Personally I think a non-planeswalking Niv Mizzet and a planeswalking lowly Izzet guildmage would make for a fascinating character dynamic.
This is what I'm looking forward to as well. Assuming that Wizards decides to make this guy an actual player in the storyline. And assuming that they improve their writing...
Maybe this hilarious cosmic odd couple of a wizard with unique talents and a plotting, dragon mastermind will work out better than the other one that shall not be named.
Also everything about this card, from his posture and hand placement, to his smirk and the background just SCREAMS confidence. He KNOWS he's some kind of badass and he just doesn't care.
That's what RU is in a nutshell. Far more concerned with being impressive than with the lightening that nearly struck him. He built that device to protect himself, so it will obviously work just fine. How could his brilliance have produce anything but the finest machinery that has ever existed?
Bolas's problem as a villain is simple: overexposure. He's seen too much and has accomplished too little. He's little more than a plot device, setting the events of another 3-act story in motion. Eventually it just rings false with the audience.
A storyline broken up between Creative, novel authors, comic artists, marketing, and the constraints of developing a card game is simply not capable of giving depth to these characters. And if the lynchpin of your story is the complex motivations of a single character; your story will fail.
This is why Phyrexia is a much better villain. It doesn't have a personality the way Bolas does; it's just a concept. Faceless, leaderless, forces are easy villains to keep consistent across stories because the only thing that defines them is their philosophy; in this case, consumption and perfection. (incidentally, those "Planeswalker's Guide to New Phyrexia" set up a great story. Someone should write a book about that...) The Eldrazi fit this too.
If we can't have complicated characters because Wizards wants players to project; than each character in the story should have a simple; strong characterization. And I really think that they should stop the "impending doom of a plane" plots. I know that stories have to have conflict that reaches the power level of our walkers; but it's been 3 in a row now, and you can't keep trying to top the one that came before.
I think that there really doesn't need to be an overarching plot. Not all players follow it; and those that do will get angry with all the ret-cons introduced to make it work. Let our PWs be player surrogates; traveling to planes for the exact same reasons we play Magic; to get more powerful, to see these creative worlds; ect. Don't base an entire year of Magic on one panel from an online comic.
Having Phyrexia as a plane spanning villain is a good idea, but they really need some sort of plane-spanning organization of good guys. Right now, the best weapon against Phyrexia is Bolas and his mighty plot invincibility. All of our heroes are mostly clueless about the larger threats, and any way to defeat the plane eaters or the Borg is going to require some sort of cooperation. A "Coalition" if you will.
Form now until the end of rumor season, I shall derive a measure of enjoyment from the fact that this set's abbreviation makes me think that all these cards come from Neil Patrick Harris.
1) Probably a Mirran refugee Myr. It doesn't look Phyrexified. And I like it. I shall miss Myr when we leave.
2) Karn's Tomb? Probably a coincidence, but that's what I thought of when seeing it.
3) What is she stabbing him with? It look like some sort of energy pattern in the shape of the Phyrexia symbol.
Or it's a golem's arm. They are still around, and many of them presumably still fighting for the mirrans...
I could accept that, but the guy right behind the arm definately looks like a human with a machine arm. To me, the background looks like a combined army of golems and augmented Mirrans perparing for battle.
I've got it! In the process of the war, the Mirrans will become machine hybrids, defeat the new phyrexians, but turn Mirrodin into their own Phyrexia! The mirrans will win, but the set will be New Phyrexia. I am obviously joking.
Look at that guy's arm, it's not the standard Mirran metal parts, the whole arm is metal! The guy right behind him also has his whole arm replaced by metal. Considering that this is a Mirran card, I have to assume that the Mirrans are going for some pretty serious physical augmentations.
I wouldn't even need a war, I'd just do that anyway.
Whew - thank you. I guess I missed that on the breezethrough, I'd almost lost faith in humanity.
Never fear, wherever there is a mildly amusing pun to be made, I will be there!
Anyway, is the Myr's eyes one of the colored circles, or are those slits under the faceplate the eyes? Because, its expression will be wildly different depending on the answer.
This is what I'm looking forward to as well. Assuming that Wizards decides to make this guy an actual player in the storyline. And assuming that they improve their writing...
Maybe this hilarious cosmic odd couple of a wizard with unique talents and a plotting, dragon mastermind will work out better than the other one that shall not be named.
That's what RU is in a nutshell. Far more concerned with being impressive than with the lightening that nearly struck him. He built that device to protect himself, so it will obviously work just fine. How could his brilliance have produce anything but the finest machinery that has ever existed?
Oh Izzet, how I've missed you.
Phyrexian mana and Affinity in the same set...And not a single land was tapped that day.
But seriously, I like this alt-mana idea, there seems to be some interesting design space.
A storyline broken up between Creative, novel authors, comic artists, marketing, and the constraints of developing a card game is simply not capable of giving depth to these characters. And if the lynchpin of your story is the complex motivations of a single character; your story will fail.
This is why Phyrexia is a much better villain. It doesn't have a personality the way Bolas does; it's just a concept. Faceless, leaderless, forces are easy villains to keep consistent across stories because the only thing that defines them is their philosophy; in this case, consumption and perfection. (incidentally, those "Planeswalker's Guide to New Phyrexia" set up a great story. Someone should write a book about that...) The Eldrazi fit this too.
If we can't have complicated characters because Wizards wants players to project; than each character in the story should have a simple; strong characterization. And I really think that they should stop the "impending doom of a plane" plots. I know that stories have to have conflict that reaches the power level of our walkers; but it's been 3 in a row now, and you can't keep trying to top the one that came before.
I think that there really doesn't need to be an overarching plot. Not all players follow it; and those that do will get angry with all the ret-cons introduced to make it work. Let our PWs be player surrogates; traveling to planes for the exact same reasons we play Magic; to get more powerful, to see these creative worlds; ect. Don't base an entire year of Magic on one panel from an online comic.
Scumbag Karn:
"Sure bro, I'll take care of Phyrexia for ya"
Rebuilds it
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
- Stoneforge Mystic
Incidentally, 2HG theme decks seems like something that they would actually do.
1) Probably a Mirran refugee Myr. It doesn't look Phyrexified. And I like it. I shall miss Myr when we leave.
2) Karn's Tomb? Probably a coincidence, but that's what I thought of when seeing it.
3) What is she stabbing him with? It look like some sort of energy pattern in the shape of the Phyrexia symbol.
That would be fantastic.
If you can't beat them, join them! Wait a minute...
I could accept that, but the guy right behind the arm definately looks like a human with a machine arm. To me, the background looks like a combined army of golems and augmented Mirrans perparing for battle.
I've got it! In the process of the war, the Mirrans will become machine hybrids, defeat the new phyrexians, but turn Mirrodin into their own Phyrexia! The mirrans will win, but the set will be New Phyrexia. I am obviously joking.
I wouldn't even need a war, I'd just do that anyway.
Also, Hi Steel Overseer!
That's a nice Phyrexian doomssssssday device you've got there.
Shame if something happened to it
Never fear, wherever there is a mildly amusing pun to be made, I will be there!
Anyway, is the Myr's eyes one of the colored circles, or are those slits under the faceplate the eyes? Because, its expression will be wildly different depending on the answer.
I wasn't sure I followed, then I saw your avatar. I agree.
ಠ_ಠ
Myrcat?
Actually it's Meerkat.