mtg-weekly-recap

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MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap: May 01, 2017

Nahiri the Lithomancer, Sorin Markov and Ugin The Spirit Dragon, Cartoon style. | @pazmonx

This week’s edition of the Recap has dodged the Ban-hammer! Let’s take a look at all the different formats that have been affected by banned and restricted announcements, as well as the heavily symbolism-laden Magic Story and some nostalgic fan-art. Join us for more wrap-ups than an Anointed Procession in this issue of the Magic: the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap.

1. Emergency Banning In Standard

Saheeli’s Lament | @planeswalker-umbral​

In one of the more bizarre banning and restricted events, the powerful two card combo of Saheeli Rai and Felidar Guardian were conspicuously unaffected by the announcement on Monday, April 24, despite the infinite loop being missed by Magic R&D, and therefore not attracting the suite of answers that cards like Heart of Kiran and other standard powerhouses now have to face with the release of Amonkhet. 

This news (or more specifically the lack of news) set many tongues a wagging as the merits and demerits of Wizards declining to meddle in Standard versus getting down and curating the format, with debate raging as to how the current meta with two dominant decks appearing far more prevalent and leading to far less innovation than Smuggler’s Copter and Emrakul, the Promised End (which were sent  to the naughty corner last January) ever did. Just as the hand-wringing and bemoaning three more months of a bland Standard reached it’s peak, Wednesday brought an addendum to Monday’s announcement, Felidar Guardian was hit with the ban-hammer. It is interesting that one of the main drivers for both the non-action on the Monday and further action on the Wednesday was the earliest release of the new set on the digital platform, MTGO. This allowed R&D to see what a potential new standard might look like, and whatever data they drew, they felt it was big enough and scary enough to make the call. So what does this mean for standard? Well, the upcoming pro-tour should provide some answers, and like with many recently shaken-up formats, aggressive decks should see good representation (and some success) while the brewmasters work behind the scenes. Rakdos and Jund discard/hellbent seem to blend the best of Amonkhet and Innistrad themes, as well as many recursive graveyard strategies. Amonkhet also brings with it lots of interesting control strategies the might make more of a splash as the format goes forward, now that a Turn 4 instant kill is no longer a spectre hanging over it.

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories​

2. Bans and Unbans in Commander

Brewing when they unban a combo piece | @phyrexian-without-a-cause

Following the official B&R announcement from Wizards for Constructed formats came one from the MTG Commander Rules committee: Leovold, Emissary of Trest is banned and Protean Hulk is unbanned.

Those who have played with or against Leovold know how insanely powerful he is. With “wheel” effects like Windfall, Whispering Madness, Dark Deal, and Teferi’s Puzzle Box and plenty of control elements, Commander decks led by Leovold easily stripped apart opponents’ hands with efficiency and consistency, making him miserable to play against. It’s only been eight months since Leovold was printed in Conspiracy: Take the Crown, but it was enough to demonstrate his power. At the moment, Leovold, Emissary of Trest still holds its $50-price tag since it is a Legacy staple in many Sultai decks (Reid Duke took down GP Louisville this year with True-Name Nemesis Sultai, which ran two copies of Leovold in the main).

The announcement of Protean Hulk’s unbanning was by far the most surprising B&R change of the week. For those unfamiliar with Protean Hulk’s power level, Flash Hulk was a deck that won the third-ever Legacy GP back in 2007 whose main strategy involved Flashing in the Hulk on t2 or earlier with fast mana (yes, even t0), sac’ing it and tutoring up 4 Disciple of the Vault, 4 Phyrexian Marauder, and 4 Shifting Wall. The artifact creatures would die due to SBA and the Disciples would immediately dome your opponent for 32.

While Flash got banned in Legacy as a result of this deck, the combo dream never died: Protean Hulk returned to the limelight in 2015 when Lantern Control creator Zac Elsik among a dozen other players brought a Modern Hulk Combo deck to GP Pittsburgh. Here’s the basic strategy: after discarding Protean Hulk to a number of loot spells in the deck then reanimating it with and sac’ing it to Footsteps of the Goryo or Makeshift Mannequin, search out Viscera Seer and Body Double, copying the Protean Hulk that just went to your graveyard. Sac’ the Body Double with Viscera Seer’s ability to search out Reveillark and Mogg Fanatic, which you sac’ to ping your opponent for 1. From there, you sac’ the Reveillark to bring back Mogg Fanatic and Body Double, copying Reveillark. Because Reveillark and Body Double can continuously bring back each other, you can bring back Mogg Fanatic an arbitrary number of times until your opponent has been pinged to death.

While I doubt anyone will run this 5-color combo in Commander, the unbanning of Protean Hulk has got the community brewing up what creatures they can tutor up and combo off within their current decks’ respective color identities. Within an hour of the announcement, Protean Hulk shot up from below 4.00 USD to over 21.00 USD, with many eager EDH players scrambling to get their copies. My brother and I jumped on the opportunity and bought 5 copies within minutes of the announcement: I snagged two MP copies off eBay for five bucks total, whereas my brother bought three LP copies from his LGS down in San Diego, CA for about three bucks each. We’ll definitely be looking into making a profit when we sell some of them but not all of them—my brother plans to slot a copy of Protean Hulk into his Rashmi Elves deck and sac’ing to either Birthing Pod, Eldritch Evolution, or Natural Order, fetching six mana dorks and Dryad Arbor and swinging in for a buttload of damage, especially with Concordant Crossroads or Akroma’s Memorial in play. Can’t wait to lose to him like that…

— Vincent B, @the-burnished-hart

3. Legacy and Vintage Bans and Restrictions

Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus Always to Tyrants) | by @phyrexian-without-a-cause

The most recent B&R announcement has brought with it the end of an era. In Legacy, the linchpin card of the Miracles deck Sensei’s Divining Top has finally been struck down, taking the most prevalent deck, in terms of overall appearances in major tournaments, in the format with it. The reactions to the ban have, oddly enough, been pretty reasonable. Even some popular Miracles players like Joe Lossett have been pretty quick to say that they understand and they saw this coming for a long time. The ban also makes Legacy event coverage a lot easier to do, now that commentators no longer have to try to make activating Top seem exciting. This just goes to show that if you make a road sign and put it at WotC Headquarters, you can achieve anything (please don’t actually make a big road sign and put it out front of Wizards Headquarters).

In the world of Vintage, Wizards has gone after Monastery Mentor decks and slapped Gitaxian Probe and Gush with a Restricted status. Much like with Legacy Miracles, Mentor decks in Vintage have been running rampant and the bans of these “free” draw spells are meant to weaken this Vintage powerhouse. Not much has been said about how these restrictions are being taken, but most people seem to be in agreement with Wizards, or are saying that Mentor itself should have been the one to be restricted, based on the power level of the card. Nevertheless, this seems to be a positive change for the format. 

These announcements have made people in the respective formats, or even outside of them that are interested in them, start experimenting to find the next powerhouse. In terms of how formats are taking their bans/restrictions, Legacy and Vintage seem to be taking their hits well, and, much like what Wizards hopes will happen whenever they make these announcements, the player-base seems to be growing and evolving with these new changes, producing more diverse environments for the people that make these formats their homes. One can only hope that these times of prosperity last, as this writer is trying to buy in to Legacy himself, and is excited at the prospect of jumping in to such a, seemingly, welcoming format. 

— Colin M, @delver-of-seacrest

4. Magic Story Recap

The Hand that Moves - Ken Troop

Decision Paralysis | Original art by Vincent Proce

The plot of this weeks Magic Story, The Hand that Moves can be told simply, Nissa takes Kefnet’s Trial of Knowledge. But it’s the details contained within that are the meat of this tale. Firstly, Nissa finds her way to the temple of Kefnet merely seeking answers to the perplexing questions that surround the entire city of Naktamun and the influence of Bolas. The Vizier of Kefnet tries to ward her away, but her resistance to his clumsy attempts at mind magic as well as her quite remarkable status as an outsider to the usual warrior-caste system allows her to keep him off balance enough to attempt the trial in order to interrogate the God himself. The first bombshell that hits is Nissa’s first vision is of an Angel, who appears to be none other than Emrakul herself. Now there is obviously much illusion and subterfuge within these trials so there is no clear inference as to whether this appearance is Nissa’s fear, or even something more sinister, considering in The Promised End Nissa appeared most affected by the influence of Emrakul, as well as Nissa’s formative years on Zendikar where the Goddess Emeria was revered even among her people. Who does this version of Emrakul represent, or is she not even part of the test and something Nissa had latent inside her since Innistrad? Equally as strange is the affirmation that the Angel brings: “I can do anything I want. Anything at all. Remember that.” Visions and symbolism follows, with very physical sensations and in the middle of it Nissa begins to study the leylines and see the fabric of the trial, behind the sights, sounds and sensations. The Test seems to fight against her, the closer she pries behind the curtain. Images that seem to be Bolas’s influence across the multi-verse appear, followed by further reminder that the five gods were part of a pantheon of eight. Three figures that might represent the missing deities scurry to escape the protection of the Hekma. A focus on the mining and collection of a strange, blue mineral. A series of images of decay and destruction that if they don’t related directly to the Gatewatch certainly follow their way around the color wheel, then more imagery of the approach of the second sun that is most definitely not a second sun, and then -

Emrakul returns

The angel that is Emrakul that might not be Emrakul ask Nissa if she would be a pawn or a queen in the game. Nissa sees the trap that no matter her power if she falls for this choice she would only ever be a piece to be manipulated. The phrase “Be the hand that moves”  echoes again from the Chess game Jace and ‘Emrakul’ played during The Promised End. Kefnet arrives full of pomp and circumstance demanding to know who was interfering in the Trial, scattering Nissa’s mental defences as Kefnet read her intentions. He declares that knowledge is not a gift to be given but a prize to be earned, and is about to dissolve Nissa’s mind, when “Emrakul”s advice stirs her to action, and she observes that Kefnet’s being is made up of leylines, something she has more than a little familiarity with, as well as noticing that there are several lines that are very off kilter. With a clumsy yet precise manipulation of those wayward leylines, Nissa is able to deflect the God enough that his attention wavered and she became to him merely an initiate who had passed his trial. Presumably the cartouche was waiting for her in the gift shop on the way out…

— Liam, @coincidencetheories

5. Fan-arts…

The Smallwatch | Original art by @erybiadraws

This weeks seems there’s been an interesting and wonderful trend towards the nostalgic, as we have been graced with many a fan-art of characters from our near, and sometimes not-so-near past. @alexgilbertart starts us off with the secretly unraveling Jace, Unraveller of Secrets from Innistrad. Another Innistradi visitor to be featured this week was @azami ‘s study of the studious soratami  Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

Stretching further back in the mists of time, @pandoraeve brings us the foremost Praetor Elesh Norn as she dodges the blue shells in a Mario Kart, and @erybiadraws shows us the undulating Ulamog in its full glory.

Finally, a couple of sketches from @dancing-sword, including Garruk giving Chandra animal handling advice, and a drawing of the Tarkirs planeswalking power-couple, Narset and Sarkhan

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories

6.Vanilla Matters.

Murganda Petroglyphs | Original MTG art by Scott Altmann 

The concept of ‘Vanilla’ in Magic is supposedly a simple one. A Vanilla Creature is simply on with no rules text (flavor text is allowed. Vanilla is a flavor, after all). Simply a creature type, a mana cost, power, and of course toughness. No effects on entering or leaving the battlefield, no activated abilities, and no keyword. Nothing. Mons Goblin Raiders, Grizzly Bears, Savannah Lions. The building blocks of a set, and usually filler cards for your limited or standard deck. But two topics have shone the spotlight on the humble Vanilla Creature this week, as @markrosewater​ ‘s Blogatog has been inundated with requests that if or when we travel to Murganda, we continue in the tradition of Murganda Petroglyphs from Future SIght block and have Vanilla Matters cards, or cards that bolster creatures without abilities. The trouble with this, as Mark Rosewater reiterates, is that the creatures themselves can’t grant their fellow vanilla creatures abilities, and there are only so many bonuses you can give to vanilla creatures before you’re giving them abilities, which make them no longer vanilla creatures which means they lose their abilities which means they are once again vanilla and oh no I’ve gone cross eyed. So MaRo has advised us all not to set our hopes too high on a visit to Murganda featuring Vanilla matters, especially as Murganda is already carrying the baggage of being the Dinosaur plane as well as somehow home to the Mimeoplasm. But that doesn’t mean that Murganda Petroglyphs itself can’t see a reprint…

Dovetailing with the discussion on Vanilla Matters was a check in with a recurring favorite of Blogatog readers, the Vanilla Mythic, which is precisely what it says on the box, a vanilla creature, at mythic rarity, that obviously has been subject to much speculation. Mark confirmed in a blog post that the mythic is doing just fine, and that we will see it later this year This has led to new speculation as to just what a Vanilla Mythic might need to be, to justify it’s rarity, starting with @sarkhan-volkswagen​ and continuing on in the various reblogs and replies. 

…and finally: Friday Nights

Noted Magic content creators Loading Ready Run released a new episode of Friday Nights this week, as just in time for Amonkhet’s release. Friday Nights is a series following the group’s misadventures into the world of Magic, which has been running since 2012. This month’s episode is notable for callbacks not only to the eternal conundrum of the proper creature type of the multi-headed Nessian Asp, but also to the fearsome reputation of Kathleen’s Cat deck which first made it’s appearance in the groups short, ‘It’s Magic’ which reflected their rediscovery of the game, way back in 2010.

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week!

Interested in contributing to the Recap? Want to keep track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week? Or write a short blurb on a specific topic? Do you just want to make us aware of one specific topic or post? Please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers

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MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap: April 24, 2017

Hour of Devastation Key art | Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to this week’s worthy edition! Prereleases were in full swing this weekend and this week saw Trials, Zombies, and our first glimpse of Razaketh in the Magic Story. Wizards might have moved the capital ‘A’ Announcement Day to June, but apparently no one told the announcements. Join us by the fertile banks of the Luxa that is this issue of the Magic: the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap.

1. Isn’t It Iconic…

Found on Twitter

Our recent announcement from Wizards’ home base this past week was quite substantial, with the upcoming Commander 2017 products which feature an exciting new tribal theme! We also have the name of the fall set, Ixalan, which will rotate into Standard with and is currently rumored to have a Meso-American theme. Likely the largest and most anticipated of all was Iconic Masters, which will feature iconic cards from all over Magic history!

Commander 2017 is set to be released on August 25 and will be available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese. The products will all be available in the United States for MSRP at $34.99. They will feature a tribal theme, supposedly with Magic’s most popular and interesting tribes. A total of 56 new cards will be legal as well in Legacy and Vintage at that, and the most notable detail, there will only be FOUR of these decks as opposed to the usual five. More information is available here.

Ixalan, the 2017 fall set to come, has quite a few rumors floating about for its theme. One very popular speculation is that it has a Meso-American theme as aforementioned. One interesting speculation came from Zurgo Helmsmasher @khanofthemardu​, with another one here from @vampire-hoe via @chelsea-beleren-vess​‘s inbox. Check out some other ones here:

http://sarpadianempiresvol-viii.tumblr.com/post/159728962689/helene-bergeot-confirmed-today-that-the-fall-set.

http://coincidencetheories.tumblr.com/post/159806978574/mtg-conspiracy-ixalan-is-a-return-to-new-phyrexia.

http://darth-daud.tumblr.com/post/159788985615/im-so-glad-that-they-basically-confirmed-in-my. 

However, let it be noted that the Inkmoth Nexus promo is not indicative of Ixalan being a return to New Phyrexia.

Iconic Masters is the next “Masters” set, which will be released on November 17 of this year. There is something very special about this set in particular: there will not be previews of this set! We are told that the set will feature new artwork on many cards, bringing in an array of Angels, Sphinxes, Demons, Dragons, and Hydras (each color’s iconic creatures!) along with some of the most memorable spells in the game’s history. Still in line with previous “Masters” sets, it will have 24 booster packs of 15 cards each, including one premium card. Undoubtedly the set will have a very engaging draft format as Modern Masters 2017 and Eternal Masters before it. This set will be released at HASCON along with additional announcements on Ixalan, so be sure to grab your ticket! Some speculative links below:

https://phyrexian-without-a-cause.tumblr.com/post/159800155534/iconic-legends-what-could-be.

https://island-delver-go.tumblr.com/post/159827828502/with-the-reveal-of-iconic-masters-some-people.

With these announcements in mind, several questions come to bare, many more than I can think of currently I’d bet, but tell us your theories and thoughts on Commander 2017, Ixalan, and Iconic Masters! Whatever the outcome of these will be I’m sure Wizards has quite a few surprises for us yet to come.

— Jesse F, @sorin-memekov​

2. This  Week’s Magic Story Review

Servants by Kelly Digges

Lliliana, Death’s Majesty | Original MTG art by Chris Rallis

As the cards for Amonkhet were revealed to us, piece by piece during the glorious scramble that was spoiler season, two very significant names were conspicuously absent. Nicol Bolas, the man everyone wanted to see, as well what some, if not most, thought of as the warm-up act, one Razaketh. In Servants, the latter of these mysteries deepens.

With Gideon carting his touche with Oketra, and Nissa and Chandra exploring the forbidden sarcophoguses down Hapatra’s part of town, Liliana has been making inquiries of her own. With zombies literally everywhere, she is reticent to use her necromanty injudiciously, so she has been sending shades to search for any news on Razaketh. Razaketh is the third of four Demons that Liliana made pacts with for the eternal youth and seeming immortality she craved so deeply. Two of her demons, Kothophed and Griselbrand we have met in story and in card, and more importantly, they have met their fate, at a Chain Veil augmented Liliana’s hand. Razaketh’s presence on Amonkhet was no small part of Liliana’s reasons in agreeing and advocating to come here. She harbors strong hopes of enlisting the Gatewatch’s considerable talents in helping her defeat a being even more formidable than Griselbrand. 

The ever present yet enigmatic Raven Man is with her, he chiding her for her seemingly tardy and lackadaisical attitude toward ridding herself of the demons, in his mind the tarrying on Ravnica and Kaladesh was time that could have been better spent, and that he feels she is weakening in resolve and allowing the Gatewatch’s upright and selfless ideals to soften her and dull her otherwise keen sense of self-interest. It is especially hinted on three or four visits from Jace back when they were still on Ravnica that went deep into the night might be more than simple machination and manipulation, something she protests vociferously.

With ears clearly burning Jace arrives just as a shade brings Liliana word of a place to investigate. Liliana invites Jace along, knowing if she didn’t he’d just come along anyway, just invisibly. They are led by Liliana’s agent down to a subterranean facility where scores of Anointed prepare and process the less successful initiates of the Trials 

Anointer Priest | Original MTG art by Lake Horwitz

A relief in the bowels of this place reveals to Jace that Liliana is not, in fact in pursuit of Bolas, but Razaketh. Having been betrayed in the past by Liliana, Jace is less than happy about the omission of this significant detail about the plane, while from Liliana’s point of view, the eyes of the Razaketh carving snap open, and the Anointed start chanting her name. What cannot be deinied is that the mummies begin to crowd threateningly around Jace and Liliana. Liliana’s powers over the undead are blunted by the cartouches worn by the Anointed, and Temmet arrives to find the newcomers where no newcomers should be. Jace is forced to take over Temmet’s mind in order to carve a path for he and LIliana through the throng, and leaves Temmet unconscious and defenseless in a room where the occupants have strict instructions as to what happens to inert, lifeless bodies under their care…

…perhaps?

— Liam, @coincidencetheories

3. A Brief History of Jace and Liliana

Liliana Vess Speedpaint | Art by @oddsbod

A long, winding road brought Jace Beleren and Liliana Vess together. Their journey started with Nicol Bolas, which seems to be where they are winding up now.

In Agents of Artifice, Liliana travels to Ravnica where she meets Jace and his best friend Kallist Rhoka. Jace Beleren joins an interplanar organization known as The Infinite Consortium. Tezzeret becomes Jace’s strong-handed mentor, in hopes of training him to become a more talented mage. Tezzeret undoubtedly hopes that Jace will join Nicol Bolas in his quest for power. However, Tezzeret’s tactics are abusive; they are not at all characteristics of a healthy mentor/mentee relationship.

Enter Liliana Vess, who has made four deals with demons, and then subsequently with Nicol Bolas. She has to turn the Consortium over to Bolas in exchange for his help in finding and destroying her demon masters. She then begins a relationship with Jace to do this, so that they can take the Consortium for themselves. Jace falls in love with Liliana, and Liliana returns the feelings. It is known that they care very deeply for each other. However, her feelings of love toward Jace are not enough to stave off her betrayal, and she reveals to Jace (disguised as the planeswalker Baltrice) her motives. Jace then subsequently leaves Liliana, but forgives her and makes a pact to help her rid herself of demons. At the end of the AoA, Jace states: Like a thousand suns will rise across a thousand world, he knew that he and Liliana would meet again. He would get to know her, beneath the disguise, the desperation and the lies. If he could love who he found, perhaps they could begin again.

Fast forward to Catching Up, where Liliana visits Jace on Ravnica to ask for help with her demons. However, they are interrupted by Gideon, who pulls Jace off to Zendikar for the events of Battle for Zendikar. When the Gatewatch disposes of Kozilek and Ulamog, Jace follows Emrakul’s trail to Innistrad, where he meets up  with Liliana and asks for her help. Liliana ultimately joins the Gatewatch and helps them trap Emrakul.

The Gatewatch then travels to Kaladesh at the urging of Dovin Baan, where they find that Tezzeret is a public figure. Tezzeret is still very much alive and causing harm, so the Gatewatch takes a stance against the Consulate.

After the events of Kaladesh, the Gatewatch travels to Amonkhet, though Liliana doesn’t tell them her true motives for going to the plane, which is her third demon, Razaketh.

— Haley D, @sunshine-spice

4. Fan-arts…

Free Dogs | Original art by @shutupismelldrawings

This week in the fan art corner, we have some absolutely wonderful pieces. It feels like I say that every week, but, hey, I’ll stop when y’all stop making absolutely wonderful pieces… Watching our Gates this week are the cutest pair, with @darkselia​ ‘s Liliana, and @jakaltimes ‘s depiction of Gideon’s complex yet simple develpoing relationship with a literal God 

@oddsbod chimes in with the early moments from last week’s story, The Writing on the Wall with Nissa’s Dream, and @zeico treats us with a sketch of Ravnica’s most electric experiment Ral Zarek 

@Isharton contintues to absolutely kill it with this drawing of Hipster Hazoret and Coffeshop Oketra 

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories​

…and Fan-Crafts!

Master Tinkerer | Original Magic Art by Matt Stewart

The week that leads up to pre-release, just after the full preview of the cards is a magic time where people get creative with all the new inspiration and the motivation of showing off at the LGS! Here are a few of the great cosplay and other creative endeavors that graced our feeds this week:

(Nissa’s Pilgramage by @eternal0aranel, more Nissa cosplay)

Liliana Vess, @mossybunni

Cardboard Carapace and Plague Doctor’s mask, Redditor Mayorse via @mtg-realm

Amonkhet God Buttons, @sticksandsharks

(Amonkhet and more Cookies, from @mtg-realm)

Yarn Gideon (Gideyarn?) of the Trials, @oketragodofyarn

Cartouche of Solidarity, @hirfael

—Compiled by Liam W, @coincidencetheories

5. Tumblr Magnet

Tumble Magnet | Original MTG art, Drew Baker

Here are a few longer form articles written this week or simply recently that you might have skipped over that are worth the time to go back and read… @akhonography writes on Egyptian influences relating to Amonkhet, and here she has a few small notes on Cleopatra, the inspiration behind Hapatra @sarpadianempiresvol-viii argues that Amonkhet’s top down design is a boon for new players to get a handle on Speaking of new players, @imakethecard​ explains why the power-level of intro and Planeswalker decks are kept so low.

@askkrenko gives their opinion on why colorless cards are the most damaging type of card to be overpowered

@krymsinviking and others discuss the merits of having full art lands if and when we return to Theros. 

@cameronlamcomposer brings us Abzan’s First Lady, The Foremost, in song form!

— Compiled by Liam W, @coincidencetheories

…and finally: Tap for Initiative

It’s always a wonderful moment when a labor of love comes to fruition, or at the very least makes it into beta. @yaldobaoth has been working on their Magic the Gathering RPG system for over nine months, and is proud to release it into the wild, looking for people to take it for a test run, really put it through it’s paces and help find out where the next improvements are to be found!

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week!

Interested in contributing to the Recap? Want to keep track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week? Or write a short blurb on a specific topic? Do you just want to make us aware of one specific topic or post? Please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers

[mtg-weekly-recap]

@sylvhem Apologies a certain toddler jumped on me and I clicked send by accident before I could type anything out. We will certainly take a look at it thanks for bringing it to our attention!-@chelsea-beleren-vess

Hello! Do you think you could talk about @cameronlamcomposer great project? He just released his first song for Anafenza.

[mtg-weekly-recap]

Hello! Do you think you could talk about @cameronlamcomposer great project? He just released his first song for Anafenza.

[mtg-weekly-recap]

MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap: April 17th

202: There’s Something About Nissa (04.13.17) | Durdling Around

Welcome to this week’s subtly blue-mana infused edition! So many things to look at this week, including a look at the spoilers for Amonkhet, more of the Gods and the Planeswalkers that love them, this week’s Magic Story, “The Writing on the Wall,” as well as a minor revision that echoed loudly. And as always there has been some great fan-art from many wonderful artists. Join us under in the desert paradise that is this issue of the Magic: the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap.

1. Spoilers for Choice

Forsake the Worldly | Original MTG art by @steveargyle

Wow! The second and final week of Amonkhet spoilers came upon us like a sandstorm. The Amonkhetu pantheon of deities has been filled out with cards for Oketra, Rhonas and Bontu showing us that not all god’s combat restrictions were created equal. Oketra and Rhonas, who have an interest in creatures being present, or simply being big seem to promote a very safe and straightforward playstyle, as opposed to having to have creatures around to kill, or sandbagging 7 cards in your hand, or simply going all out with no cards in hand to respond to your opponent. It remains to be seen if the unusual play styles encouraged by the Grixis gods. 

Speaking of Gods, and the Planeswalkers who love them, Nissa, Steward of Elements was also unveiled and was full of surprises. Firstly, a new Nissa planeswalker so soon after her Kaladesh and Planeswalker deck iterations. Secondly she had been shifted to a Green-Blue casting cost, something that had been slowly and subtly infusing her appearances in the story. Finally, Nissa, Steward of Elements marks the first planeswalker card with X in its cost ever! This has the minds of constructed brewers from Standard to Commander percolating with ways to take advantage of this ability.

Gods of Amonkhet | Original MTG art by Chase Stone

With the full spoiler unveiled on Friday, we have an inkling of understanding of the limited archetypes that Amonkhet draft and sealed will offer. From the overwhelmingly grinding value of White and Blue’s embalm themes, to Red and White’s aggressive, go-wide with team pumping effects, it remains to be seen how the speed of the format will play, although signs point in the general direction of a slower format.

As with every time new toys are given to the brew-masters and jank-junkies, new combos and archetypes float around Tumblr, either for magical-christmas-land value that kills on turn 3, or the flavor absurdity of a Heart-Piercer Manticore flinging an Aradara Express to the face of an opponent that it also is driving. (thanks to @transreliquat for that amazing visual)

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories

2. Standard Shakeup?

Gideon of the Trials | Original MtG art by Izzy

Amonkhet is in a fantastic position to shake up Standard, providing competent answers to the two menaces of Standard: Mardu Vehicles, and Saheeli combo.  

Gideon may have shouldered a ballista into rubble, but Red has the real automotive issues in Amonkhet! Harsh Mentor is a callback to red’s punisher effects of olde, and punishes your opponent for turning their cars on. By force is a fantastic way to eliminate their vehicles, and scales magnificently. 

Saheeli cat didn’t get as many options, but the one answer we got for it is absolute. Trespasser’s curse forbids the combo from even going off for just 2 mana. Alternatively, Haze of Pollen can stop it for a turn, and give you an extra turn to take the combo apart.

– Nick D, @nick-dowdle-jeskai-judicator

2. This  Week’s Magic Story Review

The Writing on the Wall by Alison Luhrs

Foul Orchard | Original MTG art by Mark Poole

As the Second Sun inches its way closer to the horns of Bolas on the horizon, the Gatewatch try to make sense of the plane. When we begin the third installment of the Amonkhet story, Nissa has a dream in which she communicates with the soul on the plane. It’s sick, corrupted and crying out for help.

Nissa wakes Chandra up and the two take a walk outside to try and make sense of the city of Naktamun. Everyone seems very young and always training. They encounter Hapatra, who appears to be in her mid 30’s and is the oldest person they’ve seen so far. 

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons | Original MTG art by Tyler Jacobson

One of the most interesting things they discover are pictoglyphs on an older building. These pictoglyphs tell of the gods of Amonkhet, but instead of the five we know, there are eight gods. Above the glyphs of the eight gods is a more recently made carving of Bolas’s horns. When Nissa confronts Oketra about this, the god’s reaction is possibly one of the scariest things from this storyline so far: “the cat’s ears twitch back in a moment of fleeting, subconscious fear.” When a god is afraid, things are very wrong.

There’s much more in this story. In a bit there’s a whole section about Nissa/Chandra and the post-publication edit one of their interactions received. But there’s also more to be learned about Amonkhetu sarcophagi. For the world building fans among us, this was a super interesting story, where we are left with more questions than we started. Keep your eyes open for hints in artwork and flavour texts. By next wednesday I hope we get some more revelations about Amonkhet’s history.

— Alma V, @hopelessly-vorthosian

3. Gruul-Gate (Chandra x Nissa Discourse)

Trash | Art by @inudono​

Shortly after the release of the Magic Story on Wednesday, some Tumblr users noticed that the there was some changes to story. The changes were only a few sentences, but it was a conversation between Nissa and Chandra. Originally, the context in the story appeared to hint that Chandra had romantic feelings towards Nissa, but after the second version went up those implied feelings were hard to detect.

The Community responded with confusion at first. @voiceofallmtg was one of the first blogs to make a post  about the change, even showing screenshots of the edit. Others, like @suddenlycomics did not want to express panic until there was an official statement from Wizards. All in all, there was a lot of discussion throughout the Community about the edit in the Magic Story. Others, like @bace-jeleren did express mild frustration, but, like the rest of the Community, wanted to hear what Wizards would say.

Comparison of the two versions, Original on the left, final/updated version on the right | Picture by @bachelor-biomancer

Other discussions that occurred within the Community were about why the Community was even upset about a change in the story. Some had confusion, thinking that the Tumblr users who ship Nissa and Chandra together were disappointed that their pairing wasn’t canon. In reality, it was about representation and some of the Commuity felt cheated that their possible representation was ripped from them with the edits in the Story. Some Tumblr users, like @the-foxwolf, said that the edit is not as big a deal as the Community was expressing becuase the edit changes nothing about the context of the story.

Later in the day there was an official response  from @wizardsmagic that helped to alleviate the confusion and frustration about the edit. Wizards stated that there are multiple versions of Magic Stories during the editing process, and that an earlier version was uploaded by mistake and there was no intent to change the context of the conversation. There was relief from the Community that that it was simply a mistake and it remained true to authorial intent. @flavoracle even expressed that is was a “perfectly reasonable explanation.” 

Others however, were still upset about the edit in the story, because it still showed that the hints at LGBT+ representation in the Gatewatch is harder to detect in the new version then it was in the older one. Tumblr user @commandtower-solring-go, who asked the question that got the official response from Wizard, made a post , expressing their disappoint at the cuts, because it leaves out details and that “ the original really does a good job to normalise the idea of non-straight relationships in the multiverse.” All in all, there were a lot of mixed emotions from the Community in regard to the Magic Story change. 

What do you, the Community, think? Do you like the original version or the new version better? Do you think there is a change in context, or is the intent of the conversation still there?

— Chelsea W, @chelsea-beleren-vess

4. When It Hits the Fan-Art

Gideon Seeking | Original art by @oddsbod

It’s painting cats and dogs this week! With all the danger and menace and thrilling action on Amonkhet and the Trials of the Gods, @jakaltimes took on a more sedate subject, the Sacred Cat and the Flameblade Adept. On a similar theme, @sticksandsharks gives an interpretation of Hazoret and Oketra. and from this week’s Magic Story, The Writing on the Wall, @hirafel gives us a short animation of the unexpected breakfast visitor, 

The Gatewatch feature heavily this week, with offerings such as @erybiadraws‘s Happy Gideon, @sketchydoodles‘s Amonkhet Nissa, Jace by @0x00fj and a cheeky Liliana, by @circlesmadeofglass

Finally for the retro crowd, we have a series of pixel-art masterpieces from @the-panther4444, looking either like an authentic early 90s dungeon crawler, or possibly MTGO’s latest graphics update.

— Liam W, @coincidencetheories 

5. Quoth the RavenMan

(Source) | @dragons-suck

Late Sunday evening found the Community engaged in a long discussion about the identity of the Raven Man. Naturally, this led to some top-quality memeage. Here is a collection of some of the memes that were created:

Reblog if you think the guy on the left is also the guy on the right

@chelsea-beleren-vess​

Is the Raven Man secretly a 1/1 trampler for G?

@kideon

My Raven Man theory, by Chanda-Nalaar

@chandra-nalaar​

If anyone here is *not* the Raven Man, please raise your hand.

@phyrexian-without-a-cause

— Compiled by Chelsea W, @chelsea-beleren-vess

5. Manic Scribes

Manic Scribe | Original MTG Art by Matt Stewart

This week, for those looking to hide from all the spoiler seasons mania, here are some articles from around the web that you don’t have to frantically be refreshing pages to see if they’re superseded by the latest new reveal! Top 10 Limited Formats by Mike Sigrist,  (ChannelFireball.com) Graveborn Muse: Mind-Altering Substances by Daryl Bockett   @gathering-magic​ examines cards that subtly (or sometimes not so subtly) mess with how the game is played 

Why Aren’t There More Women Playing Magic by @not-another-mtg-fanblog

Kolaghan’s Commander by Ryan Sainio @hipstersofthecoast offers some reasons why you might actually play Dragonlord Kolaghan in Commander The Trials of Amonkhet Prerelease by Inkwell Looter, (Magic.wizards.com)

— Compiled by Liam W, @coincidencetheories

…and finally: An Historic Absence?

@askkrenko makes the point that with the absence of Goblins in Innistrad, Kaladesh and Amonkhet, the last Standard legal goblins were released in Oath of the Gatewatch. While there have been absences of varying length before, the regularity of goblins in the core set means that Goblins have always been in standard even before standard was a format (looking retroactively). However, if the currently unknown plane that follows the Hour of Devastation, it is entirely possible that we will have the first Goblin-less standard in Magic history. Perhaps we will find out when announcement day comes in June, perhaps we will remain in suspense…

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week!

Interested in contributing to the Recap? Want to keep track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week? Or write a short blurb on a specific topic? Do you just want to make us aware of one specific topic or post? Please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers!

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Rebloggin’ for the weekday!

MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap

Tibalt | Original art by @sedelerystick​

Welcome to another edition! So many things to look at this week, including a look at the spoilers for Amonkhet, as well as Cats under Wraps, and some reactions to this weeks Magic Story, Trust. But let’s not put the Cartouche before the horse, and get started on the bounty that is this issue of the Magic the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap

Keep reading

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MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap

Tibalt | Original art by @sedelerystick​

Welcome to another edition! So many things to look at this week, including a look at the spoilers for Amonkhet, as well as Cats under Wraps, and some reactions to this weeks Magic Story, Trust. But let’s not put the Cartouche before the horse, and get started on the bounty that is this issue of the Magic the Gathering Weekly Tumblr Recap

1. To the Victor go the Spoilers

Cartouche Blend | Reconstructed by @hopelessly-vorthosian, Original MtG art by Kieran Yanner

This week, we got glimpses of Amonkhet’s local deities, and they’re posed to make waves. Like the gods of Theros, these gods require you to meet a certain condition before they can fight for you. It seems that all 5 will have different conditions, which will interact with their activated abilities. Hazoret feels right at home with Madness cards from Shadows Over Innistrad, and Amonkhet’s own “Discard matters” theme.  Kefnet strikes me as a shoo-in for a control build. not only does it give you an end-of-turn mana sink, but late game, only costs 3 if you miss your land drop. Expect to see these on game day, I think!

Recently, we saw the Planeswalker deck cards, sans text, but now here they are, in their untouched, uncensored, lean, mean ab-flexin’ glory! Gideon, Martial Paragon is lackluster, feeling like a toned-down version of his Battle For Zendikar printing, which has been a mainstay in Standard since he was printed. Liliana, on the other hand, is EDH ready, just begging to be slotted into an Atraxa deck. Her +2 can make short work of smaller creatures, or gun down larger threats every other turn, much to the ire of Voltron players. Her ultimate is nothing to scoff at, especially in a multiplayer game where she’s spent several turns putting creatures underground. 

Liliana, Death’s Majesty looks amazing to me, being able to wipe the board 3 turns after she comes down, all while protecting herself in the meantime. Alternatively, she has a home in battlecruiser decks, promising to raise the two titans left in standard, or any of the Gearhulks from Kaladesh. Gideon of the Trials also has the goods to shake up standard, being a three mana Platinum Angel that can protect itself. The great thing is, the emblem even works with any other Gideon, including his Battle for Zendikar printing, or Martial Paragon. Expect to see this, alongside his Oath at an LGS near you!

These two creatures are posed to be my favorite in the set. Scribe of the Mindful seems lackluster at first glance, but serves as a potent threat. With it, and Keftnet in play, your opponent is forced into a dilemma. Either walk right into an answer, such as a Fatal Push with revolt on, or give you the free card draw. With so many uses, I look forward to playing with the Scribe. Soul-Scar Mage fills me with an incredible urge to build UR Prowess again. It was an archetype I enjoyed deeply during EMN standard, but lost its chutzpa for me with the release of Kaladesh, and more importantly, the loss of Elusive Spellfist. Soul-Scar mage could be the aggressive, field-controlling presence the archetype needs to return!

-- Nick @nick-dowdle-jeskai-judicator​

2. This  Week’s Magic Story Review

Trust, by James Wyatt

Untitled | Original MtG art by Tyler Jacobesen

When writing a recap for the Magic Story, I think it’s important to consider beforehand what you want to focus on and what to leave out. For example, are we writing this for those who have read the story or for those who haven’t? The answer, of course, is both. You should cover the essential aspects of what happened so that those who haven’t read it can catch up and understand, but at the same time additional thoughts should be added, or those who have read it will find this to be nothing other than a boring summary. So, with this in mind, let’s get right to it!

This week’s Magic Story, Trust, follows the Gatewatch as they arrive in Naktamun, and their first experiences there. Thanks to Jace’s sublime improv abilities (and despite Chandra’s vocal ignorance regarding the customs of Naktamun), the group is able to lie its way into convincing Vizier Temmet that they’re returning from a mission for Bolas, and secure a place to stay as base for its operations. There are two main takeaways I would like to underline from this story. Firstly, we see a warrior taken away by viziers of Bontu as consequence for declaring  “The trials are a lie! The gods lie! The hours are a lie! Free yourselves!” and “The return will bring only devastation and ruin!” This is interesting: this woman somehow found out the truth, or at least part of it, hiding behind the trials of Amonkhet. This begs a few questions: how did she find out? Have other Amonkhetians discovered the truth over the years? And does she know something that we, as an audience, do not? Sooner or later, we will hopefully find out.

Renewed Faith | Original art by Wesley Burt

Now, onto the second major issue: Gideon. Ohh boy. As I mentioned in last week’s installment, Gideon’s admiration of the gods (stemming from his backstory) can and will cause friction between him and the rest of the Gatewatch. The feeling of utter devotion that Oketra instills in him in this story is powerful and difficult to explain (props to James Wyatt for conveying it so effectively), and has resonated with many who have felt a similar religious abandonment in their life: take @talinthas​ post on this, for example\. As a non-believer, I have a hard time relating to this feeling, but I do not underestimate its power. And it is clear that Gideon is torn between the Gatewatch’s mission and his feelings towards Oketra. All you have to do to see that is read these two passages: Firstly:

"Do you hear her?" Chandra said. "She's a freedom fighter!"

"We're not on Kaladesh anymore," Gideon said gently.”

and secondly,

"And what if your precious cat-god is the one lying?" "She's not." "So much for asking questions. Seems you already know the truth." "I don't know about the woman, or the trials, or the hours. But there is no deception in Oketra.”

There is no doubt, in Gideon’s mind, that Oketra is on the right side of the things. The gods’ true nature and intentions are still a mystery, both to the Gatewatch and to us, but the fact that they are the supreme authority on Bolas’s plane should make us suspicious, at the very least. Next week we will hopefully resume from the cliffhanger of Gideon meeting Oketra alone and see how exactly this will unfold.

As Cruel Reality shows us, Gideon will eventually have to face the true face of Naktamun. But what will happen between now and then? And how will this affect his relation with the divine? I look forward to finding out alongside you all.

--- Diego, @magus-of-the-color-pie

3. Just Cos...play

Nicol Bolas Armor | @dominian-dracologist​ After some exciting progress reports, it’s finally ready!

Akroma | @jdcosplay

--- Compiled by Liam, @coincidencetheories​

4. Shot through the Fan-Art

All Long, Evil Villains Have Equally Long, Evil Cats | Original art by @frigidloki

Spoiler season descended upon us like angry Jackal God, and as the new art is unveiled, new inspiration sparks within Magic Tumblr’s best and brightest. @diorevoredo is enamored with the concept of cat mummies, while @misteryada celebrated the opening of a fresh pack of chalk with a six foot announcement board drawing of our beloved Goddess, Oketra. Speaking of the Gods @theblogeternities imagined a world where Elspeth, spurred by the devotion of those who share her story, ascends to Theroan Godhood. Also, see the same user’s melding of the Amonkhet and Theroan Pantheon’s key art If you’re less for the gods, and more for the monsters, @steveraffle​ has immortalized the Eldrazi Titans in Stained Glass  --- Liam, @coincidencetheories

5. Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision| Original Art by Danny Orizio

This week, we’re looking to highlight some YouTube videos!

Commander Clash - MTGGoldfish:  A third series begins with a brand new cast member, Twitch’s Mrs Mulligan, Jennifer Long!  Deck Tech #1 - Board State: Recap contributor @delver-of-seacrest​ is starting a YouTube channel, Board State, and in this premiere video, he’s going through the Temur variant of the Modern Delver. Is it worth it: Mind vs Might - Tolarian Community College: The Prof takes a look at Magic’s most out-of-it’s-time duel deck release in recent memory, and asks if it is indeed worth the MSRP. and what else might be of relevance... oh yes Amonkhet Trailer (English) - Wizards of the Coast: I’ll just leave this here. --- Liam, @coincidencetheories

...and finally: Magic: the Travelling Binder project

It started with an idea by @zoe-of-the-veil, to send someone a magic card for them to receive, enjoy, love and then autograph and pass along to another magic player, with new cards being added once a card is full of signatures, hopefully building to an amazing collection winging it’s way around the world. Adapting and developing the idea, @commandtower-solring-go is preparing to host the Magic Binder of Travelling Cards, hoping to turn the tables on Wizards, and instead of sending cards to WotC for them to sign, participants would chose a pet card, sign it themselves and send it to @commandtower-solring-go. The cards would then be collated and arranged in a binder, to be sent to Head Office in Renton, as a gesture of appreciation for the game we all love. We understand that this is still going head, so check out the post for more!

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week!

Interested in contributing to the Recap? Want to keep track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week? Or write a short blurb on a specific topic? Do you just want to make us aware of one specific topic or post? Please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers! 

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Sorry to bother you again, but why did @zoe-of-the-veil and @commander-solring-go's amazing binder project didn't make it into this recap? Not enough time left to write about it?

We are planning to include their binder project in next’s weeks Recap. This week we didn’t have a full capacity of writers but next week we plan to have all hands on deck for an amazing Recap! -@chelsea-beleren-vess

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I'm so happy to see you back! Thank you for all your hard work on this project! Also, do you think you could add a staff page to this blog, so we can know who are all the awesome people who work on this project?

We are planning to do so in the future! We are still trying to keep a consistent schedule at the moment so things are a bit disorganized, but yes a Staff Page is on our to-do list! Thank you for your support of this project! -@chelsea-beleren-vess

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MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap: April 3, 2017

Cat and Jackal Gods | Original art by @isharton

Welcome to another issue of the MTG Tumblr Recap! Thanks to those who have followed us, and now the new-set season is in full swing, we hope to be getting into a proper groove that keeps this thing happening on a normal, weekly basis. For those unfamiliar with what we do, the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap is a gathering of some of the most notable posts and trends from within the MTG Tumblr community for a given week. For this issue, we will be covering things from the end of March, 2017 through April 3, 2017. If you are interested in joining our writing team, please PM any of our writers and we will add you to our Discord.

1. In-Vocational Training

Art for Wrath of God | Original art by Titus Lutner, 

The new Masterpiece series for the Amonkhet block was revealed earlier last week. These cards inspired much discussion throughout the Magic Community. The new Masterpiece cards are unlike any of the Masterpiece cards that Wizards has released. While Zendikar had Expeditions and Kaladesh had Inventions, Amonkhet will have Invocations.Some of cards being printed are iconic cards, such as Counterbalance, Daze and Wrath of God. They have gorgeous, beautiful artwork inspired by the Plane, however, the rest of the design of the card has brought about some criticism from the community.  The main criticism of the cards are that they are difficult to the read, due to the font used for the letters and the incorporation of “hieroglyphics”. Mark Rosewater has said that this approach was inspired by the Elesh Norn promotional card, that used the Phyrexian language. However, the font and “hieroglyphs” are not legible for some with poor eye sight or other reading impairments, and thus has caused some backlash from the community in regards to this creative choice. @sarpadianempiresvol-viii has also agreed with the majority that the “text is almost unreadable” as well as expressing regret, like others, that the beautiful art is too small to see on the card.

Another main criticism of the Invocations are that they could be considered culturally insensitive. Tumblr user @zoe-of-the-veil has made several posts about this issue. Zoe urges the community to “be aware of this and be careful not to let our enthusiasm for a new set erase these issues and not to let Magic’s #aesthetic contribute to stereotyping and erasing a very real culture.” All in all, there are very mixed reactions of the new Masterpiece series. It is a new approach from Wizards and after Amonkhet is released, the Invocations may have a warmer reception from the Community.

 -- Chelsea, @chelsea-beleren-vess

2. This  Week’s Magic Story Review

Impact, by Michael Yichao

Liliana | Original art by @zomburai

This week we officially kicked off the Amonkhet magic story with the first installment, Impact (written by Michael Yichao, author of Sacrifice, All the cairns of Jund, and Quiet Moments)! The story shows the Gatewatch’s (minus Ajani, the only member who thought charging into Bolas’s private realm without a plan wasn’t such a great idea) arrival on Amonkhet and its… not-so-fun experiences with the local climate and fauna. Yichao juggles the different points of view of the five planeswalkers very well, often switching up the style of narration while simultaneously giving us the possibility to see what’s going on in the planeswalkers’ minds and how they often have very different perceptions (Chandra, for example, thinks the other four are wimps who can’t stand a little heat). 

The first story of a block is always crucial in that it needs to establish a starting point from which to go forward but also needs to provide more than just a “this is where the story will take place” feel, because otherwise it will not be as entertaining as the following installments: it needs to have some action and/or lay out a basis for conflict. Impact accomplishes this not only by having the gatewatch fend off zombies and sandworms, but also by showing us how the journey ahead of them is all but simple: not only were they all about to die without Bolas even lifting a finger, but we see that Liliana has other plans (namely, Razaketh) and Gideon is awe-struck by the presence of Hazoret and, by extension, the other gods (which could lead to some interesting character development on his part). In summary, Impact does a good job of blending fast-paced, action packed narrative with moments of introspection and reflection and a good dose of humor even in the midst of life-threatening situations, and sets the bar pretty high up there for the following magic stories, in terms of narration.

--- Diego, @magus-of-the-color-pie

3. Serpopardon Me?

☆ what a good snake. cat. cat snake? snake cat? … cake??  | Original art by @frigidloki

Serpopards (Which some of us discovered are ‘real’ monsters from the Antiquities thanks to @sarpadianempiresvol-viii​ and Wikipedia) are the big reveal of this weeks pre-spoilers section, and captured the imagination of Magic Fanartists everywhere:

( @isharton​ ) 

( @oketra​ )

( @pepperjaq​ )

( @trans-chandra )

--- Compiled by Diego, @magus-of-the-color-pie

4. Pre-Spoiler Week Spoiler-y Previews!

Renewed Faith | Original art by Wesley Bert

We sit in the eve of a great, new spoiler season, and like always, Wizards cant help but set their phasers to ‘tease’ as they give us glimpses of the new set before the official fortnight of fun. In addition to the polarizing Invocations, a couple of cards have been previewed, including quite a few for the Gideon and LIliana Planeswalker decks, the cards confirmed for the set proper have some interesting new mechanics, showing the return of Cycling as mechanic, as well as introducing Exert and Embalm

Glorybringer | Original art by Sam Burley

Exert is an ability that comes into play when you declare attacking. For the low low cost of not untapping on your next untap step, you can give a creature with the exerted creature a bonus. So far we’ve only seen the card above, so we don’t know much about which colors will have this ability. 

Embalm is another ability word, allowing cards to be copied as tokens from the graveyard, for a mana cost and exiling the original card. The token copy is alway white in color, and always a Zombie (mummy) creature, in addition to it’s other type, but appears to be identical in all other ways. Although the below example is white, it would seem that this ability will not be limited only to that color.

Trueheart Duelist | Original art by Izzy

--- Liam, @coincidencetheories​

5. FAN ART AROUND THE BLOGS

Dark Power | Original art by @diorevoredo 

You’ve no doubt seen some of these making the rounds, but they’re awesome and this here blog’s looking to celebrate awesome.

@isharton gave us a look at Amonkhet from the perspective of a humble brick, while @hirfael took a quote from Impact where Gideon rescues Jace with one hand.

@zurgo-nerdpuncher  meanwhile, couldn’t be more excited about the confirmation of snakes on the plane, and @gemstonechronologist reminds us that fan creations come in many dimensions, with some exquisite fabrications of the Amonkhet Set symbol as a pendant charm

--- Liam, @coincidencetheories

6. Invisible Talker(s)

Invisible Stalker | Original Art by Bud Cook

This week, as with most weeks, there were some great Magic podcasts. Of note, you might enjoy:

TapTapConcede - Loading Ready Run : Notable Magic Tumblr contributor @talinthas was this weeks guest, talking about Kaladesh’s cultural influences, as well as the odd faux pas.

Limited Resources - Marshal Sutcliffe and LSV: A blast from the past as original co-host and current Wizards employee Ryan Spain drops by The Girlfriend Bracket - Erin, Hallie, Kriz and Katie: As this podcast nears it’s 100th episode, the gang talk about the ‘grind’, and other goings on in Magic. The Command Zone - Jimmy Wong and Josh Lee Kwai: Learn some ways to mix up your playgroups game of Commander

--- Liam, @coincidencetheories

...and finally: Amonkhet Tumblr Awards

@mtg-weekly-recap contributor @chelsea-beleren-vess had the idea that we as a community might give some votes on the new set (and new sets going forward) and people have taken to the idea, giving suggestions for a few other categories to make a real red-carpet event. Feel free to let her know any other ideas for the categories you want to see! Also, stay tuned once Spoiler Season is complete for details as to how to vote for your favorites!

Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. Hope to see you next week! Interested in contributing to the Recap? Want to keep track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week? Or write a short blurb on a specific topic? Do you just want to make us aware of one specific topic or post? Please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers!

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There will be no MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap for this week. Thank you for your understanding!

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On behalf of everyone at the Recap, thank you for 45 followers and a bunch of notes! We look forward to catching your eye next week as well~

MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap - Volume 1, Issue 1

Wanted to doodle something silly!  Saheeli prob love cats <3 

Original art by @isharton | Please support them at their Patreon!

Welcome to the very first issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap of the new year! For those unfamiliar with what we do, the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap is a gathering of some of the most notable posts and trends from within the MTG Tumblr community for a given week. For this issue, we will be covering the week of January 8, 2017 through January 14, 2017. If you are interested in joining our writing team, please PM any of our writers and we will add you to our Discord group chat.

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[mtg-weekly-recap]

MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap - Volume 1, Issue 1

Wanted to doodle something silly!  Saheeli prob love cats <3 

Original art by @isharton | Please support them at their Patreon!

Welcome to the very first issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap of the new year! For those unfamiliar with what we do, the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap is a gathering of some of the most notable posts and trends from within the MTG Tumblr community for a given week. For this issue, we will be covering the week of January 8, 2017 through January 14, 2017. If you are interested in joining our writing team, please PM any of our writers and we will add you to our Discord group chat.

1. Banned & Restricted Update Discussion

Original image posted by @sarkhan-volkswagen

Wizards of the Coast announced bannings this past week, and I can’t say I’m surprised. Emrakul, the Promised End, Smuggler’s Copter, and Reflector Mage were banned in Standard, while Modern bans were simply Gitaxian Probe and Golgari Grave-Troll. There have been mixed feelings about these bans: many people were annoyed and upset that their favourite cards were banned, while others were quite relieved.

Emrakul, the Promised End, the final titan to be released, and the first to be banned. According to WotC, Emrakul was “created to be scarily powerful,” and “delivered on that promise too well.” @ugin guessed that “if an Emrakul hit the field, I would guess that approximately 90% of the time that person would win.” Scarily powerful indeed, and this was made even more scary with cards like Aetherworks Marvel. As a counterpoint, @life-is-short-for-us said that it isn’t unbeatable, but didn’t suggest how to actually beat it. Instead, he simply said that for Standard, it isn’t about “banning cards that are too good, but banning cards that are so good they are damn near impossible to beat and your only hope is playing the mirror match and they are like 70% of the field.”

This brings us to our second card banned, Smuggler’s Copter. While I don’t play much Standard, this one annoyed the hell out of me, and now that it’s banned, I’m kinda relieved. For this one, Wizards says that it was in too many of the top decks and was restricting creativity. I agree, as does @queen-marchesa: “The one that is least surprising is the Copter. It really was too omnipresent in Standard to allow for exploration or creativity.” I have always thought that the Looter Scooter was too powerful for a turn-two artifact, which helped turn the format stale.

Our final Standard banning was Reflector Mage. There’s not much to say about this one, really, and I think it was one of the odder bannings. Wizards says that, “Our data showed the White-Blue Flash deck was too powerful against the field,and Reflector Mage has been on players' lists of most-disliked cards, since the days of Collected Company.” I suppose when you take down decks with Emrakul and Copter, W/U Flash would be the one to dominate. Tumblr users agreed, with one stating, “The card ended up being very effective in this format.” Others thought it was a surprising ban, but seeing that it’s stuck around for so long, “makes sense.”

As for the Modern bans, let’s start with Gitaxian Probe. This one is one of the least surprising to me, as it takes some skill out of the game. According to @jurou-tenshi, “Git probe has had it coming for a long time. It enabled too many degenerate strategies.” @avatar-of-woah states, “Probe’s actually a real issue in infect because it takes play skill out of the equation. Instead of trying to read your opponent and what they could have that would beat you, you just pay two life,” and proceed from there. According to @urzas-raven-armour, “With the probe ban, storm is even less playable now.” I would assume that this ban also hits Delver decks, but I don’t know enough about them.

The final ban released this week was Golgari Grave-Troll, and from what I have found, people are glad to see it go. One user said that “Dredge is a silly silly deck that has proven to be too powerful for Modern,” and with the Delve mechanic brought back in Khans of Tarkir, I agree. Golgari Grave-Troll is a creature with Dredge 6, and it enters the battlefield with counters equal to the number of creatures in the graveyard. You can also pay one generic mana and remove a counter to regenerate it. Now, that seems extremely powerful to me, especially in the late game, where you’ll most likely have a lot of creatures in your graveyard, but it is definitely the Dredge 6 that puts it over the top, enabling way too many graveyard shenanigans.

--- Connor S, @solemnly-mystifying

2. This Past Week’s Magic Story Review

Kari Zev - playing around with a doodle. | Original art by @sketchydoodles​

In this past week’s new Kaladesh Story “The Skies Over Ghirapur,” by Ari Levitch, we were introduced to the feisty teenage pirate captain, Kari Zev. In this story Kari Zev and Jace Beleren team up to assist the renegades, first by going on a heist to obtain aether, then to help the renegades take on the Skysovereign after they lost control of the Aether Hub in the story “Burn.”

The Tumblr community met this story with overwhelmingly positive reviews. The community adored the tenacity of Kari Zev and her sidekick, the monkey Ragavan. Tumblr user @zomburai claimed that the story was a delight. Others, like @abzanascendancy, were most excited about sky pirates. They also applauded Kari Zev for being 15, yet also being able to “pilot, command and crew her own ship.” Community members were even more excited about pirates then they were already, and some probably hope that a pirate-themed block will come along in the not-too-distant future.

With only three stories left in the Aether Revolt storyline, the MTGcommunity is anxiously waiting to see what happens next, with the Gatewatch’s final confrontation with Tezzeret and the Consulate, and what else that is in store for the plane of Kaladesh.

--- Chelsea W, @chelsea-beleren-vess

3. General Magic Story Discussion and Speculation

Deploy the Gatewatch | Original art by Wesley Burt

This week has been rife with Magic Story metadiscourse, from speculation for the future, to reflection on the past. Fans discussed Nissa’s shift toward tolerance in Magic Origins, and whether or not this made her a “Mary Sue”, prompting @commandtower-solring-go’s analysis of the term and its relationship to Magic [x]. On the other side, @chelsea-beleren-vess compiled potential points of civil war foreshadowing [x]

Prior to her Origins revision, Nissa, like most elves, believed that elves reigned superior over other races, and moreover her band of elves above even other elves. When her backstory was updated, these biases were no longer present. Lots of fans were upset by this. They missed their little racist, which is a little distressing, honestly. It’s important we ask ourselves why it’s so important for her to be hateful. This led one user to ask @markrosewater why the Gatewatch was composed of “Mary Sues.” By and large, “Mary Sue” is a term used to degrade a character for being all-powerful or infallible. This term really doesn’t describe the Gatewatch. Take Gideon, who was too proud and got his Irregulars killed, then repeated the mistake on Zendikar. Look at Jace --- neglectful of his duty as the Guildpact, and by even his own admission, annoying and pretentious as all hell. Liliana is, well, Liliana. Chandra has consistently been short-sighted and rash; she has consistently endangered the lives of the people she cares about, including the Gatewatch (see “In This Very Arena” and “Burn”). Nissa has been altoether aloof and unable to relate to her teammates, and was made to suffer immensely over the course of the Battle for Zendikar storyline.

Wizards could be setting the stage for a civil war within the Gatewatch, ala Marvel. In this hypothetical confrontation, Gideon leads one side, while Jace rallies his allies. Who will side with whom is anyone’s guess, but I’m personally partial to Chandra, Nissa, Gideon, and Ajani squaring off against Jace and Lili, but this is clouded by my distaste for Lili and her relationship with Jace, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

--- Nick D, @nick-dowdle-jeskai-judicator​

4. Incoming WoTC President Chris Cocks’ Digital Tease

Glimpse the Future | Original art by Andrew Robinson

Last Thursday, the President of Wizards of the Coast, Chris Cocks, released a public statement regarding the future of WotC’s IP, concentrating on the following points:

Reimagining digital versions of Magic and other Wizards games.

Bringing their characters and worlds to other games and experiences.

Making people’s Wizards experiences more efficient, connected, and convenient.

What most Tumblrs seemed to latch onto was the idea of Magic: the Gathering or Dungeons and Dragons branded video games, and many people wanted to share their thoughts on the matter.

@simic-initiate said, “I’ve no doubt irritated many friends by consistently insisting that Magic has a criminally underused mythos and cast of characters. Wizards does SO much world building each plane that just, hardly gets used again if ever.” [x]

@planeswalkerwithtardis suggests, “Persona JRPG with MtG characters as the personas, color combinations replace arcana. It would also hedge Wizard’s bets by crossing their customer base for that product with the ever hungry Persona fan base.” [x]

@youknowwhatscrewyou went a different direction: “I would love an mtg fighting game, similar to smash bros or something, so that is not too competitive and allows for some fun, crazy stuff.” [x]

@mixingmetaphorsoup also thinks MMOs are a hiding to nothing: “What? Throwing spells at a Planeswalker in an MMO? Surely you mean MOBA. As I’ve said before, Magic fits perfectly into a MOBA shell.” [x]

What video game genre do you think would make a good Magic game?

--- Liam W, @coincidencetheories

BONUS! “LILIANA VESS - MAGIC THE GATHERING.” Original art by @lunardays22

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Thank you again for reading this week’s issue of the MTG Weekly Tumblr Recap. If you are interested in contributing to the Recap, either by keeping track of notable posts and trends throughout the MTG community on a given week, or writing a short blurb on a specific topic, please PM our main editor @the-burnished-hart or any of our staff writers.