What's his endgame? What is Bolas's master plan?
Why did he release the Eldrazi? what could he possibly gain? And is what's happening on Innistrad perhaps also, as Jace seems to suspect, part of his master plan.
I was never really one for mtg lore but the last couple of sets have kinda drawn me in and now I'm curious. It seems that Bolas has been working a very carefully planned long game over the last couple of blocks. What's he up to /tg/?
>>46333319
He wants more power. He wants to be an oldwalker again. That's his endgame. No clue how he plans to accomplish such a goal or how anything that has occurred fits into his plans.
>>46333319
The problem is that, unfortunately, nobody knows - other than a longterm goal of regaining the power he had before the Mending, his goals are a complete mystery due to a lack of actual focus on him since Alara.
We know that he sent Sarkhan to the Eye of Ugin specifically to unleash the Eldrazi, because ???.
We know that he sent Tezzeret to Mirrodin/New Phyrexia, because ???.
We know that he killed Ugin a thousand years ago, and THAT one we have some sort of potential reason for (Ugin is probably an Elder Dragon and Bolas is quite fond of being the only one of those left, so he murdered Ugin)
Other than that, we honestly don't know.
>>46333319
I think wizards forgot.
I wouldn't be surprised, their writing has been getting worse and worse.
>>46333572
>>46333598
Well, let's speculate.
>He wants to be an oldwalker again.
Ok, seems right.
>We know that he sent Sarkhan to the Eye of Ugin specifically to unleash the Eldrazi, because ???.
Maybe this was all just a distraction? It is keeping a lot of planeswalkers busy.
>We know that he sent Tezzeret to Mirrodin/New Phyrexia, because ???.
I'm not that familiar with the story of new phyrexia but didn't it lead to the release of Karn? Isn't Karn in a way connected to the whole time rift disaster that let to the mending in the first place? With him being a time travelling robot and all? Maybe he needs Karn free for some reason? Maybe Karn can somehow be used to undo the mending or something?
>>46333598
>>46333931
According to Ugin Bolas wants the other planeswalkers to be occupied with trapping them again, probably so he can scheme some more
I bet we see Bolas again inSecrets of Serastis in the fall.
>>46334051
>According to Ugin Bolas wants the other planeswalkers to be occupied with trapping them again, probably so he can scheme some more
Yes, the more I think about it the more that makes sense. The Eldrazi were beaten/trapped before so he has to have assumed that they would be again.
Also I read somewhere else that since he's no longer immortal he doesn't have the luxury anymore to weave complex plans spanning centuries like he did before. The clock is ticking so he has to set up his game. A distraction like the Eldrazi might give him the room he needs to act.
>>46334222
He kind of ate the energy of an entire plane collapsing back together. He's got plenty of time - maybe not infinite, so he's not doing his century-spanning plots, but he's still back in good shape.
Before the Conflux, he was essentially going senile rapidly, because he just had THAT much knowledge in his head and without being both an elder dragon AND essentially a god he could not hold it all anymore.
And he was starting to age again, which was...not good for him, since he was already ancient as fuck when his spark ignited. So he managed to stop anything else from slipping from his mind, and restored himself to a younger form by siphoning off the excess energy of the Conflux (and could have potentially gotten more out of it if Ajani hadn't intervened).
>>46334460
Well, then if time isn't an issue and releasing the Eldrazi not a distraction, then why did he do it?
Going to start stealing their spark
>>46335412
>Jace is a prime target due to not only having a spark but also the guild pact within him amping his power on, and giving control of, Ravnica.
Kill jace when.
>>46334595
A couple possibilities:
The Eldrazi lock up a lot of mana - he intended to use them to harvest Zendikar, or by their defeat, have Zendikar flooded to bursting with mana, for him to try and absorb via the Hedron network.
Stir shit up. The Eldrazi are natives to the Blind Eternities, so messing with them may have been a way to study the nature of the spark - or maybe learn how they eat the mana of a plane, so he can become a psuedo-Eldrazi.
>>46335412
>Steals a Spark
>Gives it to Phyrexia
>>46335569
>or maybe learn how they eat the mana of a plane, so he can become a psuedo-Eldrazi.
Now there's an idea. Perhaps this would give him back immortality. It would explain why he released them and perhaps also why Emrakul is gone. Maybe Bolas wants to merge with an Eldrazi somehow. He released all three but only needs one and chooses Emrakul. he manipulates Nahiri into luring Emrakul to Innistrad. Then, perhaps with aid of Innistrad's mysterious moon or whatever plot device, merges with the Eldrazi to become "Nicolrakul, the anus torn".
>>46336338
Or perhaps Emrakul is the distraction - he WANTED Ulamog and Kozilek dead so he could come by and do something with what's left, while Emrakul is conveniently sent somewhere else capable of sealing shit.
>>46336445
How could he know that Ulamog and Kozilek would be killed? Al he knows about eldrazi is what he got from Ugin's mind and Ugin thought they couldn't be killed, and even if it where possible that it might be a bad Idea.
>>46335599
venser's journal is on new phyrexia
with information on how to construct the device yawgmoth used to send his troops through planes without a spark
>>46336664
Ugin DID know that they could be killed. He didn't WANT them to be killed - and thus didn't tell anyone otherwise.
And Bolas doesn't give a shit if something fucks things up for other people as long as it results in a net positive for him.
>2012: Dad Sorin
>2014: Sad Sorin
>2016: Mad Sorin
>2018: Rad Sorin?
>>46339694
Alternately, Pad Sorin, CAD Sorin, Bad Sorin, Vlad Sorin, Fad Sorin, or Lad Sorin
I always thought and or wondered if Nicol Bolas could also explore and or go around the multiverse willy-nilly, be it a fantasy setting univserse or a sci-fi seting universe, or a "modern setting."
I always figured he could do shit like that.
>>46336708
I thought he had the Weatherlight's blueprints
the eldritch moon is made of silver. the helavault is also silver, supposedly made from a fragment of the moon. the helavault acted as a prison and so to might the moon.
karn is made of silver. why? he was made that way because silver can go through temporal rifts and he was designed to be a test dummy for urza's time travel machine.
karn's whereabouts are unknown. silver things can travel through time?
>>46334051
Secrets of what now?
>>46340762
Silver can go through the side-effects of time travel more safely than other materials. All of the time travel was possible in the first place because of all of the time rifts, which are all sealed now.
As far as the sealing properties of silver, that might just be a property of silver while on Innistrad. I don't recall any instance of it outside of Innistrad.
>>46339754
>CAD Sorin
>Sorin defeats Bolas by designing him a lovely house
>Bolas is too distracted by the efficient and practical, yet classic facade of the townhouse to keep his guard up
>BOOM Mortify outta nowhere
>>46341184
Alternately
>CAD Sorin
>Sorin attempts to cope with the loss of his daughter
>>46341102
Could also just be a special form of silver - they have exotic materials and ores here and there. Mirrodin's quicksilver sea isn't mercury, and so on.
>>46340762
>>46341102
To be fair, silver is just the first thing Urza found that could go back in time at all...and it didn't go back very far, and kind of caused a temporal disaster by doing so.
It's quite possible that he was just plain WRONG on one or both counts. Especially given the whole Tarkir...wonkery.
We've got the art in large now. I think some of you might appreciate it.
>>46341252
Oh man, that hurt.
>>46342054
>thirteen utensils
>thirteen nails on the barrel
>thirteen logs in the fireplace
>thirteen plate peices
>thirteen boards in the wall
>thirteen blood drops
Anything I missed?
>>46342793
>Thirteen bricks making up the fireplace
>>46342817
>Thirteen bricks making up the fireplace's arch
>>46342793
>>46342817
>>46342833
>Thirteen visible boards on the ceiling
>>46342855
I only counted 12.
>>46342903
I assumed that thirteen was the intention, with the bottom stone on the right side of the arch not being made distinct enough for some reason.
>>46333319
Time for nutty theories from a man losing his mind on this phone!
>Bolas' return from a time rift fucked him up something fierce
>came back with ability to see more than one timeline and events that cause them to branch
>pretty taxing to maintain all that information, driving him senile at an increased rate
>manages to learn about the Conflux from a timeline where it would occur naturally with time
>buys some time with it but inturrupted by Ajani
>who knew this would be the timeline where he manned up?
>forsees temporal fuckery from the Eye of Ugin and sends Sarkhan on a trip
>wants eyes on New Phyrexia because they are a skip away from his Meditation Plane, sends Tezzeret
>temporal fuckery occurs, Ugin is back, Sarkhan goes rogue
>thanks to the Jaceketeers, now knows you can kill an Eldrazi afterall and they are practically mana piñatas
>and now there is only one floating all on it's lonesome
>Tezz reports that Ajani and Elspeth are nowhere to be seen on New Phyrexia
Alara is next, Bolas will have power and revenge in a single swoop
Liliana and Jace make-up sex when?
>>46342054
Counted up every instance of Thirteen on the card.
1. Ceiling boards
2. Wall boards
3. Utensils
4. Blood drips
5. Barrel rivet
6. Fireplace
7. Fireplace arch
8. Logs
9. Broken plate
10-11. Words in each effect (13 words each)
12-13. "13" itself is printed twice.
>>46344388
I believe she offered Jace to stay the night in her S&M dungeon when he went to see her on Innistrad but Jace, being a non-adventerous pussy, declined.
>tfw you'll never be tight up to Liliana's rack.
>>46345114
Why is Jace such a fucking wimp? I mean you'd expect some more intelligence and audacity from someone with such knowledge of human nature and thoughts. Especially you wouldn't expect him to fumble with the ladies.
>>46333319
His plan is tocrash this plane
>>46345243
It's kinda Liliana's fault, honestly. The whole 'murdered everyone he knew to get some knowledge out of him' thing is a real put off, no matter how hot she is
>>46345315
What, Zendikar or Innistrad?
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/mystery-markov-manor-2016-03-30
New bit of story up, Jace exploring the ruins of Markov Manor and finding Tamiyo's journal.
Spooky, but not much insight - he's basically just figuring out what we already know.
Okay, really fucking thin as shit speculation here. Just something that could be kinda fun.
Nahiri MIGHT be mad about Sorin spreading vampires to Zendikar. We don't know if he actually did it or not. They could have been created entirely by the Eldrazi (as opposed to just warped by them). But Zendikaran vampires are the only vampires that are alive like Innistrad vampires, and there's a clear connection between Sorin and Zendikar.
This isn't the thrust of my idea, just a stepping stone up to it.
So, what if Nahiri is, rather than bringing back some pissed off B/W angel or summoning an Eldrazi or channeling Marit Lage, reintroducing to Innistrad a species that is no longer compatible with it, in the same way Sorin (may have) brought vampires to Innistrad - which she may believe even if it isn't true. He may have even done it unintentionally, like the Eldrazi made them in his image.
What creatures are associated with madness and chaos type magic? Lovecraft bullshit, sure, but there's something else. Fey stuff. Innistrad's elves were supposedly wiped out by a combination of werewolf predation and human xenophobia. What if there's some mega angry truefae type shit lurking just a step right to the physical world, just waiting to be let back in and wreak vengeance on the entire plane? It'd totally fit Innistrad for its elves to be madness and chaos themed.
I don't expect this to happen, but it's something I hadn't considered until now that would maybe be pretty cool. We don't often see insane monster elves from the ancient past as the bad guys.
>>46349738
>Option two: I am actually dreaming, in that strange fugue state where you flow from one scene to another with no transition.
Sounds like Jace is watching Batman v Superman.
>>46345315
Well done.
>>46336708
Is the spark transfer device that Memnarch had Slobad build completely obliterated?
>>46350626
Probably - his Panopticon is wrecked, and the oil just transforms things.
If it was corrupted before any intelligent phyrexian found it, I doubt it's still around.
>>46350626
I think it exploded when it was used, or the Green Sun wrecked it.
>>46349947
>elves on Innistrad
get out
Bolas won't be involved in Moon, the face of the set is Lili and she has enough shit going on, with the Veil, the Onakke, the Raven Man and such. Anyway, I think his interest in the Eldrazi is purely related to his rivality with Ugin. I mean, from what we know they're probably just extraplanar garbage guys, and the Jacestice League demonstrated they're not even THAT hard to kill, so I don't think he plans to use them as weapons. His interest in them is probably connected with Ugin's, he's not telling us everything either. Another interesting question might be why did Bolas wait so much to release them. The Eldrazi were imprisoned before the fight between Bolas and Ugin, that happened more or less 1000 years before the mending. Why wait that long to release them?
>>46354419
Confirmed, IIRC.
Sorin said they were killed off. They used to be around.
