So let's talk Ob Nixilis.
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Jan. 8, 2016, 11:19 a.m. by canterlotguardian
I swear to Luna, if they kill off Ob Nix, I'm going to revolt. I know they have their whole thing about sparingly killing off neo-Walkers, but this card seems to point very heavily towards Nix being defeated in his attempt to annihilate Zendikar (which I would be fine with) or just straight-up incinerated by Chandra (which I would probably shed manly tears over).
Thoughts? Are they going to kill off the only demon Planeswalker in history? (Tibalt was only half-demon; that's why I'm not quite including him in that.)
I'm with VampireArmy. While I like other female walkers better, if they kill Ob, I'll be happy. I've never really liked him.
January 8, 2016 11:29 a.m.
You mean devours him in flame :P there better be a UR for this
January 8, 2016 11:31 a.m. Edited.
They probably aren't going to kill him off, but I'm thinking that Chandra is gonna kick his ass pretty hard. I kinda wish they would though. It's not as if the multiverse doesn't have enough villains to worry about without Ob Nixilis still trying to destroy planes.
January 8, 2016 11:40 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #6
What villains are still around? The Eldrazi, Nicol Bolas, corrupted Garruk. Phyrexia, maybe? That's still not much. Nix is my favorite Planeswalker, anyways (well, tied with Sarkhan, really). I just don't wanna see him die. Especially not at Chandra's hands.
January 8, 2016 11:45 a.m.
Buddy of mine (aka PreZchoICE1) has a great suspicion that Ob Nix is going to bring Emrakul over to Innistrad to fuck shit up and he makes some good claims. Ob Nix has enemies on Innistrad (Sorin) and walkers that seek his power (lili) and in the teaser for the new set you can see tendrils stretching across the moon and it turning red.
Seeing as Emrakul is the only titan unaccounted for, This theory has me the most excited, So i'm only hoping that Chandra is ATTEMPTING to stop him here hahaha
January 8, 2016 11:46 a.m.
Ob can die for all I care, especially if he has plans for Innistrad. Anyone can die, except Liliana. She needs to survive.
January 8, 2016 11:54 a.m.
1.) Tibalt is half devil, not half demon.
2.) I don't think that Ob Nixilis is going to die. Scared away? Sure. But I don't think he's gonna die.
January 8, 2016 12:24 p.m.
MurderHood says... #10
@Caligula, sorry, but your friends theory is probably wrong. In the trailer you see a gravestone being warped, while "Emrakuls abilities have been clearly stated as she does not affect unliving matter - rocks, water, etc...but twists all things living, be it plants, animals, or sentient beings." Source
January 8, 2016 12:35 p.m.
Ob can die, I really couldn't care less... If Chandra died though, I would never visit tappedout or play magic again. End of Story.
January 8, 2016 12:36 p.m.
@MurderHood I could see something else altering the gravestone, Doesn't necessarily mean that it's just Emrakul alone on Innistrad. Kozilek could be causing the distortion, or even the displacement of Emrakul entering the innistrad plane could cause that effect.
Another juicy bit from the link you posted "After the release of Kozilek, Ulamog and Emrakul by Nissa Revane, Emrakul vanished. It is generally believed that she left the plane of Zendikar."
Sooooo... Where's Emmy? Is a good question.
January 8, 2016 12:43 p.m. Edited.
PreZchoICE1 says... #15
Unfortunately Wizards has said they want to wrap up the storylines of the Origins walkers. I suppose Liliana could have a happily ever after where she just walks off into the apocalypse, however the recent uncharted realms told a lot with how wizards plans to 'wrap up' these storylines.
Ob Nix wants to destroy Liliana for the events that transpired regarding The Chain Veil. He cant have such a powerful walker in his color just hanging around when he makes a bid for ultimate power. Id be really surprised if he doesnt head right over to her home plane and get to work messing it up.Ob is no dummy so it stands to reason he'll bring Emmy along to speed up the process. Caligula is very right, we've never seen an Eldrazi anywhere but on Zendikar and perhaps the Roil is what magnifies their effects, or warps their effects. Perhaps on another plane/world their effects will behave differently, or unexpectedly.
Also make a good point about Emmy disappearing. Innistrad is the next set so it makes some sense that Emrakul will show up there along with Ob. He already has the idea of 'using' them as a tool to his own ends, and we know he has a hard on for Liliana, and we know her home plane is innistrad.
The cards seem to be lining up right, also lets not lose sight of the fact that Garruk was last seen on Innistrad, wearing the Chain Veil. I'd be willing to bet that he will become mixed up in all of this as well, and could be the main reason that Innistrad will be Ob Nix first destination after leaving Zendikar.
January 8, 2016 1:20 p.m.
PreZchoICE1: One minor nitpick: Liliana's home plane is Dominaria, not Innistrad.
January 8, 2016 1:28 p.m.
It makes alot of sense to me for ob nix to be the Walker to wage wars against everyone else and using something from zendikar, he claims to be the most knowledgeable next to the makers of the hedrons so maybe he knows a way to make a gate with them or turn them into a weapon. I dunno, the thought of the titans on another plane is very appealing to me as an MTG player and I'm sure wizards knows this haha
January 8, 2016 1:37 p.m.
RicketyEng says... #18
Another nitpick: Garruk isn't wearing The Chain Veil; Liliana has it with her.
Ob Nixilis doesn't destroy planes. He is a warlord who enjoys conquering them. However, because he got trapped on Zendikar and had such an awful time there, he wants Zendikar and its people destroyed.
I think it fits that Chandra beats him up badly enough to force him to walk away, but then we might not see him again for a little while. He is smart and would not hastily rush away to immediately try destroying another plane. He'll lay low for a short while, gathering information and getting a feel for the multiverse since he's been out of the loop for a few thousand years. He'll learn of power sources and effect well thought out plans to take control of them. We know he is patient.
Nixilis was cursed by The Chain Veil long before Liliana got it. So she'll only enter his sights if he decides to go looking for it.
January 8, 2016 1:56 p.m. Edited.
MurderHood says... #19
@Caligula, PreZchoICE1: That just feels like a cop-out to me. Taking one of the most interesting and beautiful planes, lore-wise and design-wise, and then having it on the verge of being destroyed seems entirely stupid. Plus, I'd be pretty sick of 4+ sets filled with Eldrazi, and Eldrazi taking up card space in SOI leaves less room for awesome cards (I.e. Delver of Secrets Flip, not saying it'll be reprinted, I'm just saying we will have less room for awesome cards like that.) it just seems bad. My opinion/theory, I believe Avacyn's was corrupted during her time in the Vault
January 8, 2016 2:01 p.m.
AgentGreen says... #20
I think Chandra is likely going to kick his ass but not outright kill him.
He's going to escape thinking that the Eldrazi will wipe out the plane, only to find out it survived, and (after his encounter with Chandra will be in no mood to fight) swear vengeance upon the Gatewatch and run off with his tail between his legs.
January 8, 2016 2:12 p.m.
OmegaAura113 says... #21
Is it possible that Ob Nixilis is one of the demons that Liliana made a deal with long ago for power? There are still two unnamed ones, and with Ob Nix's old vendetta against Lili AND his owning of the Chain Veil, it stands to good reason that he definitely could be one of the demons she sold her soul to.
In a similar note, just imagine the awesome battle to the death between Liliana and Ob Nixilis on Innistrad ;)
January 8, 2016 2:13 p.m.
RicketyEng says... #22
No, Nixilis has been on Zendikar longer than Liliana has been alive. He has been there for centuries (in my earlier post I misspoke saying millennia) while Liliana is less than 200 years old I think.
January 8, 2016 2:36 p.m.
Naw. He isn't powerful enough to be on of Lilliana's demons.
No man, Liliana is ancient. Try like centuries old. Assuming.my memory is correct.
January 8, 2016 2:37 p.m. Edited.
@MurderHood Maybe it is a cop out. It is owned by Hasbro..
And I'm not so sure other eldrazi would carry over into other realms, Only the titans make sense.
This is enticing though.
"After recovering from his defeat, Ob Nixilis plotted while attempting to locate where Nissa might have gone. Upon reaching Tazeem, he discovered Battle for Zendikar. The troops of Gideon Jura were attempting to imprison the titan Ulamog within a hedron network. Ob Nixilis, gleaming with joy, slaughtered a few Kor guards and siphoned the power of the hedrons into himself, reigniting his spark. In one final act of vengeance against Zendikar, he destroyed the hedron network and awoke the slumbering Eldrazi titan Kozilek. [8] Nissa attacked him in a fury at his actions both before at Khalni Heart and now. He retaliated out of spite, defeating her. Ob then mocked her stating that if only she had left him alone to absorb Khalni Heart's power he would left Zendikar peacefully. Now, he wanted to crush and burn her world out of pure spite. He then prepared to leave but not before ensuring that no one left Sea Gate alive. He suddenly realized that Jace was attempting to manipulate his mind to just leave. Using a pain-inducing spell he broke the telepath's concentration but Jace managed to spike his mind with just enough time to prevent Nixilis from taking his head off. However, the demon's glancing blow broke Jace's cheekbone and sent him sprawling. Before Nixilis could snap his neck, Gideon arrived and shredded one of his wings. Despite being in pain, he was impressed by Gideon and offered to have a rematch on some other plane of Gideon's choice and terms at a later date. Gideon's refusal cause him to comment that the current batch of planeswalkers are both weaker and less civilized then the pre-mending walkers like himself. Nixilis attempted to kill Gideon but was stunned and delighted at Gideon's invulnerability. As they dueled, Nixilis mocked Gideon by killing several nearby fleeing Zendikari and played mind games inquiring if Gideon's need to protect Jace was his own feelings or caused by the telepath's mental manipulation. Nixilis used that moment of doubt to close the gap. Both of them proved very evenly matched as they wrestled but the demon planeswalker's superior experience won out as he locked Gideon on the ground. Nixilis then proved that invulnerability was nothing as he proceeded to drown Gideon in the muddy waters at their feet. As Gideon finally went limp, Nixilis mocked him one final time comparing Zendikar's worth to be the same as the dirty water"
Seems like Ob Nix is trying to prove himself amongst the 'post mending' walkers as the supreme.
@NecroPony He was a walker before the mending making him extremely powerful.
"Traditional planeswalkers[edit | edit source]Planeswalkers had incredible magical capabilities, surpassing all but the most powerful mortal wizards. Their lives could last indefinitely, and their physical forms were matters of will as they were energy projections of a center of consciousness. Through intense effort, planeswalkers could create their own artificial planes. Because of planeswalkers' prolonged life spans and immense power, some are worshipped as gods; many end up insane, or, at the very least, they come to regard the lives of mortals in low-esteem, if even at all.
Current planeswalkers[edit | edit source]The new breed of planeswalkers no longer display the near-omnipotence of their predecessors. While they are usually powerful mages, they are still physical beings that in general age normally, can be harmed, and need the same sustenance as other mortals. This is in stark contrast to the earlier planeswalkers. Some of them have managed to suppress or avoid some of these limitation by magical means; however, these are specific to each planeswalker.
The new breed manifested itself for the first time in Venser of Urborg, a Dominarian artificer who participated in the solution of the Dominarian temporal crisis. Teferi's first theory was that the rifts mutated Venser's spark, which affected his ascension.
The new breed was born during the Mending, when Jeska sacrificed her life and her spark to mend all temporal rifts in the Multiverse (doing so in such a great scale was probably enabled by her former existence as Karona, the embodiment of Dominarian magic, and the fact that Dominaria is the Nexus of the Multiverse). The Mending caused a change in the very rules of Multiverse and a change in the nature of the planeswalker sparks."
January 8, 2016 2:37 p.m. Edited.
canterlotguardian says... #25
Holy shit. Tell me now that Nix isn't the supreme bad ass.
January 8, 2016 2:47 p.m.
I'm aware of mending. But he lost most of his power. That basicly the whole reason Nicol Bolas is pissed. He lost what he once had. Ob would have suffered a similar fate.
Also, Liliana is also premending. I'm pretty sure.
January 8, 2016 2:55 p.m. Edited.
@NecroPony I was only implying that ob nix could be one of the 'ancient' demons that gave lili power as pre mending walkers were next to God's seeing as pre mending walkers lives are indefinite.
But it's also mentioned that ob nix pre spark had sacrificed his army after discovering a summoning pit and the demons that came from his ritual had destroyed the plane he came from and ignited his spark, these could be the same demons that gave lili her power
January 8, 2016 3:07 p.m.
I really hope Chandra roasts Ob, just because I don't want him to be the new black walker if they really are planning on finishing with the Origins walkers. I actually kind of hope the new main walkers are enemy colors. We have BW Sorin, BG Garruk, UG Kiora, and UR Ral Zarek so far. We just need WR.
By the way, aren't Kozilek and Ulamog ashes now?
Caligula: We actually know the names of all 4 demons who gave Lili her power, Ob isn't one of them. If you're talking about something else, apologies. I didn't read all the comments.
January 8, 2016 5:22 p.m. Edited.
canterlotguardian says... #29
So wait. We could be getting more Ral Zarek? Happy days are here again. :D
Also who would the R/W 'Walker be? Plot twist: it's actually Serra.
January 8, 2016 5:25 p.m.
I'm not sure what's happend to Ula and Kosi. Last I read on uncharted realms Ob Nix summoned Kosi when Gideon and Nissa were trying to trap Ulamog with the hedrons. Kosi destroyed the Sea Gate and Gideon was killed, That came out Dec.30th.
January 8, 2016 5:29 p.m. Edited.
PreZchoICE1 says... #31
couple of things I misspoke in saying Innistrad was liliana's home plane. I also had read somewhere that Garruk was wearing the Veil on Innistrad but I believe I interpreted that wrong.
At any rate:
Liliana is a pre-mending walker.
Also the Raven-Man has got to be Ravi. I've heard ppl say Lim-Dul as well but here's why I think it's Ravi.
The ancients Ravi fought in the great war are obv. the onakke the apocalypse chime was hidden inside the body of a young planeswalker girl woven with a green/black spell to activate under certain events.
January 8, 2016 6:08 p.m.
MurderHood says... #32
@PreZchoICE1 a yes, Ravi, Aka "Grandmother Sengir" so he's a dude and a girl. That's seems convoluted.
January 8, 2016 6:54 p.m.
He's too smart just to be roasted. He'll be back. Licking 3rd degree burns lol
January 8, 2016 7:01 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #34
I really hope that WotC does not kill off Ob Nixilis, and I doubt that they shall, since there are currently three major villains in the story (Bolas, Phyrexia, and the Eldrazi), so it would be nice to have a lesser, but still threatening, villain, as well.
Also, I really hope that the two titans on Zendikar are not actually defeated in this block, or that only Ulamog is, so that each titan can have an entire block dedicated to the battle against them. It would be far too weird for WotC to rush through the defeat of the Eldrazi after spending so much time hyping them as one of the greatest threats to the multiverse in the game.
January 9, 2016 1:17 a.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #35
vault, they're not finishing up with the Origins walkers. The whole point of Origins was to reintroduce us to the five walkers who would be largely central to the story going forward.
They'll be with us for a long time to come.
January 9, 2016 8:43 a.m.
I like the idea of Ob bringing the Eldrazi to innistrad through Emrakul. With this they can introduce more white eldrazi (only one in OotG?). Furthermore this will reintroduce Sorin and Nahiri into the story, and could possibly bring Ugin along unless they want to create another story with him and Bolas.
Also thanks for painting a possible background to the Raven-Man, I was highly interested in this character seeing as they were very likely another black planeswalker.
If Liliana dies, it will probably be after she defeats the four demons (Kothophed, Griselbrand, Razaketh, and Belzenlok).
January 9, 2016 9:19 a.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #37
Personally, I think the idea of Emakrul on Innistrad makes a lot of sense. Not particularly from a story perspective (she can be anywhere, really) but from a design standpoint.
Keeping in mind that when Tears was first conceptualised (they work five years ahead) it was the third set alongside Blood and Sweat.
January 9, 2016 9:42 a.m.
MurderHood says... #38
CChaos : I spend a lot of time on tumblr, and here's the most believable theory in my opinion. 1.) I read someone saying that the Raven Man doesn't even exist, he's just a figment of Lili's imagination. To give this theory back up, they pointed out that, first, whenever Liliana sees the Raven Man she is always alone, second, if the Raven Man was/is a planeswalker he must be extremely obsessed with following her, because the multiverse is infinitely large and losing someone seems really easy.
January 9, 2016 10:21 a.m.
MurderHood I'm actually convinced Liliana is schizophrenic.
January 9, 2016 10:32 a.m.
I agree with that perspective, but I prefer the thought that the Raven Man is someone guiding her towards some goal of their own design. Whether not she believes she is in control of her fate, she will ultimately be the puppet in the Raven Man's hand. This scheming is dark which is why I hope it is another character and not just a figment of her imagination.
Also because he appeared before her prior to turning into a walker (correct me if I'm wrong), I believe she was very much sane when she first saw him.......BUT If she saw the Raven Man after or near her brother's death then it is very questionable whether or not he real.
January 9, 2016 10:45 a.m.
Named_Tawyny says... #41
Magic doesn't tell stories from the perspective of a flawed narrator (at least not in any story that I've read so far).
The idea that the narrator of the story (NOT a character in the story) would tell us that something happened when it didn't leads to very different storytelling from what Magic has done up until now - it seems unlikely.
January 9, 2016 5:10 p.m.
I think people are over complicating the SoI trailer/concept.
We already know that the Moon of Innistrad has the ability to warp/alter it's inhabitants, not just werewolves... though werewolves were the only ones to transform without some additional intervention. - Cloistered Youth Flip needed additional dementia, Delver of Secrets Flipbecame infected, or so I was told, Civilized Scholar Flip through a toxin a-la Jeckal and Hyde, Ravenous Demon Flip via a ritual... etc.
From the video, my assumption is that something has happened to alter the moons power. Now it alters things that it normally could not do on it's own, and there may possibly even be alterations without the moons influence, or in some cases, a reverse influence (feather turns to blood when it leaves the moonlight).
There's enough possible storyline in a Plane like Innistrad that I don't see why Wizards would stoop to throwing the Eldrazi into the story... there's no need. - Much better for them to 'hold onto' that plot for a later date. Keeping people in suspense as to when they will return.
As for the concept of 'completing' the Planeswalkers stories... does someone have a source for that?
When Origins was announced, they stated that they wanted to tell the stories of their Origins, to make the stories 'more complete'... but that doesn't necessarily translate to 'completing all their story lines'.
January 9, 2016 10:43 p.m. Edited.
bennybubbles says... #43
AbzanFTW I can't link it here, but MaRo posted on Blogatog that the Gatewatch extends beyond the Eldrazi and they will be fighting other Multiversal villains, some of which we haven't even met yet.
Rayenous, part of Origins was to flesh out the stories of the 5 planeswalkers that will become key pieces in the upcoming sets. From this information it can be assumed that many storylines will be completed including possibly Liliana's demons and the Raven Man as well as the obvious JacexChandra pairing (One of these is made up).
January 10, 2016 8:29 a.m.
PreZchoICE1 says... #44
@MurderHood The assumption is that the shadowy Raven is a man, however perhaps Ravi has taken another's form to conceal her identity?
January 10, 2016 7:14 p.m.
UP IN FLAMES - skip to end to see the conclusion for Ob Nixilis
Or just read this Show
January 23, 2016 4:19 a.m.
AgentGreen says... #46
That was not to be expected; we knew that he would get his ass beat and take off with his tail between his legs, and we knew Chandra would be the one to do it.
But DAMN, Ob almost killed them all. If it wasn't for Jace telling Chandra to attack the drones they'd all be f***ed
January 23, 2016 11:26 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #47
Yep. Nixy is a bad ass. Though I already knew that. :P
January 23, 2016 12:21 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #48
I am very glad that Ob Nixilis survived, and I look forward to him being another recurring villain in the storyline, since any decent long-running story will have at least several of those. He would fit perfectly into the gothic horror world of Innistrad, but the next block is far too soon for him to appear, again, so, at the very least, I do not expect him to appear any earlier than the block after the Shadows Over Innistrad block.
On a slightly unrelated subject, there is no evidence that any of the eight planeswalkers involved in the Zendikar/Eldrazi storyline (Jace, Chandra, Nissa, Gideon, Kiora, Sorin, Ugin, and Nahiri) are even aware of the existence of Phyrexia, currently, so, given that Mark Rosewater stated that they shall eventually fight threats to the multiverse other than the eldrazi, I wonder how they shall react when they eventually learn of Phyrexia's existence?
VampireArmy says... #2
And this is why Chandra is my favorite female walker. I hope she roasts him
January 8, 2016 11:22 a.m.