I do HOPE they'll actually do one more "episode" to set up on "March of the Machines" like how the last three Walkers will escape this or something and show "More" walkers that MIGHT be compleated like the compleated ones starting their invasion by showing up at different walkers and compleating them... IDK.
There are other walkers that needed more "Screen time" and stuff.
And yes, kinda iffy as well that they "Shafted" Nissa on how she got compleated off-screen and just rolled with it.
come on guys you know this was inevitable as onemof the scenarios
infact this was one of my predictions they realized if they detonate the sylex with the tree connected to planes they realized they can't do it because all the planes would be hit by the sylex as well
it Was no longer a option because it was too late.
Assuming MOM’s gonna feature multiple Planeswalkers across rarities I think I’ve figured out an apt name for Kiora:
Kiora, Zendikar’s last guardian
warning: speculation based on story spoilers leaked so far.
Alternatively they could treat the natives of worlds as competent fighters and guardians of their own. If the rumors are true that MOM will end with the worlds somewhat connected to allow non-planeswalkers to travel between worlds then this would be an excellent time to bring formerly plane-bound characters a bit more to the foreground.
Possible. My hunch is that the halo + sylex will give phyrexians agency and end its virulence- at least to some extent. New Phyrexia will then become a multiversal ‘UN’ and our Phyrexianized Planeswalkers will act as the jailers/diplomats that maintain order on New Mirrodin , the bridge between worlds.
This would allow planebound legends and factions to interact and trade with one another- or threaten each other if planebound/Planeswalker peacekeepers and agents don’t keep things under control. The struggle between legendaries within Commander would be made canon essentially.
As far as the story so far is concerned:
It’s clear to me now that WoTC is taking its IP nods from Marvel comics/MCU-meaning they would rather have a weak, nebulous story that can inspire but not ‘restrict’ future crossovers and platforms (like the upcoming Netflix series) which is likely more marketable than less ‘wooly’ franchises with a stricter canon.
What’s more: Teferi and/or Elspeth (somehow in conjunction with halo + sylex + realmbreaker) will also (accidentally) discover/weaken the barriers between the Universes Within and Beyond- Making Magic: the Gathering the ultimate crossover franchise.
I hope I’m wrong. Maybe the Netflix version of this particular arc will be more substantial. I think the writing was much better than Dominaria United, but I’m pretty sure these short stories are just the brushstrokes from which Hasbro hopes to build a more accessible franchise.
Also- yes I agree with some here that the oil is very problematic in terms of storytelling. Why is Phyrexia so virulent now as opposed to in the past? Dominaria should long ago have been completed by now if its properties were anything like it’s depicted in New Phyrexia.
WoTC is likely fully aware of the problem. But it’s a card game and they’d probably say I’m thinking too deeply about its story and narrative.
Maybe I am, which means I gotta be more detached.
<shrug>
War of the Spark had little to do with Infinity War - Endgame.
The main trait of IW-E is the whole getting out of the lowest low spiel. WotS was just your standard "epic battle with stakes". WotS was closer to these mass-superhero battles than IW-E. Even the announcement artwork of MoM with Chandra and the legendaries evokes the fight at the end where all the different factions of the universe are summoned to battle Thanos' forces. It's really the MtG take on IW-E.
Agreed. We thought War of the Spark to be the Magic's IW/E, but in retrospect, that was just the Avengers battling Loki during the Battle of New York. This is the real McCoy.
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Former Fact Prospector of the Greek Alliance.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
I don’t know if an idealized. PW version of myself would’ve survived (uncompleated) before the final showdown that we were left with.
But assuming I did- I’d sooner side with Jace here than Kaya or Kaito. Better to risk the Multiverse’s utter obliteration than a fate-worse-than-death on a likely eternal, and cosmological scale.
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Wizards. listen. The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
War of the Spark had little to do with Infinity War - Endgame.
The main trait of IW-E is the whole getting out of the lowest low spiel. WotS was just your standard "epic battle with stakes". WotS was closer to these mass-superhero battles than IW-E. Even the announcement artwork of MoM with Chandra and the legendaries evokes the fight at the end where all the different factions of the universe are summoned to battle Thanos' forces. It's really the MtG take on IW-E.
Agreed. We thought War of the Spark to be the Magic's IW/E, but in retrospect, that was just the Avengers battling Loki during the Battle of New York. This is the real McCoy.
Also concur. The above logic makes sense to me.
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Wizards. listen. The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
Assuming MOM’s gonna feature multiple Planeswalkers across rarities I think I’ve figured out an apt name for Kiora:
Kiora, Zendikar’s last guardian
warning: speculation based on story spoilers leaked so far.
Alternatively they could treat the natives of worlds as competent fighters and guardians of their own. If the rumors are true that MOM will end with the worlds somewhat connected to allow non-planeswalkers to travel between worlds then this would be an excellent time to bring formerly plane-bound characters a bit more to the foreground.
Possible. My hunch is that the halo + sylex will give phyrexians agency and end its virulence- at least to some extent. New Phyrexia will then become a multiversal ‘UN’ and our Phyrexianized Planeswalkers will act as the jailers/diplomats that maintain order on New Mirrodin , the bridge between worlds.
This would allow planebound legends and factions to interact and trade with one another- or threaten each other if planebound/Planeswalker peacekeepers and agents don’t keep things under control. The struggle between legendaries within Commander would be made canon essentially.
As far as the story so far is concerned:
It’s clear to me now that WoTC is taking its IP nods from Marvel comics/MCU-meaning they would rather have a weak, nebulous story that can inspire but not ‘restrict’ future crossovers and platforms (like the upcoming Netflix series) which is likely more marketable than less ‘wooly’ franchises with a stricter canon.
What’s more: Teferi and/or Elspeth (somehow in conjunction with halo + sylex + realmbreaker) will also (accidentally) discover/weaken the barriers between the Universes Within and Beyond- Making Magic: the Gathering the ultimate crossover franchise.
I hope I’m wrong. Maybe the Netflix version of this particular arc will be more substantial. I think the writing was much better than Dominaria United, but I’m pretty sure these short stories are just the brushstrokes from which Hasbro hopes to build a more accessible franchise.
Also- yes I agree with some here that the oil is very problematic in terms of storytelling. Why is Phyrexia so virulent now as opposed to in the past? Dominaria should long ago have been completed by now if its properties were anything like it’s depicted in New Phyrexia.
WoTC is likely fully aware of the problem. But it’s a card game and they’d probably say I’m thinking too deeply about its story and narrative.
Maybe I am, which means I gotta be more detached.
<shrug>
I mean, they did mention Jin-Gitaxias upgrading the oil all the time, and New Phyrexia (especially its spheres) is positively saturated with the stuff by now. I can believe that it simply has evolved by quite a bit on Phyrexia, indicated by Melira still being immune, but having greater difficulty healing people (which was absolutely still possible with Jace and Nahiri, but not considered because it would take too long). It also seems to me (though it was never truly stated) that it is more infectious on New Phyrexia than elsewhere.
I did expect a darkest hour in this set (it was never likely that the Sylex plan would succeed outright, with the Phyrexians still being able to invade in March of the Machine) so I feel this was just how it should be. And I wouldn't even say that either Jace or the others were idiots when it came to detonating the Sylex. They were too late (can't stop phase one after all) to stop Realmbreaker from opening Omenpaths to the other planes. They already were aware that detonating the Sylex might or might not have disastrous consequences for Mirrodin, but were fine with that. But the open pathways change things considerably, and we know that the Sylex can have strong effects on space-time and the blind eternities (the original one created the shard after all in which Dominaria stayed for a long time). So there definitely is a considerable risk for the connected planes and maybe even beyond, the interaction of realmbreaker and the Sylex being very unpredictable. Jace was still of the opinion that the risk is worth it to destroy such a virulent enemy, while Kaya, Kaito and Elspeth weren't and feared that this might make things even worse. And I think both are right to a degree in this scenario.
The pacing, as nearly always since they started to compress it into 5 articles per set, is awful, and leaves many interesting worldbuilding and character interactions in the dust. I hope there are at least a few more side stories, otherwise the compleation of Nissa, the rebellion of Urabrask, the life of Mirrans in New Phyrexia are all very much just side notes, and I feel like this is definitely a story that could have used some space to better explain where our characters came from, why Phyrexia is as infectious now as it is or give more closure to some of these character's stories and decisions. Unfortunately and for some reason, 5 chapters will have to do. I really actually like most of the plot points and the worldbuilding, but they are pretty much all given not enough room to breathe.
I mean, they did mention Jin-Gitaxias upgrading the oil all the time, and New Phyrexia (especially its spheres) is positively saturated with the stuff by now. I can believe that it simply has evolved by quite a bit on Phyrexia, indicated by Melira still being immune, but having greater difficulty healing people (which was absolutely still possible with Jace and Nahiri, but not considered because it would take too long). It also seems to me (though it was never truly stated) that it is more infectious on New Phyrexia than elsewhere.
I did expect a darkest hour in this set (it was never likely that the Sylex plan would succeed outright, with the Phyrexians still being able to invade in March of the Machine) so I feel this was just how it should be. And I wouldn't even say that either Jace or the others were idiots when it came to detonating the Sylex. They were too late (can't stop phase one after all) to stop Realmbreaker from opening Omenpaths to the other planes. They already were aware that detonating the Sylex might or might not have disastrous consequences for Mirrodin, but were fine with that. But the open pathways change things considerably, and we know that the Sylex can have strong effects on space-time and the blind eternities (the original one created the shard after all in which Dominaria stayed for a long time). So there definitely is a considerable risk for the connected planes and maybe even beyond, the interaction of realmbreaker and the Sylex being very unpredictable. Jace was still of the opinion that the risk is worth it to destroy such a virulent enemy, while Kaya, Kaito and Elspeth weren't and feared that this might make things even worse. And I think both are right to a degree in this scenario.
The pacing, as nearly always since they started to compress it into 5 articles per set, is awful, and leaves many interesting worldbuilding and character interactions in the dust. I hope there are at least a few more side stories, otherwise the compleation of Nissa, the rebellion of Urabrask, the life of Mirrans in New Phyrexia are all very much just side notes, and I feel like this is definitely a story that could have used some space to better explain where our characters came from, why Phyrexia is as infectious now as it is or give more closure to some of these character's stories and decisions. Unfortunately and for some reason, 5 chapters will have to do. I really actually like most of the plot points and the worldbuilding, but they are pretty much all given not enough room to breathe.
As far as explanations go this is sufficient for the oil’s difference. But I’d expect Kamigawa and Kaldheim to then have similar issues as Dominaria- having to fight off and/or contain local Phyrexian colonies despite the preators’ absences.
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Wizards. listen. The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
The pacing, as nearly always since they started to compress it into 5 articles per set, is awful, and leaves many interesting worldbuilding and character interactions in the dust. I hope there are at least a few more side stories, otherwise the compleation of Nissa, the rebellion of Urabrask, the life of Mirrans in New Phyrexia are all very much just side notes, and I feel like this is definitely a story that could have used some space to better explain where our characters came from, why Phyrexia is as infectious now as it is or give more closure to some of these character's stories and decisions. Unfortunately and for some reason, 5 chapters will have to do. I really actually like most of the plot points and the worldbuilding, but they are pretty much all given not enough room to breathe.
Previously we had side stories along with the main plot. However, this only happened Saturday this time, with the remaining days being either full main story or full side stories (for the commander characters). Tomorrow we might get something, but unless they plan on releasing a planeswalker's guide that's it.
The pacing, as nearly always since they started to compress it into 5 articles per set, is awful, and leaves many interesting worldbuilding and character interactions in the dust. I hope there are at least a few more side stories, otherwise the compleation of Nissa, the rebellion of Urabrask, the life of Mirrans in New Phyrexia are all very much just side notes, and I feel like this is definitely a story that could have used some space to better explain where our characters came from, why Phyrexia is as infectious now as it is or give more closure to some of these character's stories and decisions. Unfortunately and for some reason, 5 chapters will have to do. I really actually like most of the plot points and the worldbuilding, but they are pretty much all given not enough room to breathe.
Previously we had side stories along with the main plot. However, this only happened Saturday this time, with the remaining days being either full main story or full side stories (for the commander characters). Tomorrow we might get something, but unless they plan on releasing a planeswalker's guide that's it.
For all the amount of worldbuilding that we KNOW they do internally for each story, this is a real shame. They actually come up with worlds and characters that are genuinely interesting, and spend what seems to be a great deal of time and thought and effort to come up with real details to make those worlds three-dimensional (hell, they actually created a working Phyrexian LANGUAGE this time), and then we get this highly-compressed, badly paced, afterthought of a story set in that world. You'd think the people who put in so much work would want to see it actually put to use.
Yeah. I'm hoping at the very least for a planeswlaker's guide, because there's no way the building worlds video is enough to cover th spheres and everything
My god that ending was almost dadaist in its execution. I love how much I hate it.
Tyvar: I'm turning your skin into hexgold.
Tibalt: Why?
Tyvar: ...
Tibalt: ...
Tyvar: Also I got your tails.
Tibalt: That means both of my hands are free, which feature razorsharp claws and like a giant sword-hook arm made of metal? While your hands are occupied.
Tyvar: ...
Tibalt: ...
Tyvar: Got yer weakpoint, tee hee.
Tibalt: Aurgh, foiled again!
Jace: We need to detonate the sylex to save the other planes, even if it destroys New Phyrexia and the remaining mirrans.
Kaya: Uh huh, yeah, sounds good.
Kaito: Yeah sure whatever.
Later
Jace: Alright time to detonate the sylex.
Kaya: Jace, we can't do that, people will die! And non-planeswalkers, too!
Kaito: I'm sorry Jace, but I can't let you actually execute the plan that we tried to execute the last 5 episodes.
Jace: But... I'm supposed to be the compromised one...
Even later
Elspeth: Kaya! I came as fast as I could! I just read the script, give me the sylex!
Elspeth disappears with sylex.
Kaya: ...
Kaito: ...
Kaya: The sylex is gone! The multiverse is doomed! We have failed! How did this HAPPEN?!
Tamiyo and Nissa awkwardly eyeing each other outside the room.
Tamiyo: O great Mother of Machines, should we... Do something?
Elesh Norn: ... No... I think... I couldn't sabotage their own plans better than they do...
Koth: I feel like there is something more important I was supposed to do.
Upon reflection there was some cause for concern since the sylex blast did affect the Blind Eternities before, but it was still so idiotic and imagining Elesh Norn and Nissa eating oily popcorn while the poopfest went down is too good to pass.
My main gripe is that we will never know whether Kaya is right or not. In a consistent universe it would make no sense for the sylex to be able to do as much damage as she claims, because if that was possible for a simple (aka not supernatural or godlike) artificer like Saheeli to create an artifact of such power to destroy the whole multivere, then it would've happened some time ago by pure chance.
Unfortunately, MtG is not a consistent universe.
And this is exactly the bad thing about inconsistent settings. Nothing the characters do or say matters. At all...
How was it so easy for the walkers to get to the core and after elsepth disapear and elesh stepped in (elesh is likely a lot smarter than people take for credit.)
it’s like elesh knew there were there in the seedcore the whole time and when elsepth knew what Jace was doing maybe she knew the compleation fully set in him
How was it so easy for the walkers to get to the core and after elsepth disapear and elesh stepped in (elesh is likely a lot smarter than people take for credit.)
it’s like elesh knew there were there in the seedcore the whole time and when elsepth knew what Jace was doing maybe she knew the compleation fully set in him
Indeed. It's as if Elesh is fully abandoning Mirrodin and in this new invasion, try to find a new base of power...
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My main gripe is that we will never know whether Kaya is right or not. In a consistent universe it would make no sense for the sylex to be able to do as much damage as she claims, because if that was possible for a simple (aka not supernatural or godlike) artificer like Saheeli to create an artifact of such power to destroy the whole multivere, then it would've happened some time ago by pure chance.
Unfortunately, MtG is not a consistent universe.
And this is exactly the bad thing about inconsistent settings. Nothing the characters do or say matters. At all...
I mean, you do remember that the multiverse almost WAS destroyed partly because of the Sylex, right? Sure, many other things had to go wrong as well for that to happen, but the Time Spiral crisis was definitely partly caused by it and was headed that way. From what we know the Sylex itself wasn't the problem, Realmbreaker already breaching into the multiverse was. Everyone including the mirrans was more or less fine with getting Mirrodin destroyed, since it seemed like there was nothing really that could be done for it, and therefore it was a sacrifice and risk they were willing to take to save other worlds. But now it wasn't just Mirrodin that was potentially threatened. Neither Kaya nor Jace have perfect overview of the potential damage that the Sylex in combination with a connected Realmbreaker could cause, the combination of these two has never happened before after all. So you might say that this is still a risk that should have been taken given phyrexian virulence, but I don't quite see why this is a consistency problem. Their plan was to stop Realmbreaker before it connected, so that any destruction was limited to Mirrodin and they failed to do so.
I mean, you do remember that the multiverse almost WAS destroyed partly because of the Sylex, right?
I mean the 'partly' is the huge kicker here. The sylex did some damage and that only because Dominaria was the nexus. The 'real' damage was done by various oldwalkers doing oldwalker magic which isn't really possible anymore. Neither is Dominaria the nexus anymore, nor are there still oldwalkers so the damage is not comparable.
I also want to cast doubt on the idea that the time spiral crisis was threatening all of the multiverse. We didn't really see other planes being affected the same way Dominaria was. And it isn't unthinkable that even if the multiverse was coming apart by the rifts, that the eldrazi might have cleaned up the damage once Zendikar was destroyed.
We know so little about the multiverse mechanics, but we do know that it has existed for an unimaginably long time. Again, if it was this easy to destroy the multiverse, it would've happened already.
I mean, you do remember that the multiverse almost WAS destroyed partly because of the Sylex, right?
I mean the 'partly' is the huge kicker here. The sylex did some damage and that only because Dominaria was the nexus. The 'real' damage was done by various oldwalkers doing oldwalker magic which isn't really possible anymore. Neither is Dominaria the nexus anymore, nor are there still oldwalkers so the damage is not comparable.
I also want to cast doubt on the idea that the time spiral crisis was threatening all of the multiverse. We didn't really see other planes being affected the same way Dominaria was. And it isn't unthinkable that even if the multiverse was coming apart by the rifts, that the eldrazi might have cleaned up the damage once Zendikar was destroyed.
We know so little about the multiverse mechanics, but we do know that it has existed for an unimaginably long time. Again, if it was this easy to destroy the multiverse, it would've happened already.
Fair enough, a multiversal collapse or something like that is very unlikely, I give you that. But I think (and maybe I misread that) the whole point was that the repercussions could be disastrous in any number of ways. There doesn't need to be a total destruction of the multiverse, destroying the planes connected to Realmbreaker or making them uninhabitable would probably at least give me pause on whether this was still such a great plan as well. As you said, the mechanics are very much unknown, the mission parameters were not the same as at the start of it all anymore now that Realmbreaker had already connected elsewhere. My point was that I can therefore understand Kaya and Kaito's position, too many unknowns and potential, uncontained dangers to follow through with the original plan.
Well... this story was upsetting at best. First of all it was a horrbile repetition of the original attack of the nine titans on original Phyrexia. You had nine (here ten) planeswalkers (first godlike beeings, here some better wizards) attacking an artifical plane to blow it up. Urza brought Soul-Bombs powered by the pure lifeforce of Tevesh Szat and except for beeing "a pernicious deed" that blew up most of the planet, the multiverse wasn't affected in any way. Why didn't Urza search and use the original sylex by himself? Why didn't he create one resembling the original like saheeli did - i mean it was Urza? Maybe because it was a stupid idea in the first place, as the sylex itself formed the shard of worlds as a "small" sideefect - which on it's own wouldn't be a bad prison for yawgmoth, but even Urza didn't like the idea. Teferi - originally meant to be one of the nine titans! - now has the beautiful idea to do, what even Urza didn't want to do - an instead of asking Planeswalker Urza back in time why he went the other way - Teferi decides to ask broken grandpa Urza... well done (not!).
It seems plausible, that detonating the sylex EVER again wasn't a good idea but than again the whole plan is just dumb. Even more stupid is Elspeths last-recus-safe, as she planeswalks away with a loaded and triggered sylex in the f**** multiverse!? That thing blows up, and taking it in the blind eternities seems even worse than the possibiliy that the tree brings the detonation to other wordls.
Taking Lukka (a creature-bynder) and Nissa (a worldsoul-connector) and an unstable/unreliable Walker (Wanderer) to attack a world which works very much like an hive mind seems horrible stupid. During this type of mission you need stealth (like Kaito, Kaya and Jace), protection (Elspeth, Koth,...) and brute force. But where is Garruk? Teyo? Sorin? Vivien or Samut? Don't they have an interest in protecting their worlds? And Garruk seemed like an obvious choice as he is one of Jace's closer friends and now free again.
And one thing i just don't get - to become compleated you can be either alive and retain most of you abilities (which is stupid on it's own for planeswalkers, as the phyrexians are more or less soulless beeings and the spark is connected to the soul... but well) or you can be resurrected and become a horrible zombie-parody of yourself. But how on earth can a DEAD planeswalker like Nahiri (as the story said "she clearly didn't survive her fall" after her "burnout") and Jace (was killed by Elspeth and described as "corpse" in the story - become a compleated planeswalker?! Either they didn't die, as death give's you soul free and they can be compleated as walkers or the can be resurrected as zombie like beeings - potentially strong but no planeswalkers... This inconsistency seems unlogical.
EDIT: And as someone already posted - Phyrexia is that hard overpowered by today's standards, that only some kind of "oh i dreamed this" or "time-magic tricks by teferi) seems like the only possible outcome to have any future sets. And yes - seems a lot like Avengers Endgame, they even froze their own "Antmann" in time for the rescue after all is lost (Teferi) - which is just lazy story building. But maybe a bad copy is better than an even worse own invention...
For all you have done for the game we love.
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Rest in Peace.
Fair enough, a multiversal collapse or something like that is very unlikely, I give you that. But I think (and maybe I misread that) the whole point was that the repercussions could be disastrous in any number of ways. There doesn't need to be a total destruction of the multiverse, destroying the planes connected to Realmbreaker or making them uninhabitable would probably at least give me pause on whether this was still such a great plan as well. As you said, the mechanics are very much unknown, the mission parameters were not the same as at the start of it all anymore now that Realmbreaker had already connected elsewhere. My point was that I can therefore understand Kaya and Kaito's position, too many unknowns and potential, uncontained dangers to follow through with the original plan.
You know, the whole thing could have been salvaged with proper dialog. Have Kaya (though I'd argue it should have been a different character) argue actually sensible points, like bringing up the shard, the ice age, the time rift era. Have them point out that if that happens again there won't be a Freyalise anymore who can cast a multiverse-wide World Spell, or have a bunch of oldwalkers give up their sparks to seal rifts all over the multiverse.
Instead we get such drivel as "it might damage planes" like yeah, like New Phyrexia, which everyone, including the mirrans themselves, agreed was an acceptable loss. Or "it might kill all planeswalkers in transit" which is such a weird take because the population of planeswalkers in the multiverse is the fraction of a fraction of the entire population and those currently in transit at any given time a fraction of THAT. If it came from a more selfish character, okay, but... Hrrnng.
Or "we will survive the sylex blast. Urza's sylex detonated in his lap and he was fine". This is such an insane sentence, especially given that Kaya witnessed what happened to Urza during the blast. I want to give the author the benefit of the doubt she was just making a joke here.
And of course the great "the blast might destroy the blind eternities". Yeah no. If that is genuinely a thing that could happen then the entire setting of MtG doesn't work.
It's not necessarily the fact that someone opposes using the blast after it is revealed the tree is already connecting to other planes that's the problem. But it's a huge change to the entire plan they have been trying to execute for 5+ episodes (since the plan originated in the BRO episodes) so it requires some really convincing points to not feel like, as Mullerornis called it, a giant poopfest. Not convincing as in "they're right" but convincing as in "I can see why the character has that opinion".
Kaya, Kaito and everyone else acted so unnatural and hollow I was half expecting the story to end with them pulling off their skin, revealing phyrexians underneath and Norn applauding to this fine phyrexian propaganda theater play. It would have made more sense.
Well, I didn't expect more and I didn't expect less. This was what Magic's story in the recent ~5 years (arguably longer) has always been: Cool ideas, and a wonky, rushed execution. It really is too bad that the return to the books they tried to do failed, because as Flisch said: As long as the MtG story is told in this format, it will never be great. OK or serviceable if you don't think too much about it, yes. But great? Nope.
I guess with how OP Phyrexia is, they now have a reason to actually use Aminatou, one of Magic's most OP planeswalkers (I don't think she'll actually show up though since they have clearly prepared Teferi for the "big saviour" role). But even with the oil being this overpowered in the story, something tells me it will just work differently in the next story anyway, because consistently applying the "a scratch is all it takes" thing would simply mean too much trouble going forward. (Trouble with maintaing the planes being invaded as "brands")
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There are other walkers that needed more "Screen time" and stuff.
And yes, kinda iffy as well that they "Shafted" Nissa on how she got compleated off-screen and just rolled with it.
come on guys you know this was inevitable as onemof the scenarios
infact this was one of my predictions they realized if they detonate the sylex with the tree connected to planes they realized they can't do it because all the planes would be hit by the sylex as well
it Was no longer a option because it was too late.
Possible. My hunch is that the halo + sylex will give phyrexians agency and end its virulence- at least to some extent. New Phyrexia will then become a multiversal ‘UN’ and our Phyrexianized Planeswalkers will act as the jailers/diplomats that maintain order on New Mirrodin , the bridge between worlds.
This would allow planebound legends and factions to interact and trade with one another- or threaten each other if planebound/Planeswalker peacekeepers and agents don’t keep things under control. The struggle between legendaries within Commander would be made canon essentially.
As far as the story so far is concerned:
What’s more: Teferi and/or Elspeth (somehow in conjunction with halo + sylex + realmbreaker) will also (accidentally) discover/weaken the barriers between the Universes Within and Beyond- Making Magic: the Gathering the ultimate crossover franchise.
I hope I’m wrong. Maybe the Netflix version of this particular arc will be more substantial. I think the writing was much better than Dominaria United, but I’m pretty sure these short stories are just the brushstrokes from which Hasbro hopes to build a more accessible franchise.
Also- yes I agree with some here that the oil is very problematic in terms of storytelling. Why is Phyrexia so virulent now as opposed to in the past? Dominaria should long ago have been completed by now if its properties were anything like it’s depicted in New Phyrexia.
WoTC is likely fully aware of the problem. But it’s a card game and they’d probably say I’m thinking too deeply about its story and narrative.
Maybe I am, which means I gotta be more detached.
<shrug>
The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
Agreed. We thought War of the Spark to be the Magic's IW/E, but in retrospect, that was just the Avengers battling Loki during the Battle of New York. This is the real McCoy.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
But assuming I did- I’d sooner side with Jace here than Kaya or Kaito. Better to risk the Multiverse’s utter obliteration than a fate-worse-than-death on a likely eternal, and cosmological scale.
The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
Also concur. The above logic makes sense to me.
The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
I mean, they did mention Jin-Gitaxias upgrading the oil all the time, and New Phyrexia (especially its spheres) is positively saturated with the stuff by now. I can believe that it simply has evolved by quite a bit on Phyrexia, indicated by Melira still being immune, but having greater difficulty healing people (which was absolutely still possible with Jace and Nahiri, but not considered because it would take too long). It also seems to me (though it was never truly stated) that it is more infectious on New Phyrexia than elsewhere.
The pacing, as nearly always since they started to compress it into 5 articles per set, is awful, and leaves many interesting worldbuilding and character interactions in the dust. I hope there are at least a few more side stories, otherwise the compleation of Nissa, the rebellion of Urabrask, the life of Mirrans in New Phyrexia are all very much just side notes, and I feel like this is definitely a story that could have used some space to better explain where our characters came from, why Phyrexia is as infectious now as it is or give more closure to some of these character's stories and decisions. Unfortunately and for some reason, 5 chapters will have to do. I really actually like most of the plot points and the worldbuilding, but they are pretty much all given not enough room to breathe.
As far as explanations go this is sufficient for the oil’s difference. But I’d expect Kamigawa and Kaldheim to then have similar issues as Dominaria- having to fight off and/or contain local Phyrexian colonies despite the preators’ absences.
The Vorthos community will await the consequences of the Eldrazi Titans' deaths/sealing. We will keep the watch.
“The wind whispers, ‘come home,’ but I cannot.”
— Teferi
Previously we had side stories along with the main plot. However, this only happened Saturday this time, with the remaining days being either full main story or full side stories (for the commander characters). Tomorrow we might get something, but unless they plan on releasing a planeswalker's guide that's it.
For all the amount of worldbuilding that we KNOW they do internally for each story, this is a real shame. They actually come up with worlds and characters that are genuinely interesting, and spend what seems to be a great deal of time and thought and effort to come up with real details to make those worlds three-dimensional (hell, they actually created a working Phyrexian LANGUAGE this time), and then we get this highly-compressed, badly paced, afterthought of a story set in that world. You'd think the people who put in so much work would want to see it actually put to use.
Tibalt: Why?
Tyvar: ...
Tibalt: ...
Tyvar: Also I got your tails.
Tibalt: That means both of my hands are free, which feature razorsharp claws and like a giant sword-hook arm made of metal? While your hands are occupied.
Tyvar: ...
Tibalt: ...
Tyvar: Got yer weakpoint, tee hee.
Tibalt: Aurgh, foiled again!
Jace: We need to detonate the sylex to save the other planes, even if it destroys New Phyrexia and the remaining mirrans.
Kaya: Uh huh, yeah, sounds good.
Kaito: Yeah sure whatever.
Later
Jace: Alright time to detonate the sylex.
Kaya: Jace, we can't do that, people will die! And non-planeswalkers, too!
Kaito: I'm sorry Jace, but I can't let you actually execute the plan that we tried to execute the last 5 episodes.
Jace: But... I'm supposed to be the compromised one...
Even later
Elspeth: Kaya! I came as fast as I could! I just read the script, give me the sylex!
Elspeth disappears with sylex.
Kaya: ...
Kaito: ...
Kaya: The sylex is gone! The multiverse is doomed! We have failed! How did this HAPPEN?!
Tamiyo and Nissa awkwardly eyeing each other outside the room.
Tamiyo: O great Mother of Machines, should we... Do something?
Elesh Norn: ... No... I think... I couldn't sabotage their own plans better than they do...
Koth: I feel like there is something more important I was supposed to do.
*massages temples*
Unfortunately, MtG is not a consistent universe.
And this is exactly the bad thing about inconsistent settings. Nothing the characters do or say matters. At all...
How was it so easy for the walkers to get to the core and after elsepth disapear and elesh stepped in (elesh is likely a lot smarter than people take for credit.)
it’s like elesh knew there were there in the seedcore the whole time and when elsepth knew what Jace was doing maybe she knew the compleation fully set in him
Indeed. It's as if Elesh is fully abandoning Mirrodin and in this new invasion, try to find a new base of power...
Serra Stan - Angel Enthusiast - Garruk and Tyvar thirsty follower - Flavor and Art Enthusiast
I mean, you do remember that the multiverse almost WAS destroyed partly because of the Sylex, right? Sure, many other things had to go wrong as well for that to happen, but the Time Spiral crisis was definitely partly caused by it and was headed that way. From what we know the Sylex itself wasn't the problem, Realmbreaker already breaching into the multiverse was. Everyone including the mirrans was more or less fine with getting Mirrodin destroyed, since it seemed like there was nothing really that could be done for it, and therefore it was a sacrifice and risk they were willing to take to save other worlds. But now it wasn't just Mirrodin that was potentially threatened. Neither Kaya nor Jace have perfect overview of the potential damage that the Sylex in combination with a connected Realmbreaker could cause, the combination of these two has never happened before after all. So you might say that this is still a risk that should have been taken given phyrexian virulence, but I don't quite see why this is a consistency problem. Their plan was to stop Realmbreaker before it connected, so that any destruction was limited to Mirrodin and they failed to do so.
I mean the 'partly' is the huge kicker here. The sylex did some damage and that only because Dominaria was the nexus. The 'real' damage was done by various oldwalkers doing oldwalker magic which isn't really possible anymore. Neither is Dominaria the nexus anymore, nor are there still oldwalkers so the damage is not comparable.
I also want to cast doubt on the idea that the time spiral crisis was threatening all of the multiverse. We didn't really see other planes being affected the same way Dominaria was. And it isn't unthinkable that even if the multiverse was coming apart by the rifts, that the eldrazi might have cleaned up the damage once Zendikar was destroyed.
We know so little about the multiverse mechanics, but we do know that it has existed for an unimaginably long time. Again, if it was this easy to destroy the multiverse, it would've happened already.
Fair enough, a multiversal collapse or something like that is very unlikely, I give you that. But I think (and maybe I misread that) the whole point was that the repercussions could be disastrous in any number of ways. There doesn't need to be a total destruction of the multiverse, destroying the planes connected to Realmbreaker or making them uninhabitable would probably at least give me pause on whether this was still such a great plan as well. As you said, the mechanics are very much unknown, the mission parameters were not the same as at the start of it all anymore now that Realmbreaker had already connected elsewhere. My point was that I can therefore understand Kaya and Kaito's position, too many unknowns and potential, uncontained dangers to follow through with the original plan.
It seems plausible, that detonating the sylex EVER again wasn't a good idea but than again the whole plan is just dumb. Even more stupid is Elspeths last-recus-safe, as she planeswalks away with a loaded and triggered sylex in the f**** multiverse!? That thing blows up, and taking it in the blind eternities seems even worse than the possibiliy that the tree brings the detonation to other wordls.
Taking Lukka (a creature-bynder) and Nissa (a worldsoul-connector) and an unstable/unreliable Walker (Wanderer) to attack a world which works very much like an hive mind seems horrible stupid. During this type of mission you need stealth (like Kaito, Kaya and Jace), protection (Elspeth, Koth,...) and brute force. But where is Garruk? Teyo? Sorin? Vivien or Samut? Don't they have an interest in protecting their worlds? And Garruk seemed like an obvious choice as he is one of Jace's closer friends and now free again.
And one thing i just don't get - to become compleated you can be either alive and retain most of you abilities (which is stupid on it's own for planeswalkers, as the phyrexians are more or less soulless beeings and the spark is connected to the soul... but well) or you can be resurrected and become a horrible zombie-parody of yourself. But how on earth can a DEAD planeswalker like Nahiri (as the story said "she clearly didn't survive her fall" after her "burnout") and Jace (was killed by Elspeth and described as "corpse" in the story - become a compleated planeswalker?! Either they didn't die, as death give's you soul free and they can be compleated as walkers or the can be resurrected as zombie like beeings - potentially strong but no planeswalkers... This inconsistency seems unlogical.
EDIT: And as someone already posted - Phyrexia is that hard overpowered by today's standards, that only some kind of "oh i dreamed this" or "time-magic tricks by teferi) seems like the only possible outcome to have any future sets. And yes - seems a lot like Avengers Endgame, they even froze their own "Antmann" in time for the rescue after all is lost (Teferi) - which is just lazy story building. But maybe a bad copy is better than an even worse own invention...
For all you have done for the game we love.
Glen Angus, Magic Artist, 1970-2007 ; Richie Proffitt, MTG Salvation Mod (PolarBearGod), 1977-2008
Rest in Peace.
You know, the whole thing could have been salvaged with proper dialog. Have Kaya (though I'd argue it should have been a different character) argue actually sensible points, like bringing up the shard, the ice age, the time rift era. Have them point out that if that happens again there won't be a Freyalise anymore who can cast a multiverse-wide World Spell, or have a bunch of oldwalkers give up their sparks to seal rifts all over the multiverse.
Instead we get such drivel as "it might damage planes" like yeah, like New Phyrexia, which everyone, including the mirrans themselves, agreed was an acceptable loss. Or "it might kill all planeswalkers in transit" which is such a weird take because the population of planeswalkers in the multiverse is the fraction of a fraction of the entire population and those currently in transit at any given time a fraction of THAT. If it came from a more selfish character, okay, but... Hrrnng.
Or "we will survive the sylex blast. Urza's sylex detonated in his lap and he was fine". This is such an insane sentence, especially given that Kaya witnessed what happened to Urza during the blast. I want to give the author the benefit of the doubt she was just making a joke here.
And of course the great "the blast might destroy the blind eternities". Yeah no. If that is genuinely a thing that could happen then the entire setting of MtG doesn't work.
It's not necessarily the fact that someone opposes using the blast after it is revealed the tree is already connecting to other planes that's the problem. But it's a huge change to the entire plan they have been trying to execute for 5+ episodes (since the plan originated in the BRO episodes) so it requires some really convincing points to not feel like, as Mullerornis called it, a giant poopfest. Not convincing as in "they're right" but convincing as in "I can see why the character has that opinion".
Kaya, Kaito and everyone else acted so unnatural and hollow I was half expecting the story to end with them pulling off their skin, revealing phyrexians underneath and Norn applauding to this fine phyrexian propaganda theater play. It would have made more sense.
I guess with how OP Phyrexia is, they now have a reason to actually use Aminatou, one of Magic's most OP planeswalkers (I don't think she'll actually show up though since they have clearly prepared Teferi for the "big saviour" role). But even with the oil being this overpowered in the story, something tells me it will just work differently in the next story anyway, because consistently applying the "a scratch is all it takes" thing would simply mean too much trouble going forward. (Trouble with maintaing the planes being invaded as "brands")