Welcome back, everyone. Last week, my poor excuse for a minion Tasigur decided to go off the rails in his recounting of my trip to Seattle. The fool had his fun—at the cost of incurring my relentless wrath. Rest easy when I assure you the pitiful whelp has met a fate far worse than death . . . 

With the full reveal of the Modern Masters 2015 Edition card list, I want to take a moment and put a spotlight on some of the flavorful gems in the set. In a recent Snack Time episode, Mike and I discussed the idea of a top ten list and why we believe they have no place in Vorthos discussions. If you missed it, or if you don’t feel like listening, the idea is that Vorthos concepts like writing, art, and storyline are all extremely subjective. While it is easy to say that, for all intents and purposes, the card Lightning Bolt is better than the card Shock mechanically, it is much more difficult to justify saying that one card has better art, text, or overall flavor than the other.

So while a top-ten-most-powerful-Magic-cards-of-all-time list could be reasonably agreed upon, a top-ten-flavorful-or-Vorthos-cards would be highly dependent on the likes and dislikes of the individual compiling the list. My top ten would focus mostly on writing and be extremely different than a top ten created by Mike Linnemann (which would most likely be art-centric). So what is a Vorthos to do in place of compiling top-ten lists? Mike and I suggested the following solution: Instead of saying, “This is a list of the top ten flavorful cards in set XYZ,” say something along the lines of, “This is a list of cards that I personally think have cool or interesting flavor from set XYZ, and they deserve a second look.”

Modern Masters 2015 Edition brings us cards that are flavored on planes across the entire Multiverse, and with its image gallery finally revealed, I figured it was time to put my money where my mouth is and write an article that takes a deeper look at the set in an attempt to mine some flavorful gems that deserve a second look.

That New-Flavor Smell

Reprint sets are always exciting for me because they often showcase cards in a different, flavorful light. One thing I really enjoy is when a reprint provides an alternate creative angle for a card, as it enables different options when building flavorful decks.

The first card that I think deserves a second look is the Modern Masters 2015 Edition version of Daybreak Coronet, a reprint of a card from Future Sight. The card got a flavor revamp set on the plane of Theros, complete with new art and a line of flavor text.

When we last left Ajani, he was traveling across Theros spreading the word of Heliod’s betrayal. The story ended with Brimaz welcoming Ajani into his home after the leonine Planeswalker spoke his opinion that the gods only exist because mortals believe they do. This line of flavor provides a glimpse into Theros, where the king of Oreskos seems to be further preaching Ajani's idea.

This quote shows us a king who is suggesting that the peoples of his world abandon the worship of a fickle sun god and instead worship the sun itself—that while the “gifts” of the gods are an illusion, made possible only by the beliefs of their followers, the gifts of the sun itself are very real and will exist regardless of whether you believe in them.

The art of the Modern Masters 2015 Edition card depicts a leonine of Theros realizing the gifts provided by the sun, creating a feeling that the target is experiencing for himself what Ajani has been preaching. The old art was equally impressive, with a composition that always reminded me of the stained-glass depictions of saints I would often gaze upon each Sunday growing up.

Original image found here.

The compositions may be similar; however, the Modern Masters 2015 Edition art’s new flavor allows the card to more easily fit into a Theros-flavored leonine tribal deck, while the old version would feel more at home in a human-themed Soldier/token deck.

Modern Masters 2015 Edition also brought us older cards that were given updated flavor texts. All Suns' Dawn was a card originally released in the set Fifth Dawn with no flavor text at all. The Modern Masters 2015 Edition version provides a quote from Thrun, the Last Troll—or rather a quote from one of his sweet tats.

When we first went to Mirrodin, we learned of Tel-Jilad, the Tree of Tales. Home to the trolls, Tel-Jilad is the largest tree in the Tangle. Its surface is inscribed with the history of Mirrodin and is considered sacred. The original Mirrodin story ended with (spoilers!) the dawning of Mirrodin’s green-mana “sun.” When we returned to Mirrodin years later, we met Thrun and learned that he was the last remaining troll. Thrun is showcased as a walking historical archive, with the history of his plane etched into his skin not unlike his ancestral tree-home.

This quote ignited the dreamer within me and had me imagining the different interpretations of “first true dawn.” The word dawn has many different meanings, with its most literal being a reference to the fact that with the birth of Mirrodin’s fifth sun, a true dawn was possible with a sun of each color rising over the Glimmervoid. However, dawn also can mean “the beginning,” allowing the quote to be taken as a reference to the original storyline—that in raising the fifth sun, Glissa was able to vanquish Memnarch and release the plane from his tyrannical rule, allowing it to have its first true dawn—or beginning—as a free plane. We know now that Phyrexia had taken root on Mirrodin at an early stage, slowly growing within the planar core before taking over the plane in all-out war. Perhaps the quote is in reference to the fact that in the rising of the fifth sun, the green sun, Mirrodin’s last hope at defeating the Phyrexians was born. Green mana is the bane of artifice everywhere, so maybe the rising of the green-mana sun is seen as the beginning—or the dawning of the Mirrans’ last shred of hope.

I love to see story-relevant updates like those seen on the new Daybreak Coronet and All Suns' Dawn because they provide small glimpses into the continually evolving planes we have encountered in the past. These small windows into far-off planes create a sense that these worlds are living breathing places and that their stories continue regardless of whether they are currently under the spotlight.

Retro Flavor

Along with the brand-spankin’-new flavor showcased above, Modern Masters 2015 Edition brings us some reprints that return us to their original flavor. Shrivel most recently saw print in Magic 2014, but Modern Masters 2015 Edition brought back that old-school text by showcasing the card’s original Rise of the Eldrazi line.

I found this return to the original flavor fitting, as it not only better matches the card's art, but it also serves as a reminder of Zendikar’s state before our inevitable return to the plane.

The Eldrazi have a Lovcraftian-esque vibe to them, and I love how this quote perfectly encapsulates that. The Eldrazi are similar to beings like Cthulu in that they create a feeling of insignificance in the mortals encountering them. As the flavor text beautifully illustrates, to the Eldrazi, humanity is regarded in the way we would regard an insect: as insignificant. The return of this retro text along with its terrifying art has me excited to see what awaits us when we planeswalk back to Zendikar this fall.

Mining for Gems

Modern Masters 2015 Edition is full of flavorful gems just waiting to be mined. One such example is the fact that this set serves as a stage for the entire “cycle” of etched artifact creatures originating from the plane of Mirrodin.

The flavor text of Etched Champion calls back to the original Mirrodin creature when it says that “its predecessors were etched with the wisdom of ancients” because the original etched creature was an oracle that allowed you to draw cards—or obtain wisdom. The champion was created in preparation for the coming war, as stated in the second half of its flavor text, “Its own etchings bear warnings of a future fraught with war.” Finally, the New Phyrexia version Etched Monstrosity compleats the group by giving us a creature that both is good at fighting and provides wisdom, making us believe that the monstrosity is the phyrexianized combination of the two etched constructs. The art helps reinforce that fact by showcasing a four-armed creation coated in oil. Finally, its flavor text drives it home with the line, “Now etched only with the scars of phyresis.” I really like this group of creatures because it does a great job of communicating the history of Mirrodin both visually and literally. My only wish is that instead of being creature type Golem, the etched monstrosity was an “Artifact Creature — Wizard Soldier.”

We first met Javad Nasrin and her wit on Zendikar with the card Desecrated Earth. She is attributed to five quotes in total throughout Zendikar block, my two favorites of hers being reprinted in Modern Masters 2015 Edition. The definition of an explorer is any individual who adventures into the unfamiliar. What better representation of that idea than Javad Nasrin?

I have a love for flavor text because it is an exercise in trying to portray complex ideas in as simple writing as possible. A true explorer wants nothing more than to venture into the unknown, and Javad shows us what it means to be an explorer in a simple and creative way.

All Is Dust showed us a different side of Javad. Another aspect of flavor text that I really enjoy is that the more a particular character is quoted, the more real and alive the character seems. With each new quote, you really start to get to know these characters and their personalities. In the wake of complete destruction, Javad faces her death with a level of optimism and humor that can be admired.

This line also showcases Javad’s wisdom, as it can impart an important life lesson on the reader. Life is full of surprises; I’m sure the majority of Zendikar did not expect to wake up one day to find godlike monstrosities hell-bent on destroying their world. What Javad is alluding to is that there is always the potential for life to throw you a curveball. You could die tomorrow, so why not live today in a way that will leave you without regrets? That’s the Javad way.

All Is Dust’s flavor text is possibly my favorite of the “flavor text tropes” in that there is a life lesson hidden within that text, leaving the reader to think about the message long after they read it.

My final flavor gem today is found on the card Otherworldly Journey.

Originally printed in Champions of Kamigawa, this beautifully written line of flavor is taken out of the journal of an individual we are led to believe experienced an otherworldly journey. Kamigawa block’s story revolved around a war waged between the mortal realm and the spirit realm. As we found out on Scourge of Numai, Numai wan once a proud human city. Now only ruins remain among a swamp of rotting bamboo.

The flavor text on Otherworldly Journey paints the picture of an old, discarded journal found lying in the muck of that bamboo swamp. Within its soggy pages, the former owner describes a chilling experience. Is it possible that the owner of the journal is describing the fall of Numai itself? Perhaps this individual was walking through the streets of his or her home, when suddenly, he or she became disoriented. When his or her vision cleared, Numai was a ruin—corpses where there were once villagers. I can imagine the horror this individual faced, and I wish I could read a copy of this journal to find out if the individual who wrote it spent the rest of his or her life searching not only for the cause of his or her home’s destruction, but for the reason why his or her life was chosen to be spared above all others . . . 

I hope you enjoyed this jaunt through the flavor of Modern Masters 2015 Edition. Are there any other cards from the set you believe are flavor gems? Let me know if the comments below!

Until next time, may Magic be a vehicle for your own Otherworldly Journey.

-Ant