<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Proft, Sinister Mastermind" href="#" target="_blank">Proft, Sinister Mastermind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by<a href="https://www.lindseylook.com/"> Lindsey Look</a></em></p>
<p>Mark Rosewater mentioned in his design articles that Echo pairs were designed at the same time, in conversation with one another.</p>
<p>To that end, I want to break down those designs and see which ones were designed for Mels (i.e., people who examine the mechanics) and which ones were made for Vorthoses (i.e., people who follow the story).</p>
<p>There are thirty-seven pairs, so I'm not going in-depth on all of them — many are straightforward enough that a sentence would be over-explaining.</p>
<p>Let's start on the mechanics end…</p>
<h2>Purely Mel</h2>
<p>These are the cards that rely solely on their mechanics to tell the story!</p>
<h3>Favorite: Traxos</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Scourge Eternal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Traxos, Academy Guardian"></div></div>
<p>I love the complex relation between the two cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Scourge Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Scourge Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is its classic colorless mode and has the tricky drawback of not untapping unless you cast a spell after it's on the battlefield, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Traxos, Academy Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Traxos, Academy Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is "improved" and therefore never taps, while having the option of costing less if you cast a spell before it's on the battlefield.</p>
<h3>Iconic: Yargle</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yargle, Glutton of Urborg"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yargle, Goliath of Otaria"></div></div>
<p>Simple!</p>
<h3>Solid</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hapatra, the Desert Fang"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta the Unstoppable"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyra, Tolarian Archangel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hapatra, the Desert Frost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghalta the Immovable"></div></div>
<p>The Lyras both give an Angelic reward for their input, the Hapatras both weaken opposing creatures, and the Ghaltas both reward a high stat, all aligned to their color.</p>
<p>(<a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/lyra-archangel-of-dawn-mono-white-life-gaining-angels">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a> and <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/top-10-wheels-for-lyra-tolarian-archangel">Lyra, Tolarian Archangel</a> both have cool decks here!)</p>
<h2>Mel With a Dash of Vorthos</h2>
<p>These cards mostly rely on mechanics to tell their story, but have a touch of easily readable flavor.</p>
<h3>Personal Favorite: Gallia</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gallia, the Merrymaker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gallia, Tragic Host"></div></div>
<p>Identical mana values and stats with their colors' most common keyword is such a sweet lineup. The 2/1 statline is a good callback to the Satyrs of <em>Theros Beyond Death</em>. Plus, both have an activated ability that leaves them tapped and hands out a +1/+1 counter, but inverted — Merrymaker puts it on another creature that just got to the party, while Tragic Host "escapes" at the cost of another creature.</p>
<h3>Elegant: Danitha &amp; Winter</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Danitha, Sword of Hope"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Tormented Loner"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Danitha, Spear of Agony"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Winter, Team Player"></div></div>
<p>The Danithas are both three-mana 2/2s with first strike that care about targeting creatures with a spell, but inverted to match their respective color. They both add in an additional input of their respective colors (black targets opponents, white gets Equipment). Subtype versus subset is odd, but previous Danithas have cared about Equipment and this Echoed Danitha is in the Cabal, a group known for discard spells. It's just so crisp.</p>
<p>The original Winter can sacrifice a creature when he enters for value, while your creatures can work together to cast his counterpart. Our Winter has to have three dead creatures in the 'yard to get to the same power as Echoverse Winter. This is a nice send-up to the story, where Winter betrayed three friends to Valgavoth and was searching for one more sacrifice to seal his bargain. Team Player's friends are still alive and still working together — shown by the team buff he can grant.</p>
<h2>The Same but Different</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli, Jewel of Avishkar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Koth, the Geomancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teyo, Lightshield Expert"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli, Consul of Oversight"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Koth of the Homestead"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Teyo, Diamondblade Mage"></div></div>
<p>Both Saheelis make Thopters, both Teyos grant a keyword and counter to a permanent, and both Koths have a landfall ability that cares about his color's respective type. The tweak makes all the difference! Echoverse Saheeli cares about scrying and surveilling and flies to reflect her title of Consul of Oversight. The alternate Koth gains life and grows creatures to represent his new life as a family man and farmer. Finally, Teyo grants deathtouch to show aggression over protection.</p>
<h2>Opposing Reflections</h2>
<p>There are five pairs that tend to have a mechanical throughline of whether they help you or stop your opponent from doing a certain action.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thalia, the Survivor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruric Thar, Magecrusher"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geist of Saint Thalia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tetsuko Umezawa, Pursuer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruric Thar, Biomagus"></div></div>
<p>Thalia either slows your opponents' noncreature spells or (if a corrupt Avacyn killed her) helps you cast your own noncreatures. Tetsuko helps your small creatures attack or (if she's not running from Bolas) punishes small blockers, and Ruric Thar is either a control crusher or (if in Simic) a control finisher.</p>
<p>(Psst, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/thalia-the-survivor-aggressive-stax-deck">this Thalia deck</a>.)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, Hope from the Shadows"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marwyn, the Preserver"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, Blade of the Mighty"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marwyn, the Clearcutter"></div></div>
<p>Here we see Yuriko as either a combat trick or a combat controller (if she became a Samurai). Meanwhile, Marwyn is there to protect your lands and regrow them to stop any land destruction shenanigan or (if she decided to use the land to protect her people) sacrifice your lands for value.</p>
<h2>Vorthos With a Dash of Mel</h2>
<p>Moving along the scale, let's talk about the pairs with some mechanical ties but a focus on the story behind them.</p>
<h3>Personal Favorite: Proft</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Proft, Consulting Detective"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Proft, Sinister Mastermind"></div></div>
<p>The Profts have a clear story involved — Consulting Detective is on the ground, learning and growing, while Sinister Mastermind is "three steps ahead" on power but requires setup while he lurks in the shadows. It's a very cool story!</p>
<h3>Goodest Boy: Yoshimaru</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yoshimaru, Beloved Companion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yoshimaru, Scrappy Stray"></div></div>
<p>There is the mirrored activated ability, but the flavor is what makes this pair sing. Beloved Companion helps everyone around him grow, while Scrappy Stray directs a fight — an inversion that makes sense with the flavor of Echo Yoshimaru living in the streets.</p>
<h3>Simple, Straightforward</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Argent Defender"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mabel, Valley Hero"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arni, Renowned Champion"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Karn, Gilded Guardian"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mabel, Bitter Recluse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Arni, Humble Scribe"></div></div>
<p>Argent Defender shuts down enters effects to represent our Karn trying to guard his home, while Gilded Guardian relies on all five colors for his enters effect to show the five suns of Mirrodin. Mabel builds up your board as the inspiring Valley Hero but tears down others as the destructive Bitter Recluse.</p>
<p>Both Arnis use other creatures as inspiration, with Renowned Champion striving to match their strength and Humble Scribe learning from them.</p>
<h3>Subtle Shifts</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tinybones, Pocket Nuisance"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Massacre Girl, Most Wanted"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar, Ancient Bloodlord"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Titanbones, Towering Heart"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rescue Girl, First Responder"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Edgar, Moonlit Sovereign"></div></div>
<p>Each of these has a clear story backing, and the mechanics have connectivity but it requires some squinting.</p>
<p>Tinybones does discard and damage dealing, which Titanbones can protect from. Massacre Girl cares about creatures dying, while Rescue Girl is here to save them. Finally, the Edgars play into their respective Innistradi monster mechanics to grow bigger.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fblthp, Impossibly Lost"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fblthp, Knows the Way"></div></div>
<p>Original Fblthp ends up in your library to draw you cards to represent getting lost as always, while Echoverse Fblthp pulls lands out of your library to represent him finding new places. Very fun and quirky.</p>
<h2>Pure Vorthos</h2>
<p>These designs require understanding the previous iterations of the color to really appreciate.</p>
<h3>Personal Favorite: Vraska</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vraska, the Cutting Glare"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vraska, Soul of Stone"></div></div>
<p>Our original Vraska is here to assassinate and chew bubble gum, only no one invented bubble gum in the known Multiverse. Meanwhile, the Echoverse Vraska is highlighted in the story for her lack of the gorgon's glare, and how she instead controlled statues already made. Flavorfully, Soul of Stone can conjure up statues all day long, but Cutting Glare can drop in and kill her anytime, as she did in the story.</p>
<p>(Cool budget deck for <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/vraska-soul-of-stone-jeskai-weaponized-treasures-on-a-budget">Soul of Stone</a> over here.)</p>
<h3>Strange Inversions</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loot, the Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jiang Yanggu, Never Alone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pia, Determined Rebuilder"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Loot, the Anomaly"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jiang Yanggu, Alone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pia, Aether Ascetic"></div></div>
<p>Loot, Jiang, and Pia have weird relations to one another. Loots care about power, the Jiangs each tell a story about working together or alone, and the Pias care about different card types.</p>
<p>(Psst, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/top-10-combo-enchantments-for-pia-aether-ascetic">this Pia deck</a> or <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/jian-yanggu-alone-discard-aggro-bracket-3-beatdown">this Jiang deck</a>!)</p>
<h3>Loreheads Only</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kiora of Salt and Sand"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tomik, Orzhov Lawmage"></div></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tomik, Izzet Sparkmage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kiora of Fire and Ashes"></div></div>
<p>Both Kioras can make large tokens, but there are subtle nods to deep lore. Our Kiora used to be a planeswalker, while Echoverse Kiora never had a spark and had become an invoker instead. Similar deal with the Tomiks, the first of whom keys in on his past cards while the second shows him as an Izzet guildmember.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tam, the Possibility|FRA|317"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jace, Reality Sculptor|FRA|300"></div></div>
<p>Finally, if you know the story of how Jace made Tam, you can see how they're echoes. Jace is a mono-blue planeswalker who only cares about the Jace type, while Tam is a creature with all five colors who cares about different planeswalker types to show her working with everyone. If I hadn't seen their borderless Echo Pair, I might not have caught it…</p>
<h2>Mechanics and Flavor Working Together</h2>
<p>My final category: characters that had the most story development and the most complex cards to tell their stories.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ajani Unrelenting|FRA|308"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ajani Resolute|FRA|291"></div></div>
<p>Ajani's Echo represents a path he nearly took — one of unyielding rage. Both of them have a static that interacts with their first loyalty ability and a way to make a 2/2 token. The red Ajani is faster and angrier, making Cadets every turn, while white Ajani is slower but can make a larger token over time.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra, Chill of Compliance|FRA|297"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Chandra, Torch of Defiance|FRA|309"></div></div>
<p>Chandra's Echo represents a path she didn't think possible — one of cold discipline. These two are a perfect mirror without breaking the color pie. They both have four loyalty abilities, in the same order: conditional card advantage, mana, creature disruption, and an emblem to win the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk, Veiled Butcher|FRA|303"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Garruk, Curse Breaker|FRA|314"></div></div>
<p>Garruk's Echo represents a path he almost succumbed to — the Chain Veil's curse and a life of butchery. The original and echo both have a static caring about creatures. They can both ultimate immediately to harm opponents. The first abilities are callbacks — green Garruk to his first card, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Garruk Wildspeaker" href="#" target="_blank">Garruk Wildspeaker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and black Garruk to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Liliana, the Last Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Liliana, the Last Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which is masterfully done.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana the Faultless|FRA|293"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Liliana the Repentant|FRA|305"></div></div>
<p>Liliana's Echo represents a path she gave up on — the life of a healer. Both versions are cheap creatures that care about other creatures or planeswalkers entering in ways that fuel their colors. Funnily, the Echo can put cards into the graveyard while our Multiverse's Liliana can get them out.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon the Oathless|FRA|304"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gideon&#039;s Memorial|FRA|292"></div></div>
<p>One's an artifact and one's a creature, but all three of their respective abilities are in conversation with one another. Gideon's Memorial helps you play tokens and planeswalkers, while Gideon the Oathless punishes opponents who do so. Echo Gideon's ward cost calls out to the monument having an effect if you discard it as a flavorful tie-in.</p>
<h2>You… Want a Tier List?</h2>
<p>Here are my personal rankings — no time for elaboration, the word count is already eye-watering!</p>
<ol>
<li>(Tie) Liliana, Chandra, Ajani, Garruk</li>
<li>Gideon</li>
<li>Vraska</li>
<li>Proft</li>
<li>Traxos</li>
<li>Gallia</li>
<li>Danitha</li>
<li>Winter</li>
<li>Fblthp</li>
<li>Samut</li>
<li>Marwyn</li>
<li>Karn</li>
<li>Mabel</li>
<li>Kiora</li>
<li>Yoshimaru</li>
<li>Thalia</li>
<li>Koth</li>
<li>Ruric Thar</li>
<li>Tinybones</li>
<li>Massacre Girl</li>
<li>Arni</li>
<li>Tetsuko</li>
<li>Tomik</li>
<li>Teyo</li>
<li>Loot</li>
<li>Jiang</li>
<li>Edgar</li>
<li>Hapatra</li>
<li>Ghalta</li>
<li>Lyra</li>
<li>Saheeli</li>
<li>Jace/Tam</li>
<li>Yuriko</li>
<li>Pia</li>
</ol>
<p>And that's all we've got time for today, folks! Give me your thoughts on the designs in the comments!</p>


mel

Mel or Vorthos? Breaking Down Every Reality Fracture Echo Pair