Ask Jay

Its been 10 years since From the Vault: lore was released this year. If you had to curate a 10 card From the Vault: Lore 2 to summarize and give tribute to the last 10 years of storytelling which cards would you pick.

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:29:56 -0400

That's tough, because the difference is we now have story spotlights. Without dipping into those, I think my choices would be:

Call the Gatewatch
Zendikar Resurgent
Emrakul, the Promised End
Planar Bridge
The Immortal Sun
Bolas' Citadel
The Seedcore
Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree
Archangel Elspeth
Rewrite Regrets

Why in the Echoverse Avishkar is called Aviskar, if, as it seems, no revolution ever happened there, and the Consulate has been pretty happy with the old name, as shown in the Aetherdrift storyline?

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:05:40 -0400

Watsonian Explanation: The Echoverse isn't a true alternate timeline, it doesn't necessarily follow the exact path of the real Avishkar.

Doylist Explanation: It's the name of the world now, and going back to a name they changed because it can be interpreted as a slur isn't something they wanted to do for an AU. It's also unnecessarily confusing for newer fans.

What would be the appropriate creature type of Ob Nixilis? He is just Demon without a class type.

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 09:29:57 -0400

A warrior or knight I think, but usually demons/angels don't really need the job type.

Some planes have Merfolks, while Aetherdrift has fish/shark pirates from unknown plane. Is there a clear line between merfolk and fishfolk?

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 11:40:25 -0400

Fish folk are fish in a humanoid shape, while merfolk are part fish part human, conforming to classical mythology about Merfolk.

Do you know whether there’s a reason that witchstalkers in Reality Fracture have two heads? (Primal Witchstalker, Apex Witchstalker, and I think also Bestial Incursion)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:17:24 -0400

I would recommend looking at every Hexhaven animal, most have an effect like that going on.

It’s a symptom of the Echoverse magic

It is stated that in Hexhaven “no cadets are accepted from other planes in the Echoverse”, yet in the set we have depictions of Azra, Siren, Aetherborn, Cephalid, Akki and very Lorwyn-looking Flamekin. How comes?

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:26:26 -0400

There’s a couple possible reasons that are unexplained.

1) Biodiversity on Echo Arcavios is higher, either intentionally or as a weird side effect of being the epicenter of the Echoverse.

2) They’re not technically cadets, but echoes of people whose skills Jace thought would be useful as staff or for his project.

Echoes your tezzeret

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:20:07 -0400

gay-little-izzet:

Echoes your tezzeret
Jace still doesn’t like him so it’s unclear how he got this teaching position.

I wasn’t around for time spiral block - is red Akroma retconned to be from the Echoverse? Or did Jace happen to recreate that verbatim? What’s the deal with the planar chaos dragon cycle?

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:22:17 -0400

1) Two different origins that resulted in the same card Akroma.

2) Planar Chaos dragons are alternate versions of the Primeval Dragons from Invasion. There’s no other lore.

What’s the difference between an avatar and an incarnation?

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:51 -0400

Boop

Ask Jay

Where do djinn and efreets come from? Do they bear children, or are they mana constructs like angels?

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:10 -0400

There's no official lore on djinn biology, really. I would say it depends on the plane, the djinn of Tarkir seem more biological than many of their counterparts.

In traditional mythology, they're spirits (in the broad animistic sense), and probably more akin to an elemental than an angel.

What’s the reason for “bad” things on the echoverse, since it was supposed to be a multiverse without suffering? Like echo-Kytheon mentindo a corrupt warden, killing his comrades and feeling no remorse. Why is there a corrupt warden in a world without suffering, in the first place? What about Mowu?

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 20:38:01 -0400

The Planeswalker’s Guide explains it: Jace gave the Echoverse three parameters, no Bolas, no Eldrazi, no Phyrexia, and it built itself from there.

Can you tell us a bit more of what’s happening in Teferi’s Reproach? I imagine its taking place in the Second Brother’s War like how Teferi’s Protection is phasing Zhalfir out during the Phyrexian Invasion. It looks like Teferi is surrounded by Keldon warriors. Did Teferi phase out the nation of Keld in the Second Brother’s War?

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 07:47:57 -0400

The idea is that it’s a reverse Teferi’s Protection, but as for what’s actually happening, your guess is as good as mine.

The revealed pages from “Mage of Zhalfir” depict Teferi as a young man who drinks wine, but we know that he’s been admitted to the academy as a boy. So, WotC and Dark Horse are rewritting canon, or is the comic non-canon, or is it just the “unreliable narrator” thing?

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:57:28 -0400

The comic shows Quint going into the Bibliplex and opening up a book to read about that era, so it’s easy to assume this is the book’s version of events.

Based on your gut feeling and knowledge of current lore do all, some, or none of Magic’s Angels (and Demons for that matter) sleep?

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 09:06:26 -0400

I'm sure somewhere, an angel sleeps, but it doesn't really seem like many need to.

It seems like Emrakul and Jadzi believe the Theorist’s plan will do something, and was not just madness and illusions. Therefore, what plane is Echo!Koth from if Echo!Mirrodin is lifeless? Or how was the Theorist planning to overlay two Mirrodins onto Zhalfar?

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:31:13 -0400

Echo!Mirrodin would have presumably merged with what is now Zhalfir.

aceofmoxes:

But if Echo!Mirrodin is lifeless as Echo!Karn intended, where is Echo!Koth that he still has metal plates and eats metal fruit?

That wasn’t Echo Karn’s intention though.

It seems like Emrakul and Jadzi believe the Theorist’s plan will do something, and was not just madness and illusions. Therefore, what plane is Echo!Koth from if Echo!Mirrodin is lifeless? Or how was the Theorist planning to overlay two Mirrodins onto Zhalfar?

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:51:45 -0400

Echo!Mirrodin would have presumably merged with what is now Zhalfir.

I’ve been thinking, since in the original Innistrad white was isolated from the other colors and humans were vulnerable to the undead, so Echoverse!Avacyn solves this problem? Her church sanctifies the undead, so the humans in her Innistrad embraced the darkness

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 12:52:06 -0400

The core of Echo Avacyn is that it flips the script on her promise.

Multiverse Avacyn promised the Blessed Sleep, that you can rest in death and not be turned into a zombie or a geist.

Echo Avacyn, of course, does the opposite.

Reading the “legends of” article, Edgar’s entry says “…even after Edgar’s recent failed wedding/power grab…”. Wasn’t it Olivia making the power grab, by attempting to wed Edgar more or less against his will, or am I misremembering the Crimson Vow story?

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 13:21:00 -0400

It was his wedding but not his power grab. Probably just awkward phrasing.

This cycle is inside Jace’s psyche, like the memory traps

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 13:19:40 -0400

jasonvorthos-blog:

Is this Jace version of the Meditation Realms ? @vorthosjay

This cycle is inside Jace’s psyche, like the memory traps

Any idea what the deal is with Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes?

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 22:18:08 -0400

Based on the name I’d say it’s representing the nascent Echoverse, ala Child of Alara and the reborn Alara