Heck, Naya felt more like a Meso-American set than the entire Ixalan. It's a similar problem with Kaladesh. It was supposed to be an Indian-inspired set but all I see are fancy artifacts.
Who says Ixalan has to feel like a Meso-American set? No one except people who thought Ixalan would end up looking like a Meso-American set. They ended up being only sleightly right. Ixalan should feel like Ixalan and not Earth.
Look at blocks like Mirage, Kamigawa, Theros and Amonkhet. None of these settings happens on Earth, and yet they all have a very strong vibe from our world: Mirage is Africa, Kamigawa is Japan, Theros is Greece and Amonkhet is Egypt. So why wouldn't Ixalan be Central America? Ixalan should feel like a Meso-American set because it was marketed as one: both from the name and art. Instead we got Jurassic Pirates.
Should feel like? Who decides this if not Wizards of the Coast?
And Wizards of the Coast decided that Ixalan should feel the way they made Ixalan feel.
That's fine, but imagine Wotc said: hey the next set is Roman-based! And you are like: great, I can't wait to build my gladiator deck! And then when the set finally shows up, there are only like two gladiators in the whole set. Basically, I had certain expectations from Meso-american set, expectations that weren't met.
From the very concept you start with the fact that the natives never necessarily needed to be Meso-American, though you get a greater focus on things that emphasize the "native" aspect e. g. using land/nature rather than technology than more specific Meso-American aspects (though there are plenty of examples where the representation comes through).
I personally also have worked enough with Meso-American flavor to know that the well is not as deep as you might think due to the fact that many archetypes of meso-american culture are also familiar from other cultures and often even more associated with other cultures, and the more unique traits are often not something the public is aware enough to make grokkable.
Just because the initial promo pictures showed Pirates and Dinosaurs, it didn't mean we won't get some juicy Aztec/Mayan tribes/mechanics/flavor. In the end we got nothing. I have nothing against the depiction of the natives in this block, heck I like that they gave them a fantasy look and the Dinosaurs. My problem is that the set focuses too heavily on the Dinosaurs instead of the Sun Empire.
A long time ago, I made a custom Meso-american set (that also featured Pirates) where I had a subtheme of "sacrifice matters" and I just wished that WotC focused a little bit more on that aspect: proud warriors dressed as animals, shamans and priests, temples and sacrificing rituals, traps and prophecies etc.
Heck, Naya felt more like a Meso-American set than the entire Ixalan. It's a similar problem with Kaladesh. It was supposed to be an Indian-inspired set but all I see are fancy artifacts.
Who says Ixalan has to feel like a Meso-American set? No one except people who thought Ixalan would end up looking like a Meso-American set. They ended up being only sleightly right. Ixalan should feel like Ixalan and not Earth.
Look at blocks like Mirage, Kamigawa, Theros and Amonkhet. None of these settings happens on Earth, and yet they all have a very strong vibe from our world: Mirage is Africa, Kamigawa is Japan, Theros is Greece and Amonkhet is Egypt. So why wouldn't Ixalan be Central America? Ixalan should feel like a Meso-American set because it was marketed as one: both from the name and art. Instead we got Jurassic Pirates.
...crazy Skull Shamans sacrificing people on top of the pyramids to please their God...
Wizards is not going to print a Magic set like that. Ever. Too many reasons why, but most because it would likely be viewed as disrespectful to Central and South American native cultures.
Indeed. It doesn't matter how accurate such brutality would be. When emotions are involved, things get complicated.
So... showing the sacrifices that these cultures practiced is wrong, but showing the brutality of conquistadors and pirates is okay?
...crazy Skull Shamans sacrificing people on top of the pyramids to please their God...
Wizards is not going to print a Magic set like that. Ever. Too many reasons why, but most because it would likely be viewed as disrespectful to Central and South American native cultures.
I still wish they gave them more identity/mechanics instead of just printing a few random dudes that reduce the cost of Dinosaurs or whatever. Heck, Naya felt more like a Meso-American set than the entire Ixalan. It's a similar problem with Kaladesh. It was supposed to be an Indian-inspired set but all I see are fancy artifacts.
I am disappointed by this set mostly because I was expecting a Meso-American set: Warriors dressed as Jaguars and crazy Skull Shamans sacrificing people on top of the pyramids to please their God, instead we got Pirates vs Dinosaurs set. Meh.
Lost City works with either of the other two, but I don't know how I feel about mashing Pirates and Dinosaurs up in the same world. On the one hand, we get Pirates, and we get Dinosaurs, but on the other I was kinda hoping those would each get their own world.
This. Exactly my thoughts. I hoped that pirates and dinosaurs will each get their own set, but mashing them all together like this feels weird.
I've been waiting for a Mesoamerican setting for a long time and I'm scared that it will feature too much of the after-mentioned pirates and dinosaurs instead of the Native culture.
I don't like these lands. They have too much architecture in them and not enough... well, land. They kinda remind me of Rise of Eldrazi lands with all the Hedron nonsense.
That's fine, but imagine Wotc said: hey the next set is Roman-based! And you are like: great, I can't wait to build my gladiator deck! And then when the set finally shows up, there are only like two gladiators in the whole set. Basically, I had certain expectations from Meso-american set, expectations that weren't met.
Just because the initial promo pictures showed Pirates and Dinosaurs, it didn't mean we won't get some juicy Aztec/Mayan tribes/mechanics/flavor. In the end we got nothing. I have nothing against the depiction of the natives in this block, heck I like that they gave them a fantasy look and the Dinosaurs. My problem is that the set focuses too heavily on the Dinosaurs instead of the Sun Empire.
A long time ago, I made a custom Meso-american set (that also featured Pirates) where I had a subtheme of "sacrifice matters" and I just wished that WotC focused a little bit more on that aspect: proud warriors dressed as animals, shamans and priests, temples and sacrificing rituals, traps and prophecies etc.
Look at blocks like Mirage, Kamigawa, Theros and Amonkhet. None of these settings happens on Earth, and yet they all have a very strong vibe from our world: Mirage is Africa, Kamigawa is Japan, Theros is Greece and Amonkhet is Egypt. So why wouldn't Ixalan be Central America? Ixalan should feel like a Meso-American set because it was marketed as one: both from the name and art. Instead we got Jurassic Pirates.
So... showing the sacrifices that these cultures practiced is wrong, but showing the brutality of conquistadors and pirates is okay?
I still wish they gave them more identity/mechanics instead of just printing a few random dudes that reduce the cost of Dinosaurs or whatever. Heck, Naya felt more like a Meso-American set than the entire Ixalan. It's a similar problem with Kaladesh. It was supposed to be an Indian-inspired set but all I see are fancy artifacts.
This. Exactly my thoughts. I hoped that pirates and dinosaurs will each get their own set, but mashing them all together like this feels weird.
I've been waiting for a Mesoamerican setting for a long time and I'm scared that it will feature too much of the after-mentioned pirates and dinosaurs instead of the Native culture.
Atlazan is confirmed?
I wouldn't mind that either, actually.