Post by kefke on Feb 19, 2019 2:32:59 GMT
So, a little while back, I was answering MaRo's survey on the top five planes people would like to see a new (standard legal) set go to, and why. My first four picks were easy. Conspiracy's Fiora setting was fascinating, beautiful, and I'd love to not have to open a new booster every time I want to "visit". Dominaria is classic, and I miss it whenever it's gone. I love artifacts, and aside from being the new "artifact plane", Kaladesh is just eye candy. Theros doesn't look half bad either (I'm a sucker for classical architecture), but moreover has had a grander, heroic and "epic" feeling than a lot of sets for me.
I didn't know what I could really put as my #5, though. All I really wanted to express was how sick I am of Ravnica. Unlike a lot of people, the setting's never really grabbed me, and it irks me on some primal level whenever someone boils down one of my decks to "Oh, so it's <guild>.", and originally I just wanted to vent a little. I even considered promoting Rabiah, for which the Rabiah Scale is named, just to emphasize my point of how much I would prefer anything else (as an aside, the underlying premise of Rabiah as a plane split into over a thousand parallel universes actually is a little interesting, if they focused a set on that rather than the 1001 Arabian Nights stories).
As I went on, however, I decided that I wanted to give a serious response, while still making my point. MaRo said that any known plane was a valid choice, even if Magic has never taken a set there before. The only requirement was that it has to be a plane with a specific name. With that in mind, I decided to look for a place to put a set that would be totally obscure, and essentially a blank slate. Basically, I was trying to say that I'd rather see a completely new location than revisit Ravnica for the tenth time...I believe I mentioned I have some "strong feelings" on the subject? However, in the process, I feel like I accidentally found the perfect setting for a new set to be on. So much so that I actually feel like I should have put it as my #1 and bumped everything else down the list (I did not do this).
Enter Moag, a plane that has appeared in playable Magic exactly once, in the form of the Fields of Summer for Planechase. I'll let my past self explain.
That little summary doesn't really cover it, though. Moag was home to Urza and Xantcha for 30 years while they tried to build up a new force to oppose the Phyrexians. While he ultimately failed to achieve his goal and was forced to abandon the plane, that's a fairly long chunk of time for one of Magic's most famous and influential planeswalkers to have been actively meddling in the affairs of the world. This is the man who would go on to found the Tolarian academy, whose works have had a hand in shaping the destiny of multiple planes. There would have to be some lasting impact (not to mention physical relics of his time there) after three decades there. Meanwhile, from Magic's timeline, there's been millennia between Urza's visit to the plane and the current latest year of the timeline. That's a lot of time for things to have happened, and the influence of Urza and the Phyrexians to have shaped the plane. All we can really say is that whatever the Phyrexians may have done, they eventually had to go to Mirrodin to create their New Phyrexia. What happeend to Moag? Did the Phyrexians leave to chase Urza? Were they driven out? Or, did they take everything they wanted and abandon what was left of Moag to its fate...and if so, did Moag recover? There's a lot that could be asked and answered.
So, what do you guys think? Would you be interested in Moag as a setting? What do you think "modern day" Moag would be like? If you have answered - or are going to answer - MaRo's survey, what are your answers? After hearing my pitch, does Moag make your list?
I didn't know what I could really put as my #5, though. All I really wanted to express was how sick I am of Ravnica. Unlike a lot of people, the setting's never really grabbed me, and it irks me on some primal level whenever someone boils down one of my decks to "Oh, so it's <guild>.", and originally I just wanted to vent a little. I even considered promoting Rabiah, for which the Rabiah Scale is named, just to emphasize my point of how much I would prefer anything else (as an aside, the underlying premise of Rabiah as a plane split into over a thousand parallel universes actually is a little interesting, if they focused a set on that rather than the 1001 Arabian Nights stories).
As I went on, however, I decided that I wanted to give a serious response, while still making my point. MaRo said that any known plane was a valid choice, even if Magic has never taken a set there before. The only requirement was that it has to be a plane with a specific name. With that in mind, I decided to look for a place to put a set that would be totally obscure, and essentially a blank slate. Basically, I was trying to say that I'd rather see a completely new location than revisit Ravnica for the tenth time...I believe I mentioned I have some "strong feelings" on the subject? However, in the process, I feel like I accidentally found the perfect setting for a new set to be on. So much so that I actually feel like I should have put it as my #1 and bumped everything else down the list (I did not do this).
Enter Moag, a plane that has appeared in playable Magic exactly once, in the form of the Fields of Summer for Planechase. I'll let my past self explain.
How about Moag? I’m making it a link, because I can understand if you’ve forgotten about it. Basically nothing has been done with Moag, so it’s the next best thing to a whole new plane. The wiki page description says, “It was hospitable world with abundant, rich soil, a broad swath of temperate climates and a wealth of vigorous cultures.”, so there’s room to build in pretty much any direction there. Plus, it’s tied into the exploits of Urza and Xantcha, so it has some historical significance to one of the most major stories of Magic lore.
We even know that the Phyrexians took at least a passing interest in the plane, which means there’s potential to revisit them as well. This means a set with the post-apocalyptic tones of a ravaged world isn’t out of the question. However, the plane is also supposed to have unmatched recuperative power. Basically, ravaged by the Phyrexians, ignored when Urza left, or having already driven the Phyrexians off and recovered would all be equally possible. So, as far as planes that Magic hasn’t touched upon, I think Moag is ideal. It has plenty of hooks to use and can easily be tied into Magic’s history, but with enough freedom to go in any direction the creative team wants to take it. Not many locations can boast that.
We even know that the Phyrexians took at least a passing interest in the plane, which means there’s potential to revisit them as well. This means a set with the post-apocalyptic tones of a ravaged world isn’t out of the question. However, the plane is also supposed to have unmatched recuperative power. Basically, ravaged by the Phyrexians, ignored when Urza left, or having already driven the Phyrexians off and recovered would all be equally possible. So, as far as planes that Magic hasn’t touched upon, I think Moag is ideal. It has plenty of hooks to use and can easily be tied into Magic’s history, but with enough freedom to go in any direction the creative team wants to take it. Not many locations can boast that.
That little summary doesn't really cover it, though. Moag was home to Urza and Xantcha for 30 years while they tried to build up a new force to oppose the Phyrexians. While he ultimately failed to achieve his goal and was forced to abandon the plane, that's a fairly long chunk of time for one of Magic's most famous and influential planeswalkers to have been actively meddling in the affairs of the world. This is the man who would go on to found the Tolarian academy, whose works have had a hand in shaping the destiny of multiple planes. There would have to be some lasting impact (not to mention physical relics of his time there) after three decades there. Meanwhile, from Magic's timeline, there's been millennia between Urza's visit to the plane and the current latest year of the timeline. That's a lot of time for things to have happened, and the influence of Urza and the Phyrexians to have shaped the plane. All we can really say is that whatever the Phyrexians may have done, they eventually had to go to Mirrodin to create their New Phyrexia. What happeend to Moag? Did the Phyrexians leave to chase Urza? Were they driven out? Or, did they take everything they wanted and abandon what was left of Moag to its fate...and if so, did Moag recover? There's a lot that could be asked and answered.
So, what do you guys think? Would you be interested in Moag as a setting? What do you think "modern day" Moag would be like? If you have answered - or are going to answer - MaRo's survey, what are your answers? After hearing my pitch, does Moag make your list?