Okay, this is something I've been braining about for a while. I absolutely love it when legendary creatures (and lands) and planeswalkers get "upgraded"/"updated" when something big happens in the storyline that changes their views, powers, etc. Like when Kamahl went from big, stupid red guy to big, stupid green guy.
But what about the new Chandra and Jace cards? Has anything really happened to cause them to "evolve" into another step in their life? Is there really a reason to need a new Chandra and Jace card? I'm of course speaking strictly flavorfully, not mechanically. Obviously they need to come out with new planeswalker cards, and I'm all for that.
But flavorfully, what's happened to Jace Beleren to make him Jace, the Mind Sculptor? And what happened to Chandra Nalaar to make her Chandra Ablaze? For Ajani, we had a definite storyline/flavor mechanic that led to a new card. He ate Bolas's leftovers (literally) and became Super Ajani. That's fine, makes sense. But what about Jace and Chandra?
For Chandra, could it be her exposure to the Purifying Fire that's made her more powerful? I always figured that her next planeswalker card would be red/white after her experiences at the end of The Purifying Fire. And what about Jace? Does the old Jace card depict him at the beginning of Agents of Artifice when he was still a "novice," and the new card depicts him after he's become a Jedi Master? Or does somebody else have a hypothesis I haven't thought of?
Edit:
For further examples, here are the legendary/planeswalker cards that have evolved. Note that they always have a "trigger" that makes them more powerful, or at least alters them in some way:
Ajani Vengeant -> [Eats Bolas's leftovers] -> Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath -> [If she was made from black Ixidor] -> Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ashling the Pilgrim -> [Merges with her elemental] -> Ashling, the Extinguisher
Balthor the Stout -> [Kills Burke and is reanimated] -> Balthor the Defiled
Braids, Cabal Minion -> [If she didn't join the Cabal and became a wizard instead] -> Braids, Conjurer Adept Chandra Nalaar -> [???] -> Chandra Ablaze
Crovax the Cursed -> [Becomes Phyrexian] -> Ascendant Evincar -> [If he let Mirri become a vampire instead] -> Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Ertai, Wizard Adept -> [Becomes Phyrexian] -> Ertai, the Corrupted Jace Beleren -> [???] -> Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Jedit Ojanen -> [If he didn't leave Efrava] -> Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Jeska, Warrior Adept -> [Corrupted by the First] -> Phage the Untouchable
Kamahl, Pit Fighter -> [Became a druid] -> Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
Mirri, Cat Warrior -> [If she killed Selenia] -> Mirri the Cursed
Nicol Bolas -> [Ascended, then the Meandering] -> Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Rhys the Exiled -> [The Great Aurora] -> Rhys the Redeemed
Sygg, River Guide -> [The Great Aurora] -> Sygg, River Cutthroat
Tolarian Academy -> [Barrin blows it up] -> Academy Ruins
Urborg -> [Yawgmoth dies over it] -> Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Wort, Boggart Auntie -> [The Great Aurora] -> Wort, the Raidmother
I would say they just pritned the cards jus tbecause.
If anything it is because both Chandra and Jace are pretty young in MTG standards. This is just their natural evolution and strength from their experiences. They coudl also refer to them as different being because it is the Zendikar block and walkers seem to be stronger/weaker on Zendikar because of the "weird" mana there.
Although less obvious with Chandra, I think it's pretty clear that the major difference between the original Jace and the most recent Jace is that three weeks have passed and that it's a tuesday. Unlike the two Ajani, he's not actually showing off any new abilities, he's just using the ones he has differently. Except bounce, but that's an iconic enough blue ability that him using it doesnt require an explanation. Calling it Jace, The Mindsculptor sounds nice, but it could just as easily have been Jace, when he's run out of Milk or Jace, after lunch. He's a bit more powerful, but not due to any mechanical change, he's just probably in a worse mood.
Now Chandra's abilities are quite different. Before she set things on fire; now she plays with card states.
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I'd say this will become more commonplace. It's a sad side effect of the new direction.
It use to be that character change was story driven, but now that they have to print new walkers in every set/block, and planeswalkers become major characters, and change is slow they can't do what they use to do with legends.
Introduce them, change them, kill them off.
Well they could. But then people would be pretty pissed that they kill off Sorin.
So you want to show off all the planeswalkers on a given plane, but you don't want to reprint the same card, but that character hasn't changed... you see the problem.
I'd suggest treating planeswalkers like every other character and change them, kill them off, and let them leave and come back to the storyline. This whole thing of "One storyline" really irks me.
I think theres no an evolution step here (talking about Jace, Chandra and Ajani). Their first cards were just representation of the colors they represent. We are viewing them as they are right now.
But Ajani is a good example of the "evolving legends" scenario. He has one particular moment where he stops being Ajani Vengeant and starts being Ajani Goldmane (the card, not the name, his last name was always Goldmane).
So it seems to be that there are two possibilities:
1 - Something has happened or will happen to Jace and Chandra that will "evolve" them.
2 - Planeswalker cards may or may not mirror the "evolving legends" scenario. It's a case-by-case basis. Some, like Ajani, do. Some, like Jace/Chandra, don't.
I'm not a fan of Dunjohn's "they still have these abilities, they just don't use them" hypothesis. Looking at Ajani, it's evident he's gone through a change as a character. His philosophies, worldview, etc. are different than what they were during Flight of the White Cat. If Jace doesn't have a similar experience, then why the hell is he agreeing to help you out (going by the flavor explanation of the player entering into a deal with another planeswalker for aid) but also agreeing not to use all of his abilities.
Let me explain: Yes, it makes sense that Jace wouldn't use all his talents. He's in an agreement with you, but that agreement might not have any real depth to him on a personal level. The maintenance crew in my apartment agreed to clean up dog **** this weekend (after I asked them three times and threatened to call my county health department, ahem), but they obviously don't feel as passionately about it as I do. For them, it's just an agreement: They get to keep their jobs and I get to not step in dog droppings on the way to my apartment. My stake is personal, but theirs is not. So it stands to reason that while I'll do everything in my power to accomplish a goal I have a personal stake in, the same isn't true for the bradywalker I'm entering into a deal with. He's getting what he wants, but he's not going to invest 100% of his talent into helping me.
But the thing is, neither of Jace's cards really equate to him devoting his entire host of talents. That makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is that Jace is willing to use three tactics to help me out in one case, but four completely different tactics to help me out in another. Going back to my analogy, it's like my maintenance guy telling me "Well, I'll be willing to use a shovel to get this crap up, but I can't use a bucket under the terms of this agreement. If you want me to use a bucket, that's another agreement entirely. But if you want that agreement, I won't be bringing a shovel."
In either case, I still really prefer the "new legends/planeswalkers" are a result of the changes they've gone through during the story thing. And I don't think it's really that much of a stretch for Jace and Chandra. Anyone who's read Agents of Artifice can tell that Jace really went through some changes, both emotionally and in terms of magical prowess. And the same holds true for Chandra--she's not a stupid, reckless little girl anymore, and she's probably more powerful post-Purifying Fire.
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Interesting point here Eid, (and that's some interesting chart you made) but I'm afraid that the simplest explanation of these "Evolution Cards" (LOOOOLZ) are just on the business/gameplay side of things. Pretty much the Bradywalker thingie is just to entice players to magic, not everything will be tied effectively flavorwise.
IIRC Barinellos has already pointed out why a Jace card isn't really THAT needed for Zendikar, and yet it came to be.
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I think you are over thinking flavor and cards, remember they do not always add up.
If anything it is simply that the first Jace card is printed prior to AoA. In AoA, as you stated, he really did get stronger by using his powers more and more, being forced to fight with them, etc etc. Chandra is the same with he rbattle against Jace and the Purifying Fire(plus whatever Fire spell she used on Zendikar to hurt the Eye of Ugin or whatever, I don't have the comic).
So it seems like MtG is finally showing that through experience and dedication they are gaining strength, or different strengths. Instead of just "Oh I foudn this Artifact, watch as I use this Mirror ball to kill yoru army! MIRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRRI!" etc etc.
Eid, I am deeply disappointed in you. You ACTUALLY thought that Chandra would be r/w? After the end of The Purifying Fire and her declaration of everlasting abhorrence of white and every principle white holds dear? AND right after they came out with Ajani Vengeant? I expected better of you.
As for my actual response to this, I always viewed the first cards, except Ajani, to portray them as they were during their first appearances in their own books. These new cards that we are getting are their current appearances, power level, and spell choices.
Think of their abilities less like static activated abilities and more like mini deck choices. Look at it as if they just picked up the most recent spell expansion packs wherever they were staying or going and decided to change their decks a little bit. Of course, they are also willing to help you equivalent to the amount of mana you are willing to shell out to get their attentions... so... there is that to consider. You shell out a little more mana to get Chandra or Jace's attention, they show up tossing around their Ablazeness and Mindscultitude instead of their standard abilities.
As for what motivated the changes... well, in all fairness, Jace's new card shows him roughly FOUR years after his first one and Ablaze is THREE years since Purifying Fire. I'd say that's plenty of time for them to have grown stronger (but not wiser in most cases....)
well im no storyline guru, but from what i hear, the Purifying Fire made chandra stronger. this could be the reason for the 2nd card, but im more curious about why chandra is so angry.
Also word on the streets is that the mana on zendikar made jace more powerful, hence the mind sculptor bit.
tbh tho, this is all from what i hear from the forums so i dont know how much of it is true
The people that play legacy / vintage always amuse me. They want their formats to be represented more. They want more tournaments. But when anyone suggests allowing more people access to the formats by reprinting cards, the same people start screaming about the reprint policy.
Eid, I am deeply disappointed in you. You ACTUALLY thought that Chandra would be r/w? After the end of The Purifying Fire and her declaration of everlasting abhorrence of white and every principle white holds dear? AND right after they came out with Ajani Vengeant? I expected better of you.
Did I think that a character would become white in addition to her natural color based on an exposure to a primal elemental force of white mana that completely altered her every facet? Yes. Yes, I did. Let's do away with the trivial indignation and goading inflection, please. It's quite childish.
@ Moppi - Yes, and we'll probably end up reverting to another flavor discussion here. There's not going to be any sort of real consensus when flavor meets mechanics, but it's sometimes fun to try to rationalize it. Obviously the game itself has to come first, and printing more copies of the same character is a great way to promote the brand. But honestly the whole "trigger" constant has existed for so long that I'd hope it could continue even to 'walkers. I also like it for the RPG mechanics: My Level 15 barbarian just became a level 30 druid!
@ dizzle - Yes, or if not particularly stronger at the very least it would explain why she is "different."
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Chandra and Jace seem to have pretty solid reasons for being more powerful after each of their novels, Jace became more adept in his skills after his training with Tezzeret and Chandra gained experience from her ordeals with Gideon and the Order of Heliud (Is that how you spell it?). Ajani also has the obvious reason for becoming Goldmane (the card) since he absorbed massive amounts of (I'm assuming) white mana from the Maelstrom and resolved the whole issue of "You killed my brother, prepare to die" he had going on.
I do agree however, that 'walkers should only get new cards after a major event in the story.
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Well, look at Beleren - his first ability is unfocused, everyone gets cards. His second ability, he has to concentrate harder, use up his reserves and give just one person a card. His final ability mills.
I think after the events in Agent of Artifice, his abilities have expanded beyond manipulating the cards/mind and they are clearly more powerful and focused. Now he can divine and change the future (look at the next card and fateseal it), grant someone a card with no effort and a look into a future (brainstorm), bounce something (a wholly new ability!), or do his final ability which a bigger and more powerful version of his former final ability.
Clearly he has grown and learned new skills and bettered his existing ones under Tezzeret's teaching.
----
As for Chandra, I guess she is seriously pissed off after the events in the Purifying fire. She has been "betrayed" by the one she was falling for - he turns out to belong to the hated Order! The Order tried to sacrifice her to the Fire. She has aborbed an immense amount of power.
So her card, more power, but out of control. She can do bigger fire spells and more damage, but at a cost to you - you must give up long-term thinking in favour of short-term power (giving up spells/cards). She is acting on instinct and power, even more so than before.
You guys do realize that none of your planeswalkers will matter when Karn comes around and starts breaking faces?
Pfft, Karn's a pacifist, he'll just neuter other walkers by casting something like: "players can't play abilities for the rest of the game."
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Pfft, Karn's a pacifist, he'll just neuter other walkers by casting something like: "players can't play abilities for the rest of the game."
Not if Karn's corrupted as seems to be the case after the events of Time Spiral's cycle.
Then it'll just be breaking faces. Or maybe melting, given the implications about said corruption. :>
The real question is whether they'd bend the "rule" they set for Tezzeret which is whether Karn just has Planeswalker or Artifact Planeswalker on his typeline.
Karn will be a colorless planeswalker. A being who rises to planeswalkerhood transcends earthly qualities such as Goblinhood and artifice. He or she can shrug off a terror and laugh at shatter.
Otherwise Jace and co would be creatures.
Though Karn's personality could be anything right now really, we don't know what happened to him after Time Spiral. His personality could have shifted drastically.
This would make him a perfect candidate for Rise of the Eldrazi.* (Assuming a major theme is indeed colourlessness.)
Honestly though, I think Karn will be white, or black or whatever the corruption did to him. Wizards said they want to evolve the planeswalker cards very slowly. I believe it's too early for colourless planeswalkers yet.
*If it weren't for the fact, that planeswalkers aren't designed with the set's theme in mind.
I think they made it quite clear when Tezz came out that Planeswalker "destroys" all other types. So if Karn gets his own card, there won't be an Artifact PW type ... or else that would be lame.
Ditto on this. Also, with cards like Ghostfire and Master of Etherium, we see that there can both be coloured artifacts and colorless cards w/ coloured mana. I expect that if Karn were ever to be reprinted, he would be modeled after the Eldrazi, being colorless while still retaining a colored casting cost of some sort.
@Dunjohn: I liked your explanation of the limited nature of the planeswalkers as cards and I think we all reconcile how the game mechanics and flavour interact in a similar manner.
@Leveling: I think y'all forgot Magic's foray into leveling; it was called the Champion mechanic from Lorwyn. I think that was done fairly well even if it was weird to see my Visionary level into a Packmaster. Strange change in profession.
Back on-topic: I think the formula, as Barinellos pointed out, is simply just [Planeswalker]->[Book]->[Updated Planeswalker]. Even before Magic is a game, it's consumable merchandise. You can't say that after reading either AoA or tPF you didn't want to know just a little more about Jace and Chandra and speculate what would happen to them in the future.
Seeing Jace and Chandra retain their mono-colour status and spell-casting focii, but a change in their activations--Chandra uses her ally's aid to fuel her spells while Jace no longer looks to make friends with just anyone--shows that the changes that they experienced in their respective novels did not go unheeded, but were not as ground-breaking as we would hope.
Remember, the planeswalker novels are a way for Magic to focus less on the "CATACLYSMIC EFFECTS UPON THE PLANE" (which, if I remember, is much maligned in these forums) and more on the little things that are going on in the background. These little things will definitely build our beloved characters (pleaaaaaaaaaase make a blue female planeswalker already), but in a very slow way.
I mean, it took Urza from Antiquities to be as overwhelming a character that he is.
P.S. In terms of knowledge and spells, for the life-changing occurrences btw. Ajani Vengeant -> Ajani Goldmane, do we actually believe that Ajani has forgotten spells of retribution and destruction? I tend to believe that Ajani retains knowledge of these spells and had actively removed them from his repertoire. Whether he has undone his manabonds to mountainous regions or simply has chosen not to tap them, I can't really say, but I think this idea of choosing which spells are their forte strongly supports Dunjohn's explanation of the difference btw. the "legend change" and the "planeswalker change".
Planeswalkers seem to have more choice in how their characters change and can either be more receptive or resistant to change vs. their more commonplace legendary counterparts.
This would make him a perfect candidate for Rise of the Eldrazi.* (Assuming a major theme is indeed colourlessness.)
I think they are wording cards carefully... look at Eye of Ugin. It seems they are going out of thier way to make sure it doesn't intereact with anything but Eldrazi and kin.
Though, that would be a cool way of connecting Zendikar with the next set.
These little things will definitely build our beloved characters (pleaaaaaaaaaase make a blue female planeswalker already), but in a very slow way.
Actually, I support this movement. Just... you know, make her somewhat pretty. Liliana level pretty, but... uhh, maybe a little less crazy tattoos that make her look old.
Elspeth and Chandra both have that "I don't care what I look like" thing going. Pretty females plz!?
Nissa would be pretty except for those cold dead eyes and hairstyle. Still, excellent art on her.
Alternatively, making her a nerd chic style wizard would make me go gleeeeeee with umm... glee.
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But what about the new Chandra and Jace cards? Has anything really happened to cause them to "evolve" into another step in their life? Is there really a reason to need a new Chandra and Jace card? I'm of course speaking strictly flavorfully, not mechanically. Obviously they need to come out with new planeswalker cards, and I'm all for that.
But flavorfully, what's happened to Jace Beleren to make him Jace, the Mind Sculptor? And what happened to Chandra Nalaar to make her Chandra Ablaze? For Ajani, we had a definite storyline/flavor mechanic that led to a new card. He ate Bolas's leftovers (literally) and became Super Ajani. That's fine, makes sense. But what about Jace and Chandra?
For Chandra, could it be her exposure to the Purifying Fire that's made her more powerful? I always figured that her next planeswalker card would be red/white after her experiences at the end of The Purifying Fire. And what about Jace? Does the old Jace card depict him at the beginning of Agents of Artifice when he was still a "novice," and the new card depicts him after he's become a Jedi Master? Or does somebody else have a hypothesis I haven't thought of?
Edit:
For further examples, here are the legendary/planeswalker cards that have evolved. Note that they always have a "trigger" that makes them more powerful, or at least alters them in some way:
Ajani Vengeant -> [Eats Bolas's leftovers] -> Ajani Goldmane
Akroma, Angel of Wrath -> [If she was made from black Ixidor] -> Akroma, Angel of Fury
Ashling the Pilgrim -> [Merges with her elemental] -> Ashling, the Extinguisher
Balthor the Stout -> [Kills Burke and is reanimated] -> Balthor the Defiled
Braids, Cabal Minion -> [If she didn't join the Cabal and became a wizard instead] -> Braids, Conjurer Adept
Chandra Nalaar -> [???] -> Chandra Ablaze
Crovax the Cursed -> [Becomes Phyrexian] -> Ascendant Evincar -> [If he let Mirri become a vampire instead] -> Crovax, Ascendant Hero
Ertai, Wizard Adept -> [Becomes Phyrexian] -> Ertai, the Corrupted
Jace Beleren -> [???] -> Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Jedit Ojanen -> [If he didn't leave Efrava] -> Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Jeska, Warrior Adept -> [Corrupted by the First] -> Phage the Untouchable
Kamahl, Pit Fighter -> [Became a druid] -> Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
Mirri, Cat Warrior -> [If she killed Selenia] -> Mirri the Cursed
Nicol Bolas -> [Ascended, then the Meandering] -> Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Rhys the Exiled -> [The Great Aurora] -> Rhys the Redeemed
Sygg, River Guide -> [The Great Aurora] -> Sygg, River Cutthroat
Tolarian Academy -> [Barrin blows it up] -> Academy Ruins
Urborg -> [Yawgmoth dies over it] -> Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Wort, Boggart Auntie -> [The Great Aurora] -> Wort, the Raidmother
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If anything it is because both Chandra and Jace are pretty young in MTG standards. This is just their natural evolution and strength from their experiences. They coudl also refer to them as different being because it is the Zendikar block and walkers seem to be stronger/weaker on Zendikar because of the "weird" mana there.
Now Chandra's abilities are quite different. Before she set things on fire; now she plays with card states.
It use to be that character change was story driven, but now that they have to print new walkers in every set/block, and planeswalkers become major characters, and change is slow they can't do what they use to do with legends.
Introduce them, change them, kill them off.
Well they could. But then people would be pretty pissed that they kill off Sorin.
So you want to show off all the planeswalkers on a given plane, but you don't want to reprint the same card, but that character hasn't changed... you see the problem.
I'd suggest treating planeswalkers like every other character and change them, kill them off, and let them leave and come back to the storyline. This whole thing of "One storyline" really irks me.
So it seems to be that there are two possibilities:
1 - Something has happened or will happen to Jace and Chandra that will "evolve" them.
2 - Planeswalker cards may or may not mirror the "evolving legends" scenario. It's a case-by-case basis. Some, like Ajani, do. Some, like Jace/Chandra, don't.
I'm not a fan of Dunjohn's "they still have these abilities, they just don't use them" hypothesis. Looking at Ajani, it's evident he's gone through a change as a character. His philosophies, worldview, etc. are different than what they were during Flight of the White Cat. If Jace doesn't have a similar experience, then why the hell is he agreeing to help you out (going by the flavor explanation of the player entering into a deal with another planeswalker for aid) but also agreeing not to use all of his abilities.
Let me explain: Yes, it makes sense that Jace wouldn't use all his talents. He's in an agreement with you, but that agreement might not have any real depth to him on a personal level. The maintenance crew in my apartment agreed to clean up dog **** this weekend (after I asked them three times and threatened to call my county health department, ahem), but they obviously don't feel as passionately about it as I do. For them, it's just an agreement: They get to keep their jobs and I get to not step in dog droppings on the way to my apartment. My stake is personal, but theirs is not. So it stands to reason that while I'll do everything in my power to accomplish a goal I have a personal stake in, the same isn't true for the bradywalker I'm entering into a deal with. He's getting what he wants, but he's not going to invest 100% of his talent into helping me.
But the thing is, neither of Jace's cards really equate to him devoting his entire host of talents. That makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is that Jace is willing to use three tactics to help me out in one case, but four completely different tactics to help me out in another. Going back to my analogy, it's like my maintenance guy telling me "Well, I'll be willing to use a shovel to get this crap up, but I can't use a bucket under the terms of this agreement. If you want me to use a bucket, that's another agreement entirely. But if you want that agreement, I won't be bringing a shovel."
In either case, I still really prefer the "new legends/planeswalkers" are a result of the changes they've gone through during the story thing. And I don't think it's really that much of a stretch for Jace and Chandra. Anyone who's read Agents of Artifice can tell that Jace really went through some changes, both emotionally and in terms of magical prowess. And the same holds true for Chandra--she's not a stupid, reckless little girl anymore, and she's probably more powerful post-Purifying Fire.
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IIRC Barinellos has already pointed out why a Jace card isn't really THAT needed for Zendikar, and yet it came to be.
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If anything it is simply that the first Jace card is printed prior to AoA. In AoA, as you stated, he really did get stronger by using his powers more and more, being forced to fight with them, etc etc. Chandra is the same with he rbattle against Jace and the Purifying Fire(plus whatever Fire spell she used on Zendikar to hurt the Eye of Ugin or whatever, I don't have the comic).
So it seems like MtG is finally showing that through experience and dedication they are gaining strength, or different strengths. Instead of just "Oh I foudn this Artifact, watch as I use this Mirror ball to kill yoru army! MIRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRRRI!" etc etc.
As for my actual response to this, I always viewed the first cards, except Ajani, to portray them as they were during their first appearances in their own books. These new cards that we are getting are their current appearances, power level, and spell choices.
Think of their abilities less like static activated abilities and more like mini deck choices. Look at it as if they just picked up the most recent spell expansion packs wherever they were staying or going and decided to change their decks a little bit. Of course, they are also willing to help you equivalent to the amount of mana you are willing to shell out to get their attentions... so... there is that to consider. You shell out a little more mana to get Chandra or Jace's attention, they show up tossing around their Ablazeness and Mindscultitude instead of their standard abilities.
As for what motivated the changes... well, in all fairness, Jace's new card shows him roughly FOUR years after his first one and Ablaze is THREE years since Purifying Fire. I'd say that's plenty of time for them to have grown stronger (but not wiser in most cases....)
Also word on the streets is that the mana on zendikar made jace more powerful, hence the mind sculptor bit.
tbh tho, this is all from what i hear from the forums so i dont know how much of it is true
Did I think that a character would become white in addition to her natural color based on an exposure to a primal elemental force of white mana that completely altered her every facet? Yes. Yes, I did. Let's do away with the trivial indignation and goading inflection, please. It's quite childish.
@ Moppi - Yes, and we'll probably end up reverting to another flavor discussion here. There's not going to be any sort of real consensus when flavor meets mechanics, but it's sometimes fun to try to rationalize it. Obviously the game itself has to come first, and printing more copies of the same character is a great way to promote the brand. But honestly the whole "trigger" constant has existed for so long that I'd hope it could continue even to 'walkers. I also like it for the RPG mechanics: My Level 15 barbarian just became a level 30 druid!
@ dizzle - Yes, or if not particularly stronger at the very least it would explain why she is "different."
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Don't give MtG the idea of levels, pelase! I could see the Eldrazi being given "special" abilities in the form of leveling up
Also am I the only one picturing Chandra as the Flying Nun with Fire batons when referring to her being RW?
I do agree however, that 'walkers should only get new cards after a major event in the story.
I think after the events in Agent of Artifice, his abilities have expanded beyond manipulating the cards/mind and they are clearly more powerful and focused. Now he can divine and change the future (look at the next card and fateseal it), grant someone a card with no effort and a look into a future (brainstorm), bounce something (a wholly new ability!), or do his final ability which a bigger and more powerful version of his former final ability.
Clearly he has grown and learned new skills and bettered his existing ones under Tezzeret's teaching.
----
As for Chandra, I guess she is seriously pissed off after the events in the Purifying fire. She has been "betrayed" by the one she was falling for - he turns out to belong to the hated Order! The Order tried to sacrifice her to the Fire. She has aborbed an immense amount of power.
So her card, more power, but out of control. She can do bigger fire spells and more damage, but at a cost to you - you must give up long-term thinking in favour of short-term power (giving up spells/cards). She is acting on instinct and power, even more so than before.
BRG Jund BRG
WURG Landfall WURG
WURG Allied Powers WURG
WUB Esper Flying Face Smashy WUB
Extended:
WU Millfolk WU
GElves G
I'd T that.
Pfft, Karn's a pacifist, he'll just neuter other walkers by casting something like: "players can't play abilities for the rest of the game."
WAnglesW
WUBRGThe BroodGRBUW
WUGAllymillGUW
Then it'll just be breaking faces. Or maybe melting, given the implications about said corruption. :>
The real question is whether they'd bend the "rule" they set for Tezzeret which is whether Karn just has Planeswalker or Artifact Planeswalker on his typeline.
Past Ruminations
Links are broken, will fix in near future.
- Kaladesh
- Zendikar
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- Alara Reborn
- Innistrad <- Personal Favorite
- Dark Ascension
- Avacyn Restored
- Theros
- Return to Ravnica
- Tarkir
Otherwise Jace and co would be creatures.
Though Karn's personality could be anything right now really, we don't know what happened to him after Time Spiral. His personality could have shifted drastically.
This would make him a perfect candidate for Rise of the Eldrazi.* (Assuming a major theme is indeed colourlessness.)
Honestly though, I think Karn will be white, or black or whatever the corruption did to him. Wizards said they want to evolve the planeswalker cards very slowly. I believe it's too early for colourless planeswalkers yet.
*If it weren't for the fact, that planeswalkers aren't designed with the set's theme in mind.
Ditto on this. Also, with cards like Ghostfire and Master of Etherium, we see that there can both be coloured artifacts and colorless cards w/ coloured mana. I expect that if Karn were ever to be reprinted, he would be modeled after the Eldrazi, being colorless while still retaining a colored casting cost of some sort.
@Dunjohn: I liked your explanation of the limited nature of the planeswalkers as cards and I think we all reconcile how the game mechanics and flavour interact in a similar manner.
@Leveling: I think y'all forgot Magic's foray into leveling; it was called the Champion mechanic from Lorwyn. I think that was done fairly well even if it was weird to see my Visionary level into a Packmaster. Strange change in profession.
Back on-topic: I think the formula, as Barinellos pointed out, is simply just [Planeswalker]->[Book]->[Updated Planeswalker]. Even before Magic is a game, it's consumable merchandise. You can't say that after reading either AoA or tPF you didn't want to know just a little more about Jace and Chandra and speculate what would happen to them in the future.
Seeing Jace and Chandra retain their mono-colour status and spell-casting focii, but a change in their activations--Chandra uses her ally's aid to fuel her spells while Jace no longer looks to make friends with just anyone--shows that the changes that they experienced in their respective novels did not go unheeded, but were not as ground-breaking as we would hope.
Remember, the planeswalker novels are a way for Magic to focus less on the "CATACLYSMIC EFFECTS UPON THE PLANE" (which, if I remember, is much maligned in these forums) and more on the little things that are going on in the background. These little things will definitely build our beloved characters (pleaaaaaaaaaase make a blue female planeswalker already), but in a very slow way.
I mean, it took Urza from Antiquities to be as overwhelming a character that he is.
P.S. In terms of knowledge and spells, for the life-changing occurrences btw. Ajani Vengeant -> Ajani Goldmane, do we actually believe that Ajani has forgotten spells of retribution and destruction? I tend to believe that Ajani retains knowledge of these spells and had actively removed them from his repertoire. Whether he has undone his manabonds to mountainous regions or simply has chosen not to tap them, I can't really say, but I think this idea of choosing which spells are their forte strongly supports Dunjohn's explanation of the difference btw. the "legend change" and the "planeswalker change".
Planeswalkers seem to have more choice in how their characters change and can either be more receptive or resistant to change vs. their more commonplace legendary counterparts.
I think they are wording cards carefully... look at Eye of Ugin. It seems they are going out of thier way to make sure it doesn't intereact with anything but Eldrazi and kin.
Though, that would be a cool way of connecting Zendikar with the next set.
Actually, I support this movement. Just... you know, make her somewhat pretty. Liliana level pretty, but... uhh, maybe a little less crazy tattoos that make her look old.
Elspeth and Chandra both have that "I don't care what I look like" thing going. Pretty females plz!?
Nissa would be pretty except for those cold dead eyes and hairstyle. Still, excellent art on her.
Alternatively, making her a nerd chic style wizard would make me go gleeeeeee with umm... glee.