The Gatewatch is a more recent development in the story of the Magic the Gathering Trading Card Game. It is an agreement held between five Planeswalkers, Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Nissa Revane, and Liliana Vess to "Keep Watch" over the menaces of the Multiverse. The grouping up of Magic's "Heroes" seems to be following the trend of many comic book narratives (and adaptations). By its nature, a full story told through occasional shorts and a combination of card art and flavour text is an atypical narrrative, but it might bring something new or refreshing to the game. What is the Magic universe doing – if anything – to set the Gatewatch apart from other Super-Groups and does it have to?
MTG has always been unique in the ways you've described. You can get attached to specific cards aesthetically, because they fall into an enticing story line published on the Magic website or because they simply saved a game for you in real life. Furthermore the Magic: Duels games creates a story mode to play through as various Planeswalkers to get attached to them. It would truly be interesting to read an article on how people have responded to Magic and it's various points of interaction in comparison to the typical kind of Super-Group, there are just so many more areas of introduction. Even in drafts it's more interactive now. I remember when everyone got a clan and participated in earning points during the event so one would win. Is this drawing in more youth to the game in a time when other Super-Groups are dominating the media? – Slaidey8 years ago
I don’t believe that the plot of Magic: the Gathering favors convoluted storytelling but at this point in the games legacy, the issue seems to implode onto itself. Setting the Gatewatch apart from other characters or main aspects of the story seems to be more of a marketing tool than an artistic storytelling device used to further advance the universe. It seems evident that this approach can bring something new to the playing field, and make it easier for newer players to delve into an otherwise extremely convoluted story. The main focus on this aspect of storytelling comes at a time in which a motion picture about the card game’s story is beginning to kickoff and perhaps the Gatewatch are developing into more complicated characters in the hopes that this will begin their transition from flavor-text into a full-length script. – xenoplanet8 years ago
In the past we've seen stories across the multiverse develop and soon dissolve into dust. Not until the first threats of the Eldrazi had any successful group of Planeswalkers stood together to face such a disastrous threat to the multiverse. Something that might be explored with this topic could be the evolution of what it means to be a Planeswalker, and what they have had to do since they were significantly de-powered a thousand or so years ago. As it is, the Gatewatch represents a guild, or police force for the multiple planes, so this will inevitably draw in more Planeswalkers; it seems this is Wizards of the Coast's way of expanding their ranks, and adding reasoning to the exploration of new planes. The possibilities with the coming of Gatewatch are endless, and Wizards has set themselves up for an easy time when it comes to storytelling from now on. – SEGonzales8 years ago
