loyal agent (Ramesh) show up.
Personally I would like to go to Fiora as it looked like a cool world, but they may decide to keep it for Conspiracy 2.
Finally I expect to see Sorin go off and try and bring Nahiri back in a future block. It is clear that they had a falling out and that he did something to her, but what he did to her we don't yet know.
I also think it will be a minimum of another 3-5 years before we see Ravnica again. I don't think they are looking to tapdance on a specific set and returning it in the next 2 years seems like it would be in the range of too frequently.
If I had to make some sort of guess as to where our next "return" is going to be, it would be one of the following three:
1) Lorwyn - it was a well liked block with a land cycle that is often requested. While "tribal" cards wont be done again, tribal does tend to be well received. With the splash of tribal cards we got from origins it could make a good follow up to BfZ in that origins will rotate out removing some of what it would introduce to standard after only 6 months together.
2) Innistrad - This set sold like hot cakes. I think we are still probably a little ways away from a return based on how recently we were there but I think its a lot more likely than returning to any set we have already returned to as I think a third return to any plane is unlikely for some time still.
3) Alara - Honestly, my third guess is a long shot with anything I even consider as I don't think there are a lot of really big demand sets from a standpoint of fan favorites. I think Alara could happen again just because it was well received and it had a TON of amazing mechanics and cards. It honestly made me really sad to see RtR block as a multicolored set when compared with how freaking amazing Alara was a few years before it. In some ways, Khans resembled Alara but it was on the other three wedges so the mechanics and colors are swapped. I don't really strongly feel any suspicion that Alara would be picked but I think it was well received by fans in general. I don't pay attention to story enough to know what happened there or what a return would entail though.
Honestly, I hope they don't return to blocks too frequently. One in every three blocks is about the fastest I really want to see a return set pushed into circulation but they are sort of nice to see now and then.
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Lorwyn on the other hand didn't do well on the WoTC internal polls. It is now Shadowmoor currently anyway, but I'm not sure that we'll head back there. Innistrad is almost a shoo in for a return. Alara is a possibility, though it was in a very mixed up state by the end of the last block with it on.
Vryn and Kaladesh we the setting of Jace and Chandra's origin stories respectively, but Chandra's story ended the minute she walked to Regatha and the only things we really know about it is that Jaya founded the Keral Keep monastery, the existence of the Order of Heliud (which may or may not be connected to the other Heliod), and the magical phenomenon called the Purifying Fire, and that's it.
I'm sure we will visit Vyrn and Kaladesh at some point, but as far as we know, Regatha is a blank slate to be built upon.
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Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
From strange things in the same list "murder mystery, noir block" piqued my attention since that souns as one of possible developments of now Avacyn'd Innistrad.
RIP Batman guy. I hope somebody picks up the slack now that you are gone. Sick children need their Batman.
I also predict one of Lili's demons is on Regatha so we'll go there eventually. It seems like a fiery sort of place and we could definitely use some more red demons.
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Neither a revisit Homelands (a.k.a. Ulgrotha) nor Kamigawa is going to happen because WotC considers them failures. Kamigawa was mismanaged from day one (over saturation of the legendary type coupled with lots of parasitic and just plain bad mechanics will do that), while Homelands suffered from being over produced (much like Fallen Empires, despite it both being flavorful and containing a number of tournament staples).
A revisit to Innistrad *is* going to happen. It is not a question of *if*, it is a question of *when*. The reason is quite simple: Innistrad was design and popularity wise a "home run", the only weak point was Avacyn Restored, and even that had a lot of strong points (it's primary problem was the lack of DFC's and building on earlier block themes). Pretty much, if a block is a success, then we will revisit the plane eventually. That means that both Innistrad, Theros, and Tarkir will be revisited in future blocks, just like we revisited Mirrodin (now New Phyrexia) and Ravnica, and will shortly revisit Zendikar. Lorwyn/Shadowmoor and Alara are still up in the air as they where not quite as successful as WotC would have liked.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
I wonder if there is any chance of a multi-plane block in the future--like Urza's Saga or Origins. That way, we could check in on Bolas, save Elspeth, take on the fourth of Lili's demons eventually, and so on. An Origins-like set every few years would not be terrible. We could test-drive new planes and revisit some old ones story-wise (and perhaps mechanics-wise).
Cool.
I just read somewhere (I think it was this same thread?) they definitely were NOT going back because its storyline has been resolved, more or less. I think that was it.
I do agree Innistrad was super-flavorful and they knocked it out of the park. I enjoyed the block immensely and certainly wouldn't mind going back.
However.. I don't get a strong sense from MaRo's podcasts that he likes to repeat things just to repeat them. I mean--according to MaRo himself, Return to Ravnica was basically the only time they've ever done that and I get a bit of a vibe (completely subjective, admitted) that he has some regrets this happened. So then--where can they go with 'Gothic Horror World' after 1) the central conflict has been resolved and 2) just about every single horror trope in existence has already been done?
But I will say that now, thinking about it more, Ulgrotha doesn't make any sense to me anymore because it was also pretty much 'Gothic Horror World'. We certainly do not need TWO of those.
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Anyway YES we are probably gonna have a return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor for the following reasons:
- The two set per block change makes it more possible for a return to happen because they can have Set 1 Shadowmoor Set 2 Lorwyn (Lorwyn is currently Shadowmoor because of Nissa's Origin Story)
- The Nicol Bolas theory could also be true (he wants to manipulate the Aurora like he wanted the Maelstrom in Alara)
-The Tribal mechanics were very popular
As much as we want it to happen though, we probably wont have a return to Innistrad very soon.
-The story pretty much ended there and the only planeswalkers currently there are Tamiyo and Tibalt.
-We could see innistrad as the next plane the Phyrexians invade (Corrupted angels? Phyrexian Avacyn?)
Regatha, Vryn and Kaladesh are very possible
Innistrad was essentially created as a replacement for Ulgrotha because they wanted to make a "Gothic Horror Block", and didn't want to use Ulgrotha because it was disliked when it was released by the way of over-production. It was simply a risk they where not willing to take and as such made a new world to fill it, and thus relegating Ulgrotha to supplementary products (and core sets).
And MaRo does like to repeat popular things, he wouldn't have made either Return to Ravnica nor Scars of Mirrodin if he didn't. But each time, he tries to make a new twist on the story. In Scars they had Phyrexia take over (and despite what some people thing, the signs where there since the original Mirrodin block in the form of the Mycosynth and the black oil), and in RTR they built the story and primary conflict about the disintegration of the old guildpact and the race through the maze. Both where fresh takes on the concepts established in the first visit to the planes, thus preventing them from feeling like a rehash (and both became huge successes because of it). The revisit to Zendikar continues the trend of us revisiting popular planes/settings. It is no longer a question of if we are going to revisit a plane, but rather when are we going to revisit a plane, and which one will it be. The answer for the revisit that will come after BFZ (with at least one, possibly two new planes in between) is still up in the air, but the likely culprit is either Dominaria or Innistrad, as both are highly popular settings.
A return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor is not impossible, but not likely, as MaRo considers large parts of the block failures. Including the Tribal mechanic, which he has gone on record to state was a huge mistake. It was also not that big of a success compared to for example Alara (which was a moderate, but not great, success, it wasn't until Zendikar that they started to make Home Runs.)
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
This was too funny to go unnoticed!
I can just see Tamiyo: "Aren't you from Kamigawa?" / "Oh, no, of course not. I'm from a far more well-received plane. I'm from Nebraska."
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I mean, of course the enjoyment of the masses is what would matter in the grand scheme of things but I know that I would personally enjoy this sort of 'Return To Innistrad' block partially because I think it would be could and partially because I'd love to see them flip the script and print Soulbond on Vampires, Werewolves and Stitchers as they'd have to band together to beat back the tide of human slayers.
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Since they are now using planeswalkers to determine where the story goes, lets get a checklist going of what they are doing.
Ajani - Theros, trying to mess with the gods, specifically Heliod.
Ashiok - Theros, using dreams to mess with stuff. No ties, will go after nightmares.
Chandra - Confirmed for Zendikar. Became grandmaster of the firebenders.
Dack Fayden - Stealing stuff. He seems relegated to supplemental products.
Daretti - Building Stuff. He also seems relegated to supplemental products.
Domri Rade - Ravnica probably. Will pop up when they go to a plane with big red green beaters.
Elspeth - Underworld on Theros. Probably will get rescued in 5-7 years.
Freyalise- Dead. Her story is over.
Garruk - Demoted out of main character status. Now a bad guy, according to Mark Rosewater.
Gideon - Confirmed for Battle of Zendikar. Recruiting good guys to fight Eldrazi.
Jace - Same as Gideon.
Karn - Elsewhere. Finding source of Phyrexian Oil. Most likely to appear in next Phyrexian arc.
Kiora - Confirmed for Battle of Zendikar. Stole Thassa's Bident.
Koth - New Phyrexia most likely. Resistance is dying out ):
Liliana - Left Ravnica probably. Demon hunting to continue most likely.
Nahiri - Somewhere that Sorin has to go. From his attitude, it isn't a pleasant place.
Narset - On Tarkir with Sarkhan, having fun with eachother.
Nicol Bolas - Scheming. Lost both Sarkhan and assurance that Ugin is dead.
Nissa - Returning for Battle of Zendikar.
Ob Nixilis - Still a scheming demon trapped on Zendikar. Confirmed for returning.
Ral Zarek - On Ravnica, and probably will stay on Ravnica. Helped Jace keep planeswalking a secret.
Sarkhan - On Tarkir, hanging out in paradise with Narset
Sorin Markov - Sent out to find Nahiri, which he isn't happy about.
Tamiyo - Studying on Innistrad. Probably our last glimpse of Kamigawa.
Teferi - Sparkless on Dominaria. Might be seen again if we go there again.
Tezzeret - Probably on New Phyrexia. Mentioned in stories. Linked to artifact based planes.
Tibalt- Who cares. Innistrad I guess...
Ugin - Confirmed to talk to Jace based on artwork.
Venser - Dead, and probably going to stay dead, according to Mark Rosewater.
Vraska - Ravnica, trying to cause chaos to hinder Jace.
Xenaogs - Dead. Might return due to shenanigans, but I doubt it.
Considering how Venser fused with Yawgmoth's physical remains in a teleporting incident and Yawgmoth became a god still alive on Phyrexia (assuming it hasn't collapsed due to mana imbalance), we might see Yawgmoth reanimate Venser's body and become a 'walker (finally). Besides, you can't stop the 'chops.
Citation needed. I first experienced tuned, competitive Magic decks during the Urza's-Masques Standard, so I'm surely biased, but the game was far from dying by my recollection. I remember folks complaining about Mercadian Masques in comparison with Urza's Saga/Legacy/Destiny, which most players now consider perhaps the most overpowered/broken block ever.
As an aside, a Rishadan Port currently costs $95 TCGPlayer mid. When I bought a playset at $12 each back during its height of Standard popularity, people said I paid too much.
As another aside, it was specifically a Yawgmoth's Bargain deck that initiated me into competitive Magic. Blaze for 30, turn three - and Bargain wasn't even a good deck in that Standard! (That was, however, a pretty good hand for it.)