1
Quote from Tiro of Meletis »I've wanted more marine lands with art like this for so long.
They almost delivered the perfect card, truly.
Giant instead of Kraken.
Honestly WOTC, I'm so done. Seriously.
1
2
5
1
2
Quote from Lord Gyor of Dark Pleasures »Quote from Mullerornis »https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/mentor-2021-04-16
Quint's turn.
Really loved this one.
By FAR the best part of the Strixhaven stories, this story is so good it deserved to be expanded into a trilogy, with the other students stories interwoven with it.
The main story has its good points, but it has too much CW teen drama vibe going on, although Professor Onyx is awesome in it. I simply see nothing in Lukka's character motivating him to do this kind of stuff and that is the other week point of the main story.
The setting itself seems amazing, not just Strixhaven, but Arcavios, it deserves a trilogy with the Plane itself as the star with the five students the main characters, without all the Planeswalker drama. So much potential, an insane amount of potential with this incredible taste of what this Plane could be, that gets one so excited, but then we quickly move on.
This is the problem with WotC deciding its not in the novel writing business anymore. Vast wasted potential. I really loved Quint's story (and the other 2) and especially Quint's story and I wanted more of that.
Imagine these 5 characters and in a full sized novel, or better yet a trilogy.
1
Honestly, whether a story ends up meaning anything to the wider lore isn't all that important as long as it's is well-crafted and enjoyable.Quote from 5colors »Quote from Tiro of Meletis »Agreed on all counts.Quote from cyberium_neo »I'm tired of PWs being the catalysts and answers to all crisis on every plane. God, how I missed Kamigawa storyline.
You mean the story that put into motion due to rifts caused by planeswalkers and the whole thing ended up not meaning anything to the wider magic lore beside being backstory/set up for Bolas?
4
Quote from SilvosRogueElemental »You literally said “you people.” Don’t try to wriggle out of being a jerk. We can all read here.
4
Quote from Melkor »I'm disappointed in how quickly this turned into a fight that's not even about the deck.
That Dragon reprint yay! now I will have one for 'Whoops, no Friends!'
3
1
1
Never knew about Lost Soul. Now I want a copy!
1
1
3
Good Commander reprints.
Planeswalkers like Kiora we're unlikely to see for a while.
Past Legends that aren't locked to Dominaria during the Brother's War era.
New takes on popular Commanders.
Partner reprints that aren't in foil and certainly not etched foil.
Popular Commander mechanics and themes we won't see for a time, such as Snow.
2
1
When I first heard about these digital-exclusive cards, I thought to myself gee, what a terrible idea. But what's new? WOTC has been chock full of awful, detrimental, self-sabotaging, fan-alienating, devastating decisions that compromise the Magic brand lately. This is right on theme for them, right? And I almost thought I could simply avoid this problem, and be unaffected by it.
Honestly I don't even have strength left to HATE this game as much I deserve and need to FAWKING HATE THIS GAME
Here I am WAITING for WOTC to get off their collective uninspired, pathetic, profit-driven and creative-stifling asses and FINALLY deliver something WORTHWHILE and THEMATIC for a change as A LEGION OF SEA MONSTER FANS AND I BEG, PLEAD, BORROW AND STEAL for a reason to actually love their game, and when they AT LONG LONG LONG LAST design a new Kiora that I HAVE LONGED AND WAITED EONS FOR IN A GAME DEVOID OF ANYTHING WORTHWHILE SINCE THEROS BEYOND DEATH and FINALLY
FINALLY
Deliver a freaking Kiora with STUNNING ART and brilliant, thematic, archetype-supportive effects THAT I HAVE USED THE VERY LAST DEATH RATTLE OF MY DYING BREATH WHEEZED FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY DECREPIT ROTTING LUNGS TO PLEAD FOR (and whose effects could EASILY be adapted to a paper game, such as putting a 0/4 token into play or tutoring the card or ANYTHING, so you can spare me that BS IMMEDIATELY).... AFTER FINALLY ACTUALLY GETTING A CARD that manages to satisfy ever metric I have ever requested, wanted, longed and hoped for... EVEN AS SOMEONE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO PLEASE
AFTER SEA MONSTER FANS HAVE NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING relative to everything else, and need a bone, and have been requesting oceanic themed cards and basically getting an 8 drop vanilla common ONCE A YEAR AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, AFTER GETTING TRASH PLANESWALKERS AND NO KIORA OR ANYTHING OF INTEREST DESPITE ALL THESE REQUESTS
This gem of an artwork, jewel of a design, treasure of a thematic support card that answers every wish and prayer ocean fans have bloodied our knees in pleas for arrives.
And WOTC has the audacity, the spite, the livid, deep seated hatred of its own fan and consumer base to tell us that it will NEVER SEE PRINT? That this exact fulfillment of YEARS OF REQUESTS, YEARS OF PATIENCE AND WAITING, YEARS OF A DESIRE TO PATRONIZE THEIR PRODUCT is going to result in.....
Exclusion?
I suppose it really is part of their business model now. I mean,
As a Vorthos, the absent Theros novel and lore in ruins made me right at home
As LGBT, Greg Weisman's homophobic masterpiece performed wonders with inclusivity
As a fan of Magic IP, Universes Beyond has had been a splendid method of suggesting "you know what Tiro, you loving the actual Magic brand just isn't cutting it enough for us anymore."
And now we're here my friends. We're here, after a year of a pandemic in which everyone is broke, anxious, deprived and shaken. We're here... with the clearest, loudest, most vibrant message WOTC can send - that they truly do not want me to admire their IP. Because being a Kiora fan, a blue fan, a sea monster fan, a fan of something ACTUALLY MAGIC RELATED, WHICH I WAITED FOR, just isn't in the cards for me as an actual Magic player.
I can have Godzilla, The Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, and some other bullchit IP I never heard of that is some stupid show on TV no one watches whose name I neither know or remember or care to FAWKING know and will never commit to memory even if I did. I can have cards for all that. For all of those non-Magic characters, cards will be printed and cards will be had.
But not for this Kiora, from Magic the Gathering. See this character here, designed explicitly for this game? See Kiora from the books? Kiora from the lore? Kiora invented by MTG? See this art here, this gorgeous, high quality, stunning, remarkable, brilliant, brand-elevating artwork here that you have longed to love and have as part of this game you're so desperate to admire and patronize? That is something you'll never see, never own, never hold, never have as an aspect of this game ever, while everyone else with outrageous cross-brand demands gets their wishes fulfilled - me, a Magic fan, requesting a Magic IP character, supporting a Magic tribe, to play in Magic's best selling and leading premier format at the moment - I cannot have or enjoy this.
If you told me it would be easier to own a Gandalf card than an actual Kiora card like this in Magic the fawking ass Gathering paper game two years ago, I'd probably still believe you honestly.
It's as if WOTC doesn't want us playing this game except THEIR WAY. And that truly is as Yugioh, and as Konami as it gets.
AND I HATE YUGIOH AND KONAMI for this exact reason. I quit that TRASH. Because they punish fans of their game. They're oblivious to what players actually want, and do the opposite, banning cards and powercreeping people out of the game. And here we are, isolation, exclusion AND ABSOLUTE DISREGARD FOR LOGIC AND REASON, THE EQUIVALENT OF GAME OF THRONES SEASON 8 SUBVERTING EXPECTATIONS RIGHT?
It's just UNFATHOMABLE to me frankly. That they would have this art and design on hand, and it could have been celebrated in a Commander deck. It could have been a promo somewhere, or part of a current or future set, it literally could have been the CELEBRATED HIGHLIGHT of ANYTHING it was in, truly. The potential alone with this was astronomical.
And it was squandered in an attempt to spit in my face. I SWEAR, if someone sat down and EXPLICITLY tried to devise a way to screw me in particular, this was it.
Instead, they treat this fond opportunity to dash hopes and isolate people. You want this? You play Magic our way.
HEY WOTC. THIS HAS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT BY THE WAAAAAAAY now I HATE HISTORIC. I RESENT HISTORIC. I WILL NEVER, EVER TOUCH ARENA EVER EVER EVER AND I would sooner QUIT THIS GAME AND DROP YOUR BRAND than be forced.
Bring me the fool who thought of this. Bring them so I can tear them apart with my nails and teeth sis.
2
These cards are in digital, and not in paper. And that inherently is the problem. This represents a moment of divergence between the two platforms, and yes, that's an issue and concern. This cannot be a precedent going forward. Arena should be a digital form of paper Magic. The moment we're forced to choose between the two depending on the type of Magic experience we wish to have, or cards we hope to access, or whatever remaining and unforseen divides lay ahead, is when the playerbase fragments even more. Part of the appeal of Commander is the social aspect, and they're undermining that.
1
1