If you've read any number of my articles you're aware of my, shall we say, 'blue wizard-esqe' approach to the game.   So it may come as a surprise to our patron readers to see an article on Planeswalker flavor written by yours truly.  I know what you're thinking-  "I'm a pro magic player!  I don't care what the cards look like, smell like or how the silly flavor text reads.   I'd play a card with a poorly painted picture of an ugly animal on it called 'Sitting Cat' if the rules text met my ridiculously high standards of card quality."  As an analytical player myself I empathize.  But somewhere in that logical labyrinth of a mind you possess - you love Magic the Gathering for its flavor, its essence.  If you didn't you'd be playing Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! or any number of other card games.  Flavor and atmosphere are part of what keep you coming back for more.  Whether you're willing to admit it or not.  If there's one aspect of the game that embodies and exacerbates that essence it is the planeswalker card type and the lore that surrounds each one.

For many years Magic the Gathering existed as a completely isolated realm of arcana.  Lightning Bolts and Fireballs;  Walls of Ice and Walls of Wonder.  Any of these spells could be cast in Azeroth, Middle Earth or even Planet Earth and still make canonical sense.  While there were certainly loose story lines and card lore, there really weren't any strong recurring characters or themes.  Gerrard Capashen was their first attempt at a reoccurring character-hero.  While he did provide a sense of constancy, I would prefer to have seen a character driving the story in the background rather than be featured on each and every card in a block.  But WotC needed something more timeless.  Something players could grow up with and remember but still left developers the freedom to create unique and infinite realms of magic.  In that sense, Gerrard was a step in the right direction.

All high fantasy epics require some semblance of continuity.  From Star Trek to World of Warcraft, a relationship with reoccurring characters and places are essential to building a strong connection to the fantasy universe.  Magic the Gathering is unique in that it is set in infinite realms that often exist completely independent of one another.  They are only linked to one another by beings with "the spark".  Beings known as planeswalkers.   This gives the setting an open, "anything is possible" feel while still retaining some of that constancy.  It is theoretically possible for Nicol Bolas to appear in Zendikar or some other future expansion or for Liliana Vess to dual a future planeswalker not yet known.  It seems wizards has found it's solution.

While Lorwyn bought with it the first ever planeswalkers, it failed to incorporate them fully into the game flavor.  The block itself didn't even attempt a story line.  And while I adore the entire block, it was simply a tribal circus (mostly faeries) unattached to the rest of the MTG universe for all intents and purposes.  Luckily these five original gansters will be re-released in M10 this summer, a stage probably more fitting.  Wizards eventually capitalized on their missed planeswalking opportunity with Nicol Bolas in the Alara block.  The first set in the block referenced him, in the second he was revealed and Alara Reborn looks to set all of his plans into motion.  All of this was done without sacrificing on magical diversity.  My hope is that this sort of thing continues in future sets.

[caption id="attachment_1803" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Planeswalkers needn't be featured on each and every card in a block. Their background presence alone is enough to spark nostalgia and perpetuity."][/caption]

Given the overwhelming excitement planeswalkers have generated, I'd like to propose a more permanent solution to the issue of continuity and perpetuity in Magic the Gathering.  For each block there should be at least one planeswalker that would do what Nicol Bolas has done for the Alara block.  He or she would be the a constant force (at least within the block itself) at the center of the struggle.  Unlike Gerrard, these planeswalkers wouldn't be featured on every other card in the set.  Rather, they would simply drive the story in the background.  Other walkers could make dramatic reappearances from time to time but each block should focus on the essence of one or two planeswalkers.   Whether working together to defeat a great evil or dueling one another on a rich and diverse stage, planeswalkers should be the catalyst in each block.  We'd also have a guaranteed planeswalker to look forward to with each subsequent release.  Planeswalkers are in a unique position to both provide something new and exciting while also indulging the obvious need for constancy in the game.

I leave you now with a few 'fantasy' planeswalker card mock-ups.  These are examples of  missed opportunities for planeswalkers referred to in past sets.  But fear not WotC!  You can still revive these guys at any time in the future!  Until then, their legend lives on here.

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Stay tuned to the main site and the Alara Reborn spoiler list as Wizards has promised to reveal multiple cards this week.  As always, we'll be all over it.