Return to Dominaria: Episode IX
Lore forum
Posted on May 9, 2018, 11:50 a.m. by RicketyEng
In which Chandra finds out what Jaya and Karn are trying to do and then some more things happen.
Two of my theories got confirmed here:
That this one has Chandra's group merge with Gideon's group.
Jace showing up.
However, I wasn't expecting him to depart. I wonder if he's returned to Ravnica to prepare for the upcoming invasion.
May 9, 2018 12:28 p.m. Edited.
RicketyEng says... #4
I just loved the previous version of Jace's arrival and the "Gideon! I'm not dead!" but this version had some subtle differences which disappoints me. Jace's amazement at his planewalking-in-motion achievement and his curiosity about the Weatherlight were completely missing. In this version Jace landed in the same room as Gideon where that wasn't the case before. I do appreciate that Jaya still got in her line asking who he was, but it's Jace's sense of wonder and the emotion described in him and Gideon that I missed the most in the new version of the scene.
Also, I don't think the timing is lining up correctly. Jace spent three months (12 weeks) on Ixalan. If we count time quite liberally and loosely for the adventures on Dominaria:
1) 1 week for Gideon and Liliana to defeat Josu (Chandra travels to Regatha, then back to Dominaria, then fights the kobolds)
2) maybe another 1 week until they board the Weatherlight and rendezvous with Ajani (Chandra travels over mountain ridges)
3) Edit: I almost forgot to include a week to visit Jodah.
4) let's say another 1 week to recruit Teferi (more traveling for Chandra)
5) so let's give it another 1 week for the Weatherlight to reach Yavimaya (and a third [edit: fourth] week of traveling for Chandra since she helped fight the kobolds and she meets Karn and Jaya).
At the end of this fourth [edit: fifth] week we get everyone together on the Weatherlight and Jace planeswalks in two months ahead of schedule. Now, it is possible I am mistaken that Jace was out for 3 months as 3 months is the time I have in my head. I tried looking in the Ixalan stories quickly to check but couldn't find it. Therefore I am open to correction if I am wrong, but I do know he was gone for more than 4 weeks. He spent several weeks alone, and about a month or more on the Belligerent. Then the race from the shipwrecks to Orazca was more than a week. I give him an absolute minimum of 8 weeks (3, 4, 1) on Ixalan but I have the strong feeling it was closer to 12 weeks. There is also room for debate on the timing of events on Dominaria, but as I said above, I believe my estimates are over-estimates if anything.
As an aside, the rendezvous with Ajani actually lines up pretty well for about 3 weeks after leaving Kaladesh which makes sense.
May 9, 2018 1:42 p.m. Edited.
RazortoothMtg says... #5
Damn, I just want Venser back. He was by far my favorite character in the Time Spiral books (and I'm a big Teferi fan). But then again, I would prefer that deaths in Magic are permanent, so I don't know.
I do agree with RicketyEng that the Jace appears on the weatherlight moment felt a lot more rushed and poorly executed than I was expecting it to be based on what we saw in Ixalan's story. A lot of continuity errors between the two. Also, I think 3 months in correct. That's what I had in my head too, but then again, we really don't know how accurate Jace's timekeeping skills were, especially when he was on lonely island.
Jace telling them not to trust Lili was super interesting. I really want to just keep following Jace's storyline. Ixalan block really set up a lot of questions I need answers to, but we probably won't get them until Return to Return to Ravnica, or at least until we see Jace again.
The explanation for Teferi's spark was a bit lackluster. Just "The Mana Rig" as the entire explanation of a massive plot point seems lazy. Also, how do you make a spark a physical object? And how do you get it back with yourself to make your a planeswalker? Is the physical spark something anyone could take, or is it connected with Teferi?
May 9, 2018 1:54 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #6
This weeks story was very nice, I definitely agree with Jaya that the fact that Chandra did not accept Jayas previous offers of assistance (before Chandra knew her true identity) is her own fault, and that Jaya is not obligated to assist Chandra in any way, now.
I am surprised that the Golgothian sylex is still around, as it has scarcely been seen or heard since the Brothers War, and Karn made a mistake when he said that Urza created it. I just recently read The Brothers War (the novel), and Feldon and Hurkyl found it in a glacier.
There is definitely no way that WotC shall bring an end to the New Phyrexia storyline so abruptly, so I expect that Karns plan will somehow not succeed. On that subject, why have the members of the Gatewatch not asked the older planeswalkers who the Phryexains are? There is nothing to indicate that they have ever heard of Phyrexia, before now, so I find it odd that they have never expressed curiosity about them.
I am glad that Jace appeared in this story only briefly, as there are already a significant number of characters involved in the story at the present time. With two major threats being present simultaneously (Bolas and Belzenlok), the heroes are certainly in a difficult situation. Obviously, the story is focusing on Belzenlok first, so I hope that the battle against him is not too easy.
The end was very nice, and I do hope that Teferi takes back his planeswalker spark, as he will be a very useful ally against not only Belzenlok, but Bolas, as well.
May 9, 2018 8:22 p.m.
Looks like Karn decided to live up to the "Scion of Urza" name and asked himself, "What Would Urza Do?"
It turns out that detonating a supernuke is pretty high on that list.
May 9, 2018 11:44 p.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #8
So i guess there are minimum three planes indicated for the next set?
Looking at cards like Steel Leaf Champion, theros 2 might happen. Jace heading to ravnica makes this a possibility. And chandra meeting jaya might give us the hint that they'll go to regatha to have some exercise, which would definitely line up with the spells matters subtheme in DOM. Am i missing something else?
Regarding the story: we should admire the badassery of jaya getting drunk and burning things leading to someone building a religion around her.
May 10, 2018 2 a.m.
RazortoothMtg says... #9
User:DemonDragonJ: Karn's plan is to blow up all the phyrexians, who are mostly artificial and non-living beings (they're sentient, but not living matter really). It's not like we just had a powerful artifact introduced that can transport nonliving matter across planes. So ya, they're not getting rid of Phyrexia, but I would assume at least one Praetor blows up.
seshiro_of_the_orochi there's also that very small chance that Karn ignores everyone else and heads straight to New Phyrexia to blow up the Cylix. But it seems very unlikely. My guess is that we wait another set for Ravnica, and that we go to some intermediate plane to gather more allies against Bolas's massive trap thing. Hopefully this involves theros and the unresolved Dack Fayden/Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver storyline.
May 10, 2018 8:57 a.m.
RazortoothMtg: And Elspeth's ultimate fate. Also, I imagine we won't see Phyrexians until Bolas has been dealt with.
AgentGreen says... #2
You beat me by one second....:P
May 9, 2018 11:52 a.m.