<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.gallerygerard.com/the-art-of-justin-gerard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Justin Gerard</a></em></p>
<p>Fan favorite Merfolk Sygg returns in the upcoming set <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/ecl" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Lorwyn Eclipsed</em></a>, as we revisit the much beloved plane in January. What better way to celebrate than by building a brand new Commander deck for him?</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look at the freshwater ferryman that'll be leading our 99. As <em>Lorwyn Eclipsed</em> is set in a plane where the very nature of the world changes from day to night, Sygg has two faces which we can transform between to represent him in both Lorwyn and Shadowmoor.</p>
<p>On the front face, Wanderwine Wisdom, we have an unblockable 2/2 Merfolk Wizard that can't be blocked. Whenever Sygg enters or transforms back into his Wanderwine form, we can target any creature we control with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> style effect. For the rest of the turn, if they hit an opponent or one of their planeswalkers in combat, we draw ourselves a card.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Curiosity"></div></div>
<p>For this brand new set, transformation doesn't require us to meet any special conditions. Instead it's a repeatable paid ability that triggers at the start of every main phase. If we pay one <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> we'll flip Sygg over to his Wanderbrine side.</p>
<h2>Sygg's Shadow</h2>
<p>Whenever Sygg flips into <span class="edhrecp__link reverse"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Sygg, Wanderbrine Shield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we get to suit up one of our creatures with protection from every color. That makes whatever creature we choose with our ability very difficult to interact with.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards reverse"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>As Sygg's abilities are tied to his transformations, it can make him a little tricky to build around. Most transforming creatures will stay transformed once it's happened. But with this new flipping mechanic from <em>Lorwyn Eclipsed, </em>Sygg can technically flip back and once on every turn. It's similar to Day &amp; Night from the most recent <em>Innistrad</em> sets, but in this case we have much more direct control over the process.</p>
<h2>Making Sure We’re Equipped for Combat</h2>
<p>As Sygg's rather strange ability seems to want us to make something de facto unblockable like himself and swing in for combat damage-tied card advantage, we should build a deck that wants to get stuck into combat. But as Sygg only targets a single creature with his ability, we really want to be focusing on a single attacker.</p>
<p>Luckily, with the protection that Sygg gives us, we'll be able to make sure that our chosen creature gets in for combat damage. What we now need to provide that creature is some buffs so that we can present lethal damage to our opponents, as well as a bevvy of combat damage triggers to make sure we get as much bang for our buck as we can from one big hit.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geist of Saint Traft"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Zethi, Arcane Blademaster"></div></div>
<p>For that reason we're going for a sort of <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/voltron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Voltron</a> strategy in which we cram loads of buffs and triggers onto one single creature. And as Sygg will provide our creature with protection from all colors, we want those buffs to be colorless or else the protection will cause them to fall off.</p>
<p>That's why we're taking an Equipment focus with this build! And as Sygg's <em>Shadowmoor</em> self was a sort of swashbuckling sellsword, it makes sense that we'd suit up our swingers with an assortment of swords. Sibilance!</p>
<h2>Sellsword Sells Swords</h2>
<p>For those not aware, the Sword of X and Y cycle is a collection of ten Equipment cards, each one linked to one of the ten color pairs in <em>Magic</em>. They provide the bearer protection from both of those colors and give a +2/+2 buff. That's a pretty good benefit on its own for three mana, but what really makes them sing for our deck is the combat damage triggers they provide.</p>
<p>Whenever a creature deals combat damage to a player whilst equipped with one of these Swords, we get two triggers. One representing each of the two colors on the sword. The <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of Feast and Famine" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of Feast and Famine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for example, gives us some hand hate against our opponent and allows us to untap all our lands, effectively doubling the resources we have access to each turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Feast and Famine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Fire and Ice"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Hearth and Home"></div></div>
<p>The Sword cycle is notoriously powerful, and for good reason. When you load up enough of them onto a creature you'll get a wild amount of value out of just one swing. Not to mention that combined they give a total +20 to your creature's power.</p>
<p>The plan is very simple: We go big, and then we bring it home! We present lethal combat damage attached to creatures that can't be blocked or interacted with.</p>
<p>So how do we make it work?</p>
<h2>Finding Our Weapons</h2>
<p>First up we'll need some card advantage. This plan is all well and good, but what if our swords are still sitting in our deck? Our attacks aren't going to look very impressive.</p>
<p>First of all, we can look to some basic card draw.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sram, Senior Edificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Puresteel Paladin"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shimmer Dragon"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Puresteel Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Puresteel Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are classics for Equipment decks as they refill our hand whenever our Equipment enters the field. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shimmer Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Shimmer Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides some repeatable, instant speed card draw by allowing us to tap two swords for a card. As Equipment doesn't do any tapping on its own, it's effectively free.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneforge Mystic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starwinder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Open the Armory"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starwinder" href="#" target="_blank">Starwinder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a little more top end but will give us crazy card draw after a big swing - not to mention we can warp him in on the cheap on big turns. We can also take advantage of Equipment tutor effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to root through our library for the swords we need.</p>
<h2>Suiting Up</h2>
<p>The key feature of Equipment cards is that they trade the Aura's one time use for a repeatable equip cost. But that equip cost can start to rack up once we've got enough Equipment on board. With effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brass Squire" href="#" target="_blank">Brass Squire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Codsworth, Handy Helper" href="#" target="_blank">Codsworth, Handy Helper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can circumvent the equip costs to keep prices down.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brass Squire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Codsworth, Handy Helper"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Forge Anew"></div></div>
<p>Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Danitha Capashen, Paragon" href="#" target="_blank">Danitha Capashen, Paragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> however will reduce costs over all. And the fantastic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Forge Anew" href="#" target="_blank">Forge Anew</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will not only provide a one time discount but also allow us to equip our swords at instant speed. That turns them into repeatable protection effects against enemy spells when we need them.</p>
<p>Forge Anew also allows us to recur important Equipment from the graveyard when opponents inevitably try to remove our swords. We need to protect the things that are giving us protection, after all.</p>
<h2>Redundancy for Sygg</h2>
<p>Speaking of protection, it's worth noting that Sygg's effect is a little slow. We only get it once every other turn and we're forced to do it right at the start of our main phase. To make sure we have enough of a wall between us and our opponents' spells, we should plan some backups.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mother of Runes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pippin, Guard of the Citadel"></div></div>
<p>Luckily we're in white, which gives us a load of options - the premier color for keeping our warriors safe! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mother of Runes" href="#" target="_blank">Mother of Runes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a staple for this type of effect, giving us instant-speed protection from a single color.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pippin, Guard of the Citadel" href="#" target="_blank">Pippin, Guard of the Citadel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can also provide protection from the card type of our choice. Either something like instants to ignore interaction or just creatures to make us unblockable.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ephemerate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghostly Flicker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Archaeomancer"></div></div>
<p>To get around the turns in which Sygg will transform back to his less exciting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect, we can take advantage of flickering! Using cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ephemerate" href="#" target="_blank">Ephemerate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can have Sygg re-enter the battlefield in our upkeep to give his regular blue effect, then allowing us to transform him to his white side again for the protection.</p>
<p>With cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archaeomancer" href="#" target="_blank">Archaeomancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mnemonic Wall" href="#" target="_blank">Mnemonic Wall</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that effect can become repeatable as we pick back up our flicker spells.</p>
<h2>Finding the Right Attacker</h2>
<p>The only piece left of the puzzle is to find a decent creature to connect with our opponents. For that we want to seek out slippery creatures with great evasive skills or ones that hit extra hard. Creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geist of Saint Traft" href="#" target="_blank">Geist of Saint Traft</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> who's not only hexproof but rewards us with a free extra attacker with every swing.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geist of Saint Traft"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wraith, Vicious Vigilante" href="#" target="_blank">Wraith, Vicious Vigilante</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is unblockable even without protection effects, and she's also blessed with double strike, giving us double the damage and double the combat damage triggers from our swords!</p>
<p>The aforementioned Danitha has some great keywords, like lifelink to keep us kicking, and vigilance allowing us to save her as a blocker for our opponents' turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ayesha Tanaka, Armorer" href="#" target="_blank">Ayesha Tanaka, Armorer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> however will find us artifacts from the top of our deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ayesha Tanaka, Armorer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Danitha Capashen, Paragon"></div></div>
<h2>A List to Start With</h2>
<p>With all those elements combined you could have yourself a pretty powerful Equipment-focused deck. Just be sure to brush up on the rules for protection! As it's a symmetrical effect you can put yourself in some sticky situations in you're not careful.</p>
<p>For example, when Sygg gives multicolored protection to your creature, make sure it doesn't already have protection from white! Otherwise you won't be able to target it.</p>
<p>I've put together a list below that provides a look at how a deck like this might be constructed. Feel free to either put it together yourself or use it as a basis to build up your own Sygg list. Are you excited to play with this brand new version of a classic character? Let me know in the comments below how you're planning to build him!</p>
<h2>Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Sygg Equipment" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom // Sygg, Wanderbrine Shield
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Archaeomancer
*1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
*1 Ayesha Tanaka, Armorer
*1 Brass Squire
*1 Bronze Guardian
*1 Codsworth, Handy Helper
*1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
*1 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
*1 Esper Sentinel
*1 Etherium Sculptor
*1 Geist of Saint Traft
*1 Halvar, God of Battle // Sword of the Realms
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Leonin Shikari
*1 Mendicant Core, Guidelight
*1 Mnemonic Wall
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Padeem, Consul of Innovation
*1 Pippin, Guard of the Citadel
*1 Puresteel Paladin
*1 Shimmer Dragon
*1 Silent Arbiter
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Starwinder
*1 Stoneforge Mystic
*1 Wraith, Vicious Vigilante
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Azorius Locket
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Excalibur, Sword of Eden
*1 Hedron Archive
*1 Kaldra Compleat
*1 Marble Diamond
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sword of Body and Mind
*1 Sword of Feast and Famine
*1 Sword of Fire and Ice
*1 Sword of Forge and Frontier
*1 Sword of Hearth and Home
*1 Sword of Light and Shadow
*1 Sword of Once and Future
*1 Sword of Sinew and Steel
*1 Sword of Truth and Justice
*1 Sword of War and Peace
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Arcane Denial
*1 Cloudshift
*1 Counterspell
*1 Cryptic Command
*1 Ephemerate
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Jwari Disruption // Jwari Ruins
*1 Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau
*1 Muddle the Mixture
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Razorgrass Ambush // Razorgrass Field
*1 Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Three Steps Ahead
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Supreme Verdict
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Forge Anew
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*6 Island
*1 Maze of Ith
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Mistrise Village
*1 Mystic Gate
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*7 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Restless Anchorage
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Skycloud Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
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Sygg Sells Swords! - Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom Commander Deck Tech

<p>Welcome back to Historically Speaking! We’ve covered vampires, cat-people and the distinct possibility of bat-gods in previous articles. Today we proceed to examine the probable cultural influences and aesthetics of the green and blue faction of Ixalan—the River Heralds, those jade-encrusted merfolk who guard the path to the Golden City (more on that later—in a later article on the legendary city of Teotihuacan).We've got a lot of ground to cover—history, geography, iconography and of course, fish-people!</p>
<p>Lets move to a more aquatic venue, shall we?</p>
<hr />
<h2>Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish...</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-13852" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.34.44-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="418" /></p>
<p>First off, let's define our terms. The Maya inhabit much of modern Yucatan peninsula including parts of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Note the present tense—Maya dialects are still spoken in rural Guatemala and their culture survived the Conquest, although with difficulty. As Mesoamerican scholar Inga Clendinnen notes:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Historians chronicling the collapse of other native cultures under what sometimes seems no more than the fatal breath of European intrusion grope for metaphors of exquisite fragility; of tender flowers wilting and shrivelling, or shimmering spun-glass vessels shattering at a rude touch. For Maya culture the inelegant image that thrusts itself forward is of a tough, webby, dense sponge, elastic and, given the intricacy and multiplicity of its interconnections, almost impossible to tear. The Maya had suffered savage blows, and some of those blows were intelligently directed, yet a hundred years after the Conquest they were reading the world much as they had a hundred years before."</p></blockquote>
<p>Part of the reason for the Maya's extended survival is part geographic and part political. The Yucatan is very different from the Mexican highlands and deserts that reach up into the American West and Southwest. Cloud-forests and jungles, long rivers and ready access to the coast creates a culture that is at once similar to, yet distinct from the at least partially desert and mesa-based Nahua civilization to the north. Wizards of the Coast borrowed some of these traits (particularly the cloudforests and overgrown temples) when designing the Naya shard in Alara—as seen below. And they did so again when creating the River Heralds.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-13878" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-8.03.16-PM.png" alt="" width="725" height="539" /></p>
<p>One last historical note, before we plunge further down into the depths of the River Heralds. Unlike the nominally united Mexica Empire to the north, the Maya cities were in an, if not constant, than irregular state of rise-and-fall depending on the time period. There was not a central Maya city, like Tenochtitlan for the Mexica, that constituted the 'heart' of the empire. The Maya culture can be (hesitantly and imperfectly) thought of similar to antique Greek city states in a few ways—a common culture bound together by language and geography, but each city a separate entity.</p>
<p>Ever-in-flux, but stable at the same time. You know. Like a river. That has groups of heralds, that hypothetically say, watch over it.</p>
<p>And that's how you transition!</p>
<hr />
<h2>I Wonder Where That Fish Could Be?</h2>
<p>Maya aesthetic traits that were carried over into the River Heralds:</p>
<h3>Heavy use of jade ornamentation .</h3>
<p>Jade was a precious material for most of Mesoamerica, but the Maya are particularly famous for valuing it and it shows in their pictoral records. Lets compare:</p>
<div id="attachment_13848" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13848" class="wp-image-13848" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.18.58-PM-1.png" alt="" width="300" height="401" /><p id="caption-attachment-13848" class="wp-caption-text">Made with jade: not your father's +1/+1 counters!</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13844" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13844" class="wp-image-13844" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-10.40.15-AM.png" alt="" width="300" height="313" /><p id="caption-attachment-13844" class="wp-caption-text">A dancing warrior, courtesy of the Dresden Codex. Note the jade anklets, earrings and belt.</p></div>
<p>Don't believe me? Ok, lets take another look, this time we're going legendary. Note the placement of the jade amulets and baubles:</p>
<div id="attachment_13850" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13850" class="wp-image-13850" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.23.30-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="400" /><p id="caption-attachment-13850" class="wp-caption-text">Notice the jade at his belt and near his ears. And the growing headache brewing when he hits the table...</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13845" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13845" class="wp-image-13845" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-10.40.29-AM-1.png" alt="" width="300" height="366" /><p id="caption-attachment-13845" class="wp-caption-text">A noble, sitting on a throne, wearing a necklace of jade.</p></div>
<p>Jade also helps the River Heralds, and I don't mean in just casting a bigger wave to drown conquistadors and dinosuars. I mean from a design point of view, jade is a perfect element to seize on as a magical object in terms of reinforcing the tribal theme of your set through morphic resonance. Lets look at this card to prove my point:</p>
<div id="attachment_13849" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13849" class="wp-image-13849" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.19.42-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="402" /><p id="caption-attachment-13849" class="wp-caption-text">Merfolk? In my tubes!?</p></div>
<p>While this card is blue, and serves to reinforce a archetypal blue tribe, the inclusion of jade in the image serves to remind the viewer that the merfolk in this set, unlike Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, are aligned with green instead of one of blue's classical dance partners, white or black. This is fine card design and it fits the flavor of the tribe perfectly.</p>
<p>However, that's not to say that one can't have too much jade. One assumes that the relatively decentralized river heralds wouldn't just leave it around, right? Like a common stop sign or a traffic light, would they?</p>
<p>Of course they would. Don't believe me? Look!</p>
<div id="attachment_13854" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13854" class="wp-image-13854" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.35.11-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="440" /><p id="caption-attachment-13854" class="wp-caption-text">There. Right there. Right corner. Jade stela or idol, it's unclear.</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13853" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13853" class="wp-image-13853" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-11.35.01-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="402" /><p id="caption-attachment-13853" class="wp-caption-text">Jade stela/idol in the center--on the island.</p></div>
<p>Well, ok, fair enough. Maybe if our stop-signs or milemarkers on the freeway could generate magical fields or block bullets while looking fabulous, we'd undertake a River Heralds' inspired infrastructure project afterall.</p>
<p>But can we at least agree that jade doesn't belong on literal, female-exclusive breastplates?</p>
<div id="attachment_13912" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13912" class="wp-image-13912" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-11.00.45-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="446" /><p id="caption-attachment-13912" class="wp-caption-text">I don't even...</p></div>
<p>Up next on the checklist on the 'similarities between the River Heralds and the Maya':</p>
<h3>Association with water, specifically rivers, and forests</h3>
<p>As discussed above, the Mayan people tended to build close to the coasts or near handy rivers. This is fortuitous, as it brings us to our next point--the forested nature of the geography and how that plays into how the River Heralds operate in Ixalan--snaking through the jungles, limiting access to the legendary golden city.</p>
<div id="attachment_13881" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13881" class="wp-image-13881" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-9.24.21-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="430" /><p id="caption-attachment-13881" class="wp-caption-text">Damnit, we talked about this, Lorescale Coatl! Get back into the Alara article!</p></div>
<p>Snakes have long been a green/blue favored tribe and the use of figurative snakes in Ixalan and the cultures that inspired the set cannot be overstated. There is something to the snake metaphor, in regards to the river and the heralds. Snakes were/are considered sacred in Mesoamerica—the Mexica associated them with wisdom and immortality due to the shedding of the skin—and the Maya frequently depicted them as bringing rain and thus prosperity. Seen from above, rivers are often seen to 'snake' through the landscape.</p>
<p>Lets take a look at the Madrid and Dresden codices and how the Maya visualized the rain and the rivers they fed. Not to mention that the serpent's association with the rains and cyclicality was central to the Maya chronology, everything came around again, an essential worldview for a society that survived through irrigation and agriculture much of the time.</p>
<div id="attachment_13893" style="width: 318px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13893" class="size-full wp-image-13893" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-19-at-10.41.30-AM-1.png" alt="" width="308" height="1340" /><p id="caption-attachment-13893" class="wp-caption-text">Rain-bringing serpent and Chaak, a Mayan rain god. (Madrid Codex)</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13900" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13900" class="wp-image-13900" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-10.27.36-PM.png" alt="" width="400" height="592" /><p id="caption-attachment-13900" class="wp-caption-text">Chaak and a rain-giving serpent.</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13901" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13901" class="wp-image-13901" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-10.28.19-PM.png" alt="" width="400" height="494" /><p id="caption-attachment-13901" class="wp-caption-text">It's not what it looks like.</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I just realized something. This is related to the snake observations above, but Ixalan's merfolk are much more serpentine/human in coloration and structure than previous iterations which range from 'slightly fishy' to 'carpus-maximus' in scale. Their skin/scales are bright warning colored scales like many poisonous snakes--but most are a variation on blue or purple. These are closer to the look of naga--snake people of Tarkir--no amount of 'fins' can shake the comparison in my head--the River Heralds definitely present as more human/snake than human/fish in this setting.</p>
<div id="attachment_13914" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13914" class="wp-image-13914" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-11.35.41-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="406" /><p id="caption-attachment-13914" class="wp-caption-text">Note the relatively proportionate eyes compared to Lorwyn merfolk.</p></div>
<div id="attachment_13913" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13913" class="wp-image-13913" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-11.35.14-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="417" /><p id="caption-attachment-13913" class="wp-caption-text">Let's go exploring!</p></div>
<p>I mean, compare them to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor merfolk, who make me reach for my sturgeon-club (what gentleman/lady DOESN'T have one, I ask you? And of course my 'sturgeon club' isn't just a crowbar with the words 'sturgeon club' taped to it and stained with suspicious substances.)</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-13933" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Veteran-of-the-Depths.png" alt="" width="300" height="416" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-13940" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Sygg-River-Guide.png" alt="" width="300" height="414" /></p>
<p><strong>Decentralized compared to the Mexica—just as the River Heralds are decentralized compared to the Sun Empire’s expansionist policies.</strong> Lacks the desert influence of the Mexican highlands or a centralized capital. Think of them as kind of the ultimate 'if you carry it in, you carry it out' faction. While the Maya were certainly capable of overt, set-piece battles, the jungle and understanding of their home terrain gave them a huge edge in guerrilla warfare against the Spanish. Lets see what this looks like when the Church of Dusk goes up against the River Heralds in the forest:</p>
<div id="attachment_13911" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13911" class="wp-image-13911" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-11.00.29-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="465" /><p id="caption-attachment-13911" class="wp-caption-text">To be fair, I wouldn't exactly look for a merfolk in a tree either...</p></div>
<p>And their ambushes on the river are undetectable, at least according to flavor text.</p>
<div id="attachment_13899" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13899" class="wp-image-13899" src="http://articles.edhrec.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-20-at-10.08.42-PM.png" alt="" width="300" height="419" /><p id="caption-attachment-13899" class="wp-caption-text">If I see a single Snickers wrapper, gods help you...</p></div>
<p>That about wraps it up for the lovely River Heralds! Next time we're gonna look at origin myths and the Sun Empire--I'm beyond pumped to write and and hear your thoughts. Until then!</p>
<hr />
<h2> Secondary Sources</h2>
<p>Clendinnen, Inga: The Cost of Courage in Aztec Society: Essays on Mesoamerican Society and Culture pg. 164.</p>
<p><strong>Primary Sources: </strong><br />
<strong>Maya Codices</strong>:<br />
Codex Dresden— <a href="https://www.slub-dresden.de/sammlungen/digitale-sammlungen/werkansicht/cache.off?tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=2967&amp;tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=1&amp;tx_dlf%5Bpointer%5D=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.slub-dresden.de/sammlungen/digitale-sammlungen/werkansicht/cache.off?tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=2967&amp;tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=1&amp;tx_dlf%5Bpointer%5D=0</a><br />
Codex Madrid— <a href="http://www.famsi.org/mayawriting/codices/pdf/madrid_rosny_bb.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.famsi.org/mayawriting/codices/pdf/madrid_rosny_bb.pdf</a></p>


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Sygg Sells Swords! - Sygg, Wanderwine Wisdom Commander Deck Tech

Historically Speaking — Merfolk and Mayans, Oh My!