Omenpaths

Excitement for Upcoming Sets

Hi Mark! Just wanna give shout out to awesome sets you have planned for the Dragonstorm arc: Bloomburrow for the high fantasy traditionalists and typal lovers, Duskmourn for the modern horror fans and a different take on an Enchantment matters set, The Death Race as a fun exploration of the Omenpaths and finally a set centered around Vehicles (I mean it's not confirmed but…c'mon), and a long-awaited Return to Tarkir set for Magic veterans and those who waited for a wedge faction set! I am absolutely stoked for all of these sets, and I am glad that Magic embraces variety enough to take risks for modern, novel aesthetics while still preserving old, familiar aesthetics!

I’m excited you’re excited.

Appreciation Bloomburrow Enchantments Factions Horrors Kindred / Typal Modern Omenpaths Vehicles Dragonstorm

Origin of the Banana Peel

The art for "Take out the Trash" has a banana peel on it. Where in the fully temperate region off the Valley are they getting bananas?

I assume it fell through an omenpath. : )

Art Humor Omenpaths Fell Take Out the Trash

Modern Themes and Omenpaths

I'm all for the modern themes and general aesthetic of Duskmourn. It's the only set this year I've personally been excited for. Honestly the only part that still doesn't feel right to me is random non-planeswalker characters being able to show up anywhere now. I'm fine with the lack of planeswalkers in the story now, but I wish it didn't come hand in hand with omenpaths.

The goal of desparking planeswalkers, and omen paths, was to allow us to have more “planeswalker” characters with less planeswalker cards.

Modern Omenpaths Planeswalkers Story / Lore Your Hand

Desire for More Kavus

I want to throw one in for more kavus. With Magic's unique/original IP big monsters like Kavu, Surrakar, and maybe Sliths (and now Varmints), I'd love to see them show up on more different planes, with reinterpretations and fitting into different settings.

Omenpaths will help this goal a bit, at least as far as seeing them more places. Them adapting might take time.

Kavu Omenpaths Planes Slith Surrakar Varmint

Rulings on Cloning Device Usage

Why are the rulings on the handy dandy humoncolous cloning device designed in such a way that if Nissa was to go to our world through an omenpath (which she probably can’t but you don’t have the ability to prove that) and try to use it she can’t because she is an elf and therefore her hands aren’t human hands.

We are very human-centric in our templating. I would rule if you’re able to play Magic, your hand works.

Elf Human Omenpaths Rules Templating Your Hand

Future of Myr and Omenpaths

Hey mark! I was wondering if we can expect myr to spread out using the omenpaths? (I love them so much) Thanks for reading this!

I hope to see more Myr.

Myr Omenpaths

Detective Agency Origin in MKM

Hey mark,I had a thought. One of if not the big points of OTJ is that everyone there(except cactusfolk) came from different planes thanks to the omenpaths. I was wondering, why did Wizards not do that for the Detective Agency in MKM? It feels far more believable that the organization came from another plane(possibly started by someone from New Capenna, seeing a familiar cityscape and wanting to capitalize) rather than just being there The Whole Time and only now being relevant.

The first Ravnica novel is literally about a cop solving a murder. People solving murders is not new to Ravnica.

Detective Murders at Karlov Manor Omenpaths Outlaws of Thunder Junction Planes

Impact of Omen Paths

Now that we've had a year of sets that explored omen paths as a plot device and an excuse to feature legendary creatures on planes they didn't originate from, how do you feel they affect the set mechanics? And more specifically, do you feel they have a noticeable affect on top-down design? (like for instance, the cowboy-themed set featuring many characters from Magic's past and attempting to stay true to their characters while working in those cowboy-themed set mechanics)

It’s a useful tool to make sets we previously couldn’t.How do you all feel about the impact of the omenpaths?

Creatures Legendary Creatures Mechanics Omenpaths Planes Plot Top Down

Slivers and Omen Paths

Hey Mark, now that we've got Omenpaths, does that at all affect where Slivers are sitting on the beeble scale?

No. The issue with Slivers is a mechanical one (they require a lot of structure) not a flavor one.

Beeble Scale Flavor Omenpaths Sliver

Narrative Evolution Challenge

Hello Mark. You know you could have done a set like OTJ (bringing characters from different plans on the same) before the Mending, without need of omenpath. Is this a confession that breaking portals and summoning with the Mending was a bad idea?

No. Stories evolve, things change. The Mending was great. That doesn’t mean it’s the way things should always be though.

Evolve Omenpaths Outlaws of Thunder Junction The Mending

Omenpaths Reception Poll

I honestly don’t know if it is an unpopular opinion or not, but I really like Omenpaths and the kind of sets that they enable.What are the general consensus about them ?

Let’s find out (at least from people here on Blogatog).
Do you all like omenpaths?Yes No Indifferent

Blogatog / Tumblr Omenpaths

Phyrexian Invasion Implications

About the Phyrexian invasion thing, first, thanks for reading and responding to my novel of an ask. I appreciate that you go out of your way to address this kind of feedback.Second, I recognize that it’s not clear how best to handle things like this when you don’t know how the audience will react, and I respect that you all did what you thought was best with the given information. I sent that ask more to explain how I and (I believe) others feel about how it was handled after the fact, not to try and convince you that it was wrong.I also appreciate the narrative implications of Realmbreaker’s breeching the multiverse, creating the omenpaths, desparking most planeswalkers, and how that has shaped the upcoming arc. Actually I’m really interested in this arc because you’ve been able to do things that were never possible before. I also appreciate that there’s online story content for the vorthoses.In other words, nothing you said is wrong, obviously. I was trying to articulate that there seems to be some kind of disconnect between the expectation that the audience had about how a Phyrexian invasion would play out and what your plans were. There seems to be some missing thing that really sells the idea of “yeah, the invasion was every bit as bad as you thought it would be, and then some.” Maybe it’s because stories like this generally have a “the bad guys won” moment before the good guys win (like Infinity War and Endgame), and March of the Machine seemed to have breezed through both.Also, looking through the comments I see there are plenty of people who don’t want to dwell on the Phyrexians any longer than we have to.

Looking back, I do think we wanted to structure Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machine differently. I would have started the war in Phyrexia and had the bad guys are dominating moment be the stinger at the end of that set’s story. (Note: this is all my opinion.)

Invasion March of the Machine Omenpaths Phyrexia: All Will Be One Phyrexian Planeswalkers Story / Lore Vorthos

Creature Type Love

I just wanted to voice how much I love both Azra and Aetherborn as creature types. I just saw how Kylem was rates as an 8 on the Rabiah scale, I hope that doesn't mean we won't be getting more Azra named characters in the future. Luckily due to Omenpaths there's a little more flexibility, as we can have one-offs show up on different planes.

I think we’ll see other Aetherborn and Azra.

Aetherborn Azra Creatures Omenpaths Planes Rabiah Scale

Purpose of Multiverse and Inter-planar Travel

What's the point of a multiverse now its so easy to move between planes? Aren't Ravnica/Kaladesh/New Capenna and the rest of the the planes mixed around Thunder Junction just like a new version of Dominaria now?

Omenpaths are unstable (they can come and go) and not super frequent, so it’s not an easy task for a character to go from plane A to plane B if they aren’t a planeswalker.

Dominaria Kaladesh Omenpaths Planes Planeswalkers

Thunder Junction Fashion

Hi Mark. Wasn't convinced by Thunder Junction previews but went to prerelease and LOVED it. Really fun set. Thank you. Given how short the time is from the omenpaths opening to the time of the set, where does TJ's fashion come from?

It’s been a year and a half.

Appreciation Omenpaths Prerelease Sealed Format Spoilers

Mana Flow Through Omenpaths

In the past different worlds were said to have more powerful or wild mana, does the opening of the Omenpaths erase this lore? Some planes had weak types of mana do the Omenpaths let stronger mana flow into them? Its just that previously lore onvolved various mana qualities andvwpuld just like to lnow ot that part of the metamagical physics has been changed?

To the best of my knowledge, mana doesn’t flow through omenpaths.

Erase Mana Omenpaths Planes Story / Lore

Ghosts and Omenpaths

Hi Mark, as always thanks for doing what you do. I’m not sure if this has been addressed elsewhere but can the ghosts of Ravnica travel through the omenpaths? I’d love a showcase set where Agrus Kos inspires a group of recruits (or quells a mob) on some other plane. He’d make a good Roman, or would do equally well employing his no nonsense attitude in a space war!

We haven’t tackled the metaphysics yet of spirit interplanetary travel.

Omenpaths Spirit

Showcase Set Ideas

" I am interested in feedback if you all like the idea of a showcase set. If the answer is yes, are there other themes you'd like to see?" I would like to see the idea expended on, yeah. Some ideas of showcase themes: -A tournament or competition; -a trapped plane/prison plane that captures people from across the multiverse; -a clash between two or more planes.

There are many ways to do a showcase set. Everyone should remember that when I say a “showcase” set I mean, the set is built around a theme, and then we bring characters, and potential other things like objects, there that fit that larger theme. Next year’s omenpath set is Tennis and it’s a different kind of set, what I’m calling a travelogue set" where there is something that takes place over multiple worlds, in Tennis’ case a race.

Clash Expend Omenpaths Planes

Omenpath Town Logic

"Most omenpaths are not stable and do not remain open continually. Also, you have no idea where you're going when you go through one, so it's not something to be done lightly. Finally, not all omenpaths are in obvious places."All of this seems like reasons to not build a town around one, yet we have a town built around one on Thunder Junction. Is their a reason the one there is different?

For some reason, the nature of Thunder Junction makes the omenpaths more stable, and more plentiful.

Omenpaths

Omenpaths Current State

How are the omenpaths as of this moment in mtg's story? I was confused when listening to episode 2 and they mentioned the town being built around the omenpath, in my head the feel like they are only a few months old - definitely not old enough to have a town develop around them with a hidden vault. Thanks!

There is an eighteen-month gap between March of the Machine and Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

March of the Machine Omenpaths Outlaws of Thunder Junction Story / Lore