I haven't really gotten myself in the mood to read the stories this go around. Part of that is work being crazy, but another part was hearing that Garruk immediately left the twins at the start of the story. I figured that Rowan was always going to be the more showcased of the two (blonde, blue-eyed males aren't exactly popular for marketing at the moment), but dropping Garruk seemed more like actively stubbing Will of the main interesting development either of the twins had had (The whole helping Garruk re-find his humanity thing with it not being a woman in that role).

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-07

Did, did they just forget that these are colleges and not Harry Potter houses?

Considering how reductive the college designs are, yes. Yes they did. They don't even seem to appreciate either what kind of necessary infrastructure and administration is required, much less the idea that you generally go to university for a goal and not just because it's some Harry Potter-esque education.

I mean some people do go for the delusion they're receiving god tier education but I suppose that's beside the point.

If nothing else "Auvernine" is a cool name. How do you think it's pronounced?
Aw ver nine?
Ov er neen?
Google suggests it's not an actual name.
Auvernine's friend neeeds to step up. She's getting outnamed.

I am about 4 paragraphs into the story. But, I mean, Auvernine, what a cool name.

"Aw ver neen" or something to that effect.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-09

Dina tutors.

I quite like the side stories. They make for much beter reading and worldbuilding than the main story, which feels particularly rushed because it's forcibly written in just five parts.

These stories make me enjoy the world much more. The worldbuilding for this set is a step up from the previous few worlds (particularly Ikoria, which i absolutely loath).

I like the deans in this story. They are relatable and obviously concerned for their students' wellbeing. Valentin in particular comes across as a well-rounded character.

Nice!

Yeah, he's a good contrast to Kilian's poor excuse of a father. Both mono- teachers, but one simply wants students to prioritize their studies while the other literally takes pride in people not joining his college.

Interestingly enough, Valentin, who is a bit of a curmudgeon and a loner but generally means well and seems to be genuinely invested in the students, is a vampire, while Embrose, from what we have seen, may be a human, but is far more akin to a vampire in behavior: he is charismatic, but drains his students both mentally and physically (Killian apparently doubly so).

The last main story was a jumbled mess of characters jumping to strange conclusions. I can't say I know why Lukka decided to team up with the Oriq or what Kasmina's goal is or why Liliana clued the twins into the Oriq situation or why Will and Rowan immediately signed on to do something or other at the behest of somebody they don't really know. It was all over the place. Rowan's a jerkface but Auvernine has a rockin' name so those two things balance out.
Final rating: Why?/10.

Dina's side story was pretty cool though. The only part I didn't like was the "Sometimes dead is better" angle. Dina gets chastised for not asking whether her dead comrades would want to come back to life. But isn't the answer obvious? When I die y'all totally have permission to resurrect me.*
I was reading an articale in Dragon magazine earlier about Dracoliches, and got pissed off for similar reasons. THe writer decries dragons that would undergo the unnatural and excruciating process of becoming undead as being driven mad by fear of death or corrupted by overweening pride. Where would that leave chemo patients? How self-important must they be to go to such lengths to prolong their existence? Frankly, chemotherapy sounds far worse than the process of becoming a lich.
Final rating: Pretty good.

*Actual there's a story in there. People of the far flung future see it as a basic kindness to return to life those who've died, but are shocked to find that revived ancients think they're being denied heaven or are actually in hell or something.

The main story wás a jumbled mess....the falling out between Will and Rowan came out of nowhere. Lukka's motivations are a mystery besides 'make the orderly world burn muhahaha'.
Worst still were the 5 seconds Will and Rowan had in the library to 'prepare' for an assault which became know to them what feel like only hours before.

There is a good story here, but squishing all the exposition in only 5 episodes just totally ruins it. The same can be said for the Kaldheim story. I feel it really hurts the world building, as the break-neck pace somehow makes the new worlds feel hollow and cheap.

In spite of my expectations i quite like Strixhaven. The worldbuilding is quite sound and i like the legendary students and teachers. The world could do with less planeswalkers i think.....having Liliana and Kasmina there in the wings was nice, but the story really should revolve around the school vs the Oriq.....not about Will and Rowan, who are somehow shoehorned into this story, as is Lukka. I really am puzzled as to why Lukka had to be on this plane.

Best thing of part 3 of the main story: Quintorius. As a historian myself i absolutely love that Elephant!

Quint held up the series triumphelephantly.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-14

Will and Rowan make up easily and we still don't know why the Oriq throw their lives away when their boss just keeps killing them.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-16

Quint's turn.

Really loved this one.

Yeah i really like these little stories. They flesh out the world quite well. I really like Asterion.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-21

Extremely rushed, but I like how violent it is.

They twins crush Voldemint to death without a care and Will has his leg chopped off.

WotC should reevaluate the 5/5 split between main and side stories. Ever since the web fiction's return, the main story has been moving at a breakneck pace, glossing over things that would help strengthen these characters. Will and Rowan's story was fine, but Lukka, Kasmina, and Extus (especially Extus) felt really underdeveloped. Liliana's arc is...a thing, I guess.


On the flip side, the side stories have been fairly strong, so I definitely wouldn't want to see the main story eat into their word count.


On a different tangent, what is even the criteria for a "Story Spotlight"? Some SS (that needs a better acronym) cards get glossed over in the fiction (Struggle for Skemfar comes to mind), while some things given significance don't get the title (e.g. Test of Talents).

I agree with everything here. For me, the world building side stories have swiftly become the main attraction. The main story lacks character development and gravitas; because there is so little room to let the story breath, the stakes are pretty much non-existent and I have a hard time feeling invested in it. With no less than five planeswalkers to develop in this story (if you could call Lukka's and Kasmina's bits 'development' at all) it's the villain that surfers the worst....you could just call extus Cardboard McVillain and be done with it....

And why in all that is holy is Lukka even in this story to begin with? He does nothing, learns nothing, means nothing for the overal story. It's by far one of the weakest stories for magic thus far i think, which is in no way a fault of the writer, but of the direction she's been given

Story spotlights are all over the place...there were 15 (!) this set, most of which are either glossed over or mentioned quickly in passing.

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/a ... 2021-04-23

Final story unless we get a Kilian one.

I love the prose and structure, but the plot just gets weird towards the end. Also the mono- dean has water powers.