Jan 4, 2023
Leila Arcieri photographed by Charlie Langella for King Magazine's premiere Issue (Winter 2002).
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Leila Arcieri photographed by Charlie Langella for King Magazine's premiere Issue (Winter 2002).
(1968)
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A Treatise on the Mediums of Magic Story Conveyance
I have returned with a Treatise to start off the new year! It’s good to be back. I’ve been quiet for a while, but the wait is over. I’ve graduated from Texas A&M University.
This time, I’ve brought a little bit of a different type of article for yall. Normally, I focus on Character Development or Story Progression. But today I’m going to talk about something just as important, if not- dare I say it- more so. The conveyance of the Magic Story is just as important as the story itself. What’s the point of having a great story if no one’s around to enjoy it? How a story is conveyed is vital to the survival and value of the story itself. So today, I’m doing to talk about the different mediums of Magic Story’s conveyance.
Gather `Round! It’s Story Telling Time!
Introduction
Magic: The Gathering brings people together. Cliché, I know. But it’s true. It gathers people around to play a game. And in some cases, it gathers people around to talk about the characters in said game. That’s the nice thing about Magic. You don’t have to pick and choose. Recently there has been a lot of effort to marry the story with the cards. I think it’s really showing. These days, whenever the topic of Liliana comes up (and around me, it comes up a lot) lots of people, regardless of their gender, know her only for her looks. But when they see “Oath of Liliana” or “Liliana, Death’s Majesty” or “Dramatic Reversal”, they start to wonder. Inevitably, someone makes the mistake of saying something along the lines of: “Did she change her dress?” “What’s she doing in the desert?” “What’s that thing on her head?” “Wait, is she a good guy?”
*shakes head*
The poor fools never see it coming... Their innocent little question reveals a passion that usually ends with people coming over to my place to play Commander or with them wanting to ask and learn more about the other characters and the other worlds. Most of the time, it’s both. So let’s talk, then, about that fun stuff that brings us all together beyond just the gameplay itself. Let’s talk about the mediums of Magic Story conveyance.
The Art
The biggest way for the masses to receive the Magic Story is through the art. It’s literally a single glance’s worth of effort and the information it conveys is expressed in ways that our human brains have mastered recognizing throughout our existence. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and I think that it’s a true statement. Our brains are literally hardwired to take a single glance at something and assess its threat potential. Imagine two glances. Imagine how much you can learn while hold that glance, captured onto a piece of cardboard, and holding it in your hand for several minutes at a time. It’s basic psychology. Art is the quickest form of information distribution possible.
I’ll try and stay on topic and only discuss Story, but we have to at least acknowledge the truth: Brand Recognition Is A Thing. And Art, obviously, is key to that. Tell me honestly. Who can forget the brand of Shaving Cream Dotson used in Jurrasic Park (the first one) to ship the dinosaur embryos? I can’t. Shoot, I use it two to three times a week. But enough of that. Returning to the subject.
Let’s take a moment to illustrate the value of art in Story Distribution. When you look at the following image, what do you learn about the Magic Story?
Chandra is involved in the act of hugging someone
The expression on Chandra’s face is one we rarely see in other art, indicating that whoever this person is, that they’re privy to the deeper and more intimate parts of Chandra’s life.
Judging from the appearances, the person Chandra is hugging is in an age range that would place her in the approximate age range of what we expect Chandra’s mother to be.
This older person has tears rolling down her face, but her expression is not one clearly indicative of anger or sadness or pain- all of which have very recognizable features.
Judging from the art alone, and these four features by themselves, a casual observer could easily come to the conclusion that these two are possibly mother and daughter reunited. From the art alone. Yes, there are other things it can be. But this exercise is meant to illustrate the value of art in Story Telling. No matter your perspective, you would be hard pressed to argue that this image doesn’t evoke the words “loved one” and “reunion”.
The Flavor Text
Another big player in Story Distribution is “Flavor Text”. “Flavor Text” is a term that has been appropriated by gaming culture as a whole. Every game that I’ve played that involves a sentence or two of story revelation on a card refers to that little blurb as “Flavor Text”. Agricola. Terraforming Mars. Arkham Horror. So many games that use small bits of text that reveal story information call them “Flavor Text”. So it should come as no surprise to any of you when I say that Flavor Text is one of the biggest means of story distribution. If you were to take the entirety of the Shadows over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon flavor texts, you would be able to read a story almost as detailed as someone who actually read the weekly releases.
To say that Flavor Text plays a big role in Story Distribution would be an understatement. While the art is unavoidable because it occupies half of the card itself, the text box occupies the other half, where you would find the Flavor Text. A clever scheme that makes it practically impossible to play Magic without getting at least SOME exposure to the story itself.
As before, let’s do an exercise to illustrate the value of Flavor Text. Look at this screenshot of the Flavor Text. What do you learn?
Whoever this text is referring to is involved in an embrace, in a hug.
The term “their” implies that there are two people involved in this reference, as opposed to a single person hugging a non-person entity. This isn’t definite, as there are circumstances where the term might be interpreted differently. But to a casual observer, the term “their” used in this context, would lead the casual observer to believe there are two or more people involved in whatever it is that is being reference by this text.
Whoever, or whatever, it is that is embracing has been separated from the embraced by great lengths of time
Whoever, or whatever, it is that is embracing has been separated from the embraced by enormous spans of space, or even dimensions.
The embrace involved in whatever this text is referring to is one of great intensity and possibly emotion.
The term “collapse” implies that there were barriers or walls constructed between the relationship of the two.
This flavor text alone gives us an understanding of: “At least two things are hugging. These two things have been separated by time and distance for a long time. They’ve met up at last.” I find it hard to believe anything could imagine themselves successfully arguing with me on at least that much.
The Card Names
Naturally, names also play a vital role in Story Distribution. Names are the words by which people refer to cards to one another. Sometimes, even parts of names can be enough to depict to another player what card is being referred to. Let’s illustrate. Pay attention what comes to mind when you read the following names?
You know exactly what I’m talking about. The fact that there have been several versions of Liliana doesn’t matter. The fact is that by simply saying: “Lili”, every single person I know who has played Magic for any amount of time knows that I am referring to Liliana of the Veil in particular. I concede that you can argue that’s just bias because of who I am. But the truth still applies to all the other words. In Commander, I literally only need to say the word “Path” and they know to start looking for a Basic Land. I can see my friend Austin reeling at the very mention of the word “Delver”.
Why is that? Here’s why. Because humans categorize things along lines of thought. Tags and labels, just as on Tumblr, define how humans remember things. You ever heard the meme that jokes that people can remember all the Kanto Region Pokemon better than the Periodic Table? There are SOOOOO many reasons. Pokémon names have memories, and art, and behavior, and sound, and so many more labels to attach to it. How are people supposed to remember the Atomic number of Francium when they’ve never even seen it? Just numbers and letters.
But in Magic, the name of a card carries with it so much information. Let me give you a painful one here.
How many memories of Magic Story came to mind? The image of Sorin umaking Avacyn, an expression of pain on his face. Those thoughts then lead into the memory that Sorin created Avacyn. That Avacyn went mad. That Emrakul is to blame for the loss of so much we loved. And so much more. All the battles you’ve played when your plans get ruined by a well timed Anguished Unmaking come to mind. The times when you top-decked it when you needed it most. ALL OF THESE MEMORIES....
I brought these back to you with two simple words.
Names are powerful entities. Let’s illustrate now using a Magic Card, to recall the value of names as methods of Story Distribution.
The definition of the term “Cathartic” is: an attribute that induces catharsis. “Catharsis” is defined as: “A release of emotional tension after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions.”
The definition of the term “Reunion” is defined as the act of “Reunite”, a term which is defined as: “To unite again”.
You cannot, I don’t care how stubborn you are, argue to me that this title doesn’t express that some kind of emotional reunion is happening.
Story Spotlights
Another way that the cards themselves can carry story heavy relevance cards is by the Story Spotlights. The Planeswalker sigil I used as the introductory image to this article.
In my opinion, it wasn’t until Ixalan that they truly started nailing the Story Spotlights correctly. Early on, they made mistakes believing that only Rares could have the Spotlight. They fixed that in Amonkhet. But I don’t feel like they finally nailed it until Ixalan. If I were to take all five of the Story Spotlights, I should see all the beats of the story. If rumors I’ve heard are true, that they’re going to start putting numbers on the Story Spotlights, then that’ll be a snipe-shot direct into everything a Story Spotlight needs. Even as it is, it’s doing a great job. Wizards, or at the very least Rosewater, has talked about how Cathartic Reunion should have been a Story Spotlight. But that was during a time when the idea was young and unexplored. But, if they could go back, I’m certain they would mark it as one.
Official Literature
Then of course we come at last to the most direct medium of story telling that Magic currently employs, their official literature. These days, that refers to the Short Stories they produce every Wednesday for most of the year. Here, we receive all the juicy little nuggets our fandom loves to talk, share, discuss, and rave about. I mean... their official literature is....like...Literally. Telling. Stories. So... yeah. It counts as a story telling medium.
Conclusion
Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, hit that “Like” button for me. For more from me at Story Telling Time, hit that “Follow” button. Feel free to open up discussion on the reposts. Hit up my inbox. Or just shoot me a chat. I’m happy to interact with yall.
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See yall next time!
A Treatise on Interpersonal Relationships and The Color Pie
Time for another Treatise! This time, I wrote about how each of the members of the color pie have relationships. I’ll be looking at relationships between the colors and friends, the friends of friends, romances, and family. There are some steroetypes that need clearing up, but beyond it all is this:
Love isn’t the same all over.
Just because you love someone in one way, doesn’t mean that everyone loves others in the same way.
Consider that a life lesson if you need to. Either way, you can read on and see what exactly I’m talking about. I’m happy to have discussion about your thoughts.
Gather `Round! It’s Story Telling Time!
Blue Relationships
Friends
Blue’s friendships are based upon mutual respect and admiration. A Blue friend is the kind of friend who would actively keep you up to date with the things in their lives, the kind of friend who would take interest in the stuff going on in your lives. We all know knowledge is power. In Blue’s case, knowledge is love. Blue shows you that they care when they ask about your job interview, when they ask about how your new car is holding up, etc. Blue shows off its affection by keeping you up to date on their own life too, knowing that giving you that information exposes themselves to you. “I got into an argument with a coworker today. I realize I’m more stubborn in the workplace than I like to admit.” Sharing information like that is what Blue does to share its affection. In doing so, they’ve admitted the details of their lives they know you could use against them. But they trust you- that’s how they show they love you.
Blue’s expressiveness isn’t exactly public. Their affection for you is no one else’s business. Not that they’re the kind to hide their affection from others, it’s just that they’re not the kind who would let people, other than you, know just how important you are to them.
Blue friends are also likely to stay on top of your needs. If your coffee maker is failing, they’re the kind of person who would notice and buy you a new one. Most of the time, I imagine that you yourself wouldn’t know you needed or wanted the thing that Blue will give you. But in doing so, it just shows that Blue loves you enough to pay attention to the little things in your life. You may not need a new coffee maker, maybe this one is doing just fine but it’s getting a little dated and takes too long. Blue would notice and get you a new one, one strictly better than your old one.
Friends of Friends
Suppose for example that one of Jace’s friends meets someone new and starts hanging out with them. How long do you think it would take for Jace to dive into that new friend’s mind to learn more about them?
Blue is one of those friends who simply won’t trust your new friends until they’ve had enough time to prove themselves. And Blue would only be like that because they just want you safe. They’re looking out for you, in their own way. It’s not that Blue doesn’t want their friend to make new friends to keep them for themselves, it’s that Blue just wants their friend to be safe.
If your Blue friend saw you making a new friend, Blue is the kind of person who would learn everything they could about that new friend. Creeping on social media profiles, noticing their word choice when they talk about you, noticing how often they check their phone when they’re hanging out with your friend. Blue just wants to look out for you. They need to make sure your new friend isn’t going to hurt you, that they’re genuine in their intentions. If they don’t deem your new friend worthy, Blue will share their thoughts with you. It will seem possessive or jealous, but Blue will do it out of the goodness of their heart. It really only becomes unhealthy if Blue tries to force you to abandon that friend or keep you from making new ones, etc.
Romance
Blue’s romance is subtle. The most likely version of Blue’s romance is the love for a partner who helps them better themselves. “This person really brings out the best in me. Being with them makes me want to be a more idealized version of me. They’re so precious to me. I love them.”
(Barrin, Master Wizard: Urza’s Saga) (Art by Michael Sutfin) (Rayne, Academy Chancellor: Urza’s Destiny) (Art by Matthew Wilson)
Barrin and Rayne had a loving relationship. Each recognized and supported the work the other did for Tolaria. Sometimes, several years worth of projects would keep them from one another. But they always returned to one another’s arms. Though they each had doubts about Urza’s tactics and projects, they gave each other the encouragement and support the other needed to support the other’s goals and aspirations. Too often they grimly nodded and set to work when they should have taken some time alone and away. Eventually they learned that they needed to, luckily.
Blue’s romance is very much about how the significant other helps the self improve. The following is a thought I can easily see Barrin having, though not one ever expressly written.
“Being with Rayne helps me find the strength I need to continue and see this project to the end, even though I don’t like what I’m doing. She encourages me with her words and inspires me with her actions. Rayne helps me b the best person I can be and I love her for it.”
We see a similarity in how and why Jace fell in love with Liliana. It was more than just his “hot woman detector” that drew him to her. Liliana helped Jace find self-esteem for himself. So far, in his life, he had been betrayed time and time again. When he finally met Liliana, he had abandoned literally everyone save for Kallist. But then Liliana shows up and make him feel important. She leads him to think that she’s there for him for who he is, not to use him as so many others had. Unfortunate that she did indeed intend on using him all along. But she inspired him to believe in himself again. And, although she did end up using him without talking to him about her plans, she taught Jace that he was worthy of being loved and had many reasons to love himself. Liliana taught Jace that the reason people kept betraying him wasn’t because something was inherently wrong with him. That other people had the power to make their own choices and that sometimes those choices would stand against him, but that wasn’t something inherently wrong with him.
Sure, Liliana is a sexy beast, but Jace didn’t fall in love with her for that reason alone. Jace fell in love with her because she brought out the best in him for his sake- instead of their own. Where Tezzeret brought out the best in him, it was forced and entirely for Tezzeret’s personal profit. Liliana brought out the best in him so that he would have the confidence to some day help her take down the Consortium. Even if Jace hadn’t gone after the Consortium, she would still have made him a better man. And Jace could sense the difference.
Don’t misunderstand me. Blue’s romance isn’t strictly mental or distant or selfish. Not at all. Rayne and Barrin had a true, loving, inspiring relationship. While Blue may not be your style of love, it’s a perfectly valid and genuine love.
Family
Blue’s relationship to family is tight and heavily focused on wisdom and guidance. Barrin loved his daughter. Deeply. And the loss of his wife at the hands of Greel, the Mindraker, was deep and fresh on his mind. Rayne was primarily an artificer and Barrin was primarily a wizard. When Hannah chose to follow in her mother’s footsteps, it resonated deep in Barrin’s heart and hurt him deeply. He didn’t want her studying artifacts. The fact that Hannah had her mother’s looks, brains, and stubbornness gave him all the more reason to try to guide her down a different path. It wasn’t that artifacts caused her mother’s death, it’s that Barrin wanted her near to study with him, so that he could oversee her tutoring and try and give her all she would want so that she would be safe. Barrin’s complicated relationship with Hannah led the two to constant arguments, but it shows us that Blue’s love is focused on wisdom and guidance.
Blue is the kind of family member who would call home every weekend so see how their parents are doing. They’re the kind who would call often to ask life advice or cooking advice or even what kind of car to buy. Trust and love in their family would create a tight bond with their family as hey seek to offer and receive guidance from people that they can trust.
Black Relationships
Friendships
Black friendships are every bit as valid as every other color’s. During the Hour of Devastation storyline conclusion, we saw Liliana beg Nissa and Gideon and Chandra to retreat, to flee with her. She didn’t want them to die. I’m going to spend a little extra time on Black. Black’s love is poorly understood and often misinterpreted. I’m not here to serve as a Liliana apologist, don’t think that. I’m here to present the way Black expresses its love. Liliana is currently the best and most visible example to use. I’m not gonna excuse her actions or ignore her past. But neither of those are the subject at hand. How Black expresses and views love is what I’m here to talk about.
Blue and Black’s love are different than what most are used to and I feel need a little more attention and explanation than the rest.
They were not going to win today. That was clear. As Bolas himself had said, these children lost this battle before they were even born. It was true. What were they going to fight for? To die? This was ludicrous, even for them. She looked again at the space where Jace had been, his agonized screams echoing in her mind. She felt something wet at the corner of her eyes, but willed it away, refusing to show weakness to anyone.
She didn't know what made her turn to the others, but she did it anyway, the words coming before she could stop them.
"Come with me. We've lost. You can see that, right? We're not going to win today. We can regroup, find Jace, figure something else out." She didn't care that Bolas could hear her; he knew they didn't have a chance today, and he wouldn't believe they would have a chance in the future.
He's right, whispered the Raven Man. The Chain Veil was silent.
Chandra would not meet Liliana's eyes. Nissa shook her head. The anger on Gideon's face was obvious, but he offered no argument, no plea to change her mind. She was unused to the swirl of emotion she felt. Better she had just left, uncaring of their fate.
"Please. If you stay here, you will die. This is not the way." She hated the pleading in her voice, but she let her words stand.
They did not respond.
She turned back to Bolas. "Where . . . where do you want me to go?" She swallowed uncomfortably, finding it as hard to speak these words as the others.
"No!" Chandra screamed. "No! We trusted you! I trusted you! No!" Chandra's head and hands burst in flame anew. You knew who I was, child. You knew. But those words she could not say aloud.
"Away," Bolas said. "Away. I will find you, and then we will talk. There are so many useful matters to discuss. Go now, Liliana Vess."
Her choices always led her here. Another betrayal. Another disappointment. Another trap. It was the comfort she found in the dead. They could not be betrayed. They could not be disappointed. They could not look at her with hurt and anger in their eyes.
Hour of Devastation, by Ken Troop
Liliana had to fight tears at the thought that Jace was dead. She begged her friends to come with her, to flee, to live another day. Tears? Pleading? Caring about others? Liliana? Seem strange that these concepts can be arranged into a structured sentence? Well, it’s true. Reread the above section if your eyes need more proof. You can interpret it in whatever way you want. But in Liliana’s eyes, she loves these people, truly. You don’t have to like the way he loves. But that doesn’t invalidate her feelings.
How does Black treat its friends? It makes sure they’re happy. If Black’s friend is happy, then Black is happy. Entirely selfish of Black? Matter of perspective. Let me provide you with an example of a line of thinking a Black person might have of their loved one.
“I find it personally gratifying to see my friend smile, to know that I have made them happy. That warm fuzzy feeling deep down inside me feels so rewarding. I love my friend and want to make them happy as much as possible so that these feelings of love and happiness I’m having never go away.”
Does this count as selfishness? Sure. But is it benign selfishness born of love for another? Absolutely. When we act upon our desires to make someone else happy, we are being selfish, because we WANT to see that someone else happy. Selfish because it makes it feel warm and happy inside to know we’ve made a difference. Even if we try and convince ourselves that we’re acting out of pure altruism, we’d be kidding ourselves. We find the desire to be altruistic to align with our calling or our selves. In fulfilling our purpose or our calling, we are only serving ourselves in the service of others.
There is nothing wrong with being selfish is no one is hurt and love is shared.
I stress this point because yes, Black’s relationships to others is entirely based upon selfish actions and desires. The desire to make someone happy is in fact selfish. So when you look at how Black expresses its affection, try to see past your inhibitions and stereotypes and see that Black’s love and affections for others is genuine and valid. You don’t have to agree with me. That’s not the point here. I’m showing you how Black handles and thinks about its relationships and loves. When Black loves someone truly, that love is equally sincere and honest as any other love.
Crovax, before he became evil, was an honest man. His adventure on the Weatherlight was entirely based upon the desire to rescue Selenia from Phyrexia, or at the very least take vengeance upon Phyrexia for taking her. But his interactions with everyone else on the ship? Honest. Crovax had no reason to be cruel or manipulative of anyone else on board. When he interacted and spoke with them, it was honest and genuine. The Weatherlight crew were his friends. Not just his ride.
On that note, we move to presents. When it comes to gifts, Black is the kind of person that would give presents that their friend wouldn’t need and wouldn’t ask for, but would appreciate. Jewelry or rugs or new plates, etc. Something the friend would enjoy, wouldn’t think to get for themselves, and wouldn’t spend money on to buy. Luxury gifts.
Friends of Friends
Black just wants you to be happy. If you make a new friend, Black will probably want to be their friend too. So long as the friend of the mutual friend is as good a friend as they can be, then all is well. Unlike Blue, who is likely to maintain a healthy distance from the friend of a friend, Black is likely to cozy up and become friends with the friend of a friend. Not only would Black benefit from making sure the new friend is good to the mutual friend, but Black would have the chance to make new friends for themselves.
Romance
Black’s romance will lend itself to possessiveness or protectiveness, which is alright so long as that trait doesn’t become unhealthy to either party. When Black allows someone into their heart, they allow them all the way in. Willingly, Black gives over to another their heart, their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and fears, to their romantic companion. That’s a lot. Especially for Black people. While Red and White might be far more willing to share their heart fully without much thought, Black and Blue find doing so to be very off putting as it exposes themselves to another. So when Black lets someone in, that love is going to be true. Now, this isn’t always the case. But let’s look at some recent examples in Magic Story.
Liliana made it pretty clear that she wanted to make Tezzeret suffer for what he did to Jace. Why did she want this? Tezzeret never actually affected her. Tezzeret killed all of Jace’s friends (granted, it was only because Liliana fed him their location), ruined Jace’s life, body, and mind. But he never once did anything against her. She was ever a freelance member of the Consortium. She was never anything else to him and he never did anything to her. So why did she want to kill him? Because he hurt her Jace. Notice she didn’t bat one eye at the idea of selling out Jace’s friends. But the very thought of what Tezzeret did to Jace drove her to a total fury. So much so she ended up working with the Gatewatch to crumble the entire organization Tezzeret was hiding behind and overthrowing an established government.
(Art by Daarken)
Liliana summoned an army of ghouls and marched into Thraben to keep Cloak Boy alive. She intentionally marched toward Emrakul with an entire army to keep Cloak Boy alive. She knew Innistrad was beyond saving. She knew Jace had willingly chosen to walk into Thraben. She knew that the concentration of cultists and Eldrazi was greatest at Thraben. There was absolutely nothing to gain from marching in with those ghouls. The only thing she wanted was to save him. She did not know the Gatewatch was there. She might have known it existed, at the most. But she did not know they were there at that very time. Jace was in trouble. So she summoned an entire army, literally an army, of ghouls to go rescue him.
(Liliana, the last Hope: Eldritch Moon) (Art by Anna Steinbauer)
Yes, it’s her Jace that was in trouble. But the love was real. When Bolas attacked Jace’s mind, Cloak Boy ended up planeswalking away just before Bolas finished his work. She nearly wept. Interpet that as you will. But she admitted to herself she had come to the point of shedding a tear. Which, for Lili, is a big deal.
They were not going to win today. That was clear. As Bolas himself had said, these children lost this battle before they were even born. It was true. What were they going to fight for? To die? This was ludicrous, even for them. She looked again at the space where Jace had been, his agonized screams echoing in her mind. She felt something wet at the corner of her eyes, but willed it away, refusing to show weakness to anyone.
-Hour of Devastation, by Ken Troop
Liliana loves Jace. Even if her words haven’t said it yet, her actions have. Hunting down Tezzeret, summoning zombie armies and marching into hell, tearing up when Jace nearly dies... her actions are loud. Her love is genuine. It might not have started out that way, but that doesn’t change its validity now.
My current girlfriend and I didn’t start out of love either. I knew my current girlfriend was going to my university and I knew she would probably be the only person I would know there. So I told myself, eh, why not? And so I began taking her out on dates. I didn’t necessarily like her before that. But I knew it would be convenient to me. (Note: I was a different man then. This was 5 years ago, as of the time of my writing this in 2017). That relationship that began because it was convenient to me blossomed into something beautiful and enduring. A relationship that I only ever dreamed I could have. Black can have genuine love. Mine started out entirely selfishly, but became so much more.
Family
When Liliana Ignited, it was because of what she did to her brother. She took her father for granted but cherished her brother. Black’s relationship to the family would be loving but cool. At the surface level it would seem to be minimal affection. The family would have learned to see past the cool demeanor and feel Black’s love. Liliana’s pain of what she did to Josu was enough to Spark her. That’s saying a lot for a woman willing to uproot entire plane-wide governments and fuel a civil war just to get a little payback. That what she did to Josu was as painful as it was is a testament to the love she had for her family. As in most things in love about Black, it would lend itself to possessiveness. It would be, much like Blue, very interested in people showing up in their lives. This is Black’s family. Not someone else’s. If someone is going to show up and interact with them, they’d better not be anything but good.
(Art by Izzy)
Red Relationships
Friendships
Red is the color whose relationships and loves are most easily recognized as they tend to be the type the media enjoys over dramatizing/romanticizing. Why? Because it’s easier to simply show a character give all kinds of big mushy expression than to do some solid writing and develop characters who love in ways some of the audience might not recognize. Red’s friendships are the kind that show up with a car full of balloons on your birthday, the friendships who organize the gang to visit you at the hospital, the kind who shoves you into the pool at a party when you aren’t expecting it. Bright, happy, shining love. Red’s friends know that they are loved...so does everyone else. It’s not that Red likes to brag. It’s that Red doesn’t give two cents if anyone else knows.
When it comes to gifts, Red is the kind that would want to go as big and loud as possible. The over-sized teddy bear or 3-billion balloons or biggest birthday cake.
Friends of Friends
Red believes that everyone has the liberty to be happy and make as many friends as they want. If Red’s friend meets someone new, awesome! Just so long as that new person doesn’t hurt Red’s friend, Red wouldn’t care. In fact, Red would probably be happy to hear that their friend is making MORE friends.
Romance
Red is the color of passion, of expressive affection. This isn’t to say that the rest of the colors aren’t passionate. It’s to say that Red is the color of expressive affection. Liliana and Gideon are plain awful at expressing their romantic attractions...even to themselves. But Red gets the message across. Even if it’s awkward and timid, like Chandra when she tried expressing her affection to Nissa, Red still expressed itself because nothing good comes from keeping feelings bottled up. Red is the kind to buy gifts and sing serenades and hold hands or kiss in public. This isn’t to say that the other colors won’t, just that Red is the most likely to do so. Red won’t care if anyone else knows how they feel. They’re not important. Only the loved one’s thoughts truly matter.
Family
Red takes its family very seriously. Friends, and especially family, are an extension of the self to Red. An attack against a loved one would be seen as a personal attack. Let me give you an example:
It got personal. It wasn’t just spite or revenge. Chandra felt that Tezzeret had personally hurt her, when it actually was her mom that was directly affected. Hurting one of Red’s friends or family is the equivalent of hurting the Red person themselves.
This goes to show just how important friends and loved ones are to Red. When Liliana fled from Bolas Chandra felt personally injured and attacked. Why? Because to Chandra, Liliana’s flight was the equivalent of a family member betraying The Gatewatch. Lili’s flight had nothing to do with anything against Chandra. It was only that Chandra had expectations of her family, Liliana, that Liliana knew they would not survive to meet.
When the Consulate was torn down and replaced, we saw that Chandra was willing to settle down and end her planeswalking travels for her mom. Yes, even Chandra, the mighty champion of liberty, was willing to shackle herself to Kaladesh out of love for her mother. Chandra. That’s... HUGE. But that’s just because of how Red loves its family. It’s pure, fiery, and bright love.
White Relationships
Friends
White’s friends are White’s responsibility. Gideon knows all about that. ALL about that. White is the color that would plan parties or send group messages or randomly check to make sure their friend was doing alright; checking in regularly to see if their fence needs fixing or if they need help with groceries; Selfless. White would probably be the best friend one can imagine. Red would be the closest friend. But White would be the ideal kind of friend who loves and gives unconditionally.
(Gideon’s Intervention: Amonkhet) (Art by Daarken)
White would be the kind of friend who loves to unite friends together. White would be the best at giving a toast at a wedding or at giving a speech at a birthday party. White’ friendships are extremely straight forward, transparent, and honest. While Red is the socially perceived ideal of Romantic love, White is the socially perceived ideal of Friendly love.
White’s gifts would be especially well thought out, things White knows would speak to their friend’s heart. A handwritten letter. An arranged visit from an old friend or family. An MTG: Masterpiece their Commander deck could show off. These are the kinds of gifts White would give. Gifts that are very personal and moving, but not necessarily big or public or loud.
Friends of Friends
White would encourage their friends to make friends and would likely try and be friends with those people. They would do this, not necessarily to keep an eye on that new friend, such as Black or Blue might do, but rather to simply make a new friend and build a better support system for everyone involved. If the friend of a friend hurt White’s friend, White is the kind of person to address the friend of a friend personally to discover why and to ask them to apologize.
Romance
We have seen Gideon’s romance with Chandra from many years ago and his feelings for Chandra more recently. But our best example of White romance is how Elspeth and Daxos fell in love. They found safety in each other’s arms. They found fulfillment in each other’s company. But most of all, they found hope for a better life, a different life, with each other. They hoped for a normal life. Of settling down, having kids, and living a honest and simple life.
(Swords to Plowshares: Unlimited Edition) (Art by: Jeff A. Mengez)
We see that White romance is incredibly personal. No one else knows how Gideon feels for Chandra. And Daxos and Elspeth could not care less if other people knew of their love or didn’t. I like this kind of love. It’s honest and sincere and pure. It’s not bright and passionate and fiery. It’s calm and peaceful and true.
Family
White has difficulty differentiating between friends and family. Both are loved so sincerely that it hardly matters whether they are blood related or not. Gideon never had a family. Hixus was the closest he’s ever had to a father and his Irregulars were the closest thing he’s ever had to brothers.
(Kytheon’s Irregulars: Magic Origins) (Art by: Mark Winters) (Tragic Arrogance: Magic Origins) (Art by: Winona Nelson)
But in general, White’s relationship to family is heavily built upon respect and gratitude. While Blue is likely to adhere to their family to have a relationship to be able to ask for guidance, and Black is likely to hold their family dear and close and personally, White would adhere to their family out of respect and appreciation to the family unit as a construct and out of respect of the people in the family.
Green Relationships
Friends
Green’s relationships with friends are all about maintaining harmony. A friend is having trouble? Can’t have that. I should go to talk to my friend and help them adjust to or fix whatever problems they’re having. A friend of mine is moving to a new apartment? Better go help them move and help them settle into their new home. Green will be that rock, that solid foundation, that everyone needs. You can always count on them to be there for you, through the thick and thin. Green is likely to brush aside arguments with their friends for the sake of maintaining the relationship. These are the kinds of friends we normally take for granted. We don’t realize how much we value them until we lose them. These are precious and easily underappreciated friends.
Green’s gifts would be the kind of present that is one of two things. If there is no need for the former, it would give of the latter.
1) Something you need
Your shoes are running old or your mircowave is wearing out? Green is the kind of person who would replace that for you so that you don’t have to go out of your way.
2) Something you didn’t need at all
“You have everything you need? Nothing needs replacing? Okay. Here is a rare flower I have been cultivating just for you.” Or maybe: “Here is a recipe book. I know you don’t cook much, but maybe one day you’ll need to or want to. So here you go.”
Friends of Friends
Looking at how Nissa interacts with Liliana, we can see some of Green’s “If the status quo must change, it’s gonna be slow and natural.” When they first met, Nissa was quite clear about how much she didn’t want Liliana’s help. But when the battle against Razaketh came, Nissa didn’t hesitate or even make any kind of snide remark at her. But until then, Nissa had quite clearly expressed her distaste of my Liliana. Why? Because that’s how Green is. The status was quo. She had friends and they were at peace. Now someone new is getting involved? Why? Will they disrupt our current harmony? Why do we need more friends? Are we not enough? At first, Green will be very clearly resistant. But as is also within Green’s character, once Green realizes that this new friend is going to stick around, Green will embrace the new friend. It might be a little slow for that process to happen. But it’ll happen.
Romance
We have not seen Green have much romance with anyone. We’ve seen Emmara Tandris turn down Jace’s affections. Of the many things going on in that whole circumstance that contributed to her rejection, her strongest and clearest argument was that Jace was not an elf. Very traditional of elven culture to only have romantic interactions with other elves. It wasn’t that she didn’t have feelings for him, maybe she did or maybe she didn’t, I don’t think it was clear. It was that she wouldn’t act on them even if she did.
(Jace Beleren: Lorwyn) (Art by Aleksi Bricolt) Emmara Tandris: Dragon’s Maze) (Art by: Mark Winters)
Other examples of Green romance are like Nylea and how she fell in love with Daxos. But her romance was distant. She knew she couldn’t express herself. Daxos was a human and she was a god. Never once, in my memory, did Nylea let anyone know of her feelings.
(Daxos of Meletis: Theros) (Art by Karla Ortiz) (Nylea, God of the Hunt: Theros) (Art by Chris Rahn)
Looking at Green protagonists across Magic’s history, we that most are people who are devoted to their home, not other people. Khamal, when he became the Fist of Krosa, didn’t have any inkling of a desire for romance. Surrak had no desire to even consider it when he turned Mono-Green. Ulrich, Ezuri, Meliria, Anthousa of Setessa, Anafenza, Rofellos, Seton, Glissa, Rishkar-- most Mono-Green characters have a devotion to their home and their surroundings rather than other people specifically. Eladamri had a family, but his attachment to was that of a powerful familial bond. I honestly don’t even remember a mention of Eladamri’s wife.
Romance isn’t exactly in Green’s mind. But that isn’t to say it’s not capable. I argue that Green is the type of person who would be happy with an arranged marriage. When marriages are arranged, the couple learns to love one another as they come to realize that this is the person they’re going to be spending the rest of their life with. There is no point in not loving them. I’ll inform my Western readers that arranged marriages have historically been a major method of marriage. It is even today still prevalent. But contrary to popular Western belief, most arranged marriages are happy and loving marriages. An idea many Westerners can’t imagine. But people can grow to love each other as my example with my girlfriend (and the millions of happily married arranged couples out there, of course). Just cuz it didn’t start passionately doesn’t mean it isn’t a true and powerful. I’m not saying some arranged marriages aren’t awful. But no one can tell me that chosen marriages all have happy endings. One glance at divorce rates and domestic violence reports should dispel that thought.
Family
Green’s family is about harmony and togetherness. Of all the colors, I think Green the most likely to live with their parents the longest. Green might live at their parent’s house, with them, or they will move out and bring their parents along. While many Western cultures find the idea strange, keeping the family together over time is a cultural standard across most of the human populace.
Family is harmony and love and the place we are all meant to be. At least, that’s what Green will think. Consider how that plays with Green’s hold on the status quo. Living with the family has been the status quo for literally their whole life. Why does it need to change? Quite clearly it’s been a good arrangement or they would have left and adapted a long time ago.
Colorless Relationships
Talking about colorless is tough. But let’s talk about Karn. There is one singular defining feature of Karn. They are many things and have felt all the emotions in the rainbow. But the one quality that permeates them throughout his life is love. They is many things, but of them all, Karn loves.
(Karn Liberated: New Phyrexia) (Art by Jason Chan)
Jhoria was Karn’s best friend. Even when Urza placed the mind trap on Karn’s mind to limit Karn’s memory, Karn knew that they could not let Jhoria’s memory die off. Every night Karn read their journal and looked at his drawings of Jhoria. Even when Karn’s memories of her were gone, their love for her did not. Karn keeps their memories of all on the Weatherlight close to their heart. The golem’s love for Gerrard though was beautiful. For many years, all Karn cared about was protecting Gerrard and ensuring that Gerrard and his Legacy could live on. Somehow, despite all Urza did to him, Karn loved their master, their maker.
Karn felt rage and sadness and joy and everything else. But their defining feature is something without border, something that permeates the color wheel. Love. Love isn’t restricted to personality types. It exists everywhere. It has no borders. And I think that’s what I can define colorless as. Complete loyalty to loved ones.
Conclusion
What is one consistency across all the colors of the Color Pie? Sincere love. Every color has it. Maybe it doesn’t look like the way you love others, or the way others love you. Maybe it isn’t the idealized, romanticized, or fantasized version you want or think it to be. Love is universal across all people. But it doesn’t look the same. Just cuz you aren’t used to it or it seems different, doesn’t make it any less sincere.
Thank you for reading. As always, I encourage conversation with my readers.
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A Treatise on the Nature of the Planeswalkers
I’ve talked at length now about The Nature of Planeswalking and The Nature of the Planeswalker Spark. But what about the Planeswalkers themselves? Are you confused as to what the differences are? Let me clarify.
“The Nature Planeswalking” = A study of swimming. A study on driving itself as an action.
“The Nature of the Planeswalker Spark”= A study on the water itself. A study on the car.
“The Nature of Planeswalkers” = A study on the swimmers. A study on the drivers of the vehicles.
This article is about the final and third part of this study. In here, I will talk about who the planeswalkers are and what makes them special.
As always, this Treatise is founded upon the collection of knowledge from years of studying the source material and through a look at the story telling itself. I ask myself, if I were telling this story, how would I do it? What explanation could I propose that would withstand all the exceptions and possible criticisms? This article takes my findings and presents them.
Gather` Round! It’s Story Telling Time!
Who Can Be A Planeswalker?
What is capable of bearing a Spark? Xantcha gives us a small taste of an answer. I’ve used this quote several times in this series now. Only because there is just so much storytelling contained in such a dense cluster of words!
“Urza had the planeswalker spark…Xantcha had been, and remained, an unwelcome interloper... The planeswalker spark was something a mind either had, or didn’t have. Xantcha didn’t have it; Urza couldn’t share his.“ -Planeswalker
Interesting: “...something a mind either had, or didn’t have.” This phrase implies that potential planeswalkers must have a mind. In my other articles, I have referred to this “mind” as a consciousness. A word choice I made very specifically, based upon Xantcha’s assessment about the number of species in the universe. (Click -->here<-- for more information).
Trying to define what “a mind” or “a consciousness” is becomes a ethical, moral, scholarly, and theological mess. So instead of me trying to attach my own meaning to the word, we’ll simply use empirical evidence to see what a “mind/consciousness” has been revealed as. The following is a list of species we have seen to have a Spark.
Humans
Elves
Dragons
Leonin
Goblins
Vedalken
Merfolk
Kor
Moonfolk
Gorgon
Satyr
Tibalt, Tevesh Szat, Ob Nixilis, and Sorin are all humans. Cruel, Spite, Hate, and Salt flavored humans, but humans nonetheless. I talk about this in “A Treatise on the Nature of the Planeswalker Spark”.
Karn is unique but they gained their Spark under extremely unique circumstances (also spoken of in depth in the article linked above). That said the only other exception we need address is the demonic leviathan that Bolas fought long ago. I explain this with the fact that shapeshifting was common practice among Old Walkers. Tevesh Szat switched between demon, dragon, and human form. Urza changed his physical appearance’s age according to his mood. That Bolas fought the demonic leviathan is no indication of the true species of the leviathan.
So that said, we’ve got all our species and even our exceptions covered, leaving us with the 11 member list of known species capable of holding a Spark. With this in mind, we have an idea of what Xantcha means by having a “mind” by looking at the mental attributes of these species.
So far. Our two requirements for bearing a Spark are a mind and to be one of the listed species above (I know we’ll have more over time. But I’m fairly certain the consistency and general content of the list won’t really change.)
Ability to Draw Mana
Planeswalking is a difficult process. It’s exhausting and time consuming, something that has been expressed by Post-Mending Planeswalkers time and again. I will venture to say, with 100% confidence, that in order to planeswalk, a Planeswalker must be able to draw upon mana. What does this look like in application? It means that even if you weren’t aware you had magical capacity, you must be able to actually be able to draw upon and use mana.
Here is where I will speculate some.
Many of the magical animals and creatures and beasts out there cannot draw upon mana. They exist with mana reserves that recover over time. But I do not believe that those magical creatures have the capacity to draw upon the world around them for mana. We don’t have proof for this, technically though. However, I find it really hard to believe that a Burnished Hart has the ability to think: “Huh. I’m getting tired. I should take a moment and pull some mana from the world around me.”
(Burnished Hart: Theros) (Art by Yeong-Hao Han)
Planeswalkers Must Have A Natural Birth
The word Wizards Employees use instead of Natural Birth is that a Planeswalker must have “a soul”. Which is in itself another moral, ethical, philosophical, and theological mess to think about. Instead, I considered the attributes all known Planeswakers share and extrapolated concepts that do not fit within the currently presented limitations. In many instances, Wizards Employees themselves have told us directly that the following entities cannot have a Spark.
Constructs
Artifacts. Angels. Demons. None of these entities are born naturally. Each of them is a creation of another species or are incarnated from belief and faith rather than flesh and blood. (Not that demons and angels don’t have both, but that it was not how they were born. They are physical manifestations of mana.)
We can say with certainty that these entities are incapable of bearing a Spark unless extremely unique circumstances happen. Not only has this been confirmed multiple times by Wizards Employees through their various media outlets, we also know this because these three entities do not fit the parameters of currently established Planeswalkers. Exceptions to this rule such as Karn and Ob Nixilis have already been cleared and explained to be exactly that. Exceptions, not Precedence.
Undead
No.
Phyrexians
To paraphrase Mark Rosewater, “There is something about the nature of the Planeswalker Spark.” This was in response to a question about why Phyrexians haven't infected a Planeswalker. This I will attribute to narrative convince. At least until we get a straight answer from them, I’m going to be a little frustrated with how easy of a solution it was for them. But there are other reasons that Phyrexians cannot be Planeswalkers.
(Glistening Oil: New Phyrexia) (Art by Steven Belledin)
Phyrexians haven’t been born naturally since well before Xancha escaped Phyrexia. In Bloodlines, Planeswalker, and Invasion, we learn that when the Phyrexians grew too dangerous to be incubated in a womb, they started being created in birthing vats.
I will add additionally to this that Compleation entirely replaces the original material form. Unlike Ob Nixilis and Tibalt, who simply added to their material form, Phyrexians replace every single cell in a body with a Compleated version. I suspect that even if Phyrexia managed to capture a Planeswalker, the process of Compleation would strip the Planeswalker of its Spark. While we don’t have evidence for this particular speculation, I feel pretty confident about it.
Undead
Much like constructs, these entities are animated by magic. Not life. Not intelligent enough, alive enough, or able to draw mana. Therefore, not capable of holding a Spark. I’ll go no more into this subject.
I hate zombies. With a passion you do not understand. Not just talking MTG zombies here. I’m talking all zombies. I block out and filter out Liliana’s zombies because I love her. But they don’t exist to me. I. Hate. Zombies. With a capital “H”. I’ll speak no more of this subject. Don’t ask.
Eldrazi
The very idea that an Eldrazi could hold a Spark is ludicrous. The Spark is a shard of reality, a slice of the Blind Eternities, enveloped in material form and consciousness. The Eldrazi’s “bodies” are not real. Those “bodies” are merely 3- dimensional representations of their extra dimensional forms. The Ulamog that ravaged Bala Ged as not actually Ulamog. But rather, it was simply a physical manifestation of its existence. I have had to explain this to people so many times now that it’s become an annoyance.
The Eldrazi, from the Spawn and Scions up to the Titans themselves are all manifestations of the Titans’ influence. Imagine you are holding a sheet of plastic in front of your face. Then, press your face against the plastic while holding the plastic firmly in place. If you were to look at the other side of that plastic sheet you would see two little depressions where your eyes would be, a sharp jutting of your nose, an elevation of your forehead, etc. That is what the plane-bound Eldrazi are. From Spawn to Titan, the Eldrazi do not actually have a corporeal form. Not in the sense that we are capable of comprehending.
(Eldrazi Conscription: Rise of the Eldrazi) (Art by Jaime Jones)
Suggesting that an Eldrazi could wield a Spark is like asking: “Do you think that you could find a drop of water in a shark swimming out in ocean?” That is the exact question you are asking when you ask if an Eldrazi can hold a Spark.
Even if this logic doesn’t convince you enough, then consider that the Eldrazi don’t within the established parameters of all currently known Planeswalkers. In fact, they aren’t anywhere near close to the establish parameters.
Intelligence
To be a Planeswalker you must have sufficient consciousness to be able to impress your will upon your Spark. As Psychologist, let me tell you that as of now that humans only currently known things capable of that level of intellect.
I’m not talking wit here. Not book learning. Not talking cleverness. Or even ability to learn. I’m talking about true intelligence.
“An intelligent entity must be capable of higher order cognitive thinking.”
This automatically excludes anything not capable of at least human level thought. While elephants and dolphins have shown some level of lower level cognition, they are excluded as well. They are capable of cognition not cognitive thinking. Big difference. Being able to recognize that something is happening is a far stretch from being able to create, invent, or think of something. Without the intelligence to act upon a will, a thought, they would not be able to planeswalk even if for some reason they held a Spark.
Every known Planeswalker has been capable of higher order cognitive thinking if nothing else convinces you.
Xenagos and the Spark
What about Xenagos? Was he still a planeswalker while he was a god? I am going to claim that he was not.
(Xenagos, God of Revels: Born of the Gods) (Art by Jason Chan)
The last time we saw creatures and Planeswalkers interact was with the transform Gatewatch Planeswalker cards. They started as creatures and transformed into Planeswalkers, representing the Ignition of their Spark. Those Planeswalkers were incapable of transforming back into creatures. Before that, we saw Nicol Bolas as a creature. Since then, he has only ever been a Planeswalker. Not a creature. None of our Planeswalkers have ever been represented as a creature after being printed as a Planeswalker, other than Xenagos. This provides some evidence that he may not longer be a planeswalker.
Much like the Phyrexians, Xengos’s body was so drastically altered, he could no longer hold onto a Spark. His body became an enchantment as much as Phyrexians Compleat people into artifact flesh.
Also, consider that the gods of Nyx cannot exist without Nyx. They are literally constructs of faith found in another realm. If their connection to Nyx was severed they simply wouldn’t exist anymore. No, we technically don’t have proof of this, but it stands to logic.
Conclusion
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A Treatise On The Nature of The Planeswalker Spark
I talk about planeswalking itself in my latest Treatise, A Treatise On The Nature Of Planeswalking. In this one, however, I talk about what the Planeswalker Spark really is and what we know about it.
This is part 2 of the Planeswalk Series with the “Planeswalking” article being the first. They’re related only so far as the subject. But you don’t need to read any of the previous to read this one.
Gather `Round! It’s Story Telling Time!
What is the Spark?
What is the Spark? We don’t have too much to work with honestly. But Planeswalker, once again, becomes the most important literary work for lore fans. Let’s take a look at the things that we know about the Spark.
Connected to the Planeswalker’s Mind
Xantcha suggests to us that the Spark is somehow connected to a Planeswalker’s mind. She says it pretty straightforward, too.
“The planeswalker spark was something a mind either had, or didn't have. Xantcha didn't have it; Urza couldn't share his.” -Planeswalker
Here we can see that there is some kind of relationship between the mind and the Spark. We know for certain that planeswalking is an act of will. (Imagine if it wasn’t. People would be spontaneously planeswalking all over the place!) This leads up to believe that the Spark is strongly connected to the mind.
Singular Entity
Xantcha also talks about how Urza couldn’t share his Spark. But she never mentioned anything about moving the Spark. Though the process is always complicated, we have multiple instances of Sparks being relocated. We will discuss this further down.
What else does Xantcha’s observation regarding the inability to share a Spark imply? I argue that it implies that the Spark is a singular entity, cohesive. It’s beyond being a concept. The Spark is something that is beyond our measurable dimensions, but it is a singular...thing. Let’s see what else Xantcha has to say.
Its singularity-ness is why it can’t be shared. But it’s otherworldly enough to be something that can be moved.
Connected to the Blind Eternities
“Xantcha had conquered her fears, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't orient herself in the between-worlds emptiness. Worlds-planes-didn't call out to her the way they called out to Urza. If she lost her grip on Urza's hand, she fell like a stone to whatever world would have her.” -Planeswalker
The first sentence here tells us about Xantcha’s ability to comprehend the Blind Eternities. To Urza, the Eternities were chaotic and alien, but at least comprehensible. Without the Spark, however, Xantcha saw the Blind Eternities as wild and unintelligible. From this we can infer that there is some type of relationship between the Spark and the Blind Eternities.
Combining both these interpretations we can see that: The Spark is closely associated with the Blind Eternities and the Spark is closely bound to the Planeswalker’s mind.
A Piece of the Blind Eternities
Xantcha makes an observation that the Blind Eternities wanted to force her out onto a plane. The Blind Eternities reacted against Xantcha as an invader and was hostile towards her. That is not to say that the Blind Eternities were a picnic for Urza. We know that Old Walkers could not survive very long in the Blind Eternities. But we know that the Blind Eternities didn’t/doesn’t actively try to expel them. Why? I argue that it is because something about the Planeswalker belongs in the Blind Eternities. Or rather, the Spark is at home, belongs, in the Blind Eternities. We can see Xantcha’s experience of this here:
Xantcha had been, and remained, an unwelcome interloper. The instant the between-worlds furled around her, she could hear the vast multi-verse sucking its breath, preparing to spit her out.- Planeswalker
From this I feel that we can safely claim that there is something connecting the Planeswalker and the Blind Eternities.
From all of the so far presented information, we can surmise the following:
The Spark is intimately connected to the Planeswalker’s mind
The Spark is intimately connected to the Blind Eternities
The Planeswalker is intimately connected to the Blind Eternities
The Eternity-Shard Hypothesis
But here is the single greatest evidence that the Spark is a piece of the Blind Eternities I can find. It can be arguably concrete evidence:
“Urza had the planeswalker spark; the fathomless stuff between the multiverse's countless worldplanes bent to his will.” -Planeswalker
We know the “fathomless stuff between the multivere’s countless worldplanes” to be the Blind Eternities. Every instance in which we have seen a Planeswalker planeswalk, they have described the “space” between planes as the Blind Eternities. We see that the Spark is described as the same “stuff” that is between planes. Therefore, we can safely assume that that Spark is a piece of the Blind Eternities. Once more we see a final relationship between the Planeswalker mind and the Spark. “...bent to his will”. Simply put, a Planeswalker’s consciousness manipulates the Spark. Thank goodness too. Otherwise, try to imagine the Spark suddenly activating and planeswalking you randomly.
So allow me to put this into a solid and recognizable hypothesis, one I call the: “Eternity-Shard Hypothesis”
“The Planeswalker Spark is a piece of the Blind Eternities, bound to a unique consciousness.” - @the-foxwolf
The Spark and The Mending
How did The Mending affect the Planeswalker Spark? I talk about that in my previous treatise, “A Treatise on the Nature of Planeswalking”.
To be brief about the subject, I will argue that nothing changed. What changed during the Mending was mostly the Multiverse as a whole, not the Spark. If there were any changes, those changes were minute.
The Spark and the Rifts
What about what happened with the Rifts that Teferi and the other Old Walkers had to fix by surrendering their Sparks? How does this play around with the Eternity-Shard Theory? Let’s talk about that.
Each of the Rifts was the result of extreme Old Walker manipulation.
+Madara’s Rift was created by the battle between Bolas and the demonic leviathan who has as of yet to be named. This duel that lasted a month. Try to imagine the effects of that on the the world. Just the sheer amount of power drawn and expended must have been crippling to the plane. All the mana being drawn during this battle must have not only exhausted Dominaria but also distort its leylines toward the center of their duel. Leyline Distortion.
+The Yavimaya Rift was created by the Sylex Blast that warped all of Dominaria and wiped the continent off the face of the planet. All the leylines had to be rewritten as the world was plunged into an Ice Age and as the entire continent was wiped from the map. That is an awful lot of damage. A Leyline Distortion and a Spatial Distortion.
+The Rift on Tolaria was caused by Urza’s arrogance time experiments. It became a rupture in the fabric of Dominaria. A Temporal Distortion.
+Shiv’s Rift was created by Teferi’s unfathomable recklessness phasing of the entire continent out of existence. Leylinnes had to be rewritten and the fabric of Dominaria strained. Spatial Distortion and a Leyline Distortion
+Zhalfir’s Rift was once again a product of Teferi’s unethical decision making during the Phyrexian Invasion phasing out of another continent. Once again. Spatial Distortion and Leyline Distortion.
+Urborg’s Rift was created by another Spartial Distortion. This one was caused by it being the crux of the Rathi Overlay. The Stronghold itself manifested on Urborg. Spatial Distortion.
+Skyshroud’s Rift was created when Freylaise moved the entire forest during the Rathi Overlay. Spatial Distortion and Leyline Distortion.
+Otaria’s Rift was the result of massive Leyline Distortion. All of Dominaria’s magic was channeled into Karona, the False God. Imagine how unnatural that must have been to the fabric of Dominaria. Then, all at once, it all snapped back into place upon her death. The tremendous strain that must have taken on the plane. Leyline Distortion.
It was understood, cannon even, that without sealing the Rifts all of the Blind Eternities would be scrambled and all of reality would collapse upon itself. Bolas himself acknowledged this to be a truth. From here stems the fact that Dominaria is the nexus of the entire Multiverse. So take that in for a moment. What did all of the Rifts have to do with one another? Massive changes to the Leylines, the fabric of Time, and the fabric of Space. If Dominaria was the nexus of the Multiverse...wouldn’t it stand to reason that making even a small change to Dominaria’s Leylines and fabric of Time and Space would warp all of the Multiverse?
I propose that the Rifts tore at the fabric of the Blind Eternities, leaving gaps that can only be fixed by the Blind Eternities itself. Except that when you attempt to fill a hole with the material in which the hole is found, all you end up doing is relocating the hole.
It is this reasoning that adds additional reinforcement to the idea that the Spark is a piece of the Blind Eternities. Why? Because the sealing of the Blind Eternities required a piece of the Blind Eternities to patch it up. Where could pieces of Blind Eternities be? The Spark. It all comes together.
(TL;DR)
The Rifts were created by damage to the Blind Eternities that left holes behind
The only way to fill those holes was to use a piece of the Blind Eternities itself
Logic holds that, to fill a hole, you have to use outside sources
The Spark is a source of Blind Eternities that is currently outside of it
The sacrifice of the Spark filled the hole by returning a piece of the Blind Eternities to itself.
Spark Mobility
How is it that a Spark can be moved from one person to another? And how does the answer work within the Eternity-Shard Theory? Let’s take another look at a quote I said above.
“The planeswalker spark was something a mind either had, or didn't have. Xantcha didn't have it; Urza couldn't share his.” -Planeswalker
Xantcha says the Spark can’t be shared. Not that it can’t be moved. The two most notable examples of Spark Mobility are when Urza moved his Spark into Karn and when Teferi moved his Spark into Karn. (Geez, Karn. So needy.)
Let’s talk about how those things happened. We’ll start with Urza’s transfer.
Urza’s Transfer of his Spark to Karn
The key to Urza’s transfer of the Spark was Urza’s Powerstone eyes. We have seen the Powerstone eyes be capable of holding onto consciousness and Sparks. During Urza’s attempt to rescue as much of Serra’s Realm as he could, Radiant killed Urza’s material form. When this happened, Urza’s Spark and Urza’s consciousness were transferred into the Powerstone eyes. When Radiant made the mistake of touching the Powerstones together, Urza was fully restored. Thus we see that the Powerstones are capable of containing a Spark and consciousness. I’ll cite the other instances in which Urza was killed, or virtually killed. Such as when Multani killed him by absorbing Urza’s essence into Yavimaya. I seriously doubt that any other Planeswalker could have survived as long or been able to escape as he did. Or the time when the Time Barrier between Tolaria and K`rrk’s Realm nearly ripped Urza out of existence. I argue that his Powerstones greatly contributed to his ability to survive those instances.
When Urza finally died as he fired the Legacy Weapon, his Spark was not returned to the Blind Eternities. Instead, his Spark was trapped by the Powerstone eyes, as it has done several times before. Then, those Powerstone eyes, which were at the time merged with Karn on a fundamental level, became the medium of the transfer of the Spark. Upon the death of Urza, the death of his consciousness, Karn was left merged with the Powerstone eyes and, therefore, the Spark.
(TL;DR)
The Powerstone eyes can trap Sparks
Karn and Urza were fundamentally merged while the firing of the Legacy Weapon
Upon Urza’s death, the Powerstone eyes trapped his Spark
As he died, the Powerstone eyes were left to Karn by default
Karn’s consciousness filled the gap Urza’s death left behind
Therefore, Karn gained the Spark and became a Planeswalker
Venser’s Transfer of his Spark to Karn
The key here was, once again, The Powerstone eyes. Karn had sacrified his Spark (Originally Urza’s Spark) to fix the Rift on Tolaria.
I suggest that Venser was able to planeswalk/teleport himself into Karn’s Powerstone eyes. But as he did so, Venser’s body died, killing the consciousness associated with it. Once again, Karn was, for the briefest of moments, fundamentally merged with a Planeswalker. The Planeswalker died, leaving Karn the Spark by default...again. Venser’s knowledge about both artifacts and teleportation (and arguably thereby planeswalking) is what made this pinpoint teleportation possible.
(TL;DR)
Venser tried to teleport/planeswalk into Karn’s Powerstone eyes
With his knowledge of teleportation and artifacts, Venser succeeded
But Venser’s body died during the process, killing off his consciousness
Karn was, once again, left with a Spark by default
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed what you read. If you did, press that “Reblog” button. For more Story Telling Time articles, hit that “Follow” button.
My next Treatise is titled: ‘A Treatise on the Nature of Planeswalkers” which will complete this series on Planeswalkers, Sparks, and Planeswalking. See you next time!
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A Treatise On The Nature Of Planeswalking
It has been a while since I was last able to really sit down and spend some time to write up another Treatise. But Spring Break gave me a couple of days to do some research and a few days to pick back up before school got back in full swing again. So I took advantage.
As is usual for many of my articles, this is more than just a regurgitation of information and history. I’ve used that stuff to write this off and base my thoughts upon, but, as with most of my articles, this Treatise is mostly based on the idea of interpreting the information and understanding it within the context of the storytelling as a whole.
This time, I’ve written an essay about The Nature of Planeswalking. Please note that this is not an essay about The Nature of The Planeswalker Spark. =). Because that one is coming up next. I’ve already started work on that one and, so far, that one is looking really cool too.
But for now, please read and enjoy my most recent Treatise: “On The Nature Of Planeswalking”.
The Mending
We must first discuss what exactly The Mending did before we can talk about the nature of planeswalking. This event is far too important to ignore.
Before The Mending, Old Walkers were capable of planeswalking with hardly more than a thought. We see this example several times throughout the stories related to the Old Walkers as they manage to planeswalk even mid sentence. But there is one except from Invasion that really catches my attention. An interesting interaction between Teferi and Urza as they try to disrupt one of Phyrexia’s planar portals.
“Urza. Abruptly, they were both gone... The pair flashed again into being, and simultaneously out. It was as though they were mere boys, racing for the water hole. A capricious light shone in their eyes when next they appeared... Faster they flashed, and faster. Their grins only deepened.” - Invasion
Let us compare this example of Old Walkers to examples of planeswalking we have in the Post-Mending world.
In Agents of Artifice we see Jace and Baltrice planeswalk to Kamigawa from Ravnica.
“Jace climbed from the murky water, flopped down on the nearest spot of dry land, and just breathed. There were few magics more tiring than walking. He could have risen immediately if he’d had to, but given the opportunity, he preferred to gather his strength. So he lay still and took a moment to examine his surroundings.”-Agents of Artifice
From this we can tell that modern planeswalking is no easy task, even for a Planeswalker as powerful and experienced as Baltrice. This alone is evidence of the effects of The Mending, though it doesn't exactly explain why. Agents of Artifice provides us even more information about what planeswalking is like in the Post-Mending multiverse when Lilliana is discussing with Jace Tezzeret’s Infinity Globes which he uses for near instantaneous planeswalking.
“As I understand it,” she continued, “They’re made of an etherium filigree, so tightly packed it’s almost fused. It provides a lot of the power you’d normally have to focus from the world around you, so you don’t need to spend more than a few seconds in concentration.”- Agents of Artifice
If given a huge burst of energy is enough to cut the time it takes to planeswalk down to a few seconds, then imagine how long it might take normally. I would assume it takes a the least a minute. We have seen examples of near instant planeswalking, such as with Kiora escaping Thassa and the multiple instances that Dak Fayden did it. However, we are also aware that when planeswalkers do this, they are left almost entirely spent by the end of it.
So now we have seen that planeswalking is both exhausting and time consuming. This is yet more evidence of the changes The Mending brought.Is change in the nature of planeswalking something we can simply attribute to the changes in power levels between Old Walkers and Modern Walkers? I don’t think so. And neither does Nahiri.
“They had been a soap bubble; now they were a barrier that would take will and time to overcome.” -Stone and Blood
Here we see that Nahiri also used to find planeswalking a simple act, confirming the contents of Planeswalker and Invasion. But it is this next quote that gives us a better idea about what actually changed when Nahiri tries to planeswalk for the first time after she was released from the Helvault.
“She pushed, the way she always had. The problem wasn't strength. The walls really were higher, thicker. The Blind Eternities were less connected to this place than they had been when she arrived. The shape of the universe had changed, while she fell. She could feel it.”- Stone and Blood
The fact that she arrived after both the Helvault and Avacyn were completed and was released after the shattering of the Helvault provides strong evidence that these observations about the “walls” don’t apply only to Innistrad. From this evidence we can surmise that the challenge of planeswalking isn’t necessarily inherent to the planeswalkers but rather in the nature of the Blind Eternities.
A final piece of evidence I wish to present is one I will discuss in greater detail further down. This one is also from a former Old Walker.
“... Tezzeret was building something like an old-fashioned planar portal, the sort of thing that had caused so much chaos in Dominaria's ancient history. As far as she had known, such things were impossible now, now that the Multiverse had...changed.”-Puppets
Note her words. “...now that the Multiverse had...changed.”
This provides an interesting perspective. But just how much did The Mending change the nature of Planeswalkers themselves? Allow me to speculate some.
****Start Speculation****
We see Nahiri is surprised that her body is no longer an extension of her self awareness as it was for all Old Walkers before The Mending. From this we can discern that planeswalkers are now mortal entities of flesh and blood. We also know for certain that modern planeswalkers cannot create their own planes as Bolas and Karn and Serra and who knows how many others did.
Here is the speculative part. What if the reason they can’t do this anymore isn’t because they changed. But because of the way they access mana changed? Perhaps the “depowering” of the Old Walkers is strongly correlated to the way leylines connect across planes. If these leylines are significantly more difficult to access, could it be possible that this is why modern Planeswalkers are far weaker than before? If the “walls” of the Multiverse have thickened, it is not unfair to claim that the interplanar Leylines would also be affected.
Could this be why Bolas wanted to absorb the Maelstrom? Because that exact place represented a nexus of leylines that bound the shards of Alara together? Would being able to have the kind of access to the leylines of the Blind Eternities that he used to have made him a god again?
Along this same thought process, could this be why Bolas took such an interest in the Hedrons of Zendikar? The Hedrons powerfully manipulate Leylines, enough to enough to bind the Eldrazi Titans. Could Bolas’ interest in them have had anything to do with their ability to manipulate the Leylines? This would also seem to line up with the concept that the reason modern Planeswalkers are significantly weaker is because of the stronger barriers around the Leylines of the Blind Eternities?
****End Speculation****
From the presented evidence, despite my speculation, we can take a pretty confident assumption that the changes that The Mending brought were changes to the Blind Eternities and the Multiverse, not necessarily to the Spark itself. Now, I must emphasize a very important point. It is under this fact that the rest of this article operates.
The Nuances of Planeswalking
So we now know that planeswalking takes time and effort. But what are the other nuances of planeswalking?
Arriving To A Plane
Why is it that Planeswalkers don’t planeswalk into a mountain or at the bottom of the ocean? We do have some insight provided to us through the eyes of Xantcha, who traveled with Urza for more hundreds of years.
“Urza insisted he had no advance idea of what a new plane was like, no way at all of selecting the exact place where his feet would touch the ground, yet, more often than not, he 'walked out of the between-worlds in sight of a road and a town.” - Planeswalker
This sentence gives us a couple of clues.
1) Planes are a mystery to planeswalkers before they arrive to them 2) They always land on a stable surface 3) They usually arrive at places that can best have them arrive to their world safely
These are incredibly important details, details critical to storytelling of course. Without these rules planeswalking would be so hazardous no one would ever do it. These sets of rules apply specifically to planeswalkers arriving on a plane they have never been to before.
It seems that the rules for planeswalking to a familiar plane are a little more flexible. When Urza planeswalks to Koilos, Xantcha makes the following observation.
“Planes-walking couldn't easily take him to a place he didn't quite remember.”-Planeswalker
From this excerpt we see that it is possible to planeswalk to a location that is well known and familiar. Looking again at the events in Invasion when Teferi and Urza disrupt the planar portal, we see that it is possible to planeswalk to an exact location, assuming one knows the place well enough.
Following Another To A Plane
In “The Battle of Thraben”, Jace, Nissa, Gideon, and Chandra arrive within a few meters of each other to a place none of them have been to before. How is this possible if planeswalking to a new plane is unpredictable? In Agents of Artifice we see what following a planeswalker to an unfamiliar plane is like through Jace’s eyes as he followed Baltrice to Kamigawa.
“Ahead he saw a flickering road, a ribbon of fire that stretched into the distance. At its end was a burning husk, a dead tree that crackled and flamed but was never consumed, and he knew it was the Spark of the woman he followed. He wondered, briefly, what his own looked like to her, then swiftly gave up conscious thought and simply followed. For a time he could not possibly measure, he walked in her path. It was a tenuous lifeline he followed, the burning line of footsteps she left behind, footprints that wavered and shifted and— a time or two— even rose and floated away. Tenuous, but it would suffice. -Agents of Artifice
By keeping a sense of another’s Spark, assuming that the time interval between leaving is relatively short, Planeswalkers can follow each other to new planes and still arrive in the same place.
****Start Speculation****
Allow me another moment of speculation. Every planeswalker has their set of magical talents, things they excel at. I believe that Garruk has a gift for chasing people across the planes. Following Liliana is not something I imagine would be easy, especially given that he had been Veil Cursed before he took off in pursuit. Following a trail left by another planeswalker, even when within close physical and temporal proximity, even when you know the Spark bearer, seems to be a challenge in itself. But to follow a stranger’s path outside of these conditions doesn’t seem feasible. So how would he find her after she left him on Shaldalaar? It is my belief that Garruk has a unique ability to follow planeswalkers through the planes- this would be reflective of his natural skill in tracking things while plane bound. This ability certainly sounds very useful should it be used in the name of The Gatewatch... *conspiratorial eyebrow raise*
****End Speculation****
The Nature of the Multiverse
When Urza was searching the multiverse for Yawgmoth’s home plane, he traveled all the way to the end of time, to Equilor, as he searched for answers. During their long journey, he and Xantcha landed on thousands of planes and we learn though her several important details about the Multiverse.
The Size of the Multiverse
The Multiverse is not infinite. Not by definition, at least. But the innumerable quantity of worlds it hosts is easily beyond the capacity of anyone, probably even Old Walkers to ever discover.
“Urza insisted that, compared to the mul-tiverse, a thousand worlds could be properly termed a "few" worlds.” -Planeswalker
The definition of a “few” can certainly vary. But I understand Urza to be an immensely patient individual. Prone to emotional outbursts, of course. But so, so, patient. To me, this fact helps me understand what “a few” could look like as opposed to what a generally impulsive and impatient individual would consider a few.
Sentient Life Across The Multiverse
So we know that The Multiverse is big. Very big. But how many of these worlds actually are meaningful- stated another way, how many of these worlds have intelligent life on them? Much to Xantcha’s dismay, we see that most planes simply aren’t hospitable to sentient life. Let us read the following sentence with the understanding that Xantcha was raised on the first layer of Phyrexia. Her definition of “hospitable” is far harsher than most humans can endure for long.
“Every handful of worlds held one that was hospitable enough for Xantcha.... Every ten or twelve handfuls of hospitable worlds revealed one that was interesting” -Planeswalker
How many are a handful? Let’s be literal and say ten. Literally a handful. This would mean that 10% of the planes are habitable. Note, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it actually is inhabited. Merely that the world is capable of sustaining life. If it did contain life, that life might be limited to things such as fish or moss. But I doubt even that.
But in about another 11 handfuls or so, another 100-110ish worlds, there is one world that has enough life to be interesting. This would mean that the world has fauna, flora, and enough stable ecosystems to create a world worth exploring. This doesn’t mean that there is sentient life on this world. Only that life on the planet has become rich enough to be entertaining to someone raised on Phyrexia. Given that much of Phyrexia was a hellhole of mechanical monstrosities, something as simple as a butterfly could be considered entertaining. At least to me.
We don’t get an idea about how many of these “interesting worlds” have sentient life. For the purposes of this theoretical exercise let us use Urza’s definition of a “few” planes- 1000. Taking a generous leap of saying that even half of these “interesting” worlds could have sentient life, that would give you about 4-in-1000 worlds, or in simpler terms, 1-in-250.
Sentient Life Variety Across The Multiverse
So what does sentient life look like across the multiverse? Xantcha makes a very interesting observation of the diversity of life during her travels with Urza.
“The multiverse might well contain an infinite number of worlds, but it had no more than two-score of sentient types, if Xantcha followed Urza's example and disregarded those types that, though clearly sentient, were also completely feral and without the hope of civilization.” - Planeswalker
While the definition of “civilization” can be up for debate, the word “feral” helps a lot with understanding in context in which that word was used. We know for certain that Urza doesn’t think of tribal organizations as “feral” or “uncivilized” for we have seen him interact with the goblins, viashino, and humans of Ghitu who could easily be defined as tribal.
Let us look at the current known sentient species of the multiverse. To set some ground rules, I will only be including beings that are found on more than one plane and defining it using Urza’s definition of sentient. I’m also restricting this to species where all the members of the species are sentient. This excludes entities such as Brinelin and Lorthos since I doubt that krakens in general would fit into Urza’s definition.
Human
Vedalken
Loxodon
Rhox
Leonin
Elf
Dryad
Elemental
Merfolk
Naga
Djinn/Efreet
Dryad
Spirit
Dwarf
Viashino
Goblin
Devil
Demon
Angel
Dragon
Giant
Shapeshifter
Vampire
Tree folk
Kor
Aven
Troll
Sphinx
Ogre
Imp
Centaur
Orc
Minotaur
Archon
Gorgon
Cyclops
Would you look at that. No more than two score. With the arrival of more planes in the card game I’m sure we’ll add to this list probably Ainok soon. But even still we’ve got room for another 4 species. Wow Xantcha! Spot on observation!
Proximity In The Multiverse
The Blind Eternities don’t have the dimensions required to be grasped as a measure of direction. However, we are aware that there is a measure of proximity. If Dominaria was hundreds of years of near-constant planeswalking away from Equilor, it indicates that there is something that can be understood as proximity. Add to this is what we learn when Urza tries to go back home to Dominaria after it shut him out. He probes Dominaria from every “direction” he could to find out if it was possible to planeswalk there at all.
She took his arm and followed to a "few" more worlds, thirty-three, before he was satisfied that Dominaria was inaccessible behind what he called a shard of the multiverse. -Planeswalker
This sentence gives us the idea that there are at least 33 ways to `walk to a plane. We don’t know how many more probes Urza tried. But this does provide even more proof that there is some sense of proximity in the multiverse. In fact, in Urza’s own words we hear:
“There is an element of proximity in the multiverse...”- Planeswalker
Really. There could be no more solid evidence.
The Overlap Between The Characteristics Of Planeswalking And The Nature Of The Multiverse
Hospitable Words
While we know that there are only so many hospitable worlds in the Multiverse, how is it that modern Planeswalkers are able to move about without randomly arriving on a plane made entirely of toxic gas or boiling lava? While we have seen that even Old Walkers can’t tell what a new plane is like before arriving, we have seen that Planeswalkers seem to be able to tell which worlds are habitable for them.
“...she never understood how Urza found anything in the between-worlds, much less how he distinguished hospitable worlds from inhospitable ones, near from far.” -Planeswalker
This is a convenient story point in that it allows planeswalkers to travel without dying on some unknown plane randomly because they happened to travel there. Especially given how far and few in between hospitable worlds are, why would anyone bother to planeswalk when there is a 90% chance they would arrive and die on a strange world?
The Multiverse Though A Planeswalker’s Eyes
So what does planeswalking look like from a planeswalker’s perspective? Urza gives us an idea of how we can comprehend it.
'Walking the between-worlds wasn't like walking down a path. There was no north or south, left or right, only the background glow of all the planes that were and, rising out of the glow, a sense of those planes that a 'walker could reach in a single stride. By choosing the faintest of the rising planes at each step, Urza insisted they would in time arrive at Equilor, the plane on the edge of time ” -Planeswalker
It’s hard to make sense of what this sentence means when seen at face value. But once we start taking in the other details discussed so far, we get some clues as to what these sentences mean.
The words “By choosing the faintest of the rising planes...” gives us strong evidence to assume that the intensity of the glow is what indicates how proximal the plane is with regards to the Planeswalker.
Were I to take a guess, the color of these glows would provide a clue as to whether or not these planes are hospitable. While this second assumption falls into the realm of speculation, it as fair a guess as can be extrapolated from our current evidence.
Other Forms of Extraplanar Travel
There are other ways to move about between the planes other than just Planeswalking. Those we have seen are:
The path used by The Myojin of Night’s Reach
Phyrexia’s Ambulators, Gates, and Portals
Overlays
And (Arguably) The Void
And (Also Arguably) Elder Dragons
With the changes of The Mending, how many of these methods are still possible? Are any of them still possible? Let’s discuss each of these individually.
The Path Used By The Myojin of Night’s Reach
According to @vorthosjay, there is a theory that the only reason that the path used by the Myojin of Night’s Reach was possible was because of the ringing of the apocalypse chime which weakened the barriers between worlds.
Beside that theory, we have little evidence toward or away from the idea that this type of travel is still possible. I will, however, argue that this type is travel is impossible post-Mending given to the changes of the "walls” between planes. This theory holds especially true if we assume @vorthosjay‘s theory is valid, which I do believe.
Phyrexia’s Ambulators and Gates/Portals
Phyrexia’s portals were incredible and mysterious feats. We have seen their planar portals be small enough to be carried by singular individuals (these are called ambulators). We have seen them be huge enough to transfer legions and legions of Phyrexian battleships and troops.
The way that Xantcha described the ambulators can only give us so much information.
“The ambulators could be anchored anywhere. Once unrolled, they were tunnels, direct passages from one specific place to another, no detours allowed, but a 'walker made his own path here, there and everywhere...”-Planeswalker
And later we see...
"Searcherpriests don't "walk between-worlds...They use ambulators, but I don't know how they set the stones to find new worlds.”-Planeswalker
It’s not much to work with other than the fact that these ambulators (and by this logic portals/gates) creates something like a planar tunnel. Urza eventually figured out and taught Xantcha how to set the portals, so apparently there was some kind of logic to it. Were I to speculate, I would guess that these stones set the planar coordinates.
But in the post-Mending multiverse, are such things possible?
Old Walkers who survived The Mending experienced the changes in the Multiverse seem to believe that such technology is no longer possible. At least, Liliana thought it impossible, and she’s from Dominaria where there would be the most knowledge about interplanar travel via technology available.
“...Tezzeret was building something like an old-fashioned planar portal, the sort of thing that had caused so much chaos in Dominaria's ancient history. As far as she had known, such things were impossible now, now that the Multiverse had...changed.” -Puppets
However, there is powerful evidence that travel via technology is still possible as seen in Breakthrough when Rashmi beholds the Multiverse.
Overlays
The only instance in which this has happened is when the artificial plane of Rath aligned its planar coordinates with Dominaria’s. Very unique and very special circumstances. I am virtually 100% certain this will never happen again. Enough said with this.
The Void and the Elder Dragons
In this respect, I will have to defer to @vorthosjay once again. His understanding is significantly better than mine when it comes to this subject. The Void itself an interesting subject I am willing to discuss further in another article. But for now, let @vorthosjay‘s words carry the weight behind these two remaining methods of travel.
Conclusion
Planeswalking is still something we only know so much about. We have sufficient evidence to have an understanding of the action as a whole, but we cannot and will not understand the exact science behind it. There is simply no need to know so much detail. That mystique is part of what makes planeswalkers so special to us as fans. Also, establishing hard and fast rules set in stone is dangerous to the Creative Team. It puts restrictions on them. Even so, the information we have now is quite enough to keep us busy.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found this Treatise informative and entertaining. As a storyteller, sometimes there are things that I simply must talk about. This is one of those subjects and I am glad I finally made time to get around to it.
If you liked what you read, hit that “Reblog” button. For more insights into Magic: The Gathering’s storytelling, hit that “Follow” button. Check out my blog and search up “ premiere issue “ to see my greatest works. Or, you could press the “Premiere Issue” Tagegory Button on the left side of the blog.
The next subjects I intend to write a Treatise about is “The Nature of the Planeswalker Spark”. I’ve already made good progress on it but I’ll save it for another date.
Thanks again!
- @the-foxwolf
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