As of last Friday, it’s officially Tarkir: Dragonstorm season for Magic: The Gathering. Previews won’t start in earnest until March 18th, but in the meantime, we’ve got some spicy initial reveals to tide us over. On top of that, Wizards has started the traditional slow-roll of MTG Story content for Tarkir: Dragonstorm as well. So far we’ve gotten the full Planeswalker’s Guide for the set, which is packed with fascinating background lore and details on events that have transpired since our last trip to Tarkir.
Unfortunately, it seems like Wizards has skipped over some pretty major stuff to get the story to where it is now. For those invested in the story and characters of the original block, seeing important threads resolved ‘off screen’ as it were is disappointing. This isn’t an isolated incident, either. Many recent sets have similar problems, pointing to a foundational narrative issue with the single-set block model.
The Issue With The MTG Story For Tarkir: Dragonstorm
To understand the problem with how Wizards has handled the MTG Story elements of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, we need to go back to where things left off during our last visit to the plane. The original Khans of Tarkir block was something of an experiment in Magic: The Gathering storytelling. The titular first set showed a world ruled by five warring clans, where Dragons had been all but wiped out. The second, Fate Reforged, went back in time to a crucial moment in the plane’s history, where the original war between clans and Dragons was still in progress.
The final set in the block, Dragons of Tarkir, went back to the present day and showcased a plane ruled by Dragons, with humans as mere servants. This admittedly dark ending was the last we heard of Tarkir until the Phyrexian Invasion, where we got a few small snippets. The story of Tarkir: Dragonstorm picks up five years later, after a full-scale rebellion by the clans wherein the Dragonlords are overthrown and a new world order of clan-Dragon unity is imposed.
If that sounds like a fairly major conflict to just skip over to you, then you’re not alone. Details of the rebellion are given in the Planeswalker’s Guide articles, but this is a far cry from a full set. Naturally, many players are not too happy about this decision.
“I wish they would show this stuff. Reyhan, Last of the Abzan is such a poignant card, I really hope at some point we get to see the rebellions instead of it just being a ‘poochie died on the way back to his home planet’ situation.”
PlacatedPlatypus
The ending of Khans of Tarkir block was a bleak one. It also promised an exciting payoff later down the line. Technically we are seeing this payoff now, but only in lore paragraphs in the Planeswalker’s Guide. Seeing a conflict left hanging for a decade resolved “offscreen” is deeply unsatisfying, to say the least.
Missed Opportunities
Rushing through the clan rebellion storyline like this is a baffling move on Wizards’ part. Based on the Planeswalker’s Guides, a substantial arc was clearly planned out for it. There’s talk of secret resistance groups forming to keep traditions alive, then finally making a move once the Phyrexian Invasion leaves the Dragonlords weak. There’s even an entire plotline involving Narset discovering the ancient magic necessary to eventually overthrow them.
By most standards, this is a pretty exciting setup for a Magic: The Gathering set. Heck, in the days of the three-set block, it could’ve been the basis for multiple sets. With how it’s being handled now, however, it almost feels like this storyline is being swept under the rug.
“Name a more iconic duo than Wotc and introducing interesting plot points at the end of a story just to then handwave them away the next time they’re brought up because design wants their status quo for the set.”
VeryTiredGirl93
Another consequence of this decision on the MTG Story of Tarkir: Dragonstorm is a lack of connective tissue for fans of the original block. Players loved the block for its setting and multicolor support, of course, but they also loved the specific characters, too. Skipping the rebellion and essentially ‘resetting’ the plane leaves little room for any of these to return. A substantial Reddit thread dedicated to the fact that Dragonlords will be absent from the set is a testament to the impact of this decision on the audience.
“I always preferred the Dragonlords as dragons are my favorite EDH archetype, so not getting new versions of them in this set is very disappointing.”
PathologicalFire
On top of that, in resetting the status quo like this Wizards has seemingly radically shifted the tone of both the world and the clans within it. Many of the interesting rough edges of original Tarkir have been sanded off, which has left many disappointed.
“I also find it weird that all the clans are being presented in this “happy go lucky” direction. What made KTK interesting was the conflict between the clans and within the clans.”
ShimmerMoon2
Overall, I think it’s unfortunate that Wizards chose not to pursue the clan rebellion as the main story for Tarkir: Dragonstorm, even if it’s possible that what we get instead will be even more compelling.
A Puzzling Pattern
Interestingly, Tarkir: Dragonstorm isn’t the only time we’ve seen strange MTG Story decisions like this recently. Aetherdrift had a similar problem with the revolution on Avishkar. Rather than getting to experience the residents of the plane reclaiming their home and building towards a brighter future, we were just told about it in a Planeswalker’s Guide summary.
“If i had a nickel for every off screen revolution that upsets the status quo of leadership before returning to a plane this year that has vibes of working class solidarity, I’d have two nickels…”
Ninjaboi333
As Ninjaboi333 points out, the parallels between this and Tarkir: Dragonstorm are almost eerie. Both skip over a major interesting conflict to get the world to a suitable place for a different storyline. For players who enjoyed these planes the first time around, this approach feels rather jarring. That said, it’s not without its reasoning and merit.
“They did the same thing with Avishkar […] I think it’s just a fundamental issue with the medium; they don’t want to do giant timeskips or start handwaving stuff as ‘planes move at different timelines’, but they do want the cultures to change and update between revisits, so it’s always going to be at an accelerated pace unless you want the reverse problem, every set is always in the middle of a big cultural upheaval with nothing really fixed.”
Milskidasith
Milskidasith makes some valid points here. While large-scale conflicts can and do make great material for Magic: The Gathering sets, they’re not the only stories worth telling. This was the prevailing approach to Magic narrative in blocks past, but modern sets are switching things up. Aetherdrift is a perfect example. A multi-planar race is something totally new for the game. It’s also something that wouldn’t have been possible without essentially skipping over the Avishkar revolution the way they did.
From what we’ve seen of the actual Tarkir: Dragonstorm story so far, it could well follow suit. A whole new system of unified clans and Dragons is a very interesting foundation. Add in the fact that this is the culmination of a story that’s been brewing since Bloomburrow and there’s a ton of potential here. It’s easy to mourn for the stories Wizards killed in the cradle. That said, it’s also important to celebrate those that are born as a result.