Given that they have a named card, I'm thinking this is a definite.
You'd think... but Taigam's name was on a spell too and he was the obvious choice for completing a cycle (which they basically left incomplete), and he still didn't get a card of his own. So I wouldn't quite say it's a 100% certainty.
4. Fridge horror time: Yahenni's first kill gets her 12 extra days. Her second gets her 10. Maybe it depends on the vitality of the victim, but that's a clear cut indication of diminishing returns. So for those Aetherborn who extensively essence drain to keep themselves alive... does it get to the point where they need to kill once every few minutes, or even seconds to survive? And how many victims does it take to even get to that point?
5. We actually have a storyline with Red/black good guys up against blue/white bad guys. Cherish it, kids.
Regarding Yaheeni's essence draining, we still don't know for sure that it works like that. Maybe different victims have different amounts of life energy that can be drained, and her next kill gives her another 15 days to live. Or maybe the effect gets stronger the closer the Aetherborn is to death, like someone suggested earlier. Or maybe it's just random and each kill gives roughly 10-15 days. Hopefully we'll find out in a later story.
Also, I see the conflict as being more Jund vs. Esper than Rakdos vs. Azorius. The Consulate has its fair share of Black characters and cards too (Kambal, Tezzeret, Dhund Operative, Harsh Scrutiny, Lost Legacy).
Now I'm hoping for either a mono-black or Rakdos Yahenni (probably unlikely, but they are more impulsive and emotionally-driven at this point) that drains either players or creatures. I love the aesthetic of the aetherborn, but didn't find gonti engaging enough to build around. Hoping Yahenni gives me that kick the the engine, if they get a card. Despite Ulrich hurting me deeply as a werewolf and canine fanatic, the past year or so with Yidris, Sigarda and Avacyn has really been a great commander year for me. Hoping Yahenni continues that.
I figure he'll either be Rakdos or Golgari, I could see him being either.
We’ve had quite a few mono-W, WU, and WUB villains in the past. Mono-G and GW antagonists are the ones that we really need more of. I would also like to see a UB protagonist for once; the closest thing we've had to one is Gisa and Geralf in Eldritch Moon who were extremely minor characters and actually just mono-U and mono-B characters together anyway.
Personally, I think that Yahenni will be BG because the emotion-sensing ability is common to all Aetherborn, yet that doesn’t make them BR. Yahenni also probably won’t be mono-B because they need to be different from Gonti. BG especially makes sense considering how well Yahenni gets along with Nissa. But a BG Yahenni would result in every enemy color pair getting a legend in Kaladesh block except for UR. But what kind of UR legend would they put in an artifact block? It makes perfect sense for UR to be excluded. Why would anyone want a UR legend from Kaladesh anyway?
I like Yahenni, but honesty no Ajani this story was disappointing...jk, but to echo a few others kinda felt like filler and I want to get back into things after that cliffhanger in Kaladesh.
Given that they have a named card, I'm thinking this is a definite.
You'd think... but Taigam's name was on a spell too and he was the obvious choice for completing a cycle (which they basically left incomplete), and he still didn't get a card of his own. So I wouldn't quite say it's a 100% certainty.
Also that cycle was complete. It was a cycle of former khans (Taigam was never a khan) from the khans timeline which where Anafenza, Narset, Sadisi, Zurgo and Surrak. Each one got a card in Dragons of Tarkir as well as using their broods mechanic, a first for a planeswlaker with Narset.
Now I'm hoping for either a mono-black or Rakdos Yahenni (probably unlikely, but they are more impulsive and emotionally-driven at this point) that drains either players or creatures. I love the aesthetic of the aetherborn, but didn't find gonti engaging enough to build around. Hoping Yahenni gives me that kick the the engine, if they get a card. Despite Ulrich hurting me deeply as a werewolf and canine fanatic, the past year or so with Yidris, Sigarda and Avacyn has really been a great commander year for me. Hoping Yahenni continues that.
I figure he'll either be Rakdos or Golgari, I could see him being either.
Yahenni uses they/them as do all the aether born since they don't have a gender.
We’ve had quite a few mono-W, WU, and WUB villains in the past. Mono-G and GW antagonists are the ones that we really need more of. I would also like to see a UB protagonist for once; the closest thing we've had to one is Gisa and Geralf in Eldritch Moon who were extremely minor characters and actually just mono-U and mono-B characters together anyway.
We have layers of Selesnya, Dromoka and Gaddock Teeg as GW antagonists. Mono G antagonist are IMO hard to write since mono G character tend to end up being more akin to forces of nature/big killing animal, like Vorinclex, which don't feel too much a real character, like a few critics of Garruk.
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“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Jund vs. Esper actually makes sense. Although its a much lighter version of Jund without the Darwinism in play.
As far as Yahenni goes, I mistakenly referred to them as a "her" when in fact they are genderless. Just... with their overuse of the word "darling", I keep envisioning the character being voiced by Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Weirdly, I actually referred to Yahenni as both a "him" and a "her" at different points in my post, without even noticing.
And the renegades on Kaladesh seem to represent the more positive aspects of Green, Red, and Black: adaptation, freedom, and individuality. Jund seemed more focused on the negative aspects of all three colors, it was more about survival of the fittest and "nature red in tooth and claw" than any kind of self-expression (although Jund's Red mana was essential to the process of creating new etherium, which might suggest that it still has some creative properties).
Great story to get back into it. As many have said before me, Yahenni is an entertainingly fresh take on black. What I also really like with the Kaladesh stories, is hwo they always tie into the Gatewatch arc. It's almost a complete turnaround from Innistrad, where all the secondary characters had their own plot.
Now I'm hoping for either a mono-black or Rakdos Yahenni (probably unlikely, but they are more impulsive and emotionally-driven at this point) that drains either players or creatures. I love the aesthetic of the aetherborn, but didn't find gonti engaging enough to build around. Hoping Yahenni gives me that kick the the engine, if they get a card. Despite Ulrich hurting me deeply as a werewolf and canine fanatic, the past year or so with Yidris, Sigarda and Avacyn has really been a great commander year for me. Hoping Yahenni continues that.
I'm pretty sure Yaheeni will be mono black. Yaheeni's motivations and justifications are at their core pretty self centered, even if they were initially unintentional. The only way I can see Yaheeni have another color is if the "class" demands it, like Contraband Kingpin.
Given that they have a named card, I'm thinking this is a definite.
You'd think... but Taigam's name was on a spell too and he was the obvious choice for completing a cycle (which they basically left incomplete), and he still didn't get a card of his own. So I wouldn't quite say it's a 100% certainty.
Why did you have to remind me about that? I'm still a little bitter.
I like Yahenni, but honesty no Ajani this story was disappointing...jk, but to echo a few others kinda felt like filler and I want to get back into things after that cliffhanger in Kaladesh.
Great story to get back into it. As many have said before me, Yahenni is an entertainingly fresh take on black. What I also really like with the Kaladesh stories, is hwo they always tie into the Gatewatch arc. It's almost a complete turnaround from Innistrad, where all the secondary characters had their own plot.
Well wasn't Ajani off serving food on a soup kitchen line with an old lady or something? If that isn't the most Ajani thing I've heard then I don't know what is, haha. Though in all seriousness, yeah I suppose this can be considered filler, but it's filler that ties into the plot. SOI's filler literally had no impact on the plot what-so-ever, and was mostly there to convey a feeling of dread. Even Arlin Kord's stories had zero impact. This is a very welcomed change as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't want "filler" stories like this to go away, they do wonders for world building, but keeping them plot relevant is definitely the way to go.
4. Fridge horror time: Yahenni's first kill gets her 12 extra days. Her second gets her 10. Maybe it depends on the vitality of the victim, but that's a clear cut indication of diminishing returns. So for those Aetherborn who extensively essence drain to keep themselves alive... does it get to the point where they need to kill once every few minutes, or even seconds to survive? And how many victims does it take to even get to that point?
Who possibly remembers how many bread they have eaten in their life? (Sorry, I gotta)
5. We actually have a storyline with Red/black good guys up against blue/white bad guys. Cherish it, kids.
I appreciate any outside of box creativities, one reason why I love the Aetherborn so much on this plane. Wizards should continue to expand color identities so people don't get stuck with the Dominaria/Ravnica/Alara stereotypes. (Tarkir only had one expansion to build on wedge identities compare to others, so I omit it here)
And Yahenni has been my favorite character of this expansion, it's good to see the foreshadowing in her previous story, and now it takes action. I love Aetherborn's ability to sense emotions in scent and sound. And here we see why Aetherborn is quite black in their identity while being interesting, quoting Yahenni and Lilianna:
L - "Does your penthouse have more than five bedrooms?" she asks. The woman smells of damp topsoil and an admirably healthy ego.
Y - "Darling, I wouldn't sleep in a house with fewer than seven," I respond. She nods in appreciation and holds out a hand.
Is there a writing/flavor danger/risk in having two 'good guys,' Ajani and Gideon, in the same set/block/plane? Both white-aligned, both buff and nice (attitude), both looking out for the little people, both more-or-less selfless. Out of the assembled planeswalkers on the plane, Ajani and Gideon seem to be covering a lot of the same creative ground, as opposed to the other walkers who are pretty different from each other.
Some new characters we may be reading about in future stories. As well as a name to the face of the woman on the back of Kaladesh tokens / guide cards. (Advika Taar)
Of note, Sram appeared on flavortext in Kaladesh: Fumigate and Wayward Giant. The rest seem to be entirely new.
Also, In the Dead of the Night was apparently one of the stories that got a Story Spotlight card - the AER Story page has updated to include Magic card backs attached to the pages of the stories that have tie-in cards, and it was one of them - though it's notYahenni's Expertise, which had its "normal" version revealed and doesn't have the "Story Spotlight" label on it. I don't think Yahenni themself would rate a Story Spotlight card if Pia Nalaar wasn't one, so...I'm not sure what part of the story is getting a spotlight.
(If the AER Story page is accurate, the set has 9 stories, and the other stories with tie-in cards are #4, #5, #8, and #9 - which, if my math is right, means that only the last two stories will be revealed after their corresponding cards, as opposed to Kaladesh's three: Deadlock Trap, Fateful Showdown, and Confiscation Coup. Which, hopefully, means that slightly less story will be spoiled by the cards, though the big conclusion is still in the same situation.)
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"The true measure of all heroes is not what they achieve, but who they inspire." —Triumph of Gerrard
Of note, Sram appeared on flavortext in Kaladesh: Fumigate and Wayward Giant. The rest seem to be entirely new.
Also, In the Dead of the Night was apparently one of the stories that got a Story Spotlight card - the AER Story page has updated to include Magic card backs attached to the pages of the stories that have tie-in cards, and it was one of them - though it's notYahenni's Expertise, which had its "normal" version revealed and doesn't have the "Story Spotlight" label on it. I don't think Yahenni themself would rate a Story Spotlight card if Pia Nalaar wasn't one, so...I'm not sure what part of the story is getting a spotlight.
(If the AER Story page is accurate, the set has 9 stories, and the other stories with tie-in cards are #4, #5, #8, and #9 - which, if my math is right, means that only the last two stories will be revealed after their corresponding cards, as opposed to Kaladesh's three: Deadlock Trap, Fateful Showdown, and Confiscation Coup. Which, hopefully, means that slightly less story will be spoiled by the cards, though the big conclusion is still in the same situation.)
Interesting. I hope the time is used a bit more speedily than with Kaladesh, which was on a bit of a slow burn.
Well depending on Wizards holiday break spoilers will start on the 26th. And, again depending on their holiday, we have two or three stories before then. Story 4 would be on the 21st which is almost certainly during the break. But it seems to me that the story cards are not particularly spoilery this time.
This was a solid return to the storyline. A nice peek into Gideon's thoughts that continues to dispel the all-brawn no brains stereotype some attribute to him. As always, planeswalker interactions are amusing, especially when it comes to enemy color aligned walkers who have "allied" themselves together. It was nice to get some action at the end of the story, but it would have been solid without it. Here's to hoping Saheeli joins the Gatewatch and this is not just a team-up. A- for today.
Nothing too exciting today, but the story got pushed forward, the insight into Gideon was nice and I continue to enjoy the Gatewatch interactions. So I'd say it was pretty good.
I only wish they'd taken the chance and address their time together from The Purifying Fire when Chandra and Gideon had their talk.
What's canon and what's not has hecome very confusing in recent stories. I guess that Agents of Artifice is, Test of Metal isn't, and Purifying Fire is partly canon?
Most of the old books are canon unless otherwise specified. Quest for Karn and Test of Metal seem to be the exceptions, I don't think those books are canon since they don't make a lot of sense and they don't really mesh with the rest of the continuity at all (for instance, Quest for Karn had Glissa ruling over New Phyrexia instead of the Praetors).
First of all, I saw a lot of people discussing Yahenni's color identity on the last story. I don't know where nobody comes and says white outside of them just not wanting another black/white character. The part that pushes it for me is the moral quandary she has. A mono black character of any kind would never have that. Black as a color represents amorality. It's not that has morals and isn't afraid of breaking them, it's that it does not believe in morals. White is the stand out color for morality. Not saying she can't be Green but she is certainly not mono black. I don't think she's green after this story as the use of her life draining powers is strictly against the natural order in such an extreme way.
Anyway, I can't be the only person here who didn't like the bracketed language in the Yahenni story. It felt so out of place that it just bothers me. The rest of the story was great and makes me think they are really on the right track with the side stories now.
The Gideon story was also very enjoyable. Especially his interactions with Liliana. I think they've started to really hit a stride and a good balance.
Hoping for a big standout story in this block about Pia and Chandra after seeing one of the early spoilers and the secret weapon from this week's story.
Anyway, I can't be the only person here who didn't like the bracketed language in the Yahenni story. It felt so out of place that it just bothers me.
No, I agree. The story itself was okay, but all those interjections were just awful and pulled me out of the narrative every time. But this is something the author (forgot her name) does in most of her stories.
You'd think... but Taigam's name was on a spell too and he was the obvious choice for completing a cycle (which they basically left incomplete), and he still didn't get a card of his own. So I wouldn't quite say it's a 100% certainty.
Regarding Yaheeni's essence draining, we still don't know for sure that it works like that. Maybe different victims have different amounts of life energy that can be drained, and her next kill gives her another 15 days to live. Or maybe the effect gets stronger the closer the Aetherborn is to death, like someone suggested earlier. Or maybe it's just random and each kill gives roughly 10-15 days. Hopefully we'll find out in a later story.
Also, I see the conflict as being more Jund vs. Esper than Rakdos vs. Azorius. The Consulate has its fair share of Black characters and cards too (Kambal, Tezzeret, Dhund Operative, Harsh Scrutiny, Lost Legacy).
I figure he'll either be Rakdos or Golgari, I could see him being either.
Personally, I think that Yahenni will be BG because the emotion-sensing ability is common to all Aetherborn, yet that doesn’t make them BR. Yahenni also probably won’t be mono-B because they need to be different from Gonti. BG especially makes sense considering how well Yahenni gets along with Nissa. But a BG Yahenni would result in every enemy color pair getting a legend in Kaladesh block except for UR. But what kind of UR legend would they put in an artifact block? It makes perfect sense for UR to be excluded. Why would anyone want a UR legend from Kaladesh anyway?
We are getting a Yahenni card;
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/153891352008/so-the-story-today-spurred-the-custom-card
Also that cycle was complete. It was a cycle of former khans (Taigam was never a khan) from the khans timeline which where Anafenza, Narset, Sadisi, Zurgo and Surrak. Each one got a card in Dragons of Tarkir as well as using their broods mechanic, a first for a planeswlaker with Narset.
Yahenni uses they/them as do all the aether born since they don't have a gender.
We have layers of Selesnya, Dromoka and Gaddock Teeg as GW antagonists. Mono G antagonist are IMO hard to write since mono G character tend to end up being more akin to forces of nature/big killing animal, like Vorinclex, which don't feel too much a real character, like a few critics of Garruk.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
As far as Yahenni goes, I mistakenly referred to them as a "her" when in fact they are genderless. Just... with their overuse of the word "darling", I keep envisioning the character being voiced by Zsa Zsa Gabor.
And the renegades on Kaladesh seem to represent the more positive aspects of Green, Red, and Black: adaptation, freedom, and individuality. Jund seemed more focused on the negative aspects of all three colors, it was more about survival of the fittest and "nature red in tooth and claw" than any kind of self-expression (although Jund's Red mana was essential to the process of creating new etherium, which might suggest that it still has some creative properties).
I'm pretty sure Yaheeni will be mono black. Yaheeni's motivations and justifications are at their core pretty self centered, even if they were initially unintentional. The only way I can see Yaheeni have another color is if the "class" demands it, like Contraband Kingpin.
Why did you have to remind me about that? I'm still a little bitter.
Well wasn't Ajani off serving food on a soup kitchen line with an old lady or something? If that isn't the most Ajani thing I've heard then I don't know what is, haha. Though in all seriousness, yeah I suppose this can be considered filler, but it's filler that ties into the plot. SOI's filler literally had no impact on the plot what-so-ever, and was mostly there to convey a feeling of dread. Even Arlin Kord's stories had zero impact. This is a very welcomed change as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't want "filler" stories like this to go away, they do wonders for world building, but keeping them plot relevant is definitely the way to go.
Who possibly remembers how many bread they have eaten in their life? (Sorry, I gotta)
I appreciate any outside of box creativities, one reason why I love the Aetherborn so much on this plane. Wizards should continue to expand color identities so people don't get stuck with the Dominaria/Ravnica/Alara stereotypes. (Tarkir only had one expansion to build on wedge identities compare to others, so I omit it here)
And Yahenni has been my favorite character of this expansion, it's good to see the foreshadowing in her previous story, and now it takes action. I love Aetherborn's ability to sense emotions in scent and sound. And here we see why Aetherborn is quite black in their identity while being interesting, quoting Yahenni and Lilianna:
L - "Does your penthouse have more than five bedrooms?" she asks. The woman smells of damp topsoil and an admirably healthy ego.
Y - "Darling, I wouldn't sleep in a house with fewer than seven," I respond. She nods in appreciation and holds out a hand.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest WUR Voltron Control
Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun WU Unblockable Mirror Trickery
Ra's al Ghul (Sidar Kondo) and Face-Down Ninjas
Brudiclad, Token Engineer
Vaevictis (VV2) the Dire Lantern
Rona, Disciple of Gix
Tiana the Auror
Hallar
Ulrich the Politician
Zur the Rebel
Scorpion, Locust, Scarab, Egyptian Gods
O-Kagachi, Mathas, Mairsil
"Non-Tribal" Tribal Generals, Eggs
Also, In the Dead of the Night was apparently one of the stories that got a Story Spotlight card - the AER Story page has updated to include Magic card backs attached to the pages of the stories that have tie-in cards, and it was one of them - though it's not Yahenni's Expertise, which had its "normal" version revealed and doesn't have the "Story Spotlight" label on it. I don't think Yahenni themself would rate a Story Spotlight card if Pia Nalaar wasn't one, so...I'm not sure what part of the story is getting a spotlight.
(If the AER Story page is accurate, the set has 9 stories, and the other stories with tie-in cards are #4, #5, #8, and #9 - which, if my math is right, means that only the last two stories will be revealed after their corresponding cards, as opposed to Kaladesh's three: Deadlock Trap, Fateful Showdown, and Confiscation Coup. Which, hopefully, means that slightly less story will be spoiled by the cards, though the big conclusion is still in the same situation.)
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I only wish they'd taken the chance and address their time together from The Purifying Fire when Chandra and Gideon had their talk.
Once again Yahenni's POV story is well done. I usually frown upon first-person narratives (hello, I Am Avacyn), but this one's ok.
Gideon's POV story is ok, nicely done, though not too special.
Getting a bit thrilled to see Yahenni as a card now... or maybe they have? I need to check the spoilers.
Regardless of my like or dislike of the story, Liliana quoting a meme threw me for several loops.
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So do a lot of 23 year olds I know. Especially ones that are realizing that they're kinda in over their head.
As far as the Purifying Fire goes, I think the only thing that really is noncanon is Chandra's backstory.
Anyway, I can't be the only person here who didn't like the bracketed language in the Yahenni story. It felt so out of place that it just bothers me. The rest of the story was great and makes me think they are really on the right track with the side stories now.
The Gideon story was also very enjoyable. Especially his interactions with Liliana. I think they've started to really hit a stride and a good balance.
Hoping for a big standout story in this block about Pia and Chandra after seeing one of the early spoilers and the secret weapon from this week's story.
No, I agree. The story itself was okay, but all those interjections were just awful and pulled me out of the narrative every time. But this is something the author (forgot her name) does in most of her stories.