When a demon is called "Ob Nixilis, The Fallen" I believe the creator of the card is trying to get across the point that he fell from some lofty height, as in the story of Lucifer the Fallen Angel.
Nice theory, but the Ob Nixilis card doesn't seem to have any stone shaping ability whatsoever.
Nothing on the card says he's a stone shaper, but the artwork suggests some kind of strange connection or morphing power with the land, which, coupled with Landfall, brought me to the Lithomancer conclusion. Sure, the hedron could have been burned on his head, but it makes just as much sense (based on the clues we have) that he was involved with their creation.
His flavor text also says corrupting influence of the plane's mana... a Lithomancer, someone in direct contact with the land and mana of a plane, would strike me as more susceptible to corrupting influences.
Have we ever had an instance of a character being transformed into a demon? And why make this theory (which requires a few stretches as it is) anymore complicated?
We know him as "Ob Nixilis, The Fallen" which suggests that he wasn't always a demon.
It's a fair jump to say he was a planeswalker who lost his spark while on Zendikar
I read somewhere on this forum (or perhaps it was on mtg.com) about the three planeswalkers each sacrificing something to seal the Eldrazi. Can anyone confirm/refute this?
Sure, it's a speculation thread so any of these ideas could be hooey, but I don't believe that WotC would play coy with the identity of the third Planeswalker, while providing us with a legendary creature on Zendikar that once was a Planeswalker (and happens to have a hedron on his forehead).
As for our possible Lithomancer strangely being a demon... he could have once been divine and fallen into corruption... he could have sealed a pact for the power to stop the Eldrazi... he could have been driven to monstrosity over the millenia... that we don't know. Heck, he might have been a demon that just didn't want to see his world eaten by the Eldrazi. "This is my world to bully... not your's!", etc...
I'm only going on what information is available, and the clues on the Ob Nixilis artwork/mechanics/flavor text are compelling.
we have zero evidence, other than what was printed on his card that he was a powerful planeswalker, and we have no idea how/what happened to cause him to lose his spark.
On the contrary, we have some evidence, and since this is a speculation thread I think it's a fair jump of logic.
-there were three planeswalkers that trapped the eldrazi. two were revealed, and one has mysteriously been hinted at but not named.
-each planeswalker gave something up.
-ob nixilis was a planeswalker that lost his spark.
-there is a strange hedron symbol on his head.
-he does have landfall and art that suggests weird shaping/morphing with the land. lithomancer? maybe.
As for him not being in RoE, I wouldn't expect him to be, but I bet he's revealed as the Lithomancer down the road.
It makes less sense that he gave up his spark to make the hedrons, as if he was the guy who made the hedrons, i doubt he'd willingly give up his spark. Such an action would be either red or white in alignment, and white is probably getting gideon as a walker and red already had new chandra, so i doubt they'd make another walker of those colors. Of course, the block does seem like it's gonna have a walker of every color, as well as sarkhan, so who knows
Reasons Why I think Ob Nixilis is the Lithomancer:
1. WotC's refusal to name the Planeswalker suggests that we already know him. We know Ob.
2. The flavor text on Ob says "His Spark Lost...". We know that the three planeswalkers each gave something up to trap the Eldrazi. Ob could have given up his spark.
3. He has landfall, which accounts for the mechanical flavor of a Lithomancer.
4. The card artwork depicts the land attached to Ob Nixilis, as if he's somehow connected with it, or shaping it at will.
5. He has a WWK-hedron-symbol-looking-thing on his forehead. This makes me think that he built them.
It's suggested in the above quote that giving up his spark would be the action of a red/white alignment, but if Ob Nixilis gave up his spark thousands of years ago, who knows how insane (black) he could have been driven.
As for the idea that some legends are just legends, sure... but I don't think that's the case with this guy.
everything about his flavor text, and the hesitation to explain who the lithomancer was, makes me think he was the third planeswalker that imprisoned the Eldrazi.
i wonder why they decided to make "level up" sorcery speed. that really kills this guy because you want your islands untapped to counter something... not tapped into a guy that's pretty killable.
was figure of destiny so broken that they wanted to water this ability down to sorcery speed? it's a shame, because i was looking forward to "level up".
Kozilek has cool art, but the general shift toward smooth, digital realism has made it all seem kind of homogenized to me.
yup. matter of taste... and i do like lots of magic artists that did non-realism artwork. my favorite is cornelius brudi (the old Pox and Hurricane), though kev walker is pretty good, as is d. alexander gregory.
we are not discussing Planeswalker cards in Rise of the Eldrazi.
we are discussing Ob Nixilis and the possibililty that he was once the Planeswalking Lithomancer that helped imprison the Eldrazi.
30/30 emrakul for the win.
Why no?
When a demon is called "Ob Nixilis, The Fallen" I believe the creator of the card is trying to get across the point that he fell from some lofty height, as in the story of Lucifer the Fallen Angel.
Nothing on the card says he's a stone shaper, but the artwork suggests some kind of strange connection or morphing power with the land, which, coupled with Landfall, brought me to the Lithomancer conclusion. Sure, the hedron could have been burned on his head, but it makes just as much sense (based on the clues we have) that he was involved with their creation.
His flavor text also says corrupting influence of the plane's mana... a Lithomancer, someone in direct contact with the land and mana of a plane, would strike me as more susceptible to corrupting influences.
We know him as "Ob Nixilis, The Fallen" which suggests that he wasn't always a demon.
I read somewhere on this forum (or perhaps it was on mtg.com) about the three planeswalkers each sacrificing something to seal the Eldrazi. Can anyone confirm/refute this?
Sure, it's a speculation thread so any of these ideas could be hooey, but I don't believe that WotC would play coy with the identity of the third Planeswalker, while providing us with a legendary creature on Zendikar that once was a Planeswalker (and happens to have a hedron on his forehead).
As for our possible Lithomancer strangely being a demon... he could have once been divine and fallen into corruption... he could have sealed a pact for the power to stop the Eldrazi... he could have been driven to monstrosity over the millenia... that we don't know. Heck, he might have been a demon that just didn't want to see his world eaten by the Eldrazi. "This is my world to bully... not your's!", etc...
I'm only going on what information is available, and the clues on the Ob Nixilis artwork/mechanics/flavor text are compelling.
On the contrary, we have some evidence, and since this is a speculation thread I think it's a fair jump of logic.
-there were three planeswalkers that trapped the eldrazi. two were revealed, and one has mysteriously been hinted at but not named.
-each planeswalker gave something up.
-ob nixilis was a planeswalker that lost his spark.
-there is a strange hedron symbol on his head.
-he does have landfall and art that suggests weird shaping/morphing with the land. lithomancer? maybe.
As for him not being in RoE, I wouldn't expect him to be, but I bet he's revealed as the Lithomancer down the road.
Reasons Why I think Ob Nixilis is the Lithomancer:
1. WotC's refusal to name the Planeswalker suggests that we already know him. We know Ob.
2. The flavor text on Ob says "His Spark Lost...". We know that the three planeswalkers each gave something up to trap the Eldrazi. Ob could have given up his spark.
3. He has landfall, which accounts for the mechanical flavor of a Lithomancer.
4. The card artwork depicts the land attached to Ob Nixilis, as if he's somehow connected with it, or shaping it at will.
5. He has a WWK-hedron-symbol-looking-thing on his forehead. This makes me think that he built them.
It's suggested in the above quote that giving up his spark would be the action of a red/white alignment, but if Ob Nixilis gave up his spark thousands of years ago, who knows how insane (black) he could have been driven.
As for the idea that some legends are just legends, sure... but I don't think that's the case with this guy.
to hell with the extra turn or four cards. dropping even the common eldrazi (annihilator: 2) on the second turn is pretty much a win.
with the titans, they just go back in your deck. this lets you to gamble or tutor for them again on turn three, if the 15 to the face isn't enough.
was figure of destiny so broken that they wanted to water this ability down to sorcery speed? it's a shame, because i was looking forward to "level up".
but it sounds like a "win the game"/"lose the game" card.
there has been some speculation that tribal-eldrazi will be in this set. the orb spits out 4 to the word "tribal".
this tells me that we may see some colorless instants/sorceries which are tribal-eldrazi spells. presumably they won't cost double digits to cast.
if this is the case then eye of ugin becomes more potent. the potential is there for multiple eldrazi spells to be cast on the same turn.
with sneak attack he is hasted and coming at you on turn 2... to hell with the free turn, annihilator:6 just won you the game.
there's polymorph, the ugly stick (proteus staff), show and tell...
it's going to be madness at the kitchen table.
yup. matter of taste... and i do like lots of magic artists that did non-realism artwork. my favorite is cornelius brudi (the old Pox and Hurricane), though kev walker is pretty good, as is d. alexander gregory.
instant speed would work, i think. something like "Makeshift Mannequin".