He doesn't want them destroyed, since he seems to think they could be a part of the ecology of the Multiverse. Since we don't know what effects their death would have, imprisoning them is the only option. He specificaly said so when talking with Nahiri and Sorin about the Eldrazi...
Here's the important part, relevant to this disucssion:
"5. The Eldrazi were still released.
After his sudden appearance, Sarkhan went on to play a tangential role in the events of Shards of Alara block and a crucial role in the events of Zendikar block, not to mention precipitating the change that erased his own homeworld from history. Everything he did while away from Tarkir, and everything that resulted from that, still happened."
The only changes in the timeline happened in Tarkir, nothing else is changed.
Original timeline : Bolas kills Ugin, Dragons disappear. Eldrazi are freed.
New and Actual timeline : Bolas strikes Ugin, considers him dead. Ugin is saved by Sarkhan, takes a long nap, awakens in modern days, dragons are still alive and kicking. Eldrazi are still freed.
History as a whole didn't change, only Tarkir's. The only new thing on the table is Ugin, who's alive, a fact Bolas doesn't know about.
There are two options (OK, feel free to add more.) The better one: the plot will start shortly after Zendikar block, and will be more or less parallel with Return to Ravnica. The denizens of Zendikar will be fighting a losing battle. The all-planeswalker fight will be introduced in the second set (which could very well come after Tarkir block, time-wise). How many Multiverse years elapsed between Zendikar and Tarkir? Five, ten, twenty?
The worst: Anything is possible, because Sarkhan and his time shenanigans :-(
Sarkhan's shenanigans didn't have any effect on Zendikar: the only plane altered by his time traveling is Tarkir : )
Yeah but Jace did see some Eldrazi spawn, and then left (it's in a webcomic, don't remember which one, but he talks about it with a merfolk). Chandra, on the other, planeswalked right after her fight with Sarkhan, right?
Does Chandra really knows about the Eldrazi though? I was under the impression she left before their awakening. I could be wrong though, so feel free to correct me
Well, maybe it's wishful thinking, but maybe it's Fiora: a mind mage, in a city full of intrigue and plotting? What better way to start your new life? (After all, Jace's known to have extorted nobles for riches, in his youth)
It could also be a known but never visited plane, like Kephalai. Guess we'll see! (But Ravnica does seem like a good and logical choice from a storytelling point)
Spellslingers in a video series on the Geek and Sundries YouTube Channel, an initiative from Felicia Days. She even came at a SDCC a few years back to announce the series
You should definitely check it out !
So, Gavin Verhey (a WotC employee) posted a picture of an upcoming Spellslinger episode, in which he appears.
If you look at the closest playmat, you can see a new illustration of Jace, which will probably be his "older" self in Origins.
Let's not forget Ob Nixilis, who will probably play a role in the storyline of this block
That would be a good example of Wizards listening to the customers. Correct me if Im wrong, but I remember him originally being just a throwaway legend until there was a lot of interest in him.
Yup, they were so surprised by his success, they gave him a second card in M15, plus a Commander Planeswalker card, showing his power and life before having his Spark taken away by Zendikar. We know he's not exactly happy without it, and he seems to think that, in order to gain his spark back, Zendikar must be destroyed.
Basically, I think he could be a nice "secondary" antagonist, alongside the Eldrazi: he could fight the "good" PW, to stop them from saving the plane.
I can't help but think of Tamiyo everytime I hear "Zero Gravity" by Kerli. It's only a feeling, the whole "ethereal" vibe of the song, because the lyrics aren't exactly themed like the planeswalker herself, so...
They happened in his wake, were caused by him, and were closely tied to him and his well being: whend he "died", they stopped existing, and he could call all the Dragons of the plane to help him against Bolas.
I wouldn't be too worried, many three-parts story are told with only two acts (drama, for exemple), and it can easily be adaptated to Magic. Let's take Mirrodin's exemple: you could easily add a lot of Mirrodin Besieged's story elements to Scars, and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Sure, the whole "first signs of invasion / war / Phyrexia wins" will be simplified in "Invasion / Win", but it's still pretty much the same.
Theros's story, which hapened over 3 sets, has been told with only two books (albeit rushed (even though it could have been avoided)), so from a storyline point of vue, it shouldn't be anything.
Return to Ravnica, as you said, felt like "Act 1 + Act 1 + Act 2", and the 2-set paradigm could prevent that: first set, you have 5 guilds, you introduce them by showing how they act while running the Maze. Some mythic rares could be used to show key elements of the storyline, and with the second set, the other 5 guilds are introduced, evolve in the Maze, and another batch of mythic rares tell the end of the story. Basically, my guess is not every card will tell an important part of the storyline, and will show the worldbuilding, while a few of them will depict major events.
Just one thing: Magic Origins is unique, and next year, its place will be taken by the second set of the second block, so there won't be a "standalone set" :/
Anyway, my final opinion is, it will indeed change the way story is told, but not the story itself. If anything, it could improve it: the overall story will be told faster, allowing Creative to focus on delivering compelling "arcs" for the planeswalkers. By releasing two chapters of the Magic storyline per year, they double the amount we currently have.
Please read this.
Here's the important part, relevant to this disucssion:
"5. The Eldrazi were still released.
After his sudden appearance, Sarkhan went on to play a tangential role in the events of Shards of Alara block and a crucial role in the events of Zendikar block, not to mention precipitating the change that erased his own homeworld from history. Everything he did while away from Tarkir, and everything that resulted from that, still happened."
The only changes in the timeline happened in Tarkir, nothing else is changed.
Original timeline : Bolas kills Ugin, Dragons disappear. Eldrazi are freed.
New and Actual timeline : Bolas strikes Ugin, considers him dead. Ugin is saved by Sarkhan, takes a long nap, awakens in modern days, dragons are still alive and kicking. Eldrazi are still freed.
History as a whole didn't change, only Tarkir's. The only new thing on the table is Ugin, who's alive, a fact Bolas doesn't know about.
Sarkhan's shenanigans didn't have any effect on Zendikar: the only plane altered by his time traveling is Tarkir : )
It could also be a known but never visited plane, like Kephalai. Guess we'll see! (But Ravnica does seem like a good and logical choice from a storytelling point)
You should definitely check it out !
If you look at the closest playmat, you can see a new illustration of Jace, which will probably be his "older" self in Origins.
Yup, they were so surprised by his success, they gave him a second card in M15, plus a Commander Planeswalker card, showing his power and life before having his Spark taken away by Zendikar. We know he's not exactly happy without it, and he seems to think that, in order to gain his spark back, Zendikar must be destroyed.
Basically, I think he could be a nice "secondary" antagonist, alongside the Eldrazi: he could fight the "good" PW, to stop them from saving the plane.
Well, I do
Theros's story, which hapened over 3 sets, has been told with only two books (albeit rushed (even though it could have been avoided)), so from a storyline point of vue, it shouldn't be anything.
Return to Ravnica, as you said, felt like "Act 1 + Act 1 + Act 2", and the 2-set paradigm could prevent that: first set, you have 5 guilds, you introduce them by showing how they act while running the Maze. Some mythic rares could be used to show key elements of the storyline, and with the second set, the other 5 guilds are introduced, evolve in the Maze, and another batch of mythic rares tell the end of the story. Basically, my guess is not every card will tell an important part of the storyline, and will show the worldbuilding, while a few of them will depict major events.
Just one thing: Magic Origins is unique, and next year, its place will be taken by the second set of the second block, so there won't be a "standalone set" :/
Anyway, my final opinion is, it will indeed change the way story is told, but not the story itself. If anything, it could improve it: the overall story will be told faster, allowing Creative to focus on delivering compelling "arcs" for the planeswalkers. By releasing two chapters of the Magic storyline per year, they double the amount we currently have.
But that's just my two cents.