I just wished they had somehow made the expansion symbol the hologram instead.
I agree with this sentiment. After seeing the new card frame earlier this night, the tacky foil stamp being center AND breaking into the text box, was my most notable distaste with it.
I do like (to a varying degree) that the artist credit and collector information are more legible, but the amount of black bordering on the bottom does draw my eye in a displeasing way.
The new font is acceptable; neither much better or worse than the previous one.
If I had a choice, I would keep the way they re-did the collector info & artist credit, make the rarity symbol the authenticity stamp, and lower the point in which the border curves to minimize the amount of black. That would be far more tasteful, in my honest opinion.
Also to do with Dack and his time getting the Ancient Fang.
Basically, we know that Sorin was on Innistrad, and the fact that he did absolutely nothing actually LOOKING for Avacyn was... well, it makes more sense for him to have run across Dack while he was busy looking for Avacyn.
I should probably change it back though, or at least split it, because Sorin's arrival came after Thraben fell to Geralf according to the trailer. But damn does that stick in my craw wurm because it effectively means Sorin made an appearance for NO BLOODY REASON.
Like Jace, on Zendikar.
Ah, so it was mostly a hypothesis on your part?
Sorin being my favorite Magic character, I'm always ecstatic to see/hear/find new information on him.
Speaking of his appearance in the comics,
!{SPOILER WARNING}!
. . .I was rather disappointed the conflict depicted on the cover was nowhere to be found. What a let down. . .
I was also a bit confused why Sorin was so pissed that Dack was revealing his identity as a planeswalker. I just don't see why he would care so much, unless it was just because he didn't want Innistradi humans to find out about planeswalkers. Besides, don't most humanoids think planeswalkers are just too fantastic to believe?
Not that this is related to the original poster's topic, but it does have to do with Sorin.
I noticed that his Salvation article has been updated and it states that his involvement in Innistrad block's events occurred prior to Zendikar block's events. I was wondering where this timeline of events was confirmed.
Ajani: Boros, granted his beginnings as Ajani Vengeant & because he prefers to support, but is capable of fighting when called for. I doubt he would go Gruul because they have a very "doggy-dog world/kill-or-be-killed" mentality.
Chandra: Izzet, simply because she'd be allowed to blow up things with few repercussions. Otherwise, I could also see her doing jobs for the Rakdos or Boros.
Garruk: Gruul, without a single doubt. His beliefs match perfectly with the Gruul's doggy-dog-world mentality. Selesnya is too civil and religious for him. Golgari, perhaps, although I think they're too black/dirty for him. The circle-of-life thing might resonate with Garruk.
Gideon: Boros. Boros all the way, despite his stance against Aurelia. I think he more closely embodies the ideals of the Boros (if only in a glorified way).
Jace: Dimir, due to introverted behavior, his fondness of manipulating memories, and his love for knowing/prying into others' secrets.
Karn: Not sure at all, since I know nothing of his personality.
Liliana: Orzhov, due to deep-seated greed, conceited nature, and otherwise self-serving mentality. Perhaps Rakdos, for the sadism and masochism.
Nissa: Upon giving this thought, she might well fit in with the Gruul, because her culture is described as being very "Spartan"; complete with rigorous physical training. She may also agree with Golgari mentality, of nature's circle. I doubt Selesnya bc they're too religious.
Sarkhan: I have to agree with magac; Sarkhan would most likely follow a "worthy dragon" than his inherent colors. Beyond that, I would say he would be Gruul. His treatment of unworthy dragons is very Gruul.
Sorin: Orzhov. Hedonistic, yet philanthropic. His upper class background also fits well with the wealthy Orzhov.
Tamiyo: Izzet bc of her pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake. It's too bad we don't know more of her personality.
Tibalt: Perfect fit for Rakdos, complete with an extreme love for S&M.
Venser: If he were still alive, I would say he'd be Izzet (despite his planeswalker card being U/W) bc of his love for knowledge & artifice. The only white part of him seems to be his fondness for teleporting things, in order to better control his situation.
Vraska: Judging from what I've read, she seems quite Dimir (especially with her whole network of assassins that never see her; if that's not Dimir-like, I don't know what is).
For the record, the Izzet built the entirety of Ravnica Prime, which was sort of a celebratory gift from Niv-Mizzet to commemorate the guildpact.
... It was also his plan to use a glyph the size of ten districts to seize power, but the goblins building the city found that and changed it, thinking that, surely, the dragon hadn't meant to do that.
Not that I find this particularly surprising, granted Niv-Mizzet is a dragon, but where was this originally mentioned? In the RAV block novels? Or one of the old articles? I'd love to read up on this, because this is most intriguing. . .
I think that's a little presumptuous to say. The Eldrazi were around for untold countless millenia before they were sealed, and while it's questionable how many planes they consumed, they obviously didn't eat everything. The multiverse is nigh infinite after all.
They really are probably incredibly slow eaters.
And that being said, I don't think Sorin is remotely concerned any more. So long as the hedron matrix is intact, the Eldrazi aren't going anywhere.
Yeah, that's true, but I meant in a technical eventuality.
Slow eaters... that's kind of funny when I think about it.
Though, won't they eventually destroy the hedron matrix and the magics sustaining them? If I remember from correctly from the book, they were described as "tenuous at best" (or something along those lines). The Eldrazi having threatened to destroy Zendikar twice before (once upon their arrival, and once upon their first jailbreak) makes me think they eat, or at least destroy at a decent speed.
Last I heard wasnt Gideon going to ranvica to gather planeswalkers to help against the most powerful and deadly creatures in the whole multiverse?
Why is he pottering around with the boros girl? I can see getting help from 1 guild might be good but shouldnt he be looking for planeswalkers not playing ranvica peace keeper.
(maybe im just annoyed the biggest threat to the multiverse and after 3 sets wizards havent even said a word about it)
Gideon's decision makes me question his wisdom. Yes, you have to choose your battles, but I feel Ravnica has many more potential saviours (or at least individuals that would prevent its destruction) than Zendikar. Zendikar has Nissa... and she's off tracking Sorin. I just feel the Eldrazi are far more threatening than Ravnica's strife. Save Ravnica now, but if the Eldrazi have their way, Ravnica will be destroyed anyway (along with countless other planes).
Also, I highly doubt Wizards would destroy Ravnica so soon.
I have a feeling it was simply a note. Like Sorin did. Sorin knows the Eldrazi will have to be dealt with, and he'll probably have to deal with them, but the fight can be put off and other things need to be dealt with more imminently.
I know Sorin left Zendikar as punishment upon Nissa for being naive & foolish, but your statement makes me wonder how long the Eldrazi are taking to devour Zendikar. Could Zendikar's inhabitants be putting up an effective resistance? Or are the Eldrazi simply incredibly slow eaters? The former is difficult to believe, granted Zendikar's history with the Eldrazi.
I would imagine Sorin knows the urgency of the Eldrazi threat, and would turn his attention towards them again, once he sorts out his business on Innistrad.
By my reckoning, she's only about ten times the height of that humanoid. Still huge, but that's no Godzilla.
I can't remember the details, or even where I read it, but Iona is a special case. Most angels on Zendikar are the same size as a normal humanoid. Iona is unique not only in that she's huge, but also she's the only angel without a halo over her eyes (until Rise of the Eldrazi, at least).
Ah, I see. That's quite interesting that's she is unique. I suppose a plane like Zendikar, with its potent & abundance of mana would create such angels as Iona (at least in its past).
I just measured the size of the human to Iona, and yes, you're right, she is approximately 10 - 12 (granted her feet are cut off & that she's slightly further in the background than the climber). Judging from that, I would imagine she'd be a 3x3 - 4x4" D&D token... which is actually larger than a good number of dragons in D&D (and likely MtG as well). . .
I wonder if MtG angels have the ability to adjust their size to best suit their needs or situation. I would imagine they would, since angels in our real world lore have such an ability.
@Unskilled Ninja: Oh, I know. Avacyn is practically a deity by my reckoning. I often refer to her to others as an archangel god.
Earlier today, while collecting hi-res images to make D&D tokens, I noticed that there is a human(oid) adventurer/climber roped to a piece of debris in the artwork for Iona, Shield of Emeria.
I thought the climber was something else at first, perhaps part of the debris. I had yet to think angels to be towering behemoths... But I was looking at the hi-res image (1200x900 px) on the artist's blog. It was unmistakable that the figure was definitely not a tiny faerie (or similar creature). Not to mention, I do not recall faeries (or other exceptionally tiny beings) existing on Zendikar.
Then the Wizards article about "scaling birds" quickly flashed into my thoughts... except the scaling "birds" here are the pieces of architecture and the human climber. The only logical conclusion my mind could come to was: Iona is GIGANTIC. Judging from the size of the human climber, probably (without jest) the size of a monster that would appear in a Godzilla film.
Up until this moment, I had always considered MtG angels to be, generally, around the size of other average-sized MtG humanoid creatures. You know, somewhere in the ballpark of 5' - 7'; possibly 8' - 9' for large angels, but not several hundred feet tall. As a D&D token (using the 1" = 5' system), Iona would be the size of a 8x11" page or map.
So, having stumbled upon this most... surprising revelation, the question came to me: ~ Are there other angels in the multiverse (on the planes we've visited thus far) that are towering (but elegant & beautiful) gargantuan titans?
I immediately thought of Avacyn and her three underling archangels (Bruna, Gisela, & Sigarda). I quickly opened an image of the Avacyn Restored set art (where she is descending from the sky) and examined it. My first thoughts were, "The humans look big enough compared to her. She must be normal-sized." Then I looked at it again, and realized the image is foreshortened from the perspective of the grounded Innistradian humans, if not the ground itself. Which then lead me to think, "Maybe Avacyn is taller than the average human. Maybe even as tall as Garruk or Ajani..."
I haven't seen any other size comparisons with angels & average-size humanoids, so I am not yet sure what to make of this.
In magic a planeswalker is defined as someone with an active spark.
This was more obvious back when being a planeswalker gave you alot of other abilities. (like creating planes and shapeshifting)
The mending did not change the definition of planeswalker.
So yes, Night's reach could move from plane to plane, but she didn't have an active spark, so she wasn't a planeswalker.
I understand a spark defines the term 'planeswalker' and that Night's Reach is not a planeswalker, but I don't see what that has to do with new-walkers "rais[ing] alot of questions about non-spark characters getting planeswalkers cards."
We've had instances of beings who passed through the Eternities. Most of the time it was a result of Urza doing stuff.
He created an eternity resistant bubble producing cyst for Xantcha. She couldn't enter or exit the eternities without Urza, nor could she navigate without him. Even with the bubble, she nearly died several times.
When Tolaria started exploding, he took who he could with him by turning them all to 2 dimensional stone. Even then, he lost a few.
Nope. They didn't planeshift because they never left the blind eternities. They existed without physical form and consumed planes from the outside. Imagine swimming through the water and coming up to a balloon filled with something delicious. The Eldrazi would float around outside the balloon and use some bizarre metaphysical straw to drain the mana out of planes without every interacting with it directly.
The essential thing for both walking and shifting is to actually be... y'know ON a plane and then go to another one.
Most interesting and enlightening. Far more informative than most of the texts I have come across, especially about the Eldrazi.
I definitely agree. Without the ties to story and characters on the card, we end up with Yu-Gi-Oh and similar card games where you have some pretty pictures, but no real background information.
I loathe to see the day that happens. I took interest in Magic because I was so sick and tired of all the shallow, story-less card games out there.
I truly hope Magic's lore is only taking a temporary hiatus.
i could see novels getting out not syncronized with the set (like the Artifact cycle), and it would still be awesome! we just want story, a baseline to know, lore!! - if they are released with the sets, that's fine, but if not.. i understand that.
i think that magic lore is and untapped resource that they aren't using, and with a little work, it could be not only good for selling cards and characters, but also a independent source of money (like as i said the Star Wars books).
Definitely agree with you there. They should honestly take the necessary amount of time and resources to produce a good novel, instead of rushing it to coincide with card releases. While that would be ideal, I'd rather they execute it well, versus making it on time. (Just hopefully not as long as it takes Blizzard to make most of their games though.)
It took extreme amounts of creativity and power to be able to let anything other than a walker survive the eternities, even for a moment.
Do these two statements hint that it is in fact possible to have non-walkers (aside from beings like the Eldrazi) pass through the Blind Eternities (just with a great deal of effort)?
...Or are these merely hypothetical?
Didn't the Eldrazi originally "travel between planes devouring the mana and life energy until the plane’s destruction."? I thought their purpose for existence was to travel from plane to plane and consume. Given that, wouldn't their travels be considered planeshifting, or even planeswalking (assuming they pass through the Blind Eternities, since they are native to the Blind Eternities)?
P.S ~ Thank you for the information thus far, it is most appreciated.
Ah, I see. So there is no such thing as "natural planeshifting" without being an actual planeswalker? (Something akin to pseudo-planeswalking, except without passing through the Blind Eternities.)
Also, while we're on the topic, why can't planeswalkers transport others with them through the Blind Eternities? Is it simply because the Blind Eternities is such a volatile place that non-walkers can't even pass through for a millisecond?
For that matter, how are neo-walkers able to pass through the Blind Eternities, given their diminutive stature compared to old-walkers? ...Or does the spark just protect them (with no further explanation)?
It's explicitly stated in the Planeswalkers Guide that Stensia shares borders with both Kessig and Gavony, so I know Kessig & Stensia are either West & North, respectively (as you mentioned), or vice-versa.
However, I for the life of me, cannot find a source that mentions Nephalia borders Gavony. It is not that I don't believe you; I simply desire the source so I can affirm it for my own notes & mind.
Splendid work, by the way. I cannot wait for the Innistrad Art Book.
I agree with this sentiment. After seeing the new card frame earlier this night, the tacky foil stamp being center AND breaking into the text box, was my most notable distaste with it.
I do like (to a varying degree) that the artist credit and collector information are more legible, but the amount of black bordering on the bottom does draw my eye in a displeasing way.
The new font is acceptable; neither much better or worse than the previous one.
If I had a choice, I would keep the way they re-did the collector info & artist credit, make the rarity symbol the authenticity stamp, and lower the point in which the border curves to minimize the amount of black. That would be far more tasteful, in my honest opinion.
Ah, so it was mostly a hypothesis on your part?
Sorin being my favorite Magic character, I'm always ecstatic to see/hear/find new information on him.
Speaking of his appearance in the comics,
!{SPOILER WARNING}!
. . .I was rather disappointed the conflict depicted on the cover was nowhere to be found. What a let down. . .
I was also a bit confused why Sorin was so pissed that Dack was revealing his identity as a planeswalker. I just don't see why he would care so much, unless it was just because he didn't want Innistradi humans to find out about planeswalkers. Besides, don't most humanoids think planeswalkers are just too fantastic to believe?
I noticed that his Salvation article has been updated and it states that his involvement in Innistrad block's events occurred prior to Zendikar block's events. I was wondering where this timeline of events was confirmed.
Chandra: Izzet, simply because she'd be allowed to blow up things with few repercussions. Otherwise, I could also see her doing jobs for the Rakdos or Boros.
Garruk: Gruul, without a single doubt. His beliefs match perfectly with the Gruul's doggy-dog-world mentality. Selesnya is too civil and religious for him. Golgari, perhaps, although I think they're too black/dirty for him. The circle-of-life thing might resonate with Garruk.
Gideon: Boros. Boros all the way, despite his stance against Aurelia. I think he more closely embodies the ideals of the Boros (if only in a glorified way).
Jace: Dimir, due to introverted behavior, his fondness of manipulating memories, and his love for knowing/prying into others' secrets.
Karn: Not sure at all, since I know nothing of his personality.
Liliana: Orzhov, due to deep-seated greed, conceited nature, and otherwise self-serving mentality. Perhaps Rakdos, for the sadism and masochism.
Nissa: Upon giving this thought, she might well fit in with the Gruul, because her culture is described as being very "Spartan"; complete with rigorous physical training. She may also agree with Golgari mentality, of nature's circle. I doubt Selesnya bc they're too religious.
Sarkhan: I have to agree with magac; Sarkhan would most likely follow a "worthy dragon" than his inherent colors. Beyond that, I would say he would be Gruul. His treatment of unworthy dragons is very Gruul.
Sorin: Orzhov. Hedonistic, yet philanthropic. His upper class background also fits well with the wealthy Orzhov.
Tamiyo: Izzet bc of her pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake. It's too bad we don't know more of her personality.
Tibalt: Perfect fit for Rakdos, complete with an extreme love for S&M.
Venser: If he were still alive, I would say he'd be Izzet (despite his planeswalker card being U/W) bc of his love for knowledge & artifice. The only white part of him seems to be his fondness for teleporting things, in order to better control his situation.
Vraska: Judging from what I've read, she seems quite Dimir (especially with her whole network of assassins that never see her; if that's not Dimir-like, I don't know what is).
Not that I find this particularly surprising, granted Niv-Mizzet is a dragon, but where was this originally mentioned? In the RAV block novels? Or one of the old articles? I'd love to read up on this, because this is most intriguing. . .
Yeah, that's true, but I meant in a technical eventuality.
Slow eaters... that's kind of funny when I think about it.
Though, won't they eventually destroy the hedron matrix and the magics sustaining them? If I remember from correctly from the book, they were described as "tenuous at best" (or something along those lines). The Eldrazi having threatened to destroy Zendikar twice before (once upon their arrival, and once upon their first jailbreak) makes me think they eat, or at least destroy at a decent speed.
Gideon's decision makes me question his wisdom. Yes, you have to choose your battles, but I feel Ravnica has many more potential saviours (or at least individuals that would prevent its destruction) than Zendikar. Zendikar has Nissa... and she's off tracking Sorin. I just feel the Eldrazi are far more threatening than Ravnica's strife. Save Ravnica now, but if the Eldrazi have their way, Ravnica will be destroyed anyway (along with countless other planes).
Also, I highly doubt Wizards would destroy Ravnica so soon.
I know Sorin left Zendikar as punishment upon Nissa for being naive & foolish, but your statement makes me wonder how long the Eldrazi are taking to devour Zendikar. Could Zendikar's inhabitants be putting up an effective resistance? Or are the Eldrazi simply incredibly slow eaters? The former is difficult to believe, granted Zendikar's history with the Eldrazi.
I would imagine Sorin knows the urgency of the Eldrazi threat, and would turn his attention towards them again, once he sorts out his business on Innistrad.
Thank you for the information.
Ah, I see. That's quite interesting that's she is unique. I suppose a plane like Zendikar, with its potent & abundance of mana would create such angels as Iona (at least in its past).
I just measured the size of the human to Iona, and yes, you're right, she is approximately 10 - 12 (granted her feet are cut off & that she's slightly further in the background than the climber). Judging from that, I would imagine she'd be a 3x3 - 4x4" D&D token... which is actually larger than a good number of dragons in D&D (and likely MtG as well). . .
I wonder if MtG angels have the ability to adjust their size to best suit their needs or situation. I would imagine they would, since angels in our real world lore have such an ability.
@Unskilled Ninja: Oh, I know. Avacyn is practically a deity by my reckoning. I often refer to her to others as an archangel god.
I thought the climber was something else at first, perhaps part of the debris. I had yet to think angels to be towering behemoths... But I was looking at the hi-res image (1200x900 px) on the artist's blog. It was unmistakable that the figure was definitely not a tiny faerie (or similar creature). Not to mention, I do not recall faeries (or other exceptionally tiny beings) existing on Zendikar.
Then the Wizards article about "scaling birds" quickly flashed into my thoughts... except the scaling "birds" here are the pieces of architecture and the human climber. The only logical conclusion my mind could come to was: Iona is GIGANTIC. Judging from the size of the human climber, probably (without jest) the size of a monster that would appear in a Godzilla film.
Up until this moment, I had always considered MtG angels to be, generally, around the size of other average-sized MtG humanoid creatures. You know, somewhere in the ballpark of 5' - 7'; possibly 8' - 9' for large angels, but not several hundred feet tall. As a D&D token (using the 1" = 5' system), Iona would be the size of a 8x11" page or map.
So, having stumbled upon this most... surprising revelation, the question came to me:
~ Are there other angels in the multiverse (on the planes we've visited thus far) that are towering (but elegant & beautiful) gargantuan titans?
I immediately thought of Avacyn and her three underling archangels (Bruna, Gisela, & Sigarda). I quickly opened an image of the Avacyn Restored set art (where she is descending from the sky) and examined it. My first thoughts were, "The humans look big enough compared to her. She must be normal-sized." Then I looked at it again, and realized the image is foreshortened from the perspective of the grounded Innistradian humans, if not the ground itself. Which then lead me to think, "Maybe Avacyn is taller than the average human. Maybe even as tall as Garruk or Ajani..."
I haven't seen any other size comparisons with angels & average-size humanoids, so I am not yet sure what to make of this.
What do you members of the forum think?
I understand a spark defines the term 'planeswalker' and that Night's Reach is not a planeswalker, but I don't see what that has to do with new-walkers "rais[ing] alot of questions about non-spark characters getting planeswalkers cards."
Most interesting and enlightening. Far more informative than most of the texts I have come across, especially about the Eldrazi.
Again, thank you for this bounty of information.
I am curious what you mean by this. Could you elaborate why that is case?
I loathe to see the day that happens. I took interest in Magic because I was so sick and tired of all the shallow, story-less card games out there.
I truly hope Magic's lore is only taking a temporary hiatus.
Definitely agree with you there. They should honestly take the necessary amount of time and resources to produce a good novel, instead of rushing it to coincide with card releases. While that would be ideal, I'd rather they execute it well, versus making it on time. (Just hopefully not as long as it takes Blizzard to make most of their games though.)
Do these two statements hint that it is in fact possible to have non-walkers (aside from beings like the Eldrazi) pass through the Blind Eternities (just with a great deal of effort)?
...Or are these merely hypothetical?
Didn't the Eldrazi originally "travel between planes devouring the mana and life energy until the plane’s destruction."? I thought their purpose for existence was to travel from plane to plane and consume. Given that, wouldn't their travels be considered planeshifting, or even planeswalking (assuming they pass through the Blind Eternities, since they are native to the Blind Eternities)?
P.S ~ Thank you for the information thus far, it is most appreciated.
Also, while we're on the topic, why can't planeswalkers transport others with them through the Blind Eternities? Is it simply because the Blind Eternities is such a volatile place that non-walkers can't even pass through for a millisecond?
For that matter, how are neo-walkers able to pass through the Blind Eternities, given their diminutive stature compared to old-walkers? ...Or does the spark just protect them (with no further explanation)?