Is Yawgmoth too Powerful to Depict on a Card?
General forum
Posted on March 9, 2019, 1:35 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
Now that there shall finally be a card of Serra, and there recently was a card of Urza (albeit in an Un-set), I wonder if there shall ever be a card of Yawgmoth, the greatest villain in this game’s history.
The reason for which there has not yet been a card that depicts him is that he was too powerful to depict on a card, which was also the reason for which planeswalkers were never depicted until recently, but, now that planeswalkers are a card type, I wonder if it is now possible to portray Yawgmoth.
Yawgmoth was not a planeswalker, but he was a being of immense power, so it may not be feasible to depict him in his godlike form, but he was originally a human, so a card that depicts him as a human may be possible, but such a card would still need to be very powerful, to truly capture the essence of a character so infamous and influential. Or, perhaps, it may be that there is no way to truly portray a character with a reputation such as his, since any portrayal would likely fall short of expectations, which shall certainly be very high.
What does everyone else say about this? Will Yawgmoth ever be portrayed on a card, or is he too powerful?
There's been speculation that Yawgmoth's Vile Offering is depicting his true form, although I'm not entirely sure if it's an accurate representation of Yawgmoth to the fullest or not. I did find out that this picture was released in an InQuest magazine and it looks very similar to the depiction in Vile Offering.
March 9, 2019 3:17 a.m.
I would rather not see Yawgmoth or Urza (I don’t count the unset card) depicted on a card. Part of their allure is the fact they show up a whole bunch in flavour text, but never on cards. It makes them seem a level above other characters.
That said, I expext Wizards will one day, as it would probably sell packs.
March 9, 2019 10:31 a.m.
Yawgmoth is too powerful and too complex a character to depict on a card in any satisfactory way. To do so would require either making him so powerful that this cost outweighs his benefit, or so simple that it doesn't capture what made Yawgmoth interesting or villainous.
However, I think it would be fair and satisfying to depict him with several cards, all snapshots from different parts of his life.
Yawgmoth the Eugenicist in Esper as a small build-around support-like creature. Yawgmoth the Traitor in Orzhov as a tax or politics commander. Yawgmoth, Father of Machines in Dimir for a new take on artifacts-matters. Yawgmoth, Lord of the Wastes in monoblack as an Emrakul-style game finisher. Maybe even as a DFC, flipping into his final appearance as a black cloud half the size of a planet; Yawgmoth the Ineffable.
Also, that is not him in Yawgmoth's Vile Offering , much less his true form. That card art is confirmed to just be the Phyrexian Arena. As for his true form, he was a Thran; a human. Only when he hooked himself up to the plane of Phyrexia did he gain godlike powers, including shapeshifting--a power shared by all pre-mending planeswalkers.
March 9, 2019 2:49 p.m.
PlatinumOne says... #6
i'm not sure he's really "too powerful" to be on a card thats still powerful enough to do him justice. planeswalkers (pre-mending) were supposed to be among the most powerful beings in the multiverse, rivaled only by the Elder Dragons. Ugin and Bolas are both Elder Dragons AND planeswalkers, and they both got their own cards. so if yawgmoth wasn't a planeswalker himself, its likely he wasn't as powerful as Ugin or Bolas. but then again i don't know much about yawgmoths story.
March 9, 2019 5:27 p.m.
I have always wanted a creature or walker with “target player wins the game” and I feel like he would fit the bill. From a flavor standpoint it would make sense as it’s just such a daunting figure as soon as he would show up you’d surrender or retreat giving him that villainous presence of the only time you’d see him is when you’ve already lost.
March 9, 2019 7:07 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #8
kanokarob, I like the idea of having different cards to depict Yawgmoth at various points in his life, as that would likely be the best way to portray him, since he played many roles in the story and had numerous abilities, and a single card could never fully and truly capture his multifarious nature.
Also, what is that white fetus-like thing in the center of the artwork for Yawgmoth's Vile Offering ?
March 11, 2019 10:30 p.m.
That is supposed to be Hanna, the Navigator for the Weatherlight, won Gerrard was jn love with. She died, and Yawgmoth promised Gerrard he could bring her back from the dead if he defeated Yawgmoth's champion in the Phyrexian Arena: Urza himself.
However, Yawgmoth lied. It was just a replica of Hanna.
March 11, 2019 10:34 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #10
kanokarob, I see, and I should have asked you to cover any spoilers, since I am currently reading the books that tell the story of the Weatherlight and Phyrexia (I currently am in the middle of the first book of the Masquerade cycle).
March 11, 2019 10:38 p.m.
Yep, looks like you messed up. After all, if you had asked me to avoid spoilers, I wouldn't have been answer your question at all. Should still be entertaining for you, though.
Vman says... #2
if he doesnt come as a walker he would very very very likely just be similar to a bolas or emrakul.
insanely powerful but with ridiculous cost
March 9, 2019 1:58 a.m.