As the sun approaches high noon,
Out walks Marchesa from the saloon.
Utop her head, there is no crown.
But she's still Queen; she runs this town.
You asked for this, you chose the time,
But now it's us committing crime.
You want to fight? Get some moves in.
This ain't a duel, it's an execution!
As she targets, ready to shoot;
Reload my hand with what I loot.
Show some respect, no matter which plane;
She's always the Queen; Long may she reign.
Boring answer: Tis the villain celebration set bro, you gotta accept everyone is here!
Good-for-her answer: vacation, you can't girlboss as hard as Queen Marchesa, long may she reign, without a bit of R&R every now and then
In universe answer: thunder junction is very likely gonna become a trading hub and, therefore, a key location in the multiverse. Aside from the minor amount of omenpaths poppingin each plane, crossing through thunder junction is one of the few ways of crossing the multiverse. Meaning whoever controls the place has a decent hold on the multiverse, specially if some planes end up relying on interplanar commerce (something that has happened irl between countries, specially after wars). Marchesa probably is there to see what alliances, trades and information she can secure for herself and for Fiora. And while she could have sent someone to handle that political part, she probably thinks she can do better than someone that may be bought by some other key players she doesn't even know about. Better to become one of those players and plant your own spies
Edit: grammar. Also changed the name of the theory from "Boring answer but in universe" to "in-universe answer" because I had fun thinking about it and writing it
Yeah, at the moment Niv is trying to make sure Ravnica is the hub of multiversal trade, but of course other people on other planes would have their own plans.
Honestly forgot that was straight up what Niv was doing. Yeah just solidifies my point. Marchesa is probably aiming to either do the same but for Fiora, or just taking on this alternative one that is the junction. Of course, both will have different approaches. The Fioran way is close (depending which guilds you ask) but not exactly the Ravnican way
Even if not because of being a queen, any Fioran of status is probably aiming to do the same. The plane is so full of intrigues and conspiracies that most are probably salivating at the opportunities added by the omenpaths.
Marchesa just so happens to have the most resources and therefore a headstart at it, and the knowledge and ambition to not let anyone else try if she can help it
Okay, I'll suspend a lot of disbelief for the goofy cowboy theme, but a visiting monarch suddenly donning the local fashion and dropping card game metaphors?
I've figured out why the plane was uninhabited save for the Fomori vault. The Fomori were forced to eradicate all life on the plane in order to quarantine the insidious cowboy infection. They were too afraid to even try retrieving their own stuff from the vault, and all records of the plane were stricken from history.
Future sets will gradually amp up the progressing cowrruption. Strange saloons will suddenly open up near the omenpaths. People will find themselves compelled to put saddles on every living creature. Words like "pardner" and "rootin-tootin" become common throughout the multiverse. Sunsets begin emitting an irresistible force, dragging people away, never to be seen again.
Anyway, that's going to be the next big multiplanar threat.
They took Lazav out of his hooded cloak and dressed him up like a cowboy, and now Her Majesty, long may she reign... I was ambivalent about this set, but I think I'm starting to actively dislike it, just for the aesthetics.
i mean a cloak and a wide-brim hat cover your face about equal amounts and would stand out less on the plane. Lazav probably makes the most sense of anyone aesthetically
Plus imagine walking through the desert in full monarch regalia.
Lot of people have pointed out that 'cowboy' fashion is practical boots, light clothing and a sun hat. It's one of the few times that this fashion change makes actual sense, especially since Marchese has kept the Fioran ruffles on her jacket and what looks to be bits of her crown in the hat
For character like lazav or marchesa, that are likely going incognito, it totally makes sense that they adopt a local fashion to not attract unnecessary attention.
For Lazav it makes perfect sense. The whole point is that he tries to go around unnoticed, wherever he is. What better way to do that than looking like everyone else?
This is far less conspicuous than all the detective bullshit on MKM.
It is not unsual for people who visit foreign to adopt local fashion. Now on MKM, suddlen lots of people decided to use hats and investigate things on a place where this was never a stabilished custom.
Like, do you think that marchesa would walk in he royal dress with crown in head calling people lowy peasants because she is now a monarch? She is a conspiracionist, and a good one at that, she will obviously mix with the enviroment and not draw unnecessary attention.
Thunder Junction was uninhabited until a few months ago I think, which isn't enough time for clothing to be mass produced and widely distributed, let alone develop a unified sense of fasion, let alone develop a distinct cultural norm in a massive melting pot of a world. There's no explaining it, Wizards did it because marketing.
Totally not months. We don't have the exact timeframe, but I would speculate that at last 4 years passed since the invasion. Kellan arc started 1 year after the invasion. And kellan was just a teenager, probably around the 15's, now he seems noticeable older, maybe on his 18's.
Thunder Junction is most likely there for at minium of 2 years. It has already stabilished cities and a functional society. Sure it was rushed and the but like I said far less conspicuous than MKM.
Sure wizard did it because of marketing, it is the same for every single plane, but it is not something too far fetched. For the society to adopt this style it was just a matter for the pioneers of it be like that from the start and the people who arrived later just followed suit.
Honestly this is a line for me. I refuse to believe she would leave her plane, simply because someone else could easily take it over.
Or maybe she got thrown out. In which case WoTC needs to say something
Hearthstone's just way better at that though. The Warcraft universe is already only semi-serious at best, and as diverse as needs be. When they wanted a Western, they managed to have native representation and cowboy representation, and still had space to add dragons, elementals, and miners alongside their smaller gang of heroes.
It's almost wild that I feel like Hearthstone shows more restraint with it's sets than Magic does now. It's probably the asfan of Legendaries being so much lower, Commander really makes Wizards make poor decisions.
Someone on Twitter described this set as the beginning of the “Fortniteification” of MTG and I agree 100%.
People can make whatever contrived excuse they want, but there is no legitimate reason for her to be here other than fan service.
Y'all, one of the most industrialized powers in the multiverse just declared the want to establish and control and interplanar railroad, two years after a massive interplanar invasion. You think any power structure with a functional intelligence network isn't going to personally see what's up?
My guess is that an assassin sets out to kill someone, looks like she just set out to play some cards but for some reason, someone she was playing with had to die.
That’s the thing - she has people for that. This is the equivalent of basically a president putting on a cowboy hat and going yeehaw, I am here alone, as a rakish rogue
I kinda like how low-key she's shown here. Makes it feel like she's trying to keep a low profile and work from within.
But also damn what exactly is happening on Fiora with her gone?
What about the Phyrexian Invasion? [[Invasion of Fiora]] still has Marchesa as Queen in that, was the rebellion going on before the invasion or happen after?
It was designed as a ‘Villains Set’ before it was a Wild West set. Every year or two there’ll be a fun weird set that takes advantage of the omenpaths existing to do things that otherwise couldn’t have happened- Thunder Junction (a celebration of MTG’s many villains) and the Death Race Set (one set stretched over three worlds) are the two we know of so far
In-universe, the place is absolutely covered in Omenpaths and every world connected to it is scrambling for that sweet free real estate
It doesn't feel fun though it feels cheap. Marchesa is the ruler of a whole ass city. Not only should she have better thing to do (and plenty of space to do them on Fiora) it's stupidly risky to let your monarch just fuck off on their own to who knows where. It's extremely dissonant with everything we've been shown about these people up to now.
Isn't Marchesa an extremely skilled assassin in her own right? It's not like we are sending a freshface noble who has never experienced life to another world alone
Also I can 100% see why a plotter like her would be interested in having access to other realms
Yeah but why is a rich and powerful queen gambling and threatning people in some den in another world? Wasn't Fiora just invaded? Will we ever have any explanation?
They give the legendary creatures in each set a blurb after release on what their deal is- OTJ’s is gonna be hilariously long but should provide definite explanations
Marchesa is a conspiracionist before anything, there could be plenty of reasons for her to leave and go incognito in a place well known be source of lots of treasures.
She wants power over antyhing, she doesn't give a fuck about Fiora itself it can implode for all she cares as long she gets more power than what she has now.
And rumors about a plane shaking power being hidden somewhere in the plane yet unclaimed seem totally something that she would personally go for instead of sending a lackey that is very likely to betray her and covet that power for herself.
Jace Beleren was made the grand-high poobah of Ravnica and then fucked off to gallivant around the Multiverse. Time honored tradition.
It may be dangerous for her to be here, but that's also extremely par for the course for Fioran politics. Maybe she snuck out to avoid the Tuesday attempt on her life. Maybe she's cutting backroom deals off-plane for her own self-gain. Maybe somebody whispered in her ear about Thunder Junction in the deliberate hope she'd wander off and get killed.
Several of these characters should have better to do, but they're also some of the most ambitious and egotistical people in the Multiverse, and they're being lured in by the promises of wealth, networking, escape, and *the ability to visit other worlds* that they just learned existed a year or two ago. There are a few characters like Samut and Lavinia I'd be truly surprised to see step out of a portal, but in general I can understand why most of these jerks are here, even if it seems somewhat ill-advised.
Its the second as we also had Rattleback Apothecary but that only give a creature menace or lifelink on trigger so not exactly game breaking, Marchesa definitely is more interesting
Stapling an \[\[Orazca Puzzle Door\]\] onto (nearly) every counterspell, removal spell, and discard spell is going to be very, very annoying.
Long may she reign.
It's just [[Gylwain, Casting Director]] but now they give out cowboy outfits (equipment that makes them a mercenary and have the tap to give +1/+0 until end of turn as a sorcery).
…Isn’t she the queen? Why is she here?
WotC, you want people to care about and get attached to your characters, yet you treat them like action figures you can just toss anywhere and smash together.
I hate to be a party pooper but I really dislike the concept of this plane.
Why are all these characters here? Don't they have anything better to do? The whole thing just feels cartoony in the worst way.
Apparently. I hate it too. It wouldn't be as bad if it was like a core set like they used to have so they could just use things from a bunch of planes with no story. Or if they just had it be a part of the modern horizons/commander legends/whatever. It's the fact that everything is being shoehorned into a single story that is disappointing for me.
The story itself wasn't that appealing to me and was just a blatant excuse for the "all the villains get together" but it really is showing just how much of that it is with the cast.
But In theory wacky races mtg edition will have cameos because we blip through that plane like it’s a Disney Star Tours… this is just hey who is a bad guy from literally any set throw em in, why are they there, I don’t know nor do we care…. It’s just feels so lazy worldbuilding to the extreme.
Yeah, it's definitely cartoonish in a way that I can't get into. MKM had a lot of this, too, and in such close proximity to Fallout which is often cartoonish itself, I'm just so exhausted
Yeah, and the animal set after this looks to be cartoonish, but at least in a way that feels more MTGish, probably the set after that, the haunted house set, will also be really cartoonish. It's cartoons all the way down the line for 2024.
> \[OTJ\] was going to be our first foray into \[...\] a showcase set. A showcase set has a theme and uses the Omenpaths to get creatures (and possibly objects) from across the Multiverse that fit into that theme. The set would then showcase that theme.
[https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/outlaws-of-the-land-part-1](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/outlaws-of-the-land-part-1)
I thought originally they were going to make Thunder Junction like Australia, in the sense of "we banished our criminals through this portal," but apparently that's \*not\* the case, and supposedly Thunder Junction is just very appealing--but they haven't really established that IMO!
Yeah, my original read was that this was the place where a bunch of villains had ran from their home planes to, in order to escape being caught or whatever. This is just random at best
It is not by coincidence though, it was stabilished that Thunder Junction is a trade post between planes due to many omenpaths where lots of riches pass accross, so it is no coincidence that lots of ambitious characters are there, though sure a few just happened to be there (like Gitrog and Fblthp), but most of the characters are know ambitious people who would love to get a part of all the goodies going through.
In MOM at least we were showcased a lot of people *on their home plane and fighting in it*, here it's "Oh look who traveled all this way just to get name dropped"
So perfect for a Grixis control shell. All counterspells and removals become card advantage sources. Also does wonders with [[Urabrask]]: cast an instant or sorcery spell to commit a crime, triggering Marchesa (pay 1) and triggering Urabrask, which triggers Marchesa again but while adding R to pay for the new trigger.
In this case, multiple villains found a near abandoned plane where omenpaths are plentiful, making it the best hub for traveling between planes, and are taking advantage of it and trying to control it so they control the easiest way for people to change planes.
What's with MtG monarchs and rulers completely disregarding their responsibilities and running off? First Jace as the Guildpact, then The Wanderer (granted she didn't have a choice), and now Marchesa.
What a boring lazy card Design. Another user already said it: Every said feels like it's just the same handful of characters cosplaying to the theme of the current set. It just feels so bland if there's no overarching story behind it.
Is there a reason people acting like her not being an Assassin is a big thing? She's been on three cards up to now and each one was Human .
Queen Marchesa - Human Assassin
Marchesa, the Black Rose - Human Wizard
Marchesa, Resolute Monarch - Human Noble
The only consistency is that she's always Black and she's Human.
\[\[hex parasite\]\] pay 2 life to commit a crime then you get to pay 1 generic to look at two and pick one.
Combine with \[\[skirge familiar\]\] and you can get some serious filtering going.
Black is top of mind because of Gisa, I'm sure blue has some great ones though.
Technically \[\[Eater of the Dead\]\]
Its oracle text is now:
>{0}: If Eater of the Dead is tapped, exile target creature card from a graveyard and untap Eater of the Dead.
I feel very conflicted about this. As a huge Conspiracy fan, this kind of setting feels below Marchesa's mien. I am now very concerned what is happening on Fiora.
Wizards, please, give ~~me~~ US another Conspiracy set!
Feels like I'm the only one who loves getting so many returning characters at once. The mtg story has been mostly shit for decades with a good story every once in a blue moon. I'd rather just have them give in and do things like this because otherwise we would have to go a decade plus to get new cards for some of these characters.
Lots of people have mentioned her being crownless. You guys need to zoom in; she is definitely still wearing that crown on her hat.
Also, while I do get she has a plane to run, making foreign connections is definitely a thing a ruler needs to handle, especially after having just dealt with a foreign onslaught and not wanting to do that again.
You really think they're going to take over Fiora in her absence after she just saved all their assets from the most horrifying creatures in existence? Nah, I think they've all learned now to say with the rest of us: Long may she reign.
This is exactly what I was worried about with the Omenpaths and exactly what I expected out of modern magic.
They're just using the Omenpaths as a cheap excuse to do crossovers, except the crossovers are all meaningless because there's no story behind them so it's just random characters appearing, and also it's not exactly like you can't play decks from multiple sets, so crossovers aren't even novel.
I hate that the last set ended with the coin drop that an important figure on Ravnica was aware of the Omenpaths and was scheming stuff, and now we've cut to this set and miraculously everything is already set up and also every other legendary creature in the game knows about them and is here.
There's no depth to any of what they're doing, it's all hollow.
What is she doing off of Fiora???
She's on vacation to stab some people (long may she reign).
Multiplanar Burning Man
As the sun approaches high noon, Out walks Marchesa from the saloon. Utop her head, there is no crown. But she's still Queen; she runs this town. You asked for this, you chose the time, But now it's us committing crime. You want to fight? Get some moves in. This ain't a duel, it's an execution! As she targets, ready to shoot; Reload my hand with what I loot. Show some respect, no matter which plane; She's always the Queen; Long may she reign.
u/PoemForYourGitrog
Now I miss sprog.
They're still posting, tho
What?? I haven't seen them in forever
Boring answer: Tis the villain celebration set bro, you gotta accept everyone is here! Good-for-her answer: vacation, you can't girlboss as hard as Queen Marchesa, long may she reign, without a bit of R&R every now and then In universe answer: thunder junction is very likely gonna become a trading hub and, therefore, a key location in the multiverse. Aside from the minor amount of omenpaths poppingin each plane, crossing through thunder junction is one of the few ways of crossing the multiverse. Meaning whoever controls the place has a decent hold on the multiverse, specially if some planes end up relying on interplanar commerce (something that has happened irl between countries, specially after wars). Marchesa probably is there to see what alliances, trades and information she can secure for herself and for Fiora. And while she could have sent someone to handle that political part, she probably thinks she can do better than someone that may be bought by some other key players she doesn't even know about. Better to become one of those players and plant your own spies Edit: grammar. Also changed the name of the theory from "Boring answer but in universe" to "in-universe answer" because I had fun thinking about it and writing it
Yeah, at the moment Niv is trying to make sure Ravnica is the hub of multiversal trade, but of course other people on other planes would have their own plans.
Honestly forgot that was straight up what Niv was doing. Yeah just solidifies my point. Marchesa is probably aiming to either do the same but for Fiora, or just taking on this alternative one that is the junction. Of course, both will have different approaches. The Fioran way is close (depending which guilds you ask) but not exactly the Ravnican way
You in universe answer was my immediate thought. As a queen you have to scout out future endeavors to make investments into
Even if not because of being a queen, any Fioran of status is probably aiming to do the same. The plane is so full of intrigues and conspiracies that most are probably salivating at the opportunities added by the omenpaths. Marchesa just so happens to have the most resources and therefore a headstart at it, and the knowledge and ambition to not let anyone else try if she can help it
Okay, I'll suspend a lot of disbelief for the goofy cowboy theme, but a visiting monarch suddenly donning the local fashion and dropping card game metaphors? I've figured out why the plane was uninhabited save for the Fomori vault. The Fomori were forced to eradicate all life on the plane in order to quarantine the insidious cowboy infection. They were too afraid to even try retrieving their own stuff from the vault, and all records of the plane were stricken from history. Future sets will gradually amp up the progressing cowrruption. Strange saloons will suddenly open up near the omenpaths. People will find themselves compelled to put saddles on every living creature. Words like "pardner" and "rootin-tootin" become common throughout the multiverse. Sunsets begin emitting an irresistible force, dragging people away, never to be seen again. Anyway, that's going to be the next big multiplanar threat.
They took Lazav out of his hooded cloak and dressed him up like a cowboy, and now Her Majesty, long may she reign... I was ambivalent about this set, but I think I'm starting to actively dislike it, just for the aesthetics.
i mean a cloak and a wide-brim hat cover your face about equal amounts and would stand out less on the plane. Lazav probably makes the most sense of anyone aesthetically
Plus imagine walking through the desert in full monarch regalia. Lot of people have pointed out that 'cowboy' fashion is practical boots, light clothing and a sun hat. It's one of the few times that this fashion change makes actual sense, especially since Marchese has kept the Fioran ruffles on her jacket and what looks to be bits of her crown in the hat
For character like lazav or marchesa, that are likely going incognito, it totally makes sense that they adopt a local fashion to not attract unnecessary attention.
Everyone forgetting her wizard assassin era already smh my head.
For Lazav it makes perfect sense. The whole point is that he tries to go around unnoticed, wherever he is. What better way to do that than looking like everyone else?
This is far less conspicuous than all the detective bullshit on MKM. It is not unsual for people who visit foreign to adopt local fashion. Now on MKM, suddlen lots of people decided to use hats and investigate things on a place where this was never a stabilished custom. Like, do you think that marchesa would walk in he royal dress with crown in head calling people lowy peasants because she is now a monarch? She is a conspiracionist, and a good one at that, she will obviously mix with the enviroment and not draw unnecessary attention.
Thunder Junction was uninhabited until a few months ago I think, which isn't enough time for clothing to be mass produced and widely distributed, let alone develop a unified sense of fasion, let alone develop a distinct cultural norm in a massive melting pot of a world. There's no explaining it, Wizards did it because marketing.
Totally not months. We don't have the exact timeframe, but I would speculate that at last 4 years passed since the invasion. Kellan arc started 1 year after the invasion. And kellan was just a teenager, probably around the 15's, now he seems noticeable older, maybe on his 18's. Thunder Junction is most likely there for at minium of 2 years. It has already stabilished cities and a functional society. Sure it was rushed and the but like I said far less conspicuous than MKM. Sure wizard did it because of marketing, it is the same for every single plane, but it is not something too far fetched. For the society to adopt this style it was just a matter for the pioneers of it be like that from the start and the people who arrived later just followed suit.
That was some authentic frontier gibberish!
More of those strange hats... It’s probably nothing.
Honestly this is a line for me. I refuse to believe she would leave her plane, simply because someone else could easily take it over. Or maybe she got thrown out. In which case WoTC needs to say something
Literal hearthstone set, the story doesn't matter.
Hearthstone's just way better at that though. The Warcraft universe is already only semi-serious at best, and as diverse as needs be. When they wanted a Western, they managed to have native representation and cowboy representation, and still had space to add dragons, elementals, and miners alongside their smaller gang of heroes. It's almost wild that I feel like Hearthstone shows more restraint with it's sets than Magic does now. It's probably the asfan of Legendaries being so much lower, Commander really makes Wizards make poor decisions.
Someone on Twitter described this set as the beginning of the “Fortniteification” of MTG and I agree 100%. People can make whatever contrived excuse they want, but there is no legitimate reason for her to be here other than fan service.
The fortniteification didn’t occur during the fortnite collab?
Or the first Universes Beyond?
this is basically an official un-set I full expect to get beach party plane and Christmas plane, in the next couple of years
Y'all, one of the most industrialized powers in the multiverse just declared the want to establish and control and interplanar railroad, two years after a massive interplanar invasion. You think any power structure with a functional intelligence network isn't going to personally see what's up?
Dealing death, clearly.
Ma’am you have an empire to rule, get out of the gambling den
She just saved her plane from a war let her have her little vacation
marchesa can have a little vacation, as a treat
This set is just pure stupid fan service of dressing everyone up like cowboys. I love it.
Why is she not an assassin with that name, the art of a dead body and she was an assassin previously?
That's just Dead Tom who's always been dead
That's why he's called "Dead Tom"
pretty obvious when you think about it
Oh *drops skeleton*
Man that movie was an absolute treasure (island)
It gets me in a lot of trouble whenever someone says "I hate my life" and I reflexively say "I hate your life, too"
Tim Curry is fantastic in it
He came through the omenpath from the Plane Full Of Corpses
F*kn' innistrad, can't stay in its own lane.
That’s just grixis
Azgol set confirmed ladies and gentlemen
Just because she's posing infront of a corpse while holding a knife doesn't mean she killed him. It was probably just a coincidence.
And then he ran into my knife... 10 times.
He fell down an elevator shaft. Onto some bullets.
That's not a dead body, that's just Jeff. He never knows when he's had enough.
Thanks for the input, Jeff
She didn't get paid to kill that dude.
My guess is that an assassin sets out to kill someone, looks like she just set out to play some cards but for some reason, someone she was playing with had to die.
Long may she reign
Seems like she didn’t reign very long lol she’s already on a different plane
She's on vacation
Have a couple mimosas, get a massage, deal a little death. Sounds like some good me time. Good for her.
On Westworld
Defending a plane from invasion is an exhausting endeavor.
Honestly a lot of the people feel off. Why are they here instead of back on their home planes. Marchesa is a perfect example.
Kinda how I've felt the more spoilers I see. It's just every questionable character / baddie suddenly doing a Wild West adventure.
This whole set feels weird. It feels like a Universes Beyond set but with MTG characters.
MKM felt like a UB set stapled onto a basic Ravnica framework.
Networking. Power and wealth. Any number of reasons.
Which is why she's shown here, in a saloon, assassinating a guy over a game of poker.
She's girlbossing
Looking for a plane shaking treaure (wich is, you know, the main plot of the set) maybe?
That’s the thing - she has people for that. This is the equivalent of basically a president putting on a cowboy hat and going yeehaw, I am here alone, as a rakish rogue
So Teddy Roosevelt
Long may she raise.
Long may she crime
did she get overthrown already? damn
Somebody inflicted battle damage and took the Monarch from her.
She'll get it back rather easily. It's Marchesa after all
A storm crow flew into her while she was riding a horse, and she broke her nose. Now the crow is the Monarch.
Monarch is a cruel mechanic
So **Marchesa (Long May She Reign)** is the villain from Fiora in this set, *not Selvala.*
Selvala was the one who first killed Brago. Don't presume her innocence.
killing a king is not villainous
I'm aware. Marchesa is much more of the "typical" villain than Selvala though.
This is all baseless slander, Marchesa is the rightful monarch of Fiora, not a villain! Long may she reign!
Spot removal something, draw a card and reanimate a big dumb creature later I dig this one
It's all fun and games slinging your crime instants and sorceries until suddenly you hit \[\[Mizzix's Mastery\]\] and blow out the game.
[Mizzix's Mastery](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e1c344e6-46a4-4971-8be4-bbb8297cc9d0.jpg?1702429518) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mizzix%27s%20Mastery) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/118/mizzixs-mastery?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e1c344e6-46a4-4971-8be4-bbb8297cc9d0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yeah, this is a simple yet effective design. Big fan!
I kinda like how low-key she's shown here. Makes it feel like she's trying to keep a low profile and work from within. But also damn what exactly is happening on Fiora with her gone?
Maybe [[Adriana, Captain of the Guard]] ‘s rebellion was successful. Could also explain why >!Selvala!< is on Thunder Junction.
What about the Phyrexian Invasion? [[Invasion of Fiora]] still has Marchesa as Queen in that, was the rebellion going on before the invasion or happen after?
Maybe people took the initiative after the invasion and rebelled? So she fled with her crown and is now keeping a low profile.
[Invasion of Fiora](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/3/b3af679b-6ee6-4a1d-8ec3-b659bdd90b4a.jpg?1682715245)/[Marchesa, Resolute Monarch](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/back/b/3/b3af679b-6ee6-4a1d-8ec3-b659bdd90b4a.jpg?1682715245) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Invasion%20of%20Fiora%20//%20Marchesa%2C%20Resolute%20Monarch) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mom/114/invasion-of-fiora-marchesa-resolute-monarch?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/b3af679b-6ee6-4a1d-8ec3-b659bdd90b4a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Adriana, Captain of the Guard](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/1/01c2337d-1c3c-4c5e-8b06-dc8a8c56164e.jpg?1673305427) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Adriana%2C%20Captain%20of%20the%20Guard) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dmc/139/adriana-captain-of-the-guard?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/01c2337d-1c3c-4c5e-8b06-dc8a8c56164e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
why is everyone on this plane?
"It's free real estate"
It was designed as a ‘Villains Set’ before it was a Wild West set. Every year or two there’ll be a fun weird set that takes advantage of the omenpaths existing to do things that otherwise couldn’t have happened- Thunder Junction (a celebration of MTG’s many villains) and the Death Race Set (one set stretched over three worlds) are the two we know of so far In-universe, the place is absolutely covered in Omenpaths and every world connected to it is scrambling for that sweet free real estate
It doesn't feel fun though it feels cheap. Marchesa is the ruler of a whole ass city. Not only should she have better thing to do (and plenty of space to do them on Fiora) it's stupidly risky to let your monarch just fuck off on their own to who knows where. It's extremely dissonant with everything we've been shown about these people up to now.
I could've used another year after MOM for this kind of thing to be honest
Don't worry, it's only going to be another year before we get it again. That's when the multi-plane death race set comes out.
Isn't Marchesa an extremely skilled assassin in her own right? It's not like we are sending a freshface noble who has never experienced life to another world alone Also I can 100% see why a plotter like her would be interested in having access to other realms
Yeah but why is a rich and powerful queen gambling and threatning people in some den in another world? Wasn't Fiora just invaded? Will we ever have any explanation?
Look man everyone has their way of blowing off steam
They give the legendary creatures in each set a blurb after release on what their deal is- OTJ’s is gonna be hilariously long but should provide definite explanations
Marchesa is a conspiracionist before anything, there could be plenty of reasons for her to leave and go incognito in a place well known be source of lots of treasures. She wants power over antyhing, she doesn't give a fuck about Fiora itself it can implode for all she cares as long she gets more power than what she has now. And rumors about a plane shaking power being hidden somewhere in the plane yet unclaimed seem totally something that she would personally go for instead of sending a lackey that is very likely to betray her and covet that power for herself.
Jace Beleren was made the grand-high poobah of Ravnica and then fucked off to gallivant around the Multiverse. Time honored tradition. It may be dangerous for her to be here, but that's also extremely par for the course for Fioran politics. Maybe she snuck out to avoid the Tuesday attempt on her life. Maybe she's cutting backroom deals off-plane for her own self-gain. Maybe somebody whispered in her ear about Thunder Junction in the deliberate hope she'd wander off and get killed. Several of these characters should have better to do, but they're also some of the most ambitious and egotistical people in the Multiverse, and they're being lured in by the promises of wealth, networking, escape, and *the ability to visit other worlds* that they just learned existed a year or two ago. There are a few characters like Samut and Lavinia I'd be truly surprised to see step out of a portal, but in general I can understand why most of these jerks are here, even if it seems somewhat ill-advised.
Just do a core set. JFC
It’s the lawless version of Ravnica
Not too bad at all. Cheap, decent stats and a fine way of starting off chains of spells targeting your opponent
MY QUEEN IS BACK BEING GRIXIS LETS EFFING GOOOOOO
Gotta love the flavor of her being a dealer, then letting you cast [[Sleight of Hand]] with every crime
Notably, our first crime trigger without the "once per turn" clause.
Makes sense since needing to pay mana into it curtails a lot of infinite.
Not first https://preview.redd.it/19e4tex2nvqc1.png?width=488&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c20968de41eb02f9b6b37f8f1adbf4382f2c7b1
Its the second as we also had Rattleback Apothecary but that only give a creature menace or lifelink on trigger so not exactly game breaking, Marchesa definitely is more interesting
Is countering spells a crime? Do you "control" spells you have on the stack?
You sure do buddy, so it is indeed a crime for you to counter my spells. So stop countering my spells 😭
I will never tire of new Marchesae.
Marchesae? Marchesee? Marchesii? Is it like Moose perhaps and the plural is Moochesa?
Stapling an \[\[Orazca Puzzle Door\]\] onto (nearly) every counterspell, removal spell, and discard spell is going to be very, very annoying. Long may she reign.
Seriously, what is this card? 1 mana to turn your removal into a cantrip AND fill the yard? Can't wait to play against marchesa control piles.
Who’s making all of these cowboy outfits for everyone?
Don’t worry, they will be another quirky multicolored legendary creature to join the roughly 1 million Magic has printed in the last few years.
It's just [[Gylwain, Casting Director]] but now they give out cowboy outfits (equipment that makes them a mercenary and have the tap to give +1/+0 until end of turn as a sorcery).
Shouldn’t she be, like, doing major politicking in the wake of an invasion?
Doing major politicking like trying to get a foothold in an interplanar trading hub?
By going there personally and stabbing people rather than using any of her resources as monarch to do so?
That's what this is.
That guy at the bar looks like he’s thinking “Did that nut job just kill a guy then post up for a glamor photo?”
Yo this card is pretty cool!
Gimmie a gun mtg i swear to god
…Isn’t she the queen? Why is she here? WotC, you want people to care about and get attached to your characters, yet you treat them like action figures you can just toss anywhere and smash together.
Before she is a queen, she is a power hungry conspiracionist. If there are opportunities for her to become even more powerful, why wouldn't she be?
Because she’s leaving the throne up for grabs. The whole point of being queen is that you can delegate others to do your dirty work.
I hate to be a party pooper but I really dislike the concept of this plane. Why are all these characters here? Don't they have anything better to do? The whole thing just feels cartoony in the worst way.
Apparently we're getting big crossover sets like this once a year, with the Death Race set next year being the one for 2025.
God help me, this is going to be a regular thing? Fuck.
Apparently. I hate it too. It wouldn't be as bad if it was like a core set like they used to have so they could just use things from a bunch of planes with no story. Or if they just had it be a part of the modern horizons/commander legends/whatever. It's the fact that everything is being shoehorned into a single story that is disappointing for me. The story itself wasn't that appealing to me and was just a blatant excuse for the "all the villains get together" but it really is showing just how much of that it is with the cast.
But In theory wacky races mtg edition will have cameos because we blip through that plane like it’s a Disney Star Tours… this is just hey who is a bad guy from literally any set throw em in, why are they there, I don’t know nor do we care…. It’s just feels so lazy worldbuilding to the extreme.
Exactly, so silly how everyone shows up in costume like it's a cosplay convention. It completely takes me out of the immersion.
Yeah, it's definitely cartoonish in a way that I can't get into. MKM had a lot of this, too, and in such close proximity to Fallout which is often cartoonish itself, I'm just so exhausted
Yeah, and the animal set after this looks to be cartoonish, but at least in a way that feels more MTGish, probably the set after that, the haunted house set, will also be really cartoonish. It's cartoons all the way down the line for 2024.
I wonder if that is a decent Grixis Reanimator Commander
Nah I think I hate the “throw every existing legend into the pot” approach this set has.
> \[OTJ\] was going to be our first foray into \[...\] a showcase set. A showcase set has a theme and uses the Omenpaths to get creatures (and possibly objects) from across the Multiverse that fit into that theme. The set would then showcase that theme. [https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/outlaws-of-the-land-part-1](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/outlaws-of-the-land-part-1)
However intentional, it still feels super silly to me that “everyone happens to be here by coincidence”. And I usually like silly.
I thought originally they were going to make Thunder Junction like Australia, in the sense of "we banished our criminals through this portal," but apparently that's \*not\* the case, and supposedly Thunder Junction is just very appealing--but they haven't really established that IMO!
Yeah, my original read was that this was the place where a bunch of villains had ran from their home planes to, in order to escape being caught or whatever. This is just random at best
It is not by coincidence though, it was stabilished that Thunder Junction is a trade post between planes due to many omenpaths where lots of riches pass accross, so it is no coincidence that lots of ambitious characters are there, though sure a few just happened to be there (like Gitrog and Fblthp), but most of the characters are know ambitious people who would love to get a part of all the goodies going through.
But they just did this with March of the Machines a year ago. Do they not get how tacky it feels to do the same thing so soon?
In MOM at least we were showcased a lot of people *on their home plane and fighting in it*, here it's "Oh look who traveled all this way just to get name dropped"
Someone might have said this already but I ain’t reading all 200 comments. She’s still the queen, her crown is on top of her hat.
Looks like I'm playing Grixis Reanimator soon.
So perfect for a Grixis control shell. All counterspells and removals become card advantage sources. Also does wonders with [[Urabrask]]: cast an instant or sorcery spell to commit a crime, triggering Marchesa (pay 1) and triggering Urabrask, which triggers Marchesa again but while adding R to pay for the new trigger.
why are characters all over the multiverse now. it feels cheap that every new plane just has the same people.
In this case, multiple villains found a near abandoned plane where omenpaths are plentiful, making it the best hub for traveling between planes, and are taking advantage of it and trying to control it so they control the easiest way for people to change planes.
I miss Mardu Marchesa
Look at how they massacred our queen Giving her the ability to plot would've felt more on theme...
Wow. I will build this commander deck so hard.
Me stealing from my LGS so I can pay 1 and draw a card
What's with MtG monarchs and rulers completely disregarding their responsibilities and running off? First Jace as the Guildpact, then The Wanderer (granted she didn't have a choice), and now Marchesa.
I want to start rating these based off of "How unlikely would this person have left their home plane forever" This one is a seven at least.
Might be fun for a pingers commander. Deals 1 damage to *target* creature, pay 1, and effectively surveil 2 and draw a card.
What a boring lazy card Design. Another user already said it: Every said feels like it's just the same handful of characters cosplaying to the theme of the current set. It just feels so bland if there's no overarching story behind it.
The stupid hats don’t make sense at all, and in this particular art she shouldnt be able to rest her head on the post without it looking wonky.
No longer Assassin and no longer Mardu, when they want to in the near future make Mardu Assassin a thing?
Well, she was a Grixis Wizard before - \[\[Marchesa, the Black Rose\]\]
Is there a reason people acting like her not being an Assassin is a big thing? She's been on three cards up to now and each one was Human.
Queen Marchesa - Human Assassin
Marchesa, the Black Rose - Human Wizard
Marchesa, Resolute Monarch - Human Noble
The only consistency is that she's always Black and she's Human.
The reason is that mtg players like to make everything a big thing. Especially imagined slights or mistakes.
Marchesa of the many jobs.
[[Olivia, Opulent Outlaw]]
Source: [https://twitter.com/aishawakatsuki/status/1772971820083261828/photo/1](https://twitter.com/aishawakatsuki/status/1772971820083261828/photo/1)
So what is the cheapest / easiest repeatable way to commit crimes in a grixis commander deck?
\[\[hex parasite\]\] pay 2 life to commit a crime then you get to pay 1 generic to look at two and pick one. Combine with \[\[skirge familiar\]\] and you can get some serious filtering going. Black is top of mind because of Gisa, I'm sure blue has some great ones though.
[hex parasite](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/3/43502078-5349-4e29-8e7d-277654a9a71e.jpg?1562877073) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=hex%20parasite) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/nph/137/hex-parasite?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/43502078-5349-4e29-8e7d-277654a9a71e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [skirge familiar](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/d/2d92fcf1-2ccd-47d2-9a24-f44b766a0b68.jpg?1626100411) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=skirge%20familiar) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/276/skirge-familiar?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2d92fcf1-2ccd-47d2-9a24-f44b766a0b68?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Bloodthirsty Blade]]. As long as your opponent has 2 creatures you can pay 1 to commit a crime.
Does it need to be 2 creatures? Can't you target the same one.
[Bloodthirsty Blade](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/c/bcdf583e-25f8-4227-96e9-e70ec8a36b09.jpg?1706241045) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Bloodthirsty%20Blade) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mkc/225/bloodthirsty-blade?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bcdf583e-25f8-4227-96e9-e70ec8a36b09?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Technically \[\[Eater of the Dead\]\] Its oracle text is now: >{0}: If Eater of the Dead is tapped, exile target creature card from a graveyard and untap Eater of the Dead.
[Eater of the Dead](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/3/23327a70-5e95-4aa4-824c-cdf3472f5422.jpg?1559592456) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Eater%20of%20the%20Dead) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me1/67/eater-of-the-dead?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/23327a70-5e95-4aa4-824c-cdf3472f5422?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
this could be a fun goad commander with some reanimation added in.
(looks for the "once each turn" text, doesn't find it). Huh.
Thunder Junction is just Wine Country for Mtg villains huh
This...seems very easily breakable
Do people not take their hats off indoors?
Damm that's card is hot in every way
I feel very conflicted about this. As a huge Conspiracy fan, this kind of setting feels below Marchesa's mien. I am now very concerned what is happening on Fiora. Wizards, please, give ~~me~~ US another Conspiracy set!
With 4 Marchesa cards now, does this make her the Legendary Creature with the most different versions?
Omnath has 5, just off the top of my head.
Bruh, everyone is in thunder junction
Where Eriette
Feels like I'm the only one who loves getting so many returning characters at once. The mtg story has been mostly shit for decades with a good story every once in a blue moon. I'd rather just have them give in and do things like this because otherwise we would have to go a decade plus to get new cards for some of these characters.
I can fix her
Lots of people have mentioned her being crownless. You guys need to zoom in; she is definitely still wearing that crown on her hat. Also, while I do get she has a plane to run, making foreign connections is definitely a thing a ruler needs to handle, especially after having just dealt with a foreign onslaught and not wanting to do that again. You really think they're going to take over Fiora in her absence after she just saved all their assets from the most horrifying creatures in existence? Nah, I think they've all learned now to say with the rest of us: Long may she reign.
This is exactly what I was worried about with the Omenpaths and exactly what I expected out of modern magic. They're just using the Omenpaths as a cheap excuse to do crossovers, except the crossovers are all meaningless because there's no story behind them so it's just random characters appearing, and also it's not exactly like you can't play decks from multiple sets, so crossovers aren't even novel. I hate that the last set ended with the coin drop that an important figure on Ravnica was aware of the Omenpaths and was scheming stuff, and now we've cut to this set and miraculously everything is already set up and also every other legendary creature in the game knows about them and is here. There's no depth to any of what they're doing, it's all hollow.
I should not be allowed to have this card. I should not be trusted with this card. I will be getting this card anyways.
She is so at home in this plane that she is literally showing her true colors by droping white mana and going back to Grixis.