coral wagon
This one is an easy choice for me:
"You serve Phyrexia. Your pieces would better serve Phyrexia elsewhere."
—Azax-Azog, the Demon Thane
Original printing of Dismember. It's the most memorable line of text I've read in the game, like a jumpscare in text form: it's stuck with me, ever since I first saw the card, and honestly made Phyrexia into my favorite evil faction singlehandedly.
ripe flume
I usually jump to [[!balefire dragon]] or [[!brawn|jud]]
sharp gazelle
[[!Goblin Gardener]] and its friends in the goblins who suck at their jobs club. Also [[!obliterate|inv]]
hushed marshBOT
naive pollen
sharp gazelle
[[!goblin gardener|uds]]
hushed marshBOT
sharp gazelle
Had to find the right one
sharp gazelle
Obliterate through landed hard, with the story connotations. Barin had at that point lost faith in Urza whom he had believed in for his entire life, he lost his wife and children and his friends, in a final act of defiance he refused to let everything go the way Urza wanted and destroyed his own life's work and as many of the phyrexian invaders as he could with it.
There's a real sadness to that, that a good man lost so much and resorted to this, and the text captured the moment.
modern isle
"I alone determine my destiny." - Force of Will
wispy hazel
Apart from the one on Rancor 💚 (check out Sam's video on that one), I've always loved the one one [[Heightened Awareness]]. I tend to fall for those flavor texts that resonate beyond the realm of the game.
hushed marshBOT
elder mortar
[[!Orgg]]
hushed marshBOT
formal python
[[!werebear]] always gets a chuckle
hushed marshBOT
hushed marshBOT
formal python
[[! werebear | ody]]
hushed marshBOT
formal python
Admit it .. this is funny
rocky thorn
I'm sure there's others I'm not thinking of rn, but I've always enjoyed this one.
Ooh, [[!Anguished Unmaking]] is also good. Edgy as hell, but it slaps.
hushed marshBOT
formal python
A reminder he knew her for longer than you have known any loved ones...
modern isle
Yeah this was really sad for me
I really like Avacyn, ever since got started with EDH, because I got a copy of her from FTV Angels
At least she lives on in our hearts
formal python
At least she lives on in our hearts
If it makes you feel better... He could make a new Avacyn as far as we know... But don't think too much about what it would take when it was so much for him to do at his peak.
modern isle
Yeah I don't count on him doing so
Seeing as Sigarda's doing just fine
formal python
And the new one shall be called Nahvacyn
"fine"... The current state of innistrad is kinda more fucked than it was
formal python
Seriously though... One of the saddest parts is that after it happened you have people including WotC basically doing the whole "we don't know how exactly she was made but it was a one time thing as a premending walker so he probably can't do it again and if he CAN.... It will not be any time soon and it won't be HER."
The real sad part is... No new Angel would be our avacyn..
The card art + flavor is so perfect for capturing the scene... I do kinda wish that they put just a single tear in the art though to break his facade.
modern isle
Mfw my family was murdered and I need to end my "daughter's" suffering
Fuck you Nahiri
formal python
The worst part is... He could have saved her if she just listened... He knew he could end her whenever he needed to... He didn't want to do it.
modern isle
Yeah 
formal python
He was willing to forgive a LOT of harm coming to his home... If it meant still having his daughter
It's worth remembering that the only people he really had were Edgar and her... Edgar who slept and he only talked to basically at his weakest moments when he needed guidance and talked to him like a child and Avacyn which was made in part to serve the role of a family member... That he was denied for doing what is right and preventing their own death.
ripe flume
It’s bizarre that there are still people who think nahiri was 100% in the right
formal python
Legitimately anyone that sides with Nahiri I cannot trust their morals.
rocky thorn
I think all of Nahiri's actions are understandable and that they're both shitty people
Understandable in that, she spent an eternity in the Helvault, it makes sense she lost her mind
formal python
Sorin didn't know about the first time she needed help because his planar protections ACCIDENTALLY blocked them out... He had no concern only because she managed to do her job regardless. Yeah, he should have been there... But he didn't know. She attacked him for it and was locked away because of it. He should have let her out... But also he didn't know that she had calmed down, she made herself a threat to him. He took it upon himself to protect Zendikar when it was needed... It was NISSA that fucked up... And instead of listening to reason she yet again decided to lash out to try to hurt him.
ripe flume
I understand why she did them but she’s still an antihero at best, more accurately imo the villain of at least that arc
rocky thorn
Shrugging her off because 'well, she managed to deal with them anyway, what's the big deal' is still pretty fucked up when tens of thousands of lives are at stake.
sharp gazelle
Nahiri is a villain, an understandable one who has some things that are good that she has done, but overall a villain.
rocky thorn
A sympathetic villain I think is prolly the right title
sharp gazelle
I like her a lot, this is not a problem
ripe flume
Those are usually the best villains
rocky thorn
We dont get a lot of those in magic.
formal python
It's cold logic as they pointed out beforw Orzhov is kinda great at perfecting systems and Sorin doesn't have the emotional attachment to most systems he deals with... The problem is solved is all that matters...
Nahiri hit home with the systems he cares about.
Innistrad...
sharp gazelle
Magic often lacks any nuance in its characters and story
formal python
Magic often lacks any nuance in its characters and story
To be fair... Urza...
rocky thorn
Urza's pretty nuanced, yeah
sharp gazelle
"Often"
formal python
Back in the day nuance was pretty there.
rocky thorn
But like, the big three villains of the modern era are all pretty basic evil
formal python
Now it's pretty rare...
rocky thorn
Tezzeret has some nuance I suppose. He does what he thinks is necessary to survive.
formal python
But like, the big three villains of the modern era are all pretty basic evil
Phyrexia isn't evil... Just amoral. Which is somehow worse 😂
ripe flume
They also took a lot of time to focus on urza and Mishra so it makes sense they’re some of the more developed characters in (pre-Lorwyn) magic
rocky thorn
Oh, and Liliana is nuanced
formal python
I reject your concept of morality allows a lot more than simply being evil... It's like some of the horrors D&D celestials are perfectly fine with allowing and even fueling for the greater good...
sharp gazelle
Lili? Is she? I didn't notice her actually having a character beyond "goth girl"
formal python
Lili? Is she? I didn't notice her actually having a character beyond "goth girl"
You forgot big titty... She was literally that trope
v.v let's remember how many people got salty over her not looking as sexual which was just o.O wtf
sharp gazelle
But yeah, I could not bring myself to care at all about the entire Bolas story as the villain was so one note and all of his intelligence and power was stuff we were just told about rather than shown
rocky thorn
She's got some stuff. She made a dangerous choice, then spent a long time trying to overcome that choice, and now is trying to reconcile with the consequences of it.
formal python
It took a long time for them to flesh her out into something actually beyond the trope outside of insert tragic origin story
rocky thorn
Tezz talking about Bolas is more interesting than Bolas himself
formal python
Like it was very recently that she has moved into "oh, I should do something to make up for the insane amount of harm I caused"
Bolas is cooler when used as a background evil.
ripe flume
We should move this discussion to #vorthos-and-lore
formal python
It's like Yawgmoth... Yawgmoth as an evil mastermind you don't actually see? Oh cool evil villain. When actually dealing with Yawgmoth "so he's basically an incel?"
ripe flume
It is mostly off topic for this discussion 🙂
formal python
True we did move away from gushing over Anguished Unmaking
rocky thorn
I think I won today's question of the day.
sharp gazelle
[[!counterspell|mmq]]
hushed marshBOT
formal python
[[! counterspell | tmp]] really has some nice flavor text options
hushed marshBOT
rocky thorn
They love their witty retorts on counterspells, but I think the Ertai one is by far my favorite
formal python
They love their witty retorts on counterspells, but I think the Ertai one is by ...
Exactly
rocky thorn
It's just, so simple and yet so cutting.
rose mango
[[Hatred]]
hushed marshBOT
carmine bough
coral wagon
you're gonna have to explain this one to me /s
wet root
[[force of will |2xm |340]]
hushed marshBOT
wet root
But also
[[!grimlock, dinobot leader]]
wet root
And his back side
[[!grimlock, ferocious king]]
wet root
God
Also really like
[[!dramatic reversal |SLD |1083]] cause i'm a sucker for nostalgia
hushed marshBOT
formal python
https://scryfall.com/card/sld/1083/dramatic-reversal
Ya Optimus... You made that clear when you basically doomed Cybertron...
wet root
My sibling in christ
sand apex
[[! obsidian fire heart]] 🙃
hushed marshBOT
hearty cliff
I have a lot of favorite flavor texts
hmm
[[!Tragic Poet|ULG]] and [[!Hero's Demise]] first come to mind
light siren
[[!chub toad]] definitely
hushed marshBOT
snow socket
Has to be [[!Serra Angel|M12]] for me, for whatever reason that specific version’s flavor text always stuck with me
hushed marshBOT
formal python
[[! obsidian fire heart]] 🙃
Reminder flavor text lol
ripe flume
Oooooo [[!crucible of worlds|2x2|393]]
hushed marshBOT
ripe flume
Tbh most of the Song of All is really good
snow socket
Oooooo [[!crucible of worlds|2x2|393]]
This one is great
keen vessel
[[!savra queen of the golgari]]
hushed marshBOT
white zodiac
[[Thud]] from effect, to art, to flavor. Perfection.
hushed marshBOT
cyan flower
[[Norin the Wary]] because there's just something comical about a named character in a game that's all about brave people standing up for their side/what they think is right being just an absolute coward that's really funny
