War Of The Spark - Tumblr Posts

So, I’ve been seeing a few different posts recently about the new cards that show Gideon’s death, but I haven’t seen anyone pointing this out yet, so I thought I would.

Gideon’s big feature, the gimmick that sets him apart from pretty much every other Planeswalker, is that he can become indestructible. Every card of him has the feature that allows him to become some kind of indestructible soldier creature for a turn, even his Origins card pre-Spark Ignition. No matter where he is, Gideon is always standing on the frontlines, standing in the way of trouble yet never taking any damage himself.

It’s his greatest blessing…but also his greatest curse, as it was because of his indestructibility that he became the lone survivor of the Irregulars.

So, it’s really poetic then, that Gideon’s death by him taking the damage that someone else should’ve. Gideon didn’t step in the way of some spell or attack for one of his friends and throw up his shields–he took on their burden, their curse, and let it take his life instead of theirs when they broke it.

Gideon Jura, the Planeswalker, was born by surviving an attack his friends couldn’t.

Kytheon Iora, the Irregular, was killed by taking the burden too heavy for another.

[Ravnica Battlemap]Firemind Vessel 32x56

Before the War of the Spark, Nicol Bolas slew Niv-Mizzet. Although the battle was brief, the Firemind mounted an impressive assault that demonstrated his immense thaumaturgical, mental, and physical might. Nicol Bolas and Niv-Mizzet engaged each other in epic combat that destroyed large portions of the city. The two dragons fought using a staggering array of magical, physical, and aerial attacks in which both drew blood. Bolas was even surprised when his mind-shattering touch could not penetrate the Firemind's mental barriers. As the fight wore on, Niv sensed his eventual defeat. After Niv collapsed a huge chunk of the city onto Bolas at a Simic zonot, Bolas emerged in a dark sphere of death and destruction, causing Niv to experience fear for the first time. Contemplating this strange feeling, Niv deemed it unworthy of the Firemind and brushed it aside as he roared in defiance and leaped toward his impending death. In the end, Niv-Mizzet’s skull and charred bones were all that remained.

However, the Firemind had been preparing for this. Together with Ugin, Niv-Mizzet made preparations to preserve his ghost in a device of his design. The little silver box with delicate filigree, sparking gears, and shimmering crystals could project Niv's essence above it and would preserve his ghost for at least a hundred years. With Sarkhan Vol's assistance, the box was delivered to the Meditation Plane for safekeeping under Ugin's watch. The Firemind provided clues for Jace, Vraska, and Ral Zarek to bring him back.

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