MS: Endure
Lore forum
Posted on July 19, 2017, 12:04 p.m. by AgentGreen
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/endure-2017-07-19
The story today focuses on Samut as she tries to rally the surviors against the Eternals. As The Gatewatch make their move against Bolas; the survivors rally to their last surviving god, as Samut discovers her true destiny
AgentGreen says... #3
I think there's also a bit of control in the post-ignition planeswalk.
I believe Samut ended up in Theros; judging by the sky and the buildings
But also where Gods reside. She went to a plane with Gods because she still worshiped Gods; so there is likely some control on where you go; it's not quite a random plane you end up at
July 19, 2017 12:51 p.m.
Hmmm that's interesting to look at too. But it doesn't seem so much like control but more like a plane that has a connection to the walker. For example, Nissa's first Planeswalk took her to a plane with a strong elf and forest presence (which is Llorwyn/Shadowmoor's main connection to Zendikar).
Also, if it was Theros, it could suggest a Return to Theros block at some point.
July 19, 2017 1:47 p.m.
So return to theros is confirmed with Gideon and Samut probably being central to the story and possibly bringing back Elspeth?
July 19, 2017 2:26 p.m.
I wouldn't say confirmed, but possibly for sure.
Especially since this set and Theros had a lot in common when it comes to flavor.
July 19, 2017 2:55 p.m.
Most of the walkers' first planeswalks were to a plane they had ties to through the similarites... Chandra to Regatha, Nissa to Lorwyn, Gideon to Bant, etc etc
July 19, 2017 3:02 p.m.
It's rare that I actually praise Magic's story, but the last bit of this one was really nice. It gives us the ending to the block, the result of all our efforts, perfectly setting up the "climax" which won't really have any effect on the plot. This way, we can have a defeat / "bad ending" without it coming across as all overdone pain and misery.
Also I like how they finally actually killed an undying god. It was still a struggle, and it was handled well. That way we're left with just a little hope and we don't get the stereotypical omnipotent antagonists.
July 19, 2017 3:30 p.m.
RicketyEng says... #9
I've really enjoyed how the authors have been using actual card art in their descriptions of various scenes. It helps the cards represent the story even more than just with the story spotlights. They have also directly used several of the flavour text quotes.
I liked Djeru and Gideon's reconciliation. Samut still doesn't like the other planeswalkers, but now that she is one of them that is something she'll have to come to terms with. I don't think she will leave Amonkhet again very soon. She will likely do her part in establishing a survivors' settlement before she decides the people she cares about are safe enough for her to go exploring. Even then I could see her being the type of planeswalker who stays at home most of the time as a self declared protector of the plane. If she does eventually leave, I wouldn't be surprised if it's Hazoret or Djeru that finally convince her it's okay to go. Hazoret would provide a similar feeling of having a home to return to that Chandra now has with her mother.
Something that I think was brought up in the podcasts was that each planeswalker walks slightly differently. We had some insight into how some of the Gatewatch members walk, and now we have a description of Samut walking. She feels it in her muscles. It's neat that that is where she has been able to use magic in the past and so it relates to her own experiences.
Wrt causes of sparks, we have seen other planeswalkers spark without trauma before. Narset sparked when she discovered the secret history of the Khans. In her case it was a discovery of literally mind blowing proportions. I would say that Jace's spark was in a similar vein, but it might be arguable based on the mental training he was undergoing at the time. In Samut's case, it makes sense that a hardship or trial wouldn't cause her to spark because she had been experiencing hardships her whole life. Her moment was the pure and groundbreaking joy that came from finally succeeding so completely.
July 19, 2017 5:24 p.m.
I teared up while reading this story on my lunch break. The emotion and teamwork encompassed in their battle to save hazoret was enthralling. The pride and respect their God unfurled upon Samut was a real tear-jerker. I'm really rooting for these guys!
July 19, 2017 7:57 p.m.
landofMordor says... #12
I feel the exact way as some of the other posters do, that the story was immensely satisfying and emotional, without being overdone. Extremely well-written. And extremely well-handled lore, from the perspective of giving us a reason to return to Amonkhet without ruining what made the plane cool or making the lore feel like a serialized crisis-of-the-season dime novel.
10/10 from my perspective.
July 19, 2017 9:06 p.m.
Very well written story and i am happy wizards is finally getting back to good storylines/telling. Some of the last few blocks have been very meh story wise or just plan bad. This is great i hope it will be the new standard they set for themselves.
July 20, 2017 7:09 a.m.
Okay, I wouldn't go so far as to say it made me emotional. A little cheery, if anything. But it's a great story - satisfying is the perfect single word to describe it.
July 20, 2017 3:29 p.m.
PhotogenicParasympathetic says... #15
I liked everything except the part where Samut sparked. Honestly... it felt like that was just shoehorned in to make a new Planeswalker card. Didn't feel relevant to the story at all. It's kind of a recurring problem with these one-off planeswalkers like Samut and Arlinn Kord. They're trying to match the relative successes of characters like Dovin Baan (whose planeswalking mattered to the story) and Narset (whose planeswalking felt natural and completed an arc between her and Sarkhan) and falling short.
July 20, 2017 8:28 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #16
This was an excellent story, with how Samut and Hazoret finally defeated one of the three dark gods; in many ways, this feels akin to a video game, with there being three normal boss fights before the final boss.
I did like how Samut awoke her planeswalker spark, but, being that she had to return to Amonkhet immediately, it did not contribute much to the story and ultimately felt necessary, although I do expect that she shall explore the multiverse at some point, or else there would be no point in having her be a planeswalker.
I imagine that next week's story shall focus on the Gatewatch fighting Bolas, so I am looking forward to it.
July 21, 2017 12:26 a.m.
Very good story by all counts, and I think DarkLaw really summarized it succinctly. This story is, in a word, satisfying.
dbpunk says... #2
There's something really interesting lorewise here too.
Before we only saw Planeswalker sparks igniting after huge amounts of trauma. But Samut's spark ignited when seeing Hazoret bowed to her. Not when fighting the Scorpion God.
July 19, 2017 12:44 p.m.