Is WOTC setting up Slivers to make their return as the BBEG?
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on June 13, 2023, 2:03 a.m. by TypicalTimmy
The past several Modern Horizon sets have reintroduced Slivers as tribes, and now later this year we get a WUBRG Commander Precon that is based around Slivers with a brand new one helming the deck.
Can we take this as a key indication that Slivers will be making their return and will be the next multiversal threat?
Caerwyn Well, what better place for wild speculation than the Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum?
I'd like to get some time between the attempted end of the multiverse and the next major villain arc. The nature of the multiverse just radically changed, and I think at least a year's worth of sets should be spent exploring and discovering the ramifications of this. I've said this in a couple other threads now, but I want the story tram to look at the non-heroes, the civilians, the ordinary people of the multiverse, and see how they react and what happens to them. Also, the multiverse has faced three existential threats in the last eight years. It's time to lower the stakes and take a breather.
To actually address the original question, Slivers would be an interesting approach to being a threat. With interplanar travel potentially being more accessible, as slivers move from plane to plane, different hives would adapt very differently. Divergent evolution in real time.
June 13, 2023 10:36 a.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #5
If anything, I feel like the Eldrazi will probably make some kind of return in the near-ish future. Likely not the Big 3 Titans from past sets, or if they do return, some new reconfiguration of them. One would think that the Multiverse altering results of the war with Phyrexia would be felt in the Blind Eternities, and the Eldrazi would come around to investigate and snack around as they're wont to do.
I agree with Caerwyn and legendofa on their points. I think we won't have another Big Bad for at least another year, and upcoming sets will be more focused on exploring the aftermath and repercussions of the war to greater extent.
The upcoming Sliver & Eldrazi precons are likely means of getting reprints and new tech for the two tribes.
June 13, 2023 2:09 p.m.
FormOverFunction says... #6
I think slivers are definitely on their way, though I’m not sure (like the rest of us) how soon. Honestly, humans have been “the good guys” long enough that I more expect them to be the big bads sooner...
June 13, 2023 2:43 p.m.
I just want the Atog's to get some love, is that too much to ask?
June 13, 2023 4:22 p.m.
psionictemplar says... #8
Tin foil hat theory that I don't ever forsee actually happening to make slivers the future villians.
One of the top level slivers in the sliver hierarchy investigates a metallic sliver that has been contaiminated with phyrexian oil. That oil becomes transferred into the top level slivers corrupting the tribes from the top down. Does this run into the problem of the "Elesh Norn" only control. Sure, but whose to say that somehow the sliver queen or overlord can't miraculously (or is it?) reestablish the active agents of the oil presenting a long term issue again.
Do I ever expect this to happen, absolutely not. Would I be suprised, yes. This hastily conceived idea is just a framework for humor purposes. Here's to the future of magic sets.
June 13, 2023 8:11 p.m.
Honestly I'd just like to see an original villain up next. The Phyrexians should be done for a good long while. The same for Nicol Bolas. I think the nature of a Sliver threat (spreading out across the multi-verse as a spreading plague) is a bit too similar to the Phyrexian threat. Personally I'm expecting the Eldrazi to be the next big-bad, though I think it would be much better if they waited several years before doing so.
With the major change in how travel between the planes takes place, I really want Wizards to take their time in setting up a new, original big-bad. They should tell smaller stories for a while and maybe try to use some subtlety to set up the new threat. Also, it'd be really great if the new threat wasn't just overwhelmingly evil on it's face. A compelling and complex villain who has a point would be phenomenal, though I don't expect that from Wizards.
June 14, 2023 10:47 a.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #10
In terms of (non) Planeswalkers, I can see Nahiri, Sorin, and Ashiok as our next round of Antagonists. Not necessarily Big-Bads, but the occasional reoccurring asshole haha. Nahiri and Ashiok seem the likeliest of the 3 to be potential antagonists (from what I'm remembering of where the story left off).
Something I would be interested in seeing is if we will now get some inter-planar conflicts between already known factions. It's only a matter of time before the Dimir sends agents to infiltrate planes lol. As Abaques stated, I'd like to see any new conflicts paced out as we learn more about the new landscape of the Multiverse.
June 14, 2023 11:53 a.m.
FormOverFunction says... #11
I liked the inter-guild conflicts of Ravnica, maybe something similar to that... but inter-planar? Is there some sort of bus stop that will let normies travel from Shandalaar to the homelands...? ;p
June 14, 2023 12:26 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #12
You know what would be a rather interesting one?
Ob Nixilis lost his spark, once again, and is now trapped as the kingpin on New Capenna
What if he reaches out and sends henchmen and minions to invade other planes for him?
June 14, 2023 12:51 p.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #13
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Ob lol. Ob Nixilis' Maestro remnants become slowly infiltrated by Dimir Agents.
Maybe the Boros Legion decides they need to "Spread Democracy" to the Multiverse. The Simic discover the beasts of Ikoria and their ability to rapidly mutate. The possibilities seem fun in all honesty.
June 14, 2023 1:49 p.m.
Here's my idea:
Have the next two years show people migrating to different planes from their home plane. This should have both positive and negative consequences for both the original and destination planes. They can do this with self-contained stories for the most part. Not every story should have migration as a central theme (some some certainly could), but it should be in the background of the stories.
Then show the rise of groups that are opposed to the migration between the planes. This should be done slowly over the course of several sets, and again, could be kept as background for other, smaller stories. The rise of these groups should be seen to be based off of real, appreciable harms. For instance say that some of the Simic migrate to Ikoria but this starts leading to mass extinctions because the Simic have disrupted the nature of mutation in Ikoria with their experiments. Another example would be say the Nezumi fleeing the persecution they receive in Kamigawa to move to a new plane where they are more accepted which leaves Kamigawa suffering from losing large number of people who only now can appreciate what they have lost.
Eventually this all leads towards the formation of a group that wants to ensure that the planes are only for their original inhabitants. This would need to be handled with care, but if done right I think this could be a great antagonistic group, whose initial good intentions are slowly corrupted until they end up committing great evil. And the resolution should not involve only just killing the big-bad, but actually addressing the real reasons why the big-bad came about.
June 14, 2023 3:55 p.m.
Jimmithee I mean, immigration tensions are really a world-wide phenomenon, but yeah, exploring that from a different perspective is something that Wizards could do if they were ambitious and very, very careful. There is a minefield for sure, but if they got it right I think it could be a very, very cool story. The best stories in fiction will almost always be some kind of an echo of something in the real world.
Caerwyn says... #2
I do not think this means anything other than “Slivers are popular and help move products.” They are persistently one of the most iconic tribes in the game, and one of the few decks which a new player can build with relative ease/lack of deck building know-how and have something powerful enough to make a splash at the table.
Now, is it possible Slivers might appear as a bad guy? Perhaps - they have been out of circulation in Standard and the stories for a long time, and Wizards recently churned through their other bad guys. But right now, I do not think the data available is enough for anything other than wild speculation.
June 13, 2023 9:36 a.m.