It's obvious Bolas is lying. There are huge holes in his version of the story. How Ugin is a coward and Bolas was the first walker, yet it's clear as day that Ugin was first. Or how Bolas acknowledges the death of his sister, but makes no mention of it in their birth where he claims he woke first and alone, ready to fly. When in reality, it makes more sense that he was tangled near where she had been killed, with enough time to witness it, and an excuse as to why they couldn't assist. Otherwise, why didn't they intervene?
Wait, the guy who convinced an entire plane to willingly slaughter themselves en masse for a chance at the afterlife while really turning them into his own undead army might be lying about something?
I just recalled a funny, relevant quote from Nicol Bolas in the Time Spiral novel. Shortly before his rebirth, his ghostly, disembodied voice hails Jhoira and their team after they trounce and drive off a nekoru prince in Madara:
Bolas: "They say all dragons are vain, but nekoru are particularly self-absorbed. I imagine the prince will never breath a word of his rough treatment at your hands. He'll most likely claim to have grown bored and flown away, omitting any details that don't support his own high opinion of himself. He certainly won't admit that he sensed me coming and decided to leave."
Vain, egomaniacal liars. It takes one to know one.
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"I'd rather die speaking the truth than live a lie." --Gix, to Yawgmoth (pre-Phyrexia)
Furthermore, this story gives us almost nothing. We know we cannot trust Bolas' version of these events anyway, since so much of what we're reading is just his self-glorifying lies. Everything we learned about his later fights with Ugin and his clash with Ugin in the Meditation Realm would have come better from Ugin's perspective than from Bolas' waters-muddying monologue.
Well there are two things Ugin didn't know so we couldn't get his pov, Bolas sparking and the meeting between Bolas and Arcades, which not knowing old lore, idk if its a reference to Arcades in the old lore or set up for more.
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Maybe Bolas did kill Ugin in the meditation plane but Ugin now survives due to the hedron thing now serving as his phylactery of sorts? I don’t know it it all works out in the timeline but maybe his body is kept in stasis with the same kind of magic that imprisoned the Eldrazi Titans by the hedrons, and he added some Magic with his Nexus that allows his spirit to manifest anyway?
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Yeah, Bolas is clearly lying, or he's so delusional that he believes what he's saying and is just that much of a narcissist that his entire perception of reality is warped as a result.
I doubt Bolas truly believes those lies. He just tries to manipulate Naiva. Bolas shouldn't have come so far if he was truly delusional.
Also, the Mediation realm was artificially created, according to the story. Did Ugin create it? Or did another planeswalker predate him and create it?
There is no indication whatsoever that Ugin created it, unless planes can now be created subconsciously. So since Ugin very likely didn't create the Meditation Realm, this nicely answers the question whether or not Ugin was the first planeswalker.
This is great, its like Psychology class.
The most perfect case of Projecting there could be.
Bolas tells the truth but from an opposite perspective. Everything he felt, he says Ugin felt. Everything he says he did, Ugin actually did. Everything he says Ugin did, He actually did. (For the most parts)
Just Classic. Very well written, Just very SHORT this time around.
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Thats just Bolas perpective and misleading. It was created before him because I think it is a manifestation of Ugins Mind. Then it may be a twin thing or Elder dragon thing that his first walk was to there as well.
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3.) Why does he waste 20 minutes regaling this random girl with his side of the story? What is it to him what this puny human child thinks? If he takes issue with her point of view, he can just kill her when he's done with her.
4.) And when he does share his story, why does he include ostentatious example of him messing with other people's minds (like Arcades's?) And slaying human sorcerers after he learned what he wanted from them? Oh, she'll trust you now, Bolas.
I would expect far more competence from Bolas even in his modern, diminished, post-Mending state. But this is him at full power and supposedly full intelligence, the level he's trying to get back to. He's wrecking planes, building zombie armies, trapping planeswalkers, and storming Ravnica all so he can somehow return to being... this? An unconvincing liar who lets himself be baited by a teenager? This entire chapter shouldn't have happened. Realistically, Bolas should have just raided and/or hijacked Naiva's mind, found Yasova and Ugin, and made short work of this whole thing.
Look, Bolas, you've been in this Evil Genius Overlord business a lot longer than I have, and I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but you don't seem to be making a very good showing of your talents. Are you playing to win or not?
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"I'd rather die speaking the truth than live a lie." --Gix, to Yawgmoth (pre-Phyrexia)
3.) Why does he waste 20 minutes regaling this random girl with his side of the story? What is it to him what this puny human child thinks? If he takes issue with her point of view, he can just kill her when he's done with her.
4.) And when he does share his story, why does he include ostentatious example of him messing with other people's minds (like Arcades's?) And slaying human sorcerers after he learned what he wanted from them? Oh, she'll trust you now, Bolas.
I would expect far more competence from Bolas even in his modern, diminished, post-Mending state. But this is him at full power and supposedly full intelligence, the level he's trying to get back to. He's wrecking planes, building zombie armies, trapping planeswalkers, and storming Ravnica all so he can somehow return to being... this? An unconvincing liar who lets himself be baited by a teenager? This entire chapter shouldn't have happened. Realistically, Bolas should have just raided and/or hijacked Naiva's mind, found Yasova and Ugin, and made short work of this whole thing.
Look, Bolas, you've been in this Evil Genius Overlord business a lot longer than I have, and I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but you don't seem to be making a very good showing of your talents. Are you playing to win or not?
Don't forget he also beat someone with their own arm per the ixalan story just prior to finding out where Ugin was in the first place...
The problem with writing characters that are exceptionally clever and smart is that they are bound by both reader and writer. The size of the story and pace also did not help. The story leans far to heavily on his black side when self pride, ego, etc. get in the way of him being an intelligent and ruthless villain. Instead of constantly trying to show him as some grand mastermind and not delivering, just tell us the outcome of him outmanuvering someone else...
I agree, the story is short and it shouldn't have happened.
The more I think about it, the more this story bothers me. I don't get it. I just don't get it.
1.) Why doesn't Bolas just extract the information he wants straight from Naiva's mind? Why does he ask her repeatedly for it?
I'm not convinced that he doesn't already have the information he wants. He says things like "Ugin will have told you" and "Ugin may tell you", but I don't know how he would know Ugin was telling stories from beyond the grave without reading Naiva's mind. I think he knows exactly what is going on, but for whatever reason wants Naiva on his side. Perhaps to send a message to Yasova?
Again, for some reason or another he wants Naiva alive and loyal to him. I'd imagine Naiva is more useful to him this way as opposed to totally mind-crushing her.
3.) Why does he waste 20 minutes regaling this random girl with his side of the story? What is it to him what this puny human child thinks? If he takes issue with her point of view, he can just kill her when he's done with her.
Bolas is Bolas and will always find opportunities to self-aggrandize. Another explanation could be that he does not want Ugin's version of the story to spread, and if he needs Naiva around, just mind-wiping her isn't going to work. And as he says, he has all the time in the world.
4.) And when he does share his story, why does he include ostentatious example of him messing with other people's minds (like Arcades's?) And slaying human sorcerers after he learned what he wanted from them? Oh, she'll trust you now, Bolas.
I think Bolas expects reverence, and is unlikely to pass up on any chance to boast about his superiority.
I don't think Bolas genuinely learns anything from Naiva. I think it's all about getting her on his side while allowing her to maintain her sense of will. Of course, I could be totally wrong and the hedrons could have some kind of safeguard against Bolas.
Man some people just dont want narrative do they. Of course Bolas could just do the things you say but then the story is one sentence long. Just go with it for Urzas sake. Geez.
I guess next time we see Aminatou you all will just say "why didnt she just use her more than god like powers and wipe (blank) from existense"
I mean its just a story, no need to take such umbrence with it. Like it was mentioned, maybe he wants to use Naiva for something.
Be happy and not so salty. I found his projecting to be quite amusing and these stories are just for that, the readers amusement.
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Navia's also capable of crawling into the hedron cocoon, which Bolas presumably can neither enter or destroy. She can kill off her sister shaman and lead him to Yasova. It's really the best route, to manipulate her like he did. As for his version of the story, that's typical Bolas pride. Considering what he managed to do with lies and propaganda on Amonkhet, telling his version of the story to key locals doesn't surprise me. Ugin loves Tarkir, this is the place to mess with his reputation.
At first I thought this Temur shaman arc would be an episode or two. Not the entire story arc until Ravnica. With that said would it have killed them to make a few cards for these characters? They're the entire narrative of the set. I'd be like having a set about the gatewatch and giving none of them cards. Goreclaw could have been an updated Yasova easily, I'm just saying.
Would it have killed them to make a few cards for these characters?
Cards're finalized before the Story team / third-party writer finish their jobs. I'd bet that the framing story on Tarkir was conceptualized relatively late the period leading up to M19's release.
I'm really curious as to what's up with Bolas' maybe-hallucination of Ugin during his final battle with Arcades Sabboth and his being unable to see Ugin's bones in the canyon. Somethin' ain't right.
1. I liked this chapter a lot, I don't know why people are saying it was pointless. If nothing else, it really helped to shine more light on Bolas' personality and general outlook. Plus we needed a story from his perspective to show events that Ugin wasn't around for, like his ascension into a planeswalker and his final encounter with Arcades. I also liked how obviously Bolas was projecting when he talked about Ugin's supposed jealousy over him sparking first. The writing in that part was just seething with raw emotion, and it was painfully apparent that Bolas' ego was deeply bruised by the fact that Ugin sparked first, even as he was attributing those feelings to Ugin in his retelling of the story.
2. I also don't think that Bolas came off as weak or easily manipulated. The last line of his speech made it clear he was just toying with Naiva the whole time, and he lost nothing by allowing her to "distract" him for a few minutes. It also makes sense that he felt a need to "correct" Ugin's story, he's an extreme narcissist who can't bear the idea of anyone knowing that he was ever vulnerable. This is the same person who felt the need to fill every square acre of Amonkhet with giant monuments of his horns. Also, Bolas clearly was using his mind control abilities on Naiva, he was just using them to subtly nudge her in his direction and stoke the fires of resentment that were already present within her. Maybe he didn't want to push too hard because that could risk breaking her mind and making her useless, or maybe he was just having fun playing games with her. At any rate, it looks like he got what he wanted from her in the end, so I don't really see how people can say that he screwed up here. Granted, we already know that he doesn't destroy Tarkir and that he doesn't finish off Ugin for good, but that'll probably have more to do with Ugin's magical defenses than with anything Naiva does.
3. It looks like the fan theory about Ugin being the "demonic leviathan planeswalker" that Bolas killed was correct. The idea that Ugin died and came back as a spirit dragon is likely also true, we'll probably find out more about the details of that next week. I wonder if they'll elaborate on the significance of the floating gem between Bolas' horns (which only appeared after his duel with Ugin, according to the art on his newest card), or his weird connection to the Madara time rift created by the duel (which apparently played a role in his own death and resurrection later on). The old lore specified that Bolas devoured the leviathan and took its power; it could be that he absorbed some part of Ugin's spark or essence, in a way that prevents either of them from truly dying for good as long as the other is still alive.
4. There seems to be some kind of unspecified magic going on with Ugin's presence. Apparently he was only visible to Bolas when he returned to Dominaria, Arcades wasn't able to see him at all. Later in the story, it's shown that Bolas can't see Ugin's bones even though Naiva can. I'm not really sure what's going on with this, but it'll probably play a role in the outcome of the story, and it might explain how Bolas could get fooled into thinking that Ugin is dead for good and leaving Tarkir in peace.
Unless they are ret-conning the fight, it didnt happen in the meditation plane. Here is the plot line summery from the Reforged Chain story from khans
Still in dragon form, Sarkhan arrives in time to witness the titanic battle between a living Ugin and Nicol Bolas. The two elder dragon Planeswalkers unleash world-shaking magic, and the chasm in which Sarkhan found Ugin's bones is formed during the fight. Ugin summons countless dragons to attend him, but Yasova—with a boost from Bolas—turns the dragons against Ugin with a massive mind-control spell. Rather than be forced to attack Ugin, Sarkhan turns back into a human in midair. Bolas strikes Ugin down as Sarkhan tumbles into the snow. Yasova heals Sarkhan, hoping he can answer her questions, but he blasts her with dragonfire and runs for Ugin's fallen body. Sarkhan works magic on the hedron shard he still carries, and the shard multiplies, weaving a protective stone cocoon around Ugin. His task in the past completed, Sarkhan is whisked back to an altered present, leaving a bewildered Yasova and a healing Ugin behind. In the original timeline, the dragon tempests ceased after Ugin's death, and the khans hunted the dragons to extinction. With Ugin injured but alive, the storms intensify—a sort of immune response that will alter the course of Tarkir's history dramatically.
Unless they are ret-conning the fight, it didnt happen in the meditation plane. Here is the plot line summery from the Reforged Chain story from khans
Still in dragon form, Sarkhan arrives in time to witness the titanic battle between a living Ugin and Nicol Bolas. The two elder dragon Planeswalkers unleash world-shaking magic, and the chasm in which Sarkhan found Ugin's bones is formed during the fight. Ugin summons countless dragons to attend him, but Yasova—with a boost from Bolas—turns the dragons against Ugin with a massive mind-control spell. Rather than be forced to attack Ugin, Sarkhan turns back into a human in midair. Bolas strikes Ugin down as Sarkhan tumbles into the snow. Yasova heals Sarkhan, hoping he can answer her questions, but he blasts her with dragonfire and runs for Ugin's fallen body. Sarkhan works magic on the hedron shard he still carries, and the shard multiplies, weaving a protective stone cocoon around Ugin. His task in the past completed, Sarkhan is whisked back to an altered present, leaving a bewildered Yasova and a healing Ugin behind. In the original timeline, the dragon tempests ceased after Ugin's death, and the khans hunted the dragons to extinction. With Ugin injured but alive, the storms intensify—a sort of immune response that will alter the course of Tarkir's history dramatically.
thoughts?
That fight and this fight are completely different. After this fight Ugin presumably became a spirit dragon while after that fight he was encased in hedrons.
The more I think about it, the more this story bothers me. I don't get it. I just don't get it.
1.) Why doesn't Bolas just extract the information he wants straight from Naiva's mind? Why does he ask her repeatedly for it?
I'm not convinced that he doesn't already have the information he wants. He says things like "Ugin will have told you" and "Ugin may tell you", but I don't know how he would know Ugin was telling stories from beyond the grave without reading Naiva's mind. I think he knows exactly what is going on, but for whatever reason wants Naiva on his side.
I actually had the same thought. If you pay attention, whenever Naiva was thinking about something, Bolas would reply to it. Like when she thought about him eating her, he replied that humans don't taste good. When she had doubts in her head, he would say things that directly related to her concerns. He was trying not to be obvious, like never directly referencing Naiva's thoughts, but if you pay attention it's obvious that he was in her mind.
4. There seems to be some kind of unspecified magic going on with Ugin's presence. Apparently he was only visible to Bolas when he returned to Dominaria, Arcades wasn't able to see him at all. Later in the story, it's shown that Bolas can't see Ugin's bones even though Naiva can. I'm not really sure what's going on with this, but it'll probably play a role in the outcome of the story, and it might explain how Bolas could get fooled into thinking that Ugin is dead for good and leaving Tarkir in peace.
I was genuinely confused about Arcades too, but I chalked it up to Bolas being a liar. I'm not even sure if Arcades had survived through all this and Bolas is just making it look as if he's best buddies with him, though he probably had already killed him.
As for not being able to see Ugin's bones, well I figure it's hard to see his bones, when Ugin's body is encased in hedrons and Ugin isn't even dead. (Remember Ugin is just in a coma after he was saved by Sarkhan.)
Unless they are ret-conning the fight, it didnt happen in the meditation plane. Here is the plot line summery from the Reforged Chain story from khans
Still in dragon form, Sarkhan arrives in time to witness the titanic battle between a living Ugin and Nicol Bolas. The two elder dragon Planeswalkers unleash world-shaking magic, and the chasm in which Sarkhan found Ugin's bones is formed during the fight. Ugin summons countless dragons to attend him, but Yasova—with a boost from Bolas—turns the dragons against Ugin with a massive mind-control spell. Rather than be forced to attack Ugin, Sarkhan turns back into a human in midair. Bolas strikes Ugin down as Sarkhan tumbles into the snow. Yasova heals Sarkhan, hoping he can answer her questions, but he blasts her with dragonfire and runs for Ugin's fallen body. Sarkhan works magic on the hedron shard he still carries, and the shard multiplies, weaving a protective stone cocoon around Ugin. His task in the past completed, Sarkhan is whisked back to an altered present, leaving a bewildered Yasova and a healing Ugin behind. In the original timeline, the dragon tempests ceased after Ugin's death, and the khans hunted the dragons to extinction. With Ugin injured but alive, the storms intensify—a sort of immune response that will alter the course of Tarkir's history dramatically.
thoughts?
That fight and this fight are completely different. After this fight Ugin presumably became a spirit dragon while after that fight he was encased in hedrons.
Indeed. The fight on Tarkir is the second time Bolas has killed Ugin. Obviously, he got better.
This would seem to indicate that either Bolas is the stronger of the two, or simply that Ugin was holding back both times (we know that Ugin had been planning on trapping Bolas, rather than just outright killing him, so it's possibly that he simply doesn't want to kill his twin, and that's lead him to pull his punches even though Bolas has no such reservations about killing Ugin).
I was genuinely confused about Arcades too, but I chalked it up to Bolas being a liar. I'm not even sure if Arcades had survived through all this and Bolas is just making it look as if he's best buddies with him, though he probably had already killed him.
I am okay with the demonic leviathan story being fiction propagated by Bolas (although I wouldn't mind if it's a separate occurance. I do not think the battle (which ended with Ugin's death in the Meditation Realm) is the same battle. I also do not this the Crux of Fate battle is the same as the battle depicted here (since Bolas states it ended in the Meditation Realm.
My only real disappointment is that Bolas sparked out of jealousy. I just really had hoped for something more grand for him.
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Yes, the first battle with Ugin was it when he became Spirit dragon. I think until that he looked like traditional dragon (no feathered wings), maybe even Bolas-like. You know, twins...
And I too hoped for something more interesting about Bolas's sparking. Like that he stole the spark (Gem of Becoming) from real "demonic leviathan"...
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Wait, the guy who convinced an entire plane to willingly slaughter themselves en masse for a chance at the afterlife while really turning them into his own undead army might be lying about something?
Bolas: "They say all dragons are vain, but nekoru are particularly self-absorbed. I imagine the prince will never breath a word of his rough treatment at your hands. He'll most likely claim to have grown bored and flown away, omitting any details that don't support his own high opinion of himself. He certainly won't admit that he sensed me coming and decided to leave."
Vain, egomaniacal liars. It takes one to know one.
Well there are two things Ugin didn't know so we couldn't get his pov, Bolas sparking and the meeting between Bolas and Arcades, which not knowing old lore, idk if its a reference to Arcades in the old lore or set up for more.
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I doubt Bolas truly believes those lies. He just tries to manipulate Naiva. Bolas shouldn't have come so far if he was truly delusional.
There is no indication whatsoever that Ugin created it, unless planes can now be created subconsciously. So since Ugin very likely didn't create the Meditation Realm, this nicely answers the question whether or not Ugin was the first planeswalker.
The most perfect case of Projecting there could be.
Bolas tells the truth but from an opposite perspective. Everything he felt, he says Ugin felt. Everything he says he did, Ugin actually did. Everything he says Ugin did, He actually did. (For the most parts)
Just Classic. Very well written, Just very SHORT this time around.
1.) Why doesn't Bolas just extract the information he wants straight from Naiva's mind? Why does he ask her repeatedly for it?
2.) Why doesn't he just Slave of Bolas her?
3.) Why does he waste 20 minutes regaling this random girl with his side of the story? What is it to him what this puny human child thinks? If he takes issue with her point of view, he can just kill her when he's done with her.
4.) And when he does share his story, why does he include ostentatious example of him messing with other people's minds (like Arcades's?) And slaying human sorcerers after he learned what he wanted from them? Oh, she'll trust you now, Bolas.
I would expect far more competence from Bolas even in his modern, diminished, post-Mending state. But this is him at full power and supposedly full intelligence, the level he's trying to get back to. He's wrecking planes, building zombie armies, trapping planeswalkers, and storming Ravnica all so he can somehow return to being... this? An unconvincing liar who lets himself be baited by a teenager? This entire chapter shouldn't have happened. Realistically, Bolas should have just raided and/or hijacked Naiva's mind, found Yasova and Ugin, and made short work of this whole thing.
Look, Bolas, you've been in this Evil Genius Overlord business a lot longer than I have, and I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but you don't seem to be making a very good showing of your talents. Are you playing to win or not?
Don't forget he also beat someone with their own arm per the ixalan story just prior to finding out where Ugin was in the first place...
The problem with writing characters that are exceptionally clever and smart is that they are bound by both reader and writer. The size of the story and pace also did not help. The story leans far to heavily on his black side when self pride, ego, etc. get in the way of him being an intelligent and ruthless villain. Instead of constantly trying to show him as some grand mastermind and not delivering, just tell us the outcome of him outmanuvering someone else...
I agree, the story is short and it shouldn't have happened.
I'm not convinced that he doesn't already have the information he wants. He says things like "Ugin will have told you" and "Ugin may tell you", but I don't know how he would know Ugin was telling stories from beyond the grave without reading Naiva's mind. I think he knows exactly what is going on, but for whatever reason wants Naiva on his side. Perhaps to send a message to Yasova?
Again, for some reason or another he wants Naiva alive and loyal to him. I'd imagine Naiva is more useful to him this way as opposed to totally mind-crushing her.
Bolas is Bolas and will always find opportunities to self-aggrandize. Another explanation could be that he does not want Ugin's version of the story to spread, and if he needs Naiva around, just mind-wiping her isn't going to work. And as he says, he has all the time in the world.
I think Bolas expects reverence, and is unlikely to pass up on any chance to boast about his superiority.
I don't think Bolas genuinely learns anything from Naiva. I think it's all about getting her on his side while allowing her to maintain her sense of will. Of course, I could be totally wrong and the hedrons could have some kind of safeguard against Bolas.
I guess next time we see Aminatou you all will just say "why didnt she just use her more than god like powers and wipe (blank) from existense"
I mean its just a story, no need to take such umbrence with it. Like it was mentioned, maybe he wants to use Naiva for something.
Be happy and not so salty. I found his projecting to be quite amusing and these stories are just for that, the readers amusement.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
I'm really curious as to what's up with Bolas' maybe-hallucination of Ugin during his final battle with Arcades Sabboth and his being unable to see Ugin's bones in the canyon. Somethin' ain't right.
2. I also don't think that Bolas came off as weak or easily manipulated. The last line of his speech made it clear he was just toying with Naiva the whole time, and he lost nothing by allowing her to "distract" him for a few minutes. It also makes sense that he felt a need to "correct" Ugin's story, he's an extreme narcissist who can't bear the idea of anyone knowing that he was ever vulnerable. This is the same person who felt the need to fill every square acre of Amonkhet with giant monuments of his horns. Also, Bolas clearly was using his mind control abilities on Naiva, he was just using them to subtly nudge her in his direction and stoke the fires of resentment that were already present within her. Maybe he didn't want to push too hard because that could risk breaking her mind and making her useless, or maybe he was just having fun playing games with her. At any rate, it looks like he got what he wanted from her in the end, so I don't really see how people can say that he screwed up here. Granted, we already know that he doesn't destroy Tarkir and that he doesn't finish off Ugin for good, but that'll probably have more to do with Ugin's magical defenses than with anything Naiva does.
3. It looks like the fan theory about Ugin being the "demonic leviathan planeswalker" that Bolas killed was correct. The idea that Ugin died and came back as a spirit dragon is likely also true, we'll probably find out more about the details of that next week. I wonder if they'll elaborate on the significance of the floating gem between Bolas' horns (which only appeared after his duel with Ugin, according to the art on his newest card), or his weird connection to the Madara time rift created by the duel (which apparently played a role in his own death and resurrection later on). The old lore specified that Bolas devoured the leviathan and took its power; it could be that he absorbed some part of Ugin's spark or essence, in a way that prevents either of them from truly dying for good as long as the other is still alive.
4. There seems to be some kind of unspecified magic going on with Ugin's presence. Apparently he was only visible to Bolas when he returned to Dominaria, Arcades wasn't able to see him at all. Later in the story, it's shown that Bolas can't see Ugin's bones even though Naiva can. I'm not really sure what's going on with this, but it'll probably play a role in the outcome of the story, and it might explain how Bolas could get fooled into thinking that Ugin is dead for good and leaving Tarkir in peace.
Still in dragon form, Sarkhan arrives in time to witness the titanic battle between a living Ugin and Nicol Bolas. The two elder dragon Planeswalkers unleash world-shaking magic, and the chasm in which Sarkhan found Ugin's bones is formed during the fight. Ugin summons countless dragons to attend him, but Yasova—with a boost from Bolas—turns the dragons against Ugin with a massive mind-control spell. Rather than be forced to attack Ugin, Sarkhan turns back into a human in midair. Bolas strikes Ugin down as Sarkhan tumbles into the snow. Yasova heals Sarkhan, hoping he can answer her questions, but he blasts her with dragonfire and runs for Ugin's fallen body. Sarkhan works magic on the hedron shard he still carries, and the shard multiplies, weaving a protective stone cocoon around Ugin. His task in the past completed, Sarkhan is whisked back to an altered present, leaving a bewildered Yasova and a healing Ugin behind. In the original timeline, the dragon tempests ceased after Ugin's death, and the khans hunted the dragons to extinction. With Ugin injured but alive, the storms intensify—a sort of immune response that will alter the course of Tarkir's history dramatically.
thoughts?
I actually had the same thought. If you pay attention, whenever Naiva was thinking about something, Bolas would reply to it. Like when she thought about him eating her, he replied that humans don't taste good. When she had doubts in her head, he would say things that directly related to her concerns. He was trying not to be obvious, like never directly referencing Naiva's thoughts, but if you pay attention it's obvious that he was in her mind.
I was genuinely confused about Arcades too, but I chalked it up to Bolas being a liar. I'm not even sure if Arcades had survived through all this and Bolas is just making it look as if he's best buddies with him, though he probably had already killed him.
As for not being able to see Ugin's bones, well I figure it's hard to see his bones, when Ugin's body is encased in hedrons and Ugin isn't even dead. (Remember Ugin is just in a coma after he was saved by Sarkhan.)
Indeed. The fight on Tarkir is the second time Bolas has killed Ugin. Obviously, he got better.
This would seem to indicate that either Bolas is the stronger of the two, or simply that Ugin was holding back both times (we know that Ugin had been planning on trapping Bolas, rather than just outright killing him, so it's possibly that he simply doesn't want to kill his twin, and that's lead him to pull his punches even though Bolas has no such reservations about killing Ugin).
Arcades survived until Leshrac summoned him.
That's a good one. I believe it's an oversight of the writer.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
Well, leviathan could in fact be Ugin.
Bolas fought and killed him. Then he returned to Dominaria, to Madara. The whole "demonic leviathan" thing could be just his version of the story.
My only real disappointment is that Bolas sparked out of jealousy. I just really had hoped for something more grand for him.
And I too hoped for something more interesting about Bolas's sparking. Like that he stole the spark (Gem of Becoming) from real "demonic leviathan"...