it's nice to see a trans character come up in a decent way, where it's just one part of what he has going on. too many franchises think that just being a trans character is enough, instead of being a good, interesting character who is also trans. Yuma should be very popular!
Also fitting as historically many queer folk would become cowpoke or go into the frontier in order to be able to live more freely.
This arguably might be the most interesting part of Yuma's backstory:
Trust me, I tried hard to be a girl for a certain number of years. It takes skill. You have to function through the pressure of all that being looked at—the way people look at women, assessing, selecting, all without regard to whether you're selecting back. It's not why I had to remake myself as a man, but I have to admit, I was also bad at it.
Yuma later reports being a "city boy" in a passing remark, so I assume he's just referring to the few years he worked in drag...right?
Aaaaaand they forgot what's-her-face-vampire-map-girl exists, lol.
Doylist: Amalia wasn't meant to be an omenpath traveler but as the author of the Ixalan story was writting it she felt like this where the character and plot wanted to go and the creative team approved, however as they already have the basic story and set for the next year or so already locked in they couldn't add her in.
Watsonian: Amalia is on her own adventure and has her own goals that sadly just don't align with Kellan
Galaxy Brain: Amalia story arc is her being disillusioned with her religion and god and is on a new pathway to find herself and what deity, if any, if she wants to worship. Her putting all that to the side to go with Kella is a bit of disservice to that arc particularly if you add in this all for a male character arc unrelated to hers and this would lead her, a walking metaphor for colonization, into the wild west plane.
From Maros blog there are animalfolk that will show up that aren't part of 10 typal of the set so I think Hugs might be a one off badger character vs badgers being a typal creatures of the set. Based on that I still think the first guess @Flisch did is spot on, with raccoons in GR and not very sure on UB unless we get rats again like in Eldraine 2.
Also note that the art treatment will include non-legendaries as well. I wonder if they're gonna do the praetors for fun.
Yeah if anyone wants to guess legends as well feel free, I just didn't list them since there are so many more of them then (depsarked) planeswalkers. Def want to see how a phyrexian would be transformed.
I just wonder why Ajani has both eyes intact on the box art.
Cause its showing him before he lost his eye.
Yeah, serves me right to get this answer when I did not elaborate. This is the very first time we see him without his eye, and we know that he did not lose it in his ignition event. He's already one-eyed in Alara Unbroken.
Maybe we will see the so far unspecified event when he lost it.
I think it's being used as a visual hint this is a younger Ajani, set even before Alara Unbroken, just to give a more of contrast him in the present. They did a similar thing with the Origin 5 and Bolas, making them look younger or some other visual hints that the front was a younger version of them.
That said would be nice to have explained how he lost his eye.
I also think they want to keep the calamity beasts as un-exotic as possible, so probably no lions and possibly no crocodiles/alligators. (Although americans might have a different idea on the exoticness of crocodiles and alligators.)
As someone who lives in a "woodland" area, we don't have African lions, but mountain lions are defiantly a thing here. If wolves are possible for being a calamity beast I think we could also see a coyote and fox beast. A snake one is also likely imo as they are a preator of mice and could be the U one if they do have a cycle of them. '
On that note I think Cragflame was made from the tooth of the fire wolf we saw in the first art.
So I went through creatures in standard and two creature types caught my eyes:
Leeches: There are currently five leeches in standard, which is quite a lot. I don't really think they fit well with Bloomburrow, so, I am doubtful this is the tenth tribe.
Rats: I originally discarded the idea of rats being in Bloomburrow because they would look too much like mice, but since there is no colour overlap between the two pairs, I could see rats being the tribe. The black part is obvious and the blue part could play into rats being rather smart (and maybe their association with science). If anyone knows the game Inherit the Earth, they also made rats the scholars and archivists of the different animal tribes and I think it makes sense. There's even two rat lords in standard right now, with Karumonix, the Rat King and Lord Skitter, Sewer King.
Could be rats, though rats was a deck in Wild of Eldraine which could be some overlap between sets or just be a reason why we have so any atm in standard.
My own guesses (based on what we know about colors so wotc might make someone new/ bring a past character first card or have a normally two color walker appeare as mono color/have a mono-colored character gain a second color);
B- The mono-black character we have ; Liliana, Sorin, Nixilis, Davriel, Szat, Vraska, Ashiok. I think we can knock out Liliana for already having a transform card, Ashiok since part of their thing is we don't know what they are or where they came from. I think it might be Sorin as he is popular and this could be a cool story moment to show his creature side as a human. Ob, while similar, also already got his human form on a card. Vraska might also be possible, as well as Kaya since they noted a few times Kaya could be core black.
R- For red we have; Chandra, Sarkhan, Koth, Tibalt, Daretti, Jaya, Rowan, Lukka, Jeska. We can knock out Chandra right off the bat, Rowan is unlikely since she and Will would need like a meld card or to share it again and Jaya, Koth and Jeska as they are mono-colored and maybe Lukka as it seemed he only gained g after compleation (tho I could see the argument he was secondary green). That leaves Sarkhan, Tibalt and Daretti. Tibalt and Daretti have some visual story telling (Tibalt being human and Daretti pre-accident), while I feel like Sarkhan is often used as the face for red after Chandra and if we are going enemy colors it would make the most sense. I personally hope its Daretti since I feel like he hasn't gotten a good chance to shine in the story yet.
G- Finally green gives us; Garruk, Nissa, Freyalise, Arlinn, Yanggu, Vivien, Tyvar. We can cross out Nissa for already having one and then Freyalise, Yanggu and Vivien for being mono-colored and we are left with. Garruk, Arlinn, Tyvar. Since Arlinns thing is being a transform walker they might have her here since we are using transform mechincs and I ~think~ Tyvar is generally well liked. That said, I really feel like it should be Garruk here since he is the characters past we know the least amount so far. His origin comic dosen't state what plane he is from and it dosen't out right state that his fathers death is what sparked him or if that was later on in the wild so thats a lot in there they can explore.
So my guesses are; B- Sorin B(W) R- Sarkhan R (U) (but fingers crossed for Daretti) G- Garruk G (B) (but fingers crossed for Arlinn) C- Ugin (surprise but as we do have a colorless theme it would be cool to get a Ugin to mirror Bolas)
Not sure we are getting any stories for this set but figured I'd make this thread just to put down any new info we get such as;
Tamiyo sparking story had her originally as a student who found a book that was written from another plane then Kamigawa. This lead Tamiyo to realize there was a who multiverse out there and the emotions she felt learning this knowelege is what made her spark ignite.
We are also getting a cycle of planeswalkers and seemly each start off monocolored and then trasnforms into a two color planeswalker that rewards you for having the other color. So far known is;
Ajani W(R)
Tamiyo U(G) (guessing at green but most likely
This likely means we can also guess at the other walkers if we look at ones who have a mono-colored based and later is two colors and possibly they may all be enemy colored as Ajani and (likely) Tamiyo already are.
Also fitting as historically many queer folk would become cowpoke or go into the frontier in order to be able to live more freely.
Yuma is a trans-man.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/no-tells
Doylist: Amalia wasn't meant to be an omenpath traveler but as the author of the Ixalan story was writting it she felt like this where the character and plot wanted to go and the creative team approved, however as they already have the basic story and set for the next year or so already locked in they couldn't add her in.
Watsonian: Amalia is on her own adventure and has her own goals that sadly just don't align with Kellan
Galaxy Brain: Amalia story arc is her being disillusioned with her religion and god and is on a new pathway to find herself and what deity, if any, if she wants to worship. Her putting all that to the side to go with Kella is a bit of disservice to that arc particularly if you add in this all for a male character arc unrelated to hers and this would lead her, a walking metaphor for colonization, into the wild west plane.
I'm pretty sure a team of outlaws, in a villains themed set, pulling a heist aren't very worried about playing fair.
https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/magic-story/episode-1-an-offer-of-revenge
https://www.tumblr.com/markrosewater/744429608350433280/mark-i-fully-expect-this-to-be-too-far-out-but?source=share
From Maros blog there are animalfolk that will show up that aren't part of 10 typal of the set so I think Hugs might be a one off badger character vs badgers being a typal creatures of the set. Based on that I still think the first guess @Flisch did is spot on, with raccoons in GR and not very sure on UB unless we get rats again like in Eldraine 2.
Huatli- A lizard, since its close to a dinosaur.
Kaito- A tanuki to match Himoto.
Kasmina- Owl, matches her familiars.
Lukka- Cat and/or Fox to match his bonded animals.
Sorin- Def a bat to match the vamire vibes and if the bat folk maybe do end up vampires as guessed at in the main thread.
Tyvar- Golden Retriever, Kellan too, very much "I have the power of friendship and optimism thinking on my side!" characters.
Liliana- A cat, very much matched a cranky cat who if you don't make her made will cuddle and purr in your lap.
Vivien- Gives off bear vibes with how she treats and protects animals like a bear with her cubs.
Saheeli- Bird with feather that have Kaladesh filigree /aether patters.
Wrenn- Squirrels since I feel like if any animals in a Bloomburrow setting would be dryad like it would be squirrels.
Yes!
Yeah if anyone wants to guess legends as well feel free, I just didn't list them since there are so many more of them then (depsarked) planeswalkers. Def want to see how a phyrexian would be transformed.
I think it's being used as a visual hint this is a younger Ajani, set even before Alara Unbroken, just to give a more of contrast him in the present. They did a similar thing with the Origin 5 and Bolas, making them look younger or some other visual hints that the front was a younger version of them.
That said would be nice to have explained how he lost his eye.
Cause its showing him before he lost his eye.
As someone who lives in a "woodland" area, we don't have African lions, but mountain lions are defiantly a thing here. If wolves are possible for being a calamity beast I think we could also see a coyote and fox beast. A snake one is also likely imo as they are a preator of mice and could be the U one if they do have a cycle of them. '
On that note I think Cragflame was made from the tooth of the fire wolf we saw in the first art.
Could be rats, though rats was a deck in Wild of Eldraine which could be some overlap between sets or just be a reason why we have so any atm in standard.
B- The mono-black character we have ; Liliana, Sorin, Nixilis, Davriel, Szat, Vraska, Ashiok. I think we can knock out Liliana for already having a transform card, Ashiok since part of their thing is we don't know what they are or where they came from. I think it might be Sorin as he is popular and this could be a cool story moment to show his creature side as a human. Ob, while similar, also already got his human form on a card. Vraska might also be possible, as well as Kaya since they noted a few times Kaya could be core black.
R- For red we have; Chandra, Sarkhan, Koth, Tibalt, Daretti, Jaya, Rowan, Lukka, Jeska. We can knock out Chandra right off the bat, Rowan is unlikely since she and Will would need like a meld card or to share it again and Jaya, Koth and Jeska as they are mono-colored and maybe Lukka as it seemed he only gained g after compleation (tho I could see the argument he was secondary green). That leaves Sarkhan, Tibalt and Daretti. Tibalt and Daretti have some visual story telling (Tibalt being human and Daretti pre-accident), while I feel like Sarkhan is often used as the face for red after Chandra and if we are going enemy colors it would make the most sense. I personally hope its Daretti since I feel like he hasn't gotten a good chance to shine in the story yet.
G- Finally green gives us; Garruk, Nissa, Freyalise, Arlinn, Yanggu, Vivien, Tyvar. We can cross out Nissa for already having one and then Freyalise, Yanggu and Vivien for being mono-colored and we are left with. Garruk, Arlinn, Tyvar. Since Arlinns thing is being a transform walker they might have her here since we are using transform mechincs and I ~think~ Tyvar is generally well liked. That said, I really feel like it should be Garruk here since he is the characters past we know the least amount so far. His origin comic dosen't state what plane he is from and it dosen't out right state that his fathers death is what sparked him or if that was later on in the wild so thats a lot in there they can explore.
So my guesses are;
B- Sorin B(W)
R- Sarkhan R (U) (but fingers crossed for Daretti)
G- Garruk G (B) (but fingers crossed for Arlinn)
C- Ugin (surprise but as we do have a colorless theme it would be cool to get a Ugin to mirror Bolas)
Tamiyo sparking story had her originally as a student who found a book that was written from another plane then Kamigawa. This lead Tamiyo to realize there was a who multiverse out there and the emotions she felt learning this knowelege is what made her spark ignite.
We are also getting a cycle of planeswalkers and seemly each start off monocolored and then trasnforms into a two color planeswalker that rewards you for having the other color. So far known is;
Ajani W(R)
Tamiyo U(G) (guessing at green but most likely
This likely means we can also guess at the other walkers if we look at ones who have a mono-colored based and later is two colors and possibly they may all be enemy colored as Ajani and (likely) Tamiyo already are.