Here's some speculation about what we'll see come our next trip to Zendikar:
First off, we'll continue Nissa's arc. Will she feel guilty about abandoning the Gatewatch on Dominaria? How will she handle Zendikar's restoration? And more pressingly...what will she do when Sorin and Nahiri's bitter feud follows the Lithomancer back to her home plane, and threatens to start a tribal war between the Vampires and the Kor? Will Nissa find herself under attack from all of them due to her part in releasing the Eldrazi from their prison?
Last we saw of Ugin, he was inspecting the remains of Ulamog and Kozilek, demanding Jace to bring Sorin to him. Did Jace attempt to make contact with him during the months between SOI and Kaladesh's events? Did Ugin seek out Sorin, and did he use his rudimentary knowledge of lithomancy to free the vampire from Nahiri's trap? Has Ugin moved his studies to Innistrad upon hearing about Emrakul being Imprisoned in the Moon? What will he do about Sorin and Nahiri's feud?
Will Ob Nixilis begin seeking vengeance against the Gatewatch for his defeat at their hands during BFZ? Will he aid Sorin in hunting down Nahiri, their common enemy? Will he finally get a BR card?
How is Kiora coping with her guilt at letting down her allies at the last moment during the battle with the Eldrazi? Is she spending time with her sister, Tuli?
And when trouble inevitably finds its way to Zendikar, will the Gatewatch arrive to help Nissa? What dangers and secrets yet lay undiscovered in the...
RUINS OF ZENDIKAR
Mechanically, two things we know for a fact will return in our next Zendikar trip are Landfall and Allies. How Allies will work is hard to say; the original unnamed mechanic and its tweak, Rally, both got fairly high storm scale ratings, but Cohort was unpopular and has a higher rating still.
I would like to see Awaken return, though this time I would prefer if it was focused more in GUR as those are the most Elemental-friendly colors, and it plays nicely with Landfall. The biggest knock against that idea is that Landfall generally wants to be in RG as well.
Black and red could use a mechanic that conveys a sense of danger, since with the Eldrazi gone, Zendikar's natural disasters and predators are the main threats again. Bloodthirst in BRG seems like one good way to represent that, but that would mean Awaken is less likely to appear.
The Eldrazi will be almost completely gone. There might be a few nods to them here and there, like an artifact or land, but they won't be a major presence like in RotE and BFZ. Wizards learned their lesson. We want to return to Zendikar, not Rise of the Eldrazi.
One new mechanic I would suggest is the introduction of Relic artifact tokens that each can be sacrificed to draw cards like Clues or produce mana like Treasure, but multiples of which can also be sacced on specific cards to create bigger, stronger effects, representing assembling Relics together to form a cohesive whole. Relics would be a great way to play into a more archaeological theme for ROZ. I would suggest focusing Relics in WUB or UBR to contrast with Landfall and Allies.
And since my proposed name for the set is Ruins of Zendikar, how about lands with the Ruin subtype? They'd be like Gates or Deserts, lands with a subtype that cards can care about. Ruins could be lands that you can later sac to draw a card or provide some other benefit. And obviously, there would have to be at least one Ruin that involves Relics somehow.
What does everyone else think?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
We're about 5 years away froma RtZ, you know that right?.
EDIT: Also without the Eldrazi is there really any reason to go back?. I know Zendikar was the adventure RPG world before being the Eldrazi world, but many would agree that Ixalan is a much cooler a "fun" adventure world.
Now the Eldrazi much like Phyrexians are fan favorites, and we know that Ulamog and Kozi weren't really killed, only their avatars were, so there is a chance we could return to Zendikar and use the suggested theme of Relics as a way to uncover the truth about the Eldrazi kind and introduce new Eldrazi Titans to the story.
But my guess is Zendikar is just going to become Shandalar 2 and be this place we visit in core sets.
Eh, they'll have to visit Nissa sooner or later. And revisits will be a little more frequent now that sets are no longer forced to be blocks. BFZ was 2015-2016, so by next year we should be due for a return. Besides, the probable duration until the next visit doesn't preclude discussing what we want to see in that visit.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Now the Eldrazi much like Phyrexians are fan favorites, and we know that Ulamog and Kozi weren't really killed, only their avatars were, so there is a chance we could return to Zendikar and use the suggested theme of Relics as a way to uncover the truth about the Eldrazi kind and introduce new Eldrazi Titans to the story.
But my guess is Zendikar is just going to become Shandalar 2 and be this place we visit in core sets.
I hope you are right and Wizards retcon the whole "bring the titans to physical realm and burn them" non sense....
Also Shandalar would be nice.
Now that core 2019 had part of the story being a revisited old lore, i would love Wizards to do the same for other stories like Ice Age stuff, the Planeswalker War, etc.
EDIT: Also without the Eldrazi is there really any reason to go back?. I know Zendikar was the adventure RPG world before being the Eldrazi world, but many would agree that Ixalan is a much cooler a "fun" adventure world.
Now the Eldrazi much like Phyrexians are fan favorites, and we know that Ulamog and Kozi weren't really killed, only their avatars were, so there is a chance we could return to Zendikar and use the suggested theme of Relics as a way to uncover the truth about the Eldrazi kind and introduce new Eldrazi Titans to the story.
But my guess is Zendikar is just going to become Shandalar 2 and be this place we visit in core sets.
Maro considers BfZ one of his worst designed recent sets, because it didn't return to the Zendikar fans had wanted most.
Zendikar is "adventure world", Ixalan was "exploration world". The difference is that Zendikar's dangers come from the Roil and from various creatures, while most of Ixalan's danger comes from the disparate factions of explorers fighting one another. Maro explained this in one of his Ixalan articles.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
As long as we get Adventure World Zendikar, with expeditions, expedition leaders and houses, relics, treasures, and better Trap cards. Zendikar is such a fun world, and I hope we get to see more of its oceans and more of Coralhelm and other sunken ruins. Some unique lands would be neat too - maybe the enemy color cycle of the Tango lands? I love all its unique locations.
Once you start the benchmark it's hard to break from it. It happened with Mirrodin, it happened with Zendikar (hardcore), and it somewhat happened with Innistrad. It sort of happened with RTR but not as pronounced as the other examples. Dragon's Maze was probably the one thing that ruined it for people more than anything I'd gather.
People tend to be narrow and resist change even if the anticipated direction of a visit makes sense. That said, I want to see how the rabble react when the third Ravnica set of the GRN "block" is revealled and doesn't have the guild faction design that we all associate with Ravnica.
If they do go back to Zendikar, they had better stick or include some of the adventure-esque elements that Zendikar I had while still implementing a different approach to it. I don't think that the Eldrazi are the core elements that would define its success. Zenkidar/Worldwake were fine without any mention or inclusion of the Eldrazi. It wasn't until Rise that it became a central factor.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Last we saw of Ugin, he was inspecting the remains of Ulamog and Kozilek, demanding Jace to bring Sorin to him. Did Jace attempt to make contact with him during the months between SOI and Kaladesh's events? Did Ugin seek out Sorin, and did he use his rudimentary knowledge of lithomancy to free the vampire from Nahiri's trap? Has Ugin moved his studies to Innistrad upon hearing about Emrakul being Imprisoned in the Moon? What will he do about Sorin and Nahiri's feud?
Will Ob Nixilis begin seeking vengeance against the Gatewatch for his defeat at their hands during BFZ? Will he aid Sorin in hunting down Nahiri, their common enemy? Will he finally get a BR card?
How is Kiora coping with her guilt at letting down her allies at the last moment during the battle with the Eldrazi? Is she spending time with her sister, Tuli?
And when trouble inevitably finds its way to Zendikar, will the Gatewatch arrive to help Nissa? What dangers and secrets yet lay undiscovered in the...
RUINS OF ZENDIKAR
Mechanically, two things we know for a fact will return in our next Zendikar trip are Landfall and Allies. How Allies will work is hard to say; the original unnamed mechanic and its tweak, Rally, both got fairly high storm scale ratings, but Cohort was unpopular and has a higher rating still.
I would like to see Awaken return, though this time I would prefer if it was focused more in GUR as those are the most Elemental-friendly colors, and it plays nicely with Landfall. The biggest knock against that idea is that Landfall generally wants to be in RG as well.
Black and red could use a mechanic that conveys a sense of danger, since with the Eldrazi gone, Zendikar's natural disasters and predators are the main threats again. Bloodthirst in BRG seems like one good way to represent that, but that would mean Awaken is less likely to appear.
The Eldrazi will be almost completely gone. There might be a few nods to them here and there, like an artifact or land, but they won't be a major presence like in RotE and BFZ. Wizards learned their lesson. We want to return to Zendikar, not Rise of the Eldrazi.
One new mechanic I would suggest is the introduction of Relic artifact tokens that each can be sacrificed to draw cards like Clues or produce mana like Treasure, but multiples of which can also be sacced on specific cards to create bigger, stronger effects, representing assembling Relics together to form a cohesive whole. Relics would be a great way to play into a more archaeological theme for ROZ. I would suggest focusing Relics in WUB or UBR to contrast with Landfall and Allies.
And since my proposed name for the set is Ruins of Zendikar, how about lands with the Ruin subtype? They'd be like Gates or Deserts, lands with a subtype that cards can care about. Ruins could be lands that you can later sac to draw a card or provide some other benefit. And obviously, there would have to be at least one Ruin that involves Relics somehow.
What does everyone else think?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
EDIT: Also without the Eldrazi is there really any reason to go back?. I know Zendikar was the adventure RPG world before being the Eldrazi world, but many would agree that Ixalan is a much cooler a "fun" adventure world.
Now the Eldrazi much like Phyrexians are fan favorites, and we know that Ulamog and Kozi weren't really killed, only their avatars were, so there is a chance we could return to Zendikar and use the suggested theme of Relics as a way to uncover the truth about the Eldrazi kind and introduce new Eldrazi Titans to the story.
But my guess is Zendikar is just going to become Shandalar 2 and be this place we visit in core sets.
Art student, EDH lover and a strong believer that Delver has the best design in all of MTG.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I hope you are right and Wizards retcon the whole "bring the titans to physical realm and burn them" non sense....
Also Shandalar would be nice.
Now that core 2019 had part of the story being a revisited old lore, i would love Wizards to do the same for other stories like Ice Age stuff, the Planeswalker War, etc.
Maro considers BfZ one of his worst designed recent sets, because it didn't return to the Zendikar fans had wanted most.
Zendikar is "adventure world", Ixalan was "exploration world". The difference is that Zendikar's dangers come from the Roil and from various creatures, while most of Ixalan's danger comes from the disparate factions of explorers fighting one another. Maro explained this in one of his Ixalan articles.
Um, no, they actually destroyed Ulamog and Kozilek. For real. That's what Bonds of Mortality and Fall of the Titans were all about.
Why would Zendikar become "Shandalar 2"?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
BChainer, Dementia Master(Big Mana/Reanimator)
BRRakdos, The Showstopper (Mass Life Loss/Ramp)
BUThe Scarab God (Zombie Tribal/Control)
BWKarlov of the Ghost Council (Life Gain)
BGJarad, Golgari Lich Lord (Stompy/Dredge)
BRGProssh, Skyraider of Kher (Tokens/Non-infinite Combo)
People tend to be narrow and resist change even if the anticipated direction of a visit makes sense. That said, I want to see how the rabble react when the third Ravnica set of the GRN "block" is revealled and doesn't have the guild faction design that we all associate with Ravnica.
If they do go back to Zendikar, they had better stick or include some of the adventure-esque elements that Zendikar I had while still implementing a different approach to it. I don't think that the Eldrazi are the core elements that would define its success. Zenkidar/Worldwake were fine without any mention or inclusion of the Eldrazi. It wasn't until Rise that it became a central factor.
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
I hear you. You might be interested in my New Alara speculation topic.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I mean I’m too suspicious since they can go to different planes and what there true home plane is
And I’ve always been pretty sure ulamog, kozilek, and emrakul are not the only eldrazi legendary titans