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lazodiac · 1 month

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There seemingly won't be a Planeswalker's Guide to Thunder Junction, sad to say, so it's time to stop delaying this.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction is the most recent Magic the Gathering set to release, taking place on a "fresh" plane- a place that has no sentient, sapient life. Initially populated by the Atiin people, nomads from another plane that moved here when the Omenpaths opened up the multiverse, everyone who decided to come on down to the Junction and make a new life for themselves has given themselves a bit of that old west flare.

But the question is; where are all our new friends from? In a burst of intellectual curiosity and bad decision making, lets actually do our best to figure that out, starting with... (some ground rules: only the subject matter of the card art matters. Instants and Sorceries will try to divine where the spell and cast are from to the best of my abilities. Please note this is mostly arbitrary.)

WHITE

... cool way to start. Based on the artistry of the Eversaloon's entryway I'm calling Kaladesh, it has the appropriate spirals.

The original printing of this card is Innistrad so you might be tempted to say this lovely lady is from there, but the style of wings, the way she is channeling Thunder through her gun, and the general vibe of the art tells me this is Dominaria.

This delightful feller is endemic to Thunder Junction! The armor has an Esperite flare but I'm counting this as not from another plane.

Aven Interrupter is our first one that's like, actually obvious. Owl aven have only been seen on Arcavios so until told otherwise, this friend is from there!

While we're seemingly not getting a Planeswalker's Guide for Thunder Junction, it was mentioned on twitter that Felidar are native to the plane. The particular design of the cat and horns suggest creatures native to the American West as well.

This abomination (Affectionate) of a pun features a local oxen and a Thunderous wind whipper. As much as a magical spell can be, this is from Thunder Junction proper.

Another native creature to the plane. I love the fluffy beards on these critters.

Now look at this bad boy! There's absolutely no known place in Magic the Gathering that a rabbit person like this could exist... yet anyway! I'm thinking this guy is from Bloomburrow (as is the Mole person from Murders at Karlov Manor, incidentally).

While this is noted as a spirit, the fact that it's an animus suggests to me this is more of a living mirage than an actual person. Native to Thunder Junction.

Eriette is the weirdly sympathetic wicked witch of the Wilds of Eldraine storyline, so this stunningly beautiful piece of artwork is from that storybook plane.

There's no real defining characteristics on this card to really peg where it's from... except! IT was mentioned on Twitter that Spree cards were meant to evoke big Western films, and this one is The Magnificent Seven... which means this lone survivor's from Kamigawa, because it'd be funny (and the spooky aura radiating out of these guys feels like a Reckoner thing). Hey, I did say these would be arbitrary sometimes.

The incredibly cool horse(?) of Annie "Haseya" Flash, one of the main stars of the story. Fortune comes and goes as she pleases, but Annie always finds her when the chips are down. I love this creature, and love Annie. I choose to believe Fortune's from the Atiin homeplane and came with her.

There are not a lot of places Dwarves can be from in Magic the Gathering... this doesn't have the exact sort of filigree you'd expect from Kaladesh, but consider the fine work and the tools being employed, this lovely fellow is likely from there.

The Sterling Company, our villainous lawmen for the plane! I'll talk about their leader later, but based on him, his style, and the impeccable fashion of his men, I'm saying they're from New Capenna.

Goddest boy in the multiverse Kellan Okoson is here to lasso an entire train to safety with his fey-natured vines. While I'd love to say this is from Eldraine because Kellan is from there, this is the natural fey-gifts he inherited from his shitty father, so they're from Oko's Plane.

This polite kidnapper is pretty clearly from Eldraine. I wonder what she left in the cacti's place though...

This is a tricky one. The way Thunder works on the ol' Junction is that it needs a loop to radiate through- thus the horsehoe on the blade. But that, plus the inner tang also being a loop, suggests this is a former Zendikari sword, modified from climbing equipment to chaos-channeling shock-sword.

Annie Flash digs up her past for one final job, and looks sweet as hell doing it. This is from the Atiin's plane, I'd reckon.

This guy could really be from anywhere, which is kind of the point of Thunder Junction- to give up your old life for a spell and see if a new you will work out. But the fact that his potions are so classical Fantasy Potions I'm saying he's from Dominaria.

This delightful little critter is native to Thunder Junction, and what a cutie he is. Did you know Prairie Dogs were a type of squirrel before seeing this card, because I didn't!

Fundamentally I have no real indication of where this guy could be from... but he's from Prosperity, the Sterling Company's roost, and his suit's got a bit of an armoured look to it... so I'm gonna say Kamigawa.

Look some of these just flatly aren't actually doable. The drones bouncing around suggests it could be from one of the planes that got those, but ultimately I think I'm going to have to put this as "yeah I got nothing".

I could have swore there was somewhere in the Wilds of Eldraine story that said these particular blue and white bovines belonged to the giants of the sky... and while I can't find it, I wanna say they're from Eldraine anyway. So I will, it just fits dangit!

This is definitely native to Thunder Junction. It's just got the vibe, you know?

Choke this one up to New Capenna- and if you think that's wrong, blame the Sterlings for having such fine coats.

Ditto for this one- though I'll note that the carriage and the train from the above card absolutely have that Kaladeshi vibe.

It' always fun to see what exactly gets turned into an instant or sorcery spell in flavor-first sets like this. This friend is from Thunder Junction, positive.

Another Sterling, another New Capenna ex-pat looking to make a name for herself. If it helps one of the city's of the plane, Omenport, leads directly to New Capenna, making it one of the most likely planes for people to naturally come from.

I will stop calling Sterling Company mooks New Capennan's when they stop looking like people from New Capenna. This is a sort of Aven you'd find there design wise.

Cute, designing a shield like a deputy star. This has no real markers signifying the people using it, but the subject of the art is clearly the shield itself, and this bad boy was made on Thunder Junction baby.

Only 30 images are allowed per port so check in soon for PART 2.

#Outlaws of Thunder Junction #Magic the Gathering #OTJ #planeswalker #white mana #nerd stuff

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bermuda-n-drangle · 9 months

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Wilds of Eldraine Is More Arthurian Than Throne of Eldraine Was

Wizards of the Coast personnel, most prominently Mark Rosewater, have been transparent that Eldraine began its creative life as an Arthurian/Camelot inspired plane. Which it still is, but it was originally just that. However, they'd run some polls, and general public's recognition of things from Arthurian legend was limited in scope compared to the actual breadth of source material. So, to avoid a second Kamigawa, they supplemented it with the "fairy tale plane" premise, which has also been on the short list for years but didn't have enough thematic legs to stand on its own. They would play off each other: fairy tales needed a kingdom of humans, and Camelot legends needed a magical element outside the kingdom.

It was a pretty great idea. Then, the set came out, and the "Arthurian half" of it was received much more mildly than the fairy tale half. So, in Wilds of Eldraine, the fairy tale half is given much, much more prominence. This is obvious in every aspect of the set, from key art to draft archetypes, to the absence of Knight typal.

So this post's title probably seems like a weird sentiment to have. But I feel like Throne's Arthurian side feel flat because it was barely there to begin with.

Here, walk with me through a creative exercise. Suppose you have been tasked with making a setting inspired by Arthurian legend, the way Theros is inspired by Greek myth. You do not yet know that you will be given a fairy tale parachute later on. What's step one?

You probably said "make an analogue of King Arthur and/or Camelot". Because that's the right answer. And that is, indeed what they did.

Sort of.

Eldraine's Camelot is Ardenvale, and its high king is the Good King Algenus Kenrith. He underwent many trials to claim his crown, and all of the realm looks to him for leadership.

King Kenrith's card is not in booster pack, and his entire role in the story is that he is kidnapped and turned into an ungulate.

That's a pretty odd way to handle the King Arthur of your King Arthur setting, in the set that's introducing the setting. But okay.

You have your Arthur expy, and you have his kingdom. What is Step 2 in making a resonant facsimile of the Matter of Britain?

If you said "make four more Camelots"... Well, I'd say that's an odd pull. Given that there was only one Camelot in the source material. However, I did say that in this scenario you were designing for a Magic set, and if a plane doesn't have five or ten of its main gimmick, Richard Garfield will just die on the spot.

This is how we get the five courts. There is Ardenvale, yes, but that's just the white guys. Each court is a different take on the virtues of knighthood and chivalry. Ardenvale values honor and loyalty, Vantress values wisdom and knowledge, Locthwain values determination and persistence, Embereth values bravery and valor, and Garenbrig values strength and fortitude. Thus, the Knight, which is traditionally very white and sometimes black, can be in any color it wants this set and still make sense.

And that was very cool of them, honestly! However, it doesn't get us any closer to the setting feeling Arthurian. Setting aside that you're making a Magic set, ask: once you have King Arthur himself and Camelot, what do you need next to truly be Arthurian-evocative?

There's a pretty good chance that you said either Merlin or Excalibur. And Eldraine does indeed have those! Sort of.

This is Gadwick the Wizened and Embercleave. The former is from Vantress, and the latter associated with Embereth.

I have just told you all the lore about Gadwick and Embercleave.

They are both part of cycles of cards. Gadwick is the only card in his cycle that has anything to do with King Arthur conceptually, and in-universe he does nothing significant and is unrelated to Kenrith or Ardenvale, so it's really only process of elimination and word of God that places him as this setting's Merlin. Embercleave is part of a cycle of artifacts meant to represent different artifacts from Arthurian legend. Except the blue one, which is another fairy tale thing, and the green one, which is... Stonehenge, for some reason.

In fact, Embercleave almost did not exist. It was originally the Irencrag, this world's Sword in the Stone-- or rather, Stone with the Sword. (Note: Excalibur isn't even the sword in the stone, Excalibur was from the lady of the lady, the stone sword is different, look it up) Knights of Embereth, as a rite of passage, stick their weapon into the rocky edifice, and if they can pull it back out again, they are worthy of knighthood. And that's a very fun, cute way to take a recognizable motif of the source material and expand it into a whole cultural thing, genuinely.

But you're telling me early drafts of your Story of King Arthur Plane didn't have an Excalibur? Like, I'm glad that you caught it before you went to print, but where are your priorities where that almost happened? And it's not like Arthurian myth has some kind of dearth of legendary relics! Rhongomyniad, Failnaught, Carnwennan, the Ring of Dispel, the Green Sash, Prydwen. There, I just made another five color cycle with one to spare, and I wasn't even trying!

But fine, it's fine. You have your King Arthur, your Merlin, and your Excalibur, and even your Holy Grail, even though not a one has anything to do with the other and only one of them will do anything of significance within the story. You also almost had a Morgan le Fay analogue in the form of Sheoldred the Whispering Witch, but you cut her later in design because you wanted Eldraine to be a breather period after WotS and not another immediate ramp-up (good call, btw, but her replacement, Oko, is very much not a Morgan).

Is there... anything else? Something... synonymous with King Arthur, present in virtually every pop culture depiction of the man in some fashion? Something that a layman might naturally finish the sentence "King Arthur and his..." if prompted?

That's right, his Round Table!

King Arthur's iconic Round Table, which he famously sat at all by himself. His Round Table which was definitely intrinsically magical and NOT, by any means, a symbol of a regent placing himself on equal footing with those who swore allegiance to him.

In case my sarcasm is not portraying my frustration adequately: there are no Knights of the Round Table in this set. There plenty of knights, sure. A glut of them. And, as seen above, there is something of a Round Table that some of them are associated with. But there is not elite fellowship of legendary knights with the King counted among their distinguished and exclusive ranks.

The set Throne of Eldraine have five legendary knights at uncommon, plus a sixth if you count the commander precon. None of them have any lore or characterization beyond "hey remember how we said knights of this color are like? this is one of them".

Lancelot, the peerless master of weapons whose base desires doomed the court to infighting. Bedivere, the king's first knight of unfailing loyalty and single arm. Kay, the king's stepbrother turned protector, know for his mix of fire magic and swordplay. Gawain the gentleman, whose arrogance is tempered into humility. Mordred, the child of the king and his worst enemy, traitor to the crown. Tristan of the tragic romance. Galahad, Agravain, Percival.

Not a single one of them has an intentional parallel in Throne. All real estate for legendary knight characters in what is, ostensibly, The Legendary Knight Setting, is dedicated to going "knights are in all five colors in this setting isn't that neat".

And one might think "oh, they were just worried that the average consumer isn't going to have the knowledge of the specific of King Arthur's court". And ordinarily might be inclined to agree with you, but: they printed Questing Beast.

Yes, everybody's favorite 4/4 for four with three keywords and more further upsides than most would care to count. The questing beast is an actual thing from Arthurian lore, and like a surprising number of other mythical creatures, it probably originated from someone poorly describing a giraffe. Still, it's extremely obscure. I count myself the biggest authority in Arthurian stuff in most of my friend circles, and I'd never heard of this thing until its card was spoiled.

So this thing that almost nobody had ever heard of, it gets to be in the set, legendary, at mythic, and strong enough to warp standard, PLUS explicit lore importance. But making room for a single Knight of the Round Table? In the Camelot setting? Couldn't be done.

I'm not asserting this is actually true, but looking at the set, I can't help but feel that whoever pitched "let's do an Arthurian world after War of the Spark" knew nothing about King Arthur stuff besides what cartoons and movies made casual reference to. Like, really. Assume that you aren't allowed to say "there's a king" or "there are knights", because those are both things true of very many planes, and tell me, how would explain what makes Eldraine "Arthurian"?

Oathsword Knight is a Monty Python reference, is that anything?

So, yeah. The set comes out, and according to market research, the Arthurian side of the plane "tested poorly", which is to say, most players didn't realize it was there, which is to say, they realized it wasn't. So, in response to this-- I mean, by sheer coincidence, the Phyrexians destroyed all five courts in the invasion. References to them still exist, but Eldraine is focusing much more on the fairy-tale side of things this time, hence the name Wilds of Eldraine. There's knights, but no knight typal. Humans, but no adamant.

And then something funny happened.

I won't go into every last detail of Wilds of Eldraine's story, but: Will and Rowan are in disagreement of how The Realm should be salvaged. Rowan, frustrated with ideas like "social reform" and "negotiation", wants to do so with her magical prowess, and is willing to swear fealty to her evil witch aunt to make it happen. Will, meanwhile, is more level-headed, and wants to untie the realm by simply being a good leader and trusting the people to believe in him. And at first, they don't. But Syr Imodane, knight turned raider turned knight again, sees his earnestness and decides to place her loyalty in Will, and others follow after her.

One day I was thinking about Imodane, who features prominently in the story, and I had a small realization. The prosthetic arm, the mixture of fire magic and melee combat, being first to join. She's sort of like Bedivere and Kay rolled into one character. Except, you know, meaner, and a woman of color.

Then, like a flash, it clicked for me.

Algenus was never the Arthur. He was the Uther, THAT'S why he barely did anything. Will Kenrith is the King Arthur, the boy who became king because somebody had to. Eriette is the Morgan. And Rowan, her pawn and Will's flesh and blood, is the Mordred.

And just like that, they've done it. They have captured, not just the surface-level aesthetics of the Matter of Britain, which are by themselves nothing extraordinary, but the SPIRIT of it.

Many people thought getting rid of the courts would dilute the setting's Arthurian theme to nonexistence, but honestly? The courts never had anything to do with the Arthurian theme, not really. Apparently, they were just getting in the way.

Ultimately, making a setting "Arthurian" is a foolhardy task, because the setting of King Arthur himself isn't interesting, and it's not what makes the tale of Camelot interesting. But making STORY "Arthurian", making its cast and their relationships and their arcs and their virtues line up with what the tale of Camelot explores? That's something. Strange that it took making a limited archetype about evil candy to accomplish this, but we got there.

#mtg #eldraine #long #essay

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markrosewater · 1 day

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Happy birthday! It's honestly difficult for me to remember any specific story about Magic, simply because it affected me so much. I have a holistic view on my life (not too dissimilar to yours), so I believe everything I do is connected. It's thanks to Magic that I've met most of my current friends, that I got interested in foreign languages (English is not my native tongue) and got a job translating Japanese specifically (thanks to Kamigawa). I wouldn't be who I am without it, so thank you.

: )

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inventors-fair · 3 months

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Together Together: Partner winners!

Our winners this week are @hanavesinauttija, @izzet-always-r-versus-u, and @mudthing!

@hanavesinauttija — Sickly Patrician & Melodious Nightingale

Most people know me as a flavor guy around these parts, and if I had to judge this card based on the flavor text, I'd say that it's delving into the purple language a wee bit heavily and that you can tone down the poetic nature of the dialogue. The inspiration is quite interesting, though, and mechanically, I love the smoothness with which you created this union. The exchange of treasures and life is fine for the bodies and their utility, and if I am going to be down for the flavor, I like the usage of Noble as a type here and the fact that even though you don't have to, it makes sense for the owner of the Nightingale to repay the Patrician.

Really, what I like here is the targeting. 2HG isn't much of an online format as far as I'm aware, so there's no misclicks, and in commander/multiplayer games, the ability to heal someone as a political move is neat to me as well. 2HG seems to be the place where there's going to be the most application, but there's room for either card in casual artifact decks, lifegain decks, etc. without the burden of single-archetype cards. A little ramp on the black side helps the white decks later in the game, and overall, keeping the team alive and strong feels like it's asking a lot strategically without getting crazy complicated.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Towashi Casino Dealer & Kami of Reclaimed Coins

Weirdly enough, this one is a pair I'm enjoying MOSTLY for the flavor. A spirit-touched dealer is a crazy addition to the world of Kamigawa (but honestly, gambling is a universal touch I'm more down with than that effing DJ table from NEO) but what a flavorful win they are. Modifications and artifacts play mechanically into the feeling that Kamigawa limited was going for, and yeah, it's still one of the best draft formats period, with this card for sure fitting in. Everyone place your bets!

The one thing I'm wondering mechanically about the spirit is if you could justify having it remove a counter from any creature? Or, wait, it probably should also be artifacts or creatures—but that's small potatoes compared to that awesome flavor text. The image of coins gives me No Face vibes, if that counts or matters at all. But what's the relationship between them? It's fascinating, having this spirit that falls in between a representation of shunting greed and hoarding the tangible, asking what is offered of it, lunging at the opportunity. Luck has no bearing on debt. Man, that's cool. I just love the small spiritual worldbuilding that's also made for a great overall pair of cards.

@mudthing — Fangbound Prowler & Bonded Fangmother

Once more, we have a black and white pair that implies team-based building without explicitly saying it. There's nothing wrong with having cards that talk about the team, and I liked a lot of them that were here, but the bonding works especially well here because of how it forces you to stop and think about the relationship with your fellow player. Plus, in a commander game, you can use this card to stealthily kill someone you don't like. Just to touch on a mechanical portion with the Fangmother, I think you could have made this a 2/3 without too much trouble, but the card's still great.

Here's the awesome flavor portion: the cat is a solo wild predator. You attack, you get the cats. There's nothing team-based about it. But when you have the prowler and one summons the other, the prowler now has the impetus and responsibility to buff these wild creatures. Like, I get a sense of independence from the cats that the Prowler can use once they're bonded together to increase their overall power and gain the life back. Does that make any sense whatsoever? I might be a little loopy but damn if that doesn't hit in a neat place. I wish Ikoria evoked that more honestly.

Runners coming up soon! @abelzumi

#magic the gathering #mtg #custom magic card #inventor's fair #winners #commentary #valentines 2024 contest

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johannesviii · 8 months

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I know a lot about Doctor Who but nothing about magic the gathering. Can you explain what it’s deal is an rough outline for the rules and how linked to Doctor Who the main narrative of Magic is linked to? (I.e. does it add anything to Doctor Who Lore.)

also would you recommend getting into it or is it like Warhammer in that it is much to expensive for a normal everyday common person to consume (I.e. me)

The rules of Magic are quite complex when you delve deep into them, but on the surface it's quite simple actually. You have a deck of cards, and some of them are "lands", which provide "mana" (energy) when you "tap" them (turn them sideways). This mana allows you to play the other non-land cards to cast spells, summon creatures that you can "tap" to attack the opponent's life points, etc. Everyone starts with 20 life points and seven cards in hand, and draw a card at the beginning of their own turn. First person to get to zero life points (or zero cards in their deck, but that's uncommon) loses.

Magic's lore is also quite complex considering it's 30 years old at this point, but it has some similarities to Doctor Who, actually; for instance, it's a universe with various Planes with their own biomes, cultures, history, etc (think of them as different planets), and some people called "planeswalkers" can basically teleport between them as they wish, running around, causing trouble or solving it, hatching nefarious plans or just going on an adventure with some friends. Does that remind you of anything? (I'm not sure it *adds* anything to Doctor Who lore exactly, but the parallel is funny)

Ten years ago I would have recommended getting into it but it's WAY too expensive now. If you're interested in checking the game without getting your hand on real cards costing real money, I'd suggest you try playing Magic Arena, which is free to play (but has in-game purchases, so be careful about that).

One thing I still enjoy to this day despite my general dislike of WotC's practices is all the work being put into designing the various Planes and how different each of them feel. Here's Kaladesh, where steampunk meets Arabian Nights:

Kamigawa (well, the most recent version of it anyway) where japanese medieval fantasy and folklore meets cyberpunk:

And one of my recent faves, New Capenna, basically a fantasy version of the kind of city you'd see in a gangster movie set in the 1920s.

So yeah, I don't suggest getting into Magic financially, but the worldbuilding itself is pretty neat, I think

#magic the gathering #replies

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bace-jeleren · 4 months

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hey wouldn't it be fucked up if kaito and wanderer had babeys but we never find out until it's just randomly mentioned and never elaborated upon and you're like "HUH? WUH??? THEY FUCKED???????????? MORE THAN ONCE!?!?" and even when we return to Kamigawa it's just randomly mentioned in flavor text and once again NEVER ELABORATED UPON

You do not understand how absolutely complete my life would become, just from the third-party mention of KaiWan baybees. Like, someone could mention it in conversation- like a fucking sentence- and I would explode. Like, straight up, the joy would turn me into a human bomb.

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blockcat17 · 9 months

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I kinda wish there were fox tribal cards in mtg, as in cards that gain benefits from having other foxes in play. That said, there aren’t a ton of fox cards— a lot of them are Kitsunes that came out in sets related to Kamigawa, but I wouldn’t mind kitsune tribal cards either. Right now as far as I can remember there aren’t any cards that specifically give benefits to or receive benefits from playing foxes other than Pious Kitsune, who gains more life if Eight and a Half Tails is in play, but that barely counts.

Idk maybe it’s because the foxes don’t fit enough of a theme together— the vast majority of them are solely in white, with exceptions like bright-palm and etched familiar, but they have a pretty wide variety of effects, like +1/+1 counters, enchantment support, life gain and crewing. I just want to play a fox tribal deck that actually does something.

#mtg #magic the gathering #my stuff #star speaks

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threestarsbazaar · 1 year

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Swordtember Day 11 - Neon

Today we bring a beautiful katana, forged on a distant plane to channel the power of dazzling light. Kamigawa cuts an amazing picture in the darkness, blazing to life.

#swordtember #swordtember2022 #dungeonsanddragons #dnd #dndhomebrew #dndart #dnditems #ttrpg #ttrpgart #ttrpghomebrew #kamigawa #kamigawaneondynasty #mtg #katana #neon #troncycle #tron #bakuzan #killlakill

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wifelinkmtg · 1 year

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Cruel Angel’s Thesis intensifies

Technically, it’s “Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty” and not “Neon Dynasty Kamigawa” but only the latter facilitates “get in the robot, Shinji” jokes when you tap your pilot token to crew your Thundersteel Colossus, so. Anyway, none of the mecha cards are relevant to this project - it would have been too much to hope for a POWER DoLLS situation - so really, the moral of the story is that I should have saved the Samurai Jack title joke for this edition.

TODAY ON WIFELINK: GUSHING ABOUT CYBERPUNK FANTASY JAPAN

NDK was a great set, you have to understand. Do you remember how one of the few unequivocally good things about Legend of Korra was this project of imagining a 1920s industrial setting derived from (mostly) East Asian art and architecture? Yeah, similar story here. Just one example: the Imperial mecha look like someone did origami to sheet metal, which is super cool and lends their faction a distinct visual identity. The art in this set is gorgeous - soaring architecture, grungy neon alleyways, sick cyborgs, spirits (in the original Kamigawa block, spirits had some of the weirdest creature designs Magic had ever had, and this continues that legacy) - sagas! saga art is in-universe visual representation of a story that’s important to the people of the world, and NDK sagas are told on ornamental fans, wall scrolls, porcelain jugs, the carved hilt of a katana, a silk dress, in a leaf carving and vector graphics AND, the best saga art ever, on the back of a biker rat’s leather jacket. (I would be remiss at this point not to recommend Rhystic Studies’ extremely good video on sagas.)

And the mechanics! Sagas turn into creatures when the story is over, sort of living memories. Ninjutsu made a triumphant return, the channel mechanic multiplied interesting choices, and so did the reconfigure mechanic, which let you either use a mechanical centipede as a whip attached to one of your creatures, or let it operate autonomously as a creature in its own right (which led to one of the best type lines in MtG: “Legendary Artifact Creature - Equipment Jellyfish.”)

The draft environment - and I know I’m way off-topic here, but I’m about to say some mildly unkind things about this set and I need to preface it - the draft environment was the best I’ve ever encountered. There were so many different viable archetypes, so many different cool choices you could make during drafts and gameplay. The blue-black ninjas deck, fast red-black artifact sacrifice, recursive green-white enchantments - all felt powerful and fun. The whole set was flavorful and compelling, and there are not that many good wifelink hits, I’m sorry to say.

THE QUALITY OF A MAGIC THE GATHERING SET IN TERMS OF THIS PROJECT IS NOT AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF OVERALL SET QUALITY

Heiko Yamazaki, the General (art by Magali Villeneuve)

Heiko makes it where her cousin Norika (also by Villeneuve) doesn’t for two reasons: one is that I find Heiko’s broody expression indicative of a rich and stormy internal life, which always hits me like the smoky scent of a fine scotch or a cup of lapsang souchong. A woman with inner turmoil draws me like a moth to a bug-zapper, which I suppose is why I keep getting into trouble with older women in troubled relationships. “If I simply provide enough unpaid therapy, she’ll leave her abusive husband back in [REDACTED FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC] & also the closet she’s been in for forty-five years & stay in the United States with me!” Yeah, that’ll happen, idiot.

The other reason is that Norika is a cop.

Tamiyo, Compleated Sage (art by Chris Rahn)

There are a lot of planeswalkers I don’t care about, personally, and I’m not only talking about the male ones. If I’m being honest, my engagement with Magic story has always been kind of shallow on account of Magic story is frequently (but not always!) bad. Like, pursuant to the previous entry, I did enjoy the apparently-uncredited story about the Yamazakis Wizards published back in February. It’s compelling! There’s juice to that relationship. We will never get anything else about these characters.

See, it turns out that the incentives of creating a collectible card game are not terribly aligned with those of creating rich long-form fantasy stories. Novelty sells cards. We hop around. Those few characters who do enjoy a prolonged spotlight often wilt under the attention as we all collectively get sick to death of the fucking Gatewatch or whoever else. Magic the Gathering is still compelling media, or else why would I be doing this, but to me it’s a kaleidoscopic whirl of mostly detached ideas, characters, settings, and vibes.

ALL OF WHICH IS TO SAY that I never knew much or cared to about Tamiyo. She was some nerd from Kamigawa who didn’t save Avacyn, whatever. Then the Phyrexians got her and turned her into an ichor-weeping cyborg brainwashed into working toward the universal expansion of New Phyrexia, a biomechanical plane of horror, corruption, and ego death, so now she’s hot!

Go-Shintai of Hidden Cruelty (art by Johannes Voss)

I don’t think I can explain this one, to be honest. Sometimes you just wanna get fucked up by a magical bone machine.

I KNOW THIS ONE HAS BEEN REALLY TALKY ALREADY BUT I GOT SOME BEHIND-THE-SCENES STUFF TO SAY AND A SET WITH ONLY THREE HITS SEEMS AS GOOD A PLACE AS ANY

Well, only three hits that I can find high-quality images of for. I suppose I could be using card rips of Tia Masic’s Moon-Circuit Hacker (reminiscent of my introduction to cyberpunk via Shadowrun, a bad setting paired with a bad system which nevertheless compelled me to consume more cyberpunk, most of it also bad) or Wisnu Tan’s Spring-Leaf Avenger (a delightful vaguely-orchid-mantis bug ninja) but that would look like

and

...oh wait that actually looks fine, at least to me on desktop. Okay, then, I’ll incorporate those into my strategy as an acceptable last resort going forward. Actually, while I’m at it:

Junji, the Midnight Sky (art by Chase Stone)

The dragon’s hot, man, I don’t know what to tell you.

THE OTHER THING IS ABOUT WHAT WE WILL GENEROUSLY CALL AN “UPDATE SCHEDULE”

Phyrexia: All Will Be One releases the second week in February and I am goddamn well going to review that as soon as it’s out, because I played Cyberqueen at the young and impressionable age of twenty-two and now “quasi-omnipotent dominatrix corrupts you into a biomechanical horror ecstatically enslaved to her will” is the hottest thing I will ever get out of Magic: the Gathering unless Ashiok decides to start force-femming planeswalkers, so I am going to be tearing through one set a week for the next three weeks.

Next time is New Capenna, the Art Deco Metropolis of organized crime, bad draft experiences, and well-muscled arms, followed by a return to Dominaria where my excitement for more Phyrexians will be tempered by the fact that my favorite characters from the last Dominaria set are not quite so hot this time round.

#there's an argument to be made that i should more substantially edit these after writing them instead of continuing to discover #what the structure of the post is as i'm writing it and then leaving it as-is #there's also an argument to be made that i should have fewer tangents digressions parentheticals for overall readability #but i'm not going to do either of those things :)#anyway did you know that there are zero hits for forced feminization in the mtg tag on AO3 #personally i think ashiok should start with teyo and move on from there but i am open to suggestions

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lazodiac · 2 months

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Spent all day writing out a full campaign story recap for my MTG themed DND game. I've posted it below because... maybe people would be curious to give it a read? Hope you enjoy!

SET 1: RIDDLES IN RAVNICA

Four planeswalkers; Signora Luna de la Cruz, a Soratami cleric and adventurer initially claiming to be a vampire. Kaneis, a Nyxborn wanderer seeking a place in life. Rodna, a vampire warlock secretly working for the Dimir. Wistralaxa, a Naga sorceress with an uncanny ability to not die. Each found themselves in possession of a letter requesting they head to a Ravnican café at a specified date. Upon doing so, they met with an Azorius arrestor with a mission that required finesse, strength, and secrecy.

The mission was, initially, to find the Goblin mob boss known as Krenko and bring him to justice. However, a mixture of “actually fuck the cops” attitudes, secret dealings, and sensing of foul-play being afoot lead our heroes to instead side with Krenko (after roughing up some of his men) and help him in taking down the Azorius instead. In doing so, a conspiracy of sorts was discovered, as well as Rodna retrieving a package from her Dimir handler, Etrata- a mysterious tome.

After the mission, the party has lunch and decides to keep in touch- they seem to work well together, after all. And so, each return to their lives; Rodna receives her next mission. Kaneis finds a letter placed on their bed labeled “A Friend”. Signora Luna’s inn-room is bombed. Wist encounters the mysterious Mr. Taz, who gives her an invitation to Eldraine- seemingly the mastermind behind all the goings on.

Our heroes reconvene to discuss what happened and what their next task will be. After some discussion, it is decided to tackle the bombing Luna narrowly avoided- seemingly caused by the Shattergang Brothers, goblin rivals of Krenko, their “new friend”. After some investigation, they head to the Undercity’s Golgari Markets to stock up, complete a task for an ally, and then rest for the night.

Our heroes then storm the Rakdos Cult nightclub the Shattergang Brothers are held out in, fighting through the twisty-turning pathways. Guards and goblins, but also at least one creature from Amonkhet, Wist’s home plane, something that should be impossible. This all comes to a head with our party successfully capturing the Shattergang Brothers… only for them to be found dead, slain when no one was looking. The truth of the matter is then revealed; Rodna is a Dimir assassin, unknown even to herself. Her true task, to hunt down Dimir agents who have gone rogue, and the link to all of these events is one said rogue agent; Ivreyla, and the “Friends of the Multiverse”, led by Mr. Taz Dranos.

A dark truth revealed, our heroes support Rodna as she breaks her pact with Rozumu, leaves the Dimir, and after recovering head off to Ivelya’s hideout, lead by a former guildmate of hers. Unfortunately it is a trap, and our heroes must fight their way through the hideout to save Rodna’s friend- captured by Ivreyla- and bring an end to her Dimir cell once and for all.

Strava, Rodna’s friend, is saved- though turned into a vampire to do so. The Dimir cell is destroyed, all members killed. Ivreyla herself seems to escape as her spark ignites and she planeswalks away, but a cursory inspection of the plane she ended up reveals she is likely to have been ripped to pieces by a werewolf. A satisfactory ending, that in the end leads our party- through Kaneis- to make actual contact with the so-called “Friends of the Multiverse”, an organization of Planeswalkers who seek to assist each other in various… endeavors.

The party categorically refuse, for understandable reasons, and instead head to Kamigawa- an old friend of Wist’s may be able to help with their current problems…

SET 2: THE IRON SCROLL

The Story Circle- a loosely connected band of Planeswalkers that share information and stories, a friendly group that is connected by faint threads more than the bond of battle and bloodshed. Wist is a friend of the ‘leader’ of that group, Tamiyo, and heads to her home on the plane of Kamigawa in the hopes of fulfilling their goals. Rodna needs to learn what is going on with her body- breaking the pact has seemingly unlocked some sort of mutation that is happening to her. Luna wants further adventures, and exploring her home plane is something of an interest for her. Kaneis has a want for connection, to more firmly define themselves through others. While some of this is accomplished something all-together more important pops up. One of Tamiyo’s Iron Scrolls have been stolen.

The Iron Scrolls, she explains, are three very powerful stories she has collected through her time traveling the multiverse- stories that MUST be recorded, but in the recording have been granted overwhelming power that befits their very import. Plane shattering stuff. So our heroes head off in pursuit of the thief, reaching a nearby Nezumi village. Assisting the locals and entreating the local kami-god Nezu-kyo- and telling each other the stories of how their sparks ignited as payment- our heroes are pointed in the right direction, heading to a city on the edge of civilization.

Our heroes reach the Painted City, a beautiful place of neon paints and colour. A Soratami planeswalker- known as Eshi- lives here, and Nezu-Kyo has pointed them towards him to find that which they seek. Going to see Eshi however involves them finding a strange diorama of a tall tower… that our heroes then find themselves within! Strange puzzles and antics are has… as well as one of Wist’s cooking knives being drawn in as a massively powerful yokai that our heroes must run from.

Eventually, our heroes locate Eshi’s painting room within this strange diorama. An enigmatic sort, with paintings of various lands in Kamigawan style- most relevantly, a scene from Theros, and a painting marked with the symbol of an Innistradi cult that Rodna found in that cursed tome of hers. This turns out to be relevant, as whatever mutations Rodna is undergoing, something similar is happening to him, and he provides some information about it- as well as pointing them towards how they can contact the Friends of the Multiverse and locate that scroll.

Eshi lets our heroes leave after he finishes Signora Luna’s painting- a strange thing, that seems to shift as one looks at it, and perhaps more questions than answers, especially with regards to the Tide Star Seer, something that Luna finds familiar… but that’s brushed off as they further explore the city looking for Sen the Silent. Our heroes engage in Sen’s fight club, learn of some leads, and after some shenanigans involving a shadow kami end up getting the information they need- though not before said kami puts on a little show for Luna, taunting her about something she doesn’t quite understanding.

With information in hand, our heroes journey through the old wilderness of Kamigawa… and find themselves changing. Rodna grows stronger, fiercer, in defense of her friends. Wist grows impatient and reckless as the worry of what this Iron Scroll could do weighs on her. Luna starts to welcome in the power of her home, dragon-cries echoing in her dreams. Kaneis starts to define themself, a whirling dervish of blades and tendrils and jellyfish dresses. The old magic of the plane, the conflicts they encounter, turn our heroes into Heroes, befitting the quest they’re on. Little do they know what this could mean…

Partway through, they encounter the Tiger Claw bandits, and end up storming their fort through stealth and guile and absurdly intense power. The honestly quite pathetic leader of this crew and his minions are dispatched quite easily by our heroes, but in the doing they discover some oddities- the leader’s Dominarian armor, a Zendikari elemental trapped within a room of the hide out as a digging tool. More things that suggest the Friends of the Multiverse have been here, twisting lives for their own gain.

The confrontation draws near. The planeswalkers reach the mountain where the Friends’ hideout is, and explore it in search of their enemies. With some assistance from an old kami known as Night’s Reach, our heroes find it- in exchange for taking a mask representative of her power with them, to bury on another plane at a later date. Our heroes reach the hideout of the Friends of the Multiverse… and reality crashed down upon them, as words echo across them- echoes of Dominarian history.

They are reading the scroll. There is not much time left. Our heroes rampage through the undead samurai and Innistradi spirits and other would-be monsters defending their lair, and all the while echoes of magic ring out across the pagodas. The world reverberates and rattles.

In tackling the pagoda fortress, our heroes split up. Kaneis on their lonesome, the rest together facing the undead hordes- and faltering. Luna is unconscious, Wist is being hounded by spirits, and Rodna is doing her best. It is here, at a tea room positioned between pagodas, that Kaneis runs into another kami- though this one is not a servant of their enemies. She asks if they need assistance, and Kaneis says yes… in exchange for a favor. Kaneis has a beast to hunt, and will know when the time is right to repay this debt. With a golden hand, the spirit plucks the remaining heroes from their rooms and places them in the tea room, where our heroes take a moment to breath before confronting their foes.

Within the final chamber are the twins of the Friends of the Multiverse; Seele, a Geistspeaker, and Corpus, a Ghoulcaller, both from Innistrad. The twins and their servants (plus the animated remains of the ninja Higure) ready themselves to fight, and our heroes charge to meet them. Corpus continues his reading, the magic crackling through the very fabric of the plane itself, reality starting to shift.

The battle is chaos incarnate. Luna fights Seele, having previously fought her in Sen’s fight club. Wist provides support. Rodna engages Corpus directly with her strange powers and her katana. Kaneis whirls and carves and kicks and fires off spines in defense of their allies. It is break-neck, frenetic, and our heroes are pushed to the limit. Finally, it happens! Rodna slays the ghoulcaller and he dies with portentious words; “It’s the wrong scroll”. Followed by a hideous, hissing roar as a behemoth of a black dragon, scales metallic and shiny, tendril lord cords lashing out from its hide steps through a smokey rip in reality. It screams “THERE WILL BE SILENCE.”

Seele turns her remaining soldiers about the creature, but it simply isn’t enough. A stream of caustic acid bellows forth from the dragon’s maw, and the Geistspeaker is washed away in a sea of glowing liquid. Luna barely survives this, but falls unconscious. Rodna does her best to carve into it. Wist is worn and weary, attrition taking its hold. Kaneis’s spines clatter against its metallic hide- but then, a solid blow! A hammer-shaped spine shatters one of the dragon’s eyes, and the second, sharper spine enters the gap in the creatures skull. It unleashes a horrid screech, worse than anything they’d heard before.

And then, Silence. The dragon’s flailing roars, their own haggard breathing, all of it blanked out. They can barely even hear themselves think. The dragon’s head twists upside down and unfurls into a cylindrical device… and starts glowing, light flooding from the hairline fractures that open up into it.

It is, quite clearly, a bomb. Our heroes run, Luna managing to wake up in time- though not before seeing a vision of nine stars slicing through the sky in formation before scattering to the winds. She and Wist each other as support as they run, Rodna chasing after, and Kaneis quickly passing them all as they rush ahead- the healthiest of them all, trying to clear the way. But all the spirits and undead that remain seem frozen. They run, footsteps silent, hearts pounding, the impending doom behind them glowing fiercer. Rodna falls, out of breath. Wist and Luna try to pull her to her feet. Kaneis doubles back to help. They feel as though they’re running in sand, and then- vision gone white, a massive explosion piercing the silence.

Our heroes awaken on the front yard of Tamiyo’s home, each in a pile of pristine white sand, soft and gentle. Luna has a golden ring marked with a face in her hands, she does not know from where, with a message held between the teeth. She looks at it, a mystery. Wist collapses in the sand, crying from exhaustion. Kaneis sits there, shaken. Rodna just lays face down. They have barely survived.

Then, a faint glow. A woman in gold robes, the kami Kaneis met, appears. A silver dragon perched across her shoulders. She introduces herself as Michiko and Kyodai, the Sisters of Flesh and Spirit, the patron gods of this plane- higher than any other, but bound by the metaphysical rules of their domain, as they explain in the wake of Wist’s anger at what has transpired. They apologize for what has happened, for as much as that matters, and after some discussion reveal that Luna is the Tide Star Seer- one of five blessed by the dragons of Kamigawa, and the strange visions and dreams are her future sight manifesting.

With that, the Sisters grant our heroes each a boon. Wist uses hers to task the Sisters with restructuring society upon the plane, so no one is powerless to shape their own fate. Rodna asks them to rid her of the corruption stemming from her palm, and is given a wolf shaped amulet that will absorb the power of that which changed her, ridding her of that corruptive force. Kaneis simply asks “Why am I?”, and they answer that they hold within them an intensely beautiful soul- to return to Theros with their companions will answer the questions they seek, and Kaneis receives a compass to guide the way. Luna, meanwhile, does not know what boon she will ask- but when she does, the Sisters will act.

In the aftermath of all this, our heroes return to Tamiyo’s home- not difficult given they’re on her front porch- to regroup, recover, and inform the poor Soratami of what all happened. Luna inspects the ring she found in her hand, the note telling “Those who fought the Black Dragon, seek out the One Made Five”, but decides they’ll handle that later. As well, much to Tamiyo’s horror and the concern of our heroes, the Iron Scroll casings are now each marked with a symbol that they swear was not there before- an upside down pyramid with a ruby in the center.

But those mysterious will have to wait. Instead, our heroes have made a decision… Rodna is too important to them to leave in a lurch like this. Next stop, Innistrad.

SET 3: LIGHT OVER INNISTRAD

Innistrad is an awful place at the best of times- always cold, often dark, the wilderness full of all manner of creature with a desire to kill you. And that was before the Trevails, when the ancient eldritch creature known as Emrakul came to the plane, corruption in her wake… though a different set of heroes solved that problem well before our heroes ever met. But it is in that aftermath of a world that Rodna, Luna, Wist, and Kaneis find themselves, on the hunt for information about Rodna’s mark, and how to cure it.

They march down the road to Ulm, the town nearest their arrival. A simple town, with more than a few problems, and our heroes feel the need to do as heroes do and help out. There’s a murderer on the prowl, the town is down to the last dregs of humanity who wish to survive here, and it is only through helping solve this case that Ulm will be saved.

The investigation begins, the party splitting up to cover more ground. Kaneis bonds with a small child. Wist examines the four victims. Rodna infiltrates secret areas of the local parish. Luna makes friends. Far too much happens in far too much detail to properly set up in a recap in any reasonable length of time which is wild because look at how big this document is already dear lord.

Fact is, our heroes discover some of the many secrets of Ulm, and end up finding the murderer- a cultist and his son, who they swiftly dispatch after exploring his strange, haunted hideout. Within, they discover something far more important; a portrait of Rodna, from before she was turned into a vampire. Turns out, the cult has ties to her origin… and someone in town has seen a woman who has the same fiery red hair as she does.

Journeying through the woods to find said person, the planeswalkers encounter a tribe of strange were-panthers- previously encountered during the investigations. They are led to meet the leader of their tribe, to negotiate a peace with Ulm. Said leader is a tall panther-man with a deep, strong voice and a penchant for speaking in metaphor- Kaneis matches wits with their own poetry, Wist strikes to the heart of the issues, Luna is less than thrilled, and Rodna is wary. The man, calling himself the Sage, leaves them with cryptic comments and a singular warning; the shadow of a Planeswalker leaves a long shadow. He does offer to make peace with Ulm as Wist requests, and our heroes leave to continue their search.

It does not take very long; in a clearing of the woods, far enough from civilization to be reasonably called idyllic, they find a simple log cabin. A woman with fiery red hair, working her day. It is Rodna’s mother, and the reunion is terrifically sad. Not least of which because… reunions often mean departures. Rodna is oh so very tired, and this is the first sign of something stable and comforting in a long time. She opts to stay, for now, to learn of her history and why she became what she is- the attempt at revitalizing a dying house of vampire nobility, mutating for reasons still unclear save for being marked as some grand Matriarch of import.

Rodna would rather not have to deal with that, so she rests, and our heroes leave with heavy hearts. They know they may see her again, but for now it is goodbye. Their next task; learn the truth of that mysterious symbol. And so they leave for Dominaria, to investigate the mighty libraries of Tolaria…

SET 4: THE PAGES OF TOLARIA

Wist, Luna, and Kaneis find themselves on the plane of Dominaria. Not the first time for any of them, though Tolaria’s coastal locale is a new one. School is currently out for the upcoming autumn season, and the library should be mostly empty. But other mysterious faces roam those storied halls…

Splitting up to cover more ground, Luna heads off and encounters two such faces- Myfanwy, a Faerie wizard from Eldraine with many a secret of her own, and Linessa, a local Human wizard. Seeking the adventure most likely to be found within this school, she joins the two of them in their quest to access the so-called Forbidden Texts. Myfanwy thinks all knowledge should be free, Linessa has a thesis to write, and Luna sees this for the adventure it truly is.

Wist and Kaneis meanwhile scour the shelves for books pertaining to the strange mark, and find a mysterious face of their own; Linessa, a human wizard local to the plane. The mystery of these same-named folks obscured for the time being, they assist her in hunting down tomes, eventually finding a handful of promising leads; a book on demons and a diary of an extremely ordinary, dull man.

The diary is so boring that Kaneis nearly falls asleep reading it… only to pierce the veil of this illusion and receive a strange poem of a riddle. Before they can bring it up, disaster strikes as Wist pries open the demon book with a blast of magical ice, unsealing one of the demons from within; a demon from her own home plane. They fight it tooth and claw and tail, but only thanks to the appearance of Myfanwy (who has completed the exam and gone exploring) that they manage to survive the beast.

Myfanwy then leaves again as our heroes recover, reuniting with Luna and the Linessa she met to reach the Forbidden Texts room, guarded by a delightful talking door. Gaining access, they pore over the books inside to find something, anything, that may give them the answers they seek. Myfanwy finds a book on the stars of multiple planes, Luna finds an old scroll on the history of Kamigawa, specifically regarding the Dragon Stars, and Linessa… finds what she is looking for, before vanishing in a gust of wind.

The Linessa with Wist and Kaneis vanishes as well, having satisfied her curiosity with the two planeswalkers, just in time for Luna and newcomer Myfanwy to return. They reconvene, and if you’re reading this right now that means you’ve caught up! If you’ve got any questions please ask me! I'd love to ramble about this (but no spoilers some of my players follow me)

#mtg #magic the gathering #dnd #dungeons and dragons #5th edition #game posting #long post

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loreholdlesbian · 1 year

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Card transcription

Gitaxias's Reality Chip U

Legendary Artifact- Equipment [rare]

Living weapon

You may look at the top card of your library any time.

Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has “You may cast spells from the top of your library by sacrificing this creature in addition to paying its other costs.”

Equip 1P/U (P/U can be paid with U or 2 life.)

End transcription

Art is from the kamigawa trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdXwsqmVoUI

#mtg #custom magic card #random designs #phyrexia

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neon-dynasty · 1 year

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Gathering Friends

I collect Planeswalker cards. Ever since I opened Sarkhan Vol in a Shards of Alara draft, I've been in love with the card type. It's like calling in a favor from a friend, except instead of getting a ride to the airport, you get dragons.

Look at that card! It may not seem special now, but imagine seeing something like this for the first time. The curved art border, the transparent rules box, the character literally popping out of the frame. It was unlike anything ever seen in the game before, at least outside of joke sets. The introduction of Planeswalkers in Lorwyn was probably the biggest impact on Magic: The Gathering in the franchise's history.

The rules for my collection started off simple: 1) Every printing of every Planeswalker card 2) If there's a premium and a non-premium version of the card, only the non-premium version counts

Then they got a little more complicated as new ways of getting Planeswalker cards came about: 3) Prerelease promos that are identical in every way to their main set counterparts don't count (this would go on to exclude promo pack cards with the foil symbol stamped on the image, as well as reprints with the little symbol on the bottom left of the card) 4) Cards given out as prizes don't count 4b) Heroes of the Realm cards DEFINITELY don't count 5) Lottery cards don't count (1/30 Collector Booster, serialized, other assorted nonsense)

Then came the big one: 6) Special foil treatments do count, so long as they have different collector numbers

That last rule was tough to decide on, because it walked back the lottery stipulation for the foil etched cards in Kamigawa Neon Dynasty. However, the textured foil cards in Double Masters 2022 were different enough from their main set counterparts that it felt right. It's also a very expensive category. As it stands, I can't afford to collect all of those, but we'll see what the future brings.

I'm currently pretty far behind with the collection, missing around 91 out of the 687 currently available Planeswalker cards (excluding 18 cards that land outside of the rules, of which I do own 7). It's mostly a bunch of inexpensive cards, less than ten dollars each, so it's doable. I'm thinking of buying everything worth less than five bucks in one go, and then completing the rest set by set. The last (and only) time I had a complete collection was during Amonkhet, so I'm in no rush.

It's definitely a first world problem, but damn if they don't print FAR too many cards these days. I love collecting these things, but because I don't let it get in the way of my real life, the backlog builds up. It's especially annoying because there are three or more different versions of each Planeswalker card in each set nowadays. I rarely feel the thrill of opening one in a pack anymore, because it's only one of a dozen or more mythic rare cards I need from the set. Phyrexia: All Will Be One is certainly an outlier, but I added thirty-five rows to my spreadsheet in anticipation of the set's release.

One interesting thing about the way the game is now, rotating out of Standard doesn't affect the price of cards very much after a few months. Prices stabilize much more quickly than they used to, and they don't drop as drastically anymore. I no longer feel like I should wait until rotation to clear the backlog a bit.

As a final note, I recently discovered the existence of this card:

It's a prize for Japanese store tournaments. It doesn't count toward the collection (though I do have the other three alternate art promos in this series), but I want it very badly. I've been trying to figure out how to scrounge up a couple hundred bucks to get this card, and feeling ridiculous because there's no excuse for spending that much money on a Magic card, especially one I'll never play.

I enjoy collecting these things, even during times when I'm not actively playing the game with friends. It maintains my connection to the hobby, and gives me a reason to keep up with the story and the game mechanics. On the flip side, sometimes I feel trapped by what can seem like a monumental endeavor. I often wish I could divert the attention I spend on this elsewhere.

In the end, though, Planeswalkers are the reason I still play one of my favorite games in the world. If I hadn't started this collection, I would certainly have moved on from Magic years ago. For something that brings me so much joy, I'm glad I've been able to stick with it for all this time.

#mtg #magic the gathering #planeswalkers

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