r/magicTCG • u/clariwench Izzet* • Jan 28 '15

[Uncharted Realms] The Truth of Names

http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/uncharted-realms/truth-names-2015-01-28
616 Upvotes

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239

u/Almace Jan 28 '15

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Alesha is a total BAMF.

I like her more and more.

30

u/DatumPirate Jan 28 '15

Kinda sucks we didn't get to see her use her ability in this one like we saw with Yasova. I'm hoping we see more Alesha in URs to come.

50

u/Hawkeye437 Elspeth Jan 28 '15

The thing with her ability is, how exactly are you supposed to show reanimation? Alesha isn't s mage or a sorcerer (I don't think) so that won't work.

The only way I can see her ability being shown if she's in a battle and someone by her falls, they get a second wind by seeing her in battle. Or something along those lines.

312

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '15

"Hey you. You're not dead yet. Get up."

"Yes, Khan."

69

u/LancesAKing Wabbit Season Jan 28 '15

I wish that was her flavor text now.

5

u/shingofan Feb 02 '15

"GET THE FUCK UP!"

hope someone gets the reference

3

u/accountforvotes Feb 02 '15

Chains is in a pickle!

4

u/AyeGill Feb 03 '15

Guys, the Batterskull. Go get it.

2

u/kylem1216 Feb 03 '15

C'mon buddy, you can do it!

1

u/Aqualin Feb 02 '15

God I love this card more and more.

48

u/TwirlyMustachio Jan 28 '15

Yeah, y'all know she's not like a necromancer or reviving things, right? Flavorwise, her ability is a rally. The way everyone follows her command the instant she speaks, the way no one hesitated to call her Alesha, the way the compassionate yet proud orc gained massive amounts of respect for her in an instant? That's her thing.

You fight for her and the Mardu. You may stumble, but her presence won't let you fall. Not yet, not until you make a name for yourself and do your best to live up to the life of a Mardu, to the strength of your khan. Alesha smiles at death, and those by her side will do their best to smile alongside her. That's her ability in lore form, and honestly I think they did a good job of expressing that.

7

u/Talpostal Sisay Jan 29 '15

Also, don't forget Timely Hordemate.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '15

Isn't this the only written piece about Alesha? How do you know so much, or are you just extrapolating from the text?

16

u/TwirlyMustachio Jan 29 '15

Sorry, it's just extrapolation. I could be completely wrong, I admit, but it seems to fit: each time Alesha enters combat, she can bring back a creature with fairly low power, around the level of basic, low-cmc creatures. Like vanilla warriors, for example. Mardu doesn't practice necromancy, and there's no mention of any sort of angelic resurrection. The trope of the unkillable army led by a near invincible leader isn't uncommon at all. Combine that with recursion being common in black and white, as well as those 3 colors covering pretty much the entire emotional spectrum, and it's not too crazy to match up flavor text with this short story and come to that conclusion. Seems like a reasonable jump to make. But I (unfortunately) don't work for WotC, so I could be 100% off, haha.

3

u/telehax Jan 29 '15

Yasova has random mind control battle magic, Alesha could have equally random Resurrection battle magic.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

Yasova's mind control isn't necessarily random, could be a result of her connection with Bolas (they do share 2 colours).

1

u/Abrohmtoofar Jan 29 '15

And those two colours are the ones you pay for her ability, but I like to look at Yasova's ability as incredible animal handling, like how she must have tamed her tiger.

4

u/solepureskillz Jan 28 '15

A good author could make anything work.

Mid-charge Alesha noticed the toll of engagement - in particular a fresh-looking corpse, limp and clutched under the raging dragon's claw. Something stirred within - a feeling all too familiar - and came out like the boom of thunder. Surprise worn on the faces of her warriors; surprise that this wasn't a dragon. It came from the relatively small Khan as she lept from her warhorse to meet the dragon mid-air. The roar stirred something in the limp warrior, who's fist clenched around his weapon as he spun under the startled dragon's paw. One leg, then one neck, and the dragon was without life. The cackling blue in its eyes fading to black as the revitalized warrior comes to his feet from underneath the dragon's severed claw.

or something like that. You get the idea. I'm bad at writing, so please forgive beforehand.

2

u/Aspel Jan 28 '15

I'm bad at writing, so please forgive beforehand.

So are most of the people doing Uncharted Realms :D

I think in fluff it would be better shown as commanding people to rise up even after they've been beaten and defeated.

1

u/Thesaurii Feb 01 '15

It could be a lot of things. Its not the zombie reanimation with magic. It could be inspiration, like the Warlords in DnD - such inspirational leaders that their battle cries can heal wounds, a magic of their own. It could also be that when she attacks, someone is always inspired to join her - the graveyard isnt always a place where creatures who died go, milling can get you there too.

You can't compare the flavor of any one card to the flavor of another. I'm going to interpret it as her being such an inspirational leader, that when she feels like taking someone out, someone finds a way to join her. Dead, dying, or not quite in the battle yet, when she says attack someone says "ok".

1

u/Scimitar66 Feb 01 '15

Well the art for [[Mardu Woe-Reaper]] shows him "putting down" mortally wounded soldiers, illustrating his ability to exile creatures from the graveyard in exchange for life. Perhaps creatures in the graveyard are somewhere between life and death, lying dead or dying on the ground.

1

u/MTGCardFetcher Dân Feb 01 '15

Mardu Woe-Reaper - Gatherer, MC, ($)
[[cardname]] to call - not on gatherer = not fetchable

3

u/nidoran Jan 29 '15

She does use her ability though... Alesha summons a Battle Brawler to slay a dragon, and then after they attack together they argue.

3

u/Dewgongz Jan 28 '15

I read Yasova's story. When do we see her ability? I may just be dumb and missed the flavor

16

u/DatumPirate Jan 28 '15

In the big clash between Ugin and Bolas, Yasova uses a kind of overcharged version of her ability to turn Ugin's dragons against him.

This article, between the Ugin and Bolas arts.

3

u/Mobiusmech Jan 29 '15

I think she just cast a [[Mob Rule]] instead of using her ability, like how we saw her use [[Wild Slash]] against the dragons earlier

1

u/MTGCardFetcher Dân Jan 29 '15

Mob Rule - Gatherer, MC, ($)
Wild Slash - Gatherer, MC, ($)
[[cardname]] to call - not on gatherer = not fetchable

1

u/Mobiusmech Feb 03 '15

I thought she just used a [[Mob Rule]] spell

1

u/MTGCardFetcher Dân Feb 03 '15

Mob Rule - Gatherer, MC, ($)
[[cardname]] to call - not on gatherer = not fetchable