Third place: the origin of zendikar's vampire. Curious, very curious, that implies that every plane with vampires will have specific origins for them? And what's more: how did the vampires manage to liberate themselves from the influence of the eldrazi? That justifies some passages of Memories of Blood, Drana's story, when she remembered a time where she was more eldrazi-like. Now it makes more sense.
I'm guessing a combination of force of will/a strong sense of being an individual and the eldrazi being sealed so their influence was muted.
Second place: Sorin being Nahiri's mentor is interesting, but a bit forced. They spent centuries together? I was under the impression that someone said Nahiri was a young planeswalker when sealing the eldrazi? Was that person correct and this is a retcon or what? I'm not completely shocked, but I'm interested in seeing how Sorin will interact with Nahiri. Also, I will emphasize: centuries together? How did Nahiri live that long without aging?
Honesty I think this was the best possible ending. Our "heroes" are able to save Zendikar and help it grow while still having the theatre of the eldrazi around.
While I really hate control and creature destruction what takes the cake is land destruction. It can end up being worse then having everything countered.
On the subject of Guild relations: if memory serves, they're supposed to be a lot of Ravnica's labor and service industries. But the only "service" we've ever seen them provide is a murder-carnival where the audience be unexpectedly made a part of the show. That... somehow does not reassure me of their value to Ravnican society at large. I'd love to see the demon-worshipping Black/Red approach to, say, food service. Or construction. Or a jeweler.
Comic gold.
We kinda get the stereotypes of the guilds in most of the cards. I remember reading something about some Rakdos being artists so a Radkos jeweler is probity cannon. From normals gem stones to the bones of your enemies.
But then shouldn't she be smiling at Gideon, and not the Gatewatcher she's hated for (probably) years now?
I think hate is a strong word. Remember, she saves his life at the Eye of Ugin, after he saves hers. I would say they're more rivals than anything.
and she considers them friends;
Weeks ago, Chandra Nalaar decided against getting involved with Zendikar's woes. She remains on the plane of Regatha, where she has accepted the position of abbot for a monastery of pyromancer-monks. Her thoughts often stray to the battle currently raging on Zendikar, the pain her friends might be suffering there—and the help she could be providing. But she has made a promise to fulfill her duties on Regatha, and a promise is a promise.
They're doing it, she thought. My friends are doing it. They've come here, and they're helping. They're saving this world.
Regatha faded into existence around her, replacing the stretch of land that led to the hedrons, that led to her friends, that led to the Eldrazi titan.
You really need to look at things without your I Chandra-hate glasses on.
You don't want some Deus Ex Machina shenanigans. Kriemes should have explain that tidbit in the story. Leaving it out makes the readers question your credibility. Assuming your readers know everything is your downfall.
The quote might be right out of a future UR, keep in mind card stories will be spoiled before currant UR. All this might just be the set-up/foreshadowing.
Yeah, that card does explain a lot. So a touch of the Eldrazi is like a touch of the Blind Eternities, and those not familiar with it get ripped to shreds. Makes sense.
Still doesn't excuse the horrid writing of Gideon vs Ulamog, but it does explain a fair bit.
Yeah, the actual confrontation as written isn't compelling, but at least his survival isn't a plot hole.
It also helps set up planeswalkers as the beings who could fight/stop the eldrazi. I like the idea since it perfectly fits with what was set up in the original Zendikar.
Plus you have to disregard a lot of flavor text (maybe from now on it will be better done with creative new stance) since it stereotypes the planeswalkers even more. Jace is a little er...jerk, in a lot of his flavor text when most in the stories he isn't as rude or arrogant and Chandra looks like a pyro-maniact who burns people on a whim.
Also I get when the first neo-planeswalkers where first set up Wizards would hop around from protagonist to protagonist letting all the walkers be slightly amoral except as a few, such as Ajani and Gideon. But now they want to try and have hero "faces" of magic they had to figure out who would work the best. For red they had Chandra, Koth, Tibalt and Sarkhan?, with both Sarkhan and Tibalt being more villains as well as both of them wanting to be multicolored more that left Koth and Chandra. But it would be hard justify Koth leaving the "fight" for Mirrodin at the moment and so that left them Chandra. So (as we have seen some what so far) Chandra been trying to be less impulse and in a little more control of her actions, giving her a better light.
Heck look how hard they are trying to push Liliana as a "hero".
Well the mask features the lights at the base of the blade of Godsend. I wouldn't be sure but here at the end of the video we go up a hall to a podium which holds Elspeths mask. Just before the mask is revealed, at the base of the podium is a blade with the exact same shape as Godsend. So I guess she did take it with her but all things considered that's weird.
After Heliod used Godsend to kill Elspeth he snapped it into two so none else could ever use it against him.
-The part about Emrakul's 'spawn' is creepy.
I'm guessing a combination of force of will/a strong sense of being an individual and the eldrazi being sealed so their influence was muted.
Nahiri was an oldwalker so she was immortal.
Honesty I think this was the best possible ending. Our "heroes" are able to save Zendikar and help it grow while still having the theatre of the eldrazi around.
With all the retcons flying around, basing your outlook at past lore that old (and some already changed) isn't the most reliable either.
We kinda get the stereotypes of the guilds in most of the cards. I remember reading something about some Rakdos being artists so a Radkos jeweler is probity cannon. From normals gem stones to the bones of your enemies.
and she considers them friends;
You really need to look at things without your I Chandra-hate glasses on.
The quote might be right out of a future UR, keep in mind card stories will be spoiled before currant UR. All this might just be the set-up/foreshadowing.
It also helps set up planeswalkers as the beings who could fight/stop the eldrazi. I like the idea since it perfectly fits with what was set up in the original Zendikar.
Also I get when the first neo-planeswalkers where first set up Wizards would hop around from protagonist to protagonist letting all the walkers be slightly amoral except as a few, such as Ajani and Gideon. But now they want to try and have hero "faces" of magic they had to figure out who would work the best. For red they had Chandra, Koth, Tibalt and Sarkhan?, with both Sarkhan and Tibalt being more villains as well as both of them wanting to be multicolored more that left Koth and Chandra. But it would be hard justify Koth leaving the "fight" for Mirrodin at the moment and so that left them Chandra. So (as we have seen some what so far) Chandra been trying to be less impulse and in a little more control of her actions, giving her a better light.
Heck look how hard they are trying to push Liliana as a "hero".
After Heliod used Godsend to kill Elspeth he snapped it into two so none else could ever use it against him.