Love how the candle frustrations serve as a materialized metaphor for resentment with forced assimilation to draconic cultural values. The breath can only utter despair at the inability to keep the flames lit.
@@Spice8Rack I saw it more as a metaphor for the ending points of the video. It was a small thing that was easy to do, much like the act of donating, spreading awareness, or the like. But due to the fact that it was out of your line of sight, it was frustratingly hard to do something basic, which would have made everything a little better. Is it a clumsy alagory? Absolutely. Did you also say that thing about the morph bush in the beginning? Who's to say.
i'm so sorry but i'm not sure i fully understood what spice meant, it may be the autism. i interpreted it as a "it could have been me, or anyone else who fights against colonialism", is there more to that phrase i'm missing? just wanted to be sure to understand what was so profound!
@@matheuscastello6554 that's it precisely. It's a destruction of the barriers of distance, making the reality of what was destroyed and who was killed that much realer, more visceral. The profundity is found in the stripping away of those barriers we use to distance and insulate ourselves from tragedy and cruelty, in the realization that we are, or know, people just like the deceased, that only circumstance truly separates us.
I always interpreted the "good ending" of Dragons to be explicitly Sarkhan's idea of good, even if the majority of people on the plane had to suffer for it. Bro just really liked dragons.
I've been meaning to make an ADHD deck for Narset that also includes whatever other autistic characters we know of/can be interpreted as such and I forgot Sarkhan has to be there. The fact that his actions, while overall beneficial for the multiverse despite being pretty bad for his home plane, were driven solely by "god i fucking love dragons" is just so spectrum-coded.
@@Trogdorbad lol I never thought about sarkahn just being autistic with his special interest being dragons. that makes too much sense for his character
@@TrogdorbadYou could see the Dragon future Tarkir as the good ending too. Sure, the humans on the plane had their freedom and culture stripped away, but they have managed to find ways to coexist with dragons that doesn't result in their annihilation. Ugin and his dragon progeny, if viewed as the natural dominant species of Tarkir, are the guardians and caretakers of the plane. If you flip your perspective and view the dragons as sentient beings, instead of beasts or colonizers, you find the narrative is more hopeful than the Khans timeline.
I noticed parallels between the Khans timeline of Tarkir, the Planet of the Apes, and the fall of the Roman Empire. Some could see the victory of the Apes or Khans as a good thing; they destroyed their oppressors and achieved freedom and security for their people. It could also be a tragedy because all the technology, civilization, and progress of the previous civilization was lost. I'm not trying to justify genocide or colonization. I just believe advancing civilization and uniting cultures is better than mutual destruction.
That pause on "I used to be a poet" gutted me. Less than a second and I felt like you just beamed almost four and a half hours of frustrated terror right into my brain. You are still a poet.
Hi, long time lurker, have been watching your content for years. I'm Brazilian. You say you used to be a poet, but I see poetry in all your works, your voice, your tone. You've never stopped, you adapted, and your candle still shines on despite the worldly winds trying to snuff it out. You make me want to be a poet again. Never stop being the voice for those who feel voiceless, even through the medium of a card game analysis. Senta a púa, uma força que nos alerta, voçê é o som, a cor e o suor da nossa luta. De um garoto Brazileiro que ri quando deveria chorar, e não vive, apenas aguenta.
Another unintended colonization allegory that this set has is that the dragons in it are distinctly creatures from western fantasy. Which becomes more blatent with the Ugin retcon that made him arrive from a plane that very much has all the elements of a western fantasy setting.
One small note on the Abzan… thing. The Hagia Sophia is NOT a great example of Ottoman architecture to use in contrasting with the architecture of the Abzan. Other than the minarets, most of the structure was constructed by the Byzantines over the course of several centuries (including the work of at least one Armenian architect on the dome). The interior has been considerably worked over by the Ottomans, but as an art historian and an Armenian, I can’t quite let this one slide! I’d love to see a better example for that one because I think it’s a really important point to make that even Wizards’ attempts at vaguely aesthetically referencing west Asia completely miss.
I thought the abzan armor design was generally pretty close to medieval Greek Cataphract or the Turkish Sipahi, and let's not forget the Ottoman culture did originate from Central Asia and not Turkey in the first place, I think this interview with I don't know who exactly was very reaching
That's a good point, the Ottoman empire was itself greatly influenced by its Mongolian origin. Modern day Turkye was under Genghis Khan's rule, and later part of the Ilkhanate. @@ZakalweDisenfranchised Interestingly, the Abzan and Madru do share 2 colors. Maybe the Mardu red- of Genghis Khan's conquest and expansion war- turned to the Abzan's green for the Ottoman Empire's... stability, perhaps? Or greater reliance on agriculture? (Blue would've been better but they needed it to be a wedge.)
Well, the thing is, the greatest Ottoman architect Sinan was himself an Armenian. Most famous mosques built during the Ottoman era were inspired by the Orthodox Greek architecture with domes becoming an integral part of its religious culture and imagery. Ottoman music as we know it is a continuation of Byzantine music and some of the best Ottoman musicians were Greek and Armenian even during the latter period ot the empire. For example Tatyos Efendi, an Armenian musician, is greatly revered in Turkey and is held as a great representative of Ottoman music. Some nationalist Turks also call Ottoman culture "a culture of betrayal" for incorporating Persian, Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Slavic culture to their own without much reservation. Even the "Mehter" (Ottoman military music) with its "Allahu akbar"s and etc. found its final form thanks to Zildjian, again an Armenian, inventing the alloy for the cymbals after the Sultan's request. Aside from this, I began playing Magic right before Battle for Zendikar came out and didn't even know that the Abzan were inspired by the Ottomans. Some Mardu cards looked somewhat similar to pre-Islam Turkic culture (at least the modern depiction of them, which was heavily borrowed from medieval Mongol culture because for a short period of time Turks in Turkey thouht that we were somehow related to Genghis, Timur and etc. [We have a lot of people here in Turkey who have nothing to do with the Mongols but are named Genghis, Timur and etc.]) but the Abzan, not very Ottoman.
The dig at Sam of Rhystic Studies for his Morph shenanigans is a fantastic deep cut. I've watched that Shuffle Up and Play episode multiple times and it's always phenomenal.
54:00 I swear I feel so heard. For SOOOOO long I had wanted Gix to be printed to card. Gix was a fascinating piece of dissecting the mechanics of Phyrexia's origins and from the moment I first became enthralled to Magics greater story I wanted to see him printed. "Modern Horizons! this is it baby!" "Modern Horizons 2! this time for sure!" When he finally was revealed in The Brothers War I didnt even have a chance to call my friend, he had called me to excitedly report the news to me because he knew how long and how intensely I had waited. It was a type of excitement I hold very dear within this game. I love when these stories and backgrounds can build a truly special connection between players and the game itself, strictly on merit of being invested in the worlds.
This will be me if we ever get a new Ulgrotha card that *isn't* related to the Barony (ravenous squirrel from MH2 notwithstanding). Especially if they finally print a Sandruu planeswalker - that is, assuming they haven't retconned him out of existence like they did to so much of the original Homelands lore.
It's also just kind of a bad take. The shape created by three allied colors would be a terrible wedge. It's an obtuse isosceles and would suck for splitting anything. I'm usually down for Spice's crazy ideas, but he's off his rocker with this one.
59:34 To be fair, the word "Horde" _is_ Mongol/Turkic in origin (deriving from "Orda"/"Ordu") and refers to a court/political unit within those cultures. Obviously, it's gained different connotations in more western societies, but it's still a 100% valid descriptor. Edit: never mind, you covered it.
Hello, I don’t know what format is proper for commenting on TH-cam videos. First time. This was amazing. Thank you, for all the work and passion you put into this. I have added every book you have referenced in this video, and start looking at groups in my country to help with these causes. I have been drifting from job to job looking to find a better way to help people. Your video spoke deeply to me and has given me a new direction. Never stop growing and educating. From my soul to yours, thank you.
The way you're able to dissect fictional narratives and their implications as a bridge for real world struggles is exceptional. Games are fascinating reflections of history, struggle, and culture. You constantly inspire me to be able to better unpick and articulate lessons both explicit and implied by ludic texts. It would be fascinating to play and discuss John Company and/or Imperial with you, I bet.
I love this individual, it's like hbomberguy for magic the gathering. I always genuinely love these long formats, and as a nonbinary person with a very similar presentation I feel very safe and at home with their channel.
@@Spice8Rack you got a sizeable enough backlog I will rewatch some of that for the rest of the drive. Probably atleast the Goblin lore video again. Can't wait for the tonal whiplash caused by jumping from Magic the Gathering over-analysis to Juggalo Weekend. Lol
3:51:57 that section on national liberation and revolutionary movements be called terrorists broke my fucking heart. I live in Ireland and I love my country, but the amount of bloodshed and cruelty in our far from distant past is absolutely haunting. We had freedom fighters and rebels, at some point. Then we had terrorists and gangland criminals even to this day using the same title of those rebels or slight deviations. Our history of the country's fight for freedom against colonialism being used by scum, without any trace of remorse or understanding what even means. Irish people had their land stolen through violent and bloody plantations and invasions, that was then piece mealed back under landlords to be taken again if payment ever faltered. Ireland endured the Great Famine, which saw 1 million dead and 1 million gone, most immigranting across the Atlantic on coffin ships. We were stangled in how we could political represent and speak for ourselves. Then after how many centuries of agrarian violence, the Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence we came to the Treaty Negotiations. That should have been it. But no. Through failure to achieve a Unitied 32 County Ireland we had a Civil War. This caused political and historical grudges and lines that last even to this day. This was the result of an impossibly, politically inexperienced representatives were sent over to the UK with express orders to reach a deal for a united Ireland outside of British control. Our most experienced politicians waited in Dublin during the negotiations, offering no support only demands. It was a fuckin farce. We became free of British rule on the 18th of April 1949 when Eire left the "Commonwealth" and became the Republic of Ireland, not in 1920's proceeding the "Treaty Negotiations". We were still under the thumb of the British Parliament. This is our modern history. This is still in people's memories and did not bring an end to the violence in Ireland. There is a border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the latter is part of the UK. This border has caused a great deal of violence. I have stories from my father about "The Troubles", a period of instense political and sectarian violence and retribution.These stories are of checkpoints (border or otherwise), bombings (car or otherwise), shootings in the streets, the disappeared and of raids in the night of people being abducted from their beds and sentenced in something that would make a kangaroo court look fair. These stories fall on both sides. Loyalist, Unionist, Catholic, Protestant, Irish, British. Identity was a dangerous thing and can still be today. This is still going on, this division from colonization. There are still peace walls in Nothern Ireland. This isn't even all of it, I didn't mention the Bloody Sundays, the Work Houses, H - Blocks, the Hunger Strikes. I love my country. Fuck colonization.
Honestly this is one of your finest videos yet. It put into words a lot of my frustrations with how Tarkir was handled, both from a worldbuilding perspective and a narrative one, but also what made Tarkir such a fascinating plane to me. There's so much that can be said about how this set was designed, such as how the color that was dropped from each wedge represents something fundamental to the faction that they had lost with the Dragons. You did a really banger job tying the whole thing together. It's a phenomenal work, and probably one of my favorite video essays ever. And also, I think you were right to the end the video on that note. It's left me with more to think really.
Honestly the only gripe I would have is that Mardu got painted with a particularly uncharitable brush. The mardu lost their soul with kollaghan & the way spice treats them it's like they got away with staying the same. Even in a ludo narrative sense alesha's ability doesn't make sense with the dragons because it's a whole "leave no one behind" thing that she had to choose to drop so that some of her people could live
@@Spice8RackIm just now done with Part 0 and Im already happy you’ve complimented Kylem and Fiora. I love these planes and they always felt more intriguing than Khaldheim and Amonkhet to me. Top down often (but not always) leads to planes that feel like Disneyland attractions. Hit these points, reference this, all the names can come later.
That canoptek wraith joke hit me harder than most. I'm a necron player with an iron hands army. Actively putting together Iron Father Feirros and almost broke his claw arm.
I am that guy jumping up and down next to my now wife and I want to provide a story. My wife and I went to Pax East and my wife won a contest with WoTC to go to pax west on wotcs dime. It was really cool. They treated us extremely well and we had a great time. That was the khans release party, we were VIPs and the 4th and 5th to enter. I quickly began buying moxed drinks named after the clans. After drinking 3. I was approached and informed that they had forgotten to give us our two free drink tickets. I approached the bar and they advised they would kindly take the tickets and refund two of my drinks.......I instead got two more "Jeskai's" The rest is history. I was extremely drunk, extremely excited, and those reprints mattered.
>points out multiple times the video is too long >leaves every single outtake in and stretches the self-referential jokes about them too >satisfyingly dunks on american imperialism at every possible opportunity >glosses over the atrocities of the ottoman empire like it's nothing nitpicks aside, cool video :)
Something I always liked about Tarkir is how arguably and in parts notably worse Sarkhan's personal quest makes the plane. Sure, there is less constant war and the dragons return, but the entirety of non-dragon kind are either slaves in the case of the Kolaghan and Atarka or put under a regime where they are constantly watched and subjugated in the case of the DRomoka, Silumgar, and Ojutai. By all definition, Sarkhan is the villain, his journey to go back in time to change the present to better suit him even fits a villain's plan.
The dragons in power non dragons still live. non dragons in power dragons all extinct. Sounds like the good ending to me Give it some time and hopefully they'll get along instead of the situation. They're in now But it's better than the extinction of some race.
@@cablefeed3738I mean you could argue a greater number of humans die and suffer under draconic rule than the number of dragons humans killed if you want to argue a materialist standpoint (is one dragon worth more than one human? How many humans have to suffer and die before it’s worth it?). Most of the dragons in the original timeline weren’t ‘killed’ they were never born, new dragons stopped being made because Ugin died, so I’d argue the original outcome had less deaths, also do dragons deserve to exist? They inherently subjugate others, make good regimes worse and bad regimes intolerable, their existence is a definitive net negative on the plane (and now with new lore entirely unnatural/foreign to it) we have seen the alternative without them and whilst not a peaceful place, it is far better than with them. Dragons still exist on other planes, just not on Tarkir, which now is a plane they were never even meant to exist on.
@hoomanben8455 I was never a fan of that retcon, but to be real. I'm almost certain they're gonna do another retcon when it the return to Tirkir like, maybe Ugin made the plane of tarkier. As for the second thing you asked. They all died off because one of the Khan side with Bolas to kill Ugin, starting off the genocide. As for your first question about how many humans are worth a dragon. The numbers don't matter, win, humans win. There are now 0 dragons, making it infinite number dead. Where is when the Dragons win? There are still plenty of humans, and some even enjoy it. Horrible world either way, never would want to live on Tarkir in any timelime.
@jasonbolding3481 that's a retcon and using the multiverse as an excuse is dumb Because if you count things in the other parts of the multiverse, then nothing ever is extinct because it's just on another plane. And do whe even know when thay came to the plane is something still invasive after a million years after the environment has integrated them and found a new balance.
I'm glad this video is short and easily digestible, just how I like it. You could try making longer videos in the future though- I'd watch longer videos.
@1:59:00 this previewing of a future card name was actually first done in Darksteel with the card Shield of Kaldra! Absolutely love every time it happens as it is one of the few ways to keep a mystery alive in the information dense era of the game we're in. Love the work, please stay fabulous!
Christ. This video is truly a masterpiece. I won't write too much, but this video has given me much to think about. I didn't think you could top the mill vs. discard video, but here we are. Fantastic work.
I've been sick for the past week and I started getting into your content; I always wanted to watch video essay-style content, but I rarely found anyone making it on topics that would actually interest me ~ well, I've been on a pretty severe Spice8Rack binge ever since then and this is just what I needed today (and tomorrow as well, unless I stay up until like 1 am~) thank you for what you're doing, it's made my sick days, as well as my days now much better ^^
While I adored hearing you speak about Takir, I think the part of this video that'll stay with me the most is the ending. It's harrowing and utterly horrific to think about what is happening in places like Palestine and thinking about how people are being killed and places destroyed in an attempt to erase. I am someone who has never gone to a protest because I worry about being in large gatherings. But after watching the ending of video and hearing about the killing of a poet and his family in a deliberate attempt to silence, I can see that my fears and worries pale greatly in comparison to those who are suffering under the effects of what is effectively an attempt to erase a culture. I plan on not only looking into the literature this video has provided but making a more conscious effort to show support for Palestinians through going to protests and donating when I can. Thank you for not only making a fantastic video about Takir but for also driving me and hopefully many more into acting more in support rather than just speaking support.
I can't find a source (for reasons covered in this video) but I have a distinct memory of Maro saying that the Dragons ending was the Bad Ending for everyone except Sarkhan and the dragons, which surprised me because I didn't even consider the mortals of the plane at first because I love dragons so much.
@@WyllBG3 I believe it was the one Spice played a clip of in the video. It was definitely one of the ones published in 2015 as a retrospective of Khans.
In tumblr, Maro said "It’s better for the Dragons but much worse for the Humans. I have more empathy for the Humans" in 2016. And in 2017 he said "I believe there is an interpretation where he(Sarkhan) is the villain (in Tarkir block.)" I was surprised too, mainly because I love Sarkhan and Narset so much. But in retrospect, she might object to my interpretation that her fate is "better" than KTK.
One small correction. 29:47 for reference. Morph is a special action like playing a land, but tapping a land for mana is just an activated ability. It is a "special" activated ability in the sense that it is a mana ability (and therefore doesn't use the stack), but it isn't one of the (currently 10) defined special actions outlined in CR rule 116
The Rakhasa segment is such a great example of why you need to be careful about the little things. I guarantee Gygax put about as much thought into the rakshasa as the hippogriff or the goblin - it's a figure from some culture's folk stories he doesn't really know, but he saw references to it, so he grabs it and moves on. It was not that big of a deal. Except it also kinda was a big deal, it just didn't look like it at the time. To him.
A colonizer thinking they know how to make a good world and then proceeding to royally feck it up multiple ways across multiple attempts would be a little on the nose.
I've never been one for actually acting upon my compassion for causes. However, more than the passionate effort and love that you put into this video and it's research, your conversation at the end genuinely moved me to make an actual material contribution. Thank you and God Bless
It’s fascinating to see that others felt some of the stuff I did. Abzan religion being destroyed was something that I remember sticking with me. Glad to hear others noticed the art thing too! I hope when they return to Tarkir, i hope we see a cultural resurgence, not insurgence. Dramokah slain but her brood learn to accept the abzan way. Jesekai manage to break with the Ojutai ways and exist separate from one another. Things like that.
Going through the video, but i had to comment about the "time bendy effect" on renowned weaponsmith at 1:59:30. The first instance that i could think of if such a "throw forward" would be the Kaldra cycle in original Mirroden block, where Shield of Kaldra from Darksteel referenced giving the card Helm of Kaldra indestructible, which wouldn't be printed until the last set, Fifth Dawn
@@Spice8Rack The other example I could think of off the top of my head is the cycle of cards in Future Sight that generated creature token copies of existing creature cards (Skirk Ridge Exhumer, for example, is in my cube). The white one, Goldmeadow Lookout, created a Goldmeadow Harrier token, whose creature wouldn't be printed in paper until Lorwyn. A half example, since they're tokens, but might qualify your criteria
Just want to say a massive thank you for using this video as a fundraiser for the PCRF. I have donated to them several times in the past, and they are one of the most critical charities to give money to in this current moment. It's also fitting to use the jumping off point of Tarkir to highlight current native populations, like us Palestinians, who are fighting dragons in real time.
This is the first time I've donated to a cause in quite some time. About three years ago, I struggled with homelessness, among other things. The rest of the world blurred into noise, people were constantly talking about global issues and in my desperate struggle to just survive and get a future for myself and the love of my life, I blocked everything else out. I'm in a much better place now, as much as I had to claw my way back, it payed off. I have stable income, money to spare, and my wife is happy, healthy, and safe. We're both still recovering mentally from the hell we were put through, but we're in a place now to help others fight their battles as we did ours. Your video genuinely inspired me to once again believe in the goodness of the world, thank you so much. You're my second favorite content creator (my wife will alway be #1) and you never, ever dissapoint.❤
Tarkir was my first full block as a magic fan (i got into the game around Journey Into Nyx) so i’m very excited to see your analysis of the plane and glad that this video is supporting a great cause 🇵🇸
Great video. I especially loved the rakasha example on how culture can be spun and changed into something totally different (cultural telephone, as you described it). Makes me really interested about other examples in media I haven’t noticed or known about, definitely some food for thought (just like the rest of the video- especially our lack of real involvement to combat modern-day injustice)
I want to follow up after finally finishing this short video...in case Spice actually sees this. A sincere thank you for touching on the present situation in Gaza and for the reading recommendedations. I've been feeling a little disheartened recently from the various gaslighting attempts by my peers here in the states, and your words are seriously encouraging for me to keep fighting on so we can get our government to stop using our taxes to directly fund gen*c*de.
I have long had gripes with the messaging of the Tarkir Block's ending and how it seemed to place the Dragons timeline as better than the Khans timeline, despite how both had their issues and the way that the Dragons timeline had such horrid implications in so many of the things they put in the set.
@@Spice8Rack having finished the video, I can only thank you for the insight you and your collaborators have given me into a lot of what I missed in the entirety of the Tarkir Block. And yeah, I really do feel vindicated to hear people like you and Jacc talking about and analyzing the Dragons Timeline, alongside the horrid imagery that brought to mind or mirrors practices and atrocities perpetrated on real people, how they affected and continue to affect real people. Finally, I'd like to thank you, Michelle, Jacky, and Jacc for going into such details, giving me a lot to think about in my own creative endeavours and my own critical analysis of the things I enjoy.
3:49:48 I always thought that Ugin created Tarkir similar to how sera created sera’s realm or how Karn created Argentum, if WOTC chooses to retcon Ugin’s relation with tarkir that could be an intresting way for WOTC to have their cake and eat it to, with Ugin both being Bolas’s twin brother and a natural part of tarkir, being its creator
If I can be sincere on the internet just this once, your work is so immensely inspiring to me. Your creative voice is truly your own and I appreciate you so much.
I'd like to point out; Most of the 'racism' directed towards the Mongol kingdom is a direct result of the modern history of Asia largely being written by the victims of Genghis Khan and the empire he built. If you ask various native American tribes for their people's history of the British empire showing up to North America, and the Spanish empire coming to South America, it's not going to be much better. Historically, human beings have pretty much always 'othered' their enemies. Especially when those enemies show up almost singularly as a conqueror coming to murder and plunder their way across people's homes. Almost universally, this results in racism. And most of Asia really does not care when you are racist against their ancestral enemies, mostly because they were probably already racist towards them to begin with. Racism in Asia, especially towards other Asian cultures, just is not as big a concern as it is in the Western world.
This. Also it's worth noting that Mongol religious tolerance and trade, points brought on by apologists, were put on specifically to facilitate their system of tribute and extortion on their subjects.
Can't wait to spend the next month watching this! Thanks for working so hard on providing us so much well researched in depth lore analysis for these silly little cards
one cannot know the unbridled joy of your mate coming up to you at work, hideous smile stretched wide across his face before exclaiming: "FOUR HOUR SPICE VIDEO" fantastic and disturbingly relevant video as always, keep up the great work
this is beautiful. i mean, truly beautiful. the ending of this video shook me to my core. i gotta go find some organizations on my college campus or something to get more involved with protests. thank you, spice. incredible work as always.
I think Ugin's absence from the plane opens up an opportunity for a Return of the Khans set, where we see the khans rise up and become a force to be reckoned with again. Maybe they don't end up in a full victory, but we could have the dragons vs khans war again, this time with added perspective. If I trusted Wizards, that is. Also I am convinced that Ojutai took Zurgo to be his jester and that he's on Ojutai's back as moral support. He's Ojutai's funny little guy. ... The section on the Palestinian Poet, Refaat Alareer, was particularly grim, and reminded me of the college course I took on the literature of the Palestinian Conflict. I might have even read his work before.
finally made it all the way through, the ending to this video is incredibly sobering. I'm sick of buying activism from corporations, the only way things will get better is if we fight for it ourselves. thank you for the reality check.
I can see it: Return to Tarkir, with Kellan planeswalking in to save the peoples of the plane, white messiah-style. Then WotC can make a Secret Lair Drop with Dune-themed alters, Timothee Chalamet et al. What a time to be alive!
@@mayoremanuel1989 I mentioned "white messiah" wrt my theory that WotC will require an external agent (Kellan seems to be the current favorite) to overturn the dragons. I only brought up Dune in the context of how easy it would be to visually map a Dune-themed Secret Lair Drop onto Tarkir cards. Full disclosure, I've only read "House Atreides" and "Dune" (didn't like them enough to read the rest); and I've watched the 2000 miniseries but not the movie(s). So I've no idea how the whole story arc treats these themes
@@JohnChronakis Paul Atreides compares himself to Hitler and then wanders into the desert to die in atonement for his sins. So maybe he does a poor white savior.
"This is a video about the Magic: The Gathering collectable card game product and fictional world of Tarkir, and absolutely nothing else." I don't believe you.
BRETHREN. REJOICE. For not only we got a new Spice video talking about SPICES AND TRADES. But also about the rich history of Tarkir in all its glory!!!
Thank you for being a wonderful shepherd on my journey to a more thoughtful and nuanced look at the world. As a burgeoning game maker and author, your essays have led me down a reflective path on what stories I genuinely want to tell and to think more about where those stories originate. I generally squirrel away, enjoying my multi-hour-long essays alone, but this video is the perfect bridge I need to get my friends to discuss these topics. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Spice8Rack.
There's a sort of deep frustration building in me when I hear the discussion on Neon Dynasty about really paying attention to detail and getting enough genuine cultural context to understand that, for example, it would be inappropriate to give Okinawan weapons to mainland inspired characters, but still never stop to consider the entirety of ND is inherently a bad idea. Techno Orientalism is so intrinsically rooted in how the US imagined Japan specifically. Cyberpunk (or at least any cyberpunk that's even vaguely mainstream) emerged from a time when the main idea of the future was that Japan will, with it's "robot like workers" and it's "inherently superior technology", take over the US both economically and culturally. The visual language of cyberpunk is meant to resemble what an average American in the 80s imagined the streets of Tokyo looked like at night. The fact that this gloomy, rain soaked neon nightmare is now in LA is meant to be unnerving, sinister and upsetting. And the one thing anyone ever takes from cyberpunk is the aesthetics, but the aesthetics have inbuilt meaning no one is willing to address. But the only thought of a US-American when you say cyberpunk is a neon sign with Kanji. If they genuinely wanted to update Kamigawa they could have made it less of a hodgepodge, added more references to individual regions of Japan, or even did something involving the long and, at least in the west, largely undiscussed history of colonialism. If they wanted genuine cyberpunk aesthetics and themes they have so many other settings that are infinitely more appropriate. It's not like magic has no sprawling cities full of corruption and conspiracy, or plains known for their use of artifacts. It's not like there's a whole large chunk of the magic narrative dedicated to incorporating technology into people against their will. Like I get not wanting to completely alter the Phyrexians but Tezzeret is right there! He's from a plain that has people incorporating metal into their bodies and is thematically very interested in class conflict. Like I cannot stress enough how much Esper is just a cyberpunk setting. If you want to examine the ways integrating tech into our bodies will only serve to make already existing power structures more apparent, or the ways it leaves us with a warped sense of self as we lose autonomy and no longer fully own the bodies we inhabit, you can just use that as a setting! Except again, for the average US-American cyberpunk is when the neon sign is written in Kanji. So we have to turn Kamigawa, an already orientalist setting, with great care, dedication to research and cultural sensitivity, into a second EQUALLY ORIENTALIST SETTING. (But now the laser sword the cyber ninja (in the neon lit alleyway at night) has is a bit more accurate to the region). It's such genuine shameless tokenism. "Look how much work were putting to being accurate at depicting your culture in this copy of a fictional inaccurate depiction of it from 30 years ago." I'm not done with the video yet so all of this might get discussed later, but I've recently reread Neuromancer and have too many Thoughts™.
I lost it at the top-down/bottom-up joke, had to pause the video, laughed so hard I scared my dogs, unpaused the video, and then Spice lost it and I lost it again 10/10, A+, and I've still got over 4 hours to go Editing to add that I really miss the storytelling potential of blocks, too. I know they've had struggles with them in terms of design and sales when it comes to the third set in particular, but I wish we could at least split the difference and start getting 2-set blocks again...
@@Spice8Rack Your videos are always a joy to watch, over four hours of an analysis of one of my favourite planes might as well be Christmas and my birthday together!
I've never encountered an MTG lore video that goes as in-depth as you have with Tarkir, and lucky me, its my favourite plane! Thanks for all the hard work
Two notes on your breakdown of the Khans of Garlic keywords. 1. Prowess quickly became evergreen but was later demoted to deciduous. The issue with prowess was that A. The pay off was "locked" at a static +1/+1 buff, so many cards that would have prowess would be changed to getting a scry or lifegaine or card draw or a keyword when a no creature spell was cast B. It didn't play well in sets with heavy creature themes such as Ixalan or Zendikar Reforged C. It lumps in all noncreature spells together. So if a set wanted a artifacts matters theme specifically or an instant/sorc or enchantment theme specifically it wasn't a good fit This led to prowess showing up less and less in sets as time went on, eventually skipping them all together, until it was made a sometimes mechanic like hybrid mana. 2. While not giving the literal ability word the "Power 4 or greater matters" mechanical identity of Ferocious has returned many times as draft themes. Being a key draft theme of Wilds of Eldraine, Lord of The Rings, Core 2021, Theros Beyond Death, War of the Spark, and Ravnica Allegiance.
1:54:22 there was also Lens of Clarity from Khans of Tarkir, a one mana artifact that lets you peak face-downs and the top card at any time. One of my favorite cards in Magic as I've had friends accuse me of cheating for peaking then I cheekily tap on Lens of Clarity.
@@sdfkjgh wouldn't surprise me, I still like the card and it does just remove the element of surprise in the entire mechanics of morph, manifest, and disguise while also allowing you to better approach Explore and Manifesting the top card.
@@otterfire4712: If you want to see the top card of your library, why not just run Oracle Of Mul-Daya, Vizier of the Menagerie, Ranger Class, or even Courser of Kruphix? Those at least have additional functionality. Lens of Clarity is like Telepathy in its uselessness. Sure, they _sound_ like they'd be useful, but you could run literally _any other card,_ and you'd increase your chances of winning! Ok, mebbe not One with Nothing or One with Death, bu you get my point, right?
@@sdfkjgh I don't really use the card much anymore due to having more access and when I was running it, it was to fill out some space in my Daretti commander deck from about a decade ago when I didn't have much in my name while I was in high school so I had to make due with a cute 1 mana artifact that I could tag out for something more useful like a 10 mana robot. Also, not to point out the obvious, your cards aren't usable in commander decks that don't have green in them, Lens is fully generic so non-green Explore decks that are dependent on hitting certain types of cards benefit from having on demand foresight into the top card of the deck, or for playgroups where morph/manifest/disguise is popular. (it's also useful in Jhoira storm decks).
How do you make such high quality videos so infrequently? (Thats just a joke and a reference you work at the pace that you're comfortable at Spice you're a good bean)
Your dedication and research is admirable, thank you! Still, you manage to keep some sarcasm and humour, as well as draw attention to important causes. Admirable, congrats!
A bit quick and rushed, I think you could have gone more in depth in the middle with fate reforged. Keep up the great work 😄.
you're a funny fucker aren't you?
I'm all for these short form videos
the video hasn’t even been out long enough to watch it yet 😂
@@Spice8Rackyou’re such a low effort content farm, honestly do better damn
@@Spice8Rackrelease the spice cut
Love how the candle frustrations serve as a materialized metaphor for resentment with forced assimilation to draconic cultural values. The breath can only utter despair at the inability to keep the flames lit.
THANK YOU! Finally, SOMEONE gets it!
@@Spice8Rack uhuh, sure
@@Spice8Rack I saw it more as a metaphor for the ending points of the video. It was a small thing that was easy to do, much like the act of donating, spreading awareness, or the like. But due to the fact that it was out of your line of sight, it was frustratingly hard to do something basic, which would have made everything a little better. Is it a clumsy alagory? Absolutely. Did you also say that thing about the morph bush in the beginning? Who's to say.
the line "i used to be a poet" was the most soul wrenching things i have heard it really said so much with so little.
I genuinely teared up. It made such a succinct and heartwrenching point in so few words.
i'm so sorry but i'm not sure i fully understood what spice meant, it may be the autism. i interpreted it as a "it could have been me, or anyone else who fights against colonialism", is there more to that phrase i'm missing? just wanted to be sure to understand what was so profound!
@@matheuscastello6554 that's it precisely. It's a destruction of the barriers of distance, making the reality of what was destroyed and who was killed that much realer, more visceral. The profundity is found in the stripping away of those barriers we use to distance and insulate ourselves from tragedy and cruelty, in the realization that we are, or know, people just like the deceased, that only circumstance truly separates us.
@@Jallorn makes sense, ty so much for clarifying!
I don't know if it's possible to really stop being a poet, but you can certainly stop writing it.
I always interpreted the "good ending" of Dragons to be explicitly Sarkhan's idea of good, even if the majority of people on the plane had to suffer for it. Bro just really liked dragons.
World's most destructive ascended fanboy.
I've been meaning to make an ADHD deck for Narset that also includes whatever other autistic characters we know of/can be interpreted as such and I forgot Sarkhan has to be there. The fact that his actions, while overall beneficial for the multiverse despite being pretty bad for his home plane, were driven solely by "god i fucking love dragons" is just so spectrum-coded.
@@Trogdorbad lol I never thought about sarkahn just being autistic with his special interest being dragons. that makes too much sense for his character
@@TrogdorbadYou could see the Dragon future Tarkir as the good ending too. Sure, the humans on the plane had their freedom and culture stripped away, but they have managed to find ways to coexist with dragons that doesn't result in their annihilation. Ugin and his dragon progeny, if viewed as the natural dominant species of Tarkir, are the guardians and caretakers of the plane. If you flip your perspective and view the dragons as sentient beings, instead of beasts or colonizers, you find the narrative is more hopeful than the Khans timeline.
I noticed parallels between the Khans timeline of Tarkir, the Planet of the Apes, and the fall of the Roman Empire. Some could see the victory of the Apes or Khans as a good thing; they destroyed their oppressors and achieved freedom and security for their people. It could also be a tragedy because all the technology, civilization, and progress of the previous civilization was lost. I'm not trying to justify genocide or colonization. I just believe advancing civilization and uniting cultures is better than mutual destruction.
That pause on "I used to be a poet" gutted me. Less than a second and I felt like you just beamed almost four and a half hours of frustrated terror right into my brain. You are still a poet.
4:04:00 The most important part of this.
"A Very Normal Look at Tarkir"
Looks at the time length: more than 4 hours.
Welp, in for a penny....
In for a penny, in for a 420 joke amirite?
In for a penny in for a mental pounding (?
@@dragonfire72i noticed that too ;)
Spice going the extra mile to make a 420 reference. That is some serious dedication to the bit.
Oh my god I just got that as I finished the video.
Can't wait for whatever is going to be the 69420 bit.
@@Hattori75 Clearly, an almost three day long video.
@@Hattori75 Maybe that one can be Spice defending a previous video against a panel of other Magic creators. Mill vs. Discard: the Peer Review
Ah probably something for hbomberguy when he decides to get into short form content @@andreasbuehler1821
Spice, I urge you to release that last part of this video, those 9 minutes on our apocalypse, as its own video so that we may more easily share it.
seconding this!
👀👀
th-cam.com/video/HzNDCG4kkzo/w-d-xo.html
Good news! I think it's up on Spice's second channel
Please!!
You can share a video to start at that moment
Hi, long time lurker, have been watching your content for years.
I'm Brazilian.
You say you used to be a poet, but I see poetry in all your works, your voice, your tone.
You've never stopped, you adapted, and your candle still shines on despite the worldly winds trying to snuff it out.
You make me want to be a poet again.
Never stop being the voice for those who feel voiceless, even through the medium of a card game analysis.
Senta a púa, uma força que nos alerta, voçê é o som, a cor e o suor da nossa luta.
De um garoto Brazileiro que ri quando deveria chorar, e não vive, apenas aguenta.
Another unintended colonization allegory that this set has is that the dragons in it are distinctly creatures from western fantasy. Which becomes more blatent with the Ugin retcon that made him arrive from a plane that very much has all the elements of a western fantasy setting.
One small note on the Abzan… thing. The Hagia Sophia is NOT a great example of Ottoman architecture to use in contrasting with the architecture of the Abzan. Other than the minarets, most of the structure was constructed by the Byzantines over the course of several centuries (including the work of at least one Armenian architect on the dome). The interior has been considerably worked over by the Ottomans, but as an art historian and an Armenian, I can’t quite let this one slide! I’d love to see a better example for that one because I think it’s a really important point to make that even Wizards’ attempts at vaguely aesthetically referencing west Asia completely miss.
I thought the abzan armor design was generally pretty close to medieval Greek Cataphract or the Turkish Sipahi, and let's not forget the Ottoman culture did originate from Central Asia and not Turkey in the first place, I think this interview with I don't know who exactly was very reaching
Like are these people experts? Seems like pop culture critics might not have the grasp of history they want from a collectable game company either
That's a good point, the Ottoman empire was itself greatly influenced by its Mongolian origin. Modern day Turkye was under Genghis Khan's rule, and later part of the Ilkhanate. @@ZakalweDisenfranchised
Interestingly, the Abzan and Madru do share 2 colors. Maybe the Mardu red- of Genghis Khan's conquest and expansion war- turned to the Abzan's green for the Ottoman Empire's... stability, perhaps? Or greater reliance on agriculture?
(Blue would've been better but they needed it to be a wedge.)
@@ZakalweDisenfranchisedTurkish culture is much different then the Oughz culture of the seljuk turks.
Well, the thing is, the greatest Ottoman architect Sinan was himself an Armenian. Most famous mosques built during the Ottoman era were inspired by the Orthodox Greek architecture with domes becoming an integral part of its religious culture and imagery. Ottoman music as we know it is a continuation of Byzantine music and some of the best Ottoman musicians were Greek and Armenian even during the latter period ot the empire. For example Tatyos Efendi, an Armenian musician, is greatly revered in Turkey and is held as a great representative of Ottoman music. Some nationalist Turks also call Ottoman culture "a culture of betrayal" for incorporating Persian, Arabic, Armenian, Greek, Slavic culture to their own without much reservation. Even the "Mehter" (Ottoman military music) with its "Allahu akbar"s and etc. found its final form thanks to Zildjian, again an Armenian, inventing the alloy for the cymbals after the Sultan's request.
Aside from this, I began playing Magic right before Battle for Zendikar came out and didn't even know that the Abzan were inspired by the Ottomans. Some Mardu cards looked somewhat similar to pre-Islam Turkic culture (at least the modern depiction of them, which was heavily borrowed from medieval Mongol culture because for a short period of time Turks in Turkey thouht that we were somehow related to Genghis, Timur and etc. [We have a lot of people here in Turkey who have nothing to do with the Mongols but are named Genghis, Timur and etc.]) but the Abzan, not very Ottoman.
The dig at Sam of Rhystic Studies for his Morph shenanigans is a fantastic deep cut. I've watched that Shuffle Up and Play episode multiple times and it's always phenomenal.
Kant always wins
I still live in the void.
That episode is one for the ages, truly marvelous...
I love esher paintings
@@duane6386🤨
Oh my god I can't believe you would just reschedule my day like this
goodbye sleep. gotta watch this now
54:00
I swear I feel so heard. For SOOOOO long I had wanted Gix to be printed to card. Gix was a fascinating piece of dissecting the mechanics of Phyrexia's origins and from the moment I first became enthralled to Magics greater story I wanted to see him printed. "Modern Horizons! this is it baby!" "Modern Horizons 2! this time for sure!"
When he finally was revealed in The Brothers War I didnt even have a chance to call my friend, he had called me to excitedly report the news to me because he knew how long and how intensely I had waited. It was a type of excitement I hold very dear within this game. I love when these stories and backgrounds can build a truly special connection between players and the game itself, strictly on merit of being invested in the worlds.
This will be me if we ever get a new Ulgrotha card that *isn't* related to the Barony (ravenous squirrel from MH2 notwithstanding). Especially if they finally print a Sandruu planeswalker - that is, assuming they haven't retconned him out of existence like they did to so much of the original Homelands lore.
This is how I found out that Refaat Alareer was assasinated? From a Magic the Gathering documentary?!
Take that horror and grief and channel it into even more energised action x
@@Spice8Rack Yes sir, Captain my captain!
Ah, this is why Spice is an ideal MTG content creator. This is the perfect combination of informative and Unhinged. You're the best, friendo.
What a truly lovely compliment
More like Unfinity, he's Modern legal.
I'll be honest I still call it Dega, and I'll die on a cross before you force me to utter "Mardu".
@@momasksifimokay990 What's the Dega reference from?
@@Dragonshade64 me having too fat of a finger to hit reply on the video and not a comment, and primarily Degavolver.
"For the record, this looks more like a shard and that looks more like a wedge" *THANKYOU.* Oh my god I'm not alone in that.
The names were originally Arc and Wedge. Arcs were completely phased out from terminology because *Shards* of Alara were just that iconic.
@@elsesome2707 That's the reason i was suspecting.
It's also just kind of a bad take. The shape created by three allied colors would be a terrible wedge. It's an obtuse isosceles and would suck for splitting anything. I'm usually down for Spice's crazy ideas, but he's off his rocker with this one.
59:34 To be fair, the word "Horde" _is_ Mongol/Turkic in origin (deriving from "Orda"/"Ordu") and refers to a court/political unit within those cultures. Obviously, it's gained different connotations in more western societies, but it's still a 100% valid descriptor.
Edit: never mind, you covered it.
Always want to make sure my slip ups are aknowledged and improved!
Hello, I don’t know what format is proper for commenting on TH-cam videos. First time.
This was amazing. Thank you, for all the work and passion you put into this. I have added every book you have referenced in this video, and start looking at groups in my country to help with these causes.
I have been drifting from job to job looking to find a better way to help people. Your video spoke deeply to me and has given me a new direction.
Never stop growing and educating.
From my soul to yours, thank you.
The way you're able to dissect fictional narratives and their implications as a bridge for real world struggles is exceptional.
Games are fascinating reflections of history, struggle, and culture. You constantly inspire me to be able to better unpick and articulate lessons both explicit and implied by ludic texts.
It would be fascinating to play and discuss John Company and/or Imperial with you, I bet.
I love this individual, it's like hbomberguy for magic the gathering. I always genuinely love these long formats, and as a nonbinary person with a very similar presentation I feel very safe and at home with their channel.
What a truly great thing to read
Hbomberguy sucks
Wow, a 4+ hour long video is crazy! Looking forward to watching this over the course of this week.
Yep! Seems like the best plan xD
@@Spice8Racklol
I’m going to watch this in 30 minute segments over the next year
@@Spice8Rackquick question does viewing the video in chunks impact your metrics with the cursed algorithm at all?
This is how I had to approach it as well
I have a short 10 hour drive tomorrow so having a light video like this for it will help. Thanks.
Oh sweet! You can watch it at 0.5 speed to make it last the whole trip!
@Spice8Rack that math ain't mathing, wouldn't they have to watch it at .4 speed to make it last all 10 hours?(something we all aspire to do)
@@Spice8Rack you got a sizeable enough backlog I will rewatch some of that for the rest of the drive. Probably atleast the Goblin lore video again. Can't wait for the tonal whiplash caused by jumping from Magic the Gathering over-analysis to Juggalo Weekend. Lol
No joke I've got a 12 hour one coming up this weekend, this is 1/3 of my drive set (if I can hold off watching until then...which...hm)
@@christianhanel2129 if he speeds a little it will line up
3:51:57 that section on national liberation and revolutionary movements be called terrorists broke my fucking heart. I live in Ireland and I love my country, but the amount of bloodshed and cruelty in our far from distant past is absolutely haunting. We had freedom fighters and rebels, at some point. Then we had terrorists and gangland criminals even to this day using the same title of those rebels or slight deviations. Our history of the country's fight for freedom against colonialism being used by scum, without any trace of remorse or understanding what even means. Irish people had their land stolen through violent and bloody plantations and invasions, that was then piece mealed back under landlords to be taken again if payment ever faltered. Ireland endured the Great Famine, which saw 1 million dead and 1 million gone, most immigranting across the Atlantic on coffin ships. We were stangled in how we could political represent and speak for ourselves. Then after how many centuries of agrarian violence, the Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence we came to the Treaty Negotiations.
That should have been it. But no. Through failure to achieve a Unitied 32 County Ireland we had a Civil War. This caused political and historical grudges and lines that last even to this day. This was the result of an impossibly, politically inexperienced representatives were sent over to the UK with express orders to reach a deal for a united Ireland outside of British control. Our most experienced politicians waited in Dublin during the negotiations, offering no support only demands. It was a fuckin farce.
We became free of British rule on the 18th of April 1949 when Eire left the "Commonwealth" and became the Republic of Ireland, not in 1920's proceeding the "Treaty Negotiations". We were still under the thumb of the British Parliament. This is our modern history. This is still in people's memories and did not bring an end to the violence in Ireland. There is a border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the latter is part of the UK. This border has caused a great deal of violence. I have stories from my father about "The Troubles", a period of instense political and sectarian violence and retribution.These stories are of checkpoints (border or otherwise), bombings (car or otherwise), shootings in the streets, the disappeared and of raids in the night of people being abducted from their beds and sentenced in something that would make a kangaroo court look fair. These stories fall on both sides. Loyalist, Unionist, Catholic, Protestant, Irish, British. Identity was a dangerous thing and can still be today.
This is still going on, this division from colonization. There are still peace walls in Nothern Ireland. This isn't even all of it, I didn't mention the Bloody Sundays, the Work Houses, H - Blocks, the Hunger Strikes.
I love my country. Fuck colonization.
And f*** England, always important.
That was a premium "Top-down, bottom-up" joke.
I think that position is called "the amazon"
(Please disregard this joke if you don't understand it. I would not want to corrupt anyone's innocence)
I didn't even realise I'd been here for twenty-five minutes before you pointed out that it was still part 0.
The time flies when you're watching bloated TH-cam content xD
@@Spice8Rack It's only bloated if it has 'dead' time, and your content, in my experience, never has that much.
Don't worry, I love long form content.
Honestly this is one of your finest videos yet. It put into words a lot of my frustrations with how Tarkir was handled, both from a worldbuilding perspective and a narrative one, but also what made Tarkir such a fascinating plane to me. There's so much that can be said about how this set was designed, such as how the color that was dropped from each wedge represents something fundamental to the faction that they had lost with the Dragons. You did a really banger job tying the whole thing together. It's a phenomenal work, and probably one of my favorite video essays ever.
And also, I think you were right to the end the video on that note. It's left me with more to think really.
Honestly the only gripe I would have is that Mardu got painted with a particularly uncharitable brush. The mardu lost their soul with kollaghan & the way spice treats them it's like they got away with staying the same. Even in a ludo narrative sense alesha's ability doesn't make sense with the dragons because it's a whole "leave no one behind" thing that she had to choose to drop so that some of her people could live
I am ecstatic to watch this. The lorwyn deep dive is one of my favorite videos. Ive watched it no less than 3 times.
Oh what a lovely thing to tell me
@@Spice8RackIm just now done with Part 0 and Im already happy you’ve complimented Kylem and Fiora. I love these planes and they always felt more intriguing than Khaldheim and Amonkhet to me.
Top down often (but not always) leads to planes that feel like Disneyland attractions. Hit these points, reference this, all the names can come later.
@@Spice8Rackwelp. I just finished. And Im tearing up. Damn good work… you got me moved.
That canoptek wraith joke hit me harder than most. I'm a necron player with an iron hands army. Actively putting together Iron Father Feirros and almost broke his claw arm.
I am that guy jumping up and down next to my now wife and I want to provide a story.
My wife and I went to Pax East and my wife won a contest with WoTC to go to pax west on wotcs dime. It was really cool. They treated us extremely well and we had a great time.
That was the khans release party, we were VIPs and the 4th and 5th to enter. I quickly began buying moxed drinks named after the clans. After drinking 3. I was approached and informed that they had forgotten to give us our two free drink tickets. I approached the bar and they advised they would kindly take the tickets and refund two of my drinks.......I instead got two more "Jeskai's"
The rest is history. I was extremely drunk, extremely excited, and those reprints mattered.
@Spice8Rack this is the story of the guy around 0:43:00 who is jumping in excitement about the reprints
Incredible. This may be my new favorite piece of community lore
"OH, Spice just posted another video!"
*sees length*
*takes deep breath*
*sighs*
*clicks*
*makes multi day planning*
And yet I can't put it on x1.5 speed
Absolutely pure gasoline video as always. Your commentary and analysis are incredible, thought-provoking, and much needed in this community.
Thank you very much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
So informiative, enterintaining, and lovely. I had no idea of the lore of Tarkir. Please keep making these, thank you so much.
Thank you for such a lovely comment
:O
A real and thematically relevant time-traveller!
>points out multiple times the video is too long
>leaves every single outtake in and stretches the self-referential jokes about them too
>satisfyingly dunks on american imperialism at every possible opportunity
>glosses over the atrocities of the ottoman empire like it's nothing
nitpicks aside, cool video :)
Something I always liked about Tarkir is how arguably and in parts notably worse Sarkhan's personal quest makes the plane. Sure, there is less constant war and the dragons return, but the entirety of non-dragon kind are either slaves in the case of the Kolaghan and Atarka or put under a regime where they are constantly watched and subjugated in the case of the DRomoka, Silumgar, and Ojutai. By all definition, Sarkhan is the villain, his journey to go back in time to change the present to better suit him even fits a villain's plan.
The dragons in power non dragons still live. non dragons in power dragons all extinct. Sounds like the good ending to me Give it some time and hopefully they'll get along instead of the situation. They're in now But it's better than the extinction of some race.
@@cablefeed3738I mean you could argue a greater number of humans die and suffer under draconic rule than the number of dragons humans killed if you want to argue a materialist standpoint (is one dragon worth more than one human? How many humans have to suffer and die before it’s worth it?).
Most of the dragons in the original timeline weren’t ‘killed’ they were never born, new dragons stopped being made because Ugin died, so I’d argue the original outcome had less deaths,
also do dragons deserve to exist? They inherently subjugate others, make good regimes worse and bad regimes intolerable, their existence is a definitive net negative on the plane (and now with new lore entirely unnatural/foreign to it) we have seen the alternative without them and whilst not a peaceful place, it is far better than with them. Dragons still exist on other planes, just not on Tarkir, which now is a plane they were never even meant to exist on.
@hoomanben8455 I was never a fan of that retcon, but to be real. I'm almost certain they're gonna do another retcon when it the return to Tirkir like, maybe Ugin made the plane of tarkier. As for the second thing you asked.
They all died off because one of the Khan side with Bolas to kill Ugin, starting off the genocide. As for your first question about how many humans are worth a dragon. The numbers don't matter, win, humans win. There are now 0 dragons, making it infinite number dead. Where is when the Dragons win? There are still plenty of humans, and some even enjoy it. Horrible world either way, never would want to live on Tarkir in any timelime.
@@cablefeed3738It's not the extinction? Takir dragons are an invasive species that are still around on their home plane
@jasonbolding3481 that's a retcon and using the multiverse as an excuse is dumb Because if you count things in the other parts of the multiverse, then nothing ever is extinct because it's just on another plane. And do whe even know when thay came to the plane is something still invasive after a million years after the environment has integrated them and found a new balance.
I'm glad this video is short and easily digestible, just how I like it. You could try making longer videos in the future though- I'd watch longer videos.
"Two new brood mechoonics" got me crying tysm for including that cut in the vid, and a wonderful video at that
It's what canadian sounds like inside my head
Absolutely estatic to watch this! Just when I needed a long form video, and yours are always my favorite!! Thank you so much for the content
Oh bless you, what a lovely thing to read
@1:59:00 this previewing of a future card name was actually first done in Darksteel with the card Shield of Kaldra!
Absolutely love every time it happens as it is one of the few ways to keep a mystery alive in the information dense era of the game we're in.
Love the work, please stay fabulous!
Christ. This video is truly a masterpiece. I won't write too much, but this video has given me much to think about. I didn't think you could top the mill vs. discard video, but here we are. Fantastic work.
I've been sick for the past week and I started getting into your content; I always wanted to watch video essay-style content, but I rarely found anyone making it on topics that would actually interest me ~ well, I've been on a pretty severe Spice8Rack binge ever since then and this is just what I needed today (and tomorrow as well, unless I stay up until like 1 am~)
thank you for what you're doing, it's made my sick days, as well as my days now much better ^^
I hope you get better soon, and may this video be with you throughout your recovery xx
While I adored hearing you speak about Takir, I think the part of this video that'll stay with me the most is the ending. It's harrowing and utterly horrific to think about what is happening in places like Palestine and thinking about how people are being killed and places destroyed in an attempt to erase. I am someone who has never gone to a protest because I worry about being in large gatherings. But after watching the ending of video and hearing about the killing of a poet and his family in a deliberate attempt to silence, I can see that my fears and worries pale greatly in comparison to those who are suffering under the effects of what is effectively an attempt to erase a culture. I plan on not only looking into the literature this video has provided but making a more conscious effort to show support for Palestinians through going to protests and donating when I can. Thank you for not only making a fantastic video about Takir but for also driving me and hopefully many more into acting more in support rather than just speaking support.
I can't find a source (for reasons covered in this video) but I have a distinct memory of Maro saying that the Dragons ending was the Bad Ending for everyone except Sarkhan and the dragons, which surprised me because I didn't even consider the mortals of the plane at first because I love dragons so much.
Don't worry, he also said it in an episode of Drive to Work.
Do you know what episode?@@ChiefBlueScreen
@@WyllBG3 I believe it was the one Spice played a clip of in the video. It was definitely one of the ones published in 2015 as a retrospective of Khans.
dang you are Sarkhan for real
In tumblr, Maro said "It’s better for the Dragons but much worse for the Humans. I have more empathy for the Humans" in 2016. And in 2017 he said "I believe there is an interpretation where he(Sarkhan) is the villain (in Tarkir block.)"
I was surprised too, mainly because I love Sarkhan and Narset so much. But in retrospect, she might object to my interpretation that her fate is "better" than KTK.
One small correction. 29:47 for reference. Morph is a special action like playing a land, but tapping a land for mana is just an activated ability. It is a "special" activated ability in the sense that it is a mana ability (and therefore doesn't use the stack), but it isn't one of the (currently 10) defined special actions outlined in CR rule 116
So taking off your pants is faster than tapping a land, got it.
The Rakhasa segment is such a great example of why you need to be careful about the little things. I guarantee Gygax put about as much thought into the rakshasa as the hippogriff or the goblin - it's a figure from some culture's folk stories he doesn't really know, but he saw references to it, so he grabs it and moves on. It was not that big of a deal.
Except it also kinda was a big deal, it just didn't look like it at the time. To him.
"honey drop the kids, new spice8rack video is here"
BAHAHA, a great twist on an old classic. Bravo!
I read this as honey dropkick the kids 💀
Been waiting since the first draft for this. So, so excited to see it.
Bless your patience, I hope it lives up
I think that a decent retcon to make could be that pre-mending Ugin created Tarkir, and therefore wouldn't be so much of an outside influence
A colonizer thinking they know how to make a good world and then proceeding to royally feck it up multiple ways across multiple attempts would be a little on the nose.
Thats honestly what i thought, given karn also made mirrodin
I've never been one for actually acting upon my compassion for causes. However, more than the passionate effort and love that you put into this video and it's research, your conversation at the end genuinely moved me to make an actual material contribution. Thank you and God Bless
It’s fascinating to see that others felt some of the stuff I did. Abzan religion being destroyed was something that I remember sticking with me. Glad to hear others noticed the art thing too!
I hope when they return to Tarkir, i hope we see a cultural resurgence, not insurgence. Dramokah slain but her brood learn to accept the abzan way. Jesekai manage to break with the Ojutai ways and exist separate from one another. Things like that.
Going through the video, but i had to comment about the "time bendy effect" on renowned weaponsmith at 1:59:30. The first instance that i could think of if such a "throw forward" would be the Kaldra cycle in original Mirroden block, where Shield of Kaldra from Darksteel referenced giving the card Helm of Kaldra indestructible, which wouldn't be printed until the last set, Fifth Dawn
Of course! I knew it couldn't have been only twice this had been done. Thanks!
@@Spice8Rack The other example I could think of off the top of my head is the cycle of cards in Future Sight that generated creature token copies of existing creature cards (Skirk Ridge Exhumer, for example, is in my cube). The white one, Goldmeadow Lookout, created a Goldmeadow Harrier token, whose creature wouldn't be printed in paper until Lorwyn. A half example, since they're tokens, but might qualify your criteria
Just want to say a massive thank you for using this video as a fundraiser for the PCRF. I have donated to them several times in the past, and they are one of the most critical charities to give money to in this current moment. It's also fitting to use the jumping off point of Tarkir to highlight current native populations, like us Palestinians, who are fighting dragons in real time.
Endless solidarity to you ✊️🇵🇸
also just want to say great job pronouncing Gaza
Oh thank you! I tried to get it right and I had some great feedback from my Patrons
@@Spice8Rack not sure why my first reply got eaten but thank you :) and welcome to the Intifada
Jews are dragons now?
Eye of Ugin previewing the eldrazi creature type is another fun foreshadowing from an earlier set
"Raoul Vitale, the spectre who haunts my nightmares" I have died.
You can't. We have entered the Void.
Nobody wins or loses!
Kant always wins!
Man I need a timestamp to this
@@dootthethird3:30:04
This is the first time I've donated to a cause in quite some time. About three years ago, I struggled with homelessness, among other things. The rest of the world blurred into noise, people were constantly talking about global issues and in my desperate struggle to just survive and get a future for myself and the love of my life, I blocked everything else out.
I'm in a much better place now, as much as I had to claw my way back, it payed off. I have stable income, money to spare, and my wife is happy, healthy, and safe. We're both still recovering mentally from the hell we were put through, but we're in a place now to help others fight their battles as we did ours. Your video genuinely inspired me to once again believe in the goodness of the world, thank you so much. You're my second favorite content creator (my wife will alway be #1) and you never, ever dissapoint.❤
I love the way you incorporate elements of philosophy and history into your 4 hour long essays about prices of cardboard. So excited to watch!
Four hours, Spice, FOUR FUCKING HOURS?! I didn't realize Christmas came early!! So excited to watch this!
Tarkir was my first full block as a magic fan (i got into the game around Journey Into Nyx) so i’m very excited to see your analysis of the plane and glad that this video is supporting a great cause 🇵🇸
Great video. I especially loved the rakasha example on how culture can be spun and changed into something totally different (cultural telephone, as you described it). Makes me really interested about other examples in media I haven’t noticed or known about, definitely some food for thought (just like the rest of the video- especially our lack of real involvement to combat modern-day injustice)
The most brief and concise Spice8rack video. Love it.
I want to follow up after finally finishing this short video...in case Spice actually sees this.
A sincere thank you for touching on the present situation in Gaza and for the reading recommendedations. I've been feeling a little disheartened recently from the various gaslighting attempts by my peers here in the states, and your words are seriously encouraging for me to keep fighting on so we can get our government to stop using our taxes to directly fund gen*c*de.
FOUR hours Spice?? FOUR? That’s insane.
and yet here I am, evening restructured, bracing myself for the glorious onslaught of knowledge and lore…
this is one of the best pieces of media a have ever watched/consumed
I have long had gripes with the messaging of the Tarkir Block's ending and how it seemed to place the Dragons timeline as better than the Khans timeline, despite how both had their issues and the way that the Dragons timeline had such horrid implications in so many of the things they put in the set.
I think we share the *exact* same perspective, so I hope you feel vindicated in this analysis.
@@Spice8Rack having finished the video, I can only thank you for the insight you and your collaborators have given me into a lot of what I missed in the entirety of the Tarkir Block.
And yeah, I really do feel vindicated to hear people like you and Jacc talking about and analyzing the Dragons Timeline, alongside the horrid imagery that brought to mind or mirrors practices and atrocities perpetrated on real people, how they affected and continue to affect real people.
Finally, I'd like to thank you, Michelle, Jacky, and Jacc for going into such details, giving me a lot to think about in my own creative endeavours and my own critical analysis of the things I enjoy.
I'm sorry it took me this long to get to this video. I'm glad you made it. I'm gonna go cry now.
I also used to be a poet. Thanks for always standing up, Spice.
3:49:48 I always thought that Ugin created Tarkir similar to how sera created sera’s realm or how Karn created Argentum, if WOTC chooses to retcon Ugin’s relation with tarkir that could be an intresting way for WOTC to have their cake and eat it to, with Ugin both being Bolas’s twin brother and a natural part of tarkir, being its creator
If I can be sincere on the internet just this once, your work is so immensely inspiring to me. Your creative voice is truly your own and I appreciate you so much.
Please keep making these long, beautiful videos. I love them so ❤
This is an absolute banger of a video. A depth that completely went over my head when this set came out.
Super sweet analysis.
I'd like to point out; Most of the 'racism' directed towards the Mongol kingdom is a direct result of the modern history of Asia largely being written by the victims of Genghis Khan and the empire he built.
If you ask various native American tribes for their people's history of the British empire showing up to North America, and the Spanish empire coming to South America, it's not going to be much better.
Historically, human beings have pretty much always 'othered' their enemies. Especially when those enemies show up almost singularly as a conqueror coming to murder and plunder their way across people's homes. Almost universally, this results in racism.
And most of Asia really does not care when you are racist against their ancestral enemies, mostly because they were probably already racist towards them to begin with. Racism in Asia, especially towards other Asian cultures, just is not as big a concern as it is in the Western world.
This.
Also it's worth noting that Mongol religious tolerance and trade, points brought on by apologists, were put on specifically to facilitate their system of tribute and extortion on their subjects.
Can't wait to spend the next month watching this! Thanks for working so hard on providing us so much well researched in depth lore analysis for these silly little cards
one cannot know the unbridled joy of your mate coming up to you at work, hideous smile stretched wide across his face before exclaiming: "FOUR HOUR SPICE VIDEO"
fantastic and disturbingly relevant video as always, keep up the great work
Absolutely fantastic all the way through. I hope we all act on the message at the end.
this is beautiful. i mean, truly beautiful. the ending of this video shook me to my core. i gotta go find some organizations on my college campus or something to get more involved with protests.
thank you, spice. incredible work as always.
3:30:04 the blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Can't Always Wins filled me with joy ♥
I think Ugin's absence from the plane opens up an opportunity for a Return of the Khans set, where we see the khans rise up and become a force to be reckoned with again. Maybe they don't end up in a full victory, but we could have the dragons vs khans war again, this time with added perspective. If I trusted Wizards, that is.
Also I am convinced that Ojutai took Zurgo to be his jester and that he's on Ojutai's back as moral support. He's Ojutai's funny little guy.
... The section on the Palestinian Poet, Refaat Alareer, was particularly grim, and reminded me of the college course I took on the literature of the Palestinian Conflict. I might have even read his work before.
only took two days, but i finished it!! truly an incredible work, so happy it's here!
I never comment on videos but this deserves all the engagement i can give for YT to share this video with more people.
Thank you. You truly are a gift to the TH-cam format. Please continue what you do!!
finally made it all the way through, the ending to this video is incredibly sobering. I'm sick of buying activism from corporations, the only way things will get better is if we fight for it ourselves. thank you for the reality check.
I can see it: Return to Tarkir, with Kellan planeswalking in to save the peoples of the plane, white messiah-style. Then WotC can make a Secret Lair Drop with Dune-themed alters, Timothee Chalamet et al. What a time to be alive!
I see you have only seen the Dune movie, to declare the lisan al gaib a white savior is a travesty.
@@mayoremanuel1989 I mentioned "white messiah" wrt my theory that WotC will require an external agent (Kellan seems to be the current favorite) to overturn the dragons.
I only brought up Dune in the context of how easy it would be to visually map a Dune-themed Secret Lair Drop onto Tarkir cards.
Full disclosure, I've only read "House Atreides" and "Dune" (didn't like them enough to read the rest); and I've watched the 2000 miniseries but not the movie(s). So I've no idea how the whole story arc treats these themes
@@JohnChronakis Paul Atreides compares himself to Hitler and then wanders into the desert to die in atonement for his sins. So maybe he does a poor white savior.
@@JohnChronakislmao so you barely even know what you're talking about
@@mayoremanuel1989 Wait, at least within the book Dune, why isn't Paul a white savior?
"This is a video about the Magic: The Gathering collectable card game product and fictional world of Tarkir, and absolutely nothing else."
I don't believe you.
BRETHREN. REJOICE. For not only we got a new Spice video talking about SPICES AND TRADES. But also about the rich history of Tarkir in all its glory!!!
It’s warmed my heart to watch the fundraiser count tick up as I watch this video over the past few days. It’s a good thing you’re doing spice
Thank you for being a wonderful shepherd on my journey to a more thoughtful and nuanced look at the world. As a burgeoning game maker and author, your essays have led me down a reflective path on what stories I genuinely want to tell and to think more about where those stories originate. I generally squirrel away, enjoying my multi-hour-long essays alone, but this video is the perfect bridge I need to get my friends to discuss these topics. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Spice8Rack.
Yeah honestly the war concept they scrapped would have absolutely been so good
There's a sort of deep frustration building in me when I hear the discussion on Neon Dynasty about really paying attention to detail and getting enough genuine cultural context to understand that, for example, it would be inappropriate to give Okinawan weapons to mainland inspired characters, but still never stop to consider the entirety of ND is inherently a bad idea.
Techno Orientalism is so intrinsically rooted in how the US imagined Japan specifically. Cyberpunk (or at least any cyberpunk that's even vaguely mainstream) emerged from a time when the main idea of the future was that Japan will, with it's "robot like workers" and it's "inherently superior technology", take over the US both economically and culturally. The visual language of cyberpunk is meant to resemble what an average American in the 80s imagined the streets of Tokyo looked like at night. The fact that this gloomy, rain soaked neon nightmare is now in LA is meant to be unnerving, sinister and upsetting.
And the one thing anyone ever takes from cyberpunk is the aesthetics, but the aesthetics have inbuilt meaning no one is willing to address. But the only thought of a US-American when you say cyberpunk is a neon sign with Kanji.
If they genuinely wanted to update Kamigawa they could have made it less of a hodgepodge, added more references to individual regions of Japan, or even did something involving the long and, at least in the west, largely undiscussed history of colonialism.
If they wanted genuine cyberpunk aesthetics and themes they have so many other settings that are infinitely more appropriate. It's not like magic has no sprawling cities full of corruption and conspiracy, or plains known for their use of artifacts. It's not like there's a whole large chunk of the magic narrative dedicated to incorporating technology into people against their will. Like I get not wanting to completely alter the Phyrexians but Tezzeret is right there! He's from a plain that has people incorporating metal into their bodies and is thematically very interested in class conflict. Like I cannot stress enough how much Esper is just a cyberpunk setting. If you want to examine the ways integrating tech into our bodies will only serve to make already existing power structures more apparent, or the ways it leaves us with a warped sense of self as we lose autonomy and no longer fully own the bodies we inhabit, you can just use that as a setting!
Except again, for the average US-American cyberpunk is when the neon sign is written in Kanji. So we have to turn Kamigawa, an already orientalist setting, with great care, dedication to research and cultural sensitivity, into a second EQUALLY ORIENTALIST SETTING. (But now the laser sword the cyber ninja (in the neon lit alleyway at night) has is a bit more accurate to the region).
It's such genuine shameless tokenism. "Look how much work were putting to being accurate at depicting your culture in this copy of a fictional inaccurate depiction of it from 30 years ago."
I'm not done with the video yet so all of this might get discussed later, but I've recently reread Neuromancer and have too many Thoughts™.
I lost it at the top-down/bottom-up joke, had to pause the video, laughed so hard I scared my dogs, unpaused the video, and then Spice lost it and I lost it again
10/10, A+, and I've still got over 4 hours to go
Editing to add that I really miss the storytelling potential of blocks, too. I know they've had struggles with them in terms of design and sales when it comes to the third set in particular, but I wish we could at least split the difference and start getting 2-set blocks again...
Your videos are not only interesting and fun, but important too. These 4 hours flew by.
I needed this in my life. I have a test to study on and your voice helps me focus. Thanks for helping me lock in!
20 minutes in and my newest life goal is getting into an EDH pod with Spice8Rack so I can call my UBR deck a "Maestro" deck
I don't remember the last time I have been so quick to start watching a video. I'm looking forward to every minute of what's to come!
Aww ta, I really appreciate that
@@Spice8Rack Your videos are always a joy to watch, over four hours of an analysis of one of my favourite planes might as well be Christmas and my birthday together!
Talkin' about Vial of Dragonfire and Weaponsmith as if Steamflogger Boss didn't have me wondering what Riggers and Contraptions would be for YEARS
Eye of Ugin did this with Eldrazi back in Worldwake too
I've never encountered an MTG lore video that goes as in-depth as you have with Tarkir, and lucky me, its my favourite plane! Thanks for all the hard work
Two notes on your breakdown of the Khans of Garlic keywords.
1. Prowess quickly became evergreen but was later demoted to deciduous. The issue with prowess was that
A. The pay off was "locked" at a static +1/+1 buff, so many cards that would have prowess would be changed to getting a scry or lifegaine or card draw or a keyword when a no creature spell was cast
B. It didn't play well in sets with heavy creature themes such as Ixalan or Zendikar Reforged
C. It lumps in all noncreature spells together. So if a set wanted a artifacts matters theme specifically or an instant/sorc or enchantment theme specifically it wasn't a good fit
This led to prowess showing up less and less in sets as time went on, eventually skipping them all together, until it was made a sometimes mechanic like hybrid mana.
2. While not giving the literal ability word the "Power 4 or greater matters" mechanical identity of Ferocious has returned many times as draft themes. Being a key draft theme of Wilds of Eldraine, Lord of The Rings, Core 2021, Theros Beyond Death, War of the Spark, and Ravnica Allegiance.
1:54:22 there was also Lens of Clarity from Khans of Tarkir, a one mana artifact that lets you peak face-downs and the top card at any time. One of my favorite cards in Magic as I've had friends accuse me of cheating for peaking then I cheekily tap on Lens of Clarity.
@otterfire4712: I remember there being an article that mathematically proved that Lens of Clarity was the most useless card in the entire block.
@@sdfkjgh wouldn't surprise me, I still like the card and it does just remove the element of surprise in the entire mechanics of morph, manifest, and disguise while also allowing you to better approach Explore and Manifesting the top card.
@@otterfire4712: If you want to see the top card of your library, why not just run Oracle Of Mul-Daya, Vizier of the Menagerie, Ranger Class, or even Courser of Kruphix? Those at least have additional functionality. Lens of Clarity is like Telepathy in its uselessness. Sure, they _sound_ like they'd be useful, but you could run literally _any other card,_ and you'd increase your chances of winning!
Ok, mebbe not One with Nothing or One with Death, bu you get my point, right?
@@sdfkjgh I don't really use the card much anymore due to having more access and when I was running it, it was to fill out some space in my Daretti commander deck from about a decade ago when I didn't have much in my name while I was in high school so I had to make due with a cute 1 mana artifact that I could tag out for something more useful like a 10 mana robot. Also, not to point out the obvious, your cards aren't usable in commander decks that don't have green in them, Lens is fully generic so non-green Explore decks that are dependent on hitting certain types of cards benefit from having on demand foresight into the top card of the deck, or for playgroups where morph/manifest/disguise is popular. (it's also useful in Jhoira storm decks).
You seem to have plagiarized HBomberGuy's lengthiness.
Lol, lmao even!
How do you make such high quality videos so infrequently?
(Thats just a joke and a reference you work at the pace that you're comfortable at Spice you're a good bean)
Thanks for starting of with my country's terrible history for absolutely fucking no reason at all except for the ship's name. Love you
Your dedication and research is admirable, thank you! Still, you manage to keep some sarcasm and humour, as well as draw attention to important causes. Admirable, congrats!
Wow... I was expecting a funny, through and well informed video on magic the gathering. But that ending... was Heavy and thought provoking. Bravo