Since we haven't said too much about the new set to this point, I'll just offer a quick commentary on some of the cards which feel like hits or misses to me.

Happy Place!

Aspect of Hydra - I'm not sure "hydra" makes the most sense in this context, but I really like the art treatment.

Eye Gouge - This is the kind of referential flavor I can get behind.

Gorgon's Head - See above comment.

Oracle's Insight - The art creeps me out, but I also really like it.

Ragemonger - I'm not sure how I feel about minotaurs becoming the most metal of all races, but if we're going that route, then a flaming skeleton-spear is the sort of thing I can get behind.

Whelming Wave - I do like it, although I'm a little surprised that it hits merfolk and fish.

Sad Face...

Archetype of Aggression - This card feels like a green guy who accidentally color-shifted into red. I know that trample isn't outside the red pie, but I certainly would not have picked it for a red "archetype," of all things.

Archetype of Endurance - Similarly, the green archetype is a 8-cc boar which looks like it's a normal sized animal. Except that it's 6/5. And it gives hexproof. Pigs are the archetypical hexproof critters?

Chromanticore - I guess I just don't get it.

Great Hart - I knew Pillarfield Ox. I served with Pillarfield Ox. And you, sir, are no Pillarfield Ox.

Impetuous Sunchaser - If we're going for Icarus, then it feels like some sort of self-triggering sacrifice effect would have made more sense than a "must attack" effect.

Searing Blood - Lord knows that I of all people love me a Searing Blaze effect, but once someone points out to you that the blood looks like Velveeta, you kinda can't unsee that.

Stormcaller of Keranos - I'm not sure hips work like that, no matter how much stormcalling or Zumba Fitness you do.

That's her dress thing not her hips, just a mistake like the infamous third leg.

Hits

Fated Retribution: I'm glad the one card to depict "Atlantis" is White, not Blue, as the flavour of divine justice indicates.

Plea For Guidance: White is usually depicted as simply holy magic. To see it actually associated with enlightment is both refreshing and in accordance to greek theology.

Archetype Of Finality: Reflects Black's overall theme of tragedy and fate, and even though it implies generic "HURR DURR BLACK KILLS PEOPLE HURR DURR", I see it as a representation of it's more neutral, natural, death-as-a-part-of-existence related aspect.

Nyxborn Eidolon: There's just so many ways of interpreting this soul's story, all of them hopelessly tragic.

Epiphany Storm: Red prophetic magic is always a favourite of mine. Especially considering how the highest of the prophecy-giving gods was the thunderbolt master himself, Zeus.

Reckless Reveler: Just the quote is beautiful.


Misses

Ornitharch: Oh look, another female Archon. One that looks basically like a wingless angel. How stupid.

Archetype of Imagination and Archetype of Agression: While I can pass them giving Blue an obviously Red thing, associating Red with mindless anger is just a sad thing, especially after so much work in establishing Red as a creative force on Theros. I also fear that this might shift creativity from Red to Blue.

Ashiok's Adept: Theros spent a lot of time showcasing heroism in Black, all undone by this. Pray tell, how can a pawn of Ashiok be a credible Black aligned hero?

Anything related to Phenax and Mogis: Oh look, Blue/Black and Black/Red are pure evil. How original. Though I do like Phenax as a character, so it isn't all that bad.

@Heliosphorous: Mind-ripping against someone worse than the adept would make it a hero to the people threatened by the adept's victim. Also, see my sig quote. One person may call it a hero, one a villain. Depending.

Sure, I suppose so, though I can't see such a person be consistently heroic, when the heroic mechanic is flavourfully connected to individuals who are heroes (many a Black aligned person would be consistently [anti?-]heroic for fame or glory or whatever, like the Tormented Hero).

This is a problem I also have with the sirens with heroic. Sirens are consistently established as an always-evil Blue aligned race, so if minotaurs and satyrs never do good, why should they?

The reason for the sirens, and the other critters you mention, is simple: they're free to chose whether or not to do evil. Following their whims and all. Sure, someone who doesn't like the nonhumans doing their thing will come along and kick their teeth in. Apparently it doesn't bother the sirens, and the minotaurs seem to be getting some nice things from being bloodthirsty brutes. Back to the sirens, I'd say they're as wild and unpredictable as the tides.

Naw, Icarus didn't kill himself, he just wouldn't stop flying until something stopped him. Having the sunchaser be compelled to keep attacking until it attacks when it shouldn't makes more sense to me than the sunchaser suddenly divebombing.

Actually, it's impossible to explain in any but one way.
It is a created soul that the gods chose to make in the form of an Eidolon.

And I am not going to start in again on moral objectivism. It's a losing battle, but you all know where I stand.
Ashiok's mind ripper would turn around and do the same to the population, not just somehow stay with evil creatures.

God-Favored General - Good flavour, better art.
Siren of the Fanged Coast - Art's meh, but the ability is spot on.
Nyxborn Shieldmate - Nice to seem some real GrecoRoman style art (come to life and stab people).


Retraction Helix Looks cools but not that Therosian.


Kiora, the Crashing Wave - Very different art style but I kind of like it.

It's a japanese reference so...

Scholars have yet to identify a piece of Japanese art that is not The Great Wave off Kanagawa. That always annoys me.

They have plenty of art, it's just similar style and very weird.

I can see it.
Fish and merfolk tend to be smaller than giant sea monsters and would be more likely to be swept away by such a force.
Needs more "whale" though.

It's because Hammer already took the "your stuff gets haste" slot for this block.

Considering the Pseudamma thing, I think one would also imply it belonged to a living person and somehow ended up remade into a nyxborn. Alas, always tragic, with or without a genuine body.

Precisely. Like I said, the Adept doesn't have any reason to be consistently heroic unless there's something I'm missing, which is a shame because other Black creatures with heroic clearly are meant to be anti-heroes.

I just realized this as I was slotting it into my C/Ube...
Forelorn Pseudamma is a pale, faceless, ghostly entity that is associated with the kidnapping of children, is difficult to stop (block), (presumably) operates in part by conscripting servants, and has a great sense of style.
We have an in-universe Slenderman thingummy!

Floodtide Serpent: I like the implication that, should Thassa get tired of Kiora's shenanigans, Kiora can throw enough serpents at Thassa's faithful, weakening Thassa to the point that the blue god can't do much of anything to the planeswalker.

Nyxborn Triton: I admire his conviction and dedication. Especially when the person you're snubbing deals in serpents, krakens and leviathans.

Felhide Brawler: Those are some interesting burial rites.

@Heliosphorous: The Adept isn't consistently heroic. It has to have been targeted by a spell.

I'm not sure I follow... For one, Thassa can just make as many enchantments as she needs. It's not like it's hard to let Nyx bleed out.

Floodtide Serpent: One might try praying to Thassa to send more interesting prey swimming by...
Archetype of Aggression: Haste is more quintessentially Red than trample, but I think trample is a perfectly fine ability for the Archetype to possess. "I will beat your face in and I don't give a darn what you put in my way!"
Chromanticore: This thing is shiny, at least.
Ornitharch: Oh, come on.

@Heliosphoros

Just one last thing about ashioks adept, and only b/c I havn't seen it mentioned before. Here is a quote from Ashiok's Planeswalker page: "Ashiok delights in having the upper hand, and even more, Ashiok enjoys watching those who see themselves as untouchable and superior reduced to screaming and blubbering". Because of this information, I like to think that one way Ashiok's adept could be a hero is by bringing down evil figures who consider themselves "untouchable and superior".

And now back to your scheduled programing.

Whats the deal with arbiter of the ideal? Do the manifestation counters do anything? Are they for flavor? If they are, I don't like them.