Sooo... "Good Old Saint NicolBolas" wants to destroy Ravnica, huh... I love him and all, but, I'm guessing that "I'm not letting that happen Ugin" has a plot of his own.
What I think is going on is that Bolas wants to invade Ravnica in order to zombify or awaken the Nephalim in an effort to discover the secrets behind undoing the events of the Great Mending, aside from the fact that it's an immense plane rich with mana. I predict we will be seeing Tri-Colored cards in the final Ravnica block. It would make perfect sense, because Nicol Bolas himself is Tri-Colored, the "Allegiance" gives us a clue that we are going to see guilds joining together to defeat the foreign army, with several culminations and synergies of the joined guilds (Personally, I can't wait to use Dimir's Surveil to mill Izzet's Jump-Start to Pop-Goes-the-Weasel all of my instants and sorceries. This is a perfect design in both gameplay and story, because what's a more perfect scenario than the dragon genius using spies to gather information, I mean come on (also bolas favorite colors)...
Anyhow, we all know Ral-Zarek is a double agent. Which side is he on though? Let's break down what we know. We know Niv-Mizzle thirsts for knowledge and wants to be a Planeswalkers more than anything (if he's not already). In previous blocks Ral tried to hide that he was a Planeswalker from Niv, probably because he was working for Bolas. We know Niv didn't trust him and chose Melek to run the Maze which ticked off Ral, ultimately leading to Ral killing Melek, but we also know that Niv and Ral worked on two projects together. One project was to syphon mana from the other guilds to empower Niv (probably to unlock enough power to ignite his Planeswalking spark), which was sabotaged, and we know that Ral worked on a project to create a device to detect Planeswalking. We also know that Niv and Ral were in a personal battle with one another which made Izzy "poof" disappear, leaving Ral Zarek running the Izzet show. Personally, I think you'd have to be a fool to think that he's dead, besides the fact that he's everybody's token favorite dragon. Although, having an undead UBR Niv learning about the underworld would be cool and play along nicely with the UBR concept mentioned before, but, ya right. Where's the corpse? Did Niv have Ral push himself to the limit to finally ignite his personal spark, or did Niv push Ral to the limit, syphoning Ral's PW spark? Dragons sure like to syphon mana. Why did Ral make a PW detector? I've read that some believe it's too know when Bolas arrives, but he works for Bolas. Wouldn't he just PW to wherever Bolas is to let him know he destroyed Niv. I think he can't, and he needs the machine to let him know when his master has returned. Also, Niv disappeared once before, several thousand years ago during a battle with the Nephalim.
Now, who knows, it's possible Niv is Bolas, it's possible that the Shapeshifter Lazav is Bolas, or both. We know Bolas has kept a watchful eye on Ravnica, but how? Well, maybe he is them. They both, being scientist and spies, would be the greatest source of info on Ravnica, and what better way to watch your PW spawns like Zarek, to make sure they're doing what they're told, and doing his dirty work.
Who else is watching Ravnica? I'm guessing Ugin, the meat gazer himself. We found out in Ixilan that Ugin supplanted himself in Jace's telepathic mind in order to detect and watch for Bolas (which reminds me, does anybody remember that old picture from Return to Ravnica of Jace and Niv-Mizzet, where Jace has that one glowing blue eye? Was that a secret clue given long ago that Ugin was watching us through The eye of Ugin and let us fans know by giving us a wink!?" I'm an artist, and I know there's no way that detail was added unintentionally). We found this out after Jace battled Bolas and pw to ixilan with his memory erased. Ugin made Jace PW to ixilan and temporarily wiped his memory so that Nicol Bolas wouldn't discover that Ugin was still alive. Also, we discovered that there is a machine, the Immortal Sun, that prevents Planeswalkers from Planeswalking. Ironically, an invention made long ago by Ugin and Azor, creator of the Guildpact and first Guildmaster of the Azorius. Now it's starting to come together. Is it going to end where it all began?
We have a culmination of many PW traveling to the same plane, for what should be an all out war. Let's not forget, Liliana is now a Pawn of Bolas, but is she really. I'm guessing the "Raven Man" is probably Bolas, and has been guiding her to give in to her urges to use the veil to fulfill his dirty wishes. She's always hesitated using the veil because she knows the darkness would overtake and possess her, but we also know how badly Liliana hates being controlled, not unlike most women, which led her on a quest to destroy the four demons that had control over her soul. I think it's possible that this idea of Bolas' backfires, and she ends up using the veil to destroy him, breaking her free from her contract, but the amount of dark energy needed to do so overwhelms and corrupts her, leaving her to be MTG's new token villain. Perhaps that's what happens.
Maybe Niv-Mizzet steals Bolas spark, Liliana uses the power of the veil to weaken him while Gideon and his girl friend Aurelia (she better not die) uses the Blackblade to piece his heart, while Vraska turns his corpse to stone, (she's one of Bolas'pawns, but she has a grudge against Bolas too), there's no way this final battle is going down without Ajani or Teferi (who just got teased to join the show when asked to help destroy Bolas by the Gatewatch, and was offered the return of his old spark by the Weather light Captain) so he Azor (previously thought to be trapped on ixilan by Jace, but probably rescued), and Ugin arrive to finish the deal. Ajani uses his shamanic powers to bind Bolas spirit, Ugin exiles what's left of him into a rubics cube (hedron), then everybody (whoever is still alive) decides who's staying or going. I'm sure all of the multi-colored Planeswalkers, "especially" the original "Gatewatch" become the new guild leaders, then Azor creates a new Guildpact called "Oath of the Guildgatewatch" binding them to Ravnica with the immortal sun, to babysit and guard Bolas' tomb for the rest of eternity as Teferi traps them all in a time Continuum, preventing Bolas from ever escaping again, also, ending The saga of both Bolas and the Gatewatch, knocking out two birds with one stone, something some fans have wished to happen for quite some time.
IDK, maybe this is what they are leading me to believe. If it is, what will happen next? Will Liliana become the new token villainess since the veil now has control over her? A truly evil, super veil powered dark black witch as MTG's new main protagonists. This could lead us into new, and discover old prospects and stories, such as the Annaki, Equilor, etc.
But, what about Ugin? Is he the charmer we all take him for? He is a dragon after all, and he just so happens to loooove his Eldrazi. He's also colorless, which means he's attune to magic of every color. Shouldn't the role of the leading villain be a master of ALL magics?
Who knows, if like to read some other theories, opinions, and details...
I don't think Bolas wants to undo the Great Mending. He wants the mending in place and his power to return, making him the most powerful being in the multiverse by default. Sending Tezzeret to New Phyrexia and Metal Island, stealing the Immortal Sun, raising an army of eternals, stealing the planar bridge, all of this was in service to gaining multiple sparks
Tezzeret is pressed into service by Bolas to figure out how to make etherium. Though the timelines are fuzzy, it seems that Crucius didn't create etherium until after the Mending. The mothership only mentions "decades before the conflux" as to when Crucius makes etherium and disappears, potentially turning into the metal island. Bolas wants to learn how Crucius manages to create a pocket plane post-mending, as walkers can't do that anymore.
Bolas sends Tezz to New Phyrexia, According to the comic "Dark Discoveries" Tezzeret was sent to keep the Phyrexians from uniting when speaking to the imps, however Bolas doesn't say that in their meeting, only that Tezz needs to make it to the throne room. This is important because that is where the Panopticon and Memnarch's spark harvesting rig was built. I've posted this theory before but I believe Bolas was spying on Memnarch before the Mending and knew about a creature attempting to ascend. This had happened once before, either by accident of design when Karn ascended in the Legacy blast.
Bolas maniuplates Lilianna's contract to bind her into service, likely to control his massive army of Eternals grown on Amonkhet
Tezzeret steals the planar bridge, the first bit of planar travel tech since the mending. Through Tezzeret Bolas can now move things (like undead armies) between planes.
Bolas compromises Ral and gains control of Project Lightning Bug, making him capable of tracking planeswalkers. This could also possibly be used as a beacon to draw walkers in.
Bolas sends Vraska to obtain the Immortal Sun, making it possible to lock 'walkers on a plane.
So why Ravnica? With Jace being the living Guildpact he is bound to the magic of the plane. Killing Jace would not only release a spark, but would unbind the Guildpact from him and potentially allow someone (Nichol) to attain it.
Bolas isn't awakening anyone, I think he means to detonate and absorb the power of an entire plane.
The Eternal Army invades Ravnica. Jace through the guildpact charges all the guilds to go to war.
The battle draws in the Gatewatch and as many allied planeswalkers as can be found.
Bolas binds them to the plane with the Immortal Sun.
Bolas unveils a rebuilt version of Memnarch's spark harvester.
Jace is killed, undoing the Guildpact and releasing a massive amount of energy.
Here's what happens next though:
Tezzeret built in a failsafe to the machine and Bolas does not absorb the energy, instead he is shuttled away to a plane where he is locked in with the Sun and maybe to spite him, Ugin. Ravnica stands but the magical pact is completely undone and the plane is in chaos. Tezzeret, now in possesion of the planar bridge and potentially more spark walks away, to be seen later.
Jace is (hopefully) dead. Liliana, free of Bolas, begins to actively seek out the Raven Man. Ajani returns to Theros to find Elspeth. When he hears whispers of a new god entering the Pantheon, a dark god, a Father of Machines.
Jace is (hopefully) dead. Liliana, free of Bolas, begins to actively seek out the Raven Man. Ajani returns to Theros to find Elspeth. When he hears whispers of a new god entering the Pantheon, a dark god, a Father of Machines.
I'm in!
It's likely that Wizards will want to tie up the Bolas plotline and prepare for moving onward to other business, like the Chain Veil/Raven Man, Elsepth on Theros, etc. Killing off Jace would be an extreme move, but it also presents the best argument for a clean slate moving forward. Nissa has walked, Liliana has unfinished business, Gideon can pick up on plotlines elsewhere (but could also be a nominee for death), and Chandra needs to be around for the comic.
Some arguments against would be it would be better marketing to do Jace's Signature Spellbook the year of his death to put a finishing touch to his character. And he's easily the most popular planeswalker amount fans and you don't kill your golden goose.
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----- "I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Jace is (hopefully) dead. Liliana, free of Bolas, begins to actively seek out the Raven Man. Ajani returns to Theros to find Elspeth. When he hears whispers of a new god entering the Pantheon, a dark god, a Father of Machines.
I'm in!
It's likely that Wizards will want to tie up the Bolas plotline and prepare for moving onward to other business, like the Chain Veil/Raven Man, Elsepth on Theros, etc. Killing off Jace would be an extreme move, but it also presents the best argument for a clean slate moving forward. Nissa has walked, Liliana has unfinished business, Gideon can pick up on plotlines elsewhere (but could also be a nominee for death), and Chandra needs to be around for the comic.
Some arguments against would be it would be better marketing to do Jace's Signature Spellbook the year of his death to put a finishing touch to his character. And he's easily the most popular planeswalker amount fans and you don't kill your golden goose.
Well Jace became popular not through his story really, but the fact that he was an incredibly powerful card for a very long time. His story is inextricably tied to Ravnica and Bolas now. Sure he's part of the Gatewatch, but I don't think hes invested in anything outside of the Bolas conflict. Teferi seems to be the one they are ramping up to take Jace's spot as lead PW for a while, but honestly I would rather they don't have a flagship PW for a while. What I think we need to see is each PW going their own way with maybe one or two cameos per set. Elpesth, Ajani, and Karn dealing with Phyrexian invasion on another plane, Teferi and Jhoira working on undoing the Zhalfir phasing and returning the Weatherlight to it's planeshifting glory, Gideon and Liliana delving into the Raven Man and growing their powers with the Chain Veil and Blackblade Reforged.
We have had enough Avengers Assemble moments for the last few sets. Wizards needs to grow their Walkers on their own for a bit and allow time for the next big bads (Emrakul and New Phyrexia) to gestate. Also, it's time for a Vikings set and some real non-human walkers to come around.
I like a lot of what's been said here. We need to tie this story up to get back to a lot of the loose ends. Not sure they're going to kill Jace outright, but forcing him to stay on Ravnica for the foreseeable future sounds about right. Like I said in another thread with all the spark research that's been going on, that knowledge might be able to be used to re-spark the Weatherlight, so returning to Dominaria in a year or so could happen for a set. Lots of one-off return sets to tie up those loose ends sounds interesting...Dominaria, Theros, Innistrad, wherever Lili ends up going, Zendikar possibly to revisit Nissa.
I think it's too convenient that they "reintroduced" the Weatherlight after all these years, especially with the climax about to occur with the existing story arc. It makes perfect sense that something drastic is going ti happen to the present Gatewatch crew to the point where someone important is about to die off (or disappear) while a secondary story line kind of takes over.
Personally I think it's time they went back to a more "human" approach of heroe(ine)s who are not as powerful as our perennial planeswalkers to take the reins of the next chapter(s) and still allow some dabbling in PW interactions but not be the focal point.
The Weatherlight I arc lasted for a good three/four years before people grew tired of it. We seem to be getting that way with the Gatewatch.
'buster
P.S: I just want more Jhoira in all honesty.
I think it's too convenient that they "reintroduced" the Weatherlight after all these years, especially with the climax about to occur with the existing story arc. It makes perfect sense that something drastic is going ti happen to the present Gatewatch crew to the point where someone important is about to die off (or disappear) while a secondary story line kind of takes over.
Personally I think it's time they went back to a more "human" approach of heroe(ine)s who are not as powerful as our perennial planeswalkers to take the reins of the next chapter(s) and still allow some dabbling in PW interactions but not be the focal point.
The Weatherlight I arc lasted for a good three/four years before people grew tired of it. We seem to be getting that way with the Gatewatch.
'buster
P.S: I just want more Jhoira in all honesty.
This is where I feel like they are heading for at least a bit. Resurrecting the Weatherlight lets non-PW legendaries tag along to new planes. I am crossing my fingers for a Phyrexian invasion with all 5 colors present. I really would like to see Theros since thats where we left Elspeth, and the deity system there would allow a different avenue of conversion for Phyrexians. We've seen them take a plane where artifice was the dominant magic, how will they twist the enchantment magic and the pantheon. Ideally we would see the devotion to a new deity begin to rise and war with the other gods.
It’s either he retreats and thinks of something in several years or he wins and gets his spark back and starts plotting the next attack
I don't know. Novel wise Phyrexia and Urza were introduced in 1998 with The Brothers War. Yawgmoth came in '99 in the Thran as the true big bad behind Phyrexia. Apocalypse (2001) permanently killed Yawgmoth and Urza off as characters (Urza is officially a 9 on the Venser Scale) and creative has said multiple, multiple times that Yawgmoth is never coming back. Thats 3 years before they killed off what many people consider to be their most popular character. Nichol Bolas was introduced in card form in 1994 in the Legends set, story wise he has been scheming since Time Spiral (2006-2007). That's 13 years of this ominous dragon scheming around the edges of nearly every single story since. One could really argue that Magic has become the saga of Nichol and Ugin, since the spirit dragon was also revived for the eldrazi storylines.
It's time for a major change, and the stage is set for an all or nothing battle. Everyone who is set against Bolas knows that if he survives he will never, ever stop plotting to gain as much power as possible. He either has to be successful, at that point the rest of magic would be "What Bolas allows to happen", or utterly destroyed. Anything in between will feel like nothing of note really ever matters and the stories they use to hype these sets will stop working. The big bad always gets away. The fan favorite 'walkers have indestructible plot armor (looking at you Jace). They will bring back old walkers for a nostalgia boost for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I was interested in the theory until the obvious Jace hate reared its ugly head. The planeswalker trap, I can believe. Bolas trying to kill Jace, I can believe. But I sincerely doubt Jace is going to die anytime soon in the story, and it royally irritates me every time someone says "I hope Jace dies", to the point I hope he doesn't die simply out of spite towards the Jaters (he's not even my favorite character, his haters are simply that irritating). At the very least I want him to go back to Vryn, to look for his parents if they're still alive, to try and bring actual peace between the Ampryn and Trovians, and of course to face the repurcussions of his duel with Alhammarret. All it will take is Bolas or Tezzeret attempting to harness the energy of the Mage-Rings to give Jace a justifiable reason to go to Vryn.
So please, kindly leave the Jace hate out of an otherwise reasonable theory. Bolas will likely try to trap planeswalkers. He will likely try to kill Jace. I doubt he will succeed, and I'll be downright pissed off if he in fact does because then not only will I have to put up with Jaters celebrating obnoxiously but also the fact it was Bolas, a character I personally dislike, who did it.
Seriously, Jaters can piss off.
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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.
I was interested in the theory until the obvious Jace hate reared its ugly head. The planeswalker trap, I can believe. Bolas trying to kill Jace, I can believe. But I sincerely doubt Jace is going to die anytime soon in the story, and it royally irritates me every time someone says "I hope Jace dies", to the point I hope he doesn't die simply out of spite towards the Jaters (he's not even my favorite character, his haters are simply that irritating). At the very least I want him to go back to Vryn, to look for his parents if they're still alive, to try and bring actual peace between the Ampryn and Trovians, and of course to face the repurcussions of his duel with Alhammarret. All it will take is Bolas or Tezzeret attempting to harness the energy of the Mage-Rings to give Jace a justifiable reason to go to Vryn.
So please, kindly leave the Jace hate out of an otherwise reasonable theory. Bolas will likely try to trap planeswalkers. He will likely try to kill Jace. I doubt he will succeed, and I'll be downright pissed off if he in fact does because then not only will I have to put up with Jaters celebrating obnoxiously but also the fact it was Bolas, a character I personally dislike, who did it.
Seriously, Jaters can piss off.
Well this was awkward... seeing as I was talking about Bolas when I said I hope they kill him.
I don’t hate Jace, I dislike a rehashed story. How many times will we watch the Gatewatch crash against Bolas with no avail. Even if they don’t kill Jace, maybe it’s time to let him be off screen for the sake of other characters
It’s either he retreats and thinks of something in several years or he wins and gets his spark back and starts plotting the next attack
I don't know. Novel wise Phyrexia and Urza were introduced in 1998 with The Brothers War. Yawgmoth came in '99 in the Thran as the true big bad behind Phyrexia. Apocalypse (2001) permanently killed Yawgmoth and Urza off as characters (Urza is officially a 9 on the Venser Scale) and creative has said multiple, multiple times that Yawgmoth is never coming back. Thats 3 years before they killed off what many people consider to be their most popular character. Nichol Bolas was introduced in card form in 1994 in the Legends set, story wise he has been scheming since Time Spiral (2006-2007). That's 13 years of this ominous dragon scheming around the edges of nearly every single story since. One could really argue that Magic has become the saga of Nichol and Ugin, since the spirit dragon was also revived for the eldrazi storylines.
It's time for a major change, and the stage is set for an all or nothing battle. Everyone who is set against Bolas knows that if he survives he will never, ever stop plotting to gain as much power as possible. He either has to be successful, at that point the rest of magic would be "What Bolas allows to happen", or utterly destroyed. Anything in between will feel like nothing of note really ever matters and the stories they use to hype these sets will stop working. The big bad always gets away. The fan favorite 'walkers have indestructible plot armor (looking at you Jace). They will bring back old walkers for a nostalgia boost for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I hope they kill him.
Seems to me this will shape up to be our modern-day Time Spiral II. TBH I agree with you on the Bolas part. I never was fond of him as a villain and felt it was lazy to suggest a big, brooding, dragon archlord hell-bent on consuming every fricken thing he comes across for pan-ultimate abilities was clunky and predictable. As for Manite, I warmed up to Jace following his incredible character development in Ixalan; personally, it's too soon to off him as we haven't had much exposure to him since that point in Rivals, so I don't think the Jaters will win. This time anyway
Just give me a more humanist story that's somewhat relatable to people. The strongly-suggested Weatherlight II story seems like a more suitable stage in our continuum.
'buster
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'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset. Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
Seems to me this will shape up to be our modern-day Time Spiral II. TBH I agree with you on the Bolas part. I never was fond of him as a villain and felt it was lazy to suggest a big, brooding, dragon archlord hell-bent on consuming every fricken thing he comes across for pan-ultimate abilities was clunky and predictable. As for Manite, I warmed up to Jace following his incredible character development in Ixalan; personally, it's too soon to off him as we haven't had much exposure to him since that point in Rivals, so I don't think the Jaters will win. This time anyway
Just give me a more humanist story that's somewhat relatable to people. The strongly-suggested Weatherlight II story seems like a more suitable stage in our continuum.
'buster
I get that, but Jace has been on the scene for a long, long time taking up the main character slot. To put it in perspective Urza was the hero throughout junior high for me (6-8th year for you Europeans). I started part time in college while working full time in 2006. In 2017 I finished my long overdue B.S., and at the end of May this year I will finish my M.S. Jace has been on cards since 2007 and in the story since 2009, making him as old as my entire extended college education. It is time for something new.
And as much as I would love a Weatherlight 2.0, I kinda don't want them to use Karn to rehash Urza's saga. As sad as it sounds I wish in the Scars block they had compleated him, or even made him the first Phyrexian walker. Even though he is Urza's Legacy he doesn't deserve to be shoehorned into that same storyline.
Well this was awkward... seeing as I was talking about Bolas when I said I hope they kill him.
I don’t hate Jace, I dislike a rehashed story. How many times will we watch the Gatewatch crash against Bolas with no avail. Even if they don’t kill Jace, maybe it’s time to let him be off screen for the sake of other characters
My apologies. I've seen enough Jater comments on this website that by now I've come to associate "I hope they kill him" with that.
Jace has shared the spotlight with other characters, and the only three blocks within the past seven years in which he's actually gotten a card are RTR, SOI, and Ixalan. Yes, he has appeared in Core Sets and in other sets through cards like Ugin's Insight and Dramatic Reversal, but so too have other characters. I expect him to get a card in WAR, and I expect to visit Vryn within the next couple years, but I can also see plenty of sets where he doesn't appear, like a trip to Theros focusing on Gideon, Ajani, and Elspeth, or a return to Zendikar where Chandra goes looking for Nissa and helps her deal with Sorin and Nahiri.
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.
If it's a Weatherlight 2.0 focus I would like to think it'll emphasize Jhoira and Teferi more so than Karn.
For me, Gerrard was the focus of Magic from when I graduated grade 12 in '98 right on up until I graduated my first college major in '02. But the difference is that Gerrard wasn't the "face" of Magic at that time. Jace has become the de facto face of Magic and has such huge brand power that disposing of Jace now would be commercial branding suicide. Jace isn't going away any time soon based on that alone.
As Manite said, Vryn is a virtually untouched plane of possibilities with probably another artifact theme akin to Mirrodin and Kaladesh. Why kill off the character whose origins stem from that place if their namesake resident isn't around anymore? (maybe a posthumous visitation but that's not the same).
'buster
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'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset. Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
Will this theory can be possible jace will survive by the way
My theory of the next villain is the new phyrexians the moment I heard Karn mention them with a device to suposivly take them out that’s telling me we might see them again (and I just know karns thing is probably gonna go horribly wrong)
The only idea I got of how they are reintroduce is tezzeret going to them and the phyrexians finally find a way to get their old planar portal’s again
The only idea I got of how they are reintroduce is tezzeret going to them and the phyrexians finally find a way to get their old planar portal’s again
Time flows like a river, and history repeats.
By golly, it's like it's the late-90s again!
In all honesty, Atomic Artificer's take on it is a plausible way for the climax to unfold and this chapter of the story to conclude. It makes sense and it's a perfect way to execute it. Whether it's like that is up to anyone's guess but it seems to be a great way to finish, although pinging off Jace might not be sound strategy due to his commercial branding power.
'buster
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'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset. Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
Now that the trailer and promotional material has begun it looks like at least the first half of my theory is correct.
Bolas has summoned his eternal army to Ravnica via the planar portal with Lili at its command. Lightning Bug has been used to draw in planeswalkers to Ravinca. I have a feeling that Ral/Niv did so at Jace’s command when the army showed up, not knowing they were on Bolas’s side
One by the their sparks are being removed until a single large spark remains (the final candle in the trailer) and Bolas is attempting to absorb it. The only thing that is unclear is exactly how he will. I assumed it would be via something akin to Memnarchs spark harvester, but apparently Teferi was able to respark with the powerstone that contained his without explanation as to how, so who knows.
I was interested in the theory until the obvious Jace hate reared its ugly head. The planeswalker trap, I can believe. Bolas trying to kill Jace, I can believe. But I sincerely doubt Jace is going to die anytime soon in the story, and it royally irritates me every time someone says "I hope Jace dies", to the point I hope he doesn't die simply out of spite towards the Jaters (he's not even my favorite character, his haters are simply that irritating). At the very least I want him to go back to Vryn, to look for his parents if they're still alive, to try and bring actual peace between the Ampryn and Trovians, and of course to face the repurcussions of his duel with Alhammarret. All it will take is Bolas or Tezzeret attempting to harness the energy of the Mage-Rings to give Jace a justifiable reason to go to Vryn.
So please, kindly leave the Jace hate out of an otherwise reasonable theory. Bolas will likely try to trap planeswalkers. He will likely try to kill Jace. I doubt he will succeed, and I'll be downright pissed off if he in fact does because then not only will I have to put up with Jaters celebrating obnoxiously but also the fact it was Bolas, a character I personally dislike, who did it.
Seriously, Jaters can piss off.
Believe it or not, some people dislike the characters you do, and especially when they're "Golden Boy" characters who eat up design space and spotlight space year after year. I don't hate Jace, but if they killed him off the setting and game would be the better for it. This idea that you can dismiss everyone who doesn't like Your Favorite Character as "haters" is pretty poor form and generally is an attempt to stifle discussion.
I think the game would be better off if Jace got killed, Lili got killed, and Bolas got killed, and they'd have valid story reasons to do so. I'm also pretty sure that not one of those things will happen. Wizards isn't very good in the storytelling department, clinging to extremely tired and re-hashed tropes and mediocre characters.
However, I also understand the idea of being upset if they kill off a character you like, and can relate. I damn near quit the game when they fridged Avacyn. That whole block was horrible and pretty much ruined Innistrad. So I'm not in a rush to see Jace fans made miserable by killing off their favorite guy, either. It's not a pleasant feeling.
Bolas is the likeliest to be "killed," and then in some kind of stinger ending there's a faint laugh in the distance, or a horned shadow half-glimpsed in the fading light, or some other way of showing that maybe Bolas isn't dead, for realsies, and could come back some day.
Jace has become the de facto face of Magic and has such huge brand power that disposing of Jace now would be commercial branding suicide. Jace isn't going away any time soon based on that alone.
Honestly, I have to vehemently (but politely) disagree. Losing Jace wouldn't affect sales of Magic in the slightest. No one who plays the game competitively cares about the story that much. I almost quit after they fridged Avacyn and gave the Angels of Innistrad all Raid Boss Disease, so I understand, but competitive players don't care. The people who collect don't care. It wouldn't tank their sales. Magic isn't popular or successful right now because of Jace; losing him would disappoint some people, but at the end of the day things would go on.
They're not going to kill Jace, though, nor Liliana. Too many unresolved plot threads. Vryn is definitely one. The Raven Man and such. The soap opera-style switching of romantic partners—though I'll admit, the Jace and Vraska dynamic in Ixalan was probably the best-written stuff Wizards has put out, and that story was pretty enjoyable to read. It'd be a shame to lose that, though I'll admit I enjoyed reading Lili's snarky teasing of Jace. Either way, though, at the end of the day, none of that will affect the game's success in any meaningful way.
The only idea I got of how they are reintroduce is tezzeret going to them and the phyrexians finally find a way to get their old planar portal’s again
Time flows like a river, and history repeats.
By golly, it's like it's the late-90s again!
That is probably what will happen. Just like the Eldrazi in Innistrad were predicted and then done very poorly, and the storyline of Amonkhet, and of Theros, etc. Wizards' storytelling is about as good as that of Blizzard: passable at best, full of tired tropes and predictable, re-hashed storylines. It's only a matter of time before the Phyrexians become a thing again, and they've been pretty obviously foreshadowing the return for a while now. The problem is that when they do that, it's not likely to be anything but a re-hash of old stuff, and won't be done particularly well. Who knows? They might surprise me, but I don't have much faith in that at the moment.
Personally, what I'd like to see is the Weatherlight's power core destroyed and Serra's realm spring back into existence at the climax of a new Phyrexian invasion. The Phyrexians are utterly wiped out, we get Serra and her realm back, Jhoira gets a new awesome Angel-built ship capable of traveling through planes, Tiana as her mechanic/first mate, etc.
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She was made of November rain
Pleasure and pain
Scorpion stings
Pretty things
and the flames of Phoenix wings
—Michelle Schaper
Even Maro barely knows anything about the story. They hired Jay but you think a guy who been there since the start practically would be more up on it. Not to mention Chandra seems to be getting pushed more lately. Still one formalized JL/U doesn't really do it for me.
Still I say the main change in the Gatewatch era is Legends don't matter if they are not Walkers and some side stories on Ravnica change nothing.
Jace isn't going to be the sacrificial lamb (It doesn't make sense from a purely economic stand point that WotC would do away with the most popular character in the franchise, besides his story isn't done), I think Gideon is, his story is done. I am also afraid that Jaya will die, I don't want her to because she is awesome incarnate, but I fear WotC will do away with her because she is taking away focus from the very similar Chandra.
Among the villains, the most likely death is that of Vraska, because it will give Jace pathos, and she has achieved her goals (getting revenge on Azorius and becoming the leader of the Golgari). I think she will turn on Bolas at a crucial moment, derailing his plans and getting a dying moment of awesome.
Oh, and incidentally, the repaired Weatherlight is not capable of moving between planes. It's planeswalking engine does not function due to either a. The mending, and/or b, because it was one of the artifacts absorbed by Karn when the legacy weapon fired.
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It's about time for the reserved list to die, for the sake of Vintage and Legacy (And Commander).
My problem with Gideon death is, he has a unique style among the 5 mono colored walkers. Replacing him with Teyo would add the next Jace styled (wizard, mage, sorcerer) walker to the group. I like it when the planeswalker looks different. Vivien is a good example. She looks like a archer, fighter different than the others. Chandra, Liliana, Jace, Nissa have their differences in style but these are minor things. Just generic caster look. Gideon has the warrior look, which makes him unique in the crowd.
Saying that, Ajani has the beast thing going but I like him more in the Green/White color combination and the other option would be Elspeth. She has the Soldier/Warrior look, too but we don't know if we will get her as mono white walker back.
My problem with Gideon death is, he has a unique style among the 5 mono colored walkers. Replacing him with Teyo would add the next Jace styled (wizard, mage, sorcerer) walker to the group. I like it when the planeswalker looks different. Vivien is a good example. She looks like a archer, fighter different than the others. Chandra, Liliana, Jace, Nissa have their differences in style but these are minor things. Just generic caster look. Gideon has the warrior look, which makes him unique in the crowd.
Saying that, Ajani has the beast thing going but I like him more in the Green/White color combination and the other option would be Elspeth. She has the Soldier/Warrior look, too but we don't know if we will get her as mono white walker back.
Planeswalkers, The Planar Bridge, and Marit Lage if you want to get technical (And possibly other creatures like Marit Lage). Eldrazi doesn't count as they aren't fully on the planes they visit and are creatures of the blind eternities.
Anyway, the only member of the Gatewatch whose story is done is Gideon, that makes him the most likely sacrifice among them.
Gideon did pick up the blackblade. While it could be insignificant, it could also be the launch pad for a whole new character arc for him. Making him more entwined with lili for a chain veil / raven man story arc could be nice. Her rise in standards as she cleans out the closet while Gideon falls further from grace sorta thing.
Gideon brings an opportunity to the table we don't have with any other characters right now. I mean ajani is too steadfast (pun intended) in his ways as a white aligned character to change drastically. He actually shed the R aspect of ajani vengent. Elspeth is seeing a different kind of character direction, but could end up being too similar to Gideon. Sorin always feels much more B than W to me.
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What I think is going on is that Bolas wants to invade Ravnica in order to zombify or awaken the Nephalim in an effort to discover the secrets behind undoing the events of the Great Mending, aside from the fact that it's an immense plane rich with mana. I predict we will be seeing Tri-Colored cards in the final Ravnica block. It would make perfect sense, because Nicol Bolas himself is Tri-Colored, the "Allegiance" gives us a clue that we are going to see guilds joining together to defeat the foreign army, with several culminations and synergies of the joined guilds (Personally, I can't wait to use Dimir's Surveil to mill Izzet's Jump-Start to Pop-Goes-the-Weasel all of my instants and sorceries. This is a perfect design in both gameplay and story, because what's a more perfect scenario than the dragon genius using spies to gather information, I mean come on (also bolas favorite colors)...
Anyhow, we all know Ral-Zarek is a double agent. Which side is he on though? Let's break down what we know. We know Niv-Mizzle thirsts for knowledge and wants to be a Planeswalkers more than anything (if he's not already). In previous blocks Ral tried to hide that he was a Planeswalker from Niv, probably because he was working for Bolas. We know Niv didn't trust him and chose Melek to run the Maze which ticked off Ral, ultimately leading to Ral killing Melek, but we also know that Niv and Ral worked on two projects together. One project was to syphon mana from the other guilds to empower Niv (probably to unlock enough power to ignite his Planeswalking spark), which was sabotaged, and we know that Ral worked on a project to create a device to detect Planeswalking. We also know that Niv and Ral were in a personal battle with one another which made Izzy "poof" disappear, leaving Ral Zarek running the Izzet show. Personally, I think you'd have to be a fool to think that he's dead, besides the fact that he's everybody's token favorite dragon. Although, having an undead UBR Niv learning about the underworld would be cool and play along nicely with the UBR concept mentioned before, but, ya right. Where's the corpse? Did Niv have Ral push himself to the limit to finally ignite his personal spark, or did Niv push Ral to the limit, syphoning Ral's PW spark? Dragons sure like to syphon mana. Why did Ral make a PW detector? I've read that some believe it's too know when Bolas arrives, but he works for Bolas. Wouldn't he just PW to wherever Bolas is to let him know he destroyed Niv. I think he can't, and he needs the machine to let him know when his master has returned. Also, Niv disappeared once before, several thousand years ago during a battle with the Nephalim.
Now, who knows, it's possible Niv is Bolas, it's possible that the Shapeshifter Lazav is Bolas, or both. We know Bolas has kept a watchful eye on Ravnica, but how? Well, maybe he is them. They both, being scientist and spies, would be the greatest source of info on Ravnica, and what better way to watch your PW spawns like Zarek, to make sure they're doing what they're told, and doing his dirty work.
Who else is watching Ravnica? I'm guessing Ugin, the meat gazer himself. We found out in Ixilan that Ugin supplanted himself in Jace's telepathic mind in order to detect and watch for Bolas (which reminds me, does anybody remember that old picture from Return to Ravnica of Jace and Niv-Mizzet, where Jace has that one glowing blue eye? Was that a secret clue given long ago that Ugin was watching us through The eye of Ugin and let us fans know by giving us a wink!?" I'm an artist, and I know there's no way that detail was added unintentionally). We found this out after Jace battled Bolas and pw to ixilan with his memory erased. Ugin made Jace PW to ixilan and temporarily wiped his memory so that Nicol Bolas wouldn't discover that Ugin was still alive. Also, we discovered that there is a machine, the Immortal Sun, that prevents Planeswalkers from Planeswalking. Ironically, an invention made long ago by Ugin and Azor, creator of the Guildpact and first Guildmaster of the Azorius. Now it's starting to come together. Is it going to end where it all began?
We have a culmination of many PW traveling to the same plane, for what should be an all out war. Let's not forget, Liliana is now a Pawn of Bolas, but is she really. I'm guessing the "Raven Man" is probably Bolas, and has been guiding her to give in to her urges to use the veil to fulfill his dirty wishes. She's always hesitated using the veil because she knows the darkness would overtake and possess her, but we also know how badly Liliana hates being controlled, not unlike most women, which led her on a quest to destroy the four demons that had control over her soul. I think it's possible that this idea of Bolas' backfires, and she ends up using the veil to destroy him, breaking her free from her contract, but the amount of dark energy needed to do so overwhelms and corrupts her, leaving her to be MTG's new token villain. Perhaps that's what happens.
Maybe Niv-Mizzet steals Bolas spark, Liliana uses the power of the veil to weaken him while Gideon and his girl friend Aurelia (she better not die) uses the Blackblade to piece his heart, while Vraska turns his corpse to stone, (she's one of Bolas'pawns, but she has a grudge against Bolas too), there's no way this final battle is going down without Ajani or Teferi (who just got teased to join the show when asked to help destroy Bolas by the Gatewatch, and was offered the return of his old spark by the Weather light Captain) so he Azor (previously thought to be trapped on ixilan by Jace, but probably rescued), and Ugin arrive to finish the deal. Ajani uses his shamanic powers to bind Bolas spirit, Ugin exiles what's left of him into a rubics cube (hedron), then everybody (whoever is still alive) decides who's staying or going. I'm sure all of the multi-colored Planeswalkers, "especially" the original "Gatewatch" become the new guild leaders, then Azor creates a new Guildpact called "Oath of the Guildgatewatch" binding them to Ravnica with the immortal sun, to babysit and guard Bolas' tomb for the rest of eternity as Teferi traps them all in a time Continuum, preventing Bolas from ever escaping again, also, ending The saga of both Bolas and the Gatewatch, knocking out two birds with one stone, something some fans have wished to happen for quite some time.
IDK, maybe this is what they are leading me to believe. If it is, what will happen next? Will Liliana become the new token villainess since the veil now has control over her? A truly evil, super veil powered dark black witch as MTG's new main protagonists. This could lead us into new, and discover old prospects and stories, such as the Annaki, Equilor, etc.
But, what about Ugin? Is he the charmer we all take him for? He is a dragon after all, and he just so happens to loooove his Eldrazi. He's also colorless, which means he's attune to magic of every color. Shouldn't the role of the leading villain be a master of ALL magics?
Who knows, if like to read some other theories, opinions, and details...
Tezzeret is pressed into service by Bolas to figure out how to make etherium. Though the timelines are fuzzy, it seems that Crucius didn't create etherium until after the Mending. The mothership only mentions "decades before the conflux" as to when Crucius makes etherium and disappears, potentially turning into the metal island. Bolas wants to learn how Crucius manages to create a pocket plane post-mending, as walkers can't do that anymore.
Bolas sends Tezz to New Phyrexia, According to the comic "Dark Discoveries" Tezzeret was sent to keep the Phyrexians from uniting when speaking to the imps, however Bolas doesn't say that in their meeting, only that Tezz needs to make it to the throne room. This is important because that is where the Panopticon and Memnarch's spark harvesting rig was built. I've posted this theory before but I believe Bolas was spying on Memnarch before the Mending and knew about a creature attempting to ascend. This had happened once before, either by accident of design when Karn ascended in the Legacy blast.
Bolas maniuplates Lilianna's contract to bind her into service, likely to control his massive army of Eternals grown on Amonkhet
Tezzeret steals the planar bridge, the first bit of planar travel tech since the mending. Through Tezzeret Bolas can now move things (like undead armies) between planes.
Bolas compromises Ral and gains control of Project Lightning Bug, making him capable of tracking planeswalkers. This could also possibly be used as a beacon to draw walkers in.
Bolas sends Vraska to obtain the Immortal Sun, making it possible to lock 'walkers on a plane.
So why Ravnica? With Jace being the living Guildpact he is bound to the magic of the plane. Killing Jace would not only release a spark, but would unbind the Guildpact from him and potentially allow someone (Nichol) to attain it.
Bolas isn't awakening anyone, I think he means to detonate and absorb the power of an entire plane.
The Eternal Army invades Ravnica. Jace through the guildpact charges all the guilds to go to war.
The battle draws in the Gatewatch and as many allied planeswalkers as can be found.
Bolas binds them to the plane with the Immortal Sun.
Bolas unveils a rebuilt version of Memnarch's spark harvester.
Jace is killed, undoing the Guildpact and releasing a massive amount of energy.
Here's what happens next though:
Tezzeret built in a failsafe to the machine and Bolas does not absorb the energy, instead he is shuttled away to a plane where he is locked in with the Sun and maybe to spite him, Ugin. Ravnica stands but the magical pact is completely undone and the plane is in chaos. Tezzeret, now in possesion of the planar bridge and potentially more spark walks away, to be seen later.
Jace is (hopefully) dead. Liliana, free of Bolas, begins to actively seek out the Raven Man. Ajani returns to Theros to find Elspeth. When he hears whispers of a new god entering the Pantheon, a dark god, a Father of Machines.
I'm in!
It's likely that Wizards will want to tie up the Bolas plotline and prepare for moving onward to other business, like the Chain Veil/Raven Man, Elsepth on Theros, etc. Killing off Jace would be an extreme move, but it also presents the best argument for a clean slate moving forward. Nissa has walked, Liliana has unfinished business, Gideon can pick up on plotlines elsewhere (but could also be a nominee for death), and Chandra needs to be around for the comic.
Some arguments against would be it would be better marketing to do Jace's Signature Spellbook the year of his death to put a finishing touch to his character. And he's easily the most popular planeswalker amount fans and you don't kill your golden goose.
"I cannot tune a harp or play a lyre, but I know how to make a small city great." - Themistocles
Well Jace became popular not through his story really, but the fact that he was an incredibly powerful card for a very long time. His story is inextricably tied to Ravnica and Bolas now. Sure he's part of the Gatewatch, but I don't think hes invested in anything outside of the Bolas conflict. Teferi seems to be the one they are ramping up to take Jace's spot as lead PW for a while, but honestly I would rather they don't have a flagship PW for a while. What I think we need to see is each PW going their own way with maybe one or two cameos per set. Elpesth, Ajani, and Karn dealing with Phyrexian invasion on another plane, Teferi and Jhoira working on undoing the Zhalfir phasing and returning the Weatherlight to it's planeshifting glory, Gideon and Liliana delving into the Raven Man and growing their powers with the Chain Veil and Blackblade Reforged.
We have had enough Avengers Assemble moments for the last few sets. Wizards needs to grow their Walkers on their own for a bit and allow time for the next big bads (Emrakul and New Phyrexia) to gestate. Also, it's time for a Vikings set and some real non-human walkers to come around.
Personally I think it's time they went back to a more "human" approach of heroe(ine)s who are not as powerful as our perennial planeswalkers to take the reins of the next chapter(s) and still allow some dabbling in PW interactions but not be the focal point.
The Weatherlight I arc lasted for a good three/four years before people grew tired of it. We seem to be getting that way with the Gatewatch.
'buster
P.S: I just want more Jhoira in all honesty.
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
This is where I feel like they are heading for at least a bit. Resurrecting the Weatherlight lets non-PW legendaries tag along to new planes. I am crossing my fingers for a Phyrexian invasion with all 5 colors present. I really would like to see Theros since thats where we left Elspeth, and the deity system there would allow a different avenue of conversion for Phyrexians. We've seen them take a plane where artifice was the dominant magic, how will they twist the enchantment magic and the pantheon. Ideally we would see the devotion to a new deity begin to rise and war with the other gods.
But it probably won’t be the end of bolas
It’s either he retreats and thinks of something in several years or he wins and gets his spark back and starts plotting the next attack
I don't know. Novel wise Phyrexia and Urza were introduced in 1998 with The Brothers War. Yawgmoth came in '99 in the Thran as the true big bad behind Phyrexia. Apocalypse (2001) permanently killed Yawgmoth and Urza off as characters (Urza is officially a 9 on the Venser Scale) and creative has said multiple, multiple times that Yawgmoth is never coming back. Thats 3 years before they killed off what many people consider to be their most popular character. Nichol Bolas was introduced in card form in 1994 in the Legends set, story wise he has been scheming since Time Spiral (2006-2007). That's 13 years of this ominous dragon scheming around the edges of nearly every single story since. One could really argue that Magic has become the saga of Nichol and Ugin, since the spirit dragon was also revived for the eldrazi storylines.
It's time for a major change, and the stage is set for an all or nothing battle. Everyone who is set against Bolas knows that if he survives he will never, ever stop plotting to gain as much power as possible. He either has to be successful, at that point the rest of magic would be "What Bolas allows to happen", or utterly destroyed. Anything in between will feel like nothing of note really ever matters and the stories they use to hype these sets will stop working. The big bad always gets away. The fan favorite 'walkers have indestructible plot armor (looking at you Jace). They will bring back old walkers for a nostalgia boost for a while. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I hope they kill him.
So please, kindly leave the Jace hate out of an otherwise reasonable theory. Bolas will likely try to trap planeswalkers. He will likely try to kill Jace. I doubt he will succeed, and I'll be downright pissed off if he in fact does because then not only will I have to put up with Jaters celebrating obnoxiously but also the fact it was Bolas, a character I personally dislike, who did it.
Seriously, Jaters can piss off.
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.
Well this was awkward... seeing as I was talking about Bolas when I said I hope they kill him.
I don’t hate Jace, I dislike a rehashed story. How many times will we watch the Gatewatch crash against Bolas with no avail. Even if they don’t kill Jace, maybe it’s time to let him be off screen for the sake of other characters
Seems to me this will shape up to be our modern-day Time Spiral II. TBH I agree with you on the Bolas part. I never was fond of him as a villain and felt it was lazy to suggest a big, brooding, dragon archlord hell-bent on consuming every fricken thing he comes across for pan-ultimate abilities was clunky and predictable. As for Manite, I warmed up to Jace following his incredible character development in Ixalan; personally, it's too soon to off him as we haven't had much exposure to him since that point in Rivals, so I don't think the Jaters will win. This time anyway
Just give me a more humanist story that's somewhat relatable to people. The strongly-suggested Weatherlight II story seems like a more suitable stage in our continuum.
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
I get that, but Jace has been on the scene for a long, long time taking up the main character slot. To put it in perspective Urza was the hero throughout junior high for me (6-8th year for you Europeans). I started part time in college while working full time in 2006. In 2017 I finished my long overdue B.S., and at the end of May this year I will finish my M.S. Jace has been on cards since 2007 and in the story since 2009, making him as old as my entire extended college education. It is time for something new.
And as much as I would love a Weatherlight 2.0, I kinda don't want them to use Karn to rehash Urza's saga. As sad as it sounds I wish in the Scars block they had compleated him, or even made him the first Phyrexian walker. Even though he is Urza's Legacy he doesn't deserve to be shoehorned into that same storyline.
My apologies. I've seen enough Jater comments on this website that by now I've come to associate "I hope they kill him" with that.
Jace has shared the spotlight with other characters, and the only three blocks within the past seven years in which he's actually gotten a card are RTR, SOI, and Ixalan. Yes, he has appeared in Core Sets and in other sets through cards like Ugin's Insight and Dramatic Reversal, but so too have other characters. I expect him to get a card in WAR, and I expect to visit Vryn within the next couple years, but I can also see plenty of sets where he doesn't appear, like a trip to Theros focusing on Gideon, Ajani, and Elspeth, or a return to Zendikar where Chandra goes looking for Nissa and helps her deal with Sorin and Nahiri.
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.
For me, Gerrard was the focus of Magic from when I graduated grade 12 in '98 right on up until I graduated my first college major in '02. But the difference is that Gerrard wasn't the "face" of Magic at that time. Jace has become the de facto face of Magic and has such huge brand power that disposing of Jace now would be commercial branding suicide. Jace isn't going away any time soon based on that alone.
As Manite said, Vryn is a virtually untouched plane of possibilities with probably another artifact theme akin to Mirrodin and Kaladesh. Why kill off the character whose origins stem from that place if their namesake resident isn't around anymore? (maybe a posthumous visitation but that's not the same).
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
My theory of the next villain is the new phyrexians the moment I heard Karn mention them with a device to suposivly take them out that’s telling me we might see them again (and I just know karns thing is probably gonna go horribly wrong)
The only idea I got of how they are reintroduce is tezzeret going to them and the phyrexians finally find a way to get their old planar portal’s again
Time flows like a river, and history repeats.
By golly, it's like it's the late-90s again!
In all honesty, Atomic Artificer's take on it is a plausible way for the climax to unfold and this chapter of the story to conclude. It makes sense and it's a perfect way to execute it. Whether it's like that is up to anyone's guess but it seems to be a great way to finish, although pinging off Jace might not be sound strategy due to his commercial branding power.
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
Bolas has summoned his eternal army to Ravnica via the planar portal with Lili at its command. Lightning Bug has been used to draw in planeswalkers to Ravinca. I have a feeling that Ral/Niv did so at Jace’s command when the army showed up, not knowing they were on Bolas’s side
One by the their sparks are being removed until a single large spark remains (the final candle in the trailer) and Bolas is attempting to absorb it. The only thing that is unclear is exactly how he will. I assumed it would be via something akin to Memnarchs spark harvester, but apparently Teferi was able to respark with the powerstone that contained his without explanation as to how, so who knows.
Believe it or not, some people dislike the characters you do, and especially when they're "Golden Boy" characters who eat up design space and spotlight space year after year. I don't hate Jace, but if they killed him off the setting and game would be the better for it. This idea that you can dismiss everyone who doesn't like Your Favorite Character as "haters" is pretty poor form and generally is an attempt to stifle discussion.
I think the game would be better off if Jace got killed, Lili got killed, and Bolas got killed, and they'd have valid story reasons to do so. I'm also pretty sure that not one of those things will happen. Wizards isn't very good in the storytelling department, clinging to extremely tired and re-hashed tropes and mediocre characters.
However, I also understand the idea of being upset if they kill off a character you like, and can relate. I damn near quit the game when they fridged Avacyn. That whole block was horrible and pretty much ruined Innistrad. So I'm not in a rush to see Jace fans made miserable by killing off their favorite guy, either. It's not a pleasant feeling.
Bolas is the likeliest to be "killed," and then in some kind of stinger ending there's a faint laugh in the distance, or a horned shadow half-glimpsed in the fading light, or some other way of showing that maybe Bolas isn't dead, for realsies, and could come back some day.
Honestly, I have to vehemently (but politely) disagree. Losing Jace wouldn't affect sales of Magic in the slightest. No one who plays the game competitively cares about the story that much. I almost quit after they fridged Avacyn and gave the Angels of Innistrad all Raid Boss Disease, so I understand, but competitive players don't care. The people who collect don't care. It wouldn't tank their sales. Magic isn't popular or successful right now because of Jace; losing him would disappoint some people, but at the end of the day things would go on.
They're not going to kill Jace, though, nor Liliana. Too many unresolved plot threads. Vryn is definitely one. The Raven Man and such. The soap opera-style switching of romantic partners—though I'll admit, the Jace and Vraska dynamic in Ixalan was probably the best-written stuff Wizards has put out, and that story was pretty enjoyable to read. It'd be a shame to lose that, though I'll admit I enjoyed reading Lili's snarky teasing of Jace. Either way, though, at the end of the day, none of that will affect the game's success in any meaningful way.
That is probably what will happen. Just like the Eldrazi in Innistrad were predicted and then done very poorly, and the storyline of Amonkhet, and of Theros, etc. Wizards' storytelling is about as good as that of Blizzard: passable at best, full of tired tropes and predictable, re-hashed storylines. It's only a matter of time before the Phyrexians become a thing again, and they've been pretty obviously foreshadowing the return for a while now. The problem is that when they do that, it's not likely to be anything but a re-hash of old stuff, and won't be done particularly well. Who knows? They might surprise me, but I don't have much faith in that at the moment.
Personally, what I'd like to see is the Weatherlight's power core destroyed and Serra's realm spring back into existence at the climax of a new Phyrexian invasion. The Phyrexians are utterly wiped out, we get Serra and her realm back, Jhoira gets a new awesome Angel-built ship capable of traveling through planes, Tiana as her mechanic/first mate, etc.
Pleasure and pain
Scorpion stings
Pretty things
and the flames of Phoenix wings
—Michelle Schaper
Still I say the main change in the Gatewatch era is Legends don't matter if they are not Walkers and some side stories on Ravnica change nothing.
Among the villains, the most likely death is that of Vraska, because it will give Jace pathos, and she has achieved her goals (getting revenge on Azorius and becoming the leader of the Golgari). I think she will turn on Bolas at a crucial moment, derailing his plans and getting a dying moment of awesome.
Oh, and incidentally, the repaired Weatherlight is not capable of moving between planes. It's planeswalking engine does not function due to either a. The mending, and/or b, because it was one of the artifacts absorbed by Karn when the legacy weapon fired.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183064755798/will-jhoira-get-the-weatherlight-fully-functional
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183097737943/i-just-want-to-add-my-voice-to-the-group-who-wants
http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183101533653/just-make-weatherlight-able-to-planeshift-with-the
My problem with Gideon death is, he has a unique style among the 5 mono colored walkers. Replacing him with Teyo would add the next Jace styled (wizard, mage, sorcerer) walker to the group. I like it when the planeswalker looks different. Vivien is a good example. She looks like a archer, fighter different than the others. Chandra, Liliana, Jace, Nissa have their differences in style but these are minor things. Just generic caster look. Gideon has the warrior look, which makes him unique in the crowd.
Saying that, Ajani has the beast thing going but I like him more in the Green/White color combination and the other option would be Elspeth. She has the Soldier/Warrior look, too but we don't know if we will get her as mono white walker back.
Planeswalkers, The Planar Bridge, and Marit Lage if you want to get technical (And possibly other creatures like Marit Lage). Eldrazi doesn't count as they aren't fully on the planes they visit and are creatures of the blind eternities.
Anyway, the only member of the Gatewatch whose story is done is Gideon, that makes him the most likely sacrifice among them.
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Numquam evolutioni obstes. Solum conculceris.
Pascite draconem, evolvite aut morimini.
Gideon brings an opportunity to the table we don't have with any other characters right now. I mean ajani is too steadfast (pun intended) in his ways as a white aligned character to change drastically. He actually shed the R aspect of ajani vengent. Elspeth is seeing a different kind of character direction, but could end up being too similar to Gideon. Sorin always feels much more B than W to me.