https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend
Wizards just came with their explanation: The Sagas should have been legendary but the testing made them non-legendary because they wanted the cards to be stronger.
General [DOM]Dominaria
- Thread starter Velrun
- Start date
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend
Wizards just came with their explanation: The Sagas should have been legendary but the testing made them non-legendary because they wanted the cards to be stronger.
I think the Sagas lay out their rules text in a nice, clear way.
But I really don't like what happens to the art as a result. It's possible that I just don't like this specific piece of art, so I'm still hopeful that Sagas will look at least not too strange in the end.
But I really don't like what happens to the art as a result. It's possible that I just don't like this specific piece of art, so I'm still hopeful that Sagas will look at least not too strange in the end.
I actually kind of like the frame, it works well when you fan the cards in your hand!
Chris Taylor
Contributor
They are historic, if it's any consolation
It looks like my cube is going to test out these Sagas:
History of Benalia
The Eldest Reborn
The Mirari Conjecture
Phyrexian Scriptures
Has anyone else given it any thoughts?
History of Benalia
The Eldest Reborn
The Mirari Conjecture
Phyrexian Scriptures
Has anyone else given it any thoughts?
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Definitely. I don't know if History of Benalia is something I want, but the other three look swell!
They are all really good, and amazing to bounce and blink. Need to give them a lot more detailed thought (not sure about exiling a whole graveyard in my format) but think they are all exciting.
Yeah ... I was considering adding one or two sagas at least, but that frame ...
WHY in the name of Gix does WotC always feel the strong need to make up a stupid fancy frame for EVERY DAMN SET?
I never heard someone saying "Wow, I hreally hope, we will get strange new card frame this set, that looks like it's not MtG anymore!"
Can't wait for the new legendary frame ...
The only one in the last few years that looked actually really nice was the Ixalan transform-lands-frame imo
WHY in the name of Gix does WotC always feel the strong need to make up a stupid fancy frame for EVERY DAMN SET?
I never heard someone saying "Wow, I hreally hope, we will get strange new card frame this set, that looks like it's not MtG anymore!"
Can't wait for the new legendary frame ...
The only one in the last few years that looked actually really nice was the Ixalan transform-lands-frame imo
that saga frame doesnt look like its from another game at least
and it's also like actually readable unlike "hazoret the pervert". (plz card image give me the right one) edit: (it didn't but here it is)
and it's also like actually readable unlike "hazoret the pervert". (plz card image give me the right one) edit: (it didn't but here it is)
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Frames trend towards function over Flavor over time, and these sacrifice a lot if Flavor (the art) for good function (having enough space for the rules text)
In a way it reminds me a lot of the aftermath cards from amonkhet, which also had a lot of frame, looked odd, and had weird warped art. Those had comparatively less of a reason to be the way they were though, whereas these look like they really do need the verticality.
I'm gonna link you guys a video discussing the frames of magic over time once I get home. The flavor over function argument was something I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me
In a way it reminds me a lot of the aftermath cards from amonkhet, which also had a lot of frame, looked odd, and had weird warped art. Those had comparatively less of a reason to be the way they were though, whereas these look like they really do need the verticality.
I'm gonna link you guys a video discussing the frames of magic over time once I get home. The flavor over function argument was something I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I really like the frames for what its worth. Though I love the style of phyrexian script, and love how its featured in the scriptures. I wish they would do more promo cards like elesh norn, where the script is featured in the card itself.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
Chris Taylor
Contributor
I didn't notice the phyrexian watermark going down the whole text box
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I also like how the art dosen't appear to be the sort of non-offensive, but dull, CGI cartoon work that they've been pushing the artists towards.
What we get instead is a nice symbolic expression of the phyrexians, that shows their gospel of transmuting life into living machines by death. The alter form, with a covered body, whose life is draining down the the cold unfeeling form of phyrexian scripture itself, is really striking imagery i.m.o. It makes me excited to see what else the artists were able to come up with for this set.
What we get instead is a nice symbolic expression of the phyrexians, that shows their gospel of transmuting life into living machines by death. The alter form, with a covered body, whose life is draining down the the cold unfeeling form of phyrexian scripture itself, is really striking imagery i.m.o. It makes me excited to see what else the artists were able to come up with for this set.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
So, I've been staring at this piece of art for the past 10 minutes (which I never do with MTG art btw), and the more I think about it, the more impressive it is within the context of the frame. I really have to take my hat off to the artist here. Lets look at it again:
So, we have a line of text running down the left, and the line of art running down the right. The card type is a saga, which is the telling of a story, and a story details change over some temporal or spatial plane. This is reflected by the saga game mechanic, which shows escalating, but interconnected actions, over the course of three turns. We can think of the execution of the game mechanic itself, as mimicking the spatial and temporal progress of a story.
So thats pretty smart in its own right, but lets look at the art again, which is laid out alongside the narrative driven saga text.
We have a top down structure, and our eye is necessarly drawn first to an extended hand laid out on some sort of alter. It transcends the rest of the piece, and casts a shadow down its length. It looks lifeless, or perhaps near death, the fingers of the bone being skeletal and exagerated in nature.
Immediatly beneath the hand their is a stone face, whose eyes seem to express a deep sorrow or depression. The face is engraved in such a way as to suggest unhappiness or maybe even resentment towards the world, expressed by this tear-like imagery, flowing down stone channels to fuel the narrow lines of phyrexian scripture itself. The further along the lines of scripture we go, the more extreme the scene becomes, concluding with the collecting pool at the very bottom of the piece, and the complete loss of humanity it represents.
And this suggests something about the figure laid out on the alter, and maybe the decisions that brought him there, or perhaps the tragic way people might become drawn towards phyrexian ideology. It gives you a surprisingly human perspective of this story world. You can really let your imagination go with this piece, and its cool that this sort of top-down imagistic story telling is being laid out alongside the top-down mechanical story telling of the saga mechanic itself.
I like how even the perspectives matchup. In both cases, we're looking at the scene from outside time, and have a sort of flat perspective of the way things will progress that an actual participant in linear history would not have (perhaps leading to ones place on the alter).
I'm really impressed that they realized that the saga mechanic would have to express the idea of a story, and that they really should have art laid alongside it, which also told a story, to create this sort of pleasing mutual contrast.
Can't wait to see the others.
So, we have a line of text running down the left, and the line of art running down the right. The card type is a saga, which is the telling of a story, and a story details change over some temporal or spatial plane. This is reflected by the saga game mechanic, which shows escalating, but interconnected actions, over the course of three turns. We can think of the execution of the game mechanic itself, as mimicking the spatial and temporal progress of a story.
So thats pretty smart in its own right, but lets look at the art again, which is laid out alongside the narrative driven saga text.
We have a top down structure, and our eye is necessarly drawn first to an extended hand laid out on some sort of alter. It transcends the rest of the piece, and casts a shadow down its length. It looks lifeless, or perhaps near death, the fingers of the bone being skeletal and exagerated in nature.
Immediatly beneath the hand their is a stone face, whose eyes seem to express a deep sorrow or depression. The face is engraved in such a way as to suggest unhappiness or maybe even resentment towards the world, expressed by this tear-like imagery, flowing down stone channels to fuel the narrow lines of phyrexian scripture itself. The further along the lines of scripture we go, the more extreme the scene becomes, concluding with the collecting pool at the very bottom of the piece, and the complete loss of humanity it represents.
And this suggests something about the figure laid out on the alter, and maybe the decisions that brought him there, or perhaps the tragic way people might become drawn towards phyrexian ideology. It gives you a surprisingly human perspective of this story world. You can really let your imagination go with this piece, and its cool that this sort of top-down imagistic story telling is being laid out alongside the top-down mechanical story telling of the saga mechanic itself.
I like how even the perspectives matchup. In both cases, we're looking at the scene from outside time, and have a sort of flat perspective of the way things will progress that an actual participant in linear history would not have (perhaps leading to ones place on the alter).
I'm really impressed that they realized that the saga mechanic would have to express the idea of a story, and that they really should have art laid alongside it, which also told a story, to create this sort of pleasing mutual contrast.
Can't wait to see the others.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
The "stone face" is actually Yawgmoth's mask, also used as the Apocalypse expansion symbol!
See for example...
So, I've been staring at this piece of art for the past 10 minutes (which I never do with MTG art btw), and the more I think about it, the more impressive it is within the context of the frame. I really have to take my hat off to the artist here. Lets look at it again:
So, we have a line of text running down the left, and the line of art running down the right. The card type is a saga, which is the telling of a story, and a story details change over some temporal or spatial plane. This is reflected by the saga game mechanic, which shows escalating, but interconnected actions, over the course of three turns. We can think of the execution of the game mechanic itself, as mimicking the spatial and temporal progress of a story.
So thats pretty smart in its own right, but lets look at the art again, which is laid out alongside the narrative driven saga text.
We have a top down structure, and our eye is necessarly drawn first to an extended hand laid out on some sort of alter. It transcends the rest of the piece, and casts a shadow down its length. It looks lifeless, or perhaps near death, the fingers of the bone being skeletal and exagerated in nature.
Immediatly beneath the hand their is a stone face, whose eyes seem to express a deep sorrow or depression. The face is engraved in such a way as to suggest unhappiness or maybe even resentment towards the world, expressed by this tear-like imagery, flowing down stone channels to fuel the narrow lines of phyrexian scripture itself. The further along the lines of scripture we go, the more extreme the scene becomes, concluding with the collecting pool at the very bottom of the piece, and the complete loss of humanity it represents.
And this suggests something about the figure laid out on the alter, and maybe the decisions that brought him there, or perhaps the tragic way people might become drawn towards phyrexian ideology. It gives you a surprisingly human perspective of this story world. You can really let your imagination go with this piece, and its cool that this sort of top-down imagistic story telling is being laid out alongside the top-down mechanical story telling of the saga mechanic itself.
I like how even the perspectives matchup. In both cases, we're looking at the scene from outside time, and have a sort of flat perspective of the way things will progress that an actual participant in linear history would not have (perhaps leading to ones place on the alter).
I'm really impressed that they realized that the saga mechanic would have to express the idea of a story, and that they really should have art laid alongside it, which also told a story, to create this sort of pleasing mutual contrast.
Can't wait to see the others.
Please write one of these for each of the Sagas cards when they are revealed if they deserve this praise!
Also if you want to be mind-blown: Find Dark Ritual from Urza’s Saga. Take in the art, look back at Phyrexian Scriptures, read the flavor text, then get back to the Saga card. Be amazed.
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
The "stone face" is actually Yawgmoth's mask, also used as the Apocalypse expansion symbol!
See for example...
I looked that up, and so cool. Evidently, from the mythology, the image is suppose to be black ichor streaming from the eyes, which is symbolic of corruption. Replacing that with the sacrificial blood is neat, as you could interpret it than as a corruption of life itself flowing into phyrexian scripture.
This is supposed to be another image of the mask, from mishra's bauble (which I never noticed before!)
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Yeah, Meehan nailed it.
Apparently the Phyrexian text on the scriptures art is actually the flavor text from that Dark Ritual, according to Reddit.
Is that a classic Reddit guess or actually confirmed?
Grillo_Parlante
Contributor
I assumed it was a guess, infered from the similarity of the arts.
I thought it was cool, because if so, its a really clever way to kind of put flavor text in a card frame where you are working with minimial space.
I thought it was cool, because if so, its a really clever way to kind of put flavor text in a card frame where you are working with minimial space.
I would wonder if there's a way to use Elesh Norn as a sort of "Rosetta Stone", and from that decipher other uses of phyrexian script? Sounds maybe tough to pull off, but cool if possible.
Well here's the thread where they show their work. Judge for yourself.
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/c...xian_scripture_art/?utm_source=reddit-android
Then judge’s verdict: A classic Reddit guess.
I am not saying he is wrong. He could very Well be right. Such is the nature of guesses. However there is no confirmation. My personal guess is that he is right but it is going to be nice to read the statement from WotC next month.