Khans of Tarkir (Speculations and Spoilers)

[Dudecore]

Fast lands could work. It would also add 5 rares. It's tough speculation.
My thinking is since we're switching to a two-block Paradigm, and reprints are supposed to be more plentiful in Expert expansions (since we're losing core sets) that some of these older rares could be switched to Uncommons. The Check Lands would be good at Uncommon,

[blackychan1]

The five 3 color lands?

[NovusOrbis]

So guys I am getting the flavor and whatnt for each wedge..

Jeskai are monks
Mardu are barbarian nomads
junk are like the line of royalty and tradition..
The RUG are animalistic and like mountain men

But what is the deal with BUG? They have next to no flavor it seems... Strictly forgetable imo

I was thinking that maybe the tribes represent groups of people who were conquerors or world powers in their times.
The abzan are the Persians. The flavor is all there you only have to look in order to see it, and if that three color land doesn't scream agrabah I don't know what does.
The jeskai are the Chinese. They're monks and martial artists. The flavor is also all over the cards so little explaination is needed here.
The sultai are a toss up to me. They are either Egyptian or Aztecs. I can't figure out which. Maybe a bit of both. Both cultures had a lot to do with using the dead and gave a lot of importance to death and corpses. The sultai just take that further. The three color land for them makes me feel like it's more Aztec than Egyptian and so does the fact that they use delve. The Aztecs would have used the dead and death as a resource or weapon more than the Egyptians would have, as they praised their dead and would not "exile them from the graveyard". That would be blasphemous.
The mardu are Mongolian. They conquer and destroy. The ability raid is very much representative of that. And the cards have key pieces of evidence towards that too. Mardu heart piercer is riding a horse and wielding a curved bow which was a big thing for the Mongolians. And the nomad outpost also screams Mongolian. They were nomads while they conquered under genghis khan(even the word khan points to that as well).
The temur are the Vikings. The heavy fur coats and big axes are very much Viking and of course there is snow in almost every card for their tribe.
That's just what I think. The theory could use some expanding but we also haven't seen every card yet so there might be more evidence spoiled for us pretty soon.

From what I've seen, the sultai are most definatley south asian, like India and the Sinai peninsula. No where near Egyptian that's for sure. Aztec is a bit closer, but the art most closely resembles things I've seen from Thai, Bangledeshi, and Indian lore.

Edit: That would also fit the flavor well, seeing as this whole plane uses khans and is basically Asia. Abzan is Persia(west) Jeskai are China/Japan(east) Sultai are Sinai/India(south) the Mardu are Tibet/Mongolia(middle-ish) and the Temur are Siberia(north)

[Dudecore]

The five 3 color lands?

They're in there.

[lotrwk]

Zendikar Manlands fit.

230 - Bloodstained Mire
231 - {Celestial Colonnade}
232 - {Creeping Tar Pit}
233 - Flooded Strand
234 - Frontier Bivouac
235 - {Lavaclaw Reaches}
236 - Mystic Monastery
237 - Nomad Outpost
238 - Opulent Palace
239 - Polluted Delta
240 - {Raging Ravine}
241 - Sandsteppe Citadel
242 - {Stirring Wildwood}
243 -
244 -
245 -
246 -
247 -
248 - Windswept Heath
249 - Wooded Foothills

Waaaaaaaaaaayyyy too good for standard

[Chargingswadger]

So guys I am getting the flavor and whatnt for each wedge..

Jeskai are monks
Mardu are barbarian nomads
junk are like the line of royalty and tradition..
The RUG are animalistic and like mountain men

But what is the deal with BUG? They have next to no flavor it seems... Strictly forgetable imo

I was thinking that maybe the tribes represent groups of people who were conquerors or world powers in their times.
The abzan are the Persians. The flavor is all there you only have to look in order to see it, and if that three color land doesn't scream agrabah I don't know what does.
The jeskai are the Chinese. They're monks and martial artists. The flavor is also all over the cards so little explaination is needed here.
The sultai are a toss up to me. They are either Egyptian or Aztecs. I can't figure out which. Maybe a bit of both. Both cultures had a lot to do with using the dead and gave a lot of importance to death and corpses. The sultai just take that further. The three color land for them makes me feel like it's more Aztec than Egyptian and so does the fact that they use delve. The Aztecs would have used the dead and death as a resource or weapon more than the Egyptians would have, as they praised their dead and would not "exile them from the graveyard". That would be blasphemous.
The mardu are Mongolian. They conquer and destroy. The ability raid is very much representative of that. And the cards have key pieces of evidence towards that too. Mardu heart piercer is riding a horse and wielding a curved bow which was a big thing for the Mongolians. And the nomad outpost also screams Mongolian. They were nomads while they conquered under genghis khan(even the word khan points to that as well).
The temur are the Vikings. The heavy fur coats and big axes are very much Viking and of course there is snow in almost every card for their tribe.
That's just what I think. The theory could use some expanding but we also haven't seen every card yet so there might be more evidence spoiled for us pretty soon.

From what I've seen, the sultai are most definatley south asian, like India and the Sinai peninsula. No where near Egyptian that's for sure. Aztec is a bit closer, but the art most closely resembles things I've seen from Thai, Bangledeshi, and Indian lore.

Edit: That would also fit the flavor well, seeing as this whole plane uses khans and is basically Asia. Abzan is Persia(west) Jeskai are China/Japan(east) Sultai are Sinai/India(south) the Mardu are Tibet/Mongolia(middle-ish) and the Temur are Siberia(north)

The entire cat demon thing is Hindu, along with the name rakashka (I think that's right)

[Spikepit]

That is ALSO a very good point, the CatDemon thing I mean. All they'd need is a White Generous Elephant and a Flying Expandable Monkey and I'm sold. I'm just remain up here on my teetering and watch the facts evolve

[LordJanova]

So guys I am getting the flavor and whatnt for each wedge..

Jeskai are monks
Mardu are barbarian nomads
junk are like the line of royalty and tradition..
The RUG are animalistic and like mountain men

But what is the deal with BUG? They have next to no flavor it seems... Strictly forgetable imo

I was thinking that maybe the tribes represent groups of people who were conquerors or world powers in their times.
The abzan are the Persians. The flavor is all there you only have to look in order to see it, and if that three color land doesn't scream agrabah I don't know what does.
The jeskai are the Chinese. They're monks and martial artists. The flavor is also all over the cards so little explaination is needed here.
The sultai are a toss up to me. They are either Egyptian or Aztecs. I can't figure out which. Maybe a bit of both. Both cultures had a lot to do with using the dead and gave a lot of importance to death and corpses. The sultai just take that further. The three color land for them makes me feel like it's more Aztec than Egyptian and so does the fact that they use delve. The Aztecs would have used the dead and death as a resource or weapon more than the Egyptians would have, as they praised their dead and would not "exile them from the graveyard". That would be blasphemous.
The mardu are Mongolian. They conquer and destroy. The ability raid is very much representative of that. And the cards have key pieces of evidence towards that too. Mardu heart piercer is riding a horse and wielding a curved bow which was a big thing for the Mongolians. And the nomad outpost also screams Mongolian. They were nomads while they conquered under genghis khan(even the word khan points to that as well).
The temur are the Vikings. The heavy fur coats and big axes are very much Viking and of course there is snow in almost every card for their tribe.
That's just what I think. The theory could use some expanding but we also haven't seen every card yet so there might be more evidence spoiled for us pretty soon.

From what I've seen, the sultai are most definatley south asian, like India and the Sinai peninsula. No where near Egyptian that's for sure. Aztec is a bit closer, but the art most closely resembles things I've seen from Thai, Bangledeshi, and Indian lore.

Edit: That would also fit the flavor well, seeing as this whole plane uses khans and is basically Asia. Abzan is Persia(west) Jeskai are China/Japan(east) Sultai are Sinai/India(south) the Mardu are Tibet/Mongolia(middle-ish) and the Temur are Siberia(north)

The entire cat demon thing is Hindu, along with the name rakashka (I think that's right)

That all makes a lot more sense. I felt a very Aztec like vibe from the sultai upon seeing them originally, but I noticed that, assuming I was correct, all the tribes except for them would have some kind of root in asia(my idea of the temur being Vikings wasn't far off, I originally wanted to say Russians but I was thinking more groups of people that had worldly importance rather than people specifically from a certain place). Seeing this now makes perfect sense. Khans of tarkir is basically an mtg version of ancient Asia. Each tribe represents a different and important group of people from the different regions of Asia at the height of their power and reign that all had significant importance. The khans represent an ideal version of their leaders or in some cases specific people in a sense(zurgo could definitely be a loose representation of genghis khan). The jeskai are the Chinese. The sultai and the Indians. The mardu are Mongolian. The temur are Russian. And the abzan are Persian. And even if I receive another reply that further corrects me in some way, the one thing that cannot be denied is that this set has some amazing flavor. The artwork is really quite beautiful and all the cards from one tribe really feel unified as though they represent a real tribe. Wizards has done a good job so far with this set making every card feel like it has a place. Great job on their part.

[MuggyWuggy]

But who represents the Jamaicans???

[MuggyWuggy]

Deesa Guy!
http://tinyurl.com/luxlv3x

[LordJanova]

Deesa Guy!
http://tinyurl.com/luxlv3x

All I did was take one look at that and I lost my .poo. Too funny.

[AdamS]

Deesa Guy!
http://tinyurl.com/luxlv3x

that would break the edh format for sure

[imthelolrus]

Zendikar Manlands fit.

230 - Bloodstained Mire
231 - {Celestial Colonnade}
232 - {Creeping Tar Pit}
233 - Flooded Strand
234 - Frontier Bivouac
235 - {Lavaclaw Reaches}
236 - Mystic Monastery
237 - Nomad Outpost
238 - Opulent Palace
239 - Polluted Delta
240 - {Raging Ravine}
241 - Sandsteppe Citadel
242 - {Stirring Wildwood}
243 -
244 -
245 -
246 -
247 -
248 - Windswept Heath
249 - Wooded Foothills

Waaaaaaaaaaayyyy too good for standard

That does seem a little too good, and counterproductive with the scry lands entering tapped. Hmm, what about the filter lands? Wouldn't they want to finish off the manland cycle before reprinting the old ones anyways?

IMO they're probably a whole new cycle

[Rasser]

Zendikar Manlands fit.

230 - Bloodstained Mire
231 - {Celestial Colonnade}
232 - {Creeping Tar Pit}
233 - Flooded Strand
234 - Frontier Bivouac
235 - {Lavaclaw Reaches}
236 - Mystic Monastery
237 - Nomad Outpost
238 - Opulent Palace
239 - Polluted Delta
240 - {Raging Ravine}
241 - Sandsteppe Citadel
242 - {Stirring Wildwood}
243 - {Vivid Crag}
244 - {Vivid Creek}
245 - {Vivid Grove}
246 - {Vivid Marsh}
247 - {Vivid Meadow}
248 - Windswept Heath
249 - Wooded Foothills

Are we going to get vivids reprints again?   

[Thetrufflehunter]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e7tzadfna5r1jkg/2014-09-07%2018.17.39.png?dl=0