I just posted this on the Mysteries of Ixalan article comments, but I thought this would also be a good place for it. One of the Pro Tour Ixalan videos on Youtube included images from the upcoming Ixalan art book. One image was of the page introducing Jace and how he ended up on Ixalan. To paraphrase, as his mind was overwhelmed, his last conscious move was to follow Vraska to the mysterious destination Ral Zarek's device had detected from her "anomalous" planeswalk in the hope that her activities were connected to Bolas and his schemes.
Thus, it was no million to one shot of Jace ending up on the same random plane as Vraska. This appears to be the "very good reason" (or some statement along those lines) for Jace ending up on Ixalan that Allison Luhrs referred to I believe in one of the podcasts.
As of this week's story, it now seems clear that Bolas plane-screwed Amonkhet immediately before the Mending. It's interesting that there's no particular indication of how Razaketh played into that process. The timeline seems wonky, though, since Liliana made her pacts after the Mending, so the plane would already have been under Bolas's control then...hmmm...
The story seems to indicate that the mending has already happened. Unless you subscribe to the theory that the effects of the mending were instantaneous rather than gradual. Bolas has never indicated that he knew what the mending would do so it makes more sense that his comments are about how he is losing his powers post-mending, rather than being preemptive of the mending.
Also how is there any problem with Lilly and the timeline? Liliana made it quite clear that when she made her pact it was already Bolas's plane, she even assumed he made it.
Actually, Bolas coined the term "The Mending" in-universe and knew very well what it was going to do to his powers before it happened. From the Time Spiral novels we know that he came back from death because the Madara Rift contained a part of his spirit, which mind-slaved Venser into liberating it back into the physical word. Bolas then thrashes fellow oldwalker Teferi with almost no effort, and planeswalks away to settle old scores. Later, he returns to defeat Leshrac and use Leshrac's spark to seal one of the last rifts. He then prepares to depart Dominaria in case it collapses, but not before delivering some exposition on his recent activities to Teferi and friends.
From the Future Sight novel: "I have traveled far since we last met. I have been across the length and breadth of The Multiverse. I have peeled back its flesh to gaze upon the intricate mechanisms beneath. The evidence is unmistakable. The Multiverse is cracked, but a great mending is ready to begin. Your efforts have helped bring this about, but you have not yet achieved it. From here, the fissures will spread and The Multiverse will crumble, or the fissures will be sealed and the multiverse will adjust to their absence. Either way, nothing will be the same. Those who wield magic will find its very nature altered. Those who wield the transcendent power of The Multiverse will be forced to surrender it back to the source. Dominaria may yet be destroyed, and with it countless other planes", he said. "But I have prepared a suitable place for myself in that eventuality."
Thus, it was no million to one shot of Jace ending up on the same random plane as Vraska. This appears to be the "very good reason" (or some statement along those lines) for Jace ending up on Ixalan that Allison Luhrs referred to I believe in one of the podcasts.
Actually, Bolas coined the term "The Mending" in-universe and knew very well what it was going to do to his powers before it happened. From the Time Spiral novels we know that he came back from death because the Madara Rift contained a part of his spirit, which mind-slaved Venser into liberating it back into the physical word. Bolas then thrashes fellow oldwalker Teferi with almost no effort, and planeswalks away to settle old scores. Later, he returns to defeat Leshrac and use Leshrac's spark to seal one of the last rifts. He then prepares to depart Dominaria in case it collapses, but not before delivering some exposition on his recent activities to Teferi and friends.
From the Future Sight novel: "I have traveled far since we last met. I have been across the length and breadth of The Multiverse. I have peeled back its flesh to gaze upon the intricate mechanisms beneath. The evidence is unmistakable. The Multiverse is cracked, but a great mending is ready to begin. Your efforts have helped bring this about, but you have not yet achieved it. From here, the fissures will spread and The Multiverse will crumble, or the fissures will be sealed and the multiverse will adjust to their absence. Either way, nothing will be the same. Those who wield magic will find its very nature altered. Those who wield the transcendent power of The Multiverse will be forced to surrender it back to the source. Dominaria may yet be destroyed, and with it countless other planes", he said. "But I have prepared a suitable place for myself in that eventuality."