What are the Eldrazi? | Magic Arcanum

[@MrPatwag]

the spaghetti monster in the moon is planning to sell a future set by bringing the eldrazi back

[@PhoenixXZY]

As unoriginal as that would probably be, I actually wouldn't mind a return of the Eldrazi. I think that their story has alot of interesting potential. As said in the video, the gatewatch only experienced the "hand", not the "full body".

[@jacobgober3875]

@@PhoenixXZY I doubt a plane could handle their "full body", kind of like pre mending bolas on Dominaria

[@tribute731]

I want the eldrazi to return. I need more powerful colorless cards for my colorless ramp commander deck

[@jessierine3981]

After recently getting back into mtg with guilds of ravnica (the setting that made me get into mtg back in the day) i would love to see eldrazi back in modern. Guildgates and Eldrazi are my two all time fav sets and seeing 2019 taking the former, i personally hope that 2020 will scratch that second itch

[@elizabethhicks4181]

I’d like to see the Phyrexian’s take on dealing with the Eldrazi. We need a good interplanar villain faction v. Interplanar villain faction set.

[@isaacdare9960]

It's likely that the Eldrazi work to recycle dying or dead planes. Ulamog appears first to take the magic out of the land and life, Kozilek distorts the remaining land and magic, and Emrakul uses this distorted magic to create new life. Emrakul likely realized that she was only distorting life, instead of creating it on the plane of Innistrad, hence why she decided to imprison herself. This makes the feud between Bolas and Ugin even more interesting, as Bolas could have simply been trying to release the Eldrazi to start up the recycling of dead planes once again.

[@Masteroftheweb]

Back in the day, Bolas was releasing the Eldrazi because if he couldn't become immortal again, he'd destroy the entire multiverse, and the Eldrazi were his tool for this. It was an ultimate act of selfishness... very Bolas like.

[@Furno-hm8yp]

hmm interesting

[@VexJinks]

A fever dream theory based on nothing. Popular for some ridiculous reason but foolish.

[@Furno-hm8yp]

@@VexJinks but he literally said what it was based on xD

[@VexJinks]

Furno5165 No, he doesn’t. The theory is literally based of subjective opinion.

[@joshaasnoot8679]

Thanks Nicole Bolas!

[@Semmelein]

I loled so hard on this one.

[@Bluecho4]

Ryan: Guess the video's over early- Nicole Bolas: *I outsmarted you EONS ago.*

[@ChauncyFatsack]

best comment

[@willemboele2079]

15:40 in a video that goes into this in more detail, (don't remember the channel) jace is put into a kind-off dream land by emrakul. he goes trough a bunch of differant rooms where he meets the other members of the gatewatch in some parrel jada-jada. in the last room, he finds emrakul. not in her usual form, but as a stone angel. emrakul wants to play chess. she sucks at the game and jace beats her easily. but once jace get's checkmate, the piches start moving on their own and start killing jace's pieces by tearing them apart. jace says something along the lines of "what the hell" and emrakul says: *"they were always my pieces jace, but right now i don't want to play anymore."* and once i heard that emrakul became my favourite character in mtg.

[@justinjacobs1501]

YES

[@Gashnaw]

Emrakul is one of the most interesting characters. She taught Nissa how to use blue magic she imprisoned herself in the moon. She is more peaceful than her siblings even though she is the most powerful and she was also the one who left zendikar while the others remained. I think the reason Emrakul wanted to be inside the moon however was because she was safe there, she sees a future even scarier than herself, and that moon hides her from it.

[@vaivs7903]

And after reading your post she is now also my favourite character.

[@ninja4nerds622]

Definitely need to make more, Nicole make him do more

[@owllord3346]

definitely better than that aether hub dude

[@sweetkicksvideos7566]

@@owllord3346 ever since he turned into a diva during that incident with mana source i can't even watch his videos.

[@dannyabbruzzese684]

Nicole you the best

[@Sykdude]

Nahiri "calling Sorin out" is a bit of an understatement. She attacked him because he refused to fulfill his oath and he was belittling her powers. He imprisoned her for attacking him. He could have just killed her.

[@antoniomarino9444]

Sorin is a too much of a good guy for being a vampire.. That's why he got stone-zoned by the good looking blonde of the situation

[@VIISkies]

If you pour over the details, the conclusion seems to lie in the fact that the three Titans in unison are world shapers. Ulamog tears up the mana of the plane, Kozilek uses that mana to reshape the landscape of said plane, and Emrakul manipulates and breathes "life" into the blank slate. This is extremely simplified Emrakul likely imprisoned herself in the Moon of Innistrad because she knew she couldn't complete her job without the other two Titans.

[@averyodowd6448]

Its also worth noting, I think, that though it was only mentioned briefly, Nicol Bolas tricked Chandra, Jace and Sarkhan into freeing the Eldrazi on Zendikar, and it's possible that Emrakul desired to remove herself from whatever equation Bolas needed her for.

[@herpderp66]

Bolas didn't know exactly what was imprisoned on Zendikar. He thought it was something he could exploit. I think he walked away from that planned once the Eldrazi was released.

[@joshuajordan6632]

That would imply there's a purpose. And if there's a purpose, there's a reason. If there's a reason, there's a creator. So who created them? Who's responsible for them and why? Who could create something more powerful than even the planeswalkers of old?

[@VIISkies]

joshua jordan counterargument: The Ur-Dragon. The Ur-Dragon is the ethereal being that created all dragons in Magic's history. It could thanos snap Bolas, one of the most powerful Planeswalkers to exist since before the Mending, out of existence if it wanted to. If the Eldrazi exist the same way Ur-Dragon does, they've just existed since the dawn of time.

[@averyodowd6448]

@@joshuajordan6632 The eldest planeswalker. There was a previous mending and there was only one planeswalker that survived and kept that power. Mark Rosewater himself.

[@hollyericson8452]

Wait wait wait hold on. Jace didn't ignore Ugin's plan to re-capture the Eldrazi. He, along with the rest of the Gatewatch, actually managed it! Until Ob Nixilis showed up and ruined everything in order to regain his spark. It was only after the entire hedron network was ruined and Kozilek was summoned from the depths of Zendikar or wherever that Jace and crew decided to go with plan B: lots of fire. So don't blame Jace, he recognized that Ugin was way smarter than him and tried to be a good good boy, but things went pear shaped and the Gatewatch had to improvise

[@terryprentice9657]

Gave you a thumbs up because you used "pear shaped" in your post.

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) True, true, but I'm looking at the flavor text on Hedron Archive and thinking Jace never really believed in the imprisonment plan to begin with...so as soon as it started to fail he was more than happy to switch to something else.

[@DevilishGuts]

I was expecting you to mention how Emrakul appeared in Nissa's mind during the events on Amonkhet, how she taught Nissa how to use blue mana, if that's a foresight that Emrakul wants to make Nissa a proper vessel for her to possess or something.

[@PhoenixXZY]

When did this happen? What card is this lore referenced?

[@DevilishGuts]

@@PhoenixXZY I don't remember exactly, but I believe it was when Nissa underwent Kefnet's trial. Emrakul spoke to Nissa in her mind during the trial, bearing the resemblance of the Emeria statue, as seen in Zendikar. That was told in a lore post at the official mtg site. You can see that Nissa's PW card in Amonkhet after that event includes a blue mana in the cost to symbolyze her newfound powers. I even wonder if her partening ways with the rest of the Gatewatch was somehow induced by Emrakul to leave her alone, far from her friends, so that she could be more easily controlled. To be honest, I kinda doubt that those guys responsible for the lore at WotC thought hard enough on the history to give a hint in such foresight, but it's a possibility.

[@zo-zu7158]

That would be super cool

[@keithfilibeck2390]

No, she doesn't want to possess her, Emrakul is not evil, she is the mother of all life, Eldrazis purpose is to reset all planes that get old, Emrakul seeds new life using the spawn that then gain colored Mana and evolve into the various races, this is why planes share so many similarities.

[@inajar7947]

That... did not happen. At all. Remotely.

[@zachbell5195]

That pond analogy was brilliant

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Wish I could take credit for it.

[@Masteroftheweb]

That's how Ugin explained the Eldrazi to Jace, and he never mentioned my favorite part about it. To paraphrase, "Say that same man puts his other hand into the water. You are now fighting against two different monsters... but are you really?"

[@marcuskohm4745]

I suspect Emrakul is being saved for one of three reasons: 1. A deus ex machina for the inevitable fight against Phyrexia. 2. There is still more to her line on inistraad 3. They are saving her as the eldrazi are cash cows and the next time they lose value she comes back out of the moon

[@sirnamelessguy7395]

Hope they will get to make another Phyrexian set, I love those guys!

[@amiablereaper]

Eldrazi vs. New Phyrexia would be levels of awesome I'm not sure this game can handle

[@Charsiupao]

I think she had to survive if Innistrad was ever going to continue having a source of Eldritch Lovecraftian horrors. Shadows over Innistrad was an awesome set in terms of atmosphere, and while the normal gothic horrors are plenty exciting, the Lovecraftian ones really pushed the feel of the set into another level. Since Emrakul was responsible for all the twisting and warping, killing her would mean that Wizards would need to design a second antagonist which would do exactly the same thing Emrakul did, which would be a bit lame.

[@dunamoose3446]

What if the Eldrazi get infected with the oil

[@DaDunge]

@@dunamoose3446 Very much doubt such powerful beings could be affected like that, more likely they'd infect the oil.

[@Lunaraia]

Everyone: "What are the Eldrazi?" Me: "Hungry"

[@MrPimpifyer]

Thank you Nicole

[@faustisfrost5794]

Nicole bolas.....

[@MyRedHulk]

All I know about the eldrazi is that the "Endless One"s synergize well with my Abzan deck, so I play with 4. I feel like the other, more experienced planeswalkers, look at me like I'm toying with powers I can't understand.

[@torreydunn2170]

Wait does the three planes walkers showing up In zendikar mean. We might get eldrazi back in the zendikar rising set????

[@romanwilliams2425]

I hope🙏

[@caidenlipoth1247]

This is especially funny if you imagine that the duel really is over who's turn it is to do the dishes.

[@exsimon]

Liliana's story next? She seems likely to play some primary role in the next set, and it'd be interesting to see some details of all those demons she's linked to

[@VoidArchon]

A very quick guide to Liliana's demons: 1) Kothoped: complete imbecile who sent a famously ruthless necromancer to fetch the enormously powerful Chain Veil. Gets killed with it five minutes after being introduced. 2) Griselbrand: major baddie on Innistrad, caused Avacyn to become trapped in the Helvault with him, where he spent the majority of the Innistrad 1.0 block napping. Gets killed five minutes after being introduced. 3) Razaketh: part of Bolas' doomsday engine on Amonkhet, he performed the spell that turned the Luxa river into blood and started the proccess to unleash the eternals. Gets killed five minutes after being introduced, this time involving zombie crocodiles. 4) Belzenlok: big baddie in Dominaria and the first demon with an actual backstory. He is the leader of the Cabal (since some unkown point after the Odissey block) and was literally trying to rewrite Dominaria's history by claiming the deeds and titles of every past villain in the story. He turned Liliana's brother Josu into a lich, forcing her to spend the Chain Veil's power to free him. This would be the first time Lili would have to face one of her demons without the veil, but lucky for her Gideon picks up another overpowered artifact of doom along the plot and stabs Belzenlok to death with it 10 minutes after him being introduced.

[@dahl7817]

With the death of all the demons, the sole owner of her contract is Bolas, she is now his slave.

[@VoidArchon]

Which was a bit obvious that it would happen, but creates an interesting plot nonetheless with the Gatewatch's looming boss fight with Bolas. In the end either of two things is going to happen: 1) she goes against his orders, sacrificing herself for the gatewatch (which has been a bit foreshadowed since most of dialogue in Dominaria was about altruism, and also her main motivation has always been not having to take crap from others, much less from Bolas for the rest of eternity). Note that she doesn't HAVE to die in this outcome if Bolas dies first, but that would be anticlimatic as f***. 2) She sides with Bolas in the fight against the gatewatch, Gideon stabs Bolas to death anyway, she's free from her contract but her relationship with the others is ruined forever. Not nearly as dramatic but I guess sometimes you're too much of a centuries-old anti-hero for real character development.

[@alchemicalichor1600]

@@VoidArchon It was option one.

[@ChargeQM]

@Wajd Tohme I know this is super late, but Black is also partly about self-sacrifice for power or other gain. If she really wanted to stick it to Bolas, sacrificing herself would have been within Black tenets, so long as it was for HER and not because of some sense of altruism.

[@patternedpike3746]

I think you're spot on with the "interplanar reset button" comment. Each of the Eldrazi titans and their brood represent a step in the process of remaking planes. Ulamog is the "ceaseless hunger" and basically wipes everything away, Kozilek as the "great distortion" changes how the nature of the plane works, and we see from Emrakul's influence on the werewolves and the "emerge" creatures in the Eldritch Moon set that making new life is her thing, which also fits into why she's the only Eldrazi titan seen as female, and makes sense of her depiction by the people of Zendikar as "Emeria".

[@pitadude9836]

3:05 I love the use of Ugin's explanation to Jace 11:40 dammit, you knew XD

[@asimpletrashgoblin8109]

Pita Dude I caught that too!!

[@Freshest_Fisch]

I really do hope we get some more Eldrazi the next time there’s an Inistrad set. They’re, in my opinion, the coolest creature type in Magic

[@JinxThe27]

ancient titans. devourer of worlds and mana. ripping apart reality itself. lets burn them with the power of friendship!!!!

[@Megaknight009]

Aaaaand borrowing from every single mana leyline on a living plane, likely causing centuries of damage by having two planeswalkers channel the mana of not only millions of living things, but a plane that is unique in that it is alive and sentient. And then giving that mana to your maybe-girlfriend to char some spaghetti and pray she doesn't calm down and promptly explode instead.

[@Eragon1200]

You right... You right...

[@jordane4333]

And the power of lesbians!

[@slasheztech5390]

Me playing eldrazi tron

[@snakeyman5560]

Hail Emerakul, LET THE GALAXY BURN!

[@TheArcSet]

Personally, although I don't know how much the lore supports it, I always really liked the idea that the Titians might be old-walkers, who survived past the common madness of ascended mortals and after aeons, mentally transcended to a point where their thoughts and motives are incomprehensible to mortals, or 'young' immortals. 'If' you think Liliana's not really evil, because she's still trying to think on a timescale where the lives of gods and avatars are as brief as mayflies, then you can't help but wonder what an eternity living with the first hand knowledge, that every plain has finite and relatively brief existence, would do to a mind. I haven't actually read the story, but I have heard one person suggest that because Emrakul seemed to act after finally noticing the Gate-watch's resistance, that she actually held back because they didn't accept her, and that from her perspective, consuming worlds might, in someway, be a way to preserve a part of them against the inevitable entropy of the universe. I'm not really sure how sound those theories are, but the epic-ness of their scale still excites me.

[@AsterDXZ]

Magic Arcanium and Pretty Deece are the only reasons why I’m subscribed to TCGPlayer

[@proxytag]

There's been no new pretty deece videos in 4 months :(

[@AsterDXZ]

proxy one day :(

[@Iggyboyblue]

Pretty deece pretty dead :(

[@tcgplayercom]

I promise it's not dead.

[@hazelgriffin4336]

and mining modern

[@ChadZeluff]

“My assistant Nicole...” Nicole... Nicol Bolas... This guy is Nicol Bolas’ boss!

[@pitadude9836]

I believe it's worth noting that, according to the WotC stories, the Helvault actually prevented Sorin from hearing the call when the eye was activated. Granted this only has fringe ties to the Eldrazi, who are the focus of this video. Does anyone know which plane the Three we're fleeing FROM before they trapped the Eldrazi on Zendikar? That plane, if we ever visit it, may be the best indicator for the Eldrazi's "plan" (if such a thing exists)

[@jacobgober3875]

I'd imagine that innistrad just isn't "ripe" yet, like a fruit

[@algeanephila]

@@jacobgober3875 someone sometime said me that heard this part of the story as if Emrakul said telepathically at some point that she felt disappointed that the folks were supposed to be adoring her and they didn't It is known that, given enough Emrakul influence you can turn into a eldrazi so, maybe she is just creating a new breed Veeeery slowly? Cannot confirm the first information tho, if someone knows better correct me, please

[@algeanephila]

Anyway, given ulgin explanation I think eldrazi are probably 4d beings or a reference to Lovecraft's concept of entities that lie beyond spacetime if it makes any sense Could explain why destroying them don't do much, in our terms would be the same of being attacked by 2d beings that can't do anything but burn your skin on just the infinitely thin surface of it Their space can be in the in-between too because the in-between is just nothingness Would relate to the way the multiplanes seems to behave

[@frogmaster82]

The Helvault actually created a planar seal similar to Ravnica's and blocked out any extra-planar activity from reaching Innistrad. That's why the spirits on Innistrad(and Ravnica) are also never able to leave the plane since they can't go to the Blind Eternities. Also the Helvault is made from silver and I believe it is a chunk of the Moon.

[@herpderp66]

I thought it was because of the hedron matrix cut off Zendikar from the multiverse? Until the ritual weakened it enough for planeswalkers to reach the plane.

[@Kurotarosama]

TIL: The Eldrazi Titans are glorified janitors. What is their plan? Probably a well earned break before they get back to cleaning up the planes.

[@benjamingillispie5614]

Can you do one about the history of the slivers. Pretty please

[@saibhorg1166]

Simple: dumbass make slivers, they adapt and grow, dumbass goes o

[@sbcguitarist]

@@saibhorg1166 :shocked Pikachu face:

[@soulassassin0g]

Benjamin Gillispie: **exist** Sai Bhorg: "I'm about to end this guy's career."

[@Dracobyte]

He has done the video.

[@marcopolio99]

Watch jurassic park and thats the story of slivers

[@jertlemiah]

One of my favorite bits of lore about the Eldrazi is the Shrine of the Forsaken Gods

[@MehrGills]

cozi, such a wonderful name, sounds almost cosy, like a nic big 400 ft hug

[@josepho3364]

Don't ask why, but I misread that horribly and tragically as "Shrine of the Foreskin Gods"

[@TheJovenshire]

Man, I love these videos. Thank you for all of your k owledge

[@DrakleStudios]

Eyyyyy! Hi there Joven!

[@jacklegends2799]

JOOOOOOOVVVEEEENNNN!!!!!

[@jacobcraighead3627]

Whoa

[@Mirrodin82]

It would be so interesting if Eldrazi invade Phyrexia in future expansions

[@diobrando5896]

I think phyrexia is too barren

[@dingdongs5208]

@@diobrando5896 new phyrexia has phyrexians that have taken up the colours of the plane, so there might be enough to jebait the drazi

[@the_puppeteer2136]

Tbh it sounds like a disaster

[@tinamp811]

These are excellent. Any chance you'd consider one of the following? - The Nephilim - False God Karona - The Weatherlight Saga - The Brothers War - What's going on on New Phyrexia Especially loved the Nicol Bolas chronicles - those multiple, 5-6 minute videos were a great format.

[@LosRockson]

Karona’s creation isn’t that cool, but the story before and after is pretty darn cool. I would recommend the readings of the Onslaught block. Ixidor is the best.

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Those are all on my list of potential topics, yes :-)

[@Quiltfish]

>The Nephilim All of my this.

[@Crunchatize_Me_Senpai]

+1 for the Nephilim

[@uniisnor]

I wanna hear about my bae Elesh Norn!

[@Arch757]

Planes can actually interact with each other as well as their common habitats can go from one plane to another, but with the certain power of the sorcerer or aura or portal that can be provided. Not only planeswalkers can do that.

[@tzorfireis425]

"Ugin was wise enough to realize they could not defeat the Eldrazi outright" An elf, a Belmont, a nerd, and a hooligan: Are you sure about that?

[@roguepsykerhaaker4813]

Oh cuz of the whip like weapon thing that makes sense

[@oom-3262]

Before there was time. There was anything. And before there was anything. There were monsters.

[@GBF963]

You're a man of culture

[@VexJinks]

Nice misquote

[@thepianoaboveus9253]

And before there were monsters.... there were eldrazi

[@leahdresser2290]

You are the GOAT, sir

[@Gibbons3457]

The gate watch's plan for the first two titans wasn't just to destroy the avatars on the plane but the things behind those avatars. The part of the plan you missed was that Nissa drew down the true eldrazi onto the plane, to the point where the sky disappeared and was replaced with eldrazi. The plane couldn't take it, literally the plane was buckling under the presence of the two titans. So at the last moment they poured all the power of the plane into Chandra who turned that power into fire and poured pure destruction into a much larger chunk of those two eldrazi than you gave them credit. If attacking the titans is like a fish biting a man's hand causing him to pull it back; this is like the fish pulling the man into the water and then eating his arm and a bit more causing him actual harm. Or at least that's how I understood it. Emrakul on the other hand is just plain creepy above everyone else. But you did miss out both her fight with Liliana and her conversation with Jace. The latter one being where she explains to Jace through chess her power and laments Innistrad not being ready. In the chess game she makes seemingly random moves and Jace wins, only for his pieces to switch sides and defeat his king. When he says that that is cheating and that those are his pieces Emrakul replies "all pieces are my pieces". Which is interesting.

[@jackoster7115]

Imagine having a duel of the ages with gargantuan creatures from other planes that devour souls and destroy land in the blink of an eye... to see who will do the dishes

[@omnia4964]

Life goals

[@zo-zu7158]

YEEEESSS I started playing MTG during Eldritch moon so I feel nostalgia for these giant spaghetti aliens *Edit* : 7:42 I want that playmat *Edit* : *HOLY S**** WE MIGHT SEE THE ELDRAZI AGAIN!!!

[@Damatovg]

Hell, I remember Rise of the Eldrazi when they became my favorite type Edit: I also, want that playmat

[@joshua6546]

Why do u say we might see them again? What do u know? TALK I SAID

[@zo-zu7158]

@@joshua6546 , well Emrakul clearly isn't gone forever. She could come back, and with her a swarm of spaghetti aliens. I'm mostly saying "could" as in there's only a chance it'll happen, but, I think it would be cool. Plus, any possibility in the multiverse is hardly ever outlandish.

[@joshua6546]

@@zo-zu7158 yeah, I think the same

[@Damatovg]

@@joshua6546 if you follow the lore, you know Emmy, the big babe of Eldrazi, is not gone. If you don't follow the lore, I won't spoil it for you, but basically, she will most likely come back when she's ready.

[@juuichimikazuki2863]

There is only one detail you missed about the lock in The Eye of Ugin. In addition to the three Planeswalkers, the colorless breath of Ugin was also needed. When Chandra and Jace found Sarkhan in the Eye, Chandra used a colorless fire spell against him, thereby undoing the lock.

[@CouchDrake]

Eldrazi are reapers confirmed.

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Ah yes, "Reapers." ...we have dismissed this claim.

[@SingingInferno]

Poor Sorin man, dude just can't catch a break.

[@mateusviegas4553]

Emrakul best girl

[@pitadude9836]

You're just saying that because she's making you

[@guycaats]

Best waifu °^°

[@ulipeterson6112]

Ah, I see you are a man of culture as well.

[@nicholasberry8456]

I'm more of an ulamog kind of guy

[@GLSRAL]

Besto waifu

[@matthewbrown3981]

Battle For Zendikar was my first block and I freaking loved the Eldrazi stuff. I know a lot of people hated them for being OP or having weird mechanics but I loved it. I hope they come back one day.

[@seasnek7024]

OMG YES THANK YOU FOR THIS! Eldrazi are my favourite race in mtg and I'd love for wizards to develop more of them. Also i loved your concept on that the eldrazi aren’t completely in any plane. That makes them seem much more terrifying to me (which i love). Can’t wait for another eldrazi themed set. Gonna get so many of those cards then. I bet emrakul is gonna wait out her time (and with the silver moon she’ll basically use it as a cocoon to exist outside of time itself, kinda like the sphere of the daleks in doctor who), wait till some outside help arrives (maybe a contingency plan from some warped creature/object she left on innastrad, or another 4th unknown eldrazi titan arrives etc) and conquer the plane. There is one question I’d love to know tho: why the heck did Nicol bolas let the titans escape when he wants to rule all planes instead of letting them be destroyed? Just how huge is bolas’ ultimate endgame? Does he have some way of controlling the titans hunger to only impact planes he cares nothing for or destroy the gate watch? Keep the vids coming! Thanks Nicole for influencing this vid’s creation!

[@Tezzer37]

Nicol Bolas released the Eldrazi Titans to stop the gate watch there

[@seasnek7024]

@@Tezzer37 but in doing so he basically created the gatewatch...

[@76kmorgan]

You should 100% do a podcast on the history of magic. Quick 15 minute episodes going through the key moments in magic history. One thing about the lore is i dont know where to start! Your descriptions are clear, easy to follow amd fun to listen to! Keep it up

[@Quiltfish]

Nicole is just the voice of Emrakul's influence.

[@g3rmx178]

Dude as soon as he said Blind Eternities my window flew open. It was most likely the storm outside, but still... that's some creepy shit right there.

[@Roky1989]

God, I love the fish-in-the-pond analogy. :)

[@TheLegalCustodian]

Me too, that makes me curious what lurks over the surface. If the eldrazi TITANS are merely fingers of a bigger being. What would what look like?!

[@Masteroftheweb]

@@TheLegalCustodian In the Blind Eternities, they have no physical form. They manifest their form only when they enter a material plane.

[@maximusz7541]

Rewatching this to get ready for the return

[@zacharybosley1935]

Nicole thanks for getting us those extra content

[@garycopeland1208]

I love these lore videos 😊 it's good to have a story behind the cards we like so much

[@Graff-z4x]

Thank you for covering those details. I find the eldrazi arch endlessly fascinating, probly cause I'm a dark souls fan and anything ambiguous af tickles my fancy. I'd like to offer that the eldrazi are likely inspired from eldritch horrors of the lovecraftian persuasion. They seem to function similarly and share some visual aesthetic parallels.

[@subsnovids-uu5yb]

I want a series of magic movies, I can’t be the only one who wants this

[@corekidfrom9700]

no, you're not alone, but it has to be more than a movie, I think it's better in a Series format, 'cause the story of magic is way too big for movies

[@asmodean7239]

Eldrazi are just cute spageti monsters, that feel so lonely that they search through entire worlds by devouring them to find someone who can understand them and be their friend as a 4th Eldrazi, so Emracul has realized that we haven't developed enough to chill with them and it desided to wait to give us time. Work hard, boys and girls and soon we can all become Eldrazi.

[@Crunchatize_Me_Senpai]

Are you saying she’s too EmraCOOL for us?

[@martintaylor570]

I had totally overlooked what Innistrad's moon was made of in reference to Karn. Thanks for another awesome video!

[@1mrlee]

Wow this video was great. Good job. In regards to what Emrakul is up to? She's gonna invade another planes 7 blocks from now and will bring with her two new titans that are also evil planeswalkers.

[@supercard9418]

I love Magic Arcanum. As a new Magic player, this series allows me to learn about the lore and background info on a lot of MTG stuff that I don't know or can't understand well, especially since I don't bother to read from the cards' flavor texts

[@loganmorris1094]

What a great birthday present! Ive been hoping to hear about the eldrazi and ryan is a great storyteller!

[@jediknightsamuel]

Happy birthday!

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Happy Birthday Logan!

[@loganmorris1094]

@@tcgplayercom Thank you! It means a lot!

[@Unity-hk1bf]

I have to say, I think the Eldrazi are the first planeswalkers, warped by their ever increasing powers over the millenia they've existed.

[@Jaebird88]

One might say that the Eldrazi are... the Colorless Out of Space ;)

[@Dragon-eu8cb]

Lovecraft!!!!

[@lordkritz9775]

7:41 I need that as a playmat. I have always loved Eldrazi and the Zendikar plane, and the block itself, and love the combos I can do with each card. I love the Rise of the Eldrazi set especially, as it is where I got my original first titan. Emrakul The Aeons Torn. When I got that tentacled monstrosity, i felt like nothing could stop me! No counterspell, no destroy spells, nor exiling, could end the terror Emrakul instilled into my opponent. Though banned from regular play, I still play with him in casual games. The rush when I first played him, and won the game with his monstrous annihilator 6 and flying, nothing could stand in my way. No luminous bonds or doom blades could ruin me. However, the moment I milled my opponent out with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and a few fogs, just to keep them alive long enough to see their mana run dry, and their reserves go empty. Although I have yet to acquire the Kozileks, I own both Ulamogs and Emrakuls. And to go with them, fittingly, is Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. The whole lore about the Eldrazi was unknown to me until now. All I knew was that Ugin helped seal the Eldrazi, and Nahiri was the creator of the hedrons. Mana beacons that can imprison the monstrosities of the unknown. So, thank you. Thank you for giving me lore onto the most interesting creatures in Magic. Now, I must construct the perfect Eldrazi deck from this. Ulamog, the Destroyer. Kozilek, the Siphon, and Emrakul, the Reshaper. Ulamog uses his abilities to consume and annihilate everything in his path. Kozilek siphons the mana from the mess Ulamog created, leaving it to be processed Emrakul reshapes the mana Kozilek siphoned from Ulamog's mess, turning them into monstrosities that cannot be described as anything less than evil. With their powers combined, Ulamog removed all cards the opponent has, or had, and Kozilek turns them into mana, counters, or creatures. Emrakul then uses the mana Kozilek siphoned to warp the enemy and the minds of those who serve their enemy. This explains Ulamog's minions. Ulamog's Crusher and his Annihilator Pathrazer of Ulamog and his annihilator and.... menace 3? menace 2? Ulamog's Despoiler, a creature fed on Ulamog's waste And also explains Kozilek's minions. Each creature generating mana, or using the colorless mana Kozilek and his goons siphon to further strengthen them And finally, explains Emrakul's creatures. Hand of Emrakul, a card cast easier with the sacrifice of lesser beings And most other minions Emrakul sends out produce scions, spawns, horrors, and anything else they can manage to create. Together with the combined powers of ugin, the hedrons, and their intellect, these creatures can ravage any plane! They can even spawn one of their fallen brothers from beyond the reaches of planeswalkers. They can even use themselves, sacrificing pieces of themselves, to ensure the doom of Zendikar, and the Gatewatch...

[@justinjacobs1501]

I really like the idea that they are a part of the natural order of the multiverse. Entities that maintain some unknowable cosmic balance.

[@keyman3131]

I really love your fish analogy for the Eldrazi, very well spoken!

[@Sey318]

So, a bit of expansion on the Eldrazi knowledge we have. (A lot of this is conjecture, but based on heavily researched materials I'm highly familiar with). It may not come as a shock to you, but the Eldrazi are based on Lovecraft's cosmic horror (think c'thulhu or nyarlathotep). Now, many people know of this subsection of horror but don't quite grasp it, and to be honest, neither did I until about two or three years ago when I started experiencing the stories myself. See, the key here is that Lovecraftian horror is based on the idea that the thing that's the source of fear, that is behind all the madness, cultists, suicides and monstrosities you see in such stories are being whose plane of existance is so much larger, more vast and elevated than the human one, that trying to understand their motives or action is unfathomable, in fact, simply trying to understand their existance at all drives most people mad. Many cults in the Lovecraft mythos, in fact, operate under the logic "they will come, we can't stop them, but if we help them, maybe they'll kill us before driving everyone mad in horror" (Sounds familiar? The zendikar vampires had a similar logic at one point). Here's the thing tho: Magic has been trying to do this with the eldrazi, although their inspiration on this mythos is looser than most other properties in pop culture (might as well, it's really hard to get cosmic horror right in non written form. If you want a game that does it right, try bloodborne). However, a problem with the eldrazi is that we don't understand them because we lack information, not because their nature feels so alien that they make us grasp how small we are or how little our way of thinking about the universe fits it. Assuming we get a good writing team on the case, my guess is that what we will see once Emrakul resurfaces will be events that directly correlate to her actions in the past very obviously, but in such a way that the logic still makes no sense, while making us thing that such logic indeed makes no sense because we are biologically uncapable of comprehending it, rather through scale or a similar method. I, personally, would be very excited to see a mechanic that messes with that idea (in magic terms it would have to be something that does something really chaotic to the hand and library).

[@sigit2u]

I think Eldrazi is a really cool concept of monsters adapted from Lovecraftian horror of the unknown cosmic horrors. Love both of them.

[@thedavyjones]

Reminds me of H.P. Lovecraft

[@VexJinks]

That’s because the Eldrazi are based off Lovecraftian work.

[@BozzLightyr]

shadow over innsmouth/innastrad

[@Locohappy]

@@BozzLightyr Yes, this. The set was a huuuge homage to Lovecraft.

[@halfjack2758]

Literally every fantasy universe has a Lovecraft reference. Old gods, Dragons, eldrazi, etc..

[@bobthabuilda1525]

Dragons were around way before Lovecraft, mate.

[@ladyofhollows9841]

Huge thanks to everyone who made this video. As a game master, this is huge world building inspiration.

[@MTGKillerBees]

I would like to see more Eldrazi titans in the future. Along with Emrakul, of course.

[@ultimeat]

Thank you very much! It is good to see the connection between the cards, never noticed.

[@vulpesdump9518]

The "Hedron" is the reference for *Hadron* which is a "force" between the space, That's where Eldrazis came from. ("The Blind Eternities") The Colorless symbol is formed by getting 4 corners from 4 cards together. "the space between cards" In particle physics, a Hadron is a composite particle made of two or more quarks held together by the "Strong Force" in a similar way as molecules are held together by the Electromagnetic Force. Also, do you remember that particle accelerator from 2017? that's what the hedron Network represents, The Hadron Collider This Post explains IRL what Eldrazis are. This game was made by a team of mathematicians... p.s. Tamiyo best u Planeswalker

[@MehrGills]

or cs majors, with their stack, and a game with programming like text lines

[@platypusburger2800]

Actually, the term 'hedron' just refers to geometric shapes, in particular how many sides they have. For example, a tetrahedron has four sides.

[@vulpesdump9518]

I Found a Board Game Called Hedron, After the Platypusburger Comment I went into scholar mode, this game is from 1974 and the strategy in this game (I think) could have some sort of influence in the mtg game system, this plus the idea of Richard Garfield about not having the same cards everywhere, I Believe. I'm going to leave the comments here because the speculation is getting good

[@Obversechaos]

No. No. No. You're all wrong. Hedron refers to them saying "he'd Ron", which refers to something Ron did. But no idea who "they" are or what Ron did. Further speculation is needed.

[@patrickstonecrusher]

@@Obversechaos You are the one who is wrong, good sir! Hedron is a corruption of "heed Ron," as in "listen to and obey Ron." It is not our place to dare venture a guess as to what Ron "would do." Ron's actions are beyond our mortal comprehension! All we can do is wait and hope Ron finds us worthy of his commands.

[@therestoftheowl3938]

I like the way you go through the lore and explain potentially esoteric parts of it. Thanks

[@gwendolynlochlainn5163]

Nicole, thank you for making Ryan doing a video on the Eldrazi. My belief is this, Emrakul is going to chill in the moon until she can be at full power. She will then go back in time to slightly before Kozilek and Ulamog get taken out on Zendikar. With all of them free to roam she will take them back to the moon in Innistrad. Then once all three are powered up to apocalyptic levels they will head out and him the cosmic plane reset button. The real threat from the blind eternities will emerge (the ones who created the eldrazi) and fashion the planes in there image and eliminate all who go against them. From there the timeline will be unknown and options will be unknown until that time (if MtG lasts that long). Side note: yes I think about this way too much and have all too much time to be wasting on this, but i will say this, magic theories are one of my favorite past times.

[@jordanatkins566]

Thanks for making this video. I'm kinda new to MTG and it's been a bit overwhelming trying to take everything in. The Eldrazi however caught my attention and have started to make me want to learn more about the plot. Zombie Alien Gods devouring worlds... I'll bite. You've got a new subscriber.

[@NerdySatyr]

Absolutely fantastic video! I see a lot of comments below asking for Liliana's story and I have to agree that would be fantastic! (Maybe do a Garruk and Jace one after since intertwined). Otherwise I'd love to learn more about the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor setting, outside of Innistrad and Ravnica it's easily my favorite setting, loved every archetype in there.... Hoping we can return there someday!

[@JustAnotheNeoSilver]

If memory serves (which means there's a good chance I'm wrong), it wasn't just time travel that silver was immune to, but it's one of the few substances capable of surviving the aether as well, which is why Urza used it to build Karn.

[@toomanyowlz]

So just imagine like a big rock and squid in one demonic spaghetti monster.

[@RayLumos]

Storytime with Ryan yeah. Honestly though this is certainly one of my most favourite format on Magic story telling... And also the only one I watch and listen but that's not important. 😅 Please keep these coming they are really enjoyable. Thanks🙏

[@taylorbruning6144]

Thanks Nicole! I play Eldrazi Tron 😈 and the vid was spot on

[@MagicPrepper]

This was fun. Thanks Nicole.

[@KrepsyK]

"Something nice to her in the comments down below" No problem man I can do that. Also, good story

[@Flweem]

Oh shit, this is a great video! The Eldrazi, and Tamiyo, are some of my favourites in Magic, and it's great to learn so much about them. Thanks!

[@ripnukeman]

Man this makes me want Eldrazi on Kamigawa

[@joshgislason7506]

The human hand and fish metaphor is simultaneously the greatest and most terrifying analogy I have ever heard....

[@raharu000]

It would be great if you could list the source material so we can read the full story.

[@davimelo9181]

Once i played a ffa with my friends for the dishes. It was one of the most challenging and fun matches of my life

[@generalawesome7279]

There just waiting for spaghetti to be invented on these planes. Duh

[@Zeromancer0]

i am legit binge watching thess stories man this series is so good.

[@AntiBooster117]

In my opinion, except for Nicol Bolas himself, the Eldrazi are the most dangerous creatures to exist in the Magic Universe. I am very eager to see what magic has planned next for the Eldrazi and Emrakul in particular. Me and a few friends of mine have been brainstorming and think that somehow, Emrakul will show back up as a 5 color monstrosity(blame George for leading the charge on our discussion, loves 5 color commanders) which, given that the eldrazi having some colors in Battle for Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, that theory isn't so far fetched. Silver Moon, is she abosrbing power? Time travel? Will we see more Eldrazi titans? The 3 are the only ones we know of, the blind eternities, much the black space between galaxies IRL, is, as far as we know, possibly infinite. More titans I am totally up for. Any opinions?

[@diobrando5896]

They are trying to become purple

[@cycleslide2077]

I bet she is gonna beat the phyrexians and take over atraxa. It would be cool for in the middle of the final fight to hear, "Yo, listen up here's a story About a little guy That lives in a blue world And all day and all night And everything he sees is just blue Like him inside and outside Blue his house With a blue little window And a blue corvette And everything is blue for him And himself and everybody around Cause he ain't got nobody to listen to I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di" as she begins fighting them. Either that or good ol' nicky B (nicol bolas)

[@brandonhickey2161]

Just found your videos and thank you these. I absolutely love hearing the stories behind the characters and spells I see on the cards and get snippets of in flavor text.

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Really glad you like them. Thanks for watching, and I appreciate the comment!

[@chromaticcaos]

Thanks nicole!

[@noahgassler746]

"There was much rejoicing among the Gatewatch, and probably much facepalming among Ugin..."

[@ashafloki]

Keep pushing him Nicole!

[@BoozeAintFood]

I love your videos focusing on mtg lore. I especially enjoyed this Eldrazi origin story. I also enjoyed the Modern Horizons Easter egg video mainly because of the history and lore involved. It would be great to see the Urza, Serra, and Yawgmoth stories which were hinted at being their own videos worth of information and entertainment. I am super supportive of these becoming made and would love to see them! Thanks for the awesome videos and keep up the good work 😃👍

[@fancycoat9900]

The best theory I have that the Eldrazi are the true representation and the physical embodiment of Wizards of the Coast in the magic the Gathering universe.

[@Dragon-eu8cb]

The ur-dragon too

[@JoshuaVerscha]

I didn’t know there was like, lore in general in mtg. I thought it was just a card game. I need to know more. This has been a wonderful distraction from my depression.

[@torismegistos7111]

You can try the official stories on the wotc website, cheers

[@BretasDoc]

The eldrazi: *I AM THE OCTOPUS!*

[@alexleblanc6364]

Please make more videos! Such great content and I'm always excited to see more

[@brasingt]

I thought you said: “they’re not really even alive, any way weld think that Congress is alive here on earth.” I was floored at how poignant your criticism of our current political climate.

[@NaughtyDelta]

Our government is corrupt

[@samischultz5571]

Great job on the channel, Nicole!

[@KlimatyRPG]

TLDR: Eldarazis are MTG Lovecraftian Cthulhu Gods.

[@hyshade5132]

I own a bunch of the original Eldrazi creatures and I had no idea about their lore or their true nature, that made them even more amazing, especially the part about their physical representations of them only being a portion of their true being, very Eldritch-horror like. Considering how powerful their "avatars" are, I have to wonder how powerful their entire being would be :O

[@ariespiecede]

Do planeswalkers show up on the next plane naked and exfoliated?

[@tcgplayercom]

(Ryan) Living matter can't survive in the Blind Eternities without a spark, so clothes and even your outer layer of skin and hair are fine. It's only when you try to have a whole other living thing tag along that you get into trouble. Also, food seems to break down, but Nissa was going to take seeds from Zendikar with her at one point, and it's not clear if that would have worked or not.

[@RBGolbat]

Don’t forget all of Huatli’s dusted Tamales!

[@pitadude9836]

@@RBGolbat delicious foods also survive the Blind Eternities. It is known