Slipping into the future, part 2
April 17th 2011 01:57
Those were days of my life filled with people and places,
And I wish I could live them again.
-- The Seekers, “Days of my Life”
In the previous article in this series, I considered some of Future Sight’s mechanical innovations that have yet to be picked up by “regular” sets. However, lore and flavor are just as important, and the fact that some of the people and places referenced by that expansion are part of Magic’s future (at least theoretically) is a beacon of hope in an era when tournaments are dominated by the color blue and by broken card-drawing engines. Again.
Whether or not you still believe in a god after seeing Jace in action, you can’t deny that whatever world Githri the Prisoner is from once had gods, or something very similar.
Was it planeswalkers from the ancient era (before Time Spiral, when the nature of the multiverse was different and planeswalkers had trans-mortal power) who created Githri’s world? Was it mortal wizards from a different plane, experimenting with races and continents for their own mysterious purposes? Was it an alien race that tried to bend its inhabitants’ lives to their own ends, like the fal’Cie in Final Fantasy XIII? Why did they make the world more than once? Did they gain something from the cycle of destruction and re-creation, like Those Who Sit Above in Shadow in Marvel’s Thor comics? The idea of powerful beings that could be considered gods by ordinary people, but are actually mortal or limited, is very popular in fiction. These kinds of stories lend themselves to questions about the nature of religion and science or magic, and about the meaning of existence. This is just one of the worlds hinted by Future Sight, but it has so much potential for future exploration.
Future Sight doesn’t just hold the promise of new worlds, though – it also holds the promise of old ones.
The vampiric face in the art and the name Kar-Sengir in the flavor text are clear references to Homelands. While the set is still the subject of jokes and derision for its low power level, it is also remembered fondly by other people for its deep and interesting storyline. The story focused on the benevolent planeswalker Serra who, having lost the love of her life, abandons the plane, which leads to the rise of the powerful vampire Baron Sengir and the waning of good-aligned forces and communities. It was an interesting attempt to deal with complex themes like heartbreak and societal change in a medium not traditionally known for it, and there seems to be a vocal segment of fans that actively call for a return.
It’s not clear, though, how likely a return actually is. Planechase had a card depicting the Dark Barony, Sengir’s base of operations, and M11 had a couple of references to the world. However, Wizards of the Coast considers Scars of Mirrodin an experiment almost radical in its scope – the idea of returning to a plane previously used in an expansion seems to be difficult within the company’s walls, much less a plane associated with mechanical weakness.
Wizards of the Coast is well aware of how to use powerful (and overpowered) cards to move boosters, but they’re only beginning to appreciate how a good story can move people. An expansion with Homelands’ depth of story and modern mechanical design would destroy every sales record in the industry. And – let’s not kid ourselves – in the end, that’s what the point of Magic really is, from their point of view.
And I wish I could live them again.
-- The Seekers, “Days of my Life”
In the previous article in this series, I considered some of Future Sight’s mechanical innovations that have yet to be picked up by “regular” sets. However, lore and flavor are just as important, and the fact that some of the people and places referenced by that expansion are part of Magic’s future (at least theoretically) is a beacon of hope in an era when tournaments are dominated by the color blue and by broken card-drawing engines. Again.
Whether or not you still believe in a god after seeing Jace in action, you can’t deny that whatever world Githri the Prisoner is from once had gods, or something very similar.
“There is no shortcut to work done true and well. The Creators learned this to their sorrow, the first time they made the world.”
Was it planeswalkers from the ancient era (before Time Spiral, when the nature of the multiverse was different and planeswalkers had trans-mortal power) who created Githri’s world? Was it mortal wizards from a different plane, experimenting with races and continents for their own mysterious purposes? Was it an alien race that tried to bend its inhabitants’ lives to their own ends, like the fal’Cie in Final Fantasy XIII? Why did they make the world more than once? Did they gain something from the cycle of destruction and re-creation, like Those Who Sit Above in Shadow in Marvel’s Thor comics? The idea of powerful beings that could be considered gods by ordinary people, but are actually mortal or limited, is very popular in fiction. These kinds of stories lend themselves to questions about the nature of religion and science or magic, and about the meaning of existence. This is just one of the worlds hinted by Future Sight, but it has so much potential for future exploration.
Future Sight doesn’t just hold the promise of new worlds, though – it also holds the promise of old ones.
"Shamans of Kar-Sengir claim that their sun sets because it can no longer bear the gaze of those pain-carved cliffs."
The vampiric face in the art and the name Kar-Sengir in the flavor text are clear references to Homelands. While the set is still the subject of jokes and derision for its low power level, it is also remembered fondly by other people for its deep and interesting storyline. The story focused on the benevolent planeswalker Serra who, having lost the love of her life, abandons the plane, which leads to the rise of the powerful vampire Baron Sengir and the waning of good-aligned forces and communities. It was an interesting attempt to deal with complex themes like heartbreak and societal change in a medium not traditionally known for it, and there seems to be a vocal segment of fans that actively call for a return.
It’s not clear, though, how likely a return actually is. Planechase had a card depicting the Dark Barony, Sengir’s base of operations, and M11 had a couple of references to the world. However, Wizards of the Coast considers Scars of Mirrodin an experiment almost radical in its scope – the idea of returning to a plane previously used in an expansion seems to be difficult within the company’s walls, much less a plane associated with mechanical weakness.
Wizards of the Coast is well aware of how to use powerful (and overpowered) cards to move boosters, but they’re only beginning to appreciate how a good story can move people. An expansion with Homelands’ depth of story and modern mechanical design would destroy every sales record in the industry. And – let’s not kid ourselves – in the end, that’s what the point of Magic really is, from their point of view.
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