Hey friends! Thanks for stopping by to hear What Happens in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. I just want to let y'all know that I tried my best to use authentic pronunciations for the characters, locations, and items that appear in this set, and even though I know I didn't get it perfect, I hope you can respect the effort and intent behind it. Thanks again for watching, and I hope you enjoy all the cool vampires, pirates, dinosaurs, and merfolk that come with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. 😁
Perfectly understandable, dead languages can be hard to work with. I wish the Aztec language was spoken more because the Aztec people have the most awesome legends
I'm glad I'm not the only one that misses the charm of the original Ixalan setting. An article from wotc described that this set was its own original plane but got switched to ixalan midway in design. And that switch can definitely be felt. Lost caverns seems like an entirely different plane.
These significant mid-way changes, be it the setting or story, seem to be happening quite frequently in the last few years, I legitimately wonder what's causing this?
@@RidleySmash In this case it could be a long-term side effect from Covid. They had the idea for this set, Covid hit early in development - delaying time on every project - and they decided that using Ixalan was more time effective than creating a whole new plane.
I am hoping the next arc on Ixalan is that Aclazotz and the vampires succeed in stopping the sun on the surface, only to then have to fight off the massive fungal infection that comes to the surface without the sun.
So Mark Rosewater mentioned that this set was originally meant to be set on another plane before they decided to move it to Ixalan, and I have a conspiracy theory that it was originally going to be a Universes Beyond set for Minecraft that got canned. Crafting is a mechanic in Minecraft that lines up pretty well with the craft ability in LCI. This stands out to me because artifacts have never been a relevant theme on Ixalan until now. Mining is a prominent theme in LCI that is also a huge part of Minecraft, which also ties in with descend. Exploring could have easily been a mechanic they would have repurposed for a Minecraft set, it's another thing you do in Minecraft. Similarly, the discover mechanic is an easy fit. And just look at some of the cards they printed: Deep-Cavern Bat, Mineshaft Spider, DIAMOND PICKAXE??? I rest my case
If you read the vision design articles Maro posted, it was clearly more just that it was a set on a new plane that was trying to pull some of the resonance of Minecraft in. They didn't have any real ideas for the plane besides that it was an underground world, because they just made it Ixalan after Vision Design handed it off. It's definitely got some Minecraft references for resonance of what the younger generations associate with underground exploration, but it almost assuredly wasn't a Minecraft set.
They definitely designed cards for Minecraft universes beyond and shopped Microsoft buying in, only to have to throw them into something MtG related instead.
@@NecromancyForKids I again feel like that's a weird conclusion to jump to. Minecraft's just a really massive property that has a lot of popularity among the younger generation so they were aiming for resonance with Minecraft and associated tropes. It's nothing more than that.
Ixalan is my second favorite plane, Tarkir being first, but I think what made them so interesting was that that had multiple sets or blocks to tell their stories. Things didn’t feel rushed, you got to live on the plane for more than a month before planes walking to someplace different. I feel until they get back to multiple sets, stories will suffer.
also the fact that every plane needs to be stiched together to form a story line, taking away from the planes to focus on specific characters that have nothing to do with the plane
@@shadowseek27 This! Idk why they aren't content to just do an isolated story somewhere. Wilds got really close tbh. The last time I can think of an entirely divorced story was like, Ikoria (even with its problems)
This is _another_ single set that really feels like it needed a second set to flesh out the story. New Capenna, Kaldheim, Ikoria, and now Ixalan 2 Electric Boogaloo. All great locations with fun lore snippets, dragged down by the fact we didn’t get to spend enough time there to get to know what’s going on. I really would love it if we could go back to two-set blocks to help flesh out things, one set to introduce the main characters and establish the story and the second set to wrap things up.
It still suffers from the same problems Magic's story has suffered from since... Basically since Dominaria, where it feels like the writers are constrained by having to fulfil a sort of checklist of key events and whatnot and it's clear they don't have nearly enough words to tell the story they should be. Quint's fun, Amalia's cute, Huatli sure is still a poet, Malcolm and Breeches were fun, I liked Wayta being this "jaded veteran at like 19" deal but it never felt like anything had room to breathe. Kellan's barely even involved in the story except to leave with Amalia (and make probably the second-funniest joke in the story when he describes a goose as 'like a dinosaur with a grudge') but so much of the story felt like it was basically just a set-up to another thing. Ixalan has Aclazotz and the Mycotyrant set-up as well as this big paradigm shift of "hey the pirates are getting their own nation" and "the people from the Core of the planet have opened up to talking and trading", and then we just leave it and we know we're not going back for at least a good couple years.
@@charcharmunr " it was basically just a set-up to another thing" that is exactely what i feel mtg stories have become. They are just too short and dissatisfying and leading to something else in the future( just consume product) instead of being great in themselves.
I will say I am very intrigued by the idea that the Fomori are a former race of interplanar Giants that had the means of traveling from Plane to Plane to create this massive empire that was summarily dismantled with the original Mending event. Cause Magic needs more antagonistic forces so this is a step in the right direction.
Thank you, sincerely, your videos have been one of the main youtube channels I watch before deciding if I'm interested in a set. I like to theme my decks, and kind of tell a story with them. Your vids really help! You're a rockstar!
Amalia has one of the coolest kinds of magic I have ever seen. The vampires always had a religious aspect to them, so, at least a part of their empire, so that was not really weird, in my opinion. We only saw the pirates of the coalition before, but it was established that they had citys, high and dry comes to mind, so downtown, I love the wordplay, is not really that strange as a concept and a resonable explanation for Malcom and breeches to be there. I really liked the story and the different factions at play. Was the cast to big? Yes, probably. Was Kellam forced as hell into the story? Definetly. (Sidenote for a little prediction I would like to make. I predict that Kellam will appear in every story until Oko appears again, and potentially afterwords depending on the outcome of that meeting, picking up a native character just like he did with Amalia and forming a sort of traveling group along the way.) Would be interested in your opinion on the sidestroke, which sets up a really interesting 5, or 6 depending on how the cards fall in the Sun empire, way conflict for torezone.
Couple things to note: In Admiral Brass’ story summary, it’s revealed that she tried to make a nation of pirates with High and Dry as the capital but the Phyrexians destroyed the city in the invasion. Oko is confirmed for Thunder Junction which is right after Karlov Manor so we won’t have to wait long for the family reunion presumably
I really like how the story is now constrained to a limited location due to planeswalking being more rare. It makes the setting much more relevant, rather than just the characters. I hope they keep the stakes at this level for a while.
And yet, they spent way more time with each setting and the characters in the set block era, where now they zip past each story with only a single set. I think they have moved in the completely wrong direction there.
Ixalan is my favorite plane/story. The original and Rivals were fantastic. The factions from those were coherent and made sense. Im a huge dino nerd and love archaeology, history, the golden age of pirates, and the age of exploration so naturally this series seemed like the perfect intro for me to get into Magic. Ive only been into MTG for a few years, and sadly Ixalan & Rivals happened before i was introduced, but ever since i have been trying to get my hands on as many of those cards as i can. Jace Beleren instantly became my favorite planeswalker because of that series. Jace x Vraska was peak as well. RIP to both of them, they deserved better. I really enjoy this video for painting a solid picture of what happens in the lore. You have a new fan. Now im gonna go binge the rest of your videos🤙
As a Mexican, I applaud the effort you put in the correct pronunciation of the words in Spanish and in the prehispanic-like syllable sounds. Aside from the word Bartolomé, I think you nailed it! I guess the Gomez in you had something to do?
If wotc intend to make more new planeswalkers further down the road (aside from Kellen), I could definitely see Amalia taking Sorin's spot as the vampire walker. Sorin can easily just be desparked and left on Innistrad since his home plane is about the only thing he cares about anymore, no point sending him out into the multiverse just to gripe about being somewhere other than home. Amalia's powerset is incredibly unique and can definitely be spun into some interesting loyalty abilities.
Ixalan is the pinnacle of Magic plane design imo. It's inspired by real world Mezo-America and colonialism, but still has its unique identity and puts a twist on everything. It's the perfect middle ground between something like Theros (just Greece) and Ravnica (totally original), giving us touchstones without feeling lazy or played out. I love it.
The plane and design? Amazing. The story this time was very disappointing to me. But top tier plane design. Up there with tarkir and innistrad for me. I just wish they would leave innistrad alone, lol.
Amalia is the new best girl, and I'm looking forward to her and Kellan's multiverse shenanigans. Also, Quintorius is my new favorite Planeswalker. This set has awakened my inner childhood and has reminded me why I love Magic's setting.
Tysm for these videos man. Mtg stories for some years now are not usually worth the read. Not imo at least. Your videos with ur narration and ofc the mustache minute is the only reason why i am still following the lore. A few questions though: 1. Did they 'fix' the core being caged by the bat god? 2. What about the door in the city where the core is? Was that sealed again? 3. Do they know that Mycotyrant is still alive?
The core was fixed, as far as I can tell, but they don't really explain how. The door is left open, and the Sun Empire and the Oltec start trading and visiting each other. Nobody realized the Mycotyrant is still out there...yet.
So great to find your channel! I'm new to magic and will certainly be sticking around. I love Quintorius, and I love this set! I agree with all your points, I think WotC's writing team is brilliant but given far too few resources and is just shunted along between sets too fast to really finish with what they're doing. It's a case of there being too much, so cutting something would in theory improve the story, but I like each element too much to cut. I think if they had more opportunity to write a longer story, it would have suited the magnitude of the set. Honestly I think having two connected stories, one above with the old factions and one below with the new, but related and tied together with characters somehow able to communicate might have been preferable, it wouldn't stretch the pirates into miners for example. It's an idea.
So did you like the story? Is it worth the read? I really liked original Ixalan. In fact, I'd say that period of Shadows over Innistrad, Amonkhet and Ixalan, was the best thing they've done since Origins. Lately I've been very disappointed with the lore.
Despite having so many POVs and threads it still was better told, on a story by story basis, than the Phyrexian invasion arc. I think I liked it better than Eldraine but I'd say the two were on par for overall quality of writing.
I personally was very bummed that neither Jace or Vraska were here, Planeswalker or not, still corrupted or not, whatever, it’s such a key and iconic plane for them that I could see either or both of them having come to Ixalan either during the invasion or afterwards to hide away from the atrocities they surely committed offscreen, so the fact that neither returned to lead the Belligerent’s faction to be, I don’t know, cleansed by Chimil or something, was genuinely disappointing
You know more then 6 stories would be nice heck Grimm captain feels like a cool side story like not all factions need to be a main story like a few side stories would have helped
I talked with others in the discord about the Fomori (not saying I was the first to notice, lol) so super hyped to see you mention it here! Great video, and thanks as always!
It really feels like a big step back from eldraine. With woe, we got a comparatively smaller story that felt more focused. With LCI, it just feels they tried to fit a 3 block set into one massive story with way too many characters. I will never understand why they ditched the 3 block format. It was perfect for telling stories.
@goncaloferreira6429 absolutely. The story of mtg has felt like an afterthought for like 10 years, imo. They have fumbled really interesting planes, like new capenna and relied way too heavily on old planes like innistrad and ravnica. They are extremely inconsistent in character development and plot points. Their story spotlight cards are always hit or miss and there are so many moments where characters demonstrate their abilities or make calculated decisions that would make excellent story spotlights but it feels like they pick some random moments sometimes. It's dissapointing as a fan of the story of mtg for over 20 years.
@@calebperrin8270 with hasbro wanting profits mtg´s growth went in a bad direction. Even if we considern the record profits of the last couple of years they could have invested some money back to the game. they could have 1- solved the card quality once and for all, placing mtg, the best game, on par with much smaller japanese games. 2- they dropped the ball when they did Brandon sanderson ( a great fan) dirty. That partnership could have brough many new players to the community and ensure quality stories/novels for years
I feel very similarly. It feels like the story is just a bunch of plot points of things happening, but it feels like nothing happened because the characters are just there, they do a thing, and then they're done.
I think highly-themed deckbuilding in this set is sort of a mess because there are like seven factions and the colors of the existing factions on some cards don't totally match the colors from our last visit to Ixalan. In the previous two Ixalan sets, (especially the first,) there were pretty much only four factions, and the colors of cards almost always lined up with one of these factions. So what I am saying is that the card pool is too small for this many factions. Each faction, theme, mechanic, color, etc. does not have enough cards available to really build a satisfying deck around.
I’m so glad you still do the mustache minute. I was very concerned with you getting support from Wizards that you might start being less critical of their story telling. It feels good to know that you are sticking to your principles.
Thanks for the summery. I get so behind in reading the lore. I do like the fact that there are some new factions for Ixalan with the introduction of Catfolk and Angels.
Personally I think adding three more factions to an already bloated set especially when it will be another five years before we go back just makes everything last focused and messy
Since I started playing in revised, I've always enjoyed the implications of plot - the lore drops on the cards themselves - more than any content in any other media. Don't get me wrong, I welcomed the old novels and the chapters today, but the joy is grounded on the card text itself :)
New to Magic. I always enjoyed the art and such. Been enjoying learning how to play. Now knowing that there is actual story too, I'm even more invested. I'm a sucker for a good story
I feel like this set should have focused on the Vampires vs The Sun Empire on this quest, and have Merfolk & Pirates in the background, then next time were on this plane, reverse it & do a Pirates vs Merfolk on the same quest as that set's theme.
When I first started listening to the video I thought of what I might say in a comment describing my displeasement with wizards, but then I thought this guy doesn't want me to complain in the comments on his nice video. Then I get to the end of the video and there is talk about what wizards has done wrong lol. Glad we can talk about it. It's not just complaining it's spreading awareness. The first set was really great and it's one thing not to have as high expectations, but it's a whole different thing when they deviate from what work. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Whoever is leading the charge over at the magic headquarters are pushing agendas and not doing a good job if they couldn't realize all the potential they had and what they succeeded at in the past. Terrible management. Great reading tho!
Prison is basically timeout and the same goes for gimmick quicksand. At this point, I wish magic would go a bit more serious and gritty and leave the timout prison for universe beyond stuff. It would really flesh out things
The note on screen was more for the fact that the dino riders all switched to the giant bats that live in the cave, and had been tamed by the Oltec. There are several cards that show the pirates focusing on mining (I used Hit the Mother Lode earlier in the video, for example)
LCI was basically Wizards version of "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". its not a bad set, it's that it feels different than the original because the OG Ixalan block was basically Pirates of the Caribbean feat Jace and Vraska's love cruise. the story had to go forward both after that set AND March of the Machine invasion so we have a lot of stuff that needs to be sorted out in a proper set but even then we have the steps up for that. the Sun Empire is still throwing out on those plans to do a reverse conquista on Torrezon while Elenda's followers are trying to deal with the schism back in their homeland, and again, the pirates were originally formed out of people that were escaping persecution from the vampires so now that the whole gist of the Golden City is off they can now go back to make a home for themselves, specially now that there is a whole continent available for them to explore and settle. the only people that were left without nothign to do were the River Heralds but perhaps in that lack of purpose they will find something else to do(specially now that the Mycotyrant is out in the surface, they probably have the secret to defeat it)
Great to see! I’m also excited for you talking about the side story, and maybe also talk about the planeswalker’s guide, which is MASSIVE. I feel like us lord mages can’t ignore that!
I find the cat tribe in the caves to be kinda of jarring. They throw the vampires into a sand pit and that's it? How long were they down there? Do they live in the core or the surface? They get introduced, used then pushed to the side. I hope there is a side story about the cat tribes.
I remember seeing the cat cards during previews and wondering if I had just completely forgotten about cats on Ixalan. But no, just a random pull that I can only assume is for Standard synergy later, or maybe for cat tribal commander?
Yes, exactly. I'm not clear how big these coins are, though. You'd think if they belonged to giants, they'd be big coins, but Quint never really describes them that way (and seems genuinely surprised by all the big furniture and then the huge creature in the tank).
Great presentation! There are many gaps in the story..: What is Saheeli doing in Ixalan? Why is Kellan in Ixalan? What is the story of the other 4 gods??
Was Saheeli never mentionned at all in the story? Cause like, WOTC established in the Aftermath cards that her and Huatli were PLANES appart without knowning how to find eachother again but then she just like...has a legendary card in this set? So that piece of possible compelling motivation and storytelling is just tossed out the window cause we gotta make more card for commander players or what...?
Saheeli apperas briefly at the start of the main story and is the main character in the side story. Huatli sends her as the only person she trusts implicitly to negotiate with the Vampires to try and replace the war-like influences on the Emperor with more peaceful ones.
Saheeli got her own entire side story that was way more interesting than the main one! Turns out there's a lot more politics and intrigue than it looks. Oh yeah and Beckett Brass gets a country
The problem I have with the magic story as a whole at the moment is, that they in the last few years do dungeon crawls again and again as there main story. We had Zendikar Rising (which in my opinion stared all of this trend), then we had the D&D set which didn't really have a story and only featured dungeons, than Phyrexia: All will be one which was also a dungeon crawl at it's core, than parts of Wilds of Eldrain and now Lost Caverns of Ixalan. That are 5 out of 15. A third of all sets. Why?
The Coin Empire is going to be the story for next year or the year after, right? So I don't think we'll go back to Ixalan by then, except maybe as part of a multi-plane set like March of the Machine
Kind of a missed opportunity. Kellen takes a vampire girl he practically just met, but leaves Ruby behind, who he had an entire adventures length of time to get to know. All well, maybe he’ll come back for Ruby?
Starting with a mysterious locked door? Story aproved by J.J. Abrams Edit: To be fair, Ixalan vampires were always religious zealots, so a pilgrimage is on brand Also, giving some "context" to the Fomori seems like the type of hook old mtg would use for its story, so I'm surprised to see so few discussions about it
I wish they’d go back to set blocks. Give us and the writers lore time to flesh things out instead of rushing through everything. Off the top of my head, since they went to single set stories we havnt had a good story. There was a chance with new phyrexia but nope, resolved that issue in a snap
I've heard that lines were written for him and possibly recorded, so they might show up later. Not sure why they wouldn't be part of the set release, though.
Can't Help but Feel like Aclazotz sneaking onto a Ship on it's way to the Vampire's Country where he plans to make power moves being a homage or inspired by the Dracula Novel, where Dracula very much does the same.
Ever since “War of the Spark” everything has been a “short story” so they can do a one shot set. It just shows that they just wanna pump out product & then be like oh dart board throws for a story. It’s a shame
It really shows how much we are missing without a "Legends of" article for these sets. I looked forward to those the most for some touch on why these legendary beings and tools exist but nope, theyre not important enough, just one of a kind legendary entities.
Quint found Bolas' secret study. We know Bolas used Ixalan as a kind of Planeswalker jail, so he likely had a base of his own deep in the world so he could monitor and experiment. Bolas will be back, guaranteed.
Personally, I hope that isn't the case. Coming right off of the Phyrexian arc, I'd rather not see them reuse another old fan favorite. I want to see what new big bad they can come up with. I remember at the end of MOM there was a mysterious group observing what was happening, I feel like that was a setup for the Fomori.
I’m disappointed there were no fungus zombie dinosaurs As well as the lack of elder dinos and the gods Like seriously? No reference to losing Etali? Cmon Wotc haha
I've started to get into Magic alot recently ( long time Pokemon collector/player) but I don't really have anyone to play the game with. I appreciate these explanations though, since it gives me some background on the cards that I've pulled. Thanks for this, man!
There was so much to cover that you did not even mention that Saheeli was here. And by implication (I did not read the story so correct me if i am wrong about this) she must have come here by an Omenpath.
Saheeli did appear for a moment in the first chapter, basically wishing Huatli good luck as she went off to explore beyond the Puzzle Door, and she is featured in a side-story (the only one we got for this set) and I might cover that in a separate video. But yeah for the most part she had very little impact on the main events of The Lost Caverns.
My favorite thing about WOTC releasing a new set is getting a new story time video. Love this channel.
Couldn't agree more!!!
But... Dinos....
By a mile and then some
Same
Hey friends! Thanks for stopping by to hear What Happens in The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. I just want to let y'all know that I tried my best to use authentic pronunciations for the characters, locations, and items that appear in this set, and even though I know I didn't get it perfect, I hope you can respect the effort and intent behind it.
Thanks again for watching, and I hope you enjoy all the cool vampires, pirates, dinosaurs, and merfolk that come with The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. 😁
Whaaaaat you mean you had trouble pronouncing Axhotilihuaquetzal?
Your pronunciation is better than The Mana Logs trying to pronounce English words lol
Perfectly understandable, dead languages can be hard to work with. I wish the Aztec language was spoken more because the Aztec people have the most awesome legends
I speak Nahuatl and your pronunciations were pretty damn good tbh!
@@quiblydanger427The Aztec language is Náhuatl and it is not a dead language, millions of people speak it
I'm glad I'm not the only one that misses the charm of the original Ixalan setting. An article from wotc described that this set was its own original plane but got switched to ixalan midway in design. And that switch can definitely be felt. Lost caverns seems like an entirely different plane.
These significant mid-way changes, be it the setting or story, seem to be happening quite frequently in the last few years, I legitimately wonder what's causing this?
@@RidleySmash In this case it could be a long-term side effect from Covid. They had the idea for this set, Covid hit early in development - delaying time on every project - and they decided that using Ixalan was more time effective than creating a whole new plane.
I am hoping the next arc on Ixalan is that Aclazotz and the vampires succeed in stopping the sun on the surface, only to then have to fight off the massive fungal infection that comes to the surface without the sun.
idk, seems like the vampires and aclazotz seemed to be kinda unaligned given the clashing between bartolome and vito
So Mark Rosewater mentioned that this set was originally meant to be set on another plane before they decided to move it to Ixalan, and I have a conspiracy theory that it was originally going to be a Universes Beyond set for Minecraft that got canned. Crafting is a mechanic in Minecraft that lines up pretty well with the craft ability in LCI. This stands out to me because artifacts have never been a relevant theme on Ixalan until now. Mining is a prominent theme in LCI that is also a huge part of Minecraft, which also ties in with descend. Exploring could have easily been a mechanic they would have repurposed for a Minecraft set, it's another thing you do in Minecraft. Similarly, the discover mechanic is an easy fit. And just look at some of the cards they printed: Deep-Cavern Bat, Mineshaft Spider, DIAMOND PICKAXE??? I rest my case
If you read the vision design articles Maro posted, it was clearly more just that it was a set on a new plane that was trying to pull some of the resonance of Minecraft in. They didn't have any real ideas for the plane besides that it was an underground world, because they just made it Ixalan after Vision Design handed it off. It's definitely got some Minecraft references for resonance of what the younger generations associate with underground exploration, but it almost assuredly wasn't a Minecraft set.
@@charcharmunrI agree with you. If anything, it was probably a new plane that would've had Minecraft variants like LCI has Jurassic Park variants
They definitely designed cards for Minecraft universes beyond and shopped Microsoft buying in, only to have to throw them into something MtG related instead.
God I wish magic could just be magic
@@NecromancyForKids I again feel like that's a weird conclusion to jump to. Minecraft's just a really massive property that has a lot of popularity among the younger generation so they were aiming for resonance with Minecraft and associated tropes. It's nothing more than that.
Ixalan is my second favorite plane, Tarkir being first, but I think what made them so interesting was that that had multiple sets or blocks to tell their stories. Things didn’t feel rushed, you got to live on the plane for more than a month before planes walking to someplace different. I feel until they get back to multiple sets, stories will suffer.
also the fact that every plane needs to be stiched together to form a story line, taking away from the planes to focus on specific characters that have nothing to do with the plane
@@shadowseek27 This! Idk why they aren't content to just do an isolated story somewhere. Wilds got really close tbh. The last time I can think of an entirely divorced story was like, Ikoria (even with its problems)
This is _another_ single set that really feels like it needed a second set to flesh out the story. New Capenna, Kaldheim, Ikoria, and now Ixalan 2 Electric Boogaloo. All great locations with fun lore snippets, dragged down by the fact we didn’t get to spend enough time there to get to know what’s going on. I really would love it if we could go back to two-set blocks to help flesh out things, one set to introduce the main characters and establish the story and the second set to wrap things up.
It still suffers from the same problems Magic's story has suffered from since... Basically since Dominaria, where it feels like the writers are constrained by having to fulfil a sort of checklist of key events and whatnot and it's clear they don't have nearly enough words to tell the story they should be. Quint's fun, Amalia's cute, Huatli sure is still a poet, Malcolm and Breeches were fun, I liked Wayta being this "jaded veteran at like 19" deal but it never felt like anything had room to breathe. Kellan's barely even involved in the story except to leave with Amalia (and make probably the second-funniest joke in the story when he describes a goose as 'like a dinosaur with a grudge') but so much of the story felt like it was basically just a set-up to another thing. Ixalan has Aclazotz and the Mycotyrant set-up as well as this big paradigm shift of "hey the pirates are getting their own nation" and "the people from the Core of the planet have opened up to talking and trading", and then we just leave it and we know we're not going back for at least a good couple years.
@@charcharmunr " it was basically just a set-up to another thing" that is exactely what i feel mtg stories have become. They are just too short and dissatisfying and leading to something else in the future( just consume product) instead of being great in themselves.
I will say I am very intrigued by the idea that the Fomori are a former race of interplanar Giants that had the means of traveling from Plane to Plane to create this massive empire that was summarily dismantled with the original Mending event. Cause Magic needs more antagonistic forces so this is a step in the right direction.
These videos are the only way I keep up with the MTG lore
Thank you so much for these videos. I'm not a fan of WOTCs recent lore, but you make it work and entertaining. Thank you!
Thank you, sincerely, your videos have been one of the main youtube channels I watch before deciding if I'm interested in a set. I like to theme my decks, and kind of tell a story with them. Your vids really help! You're a rockstar!
Amalia has one of the coolest kinds of magic I have ever seen. The vampires always had a religious aspect to them, so, at least a part of their empire, so that was not really weird, in my opinion. We only saw the pirates of the coalition before, but it was established that they had citys, high and dry comes to mind, so downtown, I love the wordplay, is not really that strange as a concept and a resonable explanation for Malcom and breeches to be there.
I really liked the story and the different factions at play. Was the cast to big? Yes, probably. Was Kellam forced as hell into the story? Definetly. (Sidenote for a little prediction I would like to make. I predict that Kellam will appear in every story until Oko appears again, and potentially afterwords depending on the outcome of that meeting, picking up a native character just like he did with Amalia and forming a sort of traveling group along the way.)
Would be interested in your opinion on the sidestroke, which sets up a really interesting 5, or 6 depending on how the cards fall in the Sun empire, way conflict for torezone.
Couple things to note:
In Admiral Brass’ story summary, it’s revealed that she tried to make a nation of pirates with High and Dry as the capital but the Phyrexians destroyed the city in the invasion.
Oko is confirmed for Thunder Junction which is right after Karlov Manor so we won’t have to wait long for the family reunion presumably
We need a new gatewatch after all 😂
It does become a bit noticeable that this was originally supposed to be a different plane before they skinned it onto Ixalan.
I really like how the story is now constrained to a limited location due to planeswalking being more rare. It makes the setting much more relevant, rather than just the characters. I hope they keep the stakes at this level for a while.
And yet, they spent way more time with each setting and the characters in the set block era, where now they zip past each story with only a single set. I think they have moved in the completely wrong direction there.
@@jakemaxwell3810 totally agree this would have been a lot better as three novels rather than one.
Ixalan is my favorite plane/story. The original and Rivals were fantastic. The factions from those were coherent and made sense. Im a huge dino nerd and love archaeology, history, the golden age of pirates, and the age of exploration so naturally this series seemed like the perfect intro for me to get into Magic. Ive only been into MTG for a few years, and sadly Ixalan & Rivals happened before i was introduced, but ever since i have been trying to get my hands on as many of those cards as i can. Jace Beleren instantly became my favorite planeswalker because of that series. Jace x Vraska was peak as well. RIP to both of them, they deserved better. I really enjoy this video for painting a solid picture of what happens in the lore. You have a new fan.
Now im gonna go binge the rest of your videos🤙
As a Mexican, I applaud the effort you put in the correct pronunciation of the words in Spanish and in the prehispanic-like syllable sounds. Aside from the word Bartolomé, I think you nailed it! I guess the Gomez in you had something to do?
If wotc intend to make more new planeswalkers further down the road (aside from Kellen), I could definitely see Amalia taking Sorin's spot as the vampire walker. Sorin can easily just be desparked and left on Innistrad since his home plane is about the only thing he cares about anymore, no point sending him out into the multiverse just to gripe about being somewhere other than home. Amalia's powerset is incredibly unique and can definitely be spun into some interesting loyalty abilities.
It'll never actually happen, but I'd love to see Amalia learning from Commodore Guff.
@@RibusPQR wait I thought guff was dead?
From Sorin to Amalia, now that would be a downgrade
@@ethansriaphon8787 he is :(
my favorite part of new sets is these videos
Ixalan is the pinnacle of Magic plane design imo. It's inspired by real world Mezo-America and colonialism, but still has its unique identity and puts a twist on everything. It's the perfect middle ground between something like Theros (just Greece) and Ravnica (totally original), giving us touchstones without feeling lazy or played out. I love it.
The plane and design? Amazing. The story this time was very disappointing to me. But top tier plane design. Up there with tarkir and innistrad for me. I just wish they would leave innistrad alone, lol.
Imo Ixalan’s dinosaurs are amazing. They are super unique and aren’t a generic scaly monster.
Amalia is easily my favorite new character from the set, her “cartogramancy” is really cool. Excited to see where she pops up next.
Love how lengthy this video is. Always great to have more Story Time!
I really got into MTG with LCI (the commander precons rock, dinosaurs and pirates ftw), thanks for summarizing the story!
Glad I could help!
Amalia is the new best girl, and I'm looking forward to her and Kellan's multiverse shenanigans.
Also, Quintorius is my new favorite Planeswalker. This set has awakened my inner childhood and has reminded me why I love Magic's setting.
Tysm for these videos man. Mtg stories for some years now are not usually worth the read. Not imo at least. Your videos with ur narration and ofc the mustache minute is the only reason why i am still following the lore.
A few questions though:
1. Did they 'fix' the core being caged by the bat god?
2. What about the door in the city where the core is? Was that sealed again?
3. Do they know that Mycotyrant is still alive?
The core was fixed, as far as I can tell, but they don't really explain how. The door is left open, and the Sun Empire and the Oltec start trading and visiting each other. Nobody realized the Mycotyrant is still out there...yet.
So great to find your channel! I'm new to magic and will certainly be sticking around. I love Quintorius, and I love this set! I agree with all your points, I think WotC's writing team is brilliant but given far too few resources and is just shunted along between sets too fast to really finish with what they're doing. It's a case of there being too much, so cutting something would in theory improve the story, but I like each element too much to cut. I think if they had more opportunity to write a longer story, it would have suited the magnitude of the set. Honestly I think having two connected stories, one above with the old factions and one below with the new, but related and tied together with characters somehow able to communicate might have been preferable, it wouldn't stretch the pirates into miners for example. It's an idea.
18:15 a surprise retroactive merfolk city. What is this, Ravnica?
Mid Story, Great Channel, it saves me time I would have lost reading this uneventful tale.
Was waiting for this video!
I WAITED FOREVER FOR THIS VIDEO TO DROP! THANK YOU RYAN AND NICOLE!
Good story. I still miss the podcast you two had. You had the special coffees. It was fun to listen to
Always a pleasure listening to your vids. Id like to see wizards produce a story that answers more questions then it asks....maybe one day.
The creature in the glass container has big MCU post-credits scene energy
It's my favorite time of each set.
STORYTIIIIIME!
3:21 I greatly appreciate the Dead Poet's Society reference, I love that movie:)
I've waited for this video to release ever since I knew about LCOIs existence. Great video!
Wonderful. Thank you.
So did you like the story? Is it worth the read? I really liked original Ixalan. In fact, I'd say that period of Shadows over Innistrad, Amonkhet and Ixalan, was the best thing they've done since Origins. Lately I've been very disappointed with the lore.
Despite having so many POVs and threads it still was better told, on a story by story basis, than the Phyrexian invasion arc. I think I liked it better than Eldraine but I'd say the two were on par for overall quality of writing.
I love getting to hear the story from you! It's much appreciated. Also, if you can, I would love it if your merch shirts went up to 5xl
I'll look into it. Thanks!
I personally was very bummed that neither Jace or Vraska were here, Planeswalker or not, still corrupted or not, whatever, it’s such a key and iconic plane for them that I could see either or both of them having come to Ixalan either during the invasion or afterwards to hide away from the atrocities they surely committed offscreen, so the fact that neither returned to lead the Belligerent’s faction to be, I don’t know, cleansed by Chimil or something, was genuinely disappointing
You know more then 6 stories would be nice heck Grimm captain feels like a cool side story like not all factions need to be a main story like a few side stories would have helped
The flavor text of Huatli's Final Strike is giving HUGE Tyvar's Stand vibes!!
If I had a nickel for every Green Story Spotlight Instant that has flavour text about how the villain won't be remembered...
Great video as always!!
When I saw the chapters i was like "I AINT READ'N ALL THAT" so thank you so much
I talked with others in the discord about the Fomori (not saying I was the first to notice, lol) so super hyped to see you mention it here! Great video, and thanks as always!
It really feels like a big step back from eldraine. With woe, we got a comparatively smaller story that felt more focused. With LCI, it just feels they tried to fit a 3 block set into one massive story with way too many characters. I will never understand why they ditched the 3 block format. It was perfect for telling stories.
except more and more they seem to value story less?
@goncaloferreira6429 absolutely. The story of mtg has felt like an afterthought for like 10 years, imo. They have fumbled really interesting planes, like new capenna and relied way too heavily on old planes like innistrad and ravnica. They are extremely inconsistent in character development and plot points. Their story spotlight cards are always hit or miss and there are so many moments where characters demonstrate their abilities or make calculated decisions that would make excellent story spotlights but it feels like they pick some random moments sometimes. It's dissapointing as a fan of the story of mtg for over 20 years.
@@calebperrin8270 with hasbro wanting profits mtg´s growth went in a bad direction. Even if we considern the record profits of the last couple of years they could have invested some money back to the game. they could have
1- solved the card quality once and for all, placing mtg, the best game, on par with much smaller japanese games.
2- they dropped the ball when they did Brandon sanderson ( a great fan) dirty. That partnership could have brough many new players to the community and ensure quality stories/novels for years
each set i look forward to the magic arcanum video. keep up the good work!!
I was really waiting for this🤩🤩🤩i love this set and Ixalan so much! Thanks Ryan!!!!
I feel very similarly. It feels like the story is just a bunch of plot points of things happening, but it feels like nothing happened because the characters are just there, they do a thing, and then they're done.
I've been waiting for this video. Thanks so much for your efforts!
I think highly-themed deckbuilding in this set is sort of a mess because there are like seven factions and the colors of the existing factions on some cards don't totally match the colors from our last visit to Ixalan. In the previous two Ixalan sets, (especially the first,) there were pretty much only four factions, and the colors of cards almost always lined up with one of these factions. So what I am saying is that the card pool is too small for this many factions. Each faction, theme, mechanic, color, etc. does not have enough cards available to really build a satisfying deck around.
I’m so glad you still do the mustache minute. I was very concerned with you getting support from Wizards that you might start being less critical of their story telling. It feels good to know that you are sticking to your principles.
Thanks for the summery. I get so behind in reading the lore. I do like the fact that there are some new factions for Ixalan with the introduction of Catfolk and Angels.
Personally I think adding three more factions to an already bloated set especially when it will be another five years before we go back just makes everything last focused and messy
Since I started playing in revised, I've always enjoyed the implications of plot - the lore drops on the cards themselves - more than any content in any other media. Don't get me wrong, I welcomed the old novels and the chapters today, but the joy is grounded on the card text itself :)
New to Magic. I always enjoyed the art and such. Been enjoying learning how to play. Now knowing that there is actual story too, I'm even more invested. I'm a sucker for a good story
I feel like this set should have focused on the Vampires vs The Sun Empire on this quest, and have Merfolk & Pirates in the background, then next time were on this plane, reverse it & do a Pirates vs Merfolk on the same quest as that set's theme.
They wrote so much lore and background for this one, there's room for writing 3 extensions stories
Imagine going from this adventure to ravnican dinner theater, that's what's happening with kellan
Going from making map tokens to making clue tokens
When I first started listening to the video I thought of what I might say in a comment describing my displeasement with wizards, but then I thought this guy doesn't want me to complain in the comments on his nice video. Then I get to the end of the video and there is talk about what wizards has done wrong lol. Glad we can talk about it. It's not just complaining it's spreading awareness. The first set was really great and it's one thing not to have as high expectations, but it's a whole different thing when they deviate from what work. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Whoever is leading the charge over at the magic headquarters are pushing agendas and not doing a good job if they couldn't realize all the potential they had and what they succeeded at in the past. Terrible management. Great reading tho!
Thanks so much for the video! I love immersing myself in Magic’s story, but can’t take the time to read it myself.
Fantastic recap of the story! Well done.
Was waiting for this story time! Wanted to see what happens now xD
Prison is basically timeout and the same goes for gimmick quicksand. At this point, I wish magic would go a bit more serious and gritty and leave the timout prison for universe beyond stuff. It would really flesh out things
Hello! Big fan of the Channel :D I wanted to say there is one card describing pirates as miners [[Brass's Tunnel Grinder]]
The note on screen was more for the fact that the dino riders all switched to the giant bats that live in the cave, and had been tamed by the Oltec. There are several cards that show the pirates focusing on mining (I used Hit the Mother Lode earlier in the video, for example)
LCI was basically Wizards version of "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". its not a bad set, it's that it feels different than the original because the OG Ixalan block was basically Pirates of the Caribbean feat Jace and Vraska's love cruise. the story had to go forward both after that set AND March of the Machine invasion so we have a lot of stuff that needs to be sorted out in a proper set but even then we have the steps up for that. the Sun Empire is still throwing out on those plans to do a reverse conquista on Torrezon while Elenda's followers are trying to deal with the schism back in their homeland, and again, the pirates were originally formed out of people that were escaping persecution from the vampires so now that the whole gist of the Golden City is off they can now go back to make a home for themselves, specially now that there is a whole continent available for them to explore and settle. the only people that were left without nothign to do were the River Heralds but perhaps in that lack of purpose they will find something else to do(specially now that the Mycotyrant is out in the surface, they probably have the secret to defeat it)
Great to see! I’m also excited for you talking about the side story, and maybe also talk about the planeswalker’s guide, which is MASSIVE. I feel like us lord mages can’t ignore that!
Oh I was waiting for this!
I find the cat tribe in the caves to be kinda of jarring. They throw the vampires into a sand pit and that's it? How long were they down there? Do they live in the core or the surface? They get introduced, used then pushed to the side. I hope there is a side story about the cat tribes.
I remember seeing the cat cards during previews and wondering if I had just completely forgotten about cats on Ixalan. But no, just a random pull that I can only assume is for Standard synergy later, or maybe for cat tribal commander?
Why does Quintorius refer to the Formori as the Coin Empire? Are they known on Arcavios only by the coins they left behind?
Yes, exactly. I'm not clear how big these coins are, though. You'd think if they belonged to giants, they'd be big coins, but Quint never really describes them that way (and seems genuinely surprised by all the big furniture and then the huge creature in the tank).
It's because there's a recurring motif in ruins and such Quint keeps finding that resembles a coin.
KEEP STAYING PAWZITIVE Y'ALL THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO
Great presentation! There are many gaps in the story..: What is Saheeli doing in Ixalan? Why is Kellan in Ixalan? What is the story of the other 4 gods??
Was Saheeli never mentionned at all in the story? Cause like, WOTC established in the Aftermath cards that her and Huatli were PLANES appart without knowning how to find eachother again but then she just like...has a legendary card in this set? So that piece of possible compelling motivation and storytelling is just tossed out the window cause we gotta make more card for commander players or what...?
Lmao I pulled her card the other day and I was like "why is she here?"
Saheeli apperas briefly at the start of the main story and is the main character in the side story. Huatli sends her as the only person she trusts implicitly to negotiate with the Vampires to try and replace the war-like influences on the Emperor with more peaceful ones.
Saheeli got her own entire side story that was way more interesting than the main one! Turns out there's a lot more politics and intrigue than it looks. Oh yeah and Beckett Brass gets a country
So yeah, based on what the above people are saying, they just ignored that plot line and came up with something else.
The problem I have with the magic story as a whole at the moment is, that they in the last few years do dungeon crawls again and again as there main story.
We had Zendikar Rising (which in my opinion stared all of this trend), then we had the D&D set which didn't really have a story and only featured dungeons, than Phyrexia: All will be one which was also a dungeon crawl at it's core, than parts of Wilds of Eldrain and now Lost Caverns of Ixalan. That are 5 out of 15. A third of all sets. Why?
The Coin Empire is going to be the story for next year or the year after, right? So I don't think we'll go back to Ixalan by then, except maybe as part of a multi-plane set like March of the Machine
The general theory I've seen is that they're gonna come to a head in the Space Opera set.
I totally wish the story cards were more numerous, like 15-20 so you actually get a taste of the story from the cards as well!
Ixalan has done nothing but have me wanting to go back to Ikoria even more
Kind of a missed opportunity. Kellen takes a vampire girl he practically just met, but leaves Ruby behind, who he had an entire adventures length of time to get to know. All well, maybe he’ll come back for Ruby?
Coooooool Runnings!
Starting with a mysterious locked door? Story aproved by J.J. Abrams
Edit: To be fair, Ixalan vampires were always religious zealots, so a pilgrimage is on brand
Also, giving some "context" to the Fomori seems like the type of hook old mtg would use for its story, so I'm surprised to see so few discussions about it
I wish they’d go back to set blocks. Give us and the writers lore time to flesh things out instead of rushing through everything. Off the top of my head, since they went to single set stories we havnt had a good story. There was a chance with new phyrexia but nope, resolved that issue in a snap
I want this so bad it isn't looking hopeful with how much WOTC's focus is shifting towards commander content and UB stuff.
Pirates really shined in the side story with Brass holding her own in negotiations with both the Vampires and the Sun Empire.
The red god is such badass looking card. Shame they didn't do much.
It's so sad quint is the only planeswalker on arena that doesn't have voice lines.
They did him dirty
They should just throw in some stock elephant noises
I've heard that lines were written for him and possibly recorded, so they might show up later. Not sure why they wouldn't be part of the set release, though.
Can't Help but Feel like Aclazotz sneaking onto a Ship on it's way to the Vampire's Country where he plans to make power moves being a homage or inspired by the Dracula Novel, where Dracula very much does the same.
Ever since “War of the Spark” everything has been a “short story” so they can do a one shot set. It just shows that they just wanna pump out product & then be like oh dart board throws for a story. It’s a shame
It really shows how much we are missing without a "Legends of" article for these sets. I looked forward to those the most for some touch on why these legendary beings and tools exist but nope, theyre not important enough, just one of a kind legendary entities.
Would be cool if Kellan creates a non-Planeswalker Gatewatch-like group along the way
I bet aclazotz will be leading an interplanar vampire invasion using the omenpaths
Imagine Elenda sacrificing herself to kill him and then taking his place as the new mono-black god, kind of like what Aclazotz did to the Ancient One
Can't wait for the next set. I love murder mystery
Kudos on the pronunciations!
so the Ojer god's aren't major parts of the story of LCI?
Nope!
The ending feels like its setting up for the next Ixalan set
Quint found Bolas' secret study. We know Bolas used Ixalan as a kind of Planeswalker jail, so he likely had a base of his own deep in the world so he could monitor and experiment. Bolas will be back, guaranteed.
Personally, I hope that isn't the case. Coming right off of the Phyrexian arc, I'd rather not see them reuse another old fan favorite. I want to see what new big bad they can come up with. I remember at the end of MOM there was a mysterious group observing what was happening, I feel like that was a setup for the Fomori.
Dude, it wasn't Bolas who made Ixalan a planeswalker jail. Ugin and Azor made the Immortal Sun and put it on Ixalan specifically to TRAP Bolas there.
I’m disappointed there were no fungus zombie dinosaurs
As well as the lack of elder dinos and the gods
Like seriously? No reference to losing Etali? Cmon Wotc haha
To be honest, i tried to find enjoyment in the Story after March of the Machine but i cant. Hope your doing well, youre videos are great.
I love that the other 4 gods aren’t even relevant to the story, they’re just there to complete the set of colors
I choose to believe that the malamet actually thought the sand pit was just killing people and had no idea it actually just emptied out somewhere else
I've started to get into Magic alot recently ( long time Pokemon collector/player) but I don't really have anyone to play the game with. I appreciate these explanations though, since it gives me some background on the cards that I've pulled. Thanks for this, man!
Some cards depict that Saheeli brought an industrial revolution to Ixalan, so the story just decided to avoid all that and go underground?!
There was so much to cover that you did not even mention that Saheeli was here. And by implication (I did not read the story so correct me if i am wrong about this) she must have come here by an Omenpath.
Saheeli did appear for a moment in the first chapter, basically wishing Huatli good luck as she went off to explore beyond the Puzzle Door, and she is featured in a side-story (the only one we got for this set) and I might cover that in a separate video. But yeah for the most part she had very little impact on the main events of The Lost Caverns.
Thanks!