- overall - the book is different than those in the past. But also of the piles of mess from Wintermute, and the enthusiastic, but amateurish attempts of Doug Beyer (Alara Unbroken, The Secretist). And after all those years, I am not disappointed.
So you're saying you enjoyed the book because your expectations were lowered by the crap that came before it?
Cool.story today posted about the Rakdos. Definitely shows the, uh, warmer side of red and black.
Also nice foreshadowing of what the Azorius is up to in the background.
So Apparently this new initiative was successful enough for Wizards to expand on it.
and now they're promising stories for worlds that aren't featured directly on sets.
So what are everyone's final thoughts on the Bolas origin story, and of the writer? what did you like about her style and the story itself? what didn't you like? Would you like to have her write another series of MTG stories?
Am I missing something, or is it weird that Wizards put out a card "The Eldest Reborn" for Bolas, and then in the next set story he's described as being one of, if not the, youngest elder dragons (along with Ugin)?
Nope. remember, those saga cards are supposed to be how the people of Dominaria remembered the event, not the actual truth. And since so few people remember the other Elder Dragons, but many DO remember Bolas, we can assume they thought Bolas was the eldest, since he's the only one that's still alive.
Is he going back to Alara at some point, or is this just non-canon stuff?
I think since this is an Origin story it is going to spotlight the moments when our spotlight PWs had their first significant Bolas engcounter. for Tezz that would be when he was first led to Bolas on Alara.
Bolas says in the Emperor's Fist novel by McGough that he respected his siblings as equals and did not harm them. Which means that Ugin is actually worse than Bolas for trying to assassinate a sibling and initiating the conflict between the two.
Nice quote, but also keep in mind that Bolas is not above blatantly lying and twisting the truth to get what he wants. He may have wanted whoever he was telling that to THINK he wouldn't go after his siblings. That doesn't mean he actually wouldn't if it would serve his ultimate goal.
the mentioning of the Ur-Dragon made me immediately think of the primevals. Wondering where they tie into the whole Origin of dragons and how they relate to the elders.
another thing: Bolas learning about the power of teamwork is an interesting note. We obviously see that being setup with the Gatewatch now, but remember Bolas has a team on his side too. His agents have to this point mostly acted alone, but what are these guys capable of if/when they actively work as a unit?
Remember, NuJace is fully focused on his responsibilities as Living Guildpact, and needs to be all-business in addressing the Bolas threat. The transition between happy-to-see-everybody Jace at the end of Ixalan and cut-the-BS-and-get-to-business Jace in Dominaria is a bit too jarring, but I can still understand it.
And as far as his rather harsh attitude towards Lili is concerned, NuJace has had the veil (pun intended) pulled away of how she had been treating him. and he remembers EVERYTHING now, including all of the times she double-crossed him and used him for personal gain. and he remembers that she used to work for the guy he's now trying to find a way to defeat, that is threatening his adopted home. he would naturally be not very enthused to see her again.
and as far as the offscreen adventures of the Weatherlight is concerned..... in Television they have what is called the "backdoor pilot" where an episode of an established TV show is really a thinly-veiled pilot episode of a spinoff. That's what the resolution of the Weatherlight's arc feels like. Now they can have as many adventures with the crew as they need to, Saturday-morning cartoon style, especially with them establishing that the Cabal is bigger than Lili's dead demon, and has generals all over Domainaria's rather large world.
Kamigawa is one of MTG's most beloved stories for a reason (actually, many reasons). Toshiro is a well-written, likeable antihero, and the war between Konda and O-Kagachi is suitably epic in scope. the books also do a great job of incorporating many of the cards from the set into the story.
Not to mention, much of the flavor text on the cards allude to a history of the war that the books can only scratch the surface of telling. It was a masterpiece, and this synopsis is a great way to bring those that missed the books up to speed.
So you're saying you enjoyed the book because your expectations were lowered by the crap that came before it?
DAMN. Domri caught a bad one.
I know he wasn't the most popular PW, but did he really have to go out like that?
R.I.P. Domri.
Also nice foreshadowing of what the Azorius is up to in the background.
If you don't know about it, he talks about it Here and Here.
It's basically a breakdown of every plane used in MTG sets, how popular and relevant they are, and what the liklihood is that they'll make a return.
Seems like some of our more beloved planes flavor-wise aren't quite as beloved as we thought...
What are your thoughts, and do you think the scale is accurate?
and now they're promising stories for worlds that aren't featured directly on sets.
here is the article, in case anyone missed it.
What are your thoughts on what Blake Had to say?
Nope. remember, those saga cards are supposed to be how the people of Dominaria remembered the event, not the actual truth. And since so few people remember the other Elder Dragons, but many DO remember Bolas, we can assume they thought Bolas was the eldest, since he's the only one that's still alive.
I think since this is an Origin story it is going to spotlight the moments when our spotlight PWs had their first significant Bolas engcounter. for Tezz that would be when he was first led to Bolas on Alara.
Nice quote, but also keep in mind that Bolas is not above blatantly lying and twisting the truth to get what he wants. He may have wanted whoever he was telling that to THINK he wouldn't go after his siblings. That doesn't mean he actually wouldn't if it would serve his ultimate goal.
another thing: Bolas learning about the power of teamwork is an interesting note. We obviously see that being setup with the Gatewatch now, but remember Bolas has a team on his side too. His agents have to this point mostly acted alone, but what are these guys capable of if/when they actively work as a unit?
and as far as the offscreen adventures of the Weatherlight is concerned..... in Television they have what is called the "backdoor pilot" where an episode of an established TV show is really a thinly-veiled pilot episode of a spinoff. That's what the resolution of the Weatherlight's arc feels like. Now they can have as many adventures with the crew as they need to, Saturday-morning cartoon style, especially with them establishing that the Cabal is bigger than Lili's dead demon, and has generals all over Domainaria's rather large world.