Huatli

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Revision as of 22:54, 23 September 2023 by >RivalRowan (Roar of the Fifth People confirmed to depict Huatli by Preview Panel at MagicCon Las Vegas.)
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Huatli
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Huatli-Heart-of-the-Sun.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race Human
Formerly Planeswalker
Birthplace Ixalan
Lifetime Mending Era
Colors
Center: {G}[1]
Lost: {R}
Currently: {G}{W}

Huatli is a human and warrior-poet from Ixalan with an affinity for dinosaurs.[2] She is also a former planeswalker.[3]

Characteristics and appearance

Huatli is a short, powerfully muscled woman with warm brown skin, searching eyes, and a grim mouth. She is mostly armored and armed, with a long tightly braided black ponytail emerging from beneath her helmet, the helm of the warrior-poet.[4][5] She has a special connection to her dinosaurs, being able to communicate with them via scent-memories. She is a poet and a singer. When she sings, her voice is a clear, soothing, and warm alto.[6] In addition to her great martial skills she is an excellent and eloquent orator who can inspire her allies in battle. Her powers in battle are complemented by dinosaur companions mystically drawn to her calls.[7] Through her relationship with Saheeli Huatli picked up some engineering skills, enough to create her own Gold-Forged Thopteryx.

Huatli is primarily green-aligned, but now secondary in white mana, having lost red after realizing her nations' xenophobic ways.[1]

History

Early Career

Born of commoners, Huatli excelled at the battle schooling all children of the Sun Empire receive. Thanks to her skill with both sword and magic, and her innate gift for controlling dinosaurs, Huatli rose to a station just short of nobility while battling raiders of the coast near the city of Atzocan.

In the Sun Empire, the arts of poetry and performance are deeply respected. The ideal warrior is not only unmatched in combat but an artist capable of reflecting creatively on the experience. It's noted that Huatli's expressive poems have moved Emperor Apatzec to tears.[8]

Ignited yet unawakened

One of the youngest candidates for the title of warrior-poet in generations, Huatli fought against the vampire incursions on the Sun Coast and was honored by the Emperor for her deeds. During her defense of the coastline, she was met by the crew of an unknown creature. The entity called itself Angrath and told her that it searched for the Immortal Sun. In their battle, her spark ignited and she found herself in a wondrous place she had never seen before, only to be ripped back to Ixalan. Angrath recognized her as a fellow planeswalker and offered her assistance in leaving the plane in exchange for help, but she attacked him and fled. Believing the vision to be Orazca, Huatli was proclaimed warrior-poet of the Empire and tasked by the Emperor to reclaim the Golden City for the Sun Empire.[9] Like other planeswalkers, she was unable to leave Ixalan. She described this as a 'golden gale' that prevented her from 'flying away'.[10]

Search for the Immortal Sun

Huatli Key Art from Rivals of Ixalan

Huatli temporarily joined up with the merfolk Tishana, to prevent Kumena from gaining control over the Immortal Sun.[11] In the race for Orazca, Angrath caught up with her again.[12] In an uneasy truce, they traveled together to the golden city. On their way, Angrath rudely questioned Huatli's meager ambition to officially earn the title of Warrior-Poet, showing her the possibilities of a planeswalker. After stopping at a tomb in the jungle, and wakening Saint Elenda, Angrath left her.[13] Huatli reacted by sending a Dinosaur to trample him in the mud.[14]

Rejoining Tishana in battling the vampires Vona and Mavren Fein, they were interrupted by the Siren pirate Malcom, who drew them out of the room they were fighting in. The song ended and Breeches (a goblin pirate) started slashing at Vona's face and eyes. Then, Angrath interrupted them all by barreling through the room they were just in. He had killed the dinosaur that Huatli had used to push him into the dirt. He swung his chains at Breeches, who was pulled towards Angrath. Then, everyone scrambled to touch the Immortal Sun. Tishana put her hand on it, Huatli put her foot on its side, Angrath stomped on the object's center, while Vona, who had just been touching it, put both hands on it once again. A current of energy rushed through them all and Huatli laughed at how good it felt.[14]

The feeling was taken away right after, when Tezzeret stole the Immortal Sun through a planar portal. Now able to planeswalk, Huatli first returned home, using the Elder Dinosaur Zacama as a mount with the remaining power of the sun inside her to demonstrate her success. The emperor finally allowed her to use the title "Warrior-Poet", but his terms were such that she no longer wanted to serve him. After seeking her family's permission, she planeswalked away.[15]

First planeswalk

When she arrived in Ghirapur, she was at first overwhelmed by the new experience. Being greeted by Saheeli, the two women shared their experiences, with Saheeli being eager to model an artificial dinosaur after hearing about them from Huatli for the first time.[16]

Some time later, after spending two months on Ravnica, Huatli began a relationship with Saheeli.[17]

War of the Spark

Huatli and Saheeli were lured back to Ravnica by the Interplanar Beacon, and immediately became trapped there due to Bolas's use of the Immortal Sun. Alongside many other planeswalkers and Ravnicans, she fought against the Eternals of Bolas' Dreadhorde.[18]

During the invasion, the trapped planeswalkers got together with Ravnican leaders to strategize. Huatli encountered Angrath at the meeting and mocked him for getting trapped by the Immortal Sun again.

At Jace's recommendation, they decided to split up into teams to focus on specific tasks. Gideon, Aurelia, Angrath, and Huatli led a massive force of planeswalkers and Boros, Izzet, and Simic troops into battle against the God-Eternal Rhonas, who was leading a battalion of Eternals to destroy the gathered opposition. Gideon and Aurelia led the aerial units, while Angrath led the ground units. Huatli was suspicious of Angrath, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't betray the others, yet she also went out of her way to protect him.

After Gideon killed Rhonas, Huatli joined up with Ajani, Jiang Yanggu, and Mu Yanling, who had volunteered to help protect and rescue civilians. With the help of Vraska and the Golgari Swarm, they were able to evacuate many civilians to the tunnels beneath the city, where they would be safe from the Dreadhorde.

She was one of the few planeswalkers who chose to remain on Ravnica after Chandra disabled the Immortal Sun, helping the Gatewatch in their fight against Bolas. Afterward, she joined the group of planeswalkers that visited Theros to pay respect to Gideon. There, she sang a poem for him.[6]

Phyrexian invasion of Ixalan

When New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse started, Huatli led the defense of the plane. Her soldiers of the Sun Empire were joined by Mavren Fein's vampires.[5] She led a force of roughly one hundred auxiliaries, including her lancers, survivors from various regiments, and newly released prisoners, along with fifty dinosaurs, to call the Elder Dinosaurs to Orazca and break the siege of Pachatupa.

Huatli lost her spark in the Desparkening.[3] Following the Phyrexian Invasion of Ixalan, she traveled inside the plane with Saheeli, Quintorius Kand and Kellan to open negotiations with the civilization at its core: the Oltec.[19]

Planeswalkers met

Planes visited

Gallery

Story appearances

Title Author Publishing date Set Setting (plane) Featuring
A Question of Confidence Alison Luhrs 2017-09-13 Ixalan Ixalan Huatli, Apatzec, Inti, Angrath
The Race, Part 1 Alison Luhrs 2017-10-11 Ixalan Ixalan Legion of Dusk, Mavren Fein, Vona of Iedo, Huatli, Tishana, Jace Beleren, Vraska, Malcolm, Breeches
The Race, Part 2 Alison Luhrs 2017-10-18 Ixalan Ixalan Vraska, Jace Beleren, Malcolm, Breeches, Huatli, Tishana, Vona of Iedo, Angrath
Glimpse the Far Side of the Sun Alison Luhrs 2018-01-17 Rivals of Ixalan Ixalan Huatli, Angrath, Elenda of Garrano, Vraska, Jace Beleren, Zetalpa, Azor
The Arbiter of Law Left Chaos in His Wake Alison Luhrs 2018-01-24 Rivals of Ixalan Ixalan Huatli, Angrath, Vona of Iedo, Kumena, Tishana, Jace Beleren, Vraska, Azor, Malcolm, Breeches
Who Tells the Stories Alison Luhrs 2018-02-07 Rivals of Ixalan Ixalan Huatli, Tishana, Vona of Iedo, Angrath, Mavren Fein, Elenda of Garrano, Zacama, Malcolm, Breeches, Apatzec
Wool Over the Eyes Alison Luhrs 2018-02-14 Rivals of Ixalan Kaladesh, Angrath's homeplane, Meditation Plane, Ixalan, Dominaria Huatli, Saheeli Rai, Angrath, Vraska, Nicol Bolas, Jace Beleren, Malcolm, Breeches, Gideon Jura, Jaya Ballard, Apatzec
War of the Spark: Ravnica—The Path to Opulent Greg Weisman 2019-05-15 War of the Spark Ravnica Rat, Teyo Verada, Kaya, Ral Zarek, Angrath, Jaya Ballard, Gideon Jura, Gan Shokta, Domri Rade, Vorel, Maree, Kiora, Samut, Eknet, Temmet, Neit, Haq, Kawit, Huatli, Saheeli Rai, Kasmina, Oketra, Kefnet, Bontu, Rhonas, Jace Beleren, Nicol Bolas
War of the Spark: Ravnica—Rallying the Reluctant Greg Weisman 2019-05-22 War of the Spark Ravnica Rat, Kaya, Teyo Verada, Lavinia, Ral Zarek, Aurelia, Vorel, Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Isperia, Jiang Yanggu, Mowu, Dack Fayden, Ob Nixilis, Davriel Cane, Angrath, Huatli, Samut, Jaya Ballard, Vivien Reid, Ajani Goldmane, Kiora
War of the Spark: Ravnica—Desperate Operatives Greg Weisman 2019-05-29 War of the Spark Ravnica Rat, Kaya, Teyo Verada, Nissa Revane, Emmara Tandris, Trostani, Borborygmos, Ral Zarek, Storrev, Izoni, Varolz, Vraska, Ajani Goldmane, Mu Yanling, Jiang Yanggu, Mowu, Huatli
Note for a Stranger Alison Luhrs 2022-05-02 Secret Lair: Pride Across the Multiverse Ravnica Huatli, Saheeli Rai
Ixalan: Three Hundred Steps Under the Sun Miguel Lopez 2023-03-21 March of the Machine Ixalan Huatli, Inti, Apatzec, Mavren Fein, Etali, Saheeli Rai, Zetalpa, Tetzimoc, Ghalta, Nezahal, Zacama

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
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Quoted or referred to:

References

  1. a b Mark Rosewater. "You stated mtg would never print a pw outside...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  2. Blake Rasmussen (September 1, 2017). "Ixalan Promos, Planeswalker Decks, Packaging, and FNM Tokens!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. a b The Preview Panel at MagicCon: Barcelona (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (July 28, 2023).
  4. Greg Weisman (May 15, 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica – The Path to Opulent". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. a b Miguel Lopez (Mar 21, 2023). "March of the Machine - Ixalan: Three Hundred Steps Under the Sun". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. a b Greg Weisman (November 2019). "War of the Spark: Forsaken". Del Rey.
  7. Jay Annelli (2021). "Magic: The Gathering - Planes of the Multiverse". Abrams ComicArts.
  8. Magic: The Gathering - Ixalan Player's Guide (2017), Wizards of the Coast
  9. R&D Narrative Team (September 13, 2017). "A Question of Confidence". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. Flavor text for Kinjalli's Sunwing
  11. R&D Narrative Team (October 11, 2017). "The Race, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. R&D Narrative Team (October 18, 2017). "The Race, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. R&D Narrative Team (January 17, 2018). "Glimpse the Far Side of the Sun". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. a b R&D Narrative Team (January 24, 2018). "The Arbiter of Law Left Chaos in His Wake". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. R&D Narrative Team (February 2, 2018). "Who Tells the Stories". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. R&D Narrative Team (February 14, 2018). "Wool over the Eyes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. a b c Alison Luhrs (May 2, 2022). "Note for a Stranger". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. a b Greg Weisman (April 2019). "War of the Spark: Ravnica". Del Rey.
  19. Adam Styborski (September 22, 2023). "A First Look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan®". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023.
  20. a b c d e f g h i j MacKay, Jed. (2022). Magic. Iss 19.