[MTG] Hour of Devastation PreSpoiler Season spoilers

[Flame Dragon]

So we start getting spoilers in mass tomorrow, but we were given something nice to start with today

 

We also had more card leaked earlier this week.

[img[]http://mythicspoiler.com/hou/cards/abrade.jpg

[evilfusion]

...there's a card literally called "Jace's Defeat"? That's...not remotely subtle. Or surprising, actually.

 

Now, I had noted a while back, before any HOU cards were revealed, that there was an obvious pattern with some of the Planeswalker cards. Chandra and Nissa were printed in Kaladesh, and both got Planeswalker Decks featuring them. Ajani and Tezzeret got printed in Aether Revolt, also with Planeswalker Decks featuring them. Amonkhet had Gideon and Liliana (and a surprise Nissa) in the set, and Planeswalker Decks featuring them.

 

And now Hour of Devastation. Bolas was OBVIOUSLY going to feature (and he also has a Planeswalker Deck, I hear). The only Gatewatch member not featured in a Planeswalker Deck is Jace. I semi-suspect him to also get a Planeswalker print in HOU, but that might not be the case. If not in the main set, then possibly within the second Planeswalker Deck (since they release in pairs).

 

"Jace's Defeat" is so specific with its effect, it strongly hints at a possible Jace Planeswalker in the set. Countering only Blue spells, and having a secondary effect if it was SPECIFICALLY a Jace Planeswalker.

 

Also, not remotely surprised. From what I know of the story, Jace has encountered Bolas previously, and held him off mentally for like...a fraction of a second (cited as being an incredible feat). Jace also seems to operate almost entirely using his mental abilities, of which Bolas VASTLY outmatches him. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind, whatsoever, that Jace would get utterly stomped by Bolas.

[Flame Dragon]

...there's a card literally called "Jace's Defeat"? That's...not remotely subtle. Or surprising, actually.

 

Now, I had noted a while back, before any HOU cards were revealed, that there was an obvious pattern with some of the Planeswalker cards. Chandra and Nissa were printed in Kaladesh, and both got Planeswalker Decks featuring them. Ajani and Tezzeret got printed in Aether Revolt, also with Planeswalker Decks featuring them. Amonkhet had Gideon and Liliana (and a surprise Nissa) in the set, and Planeswalker Decks featuring them.

 

And now Hour of Devastation. Bolas was OBVIOUSLY going to feature (and he also has a Planeswalker Deck, I hear). The only Gatewatch member not featured in a Planeswalker Deck is Jace. I semi-suspect him to also get a Planeswalker print in HOU, but that might not be the case. If not in the main set, then possibly within the second Planeswalker Deck (since they release in pairs).

 

"Jace's Defeat" is so specific with its effect, it strongly hints at a possible Jace Planeswalker in the set. Countering only Blue spells, and having a secondary effect if it was SPECIFICALLY a Jace Planeswalker.

 

Also, not remotely surprised. From what I know of the story, Jace has encountered Bolas previously, and held him off mentally for like...a fraction of a second (cited as being an incredible feat). Jace also seems to operate almost entirely using his mental abilities, of which Bolas VASTLY outmatches him. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind, whatsoever, that Jace would get utterly stomped by Bolas.

We know we are getting a Jace planeswalker in Ixalan thanks to the rare sheet leak so him being in this set seems unlikely. Especially coupled with us knowing Samut gets a planeswalker card and having 3 blocks in a row with 6 planeswalkers is REALLY pushing their limit on how many they'll want. I'll agree calling out Jace is weird, but I half expect all the Gatewatch will have a card showing their defeat. Right now people are speculating that Hour ends with the team being blasted off and separated which is why Jace will be on Ixalan.

 

"We have to do something," said Jace. "We may have disrupted Tezzeret's Planar Bridge, but Bolas's plans aren't so easily undone. Whatever he's up to, he's bound to have contingency plans, because..." Jace paused. "Well, because I would. And he's a lot smarter than I am."

 

Jace knows full well he is an ant next to Bolas.

[evilfusion]

This is actually part of what makes me so eager to see what happens in Hour of Devastation. There is almost no way I can see for the Gatewatch to win. They don't really know what Bolas is even trying to do, and in terms of combat ability, they should be all but nothing. The best outcome I can imagine is that they do SOMETHING to prevent Bolas' plan from fully succeeding, but since we don't even know what he's planning, I don't know how they might do that.

 

I also feel that the writers specifically set up this situation on Amonkhet so that it was unwinnable for the Gatewatch. They are not realistically expected to win, and the only consolation prize I can foresee is that they don't die. Maybe.

 

It's exciting to see a story where the heroes might actually lose, and even if they manage to score a better consolation prize, so long as it's not a complete ass-pull, it should be awesome to see how it turns out.

 

My current prediction is that Bolas' plan concludes with the entire Plane being eradicated. And since we were not really given many Amonkhet characters to relate to or sympathize with (and the main one we did will become a Planeswalker, apparently), I think the mission will end in failure, and the Gatewatch will have to planeswalk off of Amonkhet (or whatever they do) to avoid being destroyed with the plane.

 

I mean, the alternative I see is that they do manage to thwart the masterstroke of Bolas' plan, but it can't be considered a "victory" because Bolas always has contingency plans. And I still expect Amonkhet to be obliterated, because I just don't think the society can ever function normally again after what Bolas did to mess the plane up in the first place.

[Flame Dragon]

I REALLY don't think they'll blow up Amonkhet. Egypt world is one of the most requested planes for them to visit so giving it to us and then blowing it up right after seems really bad. One of the problems they keep running into is destroying their worlds by the time they finish the block. Alara, Zendikar, Innistrad, and Tarkir all ended in very different places from where they started and the starting point was the much more popular one. For a long time WotC viewed worlds as disposable and its only been in recent years that they've really learned the value of leaving a world in a state where they can more easily return to it. That being said I do think the plane is going to be devastated and barely have a leg to stand on by the time Bolas is done with it.

[evilfusion]

I REALLY don't think they'll blow up Amonkhet. Egypt world is one of the most requested planes for them to visit so giving it to us and then blowing it up right after seems really bad. One of the problems they keep running into is destroying their worlds by the time they finish the block. Alara, Zendikar, Innistrad, and Tarkir all ended in very different places from where they started and the starting point was the much more popular one. For a long time WotC viewed worlds as disposable and its only been in recent years that they've really learned the value of leaving a world in a state where they can more easily return to it. That being said I do think the plane is going to be devastated and barely have a leg to stand on by the time Bolas is done with it.

 

That's a fair point. I'm not that familiar with most of the past lore, so I suppose averting a pattern from forming is probably for the better.

 

Still makes it difficult for me to imagine Amonkhet ending up in any other condition. We have little to no attachment to the majority of the people occupying the world, many of which were almost outright hostile to the Gatewatch and those who dissented with the tradition, but that's because of how Bolas corrupted the history of the world.

 

The problem is that the current occupants of Amonkhet were completely raised on the beliefs that presently exist, and even if Amonkhet isn't utterly eradicated...I don't know how they'll progress "back" to a stable society, like how they were before Bolas altered things.

 

And if they somehow "revert" everything, that feels like a cop-out.

[bury the year]

 

Nissa's Defeat 2G

Sorcery

Destroy target Forest, green enchantment, or green planeswalker. If that permanent was a Nissa planeswalker, draw a card.

"Nissa. The soul of this world is dead. And I will gladly kill more." -Nicol Bolas

[Flame Dragon]

 

Nissa's Defeat 2G

Sorcery

Destroy target Forest, green enchantment, or green planeswalker. If that permanent was a Nissa planeswalker, draw a card.

"Nissa. The soul of this world is dead. And I will gladly kill more." -Nicol Bolas

This is several steps worse than Jace's Defeat. Like Gainsay has has sideboard use. This is WAY to narrow.

 

Either way excited for this cycle and curious what we'll see with Gideon's.

[Gokai-Red]

 

Nissa's Defeat 2G

Sorcery

Destroy target Forest, green enchantment, or green planeswalker. If that permanent was a Nissa planeswalker, draw a card.

"Nissa. The soul of this world is dead. And I will gladly kill more." -Nicol Bolas

Basically Bolas Absorbed all the mana from the Plane to Ascend into something more powerfull essentially killing it...that's kind of yeah something that bolas would do.

[evilfusion]

O_O

 

...yeah, this is definitely sounding like Bolas curb-stomps the Gatewatch. And those defeats will be immortalized in cards. And none of them are story spotlights.

[Tesability Black]

My funk, I have a friend whom would collect this particular cycle, just to cackle at how the 'bad guy' just wrecked these guys into bits. With what we're seeing with the defeats, Bolas basically jammed himself into every one of their asses without even the slightest amount of lube or preparation...

 

...and I think that particular body part on Bolas is bigger than any of the Planeswalker's entire bodies...

[Delibirb]

So these won't be in the Planeswalker deck, then, which is arguably better because we'll get a full cycle of them. Very cool. But will any of them have any lasting effects on the story?

[Flame Dragon]

Liliana's Defeat

B

Sorcery

Destroy target black creature or black planeswalker. If it was a Liliana planeswalker, it's controller loses 3 life.

 

So these won't be in the Planeswalker deck, then, which is arguably better because we'll get a full cycle of them. Very cool. But will any of them have any lasting effects on the story?

[spoiler=Ixalan]

I am VERY likely losing my mind, but every time I see the pixelated picture of Jace in Ixalan it looks like he is missing part of his right arm. It is far more likely that he is just bending it, but you never know.

 

 

[evilfusion]

Well, crap. Looks like 4 of them are confirmed to get stomped now. Chandra's next.

 

And I cringed a little bit at the art for Gideon's Defeat. Gideon got touched directly. The lightest touch and Bolas beats him.

[Tesability Black]

Yeah, it looks like Nicol just no-selled Gideon's invulnerability before delivering his curbstomp. Scary thought is scary. o.o

[spoiler=And Flame...]I hope to funking GOD that's not the case! As I said in the other thread, the way he's holding himself in that pic looks more of a Chandra pose than anything else. I don't see him being the type to just hang from something with one hand, considering he has an implied fear of heights.

 

[Flame Dragon]

Yeah, it looks like Nicol just no-selled Gideon's invulnerability before delivering his curbstomp. Scary thought is scary. o.o

 

[spoiler=And Flame...]I hope to funking GOD that's not the case! As I said in the other thread, the way he's holding himself in that pic looks more of a Chandra pose than anything else. I don't see him being the type to just hang from something with one hand, considering he has an implied fear of heights.

 

[spoiler=Ixalan]

I can totally believe that. The mindless speculation you get when grainy pictures of things come up is always haphazard causing people to speculate stuff like that. We just need to wait and see. Right now the one clear thing is the Gatewatch loses hard.

 

 

[Poc]

From what I'm getting from the defeat cycle is that Bolas is ejecting them from Amonkhet. I don't know if any of them will actually be killed in the process but Bolas is definitely splitting up the Avengers and it will be Ajani's Job to go gather their dumb asses up. As for the cards themselves, Narrow hate cards can find places in sideboards depending on how the meta shapes up. I can't really say one is more playable than the other because its impossible to judge these cards in a vacuum.Their power and playability depends on the rest of the meta.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

You know, the Defeat cards make sense from a meta standpoint. We know that Wizards has been pushing the Super Friends hard for the past couple of years, and there are some good, Standard-viable versions of each of them (I'm looking at you, Gideon). These aren't just flavor: they are perfect for countering decks centering around one or more of the Super Friends (again, not naming names Gideon).

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

You could totally get away with playing jace's defeat in vintage.

[Delibirb]

I'm curious how Chandra will be defeated.

 

Unless we were wrong; perhaps someone will betray their Oath, just not Liliana...

 

That's unlikely but I don't see why we wouldn't have Chandra's yet.

[Forest Fire]

I'm curious how Chandra will be defeated.

 

Unless we were wrong; perhaps someone will betray their Oath, just not Liliana...

 

That's unlikely but I don't see why we wouldn't have Chandra's yet.

psst check mythcspoiler.

Instant

Chandra's Defeat deals 5 damage to target red creature or red planeswalker. If it was a Chandra planeswalker, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. 

"Fire? Is that your only trick, Chandra?"

[bury the year]

[spoiler=Pictures!]

 

 

[spoiler=Text for new cards revealed on stream.]Angel of the God-Pharaoh 4WW

Creature – Angel {U}

Flying

Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

4/4

 

Hour of Revelation 3WWW

Sorcery {R}

~ costs 3 less to cast if there are ten or more nonland permanents on the battlefield.

Destroy all nonland permanents.

 

Steadfast Sentinel 3W

Creature – Human Cleric {C}

Vigilance

Eternalize 4WW (4WW, Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 4/4 black Zombie Human Cleric with no mana cost. Eternalize only as a sorcery.)

2/3

 

Accursed Horde 3B

Creature – Zombie {U}

1B: Target attacking Zombie gains indestructible until end of turn.

3/3

 

Carrion Screecher 3B

Creature – Zombie Bird {C}

Flying

3/1

 

Khenra Eternal 1B

Creature – Zombie Jackal Warrior {C}

Afflict 1 (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, defending player loses 1 life.)

2/2

 

Marauding Boneslasher 2B

Creature – Zombie Minotaur {C}

~ can't block unless you control another Zombie.

3/3

 

Defiant Khenra 1R

Creature – Jackal Warrior {C}

2/2

 

Gilded Cerodon 4R

Creature – Beast {C}

Whenever ~ attacks, if you control a Desert or if there is a Desert card in your graveyard, target creature can't block this turn.

4/4

 

Inferno Jet 5R

Sorcery {U}

~ deals 6 damage to target player.

Cycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

 

Khenra Scrapper 2R

Creature – Jackal Warrior {C}

Menace

You may exert ~ as it attacks. When you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. (An exerted creature won't untap during your next untap step.)

2/3

 

Open Fire 2R

Instant {C}

~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player.

 

Sand Strangler 3R

Creature – Beast {U}

When ~ enters the battlefield, if you control a Desert or if there is a Desert card in your graveyard, you may have ~ deal 3 damage to target creature.

3/3

 

Oasis Ritualist 3G

Creature – Naga Druid {C}

T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

T, Exert ~: Add two mana of any one color to your mana pool. (An exerted creature won't untap during your next untap step.)

2/4

 

Sidewinder Naga 2G

Creature – Naga Warrior {C}

As long as you control a Desert or there is a Desert card in your graveyard, ~ gets +1/+0 and has trample.

3/2

 

The Scorpion God 3BR

Legendary Creature – God {M}

Whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, draw a card.

1BR: Put a -1/-1 counter on another target creature.

When ~ dies, return it to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.

6/5

 

Grind 1B

Sorcery {R}

Put a -1/-1 counter on each of up to two target creatures.

//

Dust 2WW

Sorcery

Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.)

Exile any number of target creatures that have -1/-1 counters on them.

 

Desert of the Fervent

Land – Desert {C}

~ enters the battlefield tapped.

T: Add R to your mana pool.

Cycling 1R (1R, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

 

Desert of the Indomitable

Land – Desert {C}

~ enters the battlefield tapped.

T: Add G to your mana pool.

Cycling 1G (1G, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

 

Summary of known information:

• Aftermath and cycling return.
• Exert also returns, and can now apply outside of combat.
• Embalm is replaced by eternalize, which produces black 4/4 zombies but is otherwise the same.
• Afflict is a new mechanic: whenever a creature with afflict N is blocked, defending player loses N life.
• We're getting the three new god cards.
• Also getting Damnation and Blood Moon as invocations.

[Flame Dragon]

From what I'm getting from the defeat cycle is that Bolas is ejecting them from Amonkhet. I don't know if any of them will actually be killed in the process but Bolas is definitely splitting up the Avengers and it will be Ajani's Job to go gather their dumb asses up. As for the cards themselves, Narrow hate cards can find places in sideboards depending on how the meta shapes up. I can't really say one is more playable than the other because its impossible to judge these cards in a vacuum.Their power and playability depends on the rest of the meta.

Thats what most people are expecting. Which brings me back to a point I've made a few times, I think Wizards was going to pull back on the exposure of the Gatewatch on their own anyway. Like, this is basically the only workable outcome that doesn't see them just die, which I think is pretty unlikely.

 

Anyway, SPOILER TIME!!!

 

Fake Edit: Beaten to the punch on the spoilers, but mine has pictures. Also Blood Moon.

 

 

I do NOT like Eternalize. What made Embalm so clean is it is more or less just the creature, but having an added stat change makes it WAY more complicated then it should be imo.

[evilfusion]

I expect that, like Embalm, they'll print token cards to represent Eternalized cards.

 

Also, "Eternal" itself seems to have a meaning relevant to Bolas' scheme, based on the flavor text of Khenra Eternal. And the fact that creatures with Eternalize turn into buffed BLACK zombies. And the creatures with "Eternal" in their name have Afflict.

[Chaosix]

The Scorpion God is such a stupid name. The card itself is cool, i like it, but that's it? just "The Scorpion God"?

 

 

-------------------------------------

 

Side Thingy/Theory Here:

I think that, since we have the scorpion god, we will probably get 2 other gods (Almost certain that they are going to be B/G and B/U, With the green one probably being an insect god going off of the trailer and Fish God, i guess? whatever the thing in first few frames of the trailer is. [Also They will probably get stupid names like The Locust God and The Fish God.]).