Plane Shift: Ixalan is More Magic: the Gathering For Your D&D!

I've been weighing getting the art book. This should help. I love both Innistrad and Zendikar, but Kaladesh left me feeling meh (there wasn't much room for adventure IMHO) and I haven't picked up Amonkhet. Ixalan seems very Chult-esque so would be great for resetting ToA I think.

 

[robus]

I don't know anything about Magic, but this question sparked my curiousity. According to https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/worlds-magic-origins-2015-07-09, there are ten major worlds (likely to be Planeshift material). My quick impression is: Vryn looks like a good fit if they set an AP in Eberron, Theros is good if they want to revisit the Time of Troubles, Regatha would be good if there was another elemental themed AP, Ravnica would be good if they had Sigil located AP, Lorwyn would be good for a Feywild AP, Dominaria seems like the MtG version of FR (so it could show up anytime), and Alara would be good for an upper planes related AP.

A lot of the worlds seem quite ready for adventure (others not so much, or at least not as suitable for D&D style character leveling). I think WotC is currently just keeping up with the new planes expansions. If that ever slows down (and I think it must?) then Wyatt will probably go back and revisit some of the older planes (like he did with Zendikar) to create the art book and plane shift guide.

 

[zeldafan42]

I don't know anything about Magic, but this question sparked my curiousity. According to https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/worlds-magic-origins-2015-07-09, there are ten major worlds (likely to be Planeshift material). My quick impression is: Vryn looks like a good fit if they set an AP in Eberron, Theros is good if they want to revisit the Time of Troubles, Regatha would be good if there was another elemental themed AP, Ravnica would be good if they had Sigil located AP, Lorwyn would be good for a Feywild AP, Dominaria seems like the MtG version of FR (so it could show up anytime), and Alara would be good for an upper planes related AP.

There are more than 10 major Magic settings. The 10 you found in that article just so happen to be the 10 that were focused on in Magic Origins, which was an oddball set in that it focused on multiple planes like that. Typically, Magic sets take place on a singular plane.

There’s actually been 15 major settings that have been the focus of sets and have gotten extensive creative treatment, two that have been largely featured in small supplemental sets, and two other planes that we’ve seen very small glances at that have been foreshadowed as future set locations. The list of known planes is :
Domnaria - For years this was Magic’s only real setting despite the plane hopping premise. Most of the early sets take place on Dominaria, with different storylines taking place on different continents. Slightly generic fantasy in feel with a few of the continents being more unique. The last sets to take place on Dominaria were actually set during a major apocalyptic event that radically altered the look of Dominaria, but that was 60 years ago in-universe and Magic’s next major set after Ixalan is taking place on a recovered Dominaria. This place is going to be our next Plane Shift.

Mirrodin/New Phyrexia - Mirrodin was an artificial metal world where even the organic life had natural metal growths coming from their skin. Then, in the last series of sets to take place on Mirrodin, the plane was conquered by the Phyrexians, a major enemy faction from Magic’s past. The Phyrexians see organic life as weak and seek perfection by converting themselves and all others into horrific fusions of flesh and machinery. Think Borg with a major helping of body horror. Since falling, Mirrodin has been renamed New Phyrexia , although there is a contingent of Mirrans that haven’t been corrupted that are leading a resistance.

Kamigawa - A world based on Japanese mythology which once had a major war between the spirits of the world and the mortal races known as the Kami War. However, that occurred thousands of years ago in-universe and we don’t know what modern Kamigawa is like...and likely never will. Kamigawa was an extremely unpopular set that sold poorly. (Although there is a very vocal contingent of fans who loved the set, myself included.) We are unlikely to ever revisit the plane in a major set, so our only hope of a return to Kamigawa (and a corresponding Plane Shift supplement) is a supplemental set that focuses on the world.

Ravnica - One of Magic’s most popular worlds and my personal favorite, Ravnica is plane where the entire world is covered in one giant city, basically a fantasy version of Coruscant. Ravnica is home to 10 guilds that fight for control of the plane, each guild being based on one of the two color combinations of Magic.

Lorwyn - Lorwyn is a world based off the fairytales and folklore of the British Isles that’s rather unique among Magic settings because there are no humans on the plane. Once upon a time, Lorwyn was a world bathed in perpetual summer daylight that would shift every so many years during an event called the Great Aurora into the perpetually autumn twilight world of Shadowmoore. However, our last set on Lorwyn supposedly ended the Great Aurora and fused together the two aspects of the plane, so we’re left wondering what this new Lorwyn is like...and unfortunately this was another set that sold somewhat poorly so we’re not getting answers anytime soon.

Alara - Alara was a world that was once shattered into five shards, with each shard only having access to three of the five colors of mana and each developing into very distinct worlds and cultures. Then, during an event called the Conflux, the five shards fused together into one world. While some regions of Alara still distinctly resemble the individual shards, there are also places where the features of two or more shards coexist.

Zendikar - An adventure world that was ravaged by Eldritch beings known as the Eldrazi, as already featured in the first Plane Shift.

Innistrad - Gothic Horror world, now with a touch of Cosmic Horror thanks to the influence of Emrakuel. The focus of the second Plane Shift.

Theros - Greek mythology world, where mortal heroes fight deadly monsters while trying to win the favor (or avoid the wrath) of one of the 14 gods that roam through the star fields of Nyx.

Tarkir - A world where five clans that each venerated an aspect of the long extinct dragons clashed...until some timey-whimey stuff happened and now it’s a world where five clans each led by an ancient Dragon Lord and their brood clash. Despite how popular dragons normally are, most fans actually prefer the clans from the original timeline to the dragon clans for various reasons.

Kaladesh - A world of aetherpunk invention inspired by Indian culture and the focus of Plane Shift number three.

Amonkhet - Egyptian mythology world that was conquered by the Elder Dragon planeswalker Nicol Bolas and had its culture warped to be obsessed with taking part in a series of trials to prove one’s worthiness, and the location of Plane Shift part four.

Ixalan - The current Plane Shift world, an adventure world of pirates and dinosaurs and vampire conquistadors!

Fiora - A world that’s only been seen in the two supplemental Conspiracy sets. So far, mostly focused on the High City of Paliano, where several individuals and factions fight for power and influence. Has a very Renaissance-era Italy vibe to it.

Shandalar - A plane that was originally created as the setting of a very old Magic computer game, then was brought back as a setting for the core sets during the time when Dominaria was going through its post-apocalyptic phase and they needed a generic fantasy plane. It’s only real unique feature is that it’s a wandering plane that drifts through the Multiverse, making it slightly harder for planeswalkers to find.

Vryn and Regatha - The two planes we know the absolute least about, with the small glances we saw during Magic Origins being our only looks at them so far. All we know about Vryn is that it’s the home plane of the planeswalker Jace Beleran, that there are these structures called mage rings that can transfer mana from one place to another, and that there are two factions fighting for control of the rings. Regatha was the destination of Chandra Nalaar’s first planeswalk. All we know about it is that it’s home to two organizations: Kheral Keep, a monastery of pyromancers and the Order of Heliod, an organization that didn’t like pyromancers. Presumably they’re both going to be the focuses of future sets so we’ll eventually learn more about them.

Ulgrotha and Mercadia - Included on the list more for the sake of completeness, they were the settings of some classic Magic sets that were fairly unpopular and Wizards and fans are largely willing to leave them in the past . I don’t really know that much about either of them.

 

[robus]

I found this page to be a fun way to explore the various planes: https://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planes

 

[MechaTarrasque]

There are more than 10 major Magic settings. The 10 you found in that article just so happen to be the 10 that were focused on in Magic Origins, which was an oddball set in that it focused on multiple planes like that. Typically, Magic sets take place on a singular plane.

There’s actually been 15 major settings that have been the focus of sets and have gotten extensive creative treatment, two that have been largely featured in small supplemental sets, and two other planes that we’ve seen very small glances at that have been foreshadowed as future set locations. The list of known planes is :
Domnaria - For years this was Magic’s only real setting despite the plane hopping premise. Most of the early sets take place on Dominaria, with different storylines taking place on different continents. Slightly generic fantasy in feel with a few of the continents being more unique. The last sets to take place on Dominaria were actually set during a major apocalyptic event that radically altered the look of Dominaria, but that was 60 years ago in-universe and Magic’s next major set after Ixalan is taking place on a recovered Dominaria. This place is going to be our next Plane Shift.

Mirrodin/New Phyrexia - Mirrodin was an artificial metal world where even the organic life had natural metal growths coming from their skin. Then, in the last series of sets to take place on Mirrodin, the plane was conquered by the Phyrexians, a major enemy faction from Magic’s past. The Phyrexians see organic life as weak and seek perfection by converting themselves and all others into horrific fusions of flesh and machinery. Think Borg with a major helping of body horror. Since falling, Mirrodin has been renamed New Phyrexia , although there is a contingent of Mirrans that haven’t been corrupted that are leading a resistance.

Kamigawa - A world based on Japanese mythology which once had a major war between the spirits of the world and the mortal races known as the Kami War. However, that occurred thousands of years ago in-universe and we don’t know what modern Kamigawa is like...and likely never will. Kamigawa was an extremely unpopular set that sold poorly. (Although there is a very vocal contingent of fans who loved the set, myself included.) We are unlikely to ever revisit the plane in a major set, so our only hope of a return to Kamigawa (and a corresponding Plane Shift supplement) is a supplemental set that focuses on the world.

Ravnica - One of Magic’s most popular worlds and my personal favorite, Ravnica is plane where the entire world is covered in one giant city, basically a fantasy version of Coruscant. Ravnica is home to 10 guilds that fight for control of the plane, each guild being based on one of the two color combinations of Magic.

Lorwyn - Lorwyn is a world based off the fairytales and folklore of the British Isles that’s rather unique among Magic settings because there are no humans on the plane. Once upon a time, Lorwyn was a world bathed in perpetual summer daylight that would shift every so many years during an event called the Great Aurora into the perpetually autumn twilight world of Shadowmoore. However, our last set on Lorwyn supposedly ended the Great Aurora and fused together the two aspects of the plane, so we’re left wondering what this new Lorwyn is like...and unfortunately this was another set that sold somewhat poorly so we’re not getting answers anytime soon.

Alara - Alara was a world that was once shattered into five shards, with each shard only having access to three of the five colors of mana and each developing into very distinct worlds and cultures. Then, during an event called the Conflux, the five shards fused together into one world. While some regions of Alara still distinctly resemble the individual shards, there are also places where the features of two or more shards coexist.

Zendikar - An adventure world that was ravaged by Eldritch beings known as the Eldrazi, as already featured in the first Plane Shift.

Innistrad - Gothic Horror world, now with a touch of Cosmic Horror thanks to the influence of Emrakuel. The focus of the second Plane Shift.

Theros - Greek mythology world, where mortal heroes fight deadly monsters while trying to win the favor (or avoid the wrath) of one of the 14 gods that roam through the star fields of Nyx.

Tarkir - A world where five clans that each venerated an aspect of the long extinct dragons clashed...until some timey-whimey stuff happened and now it’s a world where five clans each led by an ancient Dragon Lord and their brood clash. Despite how popular dragons normally are, most fans actually prefer the clans from the original timeline to the dragon clans for various reasons.

Kaladesh - A world of aetherpunk invention inspired by Indian culture and the focus of Plane Shift number three.

Amonkhet - Egyptian mythology world that was conquered by the Elder Dragon planeswalker Nicol Bolas and had its culture warped to be obsessed with taking part in a series of trials to prove one’s worthiness, and the location of Plane Shift part four.

Ixalan - The current Plane Shift world, an adventure world of pirates and dinosaurs and vampire conquistadors!

Fiora - A world that’s only been seen in the two supplemental Conspiracy sets. So far, mostly focused on the High City of Paliano, where several individuals and factions fight for power and influence. Has a very Renaissance-era Italy vibe to it.

Shandalar - A plane that was originally created as the setting of a very old Magic computer game, then was brought back as a setting for the core sets during the time when Dominaria was going through its post-apocalyptic phase and they needed a generic fantasy plane. It’s only real unique feature is that it’s a wandering plane that drifts through the Multiverse, making it slightly harder for planeswalkers to find.

Vryn and Regatha - The two planes we know the absolute least about, with the small glances we saw during Magic Origins being our only looks at them so far. All we know about Vryn is that it’s the home plane of the planeswalker Jace Beleran, that there are these structures called mage rings that can transfer mana from one place to another, and that there are two factions fighting for control of the rings. Regatha was the destination of Chandra Nalaar’s first planeswalk. All we know about it is that it’s home to two organizations: Kheral Keep, a monastery of pyromancers and the Order of Heliod, an organization that didn’t like pyromancers. Presumably they’re both going to be the focuses of future sets so we’ll eventually learn more about them.

Ulgrotha and Mercadia - Included on the list more for the sake of completeness, they were the settings of some classic Magic sets that were fairly unpopular and Wizards and fans are largely willing to leave them in the past . I don’t really know that much about either of them.

Thank you. As I said in my post, I am not familiar with the MtG worlds, so your primer is most appreciated. Just based on your descriptions (and my own desire for new monsters), Theros and Mirrodin seem like the worlds I most hope for in future Planeshifts (although I am prepared to be pleasantly surprised).

 

[Yaarel]

In the D&D mana colors, their corresponding alignments are odd.

Lawful or Good: White
Neutral: Blue, Green
Chaotic: Red
Evil: Black

It seems possible, to align one of the colors more fully with Good? White as sometimes Good, Green as the flourishing of life and healing as Good, or Blue as intellect and consciousness as Good.

For example:
White: Good (Altruism)
Blue: Lawful (Logic)
Red: Chaotic (Emotion)
Green: Neutral (Animal and Plant)
Black: Evil (Selfishness)

 

[robus]

Actually it looks like another new plane is coming this Spring "Dominaria" : https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/dominaria - so no doubt a new artbook and plane shift pdf will come soon after.

 

[cbwjm]

Actually it looks like another new plane is coming this Spring "Dominaria" : https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/dominaria - so no doubt a new artbook and plane shift pdf will come soon after.

This should be pretty cool because it will bring back the memories from when I first started playing mtg (I don't anymore, it was a massive time and money sink). Back then there were always hints of locations on cards like the mountainous region of Shiv where the shivan dragons lived or the forest of Llanowar (think that's the name). I might end up buying this art book when it comes out just for the sake of nostalgia.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[robus]

This should be pretty cool because it will bring back the memories from when I first started playing mtg (I don't anymore, it was a massive time and money sink). Back then there were always hints of locations on cards like the mountainous region of Shiv where the shivan dragons lived or the forest of Llanowar (think that's the name). I might end up buying this art book when it comes out just for the sake of nostalgia.

Yeah - I've tried the game out (with a Zendikar Dueling Deck), but it didn't click for me. However I generally love the worlds they're building to support the game. Quite inspirational!

 

[cbwjm]

Yeah - I've tried the game out (with a Zendikar Dueling Deck), but it didn't click for me. However I generally love the worlds they're building to support the game. Quite inspirational!

Part of the fun of mtg for me is learning about the worlds. Each card would often be part of the story with name or flavour text giving hints of the world. Some of the cards even found their way into an old dnd campaign of mine.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[SkidAce]

This should be pretty cool because it will bring back the memories from when I first started playing mtg (I don't anymore, it was a massive time and money sink). Back then there were always hints of locations on cards like the mountainous region of Shiv where the shivan dragons lived or the forest of Llanowar (think that's the name). I might end up buying this art book when it comes out just for the sake of nostalgia.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

Same here, definitely.