The Plane of Ikoria Explained | MTG Lore

hey lore lovers my name's Eric and this is the lore barians YouTube channel in today's video we'll be exploring the vast plain of I Korea the latest addition to magic the gatherings multiverse acorrea is most known for its monsters who are as variable in size as they are in appearance the crystal formations populating the surface drive quick evolution and mutation of acorrea species who can change in the blink of an eye and combine the deadly efficiency of many creatures in one if you take nothing else away know that the wilds of AI Coria are unpredictable and a minor slip can spell certain death for explorers who brave them unlike most Plains humans are not the dominant species on acorrea far from it the position on the food chain has resulted in centuries of human settlements and lives being preyed upon by the monsters that surround them in fact it took everything the early humans had just to survive on the plain and the ever-present threat of monsters push them to create heavily fortified Citadel cities which would become the sanctuaries of today sanctuaries are the only bastions of humanity on a world teeming with massive creatures and they are few and far between there high walls bristling with all manner of defensive weaponry are further supported by the protective fields of magic emanating from my quarry and crystals or by the natural defenses offered from the plane itself while other Hamlet's an outpost surely exists the sanctuaries are the only settlements strong enough to repel all manner of monstrous threats the deep-rooted fear and hatred humans have for monsters has led to a very sharp split into two sexes of acorrea the sanctuary and the wilds recently there's been an increasing number of reports claiming that some humans have actually sighted with the monsters these humans known as bonders share a deep mental and emotional connection with a specific monster they have bonded to and as such are considered traitors to humanity the bond the two share known as Alou de is a mystical link that ties their spirits together the flavor text of keen sight mint or unbreakable bond at exuberant wolf bear gives us insight into the power of the allude n't quite clear how bonding takes place it seems to be driven by the power of corn and crystals especially larger structures such as the mysterious ozone a--the the connection between bonder and beasts provides a glimpse of what a peaceful and mutualistic future might look like on a Korea the plane of acorrea is divided into five main regions called triumphs so named because of their respective connection to three different colors of mana each tram has a unique ecosystem that's been shaped by the influence of its mana allowing different species and clades of monsters to rise to dominance and for the most part each has an associated human sanctuary each try um is home to an ancient and legendary apex predator that acts almost as the manifestation of the triumphs mana ley lines they are powerful creatures that have been on a Coria since the first humans will begin our tour of the Tri ohms with sub I aired grasslands and rocky steps lay on top of an extensive network of underground caverns and deep crags in suvai whose try um is connected to black red and white mana the rugged hills and tall grasses of the region are perfect hunting grounds for survives dominant monster clade cats variable in size appendages and eyes there's one thing all cats share and that is their love for the hunt there are efficient predators silently stalking humans and other prey before mercilessly cutting them down with razor-sharp claws preferring to hunt in prides cats can seamlessly coordinate attacks to bring down much larger prey such as ox antelope and other beasts of the plains there is one cat however that is fierce enough to hunt on its own and that is the apex predator of Sabai snap Dax the all hunter snap Dax combines cat-like cleverness and nightmarish stealth with dinosaur aggression to create an unrivaled killing machine the all hunters rumored to keep the corpses of humans and other prey as trophies within its cavern lair the tale of the all hunter visualized in a card mythos of snap decks tells the story of a monster whose power was enough to destroy early human settlements across all of survived the survivors of the attacks joined forces to build a new fortress together which they named drannit drain a--the still stands today as the invincible city of survived the crowning achievement of humanity's resolution in the face of monsters drain earth is highly militarized choosing to stand firm and fight the monsters of I quarry ahead on rather than run and hide it is the home of the copper coats the most elite monster fighting force in all the world and they would sooner give their lives to the cause than seed ran afoul to monsters the height of its massive walls are illustrated in sanctuary lockdown and the city itself is layered in concentric rings around a massive central crystal known as the Argo with the people of drain ahthe use the crystals that pulse when a monster is nearby as an alarm system as well as a source of magic for their powerful mages this can be seen in the card called the copper coats the defense has become more and more powerful as you move into the Rings it is said that the first string of drain a--the has never been breached the rugged grasslands of survived slowly transitioned to the wet and temperate rainforests of caitria the red blue and green aligned trial rushing rivers cascade into beautiful waterfalls over the mountainous region cutting deep valleys out of the rock kit Ria's lush with life and the many rivers pulled together to form Lake Atta y'all which is said to be as large as an ocean the region is in a constant glow due to the massive concentration of Eichorn crystals here which integrates seamlessly into the landscape the presence of so many crystals gives rise to ket Ria's dominant clade elementals born in the crystal forests called the courts wood elementals are the manifestation of the natural forces of acorrea air earth fire and water the coarse wood can be seen in the background of the card deflecting swot known to be aloof and fickle elementals have a primal nature that is difficult to predict that can act as a boon or a bane to unsuspecting travelers depending on their disposition at the moment they have a deep connection to the crystals and often manifest with them embedded in their skin or wrapped around their bodies the apex monster of caitria is I Luna the wish giver an ethereal being with the power to weave dreams and grant wishes little is known about I Luna but its powers seem to defy the natural laws of I Cordia it shares a mercurial nature with the other elementals of caitria and seems to bestow its gifts entirely at its own whim much of the mythos of I Luna and other apex monsters are given to us by reality ever wise a hermit and mystic who appears to be all-knowing perhaps her knowledge is a boon of the wish giver but that's up to speculation Katrina and its elementals are beautiful but unpredictable and this combined with a naturally unmanageable landscape have prevented permanent human settlements from emerging as such Katrina has no sanctuary city the trio move in Dafa is mostly flat lowlands with meandering rivers and lakes forming a marshy floodplain it's mana reserves are tied to the colors of black white and green the tall reeds and swamps are broken up by the occasional helico tree a double helix shaped tree unique to indata and often rapping or Cornie and crystals the card gloom Pangolin showcases the ambience of the region well andhave nights are known to be the darkest in all the world let only by the gloomy bioluminescence of many nocturnal creatures as they skitter through the swamplands this gives the region a ghostly feel a feeling that is multiplied by the presence of in dothis dominant clade nightmares nightmares are thought to be the corporeal manifestation of human fears they slink through the shadows of indata to hunt their prey feeding off of their fear before going for the kill nightmares are varied clade but all have more of everything eyes mouths appendages and claws their bodies flow in an unnatural way mimicking the shadows from which they strike the apex monster of indata isn't a throw the death dweller a nightmare cat of legend that is shrouded in the ghostly mists of the souls it has consumed 'no throw is known for its control over both life and death it's mythos suggests that the nightmare mist surrounding it can engulf and consume mind body and soul enthralling the living and raising the dead to its will no creature that walks into and atha is safe from the whispers of the death dweller whispers that resonate throughout the trial in the early days of humanity there existed a settlement within and dolphin named Oran and it was quite unique rather than fighting the creatures around them the people have worn cooperated with them they trained bioluminescent bats insects and other winged creatures to fly around their settlement bathing it in light and protecting it from the nightmares that stalked its borders one night for a reason unknown the creatures didn't come and darkness fell upon the city that was quickly overrun and slaughtered by and Arthas nightmares the survivors of this ancient city fled in hastily crafted balloons and over time these would become the ancestors of the sanctuary sky sail in stark contrast to the gloom of in Dafa the trial of Rao grin is bright with coastal beaches lava flows and volcanic peaks and it is tied to the colors of red blue and white the massive on guram mountain range has many active volcanoes which constantly reshaped the landscape of Route grin and it is almost as volatile as the elementals of ket RIA the hot and unforgiving environment is perfect for the dominant clade of the trial dinosaurs the dinosaurs of acorrea are aggressively violent and more reptilian in appearance than their cousins on exelon they're covered in spikes horns and plating many are bipedal and have thick muscular bodies used to bludgeon foes winged in aquatic dinosaurs also exists though all share the same belligerent attitude they hunt without subtlety or discrimination eating anything that moves and demolishing anything that stands between them and a meal the apex monster of Rao grin is the druk the Thunder Raptor what it lacks in size and speed it makes up for tenfold in ferocity named for the terrifying Rumble it produces as it streaks across the sky the thunder Raptor is the uncontested alpha of the region and it can reach all across its range in mere minutes its wing beat in flight charges of a jock with magical energy which it can release in a devastating blast of blue fire the mythos of ad-rock tells an ancient tale of the Thunder after burning an entire human sanctuary to ash the magical fire not only destroyed the city but also erased all memories of its existence despite this humanity has created another sanctuary city in Rao grin lava brink tucked under a huge volcanic shelf rivulets of lava pour over the city in a carefully maintained canals and flood ways that empty into the nearby lava lake lava brings main defense is its inaccessibility as the curtain of molten lava protects the city from both ground and aerial attacks and mages called stone singers can control the flow of lava as they desire this is showcasing the card lava bring flood gates lava brings renowned for its blacksmithing metalworking tool making and sculpting and the best weapons in all AI Korea are said to come from this sanctuary the final try um of acorrea is the dense rainforest of the goth whose mana reserves are that of black blue and green the humid swamps and wetlands of Visigoths are teeming with all manner of plants and animals the massive lily plants lining the forest floor are large enough to support the many creatures that reside here with such an abundance of foliage in plant material the Gotha is a perfect supporter of its dominant monster clade beasts beasts vary in size and appearance but most have thick hides or lots of fur and support tusks claws or antlers many of the monsters in so goth are herbivores and quite docile but that shouldn't be mistaken for safe when threatened they can lash out with unsuspected fury the high value of tusks pelts and hides means that the saga' thiz also a hotbed for Monster Hunter activity many trappers and hunters stalk through the jungle of Zoo goth in hopes of making a fortune the apex monster of this region is brokest the forever beast although all five apex monsters are ancient bro Coase is said to be the oldest of them all it experiences time differently than other creatures and mike time it is a slow but unstoppable force the mythos of brokest says that the first human tried to slay the forever beast rather than fighting back bro coast gave her two gifts a vision of the past so that she may learn from her mistakes and a vision of the future so that she may lead her people it seems however this peaceful future has been lost to time floating in the sky above I Korea is the last sanctuary city sky sail unlike other sanctuaries sky sail is mobile a Flying Fortress of massive balloons and other Scout ships that can disperse in an instant if threatened and reconnect once the threat is gone this is seen on the card decoy gambit the people of sky sail are bold and independent preferring a life on the move to sitting and waiting for an attack sky sail has a small military force but it's mostly comfortable with leaving the monsters of AI Coria to their own devices the shops and bazaars of Sky sail are notorious for their exotic where's that come from remote and mostly undiscovered parts of the one thing that binds all of the triumphs of AI Coria together is the presence of AI Corian crystals not much is known about the crystals but they seem to be the source of growth mutation and evolution seen in AI Correa's monsters we can get a hint of the crystals power in the flavor text of crystalline resonance they're used by humans as a means of surveillance since the crystals start to pulse when monsters are nearby given to us in the flavor text of escape protocol there are also the source of human magic on acorrea and the mages of Draenor 'the callin the power of the Argyll ahthe to cast their spells in the acorrea eBook sundered bond it appears that some of the monsters and bonders they share connection with can communicate through the crystals it remains to be seen but these crystals might act as a sort of neural network connecting all living things on at Coria well that wraps up our exploration of the beautiful and dangerous plane of AI Korea thanks for watching and if you liked the video don't forget to leave a thumbs up let me know which try omen apex monster is your favorite in the comments and make sure you subscribe for weekly lore videos I've linked the references used in this video in the description below until next time go forth and explore the lore

Channel: The Lorebrarians

Views: 19,441

Keywords: MTG, Magic: The Gathering, Lore, Ikoria

Id: bBgZNmpA3JM

Length: 15min 19sec (919 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 13 2020