Unstoppable Christmas

~Sorry . . . nothing really to see here - just a random post.
As Christmas is now descending upon me with full trample, I paused to remember that I did not get you, the loyal Blog Reader a Christmas card yet . . . not to worry - Here it is.

You may realise from this modified piece of art that Treefolk are not particularly fond of Christmas and especially Goblins bearing tree ornaments . . .

Card Name: Unstoppable Ash
Mana Cost: 3Green
Creature — Treefolk Warrior, 5/5
Expansion: Morningtide (Rare) Morningtide
Artist: Brian Snoddy

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Also - just another plug for the upcoming Wizards Novel . . . Interested to see if Jace, Liliana and Tezzeret will play well together.

The next exciting new venture is Agents of Artifice, a novel by Ari Marmell that represents the first of a new series of "planeswalker novels." Agents of Artifice details the rise of Jace Beleren from promising young mage-prodigy to world-hopping planeswalker. Jace can wield the power of his mind like a weapon, but quickly finds that his powers get him embroiled in schemes that surpass everything he knows. The book also features the black-aligned planeswalker Liliana Vess and the artificer-planeswalker (and Esper native!) Tezzeret. And the events in the novel not only tie in with the plot surrounding Alara's shards, but also the fate of other planes you know from Magic's past and locales that we won't visit for years to come. It is truly a planeswalker novel—character-driven, and not tied to any one setting. And it's an excellent kickoff to a new tradition in Magic: The Gathering books. Agents of Artifice releases February 2009 in bookstores and many gaming shops everywhere.

Agents of Artifice

You may recall this previous post about the MTG novel 'Alara Unbroken', by Doug Beyer. If you were not aware, there is another novel titled, "Agents of Artifice: A Planeswalker Novel", by Ari Marmell to be released on February 3, 2009.


Here is the skinny from WoTC marketing . . .

It is the dawn of a new age in the Multiverse. The balance of power is shifting and Agents of Artifice brings readers to the heart of a planeswalker struggle.

In Agents of Artifice, Ari Marmell reimagines planeswalkers, taking fans deeper than ever into the lives of the Multiverse's most powerful beings:

Jace Beleren, the prodigal son, a powerful telepath whose choices now will forever determine his path as a mage;
Liliana Vess, a temptress whose beauty belies a dark secret and even darker associations; and
Tezzeret, leader of an interplanar consortium whose quest for knowledge may be undone by his lust for power.

Follow these characters in their quests for knowledge and power. Will Jace's choices lead him astray of the right path? Will Liliana's past finally catch up with her? Will Tezzeret allow hubris to obscure his vision?

NIssa - New Planeswalker

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Berlin, Germany is the second stop in the 2008 Pro Tour season. During a piece of event coverage, we were provided with some spoilers of the new Duels of the Planeswalkers, to be released for XBox Live Arcade.

Adam Radstock, of Stainless games gave Brian David-Marshall a quick spin on the new game and also revealed a new Planeswalker in a tour of the game. The new Planewalker is Nissa Revane, and can clearly be seen as a choice in this video HERE.

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Also, we have word of of a new MTG novel to be released on May 5, 2009. The title is 'Alara Unbroken', and is authored by Doug Beyer.

If I had to speculate (which this blog is all about), I would hazard a guess that this novel is just a 'one-off' sort of publication and meant only to be something of a companion tome to the 'Planewalker's Guide' to [fill in the blank]. I should think that from the title, we are given a glimpse as to what the plane of Alara may have looked like before (Nicol Bolas?) tore it apart. I am rather meh about the cover artwork and almost half-expect that this may change before its release.