May have made a somewhat poor financial decision today.
I’ll post pulls in a bit. Got some sick shit.
Aight so pulls.
Gotta bunch of commander cards and this Kami War it took me a while to realize was an alt-art showcase frame lol
We got some legends, (I maybe want to build saga enchantress with Shigeki and Satsuki)
some random extra spells (including nearly a full cycle of the invocations but like with three copies of the red one. Also unfortunately Farewell has S*b Mck*nnon art)
and some zoomies
Recouped a significant portion of the costs with the Extended art Boseiju and one regular.
Seriously, Tamiyo and Genku are just the best. Every single sentence about them was a treat to read.
How about we use it as a framing device for a summer set? Have it be a Storybook set and let the reprints and stories all be about Tamiyo reading to her kids truncated versions of the major stories from Magic’s past.
Yes! That’d be awesome!
I am 1000% down with this idea!
Imagine if the next Planeschase product was flavored as Tamiyo and Genku’s kids playing make-believe and reenacting their favorite stories from the Story Circle?
So you’ve got actual planes and the majority of the cards are reprints, but then each deck has a legendary creature of one of Tamiyo and Genku’s kids that the deck is built around.
Just the thought of this makes me happy.
Alternatively, alternate art legends of Tamiyo’s kids dressed up like characters from the past. Like, one of the legends is a new version of Gerrard, and it’s this little moonfolk boy with a big fake beard and a wooden sword. And Volrath is a kid with one of those four-faced rotating masks, and one of them is Vuel and one is Volrath and one is Takara and the other we can’t see because it’s on the back of his head.
…Wait, even better. Make this next year’s SDCC Planeswalker suite. Nezumi with big white fluffy mane, an eyepatch, and an oar.
Brilliant!!
Also, it could contain full-art lands that are all drawn by Tamiyo and Genku’s kids!
In this series, I take a look at Magic: the Gathering characters and outline one way to play them as a character in Dungeons and Dragons. The selected build will go through level 5, so there is plenty of space for you to make them your own.
Today, let’s take a look at one possible way you could play as Tamiyo, Collector of Tales.
Art by Eric Deschamps
Tamiyo is a Soratami (or Moonfolk) from Kamigawa. She seeks truth, with her travels taking her across the multiverse to find understanding on many different mysteries. She collects stories and knowledge that can be brought back to the great scroll libraries of Otawara. And when she returns home with stories in tow, she gathers her family and friends together to hear the multitude of tales that exist in the multiverse.
Starting Stats (using the Standard Array)
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 10
In the few stories we have seen Tamiyo, we see that she has a nice balance between her research / investigative skills and her interactions with people. She carries various stories in scrolls with her, and her interpretations of those stories in the moment allow her to perform her magic, such as curing Jace from his madness using the story of duplicating myr as her guide. She is not a physically strong character, but she makes up for that by matching her quick thinking with quick movement, as seen in Stories and Endings, by Nik Davidson.
The angel dove through the air, faster this time, her spear swinging in a wide arc. Tamiyo glided forward, baiting the attack, then tumbled in the opposite direction, more freezing blasts pushing her clear of the spear’s tip. She targeted the angel’s right wrist, then the joint of the left wing. As she passed behind, again, the spot where the wing met the shoulder. Avacyn was faster, and a single strike of her spear would likely mean Tamiyo’s end, but the angel fought enraged, and the soratami moved with deftly calculated precision.
Race: Owlfolk (reskinned as a Moonfolk)
Tamiyo is a moonfolk, which is not currently a supported character race in 5th edition. Luckily, a recent Unearthed Arcana (UA) gave us the owlfolk, which is easily reskinned for moonfolk in this build. Soratami fly via levitation, so the owlfolk’s silent flying abilities fit well. And, with recent UA, the ability score increases are left to the player’s discretion, which allows us to lean into the natural Intelligence and Dexterity for which Moonfolk are known. Since you may not have seen the UA, I will include the description for the racial traits here.
Language: Primordial. With Kamigawa being a world defined by its connection to a spiritual realm, it makes sense to have the ability to communicate with those spirits of nature.
Magic Sight (choosing Wisdom) Your keen senses can focus to see the presence of magic. You gain the ability to cast the detect magic spell, but only as a ritual. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You can also cast this spell normally with any spell slots you have.
Nimble Flight Thanks to your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. When you fall, you can use your reaction to make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 10) to stop falling and fly in place until the start of your next turn.
Silent Feathers You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Note: The Owlfolk race will most likely be a released character option in either the Feywild adventure or the Strixhaven campaign setting, both set to be released by the end of 2021.
Background:Investigator
Tamiyo, at her heart, is someone who is interested in discovering the mysteries of the multiverse. When we first meet her, she is on the plane of Innistrad, studying the interesting effects the moon was having on its denizens. She travels the planes, finding research and stories to bring home to her family and kin. As part of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, the Investigator background fits perfectly for Tamiyo.She gains proficiency in Investigation, Perception and with Thieves Tools, all important skills to have as you seek the next big discovery.
Skill Proficiencies: Investigation and Perception
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise Kit and Thieve’s Tools
Art by Sergio Roman
Level 1: Cleric (Level 1)
One interesting aspect of Tamiyo’s character is that she pulls the magic for her spells from the stories she has collected. These stories are held in scrolls, and her interpretations of the stories, in the moment, are what drive her spells. There are even a few bound in iron, that she swears never to open, as the magic might be too devastating to be used.
When it comes to classes that fit that sort of magic, there are two that come to mind, as they both have access to large lists of spells that they then select from and prepare on a daily basis: Cleric and Wizard. To me, this feels like Tamiyo going through her scrolls in the morning and packing which ones she feels like she might need on her daily adventures.
For this build, I felt that starting with a Cleric (Knowledge Domain) was a good fit, for a few reasons. First, part of Tamiyo’s story deals with her assembling a group of fellow planeswalkers who gather stories from across the multiverse. That idea of communal sharing, togetherness and insight aligned more with a Wisdom-based class than an Intelligence-based one. Second, the idea of the Soratami came from the stories of Lady Kaguya in Japanese folklore, who was a celestial princess of the Moon. It seemed right to pay homage to that story by flavoring Tamiyo as a follower of a moon deity, such as Selûne.
One of Tamiyo’s primary goals is to gather stories and share them with the story circle, which includes the planeswalkers Narset and Ajani Goldmane. You could (if you so desire) flavor these story circle meetings as religious ceremonies; the act of sharing knowledge and shedding light on the darkest of mysteries being her acts of devotion. In any case, these story circles have a healing effect on those who attend, as the sharing of these tales both counsel and console, as seen in Release. Also in that story, we see her motherly nature, through her interactions with her family, including some of her children: a son Hiroku, a daughter Rumiyo, and an adopted nezumi son Nashi.
Prepared Spells:
Healing Word
Level 3: Wizard (Level 1)
At this point, we dive into Tamiyo’s studious nature and her research capabilities. As a Wizard, her Intelligence has a moment to shine; as you may have noticed in the build, her Intelligence and Wisdom scores are equal. Having access to the Wizard class opens up a whole new slew of spells, including Comprehend Languages (a must for every researcher). Here, Tamiyo also picks up some offensive spells, such as Ray of Frost being a spell she adapts from the scroll “Winter’s Howl” (story).
Tamiyo’s studies eventually brought her to the plane of Innistrad, prior to the release of Avacyn from the Helvault. Here, she became intrigued by the effects of the moon on the plane’s residents and found a local researcher, an astronomer named Jenrik, to aid her in this research. She fills her journal with extensive notes on the ebbs of flows of violence, especially within the werewolf and vampire communities, during the various phases of the silvery moon.
Prepared Spells:
Lesser Restoration, Zone of Truth
Level 5: Cleric (Level 4)
When Avacyn became maddened by the growing presence of Emrakul, Tamiyo was there to investigate this new phenomenon. Again, her primary goal was that of understanding, as she has uncovered Avacyn’s protective nature over the plane. She also started to investigate the other warping mutations that started to affect the broad population, such as an autopsy recorded in Entry 433 of her journal. Eventually, Tamiyo joins Jace and the Gatewatch in their attempts to seal Emrakul in order to prevent Her mutating effects on the plane.
Ability Score Improvement: Intelligence and Wisdom
Spells:
Cantrips: Resistance
Prepared Spells: Aid
Art by Lius Lasahido
Past level 5, I would look at advancing her Wizard class more, with the subclass probably being the Order of Scribes introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. After her time on Innistrad, Tamiyo spends time with her family and with the story circle, before being pulled into the events of the War of the Spark.
I had a fun time building Tamiyo, especially thinking of a way to flavor her magical powerset in terms of DnD. This build of Tamiyo really built on her role as a support character - she really doesn’t get into the fray of battle that often, but the toolbox nature of her two spellcasting classes gives her the ability to have the spells she needs for whatever occasions may arise.
Now, I will turn it over to you. How would you build Tamiyo? And are there any other characters you would like to see built?
A crossover fan art piece: a character from Magic: the Gathering, the planeswalker Tamiyo, as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. Featuring Emrakul-mushrooms.
I’ve been absent for a while, doing my best to fight the coup in my country (Brazil) and protest against it, but the battle was officially lost today. I’ll still dedicate my time to politics (not in this blog, obviously) but today I return to vorthosian matters as they provide me with a reliable way to escape, even if it’s only for a few hours, the surreal turmoil of lies and injustice that took our lives by assault.
Animated version of Tyler Jacobson’s Avacyn (SOI trailer)
Written by Nik Davidson, Stories and Endings takes place in Thraben’s Cathedral and features the first encounter by Tamiyo and Jace followed by the appearance of Avacyn, who’s determined to destroy them. Please read it first, then we may discuss what caught our attentions. In my case, I would highlight the following…
We knew a lot more about Tamiyo’s personality. She avoids contact in Innistrad, and she does it not only because of the dangers that awaits at every corner, but as someone who refuses to attach to its objects of study. She went to the cathedral after the stories about Avacyn, and she will probably leave the plane after she solves the mystery of the Eldritch Moon.
Magic Story is trying to show us how different mages and planeswalkers cast spells. Sorin sings, Gisa whistles, and now we know Tamiyo draws her power from her studies and stories, by recollecting anecdotes, myths and legends and drawing her spells from their narrative core (from “the music of the stories”).
Art by Mark Tedin
The first story comes from Kamigawa and shows us how a goblin was able to deceive a demon to steal his treasures. Under a rock, the goblin invaded the demon’s lair three times, but was soon unmasked when she tried to lie in order to spare her own village from his wrath. Tamiyo used this story to cloak herself from the cathedral guards, but is it possible that this story is also a metaphor for what’s happening in SOI? I’m still not sure.
I may be exaggerating, but I think they sneaked a Catalog reference here:
The central library was just ahead. She started mentally cataloguing the stories she brought with her, trying to determine how best to deal with the locks that would likely be up ahead, when she noticed something amiss.
Art by John Matson
The second story involved the Myr and their myth of origin, but it also implied that Tamiyo knows Mirrodin (more on this later). It was used to calm Jace down and restore his sanity.
Jace suggests he may call the Gatewatch to help Innistrad, but Tamiyo’s Ugin-like wisdom regards the plane’s destruction as natural as any other plane’s “death” and despite the archangel’s madness (probably caused by Nahiri and spread to other angels with the help of the cryptolith’s leylines) Tamiyo still thinks it would be dangerous to destroy her, as she wards the plane from outer threats.
The telepath then convinces her by offering help to approach Avacyn in her current state as a way to solve the current puzzle, and both agree to connect their minds to know each other, something that would also help keeping Jace sane in the process. Tamiyo also offers to share her research with the Gatewatch (and offers the sharpest definition I ever seen of what a hero is).
“I have helped you, Jace. I will offer a compromise. I will share my research with you, and you and your friends can use that information to help avert similar disasters on other planes, if it suits you. But I have recorded ten thousand stories about heroes, and a hero is merely a disaster with a point of view.”
Jace accesses Tamiyo’s knowledge of other planes, something that may be important to connect the Gatewatch to future storylines (he already knew Kamigawa, but now we’re sure he knows about Mirrodin, a cold plane - possibly Ice Age Dominaria and not Kaldheim, and Serra’s Realm). This way, Jace knows about post-Memnarch Mirrodin and about the original Phyrexians that tainted the white mana artificial plane created by Serra, and this may help him understand what New Phyrexia is when the time comes.
He also got to know about the three mysterious iron-bound scrolls Tamiyo carries around. She made the promise to never use them, but they impressed Jace as powerful spells.
Art by Wayne Reynolds
Avacyn appears and identified both planeswalkers as targets. To attack her with an icy blast, Tamiyo reminds herself of an old song from a world covered in ice (Dominaria’s past?), and nothing and no one will ever convince me that the song’s theme is not about Marit Lage’s release.
She called with terror’s breath from mountain door, The truest cold had risen from the sea. Only his howl of anguish echoed more.
Avacyn went on being creepy when Jace paralysed her for a moment. He knows she’s holding something out of the plane (Emrakul?), and want to use his already fragile mind to take a peek at it, when Tamiyo convinces him that’s enough. He seems to have noticed something terrible, but Avacyn prepared to roast them in her light before he named what he seems to have found.
“Jace, that’s enough.” “Wait. No. That’s…”
Jace knows what Tamiyo knows, and he reminds her of a scroll with a fitting story that could be used to stop Avacyn.
Tamiyo. The scroll. The iron scroll. You showed it to me. An old story. A powerful story. The survivors of a place that was lost…Serra’s realm. That cataclysm, that power…the story fits. You know it does. You can stop this.
Art by Michael Sutfin
Okay… What story is there from Serra’s Realm to fit this moment? Could it be the story of Radiant? Probably. Serra created her artificial plane as a monumental and utopian world of pure white mana. It’s angels were created to defend it. When Urza fled Phyrexia, he planeswalked there to heal and spent five years in the process, but Phyrexia tracked him and invaded the plane, corrupting it (including some of it’s angels - by the way, Selesnia was a Serra Angel before Phyrexia corrupted her). Urza went to Dominaria and Serra was so frustrated seeing her masterpiece tainted (see Befoul) that she abandoned it and put the Archangel Radiant in charge of protecting it, but she was suddenly contaminated as well (without even noticing it) and became paranoid, using angels to destroy the humans of the plane since they “could be” Phyrexian sleeper agents. If we look at old spells to stop a corrupted angel using other angels to smite mankind, we would find Humble.
The problem is that Tamiyo swore to left the iron-bound scrolls intact, and she is ready to die to keep her promise, to Jace’s despair. If only a millennia old planeswalker dropped from the dome to help them…
