Other Eldrazi Titans?
Lore forum
Posted on April 22, 2020, 12:51 a.m. by KorandAngels
You understand the concept from the title. Although there is no proof there aren't any more, there's also no proof that there are. One theory I've seen is that Kozilek and Ulamog being dead might generate a new 2 out in the Blind Eternities, or that the Slivers are Eldrazi (But I don't beleive that last one at all. The first one is a justification for the main point).
See this is an interesting subject because as much as we learned about the eldrazi, I think theres a part thats been left out. Specifically, in two parts:
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I cant remember where, but the Eldrazi have been described as like extensions of beings which exist in the blind eternity.
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We know the function of each of the current eldrazi titans, but not really the end goal (no one survived the first three to see what comes next).
So based on this, I have a two part theory: the first is that Ulamog and Kozilek are not truly dead. Instead, its like the being they were an extension of which exists in the blind eternities basically got a limb ripped off. The second is that the eldrazi titans we know are half of a system, with the first three responsible for the destruction of planes. However, however many left there are will not be destroying the plane, but recycling the matter into a new plane.
April 22, 2020 2:18 a.m.
I personally think that there is no big plan for the Eldrazi. They are really making stuff up as they go along and not being consistent with it, so trying to make sense of it makes no sense.
Personally, I do not think they are willing to make new titans, so saying the current ones are not dead will be the norm. Zendikar was a cool set, until the eldrazi were revealed. Ruining the mystery and waving their hands around saying "Chtulu" was not a good way to end the first block.
It took 3 pre mending planeswalkers to lock up the eldrazi, but 4 neo-walkers were able to kill a couple of them and imprison the other one.
The second Zendikar set created the Gatewatch and gave them an easy victory in their first battle against basically God. The stakes cannot never be higher and the gatewatch was disbanded after defeating the second baddie, because Magic has no more villains left.
Here we are a couple of sets later after war of the spark - the evil baddies were а trickster, Heliod, who was not really a threat to anything, but a personal quest for vengeance (and the real villain of the set was Elspeth, who trampled over anything to get revenge and released the underworld upon the rest of theros) and literally no-one in Ikoria, maybe Lucca as a possible villain in the future, though his motivations are entirely tied to Ikoria.
Really, Magic has a problem, and what happened to the Eldrazi is not one of them.
TLDR: I, for one, am not welcoming our new Eldrazi overlords. The Eldrazi are a story McGuffin and have no real impact. They are a force of nature with no personality or goals, nerfed to oblivion compared to the Elder Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, and used in any way that serves the story.
April 22, 2020 4:40 a.m.
Boza - Ah, I would like to rectify a claim you have made.
Within story writing, Macguffins and plot devices have discrepancies. Macgruffins, as described by Alfred Hitchcock "is the thing the spies are after but the audience doesn't care." A Macguffin sways the plot distinctly by people wanting it, yet has little impact outside of that. An example is the Pink Panther gem from the original Pink Panther movies (they're fantastic); it exists within the plot, but it is only desired.
Some Macguffins still have potent abilities, such as the possibility of snuffing a life, but they still have little story impact outside of that.
For the story of Zendikar, the Eldrazi are an incessant threat: the Magic equivalent of an alien invasion. They aren't really desired, but they are a plot device. They actively kill characters as well as ravage the lands, thusly doing far more for a plot than the typical Macguffin.
April 22, 2020 11:24 a.m.
ModernWalrus says... #6
wizards probably make the mistake of putting eldrazi into standard-legal sets, as the problems of eldrazi winter and kaladesh standard showed, so my theory is that if they wanted to put a card for a new titan into magic, my theory is they should put it into a commander set- it wouldn't mess up standard, modern or pioneer, and it would be fun to have a commander-exclusive titan to make decks around
April 22, 2020 6:03 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #7
Sorry for the novel, but I love talking about the Eldrazi....
I've always found the Eldrazi fascinating because they are such an enigma. They are clearly crucial elements of the multiverse, but they are so destructive and so little is known about them. Much like a lot of things found in our own universe. I love the fact that they are shrouded in mystery and I hope they stay that way. Not everything needs to be crystal clear in the Magic multiverse.
My personal theory is that they aren't three separate entities, but they are instead one being. Emrakul is the head/brain as she has shown a high level of intelligence and even commented on not feeling right/whole after the other two were gone. Her corruption also starts by attacking the mind. Ulamog is the mouth that straight up consumes the lifeforce of the plane, and Kozilek the body as he warps the physical space and beings around him (he even looks like a body without a head). This still fits into Ugin's hand analogy that he used when describing them to Jace.
Some thoughts on earlier comments:
OG post: Slivers are definitely not Eldrazi as they have not been shown to move from plane to plane without assistance (i.e. Volrath). I think the idea of new titans forming is interesting story space to explore. Though in all likelihood I suspect the writers would just reincarnate Kozilek and Ulamog. If they actually hire a competent writer they could make an interesting story about the imbalances created throughout the multiverse due to the lack of 2 of the 3 titans. Even more interesting is the fact the most knowledgeable being on the titans (Ugin) is now voluntarily trapped in the Mediation Realm to watch over Bolas.
Boza: In reality, the Jacetus league didn't defeat Emrakul. She mopped the floor with all of them except for Liliana who is both a former pre-mending walker and was being enhanced by The Chain Veil. Even then, Emrakul eventually overpowered Liliana. In the end (through some rather confusing story writing) Emrakul chose to imprison herself. Against Ulamog and Kozilek, Chandra was channeling the entire plane of Zendikar's power to kill them. However, I get your point that it seemed a little odd how supposedly much, much weaker beings straight up killed two titans when Nahiri, Sorin, and Ugin couldn't (though Ugin never actually tried to kill the Eldrazi).
I have to disagree with your assessment of the state of villains in Magic lore. Magic doesn't always need some big multi-plane calamity happening. That would grow stale fast. I find it refreshing to see more localized struggles occurring. It allows for smaller characters to develope (i.e. Garuuk and the Rowan twins) and lets us explore these other planes more thoroughly. Amonkhet felt so hollow because it was treated like an afterthought against the whole Bolas struggle. Also, there are some potentially cool villains still around. Unless the recent novels changed these things, The Raven Man is still looming. They just reincarnated Darigaaz which puts the Primeval Dragons back in play, and New Phyrexia is still lurking (and they are connected with a certain Tezzeret...who happens to be a walking planar bridge). Heck, Karn just dug up The Stylex to blow up Mirrodin/New Phyrexia. They could take that in multiple directions.
ModernWalrus - I can't speak to the original Eldrazi as I wasn't playing at that time, but the 2nd iteration of Eldrazi were never really that big of an issue themselves. It was the enablers around them that caused problems. Eye of Ugin in Modern and Aetherworks Marvel in Standard made it extremely easy to get those cards onto the field early. Once those cards were banned, most Eldrazi stopped seeing oppressive play. I'd find it odd if WotC would chose to exclude such influential/hyped beings from the main set.
Idoneity says... #2
What is the discussion here? We seem to have one theory to confer, avowed by itself as amiss.
I believe not for there to be others, and it seems eldrazi are without much substantiation for either possiblity.
April 22, 2020 1:50 a.m.