Personally from what we been told about the set I feel Maro and other people who wanted to re-try Kamigawa used the cyberpunk stuff as a trojan horse to let them do it as a return to Kamigawa since the cyberpunk that was applying to the business side. They very much considered just using the cyberpunk as the base for a new world and leaving Kamigawa in the limbo it been in.

Mirrodin to me always felt like a metal world more than a sci-fi world. The cards showed more mechanization but it felt like most of the people were living in pretty undeveloped societies where, at best, they did blacksmithing.

Yes, aside from the side of things Mirrodin was mostly just generic fantasy stuff with metal on it. Even when Phyrexia took voer with its highly advanced technology there's a sense of archaism.

Not that it affects my opinion on this set. I'm okay with Magic being sci-fi as long as it has magic in it.

Worldbuilding Panel

I enjoyed the discussion, though it was necessarily fast-paced and brief. It's interesting ogres are no longer all oni worshipers now. I enjoyed Hodes describing mythmaking. That said, I thought there would be more about the actual world now, but it was more process-oriented.

I enjoyed it as well, but I'm a bit miffed that they just glossed over how they changed the orochi. Not a fan of what appears to be changes for changes sake.

I wish there was more but I do like seeing the behind the scenes in how they makes the worlds and set and the creative process for someone of it.



Besides the Orochi most if not all of the changes seem pretty clear to either related to the plane being 1200 years later or to make them closer to how the mythology is.

- Like the decision on the weapons. While the decision to cut on Okinawan weapons might come across as heavy handed, I am a sucker for more obscure weapons so I'm excited.

- The Orochi and Kitsune have essentially been revamped aesthetically. Some might not like it, but I don't mind it. Genetic engineering is always a possibility at any rate.

- Like that the o-bakemono (which I'm assuming are the ogres since oni are the demons) are now not just evil

- Hate the shibe.

My bad, I was a little bit unclear. I was specifically only not a fan of the orochi change. The other changes (ogres becoming less one note, for example) are good.

"Diversity" is the new "Synergy." If you use the word, you're going to have showcase five times as hard that you actually understand the benefits that it brings to the table than if you avoided using the term at all. It borderline felt like a corporate meeting with how much they threw buzzwords around. That said, there were signs that they were using it to actually differentiate styles and cultures of the different regions, but it wasn't to the degree that I can disregard the jargony self-gratification. Ending on the DJ also left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

It did leave me wanting to see the actual work they did. I want to see if they did actually do a good job, or if it's just masturbatory vomit.

The obakemono change is one I'm of two minds of. The idea that one of the intelligence of one of the smartest races on Kamigawa actually increases their malevolence and love of chaos is such a challenge to my hopes that understanding would instead increase tolerance and caring in people generally, it actually makes me like that they're so evil in the original block. On the other hand, it really was kinda limiting on what you can do with them.

In other words, the building words more made me want to see the finished product, but didn't really nudge me one way or another on how I think I'll like the finished product, which is all it really needed to do. I do love seeing Daniel on these panels.

I like the kitsune revamp. I liked the original kitsune, too, but there is something a bit off-putting about how far the originals committed to the whole kitsune mask aesthetic in terms of eschewing normal facial features.

They did allude to one reason for the orochi redesign, which is that it's weird for snake people to have all the limbs of a human and more, when one of the primary features of snakes is that they have no limbs. The new design feels like a good compromise, giving a nod to the original design while making them feel more like snakes.

Normally more intelligence + more empathy. This being a fantasy setting you can argue that's not the case, but again traditional oni stories paint them in all kinds of roles so I'm glad good obakemono exist.

A recap on Toshi's life: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2022-01-12

Michiko's Reign of Truth

A big revelation/change! They'll have to further reconcile Michiko living as a mortal woman again and passing with the Sisters of Spirit and Flesh being around later. Michiko could have passed and as a spirit reformed the Sisters with Kyodai, though that would make the Sisters not really of Flesh at all.

My other thought would be that the Sister of Flesh is actually a spiritual role fulfilled by the emperor and there have been many incarnations of the Sisters of Spirit and Flesh, with Michiko-Konda being the first one. When an extraplanar threat comes to Kamigawa or threatens the veil again, the emperor and Kyodai go and stop it.

Which could explain why Tezzeret would specifically target the Emperor: To break the protection around Kamigawa so the Phyrexians can go in.

I also like how the name and the art being on a fan call back to Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker.

This kinda my line of thought if they wanna have Michio still living a mortal life after the Kami war. They defiantly are showing themes of history somewhat being reborn/recienating with the Kami dragons so I can see a similar idea with the passing of the role of Sister of Stone and Flesh along with the throne.

This also knocks out Michiko Konda as the Wanderer but still points to the present Konda as one.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2022-01-14

Azusa's many journeys.