I finished watching Xena, Warrior Princess on Netflix. Burned through six seasons. Watched the series finale last night. I have to admit: I felt some feels. I won’t give spoilers, even though the show ended almost 15 years ago. But those of you who, like me, become invested in fictional characters, will understand the concept of following a story over a long period of time, and experiencing with these characters the gamut of human emotions. The story of Xena, I believe, is really the story of Gabrielle, and particularly her evolution over the years of traveling with the Warrior Princess.
The passing of time is an experience universally shared by all of us, and though we respond to it in different ways, we are all inevitably affected by it, and as time passes, we change. Who I am today is not who I was when I was 18, or 25, or even 35. My personal travels and adventures have taken me from one place to another, existentially as well as geographically.
As a Magic player who’s been playing the game since The Dark, I understand how a person can form an attachment to a card as much as we feel a connection to a character of fiction. Serra Angel was my angel. Akroma was my win condition. Darksteel Colossus was my Iron Giant. Arcanis the Omnipotent is my all-time favorite card. Arcanis was my first EDH General. Arcanis is still my favorite Commander. I will put Solemn Simulacrum in as many decks as I can.
The list goes on. So many cards evoke memories of games and friends. Years and years of memories. The passing of time.
“Art is communication.” I learned this in an art appreciation class in college. 20 years later, I still hear the professor’s words in my head, because they ring true. Playing Magic means I see art all the time. The art is a testimony to the talent and vision of the artist.
“Misty Rainforest” by Ryan Yee
Ryan Yee’s work for the Battle for Zendikar Expedition land Misty Rainforest is not only beautiful, but a tribute to Magic’s history, all the way back to Alpha.
Mark Poole was commissioned to do the art for the “blue/green” dual land, but the bird flying above the island in Mark’s piece was deemed too prominent, so that art was used to create the card Birds of Paradise. New art was then made for Tropical Island.
The orange birds in Ryan Yee’s “blue/green” fetch land that contrast masterfully with the dominant blues and greens of the piece also pay homage to the original one-drop mana maker, and its historic connection with the dual land that is both thematically and functionally related to Misty Rainforest.
Over two decades have passed from Alpha lands to Expedition lands. To those of you new to the game, you have, to quote Obi-Wan, “taken your first step into a larger world.”
Finishing a book, or watching the final episode of a television series, or playing with an old Magic card makes me ponder the passing of time, and ultimately my own mortality. Moments long gone, forgotten by everyone but me, still linger in my mind, and affect me deeply. Some make me laugh out loud. Some cut to the bone. All of them make me realize how big our world is, how fast time passes, and how small and seemingly insignificant I am.
Then I remember these words of another wise character of the sci-fi/fantasy genre:
“Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment because they’ll never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we’ve lived.“ — Jean-Luc Picard
Bud Johnson
MTG Philosopher 