MTG Salvation

Hey everyone! I've decided to revamp this thread from "Archive Trap: A Vorthos Guide to MTG" to just "A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story", because I'm no longer publishing on MTGS with regularity (you can find me biweekly on Gathering Magic now). I still wanted to keep a good listing of story summaries around, however, so this thread will include, in roughly chronological order, summaries of Magic's Story from over the years. Check out the Magic Storyline Resources thread if you want sources instead of summaries. These are not all my articles, we've got some guest articles on the Weatherlight Saga here, and I link to official story summaries wherever appropriate. Please check out Multiverse in Review for in-depth summaries of a lot of early Magic lore.

Summaries in Chronological Order
Pre-Mending

• The Brothers' War Part I
• The Brothers' War Part II
• Arabian Nights (Multiverse in Review)
• The Ice Age I: Fallen Empires and the Dark
• The Ice Age II: The Shard and the World Spell
• The Ice Age III: Alliances and Coldsnap
• The World of Shandalar
• Artifacts I: Stones of Power and Heart
• Artifacts II: Lines of Time and Blood
• Homelands (Multiverse in Review)
• The World of Kamigawa
• A Reckoning on Kamigawa
• Elders of Dominaria (Gathering Magic)
• The Story of the Battlemage Ravidel (Official Summary of most of the old comics from Acclaim)
• The Story of Jamuraa, Visions: the Backstory (Official Summary)
• The Weatherlight Saga (Video)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 1: Come Sail Away (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 2: Darkness Within (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 3: One Man's Fury (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 4: Downward Spiral (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 5a: Imperfect Parts (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 5b: Imperfect Parts (Guest Article)
• Remember the Weatherlight Part 5c: Imperfect Parts (Guest Article)
• Odyssey, Chainer's Torment, Judgment, Onslaught, Legions, Scourge (Multiverse in Review)
• The World of Mirrodin I: Moons of Mirrodin
• The World of Mirrodin II: Darksteel and the Fifth Dawn
• Ravnica: The Broken Guildpact
• Time Spiral and the Mending
• Magic Story: Elder Dragons to the Mending (Summary Article, Gathering Magic)

Post-Mending

• Jace, Tezzeret, and the Infinite Consortium
• Chandra, Gideon, and the Purifying Fire
• Planeswalker Spotlight: Dack Fayden Part I
• Planeswalker Spotlight: Dack Fayden Part II
• The World of Alara Part I: The Five Shards
• The World of Alara Part II: Legends of the Sundered Plane
• The World of Alara Part III: The Conflux
• The World of Alara Part IV: Alara Reborn
• The World of Zendikar, Part I
• The World of Zendikar, Part II
• The World of Zendikar, Part III
• Liliana, Garruk, and the Veil
• The Fall of Mirrodin
• The Rise of New Phyrexia
• The World of Innistrad
• Fiora, the World of Conspiracy
• Ravnica: The Living Guildpact
• The World of Theros
• Theros: Elspeth's Tragedy
• The World of Tarkir (Official Summary)
• The World of Zendikar Part IV: Return to Zendikar
• The World of Zendikar Part V: Battle for Zendikar
• The World of Zendikar Part IV: Oath of the Gatewatch
• The World of Innistrad Part II: Eldritch Shadows
• The World of Innistrad Part III: Moon Madness
• Fiora, the World of Conspiracy Part II
• The World of Kaladesh Part I: The Inventor's Fair
• The World of Kaladesh Part II: Aether Revolt
• The World of Amonkhet
• Magic Story: Alara to Amonkhet (Summary Article)
• Recapping Ixalan (Gathering Magic)
• Recapping Rivals of Ixalan (Gathering Magic)
• The Story of Return to Dominaria (Gathering Magic)
• The Chronicle of Bolas (Core 2019 Story) (Gathering Magic)

So basically, this is the "Unofficial" Guide to the missing links to previous blocks, Legendary Creatures who only turned up on cards but barely in the story / characters who appear in the story but get only small mentions in the cards, using as much official information from past to present as possible? I like the idea.

So in the case of stories with truly incomplete information (that Wizards look like they're never going to address, stealthily or not), are the stories going to have to take assumptions on them? Since true official information are limited and can only provide so far for a good article. Or are they going to retain those obvious gaps?

The more we delve and learn, the more missing information we need to find.

Quote from Yatsufusa »

So in the case of stories with truly incomplete information (that Wizards look like they're never going to address, stealthily or not), are the stories going to have to take assumptions on them? Since true official information are limited and can only provide so far for a good article. Or are they going to retain those obvious gaps?

Where the gaps aren't harmful to the story, we're leaving them in place (nothing wrong with a time skip). If there is something seriously different with no explanation, we'll speculate but be clear that it is speculation. We'll also mention where canon is called into doubt. For instance, the section on In the Teeth of Akoum is very clear that most of it is probably retconned.

You can let us know how you feel about how we handled something after we post, and we'll address it in the future.

Whenever we discuss Ravnica are we going to speculate on when the original Ravnica trilogy happened lore wise? From one of the articles a few months back it seemed to elude to at least the final 2 books of the original trilogy happening after Jace first became a Planeswalker. I've been going through the books on my spare time to see if anything contradicts this but I haven't actually found anything.

Quote from HattyDrago »

Whenever we discuss Ravnica are we going to speculate on when the original Ravnica trilogy happened lore wise? From one of the articles a few months back it seemed to elude to at least the final 2 books of the original trilogy happening after Jace first became a Planeswalker. I've been going through the books on my spare time to see if anything contradicts this but I haven't actually found anything.

Oh yeah. Ravnica will be on our agenda, but it's a tough one because it's now the 'hub world', so we have to separate what is important to Ravnica's story versus what just happens to occur on Ravnica. I can't guarantee when that will happen, though. I'm thinking I'll post the next topic we'll tackle once an article drops, giving the community time to give some input.

Quote from Jay13x »

Quote from HattyDrago »

Whenever we discuss Ravnica are we going to speculate on when the original Ravnica trilogy happened lore wise? From one of the articles a few months back it seemed to elude to at least the final 2 books of the original trilogy happening after Jace first became a Planeswalker. I've been going through the books on my spare time to see if anything contradicts this but I haven't actually found anything.

Oh yeah. Ravnica will be on our agenda, but it's a tough one because it's now the 'hub world', so we have to separate what is important to Ravnica's story versus what just happens to occur on Ravnica. I can't guarantee when that will happen, though. I'm thinking I'll post the next topic we'll tackle once an article drops, giving the community time to give some input.

Sweet, I'd be happy to help research whatever it needed, I have all of the books that have events in Ravnica, the original trilogy, Agents of Artifice, the Secretist all three parts, and of course the internet to find whatever other UR, Savor the Flavor, or etc... I'd need. Also, I have Test of Metal, I haven't read all he way through it yet so I don't know if Ravnica is a place Tezz goes to in there.

Where can I find these articles?

Quote from OrzhovPlaneswalker »

Where can I find these articles?

I don't think it's out yet.

The first one is currently under review, hopefully out this week. next week.

And the first one posted!

Archive Trap: World of Zendikar Part I

Please keep in mind that this is part I of a three part article. The plot itself will be contained in the next two.

Also, please keep in mind that this is ALL pre-Battle for Zendikar information. Anything story points revealed after the first official Battle for Zendikar story are not included (such as the revelation about Zendikar's vampires). Those will be included in an article after the Battle for Zendikar Block has concluded.

Very nice! I never got to read Teeth of Akoum, so this filled in a few gaps for me.

Quote from Oopssorryy »

Very nice! I never got to read Teeth of Akoum, so this filled in a few gaps for me.

Part II has a full summary of that novel, so you'll definitely be up to date after.

Nissa Revane is a complicated character. She was originally created to fit the green and black elf tribal deck in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.

Actually, she was created for the original DotP, which was released in June of 2009. It doesn't make a ton of sense that she'd be created for DotP 2012, a game released almost two years after Nissa made her debut in card form in the original Zendikar.

Quote from orlouge82 »

Nissa Revane is a complicated character. She was originally created to fit the green and black elf tribal deck in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.

Actually, she was created for the original DotP, which was released in June of 2009. It doesn't make a ton of sense that she'd be created for DotP 2012, a game released almost two years after Nissa made her debut in card form in the original Zendikar.

Whoops! You're right. I don't know how that slipped by me.

Edit: I do. One of the PAX worldbuilding panels mentioned that she was from Duels 2012 when asked about Nissa' character change, I believe. I put it in without thinking. Once I figure out how to correct it, I'll make the change.

Wait, I thought that Jace had gone to Zendikar because he was looking at images of the Scroll while in Ravnica, and when Garruk came to get information about Liliana, Garruk mentioned to Jace upon leaving that the scroll writings he's looking at are from Zendikar, and that's what prompted him to go.

Quote from HattyDrago »

Wait, I thought that Jace had gone to Zendikar because he was looking at images of the Scroll while in Ravnica, and when Garruk came to get information about Liliana, Garruk mentioned to Jace upon leaving that the scroll writings he's looking at are from Zendikar, and that's what prompted him to go.

You mean from the Veil's Curse Part III? Sure, but the initial impetus to find the scroll came from the consortium in the first place. Garruk revealed Zendikar's whereabouts after the fact. I did update part II to make that clear, which should be dropping any day now.

Part II has dropped. This is finally getting into the meat of what these articles will be about - hope you all like it! Part III is in editing and will hopefully drop next week.

If anyone is seriously interested in helping collaborate on one of these, please PM me. If anyone is burning for a specific topic, let me know that as well.

That was a great summary, I never got the chance to read the Teeth of Akoum (and hearing about how bad it was, didn't go out of my way to) but I'm glad this exists to summarize it. I actually kind of like the idea of Sorin singing when he casts spells in fights, almost like how serial killers will hum or whistle a tune while walking up to someone or in process of chopping them to pieces. Actually, overall it seems like if I read the book, Sorin would be my favorite part of it with that line you quoted being a hilarious way of him saying 'Peace, I'm out, good luck morons!'

Quote from HattyDrago »

That was a great summary, I never got the chance to read the Teeth of Akoum (and hearing about how bad it was, didn't go out of my way to) but I'm glad this exists to summarize it. I actually kind of like the idea of Sorin singing when he casts spells in fights, almost like how serial killers will hum or whistle a tune while walking up to someone or in process of chopping them to pieces. Actually, overall it seems like if I read the book, Sorin would be my favorite part of it with that line you quoted being a hilarious way of him saying 'Peace, I'm out, good luck morons!'

Sorin being an ass was definitely the best part of the book, lol.

"In the teeth of Akoum" had moments so silly it's funny. Said Sorin's songs, which kill closest living things (the closest portrayal of "singing voice which causes birds to drop dead" I've ever seen). Nissa using summoned bird as throwing knife. Nissa again, defeating some random monster by forcing bacteriae in its digestive tract to rebel. This book is not unreadable, it's just better when not taken seriously.