Absolutely! I tend to only take a deck apart if I want to build a new one and need key cards in that deck. But I'm always sad to do it and in some instances I re-make the deck if the other deck I build doesn't go according to plan.
Kasmina filled another of our monocolor uncommon planeswalker slots we didn't have a character for. Six other characters have appeared on a mono-blue planeswalker card (Jace, Mu Yanling, Tamiyo, Teferi, Tezzeret, and Will Kenrith). Jace was a rare card. Tamiyo appeared as a rare green-blue card, Teferi appeared as a rare white-blue card, and Tezzeret was the Buy-a-Box promo. We had other plans for both Mu Yanling and Will Kenrith, so that opened up a slot for a new character. We had an interesting idea for a Planeswalker for a future story, so this was the perfect opportunity to introduce her. I don't want to say too much about Kasmina, but I will say her abilities were made to match her character as a small tease of things to come.
I'm curious about "other plans" for Yanling and Will (as well as seeing more on Kasmina). Kaya for example was written for this storyline and was put in Conspiracy take the crown to introduce her so it might be a lot of these side set walkers might be the lead in a future storyline.
I am very curious what they have planned for Will (and I assume Rowan). I was always sorry they had no lore attached to them when BB released.
I may have missed this so apologies if it was already mentioned. I did look and didn't see it though. Does Ilharg appear or do anything in the story? It seemed like a big deal that Ravnica suddenly became a plane with a physically manifesting god...and then we got nothing?
What is the natural lifespan of an elder dragon anyway? All of the dead elders died unnatural deaths (killed). I suppose Palladia-Mors is still slumbering on Dominaria somewhere? If they are immortal then Bolas really does have an eternity to contemplate his fate.
Why do the Ultimate Evil’s need to kill off half the cast and radically alter the planes? And I’d argue Bolas has done exactly the latter in regards to Amonkhet, and killed meaningful characters.
Agree. I think Amonkhet and Innistrad were good examples of the villain getting a strong win. If you're following the lore the deaths on those planes (the gods and major angels on Innistrad) were impactful. Gideon's death will likely have even bigger ripples than Avacyn's or the Amonkhet gods' which were all emotional deaths.
Also both those planes experienced major catacylsmic events with minimal major character deaths. So the body count at the end of WOTS is around the same. If anything Emrakul's influence on Innistrad should have resulted in far more death but it didn't.
In fact we don't know what non-planeswalker characters may have died in this story do we? The spoilers mostly focused on the planeswalkers. What if some legendary creatures died? The spoilers that have leaked haven't covered the whole story. Trostani for instance is unaccounted for and they and Mat'Selesnya must have been affected by the animation of Vitu-Ghazi and its destruction.
I'm excited to read the whole novel. Since all we have right now are the major pieces but there has to be more.
That's the most disappointing part of this to me also. Creative didn't really use Ugin for all that much. This also greatly reduces the chances we will get a legendary creature version of a pre-sparked Ugin, since he's effectively being removed from the plot forever.
Yeah this would be disappointing but I'm hoping they still give him a card. It seems like a waste after all the build up in the M19 story.
Not at all! This is the payoff to all that buildup. Their destinies are entwined, and now Ugin has manipulated events and sacrificed himself to finally vanquish Bolas once and for all. How's that not "all that much"? That's huge, and indeed it's everything.
MVP title in this finale absolutely goes to Ugin. In the end, Liliana, Gideon, and the rest of the heroes turned out to be chess pieces in his game. Bolas, like the audience, mistook those game pieces for the actual players -- but Bolas true opponent on Ravnica turned out to be Ugin all along. Bolas could not have won because he didn't understand what game he was actually playing, and on what game board, until it was too late. That's Sun Tzu 101: Know yourself, and know your enemy. Bolas did not know his true enemy. He was gloating over Gideon even as Ugin moved to checkmate him.
I too would like to see more of Ugin, but this is really everything the story requires of him. This is his role, his destiny, his long journey fulfilled. I find it immensely satisfying. What could he possibly do, what ending could he have, that's greater or more significant than this?
I agree storywise it has a nice symmetry. That they both 'end' together as they were born together and finally join their actual dead siblings in obscurity. It reminds me of this great Tolkein quote. The elder dragons are finally done. But selfishly Ugin is one of my favorite MTG characters so I would like a playable commander card for him. And I always wondered if he was always colourless or if he had a colour identity that he lost upon death and resurrection.
So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.
Wait, where's Rhonas and Kefnet? Don't tell me they killed them off before they could do anything cool, again.
I wondered that as well. You would think Liliana would send all 4 at him. I guess they are destroyed by this point in the story. I also wonder what the Boar god is doing during all this? There have been no story indications as to what side it even fought on.
That's the most disappointing part of this to me also. Creative didn't really use Ugin for all that much. This also greatly reduces the chances we will get a legendary creature version of a pre-sparked Ugin, since he's effectively being removed from the plot forever.
Yeah this would be disappointing but I'm hoping they still give him a card. It seems like a waste after all the build up in the M19 story. Maybe in a supplemental set or in a Commander precon.
From what we know his plan was working perfectly. He lost some ground after a surprise arrival but gained it back with the god eternals arrival. He just made some minor miscalculations which can happen to any evil genius. The biggest I think was granting the eternals the ability to harvest sparks so easily and extending it to the eternalized gods. He kept a tight leash on the gods for the most part but it seems like when he let his guard down it gave the resistance an opening. I don't think any old eternal would have posed a threat to him but two eternalized gods who had been given some aspect of their original minds back are obviously a major challenge.
I also think they caught him at the point of his ascension when he was vulnerable. It's in character to me that he would think he had won at that point and not be worrying about the insects he could squash after he attains godhood.
Yeah. Not sure how to feel about thinking that about the most evil being in MTG lore
Between this and the new Tolsimir. I really think we are getting a Norse theme set soon with additional bear and wolf support.
I am very curious what they have planned for Will (and I assume Rowan). I was always sorry they had no lore attached to them when BB released.
Agree. I think Amonkhet and Innistrad were good examples of the villain getting a strong win. If you're following the lore the deaths on those planes (the gods and major angels on Innistrad) were impactful. Gideon's death will likely have even bigger ripples than Avacyn's or the Amonkhet gods' which were all emotional deaths.
Also both those planes experienced major catacylsmic events with minimal major character deaths. So the body count at the end of WOTS is around the same. If anything Emrakul's influence on Innistrad should have resulted in far more death but it didn't.
In fact we don't know what non-planeswalker characters may have died in this story do we? The spoilers mostly focused on the planeswalkers. What if some legendary creatures died? The spoilers that have leaked haven't covered the whole story. Trostani for instance is unaccounted for and they and Mat'Selesnya must have been affected by the animation of Vitu-Ghazi and its destruction.
I'm excited to read the whole novel. Since all we have right now are the major pieces but there has to be more.
I agree storywise it has a nice symmetry. That they both 'end' together as they were born together and finally join their actual dead siblings in obscurity. It reminds me of this great Tolkein quote. The elder dragons are finally done. But selfishly Ugin is one of my favorite MTG characters so I would like a playable commander card for him. And I always wondered if he was always colourless or if he had a colour identity that he lost upon death and resurrection.
I wondered that as well. You would think Liliana would send all 4 at him. I guess they are destroyed by this point in the story. I also wonder what the Boar god is doing during all this? There have been no story indications as to what side it even fought on.
Yeah this would be disappointing but I'm hoping they still give him a card. It seems like a waste after all the build up in the M19 story. Maybe in a supplemental set or in a Commander precon.
I also think they caught him at the point of his ascension when he was vulnerable. It's in character to me that he would think he had won at that point and not be worrying about the insects he could squash after he attains godhood.
Yeah I just saw that art/flavor text
NVM on closer inspection that IS Oketra along w/ Bontu. I thought it was just a random eternal.