[AER] Story Spotlights (four of five)

[bury the year]

[spoiler=Images: large.]

 

 

Will post text. The first one has yet to be revealed, but what do people think so far?

[bury the year]

Pia's Revolution 2R

Enchantment (Rare)

Whenever a nontoken artifact you control is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, return it to your hand unless target opponent has Pia's Revolution deal 3 damage to him or her.

Pia's passion was directed at the big picture—at making real, lasting change.

 

Disallow 1UU

Instant (Rare)

Counter target spell, activated ability, or triggered ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.)

"How easily your flames are quenched."

—Baral, Chief of Compliance

 

Battle at the Bridge XB

Sorcery (Rare)

Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for 1.)

Target creatures gets -X/-X until end of turn. You gain X life.

"This is bigger than you. All of you."

—Baral, Chief of Compliance

 

Dark Intimations 2UBR

Sorcery (Rare)

Each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker, then discards a card. You return a creature or planeswalker from your graveyard to the battlefield, then draw a card.

Whenever you cast a Bolas planeswalker spell, exile Dark Intimations from your graveyard. That planeswalker enters the battlefield with an additional loyalty counter on it.

 

----

 

Yes I did just double-post. Suck it.

[Forest Fire]

first: none of the images work

second: HOLY sheet WE'RE GETTING A NEW BOLAS WALKER THIS SET

Disallow is sweeeet.

Improvise isn't that surprising of a mechanic. It was bound to happen.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Did they just obsolete Voidslime.

 

Also, lolbolas.

 

Also, HOLY funk improvise is gonna be a fun mechanic.

[Delibirb]

So... 7 main set planeswalkers this block? Oh well, no complaints for new Bolas incoming.

[bury the year]

first: none of the images work

Weird, they show up on my end just fine.

 

So... 7 main set planeswalkers this block? Oh well, no complaints for new Bolas incoming.

We already know Ajani and Tezzeret are in AER (as per the intro decks), and it'd be pretty tough for Wizards to fit three planeswalkers into a small set. It seems like the precedent is two so far (OGW had Nissa and Chandra, EMN had Liliana and Tamiyo), so we're likely getting Bolas in Amonkhet. Plus, Wizards has hinted at cards that appear in future sets before - just look at Eye of Ugin.

 

EDIT: Also, it would make little sense to put Bolas in this set when Amonkhet is literally his plane.

[Forest Fire]

We already know Ajani and Tezzeret are in AER (as per the intro decks), and it'd be pretty tough for Wizards to fit three planeswalkers into a small set. It seems like the precedent is two so far (OGW had Nissa and Chandra, EMN had Liliana and Tamiyo), so we're likely getting Bolas in Amonkhet. Plus, Wizards has hinted at cards that appear in future sets before - just look at Eye of Ugin.

 

EDIT: Also, it would make little sense to put Bolas in this set when Amonkhet is literally his plane.

but then why this card:

 

Dark Imitations 2UBR

Sorcery (Rare)

Each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker, then discards a card. You return a creature or planeswalker from your graveyard to the battlefield, then draw a card.

Whenever you cast a Bolas planeswalker spell, exile Dark Imitations from your graveyard. That planeswalker enters the battlefield with an additional loyalty counter on it.

in this set?

 

like.... eye of ugin worked for colorless cards in general, and there were eldrazi in bfz, which is the set that expeditions was released alongside.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

but then why this card:

 

 

in this set?

 

like.... eye of ugin worked for colorless cards in general, and there were eldrazi in bfz, which is the set that expeditions was released alongside.

Plus, Wizards has hinted at cards that appear in future sets before - just look at Eye of Ugin.EDIT: Also, it would make little sense to put Bolas in this set when Amonkhet is literally his plane.

Eye of Ugin was released before the Eldrazi subtype was a thing.

 

You realize expeditions is all reprints, right?

[Delibirb]

Eye of Ugin was released before the Eldrazi subtype was a thing.

 

You realize expeditions is all reprints, right?

Alright, you've got me with Eye of Ugin, but at least the Eldrazi were in the same block, and it is quite old. Now, Wizards seems to - barring that unusual circumstance - dislike referring to mechanics or card types that don't appear in that standard set. Thus, it would be very uncharacteristic to their "everything has to make sense for new players as if this is their first set" plot to name Bolas planeswalker cards when none will be in Standard for months. So, a Bolas planeswalker here would be expected. We know we're getting Ajani and Tezzeret in AER, and since we had four 'walkers in Kaladesh, adding in Bolas brings our walkers-in-main-sets-per-block count to 7, when we've been explicitly told it will be 6.

 

So, neither a yes or no to Bolas in this set makes sense, because either goes back on one or more of Wizards' policies regarding Standard set contents.

[Flame Dragon]

For those that want pictures

 

Convoke for artifacts is interesting. Card itself is fine.

 

I love that Dark Intimations is just a weaker Cruel Ultimatum. Don't think Bolas will be in this set. Its likely setting up for Amonkhet.

 

Revolution seems sweet. Mono-Red artifact commanders will love this set. Might be good enough to standard even.

 

I've wanted Voidslime, so getting a virtual reprint is nice.

 

Also, I find it interesting that none of these cards really give away ANY spoiler stuff.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Is renowned weaponsmith a recent enough example for you?

[Delibirb]

Is renowned weaponsmith a recent enough example for you?

That's fair, I'd forgotten about him.

 

Though again, his reference at least comes to fruition in the same block, and it occurred before (albeit right before) wizards doubled down on their new player catering. So it isn't a standard.

 

Again, I'm not implying that there is no way Bolas won't or will be in this set. I'm simply pointing out that either way will be ignoring one of wizard's closely held policies.

[Forest Fire]

Is renowned weaponsmith a recent enough example for you?

at least those sets were on the same plane/ in the same block. come on. when has a multiblock reference happened ever?

[Flame Dragon]

at least those sets were on the same plane/ in the same block. come on. when has a multiblock reference happened ever?

I'd assume stuff during the Weatherlight saga.

 

Anyway

http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/154119562878/how-many-planeswalkers-are-in-aether-revolt

 

No Bolas.

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

at least those sets were on the same plane/ in the same block. come on. when has a multiblock reference happened ever?

That isn't a terribly reasonable question. The current block archetype only started a bit over a year ago, so there hasn't been nearly long enough to say "this is how things work".

 

What it would do is tie the mechanics and storyline of Kaladesh block and Amonkhet block together, similarly to how the presence of Eldrazi did for the previous two blocks. The storyline is over-arching, so having mechanics span between blocks makes complete sense.

 

Consider Oath of Liliana. Though not as explicit, it completed the cycle from the previous block, and mechanically functioned the same as the other oaths, rather than matching the themes in its own set. Your mistake is in viewing blocks as completely separate entities, which simply is not the case.

[Sixty]

bolas is coming in amonkhet, not this set. it's a plant

 

i hate disallow. now i gotta work extra hard to nuke people with aetherflux.

[Tesability Black]

One: I must 'squee' over Improvise. I have a blue EDH which will be very happy to see such cards.
Two: 'blinks at Battle at the Bridge' NO. BRAIN, NO. BAD. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING ELDRAZI-RELATED BEHIND TEZZERET!