Does the artbook make any mention of Runo Stromkirk?
Yes. It mentions that he worshipped the ancient Sea God, Kralmar. Currently he is worshipping Kralmar and the Gitrog amongst the people of Nephalia. So we finally got a name to go with the ancient sea god.
We also learn that Elder Vetters is the Mayor of Drunau. Put into power by Runo. He allows the Stromkirk Vampires to hide in plain site and does not interfere with them in trade for being promised immortality.
It was also established in the Zendikar art book that Em's powerset could do this. "Emrakul's proximity not only shatters minds, it also has a distorting effect on living flesh. In contrast to the utter desolation left in the wake of the other Titans, Emrakul's passage is marked by the warping of living things." "Trees and vines contort themselves into knobby, tentacle-like shapes. Animals and people sometimes develop fleshy growths resembling the lattice structures of Emrakul's body."
I take it that was in the one from BFZ?
Yes, The Art of Magic: The Gathering Zendikar is where I had pulled that information from. It released earlier this year and contained information from both Zendikar blocks.
Rush of Ice Foreshadowed Emrakul's corruption on biology. Showing a Zendikari mutated into her form.
It was also established in the Zendikar art book that Em's powerset could do this. "Emrakul's proximity not only shatters minds, it also has a distorting effect on living flesh. In contrast to the utter desolation left in the wake of the other Titans, Emrakul's passage is marked by the warping of living things." "Trees and vines contort themselves into knobby, tentacle-like shapes. Animals and people sometimes develop fleshy growths resembling the lattice structures of Emrakul's body."
I believe the other Half is in reference to the 2 things he created to protect Innistrad.
""Hmm." Sorin extended his arm past Nahiri and pressed his hand against the surface of the Helvault. "You dedicated yourself to watch over the imprisoned Eldrazi, and it became clear to me that my plane was in dire need of its own protection, particularly in my absence. This Helvault is half of what I created to serve as such protection. It's not inconceivable that your signal from the Eye was unable to break through the magic that protects this plane.""
Avacyn would then be the other half.
Creating them is why he was so drained at the beginning of the story.
Having started my own podcast about Games (mostly MTG but we branch out every so often) I have learned a few different things.
1 Make sure you are doing it because you want to and not for fame/fortune as that may never come. We primarily record for our own benefit. We do it to hang out and talk games, if people happen to listen than all the better.
2. I recommend buying a decent microphone (We use the Blue Yeti) it makes a lot of difference.
3. Focus on your favorite parts of the game. We talk a ton about the lore and Standard. But we will also touch upon major MTG news items.
4. Finding your audience may take time and don't be afraid to evolve. We started out as a video talk show and moved to audio only as it suits our time needs better.
5. Prepare a show outline with notes on what you want to talk about. It eases flow of listening and keeps you on track.
There hasn't been any real evidence for Marit Lage based on anything we have seen besides a cryptic mention from MaRo on his Tumblr suggesting that she could show up in the future.
The Nephalia Drownyard Temple will likely reveal the Gitrog Toad. Who we have seen from the Legendary Creatures section of Innistrad's story page on the mothership "In Nephalia, the lost and the mad turn their devotion to the inscrutable waters and to this massive horror that lurks in their lightless depths." Also, next week's Offical Magic Story has the following blurb "Miles from Stensia, in the Nephalian highlands, something crawls to the surface of dark Lake Zhava."
So we should get confirmation next Wednesday (the 23rd) one way or another. This leads me to believe that Marit Lage will not be making an appearance as I don't feel like they would reveal their big bad before exploring what Nahiri/Sorin/Tamiyo are up to in a featured story.
The Nephalian Horror that the cults are worshipping will just add to the craziness that is happening on Innistrad caused by a still unknown (likely Emrakul) source. Marit Lage would be a strange choice to introduce as she hasn't been around for over ten years (Dark Depths) and hasn't played a central part of the story ever. WOTC likes to foreshadow future events. If it were to be Marit Lage we would have gotten some blurbs about her and her history leading in but as a nonrelated way.
Eldritch has very direct ties with the Lovecraftian/Cthulhu mythos. We have already seen form the flavor text of Structural Distortion:
"As Zendikar has bled, so will innistrad. As I have wept, so will Sorin."
-Nahiri
My theory is that Nahiri came across Emrakul in the Blind Eternities and led her to Innistrad. According to the MTG Wiki, Emrakul is the Titan of corruption. She twists all living things, causes silent terror, Embodies desolation, emotional/physical disturbance, the chill of the void and the fear of being alone.
Those characteristics seem to fall in line with the mechanics of Madness and Delirium. They also fit very well into the established vibe of Innistrad. Nahiri herself could be under Emrakul's influence. The set being named Eldritch Moon could mean that the Gatewatch (Liliana now a member) have managed to imprison Emrakul in Innistrad's moon. It also fits well having Sorin now have his homeplane imprisoning an Eldrazi as Nahiri's once did (Zendikar)
I am just excited to have MTG finally explore some Lovecraftian themes.
I don't expect to see Sorin show up in this block until the second set is at all. He is currently out searching for Nahiri, which is a much more important task than anything that is likely happening on Innistrad.
Liliana is likely a lock as the only reason I can see Jace (who is on the promotional art) going there is to help her with whatever she was coming to Ravnica to ask him about when he got sidetracked by Zendikar.
I also expect Garruk to show up and either be cured when the Chain Veil is destroyed, or take Liliana's place as the go-to Black Planeswalker should she not make it out of the block.
Tamiyo was only there studying the moon and I remember reading somewhere that Innistrad's moon was partially destroyed. So it is possible she has left. Tibalt's spark ignition story has him planeswalking away from Innistrad. Therefore I do not see him making an appearance here either, but rather being an antagonist in a future block.
Planeswalkers do not need to be balanced by color in a block. The last two blocks (Origins and BFZ) had them to introduce origin stories and create the Oath. I could conceivably see Raven Man and Liliana as Mono-Black Walkers. Jace as Mono-Blue and Garruk as either Mono-Black(fully evil) or Mono-Green (Cured). Three Black planeswalkers may seem like a lot but Innistrad is a dark place.
My wild card would be for Chandra to show up. In a handful of arts she is seen looking at Jace in a "fond" way. They also have history predating Zendikar, when they battled over the scroll that had the map to the Eye of Ugin on it, in which they were very flirty. I could see WOTC pushing a love triangle out of Jace/Lili.Chandra.
At the first MM GP I dropped after opening a foil Goyf. The pool also contained a Cryptic Command, Electrolyze and 2 Path to Exile. This was before they upped the prize structures for GPs though and I would have had to make Top 16 to equal that value.
Only a Foil Goyf would tempt me to drop this time as well.
As a primary Limited set and secondary reprint set it is about what I had expected. There needs to be a lot of chaff in order to make a playable, interesting, somewhat dynamic Limited environment. No Serum Visions or Damnation is tough as they are hard to fit into Standard. Goblin Guide and Inquisition can easily be reprinted without disturbing Standard too much. And Path is going to be an FNM Promo soon.
For those complaining about not getting their money's worth from preordering, that is the risk you take paying MSRP or higher site unseen. Personally I don't like paying more than 75% of MSRP for any MTG booster box.
My LGS has been offering preorders based on their allocation for Modern Masters 1. Yesterday they informed everyone who had preordered Modern Masters 2015 that some of them would be refunded and they stated they would not be taking future preorders. They received an email from WOTC stating that MM2015 was a limited print run with allocations based on their store level (Advanced, advanced+, etc).
Advanced receiving around 20 boxes with Advanced+ only receiving 40. This will be the only wave of product released. The email explained that MM will likely end up being an annual release and the goal is only to create an "exciting Limited environment and maintain a minimal amount of demand". Sounds like a cash grab that protects the secondary market.
I am not sure how "true" this information is as I received it second hand, but I thought I would share it with the community. If anyone else had heard similar things let us know.
Passable mana rocks for Standard though likely too slow. Very good mana fixers for splash colors and can double as a mana sink finisher in limited. Also, very good in Tiny Leaders for various control builds.
Overall a decent uncommon cycle. Foils will likely be coveted.
To steer the conversation back to the original topic of this new Narset image, we will likely get her reveal with the new Uncharted realms story on wednesday of this week. Sarkhan's travels in last week's UR had him on a quest to find her. The continuation would likely show him finding her.
Regarding the Jeskai symbol on her forehead and not the Ojutai symbol, I believe she found the scrolls of Shu-Yun detailing the history of Tarkir. She likely denounces the rule of Dragons and obeys the original Jeskai (UWR) philosophies over the current Ojutai (UW) way of life.
Yes. It mentions that he worshipped the ancient Sea God, Kralmar. Currently he is worshipping Kralmar and the Gitrog amongst the people of Nephalia. So we finally got a name to go with the ancient sea god.
We also learn that Elder Vetters is the Mayor of Drunau. Put into power by Runo. He allows the Stromkirk Vampires to hide in plain site and does not interfere with them in trade for being promised immortality.
Yes, The Art of Magic: The Gathering Zendikar is where I had pulled that information from. It released earlier this year and contained information from both Zendikar blocks.
It was also established in the Zendikar art book that Em's powerset could do this. "Emrakul's proximity not only shatters minds, it also has a distorting effect on living flesh. In contrast to the utter desolation left in the wake of the other Titans, Emrakul's passage is marked by the warping of living things." "Trees and vines contort themselves into knobby, tentacle-like shapes. Animals and people sometimes develop fleshy growths resembling the lattice structures of Emrakul's body."
Heritage Druid
Goblin Lackey
Cabal Therapy
Dark Depths
Toxic Deluge
Won't be:
Daze
Sensei's Divining Top
Green Sun's Zenith
Umezawa's Jitte
Tinder Wall
""Hmm." Sorin extended his arm past Nahiri and pressed his hand against the surface of the Helvault. "You dedicated yourself to watch over the imprisoned Eldrazi, and it became clear to me that my plane was in dire need of its own protection, particularly in my absence. This Helvault is half of what I created to serve as such protection. It's not inconceivable that your signal from the Eye was unable to break through the magic that protects this plane.""
Avacyn would then be the other half.
Creating them is why he was so drained at the beginning of the story.
1 Make sure you are doing it because you want to and not for fame/fortune as that may never come. We primarily record for our own benefit. We do it to hang out and talk games, if people happen to listen than all the better.
2. I recommend buying a decent microphone (We use the Blue Yeti) it makes a lot of difference.
3. Focus on your favorite parts of the game. We talk a ton about the lore and Standard. But we will also touch upon major MTG news items.
4. Finding your audience may take time and don't be afraid to evolve. We started out as a video talk show and moved to audio only as it suits our time needs better.
5. Prepare a show outline with notes on what you want to talk about. It eases flow of listening and keeps you on track.
Here is a link to our page (https://www.facebook.com/2intheQ/)to give you an idea.
If you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.
The Nephalia Drownyard Temple will likely reveal the Gitrog Toad. Who we have seen from the Legendary Creatures section of Innistrad's story page on the mothership "In Nephalia, the lost and the mad turn their devotion to the inscrutable waters and to this massive horror that lurks in their lightless depths." Also, next week's Offical Magic Story has the following blurb "Miles from Stensia, in the Nephalian highlands, something crawls to the surface of dark Lake Zhava."
So we should get confirmation next Wednesday (the 23rd) one way or another. This leads me to believe that Marit Lage will not be making an appearance as I don't feel like they would reveal their big bad before exploring what Nahiri/Sorin/Tamiyo are up to in a featured story.
The Nephalian Horror that the cults are worshipping will just add to the craziness that is happening on Innistrad caused by a still unknown (likely Emrakul) source. Marit Lage would be a strange choice to introduce as she hasn't been around for over ten years (Dark Depths) and hasn't played a central part of the story ever. WOTC likes to foreshadow future events. If it were to be Marit Lage we would have gotten some blurbs about her and her history leading in but as a nonrelated way.
"As Zendikar has bled, so will innistrad. As I have wept, so will Sorin."
-Nahiri
My theory is that Nahiri came across Emrakul in the Blind Eternities and led her to Innistrad. According to the MTG Wiki, Emrakul is the Titan of corruption. She twists all living things, causes silent terror, Embodies desolation, emotional/physical disturbance, the chill of the void and the fear of being alone.
Those characteristics seem to fall in line with the mechanics of Madness and Delirium. They also fit very well into the established vibe of Innistrad. Nahiri herself could be under Emrakul's influence. The set being named Eldritch Moon could mean that the Gatewatch (Liliana now a member) have managed to imprison Emrakul in Innistrad's moon. It also fits well having Sorin now have his homeplane imprisoning an Eldrazi as Nahiri's once did (Zendikar)
I am just excited to have MTG finally explore some Lovecraftian themes.
Liliana is likely a lock as the only reason I can see Jace (who is on the promotional art) going there is to help her with whatever she was coming to Ravnica to ask him about when he got sidetracked by Zendikar.
I believe this block will be the wrap up of the Chain Veil story. I would expect the Raven Man to make an appearance based on the Uncharted Realms story between the two (http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/uncharted-realms/unkindness-ravens-2015-07-29) The Raven man seems intrinsically tied to the Chain Veil.
I also expect Garruk to show up and either be cured when the Chain Veil is destroyed, or take Liliana's place as the go-to Black Planeswalker should she not make it out of the block.
Tamiyo was only there studying the moon and I remember reading somewhere that Innistrad's moon was partially destroyed. So it is possible she has left. Tibalt's spark ignition story has him planeswalking away from Innistrad. Therefore I do not see him making an appearance here either, but rather being an antagonist in a future block.
Planeswalkers do not need to be balanced by color in a block. The last two blocks (Origins and BFZ) had them to introduce origin stories and create the Oath. I could conceivably see Raven Man and Liliana as Mono-Black Walkers. Jace as Mono-Blue and Garruk as either Mono-Black(fully evil) or Mono-Green (Cured). Three Black planeswalkers may seem like a lot but Innistrad is a dark place.
My wild card would be for Chandra to show up. In a handful of arts she is seen looking at Jace in a "fond" way. They also have history predating Zendikar, when they battled over the scroll that had the map to the Eye of Ugin on it, in which they were very flirty. I could see WOTC pushing a love triangle out of Jace/Lili.Chandra.
Only a Foil Goyf would tempt me to drop this time as well.
For those complaining about not getting their money's worth from preordering, that is the risk you take paying MSRP or higher site unseen. Personally I don't like paying more than 75% of MSRP for any MTG booster box.
Nothing exciting but Dromoka's Command confirmed as Seeded Promo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RFhBC-Y2s0
Advanced receiving around 20 boxes with Advanced+ only receiving 40. This will be the only wave of product released. The email explained that MM will likely end up being an annual release and the goal is only to create an "exciting Limited environment and maintain a minimal amount of demand". Sounds like a cash grab that protects the secondary market.
I am not sure how "true" this information is as I received it second hand, but I thought I would share it with the community. If anyone else had heard similar things let us know.
Overall a decent uncommon cycle. Foils will likely be coveted.
Regarding the Jeskai symbol on her forehead and not the Ojutai symbol, I believe she found the scrolls of Shu-Yun detailing the history of Tarkir. She likely denounces the rule of Dragons and obeys the original Jeskai (UWR) philosophies over the current Ojutai (UW) way of life.