Oh yes, because the Phyrexians one dimensional villainy and the Eldrazi one dimensional villainy is SOOOOOO much better.
The Eldrazi are terrifying. because they mow down everything in their path instead of cackling gleefully and rubbing their hands. They are the ultimate world enders. They don't need "dimensions" to fit the roll assigned to them. They do what they do very well.
The Phyrexians have a psychotic religious system, and they think that they are actually on the "good" side. The have values that they firmly believe in, and they think that they are improving the universe. Their aim is perfection. Phyrexia isn't just a name or a faction, it is an ideal. And an interesting one at that.
Bolas is just a very sorry, very sad, and very unfortunate excuse for a villain. He's not even fun to read about. When a villain's evil because more annoying to fans than menacing, you know there's a problem.
Phyrexia returns, and fans are like "This could be interesting."
Bolas shows up, and people think, "Here we go again."
...
Please, Bolas, cut it out. No one thinks your funny. If you destroy one more plane, we're gonna have to lock you up.
I am fanatically loyal to Kamigawa. You've seen hardcore Harry Potter or Twilight fans, correct? Well, imagine the same thing, only with Kamigawa as the object of devotion.
That's me. Seriously, it changed my life, and I kid you not.
I didn't like today's article. It contained almost nothing that I had not already figured out myself, and little that would be of relevence to those of us who have been paying attention to flavor.
He did confirm again that Yawgmoth is dead, though.
Which raises another question.
I know Yawgmoth is dead. But it still doesn't make too much sense to me. How are liches able to preserve themselves (Heck, even Geth was powerful enough to stay "alive" after his death) but Yawgmoth, Lord of black mana, master of death and necromancy, the single most pwerful character in the history of MAGIC could not secure for himself a way in which he might return/persist in the event of his own destruction? That's the oldest trick in the Book of Black Mana!
Voldemort did it. Sauron did it. AU Palpatine did it. Geth, Svogthir, the Ghost Council, and God-knows-how-many liches did it. Why on earth didn't Yawgmoth take the same precautions?
Was it simply because he didn't feel he needed to, because only one thing in the universe could have killed him?
But even then, could it really have been all that hard for him to make himself a safety net of sorts?
Hopefully this new Father of Machines learns from his predecessor's mistake....
Clearly, Savor the Flavor needs to focus on the story elements of Magic, but also not focus on the story elements of Magic so Wizards can print books about them that no one will buy.
More people will buy the books if they are of better quality. Not saying that MTG books are going to be seen on any bestseller lists any time soon, but in (many) cases, better worlds and better storytelling sell more books.
Admittedly, there are some people who have no sense of what constitutes a good novel.
Also, Matt Cavotta should replace Doug Beyer
Why not? I like Doug's personality (as much as I can tell from reading his column, anyway) but Matt was a better writer and more enthusiastic all around. There would be nothing to lose if they ever decided to replace Doug with Matt. I have yet to see Doug do something that none of his predecessors have done far better.
Like many others, am a bit dismayed by the utter decrease in flavorful/storyline/world info. I'd prefer that they drop the Planeswalker novels altogether and focus exclusively on the three-book cycles again. Only having one 300 page book per block gives the story, characters, and world very little room to breathe, as you have to abandon much of the latter two for the sake of the first.
Wizards should go back to hiring art students to do colored pencil illustrations for the cards, and they need to update the card backs too.
With respect, you're not getting anywhere with this, and this has nothing to do with the topic. We're talking about improving quality here.
People often (and intentionally) use sarcastic/over the top statements like this one in lieu of an intelligent arguement, but being condescending does not advance your point. On the contrary, it makes you look like you're short on valid arguements.
But if you offer a reasonable point, I'll read it with an open mind.
That's how I see Kamigawa. To me, Kamigawa > MTG. It was one of the most flavorful sets ever made in the history of the game, and one of the most thoroughly developed worlds.
Kamigawa remains to this day my #1 favorite fictional world of all time. Including worlds outside of Magic.
If only Creative would put that same care and thorough development into every world they invented.
Because you said "new" evil... the phyrexias are the same evil as before.
Sorry, bad wording on my part. I meant another rise of evil, not necessarily a new one. Another rise of Multiverse-threatening evil was inevitable. This is, after all, MTG.
Right... next we should do the Brother's war again. Surprise new Urza wins!
That's a very narrow way to look at it -- anything can sound stupid if you intentionally over-simplify it like that. Can you not think of a single way in which they can make this new Phyrexian invasion different from the old one? I know I can. I'm sure you're far more creative than that!
And even if it does the exact same thing as before, and Creative chooses not to live up to its name, it's still better than having the secret "reveal" of every new story be that "Bolas is behind it."
But my question is... why does Mirrodin need to fall? Mirrodin beats back the Phyrexians, then the next plane we go to with oil can start taht fight all over again.
Because the bad guys need a break. It's not exciting when the good guys always win. If every new block that takes place on an oil-polluted world was simply a "new plane, new invasion, good guys stop invasion," the story would get episodic very fast. However, if the Phyrexians have several blocks of dominating other worlds instead, we can build up to a final showdown in which the Good Guys' victory will actually be, well, sweet.
Phyrexia can have this round. Maybe in a few years we can have someone come along and take back Mirrodin.
Possibly from my ability to see the writing on the wall. Will Phyrexia win? No.
....
The Phyrexians take over, Mirrodin is lost... and... um... nothing. What are the Phyreixnas of Mirrodin going to do? Either they sit on thier hands, and become boring (as they won't be a multiversal threat) and we never see Mirrodin again. Or they build planar portals and start Invasion II, and then creative negates everything they did by destroying Phyrexia.
Not true. The Coalition's victory on Dominaria baught the Multiverse a couple millenia of security. Obviously a new evil will rise to threaten everything ... why NOT Phyrexia?
Besides, new Phyrexian invasion of the Multiverse is far more welcome to the story than anything Bolas has to offer.
I want the Phyrexians to win.
I'll say it again: I want them to win.
I want Mirrodin to fall. I want The Phyrexians to launch a multi-block campaign across the multiverse.... I really want to see where this is going. A new, consistent mult-block story arc would be fantastic.
Inevitably, Phyrexia will be defeated in the end. But I hope not for several more years.
Geth is supposed to be bald. I don't like his hair. And he doesn't look like he does in the books. But I suppose he HAS been dead awhile, and has grown his hair out since.
That having been said, I'm really glad to see him. He was the ONE legend I really wanted back in the Mirrodin Block that, to my dismay, we never got. I loved reading his flavor texts, and he was a favorite of mine in the books, too.
Geth was never the intimidating type. He was mostly just talk, and in reality was rather weak and pathetic. But I loved that about him.
But I think I'm going to like this new Geth, too. I am so psyched to see this guy FINALLY printed.
REGARDING CONTINUITY: Doug (I think it was Doug) mentioned in a recent article that the Soul Traps ignited, but not everyone returned to their home plane.
Beleive me, If getting Yawgmoth back means we can finally kick Bolas out of the picture for awhile, then I'm in, regardless of how cheap and contrived it is.
Best: Revenge of the Sith.
Second best: Empire Strikes Back
Worst: Return of the Jedi.
Revenge of the Sith is my favorite despite occasianal instances of bad dialogue (Well fom my point of view the Jedi are evil!"). It had the best story, the best music, and the most emotional moments in the series. And the bad guys win. Even without the special effects and awesome CGI, it would still be my favorite by a long shot-- such things have no bearing in my judgement of a movie.
Empire Strikes Back was the best of the original trilogy. Great acting, great story, awesome ending. This episode MADE Darth Vader.
Return of the Jedi is my least favorite for a number of reasons. Though it's not a bad movie, it seems very weak as a final chapter. The only real outstanding aspect of it was the Luke vs. Vader/Vader redemption plotline and the space battle at the end (Oh, and Palpatine). Everything else just fell short.
It is a better movie than Episodes One and Two, but as a final chapter of an epic saga, it fails to deliver on too many points, and therefore earns the spot as my least favorite of the six. It was my favorite when I was a lot younger, but now I see it differently.
The movie wasn't great, but I was expecting an absolute travesty. I walked out feeling good that Shyamalan had not butchered the series that I love so much. Dev Patel worked great as Zuko, and I liked Shaun Toub as Iroh.
Though, quite honestly, I hope there is a remake in the future by someone who can do a much better job.
This movie was not bad. But it was not good. It was just okay.
But Avatar: the Last Airbender, does not deserve "okay." It does not even deserve "good." It deserves the best, most awesome movie of the decade. Anything less than that does not do justice to the source material.
Good stories are defined by their villains. Who, in your opinion, are the best (and worst) villains in MTG?
Keep in mind that “favorite” does not equal “best.” But feel free to mention your favorites as well.
These are the ones I think are best:
Yawgmoth: Yawgmoth was a great villain, there is no arguing that. Anyone who has read The Thran can attest to this. He was the only villain to feature as the main character in his own book, and it was so enthralling to watch his rise. I have a deep appreciation for his character due to this. Also, there’s something entirely unique about him that I haven’t encountered in any fantasy story I’ve ever encountered. Something horrific and utterly base, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Memnarch: As flat of a hero as Glissa was, Memnarch was a fantastic villain, and he was the highlight of the Mirrodin cycle. Unlike many of the protagonists, he was so... real, and is a great example of a tragic villain done right without the need for a traumatic backstory. He was a schizophrenic tyrant with a god-complex, but he was also very child-like and naive, and we could sympathize with him because he was a tormented being with very human needs, ones that we can all understand (and many of us relate to). Even when his actions became truly twisted and cruel in Fifth Dawn, his character had already been established in the previous book to an extent that we could not forget who and what he truly was. Whatever its faults, Mirrodin’s story had not just a wonderful villain in Memnarch, but a great character altogether, and one of MTG’s finest.
Konda: Konda is another great villain, because he is so utterly despicable. We can really hate this guy; he’s obsessed with his own glory and legacy at the expense of all else, showing us that White-aligned villains can be even more despicable than Black-aligned ones. Of all the villains in Magic, I think Konda wins the spot as the biggest bastard. He blasphemies the gods, and his people bear the consequences of his actions. Yet he remains self-righteous and unashamed, convinced in his own infallibility, while the people who love him (Takeno, Michiko, his servants) suffer because of him. As an added bonus, his defeat was probably the most horrific (yet well deserved) downfall of any MTG villain.
Now the worst villain, Imho…. Bolas.
I can’t bear this guy. He’s barely even 2D, and I find him intolerably uninteresting. It seems almost contrived that he’s behind EVERYTHING, and his motivations barely surpass being evil simply to show how evil he is. Bolas is a self-parody; he doesn’t have a mustache, but it’s like whenever he shows up he pretends to twirl one anyway just in case we haven’t quite gotten the idea yet that he is EVIL.
When I read the Webcomic showing Bolas’ involvement in the Eldrazi’s release, I sighed and thought, “Oh, but of course….” Then, when Doug Beyer mentioned that Creative had plans for Bolas for years to come, I nearly dented my desk with my forehead.
He is Magic’s lamest villain. Please, drop him now and try something fresh. He is NOT a replacement for Yawgmoth. Yawgmoth was pure evil too, but at least he had the taste and tact to make it exciting.
(Now, having said that, I will admit that I found Bolas cool in FS. But after that... no.)
So... your own thoughts and opinions? (By all means, feel free to argue mine if you like.)
The Eldrazi are terrifying. because they mow down everything in their path instead of cackling gleefully and rubbing their hands. They are the ultimate world enders. They don't need "dimensions" to fit the roll assigned to them. They do what they do very well.
The Phyrexians have a psychotic religious system, and they think that they are actually on the "good" side. The have values that they firmly believe in, and they think that they are improving the universe. Their aim is perfection. Phyrexia isn't just a name or a faction, it is an ideal. And an interesting one at that.
Bolas is just a very sorry, very sad, and very unfortunate excuse for a villain. He's not even fun to read about. When a villain's evil because more annoying to fans than menacing, you know there's a problem.
Phyrexia returns, and fans are like "This could be interesting."
Bolas shows up, and people think, "Here we go again."
...
Please, Bolas, cut it out. No one thinks your funny. If you destroy one more plane, we're gonna have to lock you up.
I am fanatically loyal to Kamigawa. You've seen hardcore Harry Potter or Twilight fans, correct? Well, imagine the same thing, only with Kamigawa as the object of devotion.
That's me. Seriously, it changed my life, and I kid you not.
He did confirm again that Yawgmoth is dead, though.
Which raises another question.
I know Yawgmoth is dead. But it still doesn't make too much sense to me. How are liches able to preserve themselves (Heck, even Geth was powerful enough to stay "alive" after his death) but Yawgmoth, Lord of black mana, master of death and necromancy, the single most pwerful character in the history of MAGIC could not secure for himself a way in which he might return/persist in the event of his own destruction? That's the oldest trick in the Book of Black Mana!
Voldemort did it. Sauron did it. AU Palpatine did it. Geth, Svogthir, the Ghost Council, and God-knows-how-many liches did it. Why on earth didn't Yawgmoth take the same precautions?
Was it simply because he didn't feel he needed to, because only one thing in the universe could have killed him?
But even then, could it really have been all that hard for him to make himself a safety net of sorts?
Hopefully this new Father of Machines learns from his predecessor's mistake....
More people will buy the books if they are of better quality. Not saying that MTG books are going to be seen on any bestseller lists any time soon, but in (many) cases, better worlds and better storytelling sell more books.
Admittedly, there are some people who have no sense of what constitutes a good novel.
Why not? I like Doug's personality (as much as I can tell from reading his column, anyway) but Matt was a better writer and more enthusiastic all around. There would be nothing to lose if they ever decided to replace Doug with Matt. I have yet to see Doug do something that none of his predecessors have done far better.
Like many others, am a bit dismayed by the utter decrease in flavorful/storyline/world info. I'd prefer that they drop the Planeswalker novels altogether and focus exclusively on the three-book cycles again. Only having one 300 page book per block gives the story, characters, and world very little room to breathe, as you have to abandon much of the latter two for the sake of the first.
With respect, you're not getting anywhere with this, and this has nothing to do with the topic. We're talking about improving quality here.
People often (and intentionally) use sarcastic/over the top statements like this one in lieu of an intelligent arguement, but being condescending does not advance your point. On the contrary, it makes you look like you're short on valid arguements.
But if you offer a reasonable point, I'll read it with an open mind.
Good deal?
That's how I see Kamigawa. To me, Kamigawa > MTG. It was one of the most flavorful sets ever made in the history of the game, and one of the most thoroughly developed worlds.
Kamigawa remains to this day my #1 favorite fictional world of all time. Including worlds outside of Magic.
If only Creative would put that same care and thorough development into every world they invented.
Sorry, bad wording on my part. I meant another rise of evil, not necessarily a new one. Another rise of Multiverse-threatening evil was inevitable. This is, after all, MTG.
That's a very narrow way to look at it -- anything can sound stupid if you intentionally over-simplify it like that. Can you not think of a single way in which they can make this new Phyrexian invasion different from the old one? I know I can. I'm sure you're far more creative than that!
And even if it does the exact same thing as before, and Creative chooses not to live up to its name, it's still better than having the secret "reveal" of every new story be that "Bolas is behind it."
Because the bad guys need a break. It's not exciting when the good guys always win. If every new block that takes place on an oil-polluted world was simply a "new plane, new invasion, good guys stop invasion," the story would get episodic very fast. However, if the Phyrexians have several blocks of dominating other worlds instead, we can build up to a final showdown in which the Good Guys' victory will actually be, well, sweet.
Phyrexia can have this round. Maybe in a few years we can have someone come along and take back Mirrodin.
But not yet. : )
Not true. The Coalition's victory on Dominaria baught the Multiverse a couple millenia of security. Obviously a new evil will rise to threaten everything ... why NOT Phyrexia?
Besides, new Phyrexian invasion of the Multiverse is far more welcome to the story than anything Bolas has to offer.
I want the Phyrexians to win.
I'll say it again: I want them to win.
I want Mirrodin to fall. I want The Phyrexians to launch a multi-block campaign across the multiverse.... I really want to see where this is going. A new, consistent mult-block story arc would be fantastic.
Inevitably, Phyrexia will be defeated in the end. But I hope not for several more years.
That's Geth on Promise of Power...?
Source, please?
That having been said, I'm really glad to see him. He was the ONE legend I really wanted back in the Mirrodin Block that, to my dismay, we never got. I loved reading his flavor texts, and he was a favorite of mine in the books, too.
Geth was never the intimidating type. He was mostly just talk, and in reality was rather weak and pathetic. But I loved that about him.
But I think I'm going to like this new Geth, too. I am so psyched to see this guy FINALLY printed.
REGARDING CONTINUITY: Doug (I think it was Doug) mentioned in a recent article that the Soul Traps ignited, but not everyone returned to their home plane.
So he adressed that.
But still. That seems WAY too contrived for me.
He's the only villain who really "won" by block's end. He should still be on Ravnica manipulating ghosts.
And my guess is that Hidetsugu, having absorbed the power of his oni, is still a dominant force on Kamigawa.
Second best: Empire Strikes Back
Worst: Return of the Jedi.
Revenge of the Sith is my favorite despite occasianal instances of bad dialogue (Well fom my point of view the Jedi are evil!"). It had the best story, the best music, and the most emotional moments in the series. And the bad guys win. Even without the special effects and awesome CGI, it would still be my favorite by a long shot-- such things have no bearing in my judgement of a movie.
Empire Strikes Back was the best of the original trilogy. Great acting, great story, awesome ending. This episode MADE Darth Vader.
Return of the Jedi is my least favorite for a number of reasons. Though it's not a bad movie, it seems very weak as a final chapter. The only real outstanding aspect of it was the Luke vs. Vader/Vader redemption plotline and the space battle at the end (Oh, and Palpatine). Everything else just fell short.
It is a better movie than Episodes One and Two, but as a final chapter of an epic saga, it fails to deliver on too many points, and therefore earns the spot as my least favorite of the six. It was my favorite when I was a lot younger, but now I see it differently.
The movie wasn't great, but I was expecting an absolute travesty. I walked out feeling good that Shyamalan had not butchered the series that I love so much. Dev Patel worked great as Zuko, and I liked Shaun Toub as Iroh.
Though, quite honestly, I hope there is a remake in the future by someone who can do a much better job.
This movie was not bad. But it was not good. It was just okay.
But Avatar: the Last Airbender, does not deserve "okay." It does not even deserve "good." It deserves the best, most awesome movie of the decade. Anything less than that does not do justice to the source material.
Keep in mind that “favorite” does not equal “best.” But feel free to mention your favorites as well.
These are the ones I think are best:
Yawgmoth: Yawgmoth was a great villain, there is no arguing that. Anyone who has read The Thran can attest to this. He was the only villain to feature as the main character in his own book, and it was so enthralling to watch his rise. I have a deep appreciation for his character due to this. Also, there’s something entirely unique about him that I haven’t encountered in any fantasy story I’ve ever encountered. Something horrific and utterly base, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Memnarch: As flat of a hero as Glissa was, Memnarch was a fantastic villain, and he was the highlight of the Mirrodin cycle. Unlike many of the protagonists, he was so... real, and is a great example of a tragic villain done right without the need for a traumatic backstory. He was a schizophrenic tyrant with a god-complex, but he was also very child-like and naive, and we could sympathize with him because he was a tormented being with very human needs, ones that we can all understand (and many of us relate to). Even when his actions became truly twisted and cruel in Fifth Dawn, his character had already been established in the previous book to an extent that we could not forget who and what he truly was. Whatever its faults, Mirrodin’s story had not just a wonderful villain in Memnarch, but a great character altogether, and one of MTG’s finest.
Konda: Konda is another great villain, because he is so utterly despicable. We can really hate this guy; he’s obsessed with his own glory and legacy at the expense of all else, showing us that White-aligned villains can be even more despicable than Black-aligned ones. Of all the villains in Magic, I think Konda wins the spot as the biggest bastard. He blasphemies the gods, and his people bear the consequences of his actions. Yet he remains self-righteous and unashamed, convinced in his own infallibility, while the people who love him (Takeno, Michiko, his servants) suffer because of him. As an added bonus, his defeat was probably the most horrific (yet well deserved) downfall of any MTG villain.
Now the worst villain, Imho…. Bolas.
I can’t bear this guy. He’s barely even 2D, and I find him intolerably uninteresting. It seems almost contrived that he’s behind EVERYTHING, and his motivations barely surpass being evil simply to show how evil he is. Bolas is a self-parody; he doesn’t have a mustache, but it’s like whenever he shows up he pretends to twirl one anyway just in case we haven’t quite gotten the idea yet that he is EVIL.
When I read the Webcomic showing Bolas’ involvement in the Eldrazi’s release, I sighed and thought, “Oh, but of course….” Then, when Doug Beyer mentioned that Creative had plans for Bolas for years to come, I nearly dented my desk with my forehead.
He is Magic’s lamest villain. Please, drop him now and try something fresh. He is NOT a replacement for Yawgmoth. Yawgmoth was pure evil too, but at least he had the taste and tact to make it exciting.
(Now, having said that, I will admit that I found Bolas cool in FS. But after that... no.)
So... your own thoughts and opinions? (By all means, feel free to argue mine if you like.)
For the life of me, I can't figure out why they'd do such a thing. Sure, they must have a reason, but I can't imagine a good one.