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{{Character|
{{Infobox character
|image=Dovin Baan.jpg|thumb
|image=Dovin Baan2.jpg|thumb
|name=Dovin Baan
|name=Dovin Baan
|birthplace=[[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]]
|birthplace=[[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]]
|lifetime=
|lifetime=[[Mending Era]], died ~4561 [[AR]]
|race=[[Vedalken]] [[planeswalker]]
|race=[[Vedalken]] [[planeswalker]]
|sources=see external links
|colors = Center: {{mana|WU}}<ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/183954127093/is-dovin-centered-in-blue-or-white|April 4, 2019}}</ref>
|lore=Dovin
}}
}}
'''Dovin Baan''' is a [[vedalken]] [[planeswalker]] from the [[Kaladesh (plane)|the plane of Kaladesh]].<ref>{{NewRef|magic-story/planeswalkers-guide-kaladesh-2016-11-02|Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh|[[Magic Creative Team]]|November 2, 2016}}</ref>
'''Dovin Baan''' was a [[vedalken]] [[planeswalker]] from [[Kaladesh (plane)|the plane of Kaladesh]].<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/planeswalkers-guide-kaladesh-2016-11-02|Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh|[[Magic Creative Team]]|November 2, 2016}}</ref> He was an [[artificer]] and a system's mage.


==Description==
==Appearance and characteristics==
Dovin Baan is tall, thin and always impeccably dressed. His suit is partially encased in whorls and filigrees of brass, bits of which hiss and tick faintly as he moves. Baan has an innate talent, heightened by magic, that allows him to clearly see the flaws in any system or machine. After mere moments of scrutiny, Dovin can provide a complete analysis, noting a particular machine's weaknesses, highlighting its shortcomings, and predicting with startling accuracy exactly how and when it will fail.<ref>[http://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planeswalkers/dovin-baan Dovin Baan]</ref>
Dovin Baan was a tall, thin, and always impeccably dressed vedalken who strove for perfection. His suit was partially encased in whorls and filigrees of brass, bits of which hissed and ticked faintly as he moved. Baan had an innate talent, heightened by magic, that allowed him to see the flaws in any system or machine. After mere moments of scrutiny, Dovin could provide a complete analysis, noting a particular machine's weaknesses, highlighting its shortcomings, and predicting with startling accuracy exactly how and when it will fail.<ref>[http://magic.wizards.com/en/story/planeswalkers/dovin-baan Dovin Baan]</ref> He can do this for a machine, a bureaucracy, a dance — the form matters little, only the process. Consequently, he could perfect the thing, little by little, until it became a true exemplar of what it was meant to be.<ref name="Chapter Eight">[[Django Wexler]] (July 31, 2019), ''[[The Gathering Storm]]'', Chapter Eight.</ref>
 
Baan's favorite tools were [[thopter]]s, small flying mechanical spy devices.
 
Dovin Baan was centered in both [[white]] and [[blue]] mana. When he planeswalked, he vanished in a sideways movement.


==History==
==History==
Dovin Baan is the Minister of Inspections of the [[Consulate]] of Kaladesh. His admirable success made him serve as senior inspector of the [[Inventors' Fair]].
===Kaladesh===
Dovin Baan was the Minister of Inspections of the [[Consulate]] of Kaladesh. His admirable success made him serve as senior inspector of the [[Inventors' Fair]].
 
When he came up against an [[renegades|unexpected and unpredictable renegade threat]], he requested the aid of the [[Gatewatch]]. The Gatewatch had to refuse to assist Baan, considering his problems an internal affair and antithetical to the goals of their organization. However, his visit alerted [[Chandra Nalaar]] of the events happening on Kaladesh, her plane of birth, and she immediately planeswalked to Kaladesh with [[Liliana Vess]].<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/homesick-2016-08-29|Homesick|[[Chris L'Etoile]]|August 29, 2016}}</ref> Baan returned to Kaladesh, [[Nissa]] in tow. He arrived next to [[Tezzeret]], as he was arresting [[Pia Nalaar|Renegade Prime]], later to be revealed as Chandra's mother, [[Pia Nalaar]]. Recognizing Chandra in the crowd, Dovin Baan ordered gearhulks to be brought into a position to isolate and contain Chandra from Renegade Prime. Renegade Prime, however, relented and let herself be taken into custody. Baan was relieved, having arrested Renegade Prime, and serving a blow to the renegade threat he sought to quell.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/renegade-prime-2016-09-14|Renegade Prime|[[Mel Li]]|September 14, 2016}}</ref>[[File:Dovin Baan3.jpg|left|thumb|Dovin Baan sabotages the [[Renegades]]' plan and is expelled by the flames of Chandra|304x304px]] During [[Tezzeret]]'s coup, Dovin Baan hesitantly cooperated, although he disliked the draconian manner in which the inventions were taken from the inventors. Tezzeret assured him that this was solely done for protecting the inventions since he expected a major Renegade retaliation, and to develop them further to usher in a new era of innovation. Tezzeret then revealed that he intended to make Dovin the head of the institution that would manufacture these new, streamlined inventions and make them public among the population of Kaladesh. In exchange, [[Tezzeret]] demanded that Dovin Baan take care of the Gatewatch since it was due to his invitation that they were here. Baan immediately went to assemble a group of elite [[soldier]]s, intending to use the weaknesses and dysfunctions of the Gatewatch against them.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/grateful-consulate-2016-10-19|A Grateful Consulate|[[James Wyatt]]|October 19, 2016}}</ref> After the Renegades had managed to conquer the central Aether Hub of the city, Tezzeret ordered Baan on the ''<c title="Skysovereign">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</c>'' to help construct his battle plans. After examining the situation, Baan pointed out that the majority of the Renegades, under them Renegade Prime, had taken up residence in the hub and that a direct attack would inevitably fail. Instead, he advised to encircle the facility and draw out their commanders, including the [[planeswalker]]s, and then strike with aerial support and various armored inspectors. Listing the weaknesses of the Gatewatch, Baan stated that the weakest link of the group was Chandra Nalaar, due to her impulsiveness. [[Tezzeret]] then ordered [[Baral]] to distract Chandra, exploiting the hatred that existed between both. Baan was wary of this plan since he mistrusted Baral's soundness of mind.
 
Tezzeret ordered Baan to supervise the operation. Insisting that their confrontation would take place in one of the more dilapidated quarters of [[Ghirapur]], he watched the battle between the [[Consulate]] officer and the planeswalkers. When Baral wanted more firepower against them, Baan refused, wanting to keep the citizenry safe from collateral damage. During the battle, Baan heard Baral provoking Chandra, admitting that Kiran and Pia Nalaar had not died in the fire, as he previously stated, but that Kiran had been murdered by Baral himself and Pia was taken into the Dhund without a trial. Charging the officer with murder, attempted murder, and multiple counts of falsification of the public record, Baan ordered Baral's imprisonment. The renegades escaped the encounter at the Aether Hub. As Baral protested and urged Baan to pursue the renegades, Baan informed him that the central Aether Hub was again under Consulate control.<ref name="Burn">{{DailyRef|magic-story/burn|Burn|[[Chris L'Etoile]]|January 4, 2017}}</ref>
 
When the [[Renegades]] attacked the [[Ghirapur#Location|Consulate's Spire]], Baan boarded the [[Heart of Kiran]] and sabotaged the [[Hope of Ghirapur]], which was an essential part of their strategy. He then planeswalked away before Chandra could stop him.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/breaking-points-2017-01-18|Breaking Points|[[Doug Beyer]]|January 18, 2017}}</ref>
 
===Ravnica===
[[File:Dovin Baan, Grand Arbiter.jpg|left|thumb|327x327px|Guildmaster.]]
After realizing that Tezzeret was not the true mastermind behind the [[Planar Bridge]], Baan decided to look for Tezzeret's master. Walking right into [[Bolas]] claws, he was taken in by the dragon's intelligence and "flawless planning". Bolas then offered Dovin something Dovin couldn't turn down, the chance to reshape a plane into flawless and ordered efficiency. Since his first visit to Ravnica to recruit the Gatewatch, Dovin had itched to improve the guild system, so he willingly jumped at the chance to take over the [[Azorius Senate]] on Ravnica.<ref name="Art book">[[James Wyatt]] (January 2019). "''[[The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica]]'''". [[Wizards of the Coast]]</ref> Manipulating the system from the inside, he exploited one loophole after another to disrupt the chain of command.  Occupying judges and senators with often overlooked (but technically required by law) paperwork, rescheduling key meetings, and arranging the ousting of people in key positions of power, Dovin emerged as the new head of the Lyev Column, replacing the unpopular hussar [[List of secondary characters/Ravnica|Agmand Sarv]].<ref name="Chapter Three">[[Django Wexler]] (June 19, 2019), ''[[The Gathering Storm]], Chapter Three''.</ref> When [[Isperia]] was killed by [[Vraska]],<ref name="Chapter Ten">[[Django Wexler]] (August 14, 2019), ''[[The Gathering Storm]]'', Chapter Ten.</ref> Dovin took over as [[guildmaster]] and showed the guild how to make spy [[thopter]]s and to use [[precognitive mage]]s to arrest people before crimes would be committed.
 
When [[Ral Zarek]] altered the [[Implicit Maze]]  to fulfill Niv-Mizzet's plan of stealing the power of the [[Guildpact (spell)|Guildpact]], Dovin found out and played along until right before Bolas's arrival on the plane and then sabotaged the device, leaving Jace as the [[Living Guildpact]].<ref name="Art book"/>


When he came up against an [[the renegades|unexpected and unpredictable renegade threat]], he requested the aid of the [[Gatewatch]]. The Gatewatch had to refuse their help, because they considered his problems an internal affair. However, his visit alerted [[Chandra Nalaar]] of the going ons on her plane of birth, and she planeswalked to Kaladesh with [[Liliana Vess]]. <ref>{{NewRef|magic-story/homesick-2016-08-29|Homesick|[[Chris L'Etoile]]|August 29, 2016}}</ref> Baan quickly returned to Kaladesh, [[Nissa]] in tow. He arrived next to [[Tezzeret]], when he was about to arrest [[Pia Nalaar|Renegade Prime]]. Recognizing Chandra in the crowd, he ordered gearhulks to be brought in position to keep them away. Renegade Prime, however, relented and let herself be taken into custody. Baan appeared to be relieved by that.<ref>{{NewRef|magic-story/renegade-prime-2016-09-14|Renegade Prime|[[Mel Li]]|September 14, 2016}}</ref>  
===War of the Spark===
[[File:LazavDovinManga.png|thumb|[[Lazav]], in disguise as [[Chandra Nalaar]], blinds Dovin.]]
In the [[War of the Spark (event)|War of the Spark]], Dovin guarded the [[Immortal Sun]] for Bolas. During a fight, he was overpowered by [[Chandra Nalaar]], who turned out to be the Dimir guildmaster [[Lazav]] in disguise, using an [[Izzet League]] flamethrower.<ref><c>Chandra's Triumph</c></ref> Lazav threw throwing stars that hit Dovin in the eyes and blinded him.<ref name="Weisman Ravnica novel">[[Greg Weisman]] (April 2019). "''[[War of the Spark: Ravnica]]''". Del Rey</ref> This seriously affected his ability to detect weakness in others. Bleeding, he planeswalked away shortly afterward.


During [[Tezzeret]]'s coup, Dovin Baan hesitantly cooperated, although he disliked the draconian manner in which the inventions were taken from the inventors. Tezzeret assured him that this was solely done for protecting the inventions, since he expected a major Renegade retaliation, and to develop them further in order to usher in a new era of innovation. Tezzeret then revealed that he intended to make Dovin the head of the institution that would manufacture these new, streamlined inventions and make them public among the population of Kaladesh. In exchange, Tezzeret demanded that Dovin Baan would take care of the Gatewatch, since it was due to his invitation that they were here. Baan immediately went to assembling a group of elite soldiers, intending to use the weaknesses and dysfunctions of the Gatewatch against them.<ref>{{NewRef|magic-story/grateful-consulate-2016-10-19|A Grateful Consulate|[[James Wyatt]]|October 19, 2016}}</ref>
The new [[Living Guildpact]], [[Niv-Mizzet]], later hired [[Vraska]] to track Baan down.


After the Renegades had managed to conquer the central Aether Hub of the city, Tezzeret ordered Baan on the Skysovereign to lend aid his battle plans. After examining the situation, Baan pointed out that the majority of the Renegades, under them Renegade Prime, had taken up residence in the hub and that a direct attack would be surely fail. Instead, he advised to encircle the facility and draw out their commanders, including the planeswalkers, and then strike with aerial support and various armored inspectors. Listing the weaknesses of the Gatewatch, Baan stated that the weakest link of the group was Chandra Nalaar, due to her impulsiveness. Tezzeret then ordered [[Baral]] to distract Chandra, exploiting the hatred that existed between both. Baan was wary of this plan, since he mistrusted Baral's soundness of mind.  
===Death===
After being blinded by Lazav, Dovin Baan planeswalked to his home on [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] but soon returned to his safe house on [[Ravnica]].<ref name="Forsaken">[[Greg Weisman]] (November 2019). "''[[War of the Spark: Forsaken]].''" Del Rey.</ref> There he managed to lead a fairly regular life thanks to his eidetic memory and started to manufacture appliances to replace his lost eyes. On Ravnica, he was discovered by Vraska, and in exchange for his life, Baan offered to help her retain control over the [[Golgari]]. Vraska accepted the offer and together they plotted to fake Baan's death. Using a statue replica of himself, a fight was staged in Zinara on [[Regatha]] with [[Chandra Nalaar]] being an unsuspecting accomplice. During the fight, Vraska severed Baan’s right hand to use as proof of a kill while Chandra believed she had delivered the killing blow. The plan succeeded and Baan returned to Ravnica, only to be assassinated by [[Araithia Shokta|Atkos Tarr]] who had been sent by Lazav in his plans to blackmail Vraska. After his death, Atkos removed Baan’s left hand and secretly passed it on to Lazav.
 
==Trivia==
*In the video game ''[[Magic: The Gathering Arena]]'', Dovin is voiced by [[Wikipedia:Robin Atkin Downes|Robin Atkin Downes]].<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10967214/characters/nm0235960|title=Robin Atkin Downes as Dovin Baan|publisher=IMDB}}</ref>
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Dovin Baan5.jpg|Supreme Judge.
File:Dovin, Architect of Law.jpg|''“If the populace fears our authority, then I’d say we have an appropriately sensible populace.”''
File:Dovin's Veto.jpg|Dovin's Veto.
File:Dovin-Hand-of-Control.jpg|Keeping the Immortal Sun.
File:Dovin Baan4.jpg|Minion of Nicol Bolas.
File:DovinManga.png|Dovin in the ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]'' [[manga]].
File:Dovin Baan MTGA avatar RNA.png|[[Magic: The Gathering Arena]] avatar.
</gallery>
 
==Planeswalkers met==
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*[[Chandra Nalaar]]
*[[Domri Rade]]
*[[Gideon Jura]]
*[[Jace Beleren]]
*[[Liliana Vess]]
*[[Nicol Bolas]]
*[[Nissa Revane]]
*[[Ral Zarek]]
*[[Saheeli Rai]]
*[[Tezzeret]]
*[[Vraska]]
}}
 
==Planes visited==
*[[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]]
*[[Ravnica]]
*[[Regatha]]<ref name="Forsaken"/>
 
==Story appearances==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Title !! Author !! Publishing date !! Set !! Setting (plane) !! Featuring
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/homesick-2016-08-29|Homesick}} || [[Chris L'Etoile]] || 2016-08-29 || ''[[Kaladesh]]'' || [[Ravnica]] || [[The Gatewatch]] ([[Jace Beleren]], [[Nissa Revane]], [[Chandra Nalaar]], [[Gideon Jura]] and [[Liliana Vess]]), [[Lavinia]], Dovin
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/renegade-prime-2016-09-14|Renegade Prime}} || [[Mel Li]] || 2016-09-14 || ''[[Kaladesh]]'' || [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] || [[Pia Nalaar]], [[Dhiren Baral]], [[Tamni]], [[Venkat Dasai]], Nadya, [[Kari Zev]], Viprikti, Dovin, [[Chandra Nalaar]], [[Liliana Vess]], [[Nissa Revane]], [[Tezzeret]], [[Oviya Pashiri]]
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/grateful-consulate-2016-10-19|A Grateful Consulat}} || [[James Wyatt]] || 2016-10-19 || ''[[Kaladesh]]'' || [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] || Dovin, Ranaj, [[Tezzeret]], Dujari
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/burn|Burn}} || [[Chris L'Etoile]] || 2017-01-04 || ''[[Aether Revolt]]'' || [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] || Dovin, [[Tezzeret]], [[Dhiren Baral]], [[The Gatewatch]], [[Oviya Pashiri]], [[Ajani Goldmane]], [[Vatti]], Dayal, [[Pia Nalaar]], [[Kari Zev]]
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/breaking-points-2017-01-18|Breaking Points}} || [[Doug Beyer]] || 2017-01-18 || ''[[Aether Revolt]]'' || [[Kaladesh (plane)|Kaladesh]] || [[The Gatewatch]], [[Pia Nalaar]], [[Hope of Ghirapur]], [[Saheeli Rai]], [[Rashmi]], [[Ajani Goldmane]], [[Oviya Pashiri]], [[Vatti]], Dovin
|-
| {{ArticleArchive|magic-story/illusions-childs-play-2019-01-23|The Illusions of Child's Play}} || [[Nicky Drayden]] || 2019-01-23 || ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]'' || [[Ravnica]] || [[Kodolaag]], Olrich, Zita, Lucinka, [[Jitka Wothis]], [[Grimbly Wothis]] (mentioned), Dovin
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20210429053949/https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=48e093d4dd The Gathering Storm: Chapter Three] ||[[Django Wexler]]||2019-06-19||''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]'' / ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''||[[Ravnica]]||[[Ral Zarek|Ral]], Pytr Liosh, [[Ferzhin]], [[Aurelia]], [[Isperia]], Dovin, [[Lavinia]], [[Tomik Vrona]], [[Elias]], Gunther, Varo, [[Nicol Bolas]]
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20230419070020/https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=77411a7f11 The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eight] ||[[Django Wexler]]||2019-07-31||''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]'' / ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''||[[Ravnica]]||[[Ral Zarek|Ral]], Dovin, [[Varryvort]], [[Kaya Cassir|Kaya]], [[Teysa Karlov]], [[Nicol Bolas]], [[Elias]], Villiers, Anne Hannover, Venati, Sal, Nak
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20210429053758/https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=331efd73d0 The Gathering Storm: Chapter Ten] ||[[Django Wexler]]||2019-08-14||''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]'' / ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''||[[Ravnica]]||[[Ral Zarek|Ral]], [[Isperia]], Dovin, [[Hekara]], [[Borborygmos]], [[Aurelia]], [[Ferzhin]], [[Lazav]], [[Emmara Tandris]], [[Kaya Cassir|Kaya]], [[Teysa Karlov]], [[Vraska]], [[Niv-Mizzet]]
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20220523001836/https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=7b5dcd8afa The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eleven] ||[[Django Wexler]]||2019-08-21||''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]'' / ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''||[[Ravnica]], Unknown plane||[[Ral Zarek|Ral]], Ghazz, [[Hekara]], Brevia, Harith, [[Niv-Mizzet]], [[Aurelia]], [[Ferzhin]], Dovin, Vell, [[Kaya Cassir|Kaya]]
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20220520133040/https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=671981442a09c23d267bd602b&id=ccb3c2685c The Gathering Storm: Chapter Thirteen] ||[[Django Wexler]]||2019-09-04||''[[Guilds of Ravnica]]'' / ''[[Ravnica Allegiance]]''||[[Ravnica]]||[[Vraska]], [[Xeddick]], [[Hekara]], [[Kaya Cassir|Kaya]], [[Tomik Vrona]], [[Teysa Karlov]], [[Ral Zarek|Ral]], [[Aurelia]], Dovin
|}


Tezzeret ordered Baan to supervise the operation. Insisting that their confrontation would take place in one of the more dilapidated quarters of Ghirapur, he watched the battle between the Consulate officer and the planeswalkers. When Baral wanted more firepower against them, Baan refused, wanting to keep the citizenry safe from collateral damage. He also heard Baral's goad that Kiran and Pia Nalaar had not died in the fire, as previously stated, but that Kiran had been murdered by the Consulate officer and Pia taken into the Dhund without a trial. Charging the officer with murder, attempted murder and multiple counts of falsification of the public record, Baan ordered Baral's imprisonment. As the former chief protested, Baan informed him that the central Aether Hub was again under Consulate control.<ref name="Burn">{{NewRef|magic-story/burn-2017-01-04|Burn|[[Chris L'Etoile]]|January 4, 2017}}</ref>
==In-game references==
==In-game references==
'''Represented in:'''
{{In-game
* <c>Dovin Baan</c>
|cards=
'''Quoted or referred to:'''
*<c>Dovin Baan</c>
* <c>Fragmentize</c>
*<c>Dovin, Grand Arbiter</c>
* <c>Hungry Flames</c>
*<c>Dovin, Architect of Law</c>
* <c>Mechanized Production</c>
*<c>Dovin, Hand of Control</c>
|associated=
*<c>Dovin's Acuity</c>
*<c>Dovin's Automaton</c>
*<c>Dovin's Dismissal</c>
*<c>Dovin's Veto</c>
|art=
*<c>Chandra's Triumph</c>
*<c>Emergency Powers</c>
*<c>Hungry Flames</c>
*{{card|Vedalken Orrery|Double Masters 2022|#=399}}
*<c>War of the Spark</c>
*<c>Warden</c>
|flavor=
*{{card|Azorius Guildgate|Ravnica Allegiance|#=243}}
*<c>Azorius Locket</c>
*{{card|Chandra's Pyrohelix|War of the Spark}}
*{{card|Concession Stand|Unfinity|UNF|#=205c}}
*<c>Elite Guardmage</c>
*<c>Fragmentize</c>
*<c>Hungry Flames</c>
*<c>Justiciar's Portal</c>
*<c>Law-Rune Enforcer</c>
*<c>Mechanized Production</c>
*{{card|Orderly Plaza||MH3}}
*<c>Senate Courier</c>
*<c>Sphinx's Insight</c>
*<c>Thundering Ceratok</c>
*<c>Tome of the Guildpact</c>
}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Kaladesh|characters|state=collapsed}}
{{Ravnica|guildmasters|state=collapsed}}
{{Planeswalker|characters}}
{{Planeswalker|characters}}
[[Category:Vedalken]]
[[Category:Vedalken]]
[[Category:Kaladesh]]
[[Category:Artificers]]
[[Category:Wizards]]
[[Category:Deceased]]

Latest revision as of 19:01, 26 June 2024

Dovin Baan
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Dovin Baan2.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race Vedalken planeswalker
Birthplace Kaladesh
Lifetime Mending Era, died ~4561 AR
Colors
Center: {W}{U}[1]
Scryfall Search
lore:"Dovin"

Dovin Baan was a vedalken planeswalker from the plane of Kaladesh.[2] He was an artificer and a system's mage.

Appearance and characteristics

Dovin Baan was a tall, thin, and always impeccably dressed vedalken who strove for perfection. His suit was partially encased in whorls and filigrees of brass, bits of which hissed and ticked faintly as he moved. Baan had an innate talent, heightened by magic, that allowed him to see the flaws in any system or machine. After mere moments of scrutiny, Dovin could provide a complete analysis, noting a particular machine's weaknesses, highlighting its shortcomings, and predicting with startling accuracy exactly how and when it will fail.[3] He can do this for a machine, a bureaucracy, a dance — the form matters little, only the process. Consequently, he could perfect the thing, little by little, until it became a true exemplar of what it was meant to be.[4]

Baan's favorite tools were thopters, small flying mechanical spy devices.

Dovin Baan was centered in both white and blue mana. When he planeswalked, he vanished in a sideways movement.

History

Kaladesh

Dovin Baan was the Minister of Inspections of the Consulate of Kaladesh. His admirable success made him serve as senior inspector of the Inventors' Fair.

When he came up against an unexpected and unpredictable renegade threat, he requested the aid of the Gatewatch. The Gatewatch had to refuse to assist Baan, considering his problems an internal affair and antithetical to the goals of their organization. However, his visit alerted Chandra Nalaar of the events happening on Kaladesh, her plane of birth, and she immediately planeswalked to Kaladesh with Liliana Vess.[5] Baan returned to Kaladesh, Nissa in tow. He arrived next to Tezzeret, as he was arresting Renegade Prime, later to be revealed as Chandra's mother, Pia Nalaar. Recognizing Chandra in the crowd, Dovin Baan ordered gearhulks to be brought into a position to isolate and contain Chandra from Renegade Prime. Renegade Prime, however, relented and let herself be taken into custody. Baan was relieved, having arrested Renegade Prime, and serving a blow to the renegade threat he sought to quell.[6]

Dovin Baan sabotages the Renegades' plan and is expelled by the flames of Chandra

During Tezzeret's coup, Dovin Baan hesitantly cooperated, although he disliked the draconian manner in which the inventions were taken from the inventors. Tezzeret assured him that this was solely done for protecting the inventions since he expected a major Renegade retaliation, and to develop them further to usher in a new era of innovation. Tezzeret then revealed that he intended to make Dovin the head of the institution that would manufacture these new, streamlined inventions and make them public among the population of Kaladesh. In exchange, Tezzeret demanded that Dovin Baan take care of the Gatewatch since it was due to his invitation that they were here. Baan immediately went to assemble a group of elite soldiers, intending to use the weaknesses and dysfunctions of the Gatewatch against them.[7] After the Renegades had managed to conquer the central Aether Hub of the city, Tezzeret ordered Baan on the Skysovereign to help construct his battle plans. After examining the situation, Baan pointed out that the majority of the Renegades, under them Renegade Prime, had taken up residence in the hub and that a direct attack would inevitably fail. Instead, he advised to encircle the facility and draw out their commanders, including the planeswalkers, and then strike with aerial support and various armored inspectors. Listing the weaknesses of the Gatewatch, Baan stated that the weakest link of the group was Chandra Nalaar, due to her impulsiveness. Tezzeret then ordered Baral to distract Chandra, exploiting the hatred that existed between both. Baan was wary of this plan since he mistrusted Baral's soundness of mind.

Tezzeret ordered Baan to supervise the operation. Insisting that their confrontation would take place in one of the more dilapidated quarters of Ghirapur, he watched the battle between the Consulate officer and the planeswalkers. When Baral wanted more firepower against them, Baan refused, wanting to keep the citizenry safe from collateral damage. During the battle, Baan heard Baral provoking Chandra, admitting that Kiran and Pia Nalaar had not died in the fire, as he previously stated, but that Kiran had been murdered by Baral himself and Pia was taken into the Dhund without a trial. Charging the officer with murder, attempted murder, and multiple counts of falsification of the public record, Baan ordered Baral's imprisonment. The renegades escaped the encounter at the Aether Hub. As Baral protested and urged Baan to pursue the renegades, Baan informed him that the central Aether Hub was again under Consulate control.[8]

When the Renegades attacked the Consulate's Spire, Baan boarded the Heart of Kiran and sabotaged the Hope of Ghirapur, which was an essential part of their strategy. He then planeswalked away before Chandra could stop him.[9]

Ravnica

Guildmaster.

After realizing that Tezzeret was not the true mastermind behind the Planar Bridge, Baan decided to look for Tezzeret's master. Walking right into Bolas claws, he was taken in by the dragon's intelligence and "flawless planning". Bolas then offered Dovin something Dovin couldn't turn down, the chance to reshape a plane into flawless and ordered efficiency. Since his first visit to Ravnica to recruit the Gatewatch, Dovin had itched to improve the guild system, so he willingly jumped at the chance to take over the Azorius Senate on Ravnica.[10] Manipulating the system from the inside, he exploited one loophole after another to disrupt the chain of command. Occupying judges and senators with often overlooked (but technically required by law) paperwork, rescheduling key meetings, and arranging the ousting of people in key positions of power, Dovin emerged as the new head of the Lyev Column, replacing the unpopular hussar Agmand Sarv.[11] When Isperia was killed by Vraska,[12] Dovin took over as guildmaster and showed the guild how to make spy thopters and to use precognitive mages to arrest people before crimes would be committed.

When Ral Zarek altered the Implicit Maze to fulfill Niv-Mizzet's plan of stealing the power of the Guildpact, Dovin found out and played along until right before Bolas's arrival on the plane and then sabotaged the device, leaving Jace as the Living Guildpact.[10]

War of the Spark

Lazav, in disguise as Chandra Nalaar, blinds Dovin.

In the War of the Spark, Dovin guarded the Immortal Sun for Bolas. During a fight, he was overpowered by Chandra Nalaar, who turned out to be the Dimir guildmaster Lazav in disguise, using an Izzet League flamethrower.[13] Lazav threw throwing stars that hit Dovin in the eyes and blinded him.[14] This seriously affected his ability to detect weakness in others. Bleeding, he planeswalked away shortly afterward.

The new Living Guildpact, Niv-Mizzet, later hired Vraska to track Baan down.

Death

After being blinded by Lazav, Dovin Baan planeswalked to his home on Kaladesh but soon returned to his safe house on Ravnica.[15] There he managed to lead a fairly regular life thanks to his eidetic memory and started to manufacture appliances to replace his lost eyes. On Ravnica, he was discovered by Vraska, and in exchange for his life, Baan offered to help her retain control over the Golgari. Vraska accepted the offer and together they plotted to fake Baan's death. Using a statue replica of himself, a fight was staged in Zinara on Regatha with Chandra Nalaar being an unsuspecting accomplice. During the fight, Vraska severed Baan’s right hand to use as proof of a kill while Chandra believed she had delivered the killing blow. The plan succeeded and Baan returned to Ravnica, only to be assassinated by Atkos Tarr who had been sent by Lazav in his plans to blackmail Vraska. After his death, Atkos removed Baan’s left hand and secretly passed it on to Lazav.

Trivia

Gallery

  • Supreme Judge.

    Supreme Judge.

  • “If the populace fears our authority, then I’d say we have an appropriately sensible populace.”

    “If the populace fears our authority, then I’d say we have an appropriately sensible populace.”

  • Dovin's Veto.

    Dovin's Veto.

  • Keeping the Immortal Sun.

    Keeping the Immortal Sun.

  • Minion of Nicol Bolas.

    Minion of Nicol Bolas.

  • Dovin in the Ravnica Allegiance manga.

    Dovin in the Ravnica Allegiance manga.

  • Magic: The Gathering Arena avatar.

    Magic: The Gathering Arena avatar.

Planeswalkers met

Planes visited

Story appearances

Title Author Publishing date Set Setting (plane) Featuring
Homesick Chris L'Etoile 2016-08-29 Kaladesh Ravnica The Gatewatch (Jace Beleren, Nissa Revane, Chandra Nalaar, Gideon Jura and Liliana Vess), Lavinia, Dovin
Renegade Prime Mel Li 2016-09-14 Kaladesh Kaladesh Pia Nalaar, Dhiren Baral, Tamni, Venkat Dasai, Nadya, Kari Zev, Viprikti, Dovin, Chandra Nalaar, Liliana Vess, Nissa Revane, Tezzeret, Oviya Pashiri
A Grateful Consulat James Wyatt 2016-10-19 Kaladesh Kaladesh Dovin, Ranaj, Tezzeret, Dujari
Burn Chris L'Etoile 2017-01-04 Aether Revolt Kaladesh Dovin, Tezzeret, Dhiren Baral, The Gatewatch, Oviya Pashiri, Ajani Goldmane, Vatti, Dayal, Pia Nalaar, Kari Zev
Breaking Points Doug Beyer 2017-01-18 Aether Revolt Kaladesh The Gatewatch, Pia Nalaar, Hope of Ghirapur, Saheeli Rai, Rashmi, Ajani Goldmane, Oviya Pashiri, Vatti, Dovin
The Illusions of Child's Play Nicky Drayden 2019-01-23 Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica Kodolaag, Olrich, Zita, Lucinka, Jitka Wothis, Grimbly Wothis (mentioned), Dovin
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Three Django Wexler 2019-06-19 Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica Ral, Pytr Liosh, Ferzhin, Aurelia, Isperia, Dovin, Lavinia, Tomik Vrona, Elias, Gunther, Varo, Nicol Bolas
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eight Django Wexler 2019-07-31 Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica Ral, Dovin, Varryvort, Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Nicol Bolas, Elias, Villiers, Anne Hannover, Venati, Sal, Nak
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Ten Django Wexler 2019-08-14 Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica Ral, Isperia, Dovin, Hekara, Borborygmos, Aurelia, Ferzhin, Lazav, Emmara Tandris, Kaya, Teysa Karlov, Vraska, Niv-Mizzet
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Eleven Django Wexler 2019-08-21 Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica, Unknown plane Ral, Ghazz, Hekara, Brevia, Harith, Niv-Mizzet, Aurelia, Ferzhin, Dovin, Vell, Kaya
The Gathering Storm: Chapter Thirteen Django Wexler 2019-09-04 Guilds of Ravnica / Ravnica Allegiance Ravnica Vraska, Xeddick, Hekara, Kaya, Tomik Vrona, Teysa Karlov, Ral, Aurelia, Dovin

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Depicted in:
Quoted or referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 4, 2019). "Is dovin centered in blue or white...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. ↑ Magic Creative Team (November 2, 2016). "Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Dovin Baan
  4. ↑ Django Wexler (July 31, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Eight.
  5. ↑ Chris L'Etoile (August 29, 2016). "Homesick". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Mel Li (September 14, 2016). "Renegade Prime". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ James Wyatt (October 19, 2016). "A Grateful Consulate". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Chris L'Etoile (January 4, 2017). "Burn". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Doug Beyer (January 18, 2017). "Breaking Points". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ a b James Wyatt (January 2019). "The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Ravnica'". Wizards of the Coast
  11. ↑ Django Wexler (June 19, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Three.
  12. ↑ Django Wexler (August 14, 2019), The Gathering Storm, Chapter Ten.
  13. ↑ Chandra's Triumph
  14. ↑ Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey
  15. ↑ a b Greg Weisman (November 2019). "War of the Spark: Forsaken." Del Rey.
  16. ↑ Robin Atkin Downes as Dovin Baan. IMDB.
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