This is a TCG don't expect it to work like a tv series that prioritize ratings.
I don't understand what this is supposed to mean.
TCG can't kill characters? TCG can't have a grim atmosphere?
Because magic invented the "let's kill off half of our cast" way before than got or marvel (well, not really, but way before the tv show and the movies). In the first phyrexian invasion many titans and weatherlight's members died.
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How i feel about competitive players and casual players in EDH: The competitive are german tourists, the casual are italian tourists, both in a italian beach. The italians asking themselves "why are the germans here?" make a legitimate question, the answer is because the beach is beautiful, no matter the country you came from. The italians wanting to ban the germans are dumb, because if the germans pay for their stay and follow the rules like everyone else, they have the right to be in the beach. Hovewer, if the germans started to ask themselves "why are the italians here?"... they would be dumb as hell.
The reason people expect deaths, the reason people want certain characters to die, the reason people are tired of them...its the longest story arc they have had in some time.
Era 1: MTG had no original storyline, Alpha to Arabian Nights. (Less than a year)
Era 2: Antiquities to Apocalpyse featuring Urza, Phyrexia Storyline. (About 7 years)
Era 3: Odyssey to Future Sight featuring Jeska, Post-Urza Storyline. (About 5 years)
Era 4: Future Sight to War of the Spark(?) featuring Nicol Bolas and the Gatewatch, Mending Storyline. (12 or more years)
Obviously there has been plot points threaded through the Eras such as Phyrexia, Karn, Nicol Bolas, Urza, Jaya, Jhoira, Teferi, etc.
I don't hate the gatewatch members, but even I'm feeling the fatigue with their storyline. Hopefully "War of the Spark" is the end of this current era and the story can start more "fresh-faced".
The reason people expect deaths, the reason people want certain characters to die, the reason people are tired of them...its the longest story arc they have had in some time.
Era 1: MTG had no original storyline, Alpha to Arabian Nights. (Less than a year)
Era 2: Antiquities to Apocalpyse featuring Urza, Phyrexia Storyline. (About 7 years)
Era 3: Odyssey to Future Sight featuring Jeska, Post-Urza Storyline. (About 5 years)
Era 4: Future Sight to War of the Spark(?) featuring Nicol Bolas and the Gatewatch, Mending Storyline. (12 or more years)
Obviously there has been plot points threaded through the Eras such as Phyrexia, Karn, Nicol Bolas, Urza, Jaya, Jhoira, Teferi, etc.
I don't hate the gatewatch members, but even I'm feeling the fatigue with their storyline. Hopefully "War of the Spark" is the end of this current era and the story can start more "fresh-faced".
I agree with your well laid out timeline and can't believe the story has been going on that long. Assuming the Bolas arc is ending in WAR, I wonder if we have heard/seen the next antagonist if the stories blend together.
Someone mentioned it before, but I hope Liliana is the last one standing and she double-crosses Bolas.
I will laugh so hard if Bolas is thwarted when he thought victory was at hand only for Fblthp to suddenly ignite its spark that it somehow had, resulting in an explosion that takes out the Immortal Sun and the Eternals. Like, that's why Chandra is so troubled in the comic she's just still trying to piece together as to what the heck any of that even was.
Era 1: MTG had no original storyline, Alpha to Arabian Nights. (Less than a year)
Era 2: Antiquities to Apocalpyse featuring Urza, Phyrexia Storyline. (About 7 years)
Era 3: Odyssey to Future Sight featuring Jeska, Post-Urza Storyline. (About 5 years)
Era 4: Future Sight to War of the Spark(?) featuring Nicol Bolas and the Gatewatch, Mending Storyline. (12 or more years)
I agree with your well laid out timeline and can't believe the story has been going on that long. Assuming the Bolas arc is ending in WAR, I wonder if we have heard/seen the next antagonist if the stories blend together.
The Gatewatch/Bolas storyline was at least intertwined with stories that had little to no correlation, like Lorwyn or Theros, at least in the first 5-6 years of the Bolas saga we had some intervals, after Tarkir it has been Bolas-Gatewatch-Bolas-Gatewatch-and-more-Bolas behind the scenes.
It iakes the expanse of the multiverse and make it small and shallow like a puddle with Bolas in the middle.
That has got pretty old...
If they kill a few key characters (say Jace, Gideon, and Nissa as well as a few randoms), and deal a devastating blow to Bolas, leaving him sparkless and trapped somewhere, they can really reset and choose where to go from there.
A lot of people never liked the whole gatewatch thing. I don't think anybody would be all that sad to see it end, and they could use that as a springboard for whatever (an all new all different Gatewatch if that's what they want). They aren't so bold as this, though. Expect a big ellipsis with no major deaths. They won't even maim anyone. Seriously, how does Gideon still have all his limbs?
They won't even maim anyone. Seriously, how does Gideon still have all his limbs?
Are you seriously asking how the beefcake guy with the most combat training who can generate a protective barrier around himself hasn’t gotten heavily hurt yet?
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WOut of the ground,I rise to grace...W BAfter the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through. I will remember how you scream...B
Seems likely that the entities from the Innistrad Novella "Children of the Nameless" will play some part in the future stories as well as Davriel.
I really hope this is true. CotN was one of the best Magic stories in years, and the entities seem kinda cool - possibly pure mana existences derived from the death of old planes? As long as they don't become just an exponential power-leap from neowalkers to things akin to oldwalkers, they could be pretty compelling [prefix]tagonists.
Era 1: MTG had no original storyline, Alpha to Arabian Nights. (Less than a year)
Era 2: Antiquities to Apocalpyse featuring Urza, Phyrexia Storyline. (About 7 years)
Era 3: Odyssey to Future Sight featuring Jeska, Post-Urza Storyline. (About 5 years)
Era 4: Future Sight to War of the Spark(?) featuring Nicol Bolas and the Gatewatch, Mending Storyline. (12 or more years)
I agree with your well laid out timeline and can't believe the story has been going on that long. Assuming the Bolas arc is ending in WAR, I wonder if we have heard/seen the next antagonist if the stories blend together.
The Gatewatch/Bolas storyline was at least intertwined with stories that had little to no correlation, like Lorwyn or Theros, at least in the first 5-6 years of the Bolas saga we had some intervals, after Tarkir it has been Bolas-Gatewatch-Bolas-Gatewatch-and-more-Bolas behind the scenes.
It iakes the expanse of the multiverse and make it small and shallow like a puddle with Bolas in the middle.
That has got pretty old...
Also true. Plus back during the intermissions with blocks like Lorwyn, they tended to be longer in block size than nowadays. Like if we were to get Theros nowadays in our first visit, it might be 2 or 1 sets in length than the three we had originally gotten for story and cards, then we would continue the mainstory.
I seriously don't understand why so many people want to see wizards kill off a huge swath of there most popular intellectual property. I can dig a few irrelevant characters getting killed off. It seems better to finish the Bolas plot line and diversify and fill out the characters they already have and flesh them out into something interesting. Maybe a main gatewatch character who doesn't have any meaningful story left could die. It's also most likely not going to be Jace. He is one of the only main gatewatch characters who's home plane we haven't visited yet and that's at least one story I feel we will see before he gets the axe. They went through the trouble of getting his memory back after all! Probably not going to kill off Bolas either. Good villains never get killed off for good. Pretty sure that might be considered bad story telling. Me personally I don't have a problem any current walker, I'd hate to see a bunch of them killed off at the moment. The forum community in general are incredibly cynical and would find a way to voice displeasure at any possible twist in War of the Spark. Looking forward to war of the spark though! Teaser looks great
Killing off inconsequential characters accomplishes nothing. It has no impact on the story or the consumer, making an attempt at shock value that lacks shock.
And most of the Gatewatch characters are boring as hell and haven’t gotten any more interesting over the years.
I just don't have a problem with the gatewatch personally, I think they are fine. I understand that a lot of players attention spans are short but the decision to focus on them had more to do with wizards breaking into Hollywood and bringing Magic to a new mainstream
audience. Obviously this experiment wasn't translated into the game well but Hollywood told them they needed recognizable characters. Killing the whole squad would completely undermine that work. Do you want a gatewatch rehash? I'm sure thier second best ideas are so much better than there first ones right? Better to leave them alive and focus elsewhere for a while.
No, no it is not, unless Tezzeret is brain dead enough to take the Planar Bridge over to them they can not leave Argentum/Mirrodin/New Phyrexia and even if he did the only way they could be a threat is if they managed to make oil bombs and infect entire planes from scratch a plan that is nowhere near guaranteed to work.
Trying to force New Phyrexia as some sort of real threat is on the level of trying to force Zendikar 2 in terms of bad ideas.
Sorry face it it’s likely they are next on the villains
Besides I’m sure the phyrexians are trying to figure out how to do something like planar bridge on their own
Sorry face it, it is likely the writing will be worse than BFZ then.
I think it's lazy to ask for a character to die just because you personally don't like them. Such death wishes fly in the face of fans who do happen to like those characters, or at least don't mind them. It's one thing if they're a bona fide monster like Bolas or Ob Nixilis who deserves to be taken down, but Jace and the rest of Gatewatch are not monsters (except maybe Liliana, and she's getting more humane moments). If one of them does die, it had better be for a good, plot-related purpose, and no, I don't consider dying unceremoniously at Bolas's claws good enough. Gideon had better make it back to Theros at the very least, and I want to see Jace return to Vryn now that he remembers it. I also don't see Jace sacrificing himself heroically, that's not the kind of hero he is. Could I see Chandra or Gideon one day making a noble sacrifice? Sure, but Jace I would rather see step down or fade into the background for a while, it's more fitting of his nature. Once Bolas is gone, I picture Jace abdicating his position as Guildpact to a council of Ravnicans, leaving him free to work as part of Gatewatch.
The grand irony of the Gatewatch hate is that the more members Gatewatch recruits, the more options the writers have for protagonists, thereby addressing the protagonist fatigue issue.
Just remember that pro-Gatewatch fans are putting money into this game too, and they deserve a chance to have fun with characters they actually like.
Anyway, will we get PWs with stained glass alternate arts?
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Sorry face it, it is likely the writing will be worse than BFZ then.
Just because you are seriously underestimating them?
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How i feel about competitive players and casual players in EDH: The competitive are german tourists, the casual are italian tourists, both in a italian beach. The italians asking themselves "why are the germans here?" make a legitimate question, the answer is because the beach is beautiful, no matter the country you came from. The italians wanting to ban the germans are dumb, because if the germans pay for their stay and follow the rules like everyone else, they have the right to be in the beach. Hovewer, if the germans started to ask themselves "why are the italians here?"... they would be dumb as hell.
Not a good example, since in the Infinity Gauntlet comic, Nebula stole the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos and undid everything when he was trying to take Eternity's place and become one with the universe. Thing is, Nebula's nuttier than a fruitcake in the comics, so the next act basically consists of our heroes teaming up with Thanos to take down Nebula.
Plus, we already had our "comic book everyone dies retcon/reboot/crossover" storyline with Time Spiral, though admittedly it was more like Crisis on Infinite Earths than anything Marvel did. Or, given what Bolas's plan seems to be, you could even use another DC villain, Trigon, as a better comparison in this case. (Yeah, there was literally one death besides Trigon in that storyline, and that was Raven.)
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Thought this might be useful here. Excuse the quality; taken from IG.
So, all of the PWs depicted are known characters. I've listed them by probable color alignment below:
C Karn C Ugin W Gideon W Teyo U Jace U Tamiyo U Yanling B Liliana R Chandra R Jaya R Sarkhan G Nissa G Vivien G Yanggu WU Dovin WU Narset WU Teferi UB Ashiok UB Davriel UB Tezzeret BR Angrath BR Ob Nixilis BR Tibalt RG Arlinn RG Domri GW Ajani WB Kaya WB Sorin UR Ral UR Saheeli BG Garruk BG Vraska RW Nahiri GU Kiora UBR Bolas RGW Huatli
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Thought this might be useful here. Excuse the quality; taken from IG.
So, all of the PWs depicted are known characters. I've listed them by probable color alignment below:
C Karn C Ugin W Gideon W Teyo U Jace U Tamiyo U Yanling B Liliana R Chandra R Jaya R Sarkhan G Nissa G Vivien G Yanggu WU Dovin WU Narset WU Teferi UB Ashiok UB Davriel UB Tezzeret BR Angrath BR Ob Nixilis BR Tibalt RG Arlinn RG Domri GW Ajani WB Kaya WB Sorin UR Ral UR Saheeli BG Garruk BG Vraska RW Nahiri GU Kiora UBR Bolas RGW Huatli
If Bolas is bringing the likes of Sorin, Nahiri, and Ob Nixilis to Ravnica, there are going to be some interesting grudge matches playing out here. Planeswalkers are going to be as busy fighting each other as the Eternals.
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
I don't know how any one can make out who's on those stained glass windows other than the Gatewatch. "Oh yeah, this blob here? That's Arlinn. This red blob? That's Jaya, cuz fire."
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Can you name all of the creature types with at least 20 cards? Try my Sporcle Quiz! Last Updated: 6/29/20 (Core Set 2021).
I don't know how any one can make out who's on those stained glass windows other than the Gatewatch. "Oh yeah, this blob here? That's Arlinn. This red blob? That's Jaya, cuz fire."
Because almost all of the windows are using previous card art, making them easier to recognize even when blurry.
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I don't understand what this is supposed to mean.
TCG can't kill characters? TCG can't have a grim atmosphere?
Because magic invented the "let's kill off half of our cast" way before than got or marvel (well, not really, but way before the tv show and the movies). In the first phyrexian invasion many titans and weatherlight's members died.
Era 1: MTG had no original storyline, Alpha to Arabian Nights. (Less than a year)
Era 2: Antiquities to Apocalpyse featuring Urza, Phyrexia Storyline. (About 7 years)
Era 3: Odyssey to Future Sight featuring Jeska, Post-Urza Storyline. (About 5 years)
Era 4: Future Sight to War of the Spark(?) featuring Nicol Bolas and the Gatewatch, Mending Storyline. (12 or more years)
Obviously there has been plot points threaded through the Eras such as Phyrexia, Karn, Nicol Bolas, Urza, Jaya, Jhoira, Teferi, etc.
I don't hate the gatewatch members, but even I'm feeling the fatigue with their storyline. Hopefully "War of the Spark" is the end of this current era and the story can start more "fresh-faced".
I agree with your well laid out timeline and can't believe the story has been going on that long. Assuming the Bolas arc is ending in WAR, I wonder if we have heard/seen the next antagonist if the stories blend together.
Someone mentioned it before, but I hope Liliana is the last one standing and she double-crosses Bolas.
Wait! STOP right there.
I did not said it not okay to kill fictional characters in a TCG.
The Gatewatch/Bolas storyline was at least intertwined with stories that had little to no correlation, like Lorwyn or Theros, at least in the first 5-6 years of the Bolas saga we had some intervals, after Tarkir it has been Bolas-Gatewatch-Bolas-Gatewatch-and-more-Bolas behind the scenes.
It iakes the expanse of the multiverse and make it small and shallow like a puddle with Bolas in the middle.
That has got pretty old...
A lot of people never liked the whole gatewatch thing. I don't think anybody would be all that sad to see it end, and they could use that as a springboard for whatever (an all new all different Gatewatch if that's what they want). They aren't so bold as this, though. Expect a big ellipsis with no major deaths. They won't even maim anyone. Seriously, how does Gideon still have all his limbs?
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Are you seriously asking how the beefcake guy with the most combat training who can generate a protective barrier around himself hasn’t gotten heavily hurt yet?
BAfter the lights go out on you, after your worthless life is through. I will remember how you scream...B
Seems likely that the entities from the Innistrad Novella "Children of the Nameless" will play some part in the future stories as well as Davriel.
Follow me on instagram @TheMTGWord
I really hope this is true. CotN was one of the best Magic stories in years, and the entities seem kinda cool - possibly pure mana existences derived from the death of old planes? As long as they don't become just an exponential power-leap from neowalkers to things akin to oldwalkers, they could be pretty compelling [prefix]tagonists.
I just don't have a problem with the gatewatch personally, I think they are fine. I understand that a lot of players attention spans are short but the decision to focus on them had more to do with wizards breaking into Hollywood and bringing Magic to a new mainstream
audience. Obviously this experiment wasn't translated into the game well but Hollywood told them they needed recognizable characters. Killing the whole squad would completely undermine that work. Do you want a gatewatch rehash? I'm sure thier second best ideas are so much better than there first ones right? Better to leave them alive and focus elsewhere for a while.
Sorry face it, it is likely the writing will be worse than BFZ then.
Dragons of Legend, Lead by Scion of the UR-Dragon
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Gonti, Lord of Luxury
Shogun Saskia
Hive World
Atraxa hates fun
Abzan
The grand irony of the Gatewatch hate is that the more members Gatewatch recruits, the more options the writers have for protagonists, thereby addressing the protagonist fatigue issue.
Just remember that pro-Gatewatch fans are putting money into this game too, and they deserve a chance to have fun with characters they actually like.
Anyway, will we get PWs with stained glass alternate arts?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Just because you are seriously underestimating them?
Death in GoT mostly has meaning, even if it's just "Oh, you thought Robb was the hero? The Lannisters send their regards..."
Not a good example, since in the Infinity Gauntlet comic, Nebula stole the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos and undid everything when he was trying to take Eternity's place and become one with the universe. Thing is, Nebula's nuttier than a fruitcake in the comics, so the next act basically consists of our heroes teaming up with Thanos to take down Nebula.
Plus, we already had our "comic book everyone dies retcon/reboot/crossover" storyline with Time Spiral, though admittedly it was more like Crisis on Infinite Earths than anything Marvel did. Or, given what Bolas's plan seems to be, you could even use another DC villain, Trigon, as a better comparison in this case. (Yeah, there was literally one death besides Trigon in that storyline, and that was Raven.)
On phasing:
So, all of the PWs depicted are known characters. I've listed them by probable color alignment below:
C Ugin
W Gideon
W Teyo
U Jace
U Tamiyo
U Yanling
B Liliana
R Chandra
R Jaya
R Sarkhan
G Nissa
G Vivien
G Yanggu
WU Dovin
WU Narset
WU Teferi
UB Ashiok
UB Davriel
UB Tezzeret
BR Angrath
BR Ob Nixilis
BR Tibalt
RG Arlinn
RG Domri
GW Ajani
WB Kaya
WB Sorin
UR Ral
UR Saheeli
BG Garruk
BG Vraska
RW Nahiri
GU Kiora
UBR Bolas
RGW Huatli
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Exciting that both Ashiok and Garruk is there
Narrative-wise, this is a terrible place for a reunion, sidelined as it will be by the main plot.
Wasn't expecting that at all.
Also, you are missing Koth.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
My 720 Peasant Cube
Because almost all of the windows are using previous card art, making them easier to recognize even when blurry.