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[mtg-weekly-recap]

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

[kill-it-in-one-hit]

Session 6: Crossed Paths

Aradel arranges for the party to observe the Xathrid-associated merchant until he leaves his post for the day. She, Flint, Aesir, and Kiyoshi watch from various points in the market. Occula perches overhead, and Yabolax sneaks inside the merchant’s cart. 

As the market closes, the merchant takes his cart to a series of storage lockers, and locks it, along with Yabolax, inside. Flint stays back to remove the protective enchantments from the locker and rescue Yabolax. Meanwhile, the others all continue pursuing the merchant. He heads toward the edge of town, and along the way casts a spell to change his clothing into robes bearing the cult’s sigil.

On the edge of town, the merchant meets with several hooded figures, all wearing similar robes as him. Among them is a being who is much larger than the rest. 

The main group calls Flint and Yabolax to tell them what they see. The duo decide to disguise themselves by snatching a cloak from a nearby tavern, and approach the cultists with Yabolax on Flint’s shoulders. Aradel is disturbed by this sight, and demands that Kiyoshi explain what they are doing. 

The large cultist sees Yabolax and Flint, and casts a deadly spell in their direction. In a panic, each member of the party attempts to react or save the pair from the spell, with it ultimately being countered by Aradel. 

The rest of the party swarms the area, facing off against the cultists. The large member commands the rest to attack. After the party kills several cultists, the large cultist uses necromancy to revive them. He tosses his cloak aside, revealing the demon Magog. 

The party continues to fight, with the demon reviving the fallen cultists quickly. Eventually, he stops doing this, and faces down the group. They attempt to speak to him, but he is short in his responses. The demon says that he does not remember them from their confrontation in Ardestan, and that he had no personal involvement in the fate of Naos. Tensions rise, and everyone in the area readies spells to use. 

Magog strikes first, causing the ground beneath Aradel to erupt. In the wake of his spell, the demon runs away. Aradel is gravely injured in the blast, though she is quickly stabilized by some of Kiyoshi’s healing magic. He carries her back to a safe house within Cebalrai, with the rest of the group following. 

The group, save Flint and Yabolax, contacts Damia. The gorgon wishes for Aradel to return to her mountain until she recovers fully. She arranges for some of her other agents to meet them in Cebalrai. They will bring the party their vehicle, and then they will hand over Aradel to them. 

Flint and Yabolax meanwhile call Cardinal Aldritch to inform him about the cult activity in Cebalrai. The cardinal says that he will have soldiers present in the town in the morning. 

The next day, The party attempts to investigate further before the Order soldiers arrive. They make their way to the storage locker used by the cultist, only to find that it has been overgrown with plant matter. After not reacting to a few probing spells by Flint, Aesir tosses a lightning bolt into the vegetation. It stirs and transforms into a plant-zombie amalgam, and attacks. Thoroughly outnumbered, it is quickly defeated.

Ena appears, and berates the party for ruining her trap. Occula asks her if she found the book that she was looking for yet. The faerie explains that she believes that the cult may know where it is, and she intended to trap the same merchant that the party had been following. Aesir again asks what the book is, only to illicit a hostile response from Ena. 

They attempt to have Ena join up with them again, but she declines, not wanting to work in a group. Kiyoshi tells her that Lesh is a hotbed of cult activity, and she departs for the city. 

Later in the day, three agents of Damia arrive on a floating mass of earth, bearing the party’s vehicle. They hand over Aradel, and the four agents depart back to Damia’s lair. The party decides to finally investigate Naos.

Aesir drives down to the ruined village, and the group happens upon an outpost run by the Order. A soldier there explains that Naos is not worth the manpower of purging, but if anything leaves the area, the numerous outposts will be ready to attack.

In the distance, a purple glow rises in the middle of the black haze surrounding Naos. The soldiers prepare, and the party enters the village. 

[kill-it-in-one-hit]

Session 5: The Road to Cebalrai

The morning after arriving at the safe house in Ardestan, the party decides to go back to the Tower of Guidance. There they intend to ask the Order of Admonition for more information about Magog, the demon that they faced yesterday.

Arriving at the tower, they notice that the Order is still on edge from the attack yesterday. Soldiers are much more present than their first visit, though not as on edge as when Aesir attempted to return to the tower yesterday on his own.

The party is stopped at the gate by a pair of soldiers, who demand to know what they want here. Kiyoshi requests that they see Cardinal Aldritch again. One of the guards calls another guard inside using a communication enchantment. The party is cleared to enter, though they are warned that they will be watched very closely. Flint is not happy to hear this, as the tower gives him a bad feeling. 

Inside the main chamber, Aldritch is giving directions to various members of the Order. He thanks the group once again for the part in driving Magog away. Kiyoshi and Occula field several questions to Aldritch. According to him, Magog is one of three known Ministers within the Cult of Xathrid. Another is Zuleika, and the third is only known to exist, with no other details about them known. Aldritch also states that there could potentially be more Ministers beyond the known three. 

Occula diverts the conversation to the topic of Elymas. Aldritch says that he has not returned yet from chasing Magog out of Ardestan, and that he was last known to be headed south. Kiyoshi and Flint take this to mean that the demon was heading towards the destroyed village Naos. They then ask what Elymas’ next stop was going to be, and Aldritch says that he was going to go to the village Cebalrai to warn them of avoiding the same fate as Naos. 

Naos was a small fishing village that allowed a small number of cultists to stop there for a night. Elymas warned them against this, saying that inviting in the cult would only lead to their end. The villagers decided to not antagonize the cult, and let them stay. According to Aldritch, the village was destroyed the following night, and no living thing resides there anymore. 

Having been told before that Elymas’ predictions have all been true, the party decides that Cebalrai is worth investigating. Even more so now that Elymas has been drawn away from his intention to go there. The party leaves the tower quickly, after Aldritch teaches Kiyoshi the communicator spell they use so that he can be contacted. Flint and Aesir are not amused by the use of magic over technology for this purpose. 

Once away from the tower, the group decides to contact Savyna. Yabolax snatches the sending stone, and uses it to call her. The gorgon is as cheerful as last time, even with the sounds of her murdering someone in the background. The group tells her of their decision to go to Cebalrai  to investigate. She agrees with the idea, and tells them that they can arrange another agent to meet them there. She says she will be sending Aradel, since the party has worked with her before.

The group joins with a small caravan of merchants who are on their way to Cebalrai. Flint, Aesir, and Yabolax ride in the cart, while discussing how slow it is compared to their usual transportation. Kiyoshi opts to walk since he does not tire as easily, and Occula flies overhead.

On the road at dusk, Occula is shot out of the sky by a magical arrow. A net surrounds her, and she falls to the ground. The party dismounts the caravan, and finds themselves facing a group of trolls. Though not intelligent, they announce their satisfaction at having trapped a meal. 

Flint attempts to reason with the trolls, only to find that they now plan on eating him as well. He and Occula, from her net, manage to use a few basic spells to trip the trolls up a bit as a distraction. Aesir and Yabolax begin to attack, while Kiyoshi uses a spell to make the net on Occula rot away. With her free, the entire group attacks the trolls, defeating them. 

Returning to the caravan, the party continues on their way, and arrives in Cebalrai late at night. They find a place to stay, and intend on beginning their investigating the next morning.

On that morning, Yabolax once again snatches the sending stone and uses it to call Aradel. Kiyoshi takes the opportunity to leave, and begins asking around the markets for any information that he can find. Aradel says that she has also arrived, but expresses her desire to speak to someone like Occula instead. 

The group minus Kiyoshi meet with Aradel in a bar, and tell her what they know about Magog, and their reasons for coming to Cebalrai. She instructs them to call her with any relevant information. 

The party meets back up with Kiyoshi in the markets. He has learned of a newly arrived merchant from another continent, who has a number of unusual items in stock. Upon looking at his wares, Aesir notices a box of rings, one of which is a Ring of Xathrid. He casually asks the merchant about the different rings, until he gets to the Ring of Xathrid. The merchant says that he bought it from another traveler along the route he took into town. Yabolax immediately accuses him of lying, only to be pulled away by Aesir for his lack of control. Occula uses a touch of mental magic to confirm that the merchant is in fact lying to them about the ring.

Taking time to consider their options, the group lets the man be. They call Aradel back, and tell her about the suspicious merchant. Aradel tells the group to meet her again, and they will come up with a plan from there. 

[kill-it-in-one-hit]

Absolution Calling: Characters and Factions

Damia’s Circle

A group of spies, assassins, and informants working under the direction of the gorgon sage, Damia. They are based out of Damia’s mountain lair, but operate in major cities on the continent, primarily Lesh. 

Damia, Sage of Stone: (Green, Blue, Black) Damia is a powerful gorgon sage who resides in a cavernous lair at the base of a mountain range. She has a personal grip within the black markets of Lesh and surrounding cities. She is opposed to the Cult of Xathrid moving in to her territory, and is actively working against them. Damia contracted the party to continue fighting against the cultists in exchange for money and/or material to repair their vehicle. 

Aradel, Damia’s Informant: (Blue, Black) Aradel is a human rogue working for Damia in black markets and underground businesses. She was the contact the party made in their second trip to Lesh, who led them to a secret cultist hideout. She later appeared when the party was leaving Lesh, to relay their information to Damia. 

The Cult of Xathrid

A far-reaching cult of fanatics that worship the ancient demon lord Xathrid, who is said to be both “missing” and “asleep.” Cultists consist of a variety of races and professions, though almost all are aligned with black mana. According to both Damia and the Order of Admonition, the cult’s recent increased activity on the continent is cause for great concern. They ran afoul of the party in Sarmahl, and have considered the planeswalkers enemies ever since. 

Zuleika, The Messenger: (Black) A high ranking and influential member of the Cult of Xathrid. Zuleika was encountered by the party on the bottom floor of the hideout in Lesh, soon after she completed a ritual sacrifice. She escaped after a short battle. Damia has told the party to bring Zuleika to her, dead or alive. 

The Order of Admonition

The Order is a group of spiritualists, clerics, and soldiers based out of the city Ardestan. They proclaim a mission of personal and spiritual growth through the remission of sins. They have recently begun to openly oppose and fight back against the Cult of Xathrid, under the advice of Elymas. The party first encountered the Order in Sarmahl, but did not know who they were until seeing them again in Lesh.

Cardinal Aldritch: (White): A member of the Order’s leadership council, Aldritch approached the party in Lesh to ask about their involvement with the Cult of Xathrid. During their conversation, he was the target of an attempted assassination by the cult. He warped away, and his guards told the party that they could find him at the Order’s cathedral in Ardestan.

High Priest Elymas: (???) A prophet who, according to Aldritch, quickly rose to the position of High Priest after a series of correct predictions and sound advice. He is said to be the one leading the Order’s crusade against the cult. He was first seen preaching to a crowd in Sarmahl, and later doing the same in Lesh. He declined to speak to the party in Sarmahl, and was lost in the crowd in Lesh. 

Ena: (Black, Green, ???)

Ena is a facetious faerie planeswalker from Lorwyn that the party encountered in the Eloren Wilds. She quickly identified the group to be planeswalkers as well, and rapidly changed her tone from joking to threatening at a moment’s notice. She inserted herself into the party as a means of finding her way out of the forest. When asked her intentions, she only revealed that she is “looking for a book.”

[the-gitrog-toad-blog]

Your furry face only serves to make them growl louder. Behind you you hear a snap as a table collapses under the weight of one, convulsing. Her skin begins to shred and contort, and in a matter of seconds, the crowd around you is mimicking her. Roll reflex or survival, your choice will determine the outcome.

Roll 13

Realizing that these people are not quite as friendly as he’d hoped, (and not as similar to the Ainok of his home as he thought.) Se-Maat attempts to rush past the hostile patrons. Hopefully he had had enough time to rest his legs from the earlier running because he was probably going to need to run even faster here.

EDIT: Realized that I forgot the MTGRPG tag. Fixed.

[thatwarlockguy]

“You’re remarkably happy for someone put on a watch list by the Guildmaster,” She raised an eyebrow, leading you into the floating stones; platforms that elevate between the floors of the tower. “Where do you suspect the intern might have fled?”

“I’m excited to have a change of pace investigating this. I can worry about the watch list later, it’s not going help us find that intern.” Abrecan said. “As for where the intern fled, there’s two likely answers. The research notes will be valuable to someone, so I reckon we will find the intern in either Dimir or Orzhov territory. My money’s on the Dimir, so that’s where we should start.”

[astralmyth]

[MtGRPG] She pushes the advantage as you retreat, slowly stalking you and closing the gap. "What are you doing in my house? Who do you think you are?" A moment's hesitation then a smirk. "HELP!" She screams, loud enough for anyone close by to hear. "INTRUDER! HELP! TO ARMS!" Roll perception or reflex with your response, your choice will determine your outcome.

(Perception roll: 10)Sakonja looks around the room, tries to see if there’s anything she can do to stop this spell, countermagic at the ready. She certainly doesn't want to hurt a civilian. But even if she wasn’t still groggy from having nearly died, she still wouldn’t have known that it wasn’t any spell she could stop that had transformed Lorwyn. She decides to try her luck heading out the door instead.

[that1bluemage]

Hello!

@tyedyedpolarbear

@ofmagicandmemes

@mirast-odaest

@wu-agro

@zedavia

I promise I’m not dead. I came kinda close this weekend with a stomach bug and two exams prior, but I’m surviving. Sorry for the radio silence, but I’ll be back at it in no time, updating all of your personal stories. I hope this absence hasn’t inconvenienced you all too terribly much!