Ojutai
| Ojutai | |
|---|---|
| The Great Teacher[1] | |
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| Details | |
| Race | Elder Dragon |
| Birthplace | Tarkir |
| Lifetime | From before the Khanfall (the Thaw) until present |
| Colors | |
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| Scryfall Search | |
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lore:"Ojutai" watermark:"Ojutai" | |
Ojutai (/oʊdʒʊtaɪ/ OH-juu-teye[2]), a.k.a. the Soul of Winter or the Great Teacher is one of the five elder dragons of Tarkir. He is a lithe, feathered winged creature with an icy breath. He is considered to be insightful and wise, though several of his actions in the story are motivated by spite.
History
Ojutai's Brood
Ojutai and his brood emerged full-fledged from Ugin's dragon tempests and were drawn to Tarkir's cold peaks. Like their progenitor, Ojutai's brood breathe streams of ice.[3]
Original timeline
Ojutai and his brood were revered by the Jeskai Way for their cunning. Dangerously treacherous, they forced the Jeskai into a battle of wits for their survival. However, after Ugin's death, they lost the battle against the clans of Tarkir. No new brood was created and all died. Ojutai never reached elder status.
Current timeline
Ojutai and his brood established themselves as exceptionally dogmatic individuals after taking over the Jeskai, when they attacked the meeting of the khans. Accepting Shu Yun's terms of surrender, Ojutai ordered the execution of every Jeskai ghostfire warrior as part of the Khanfall of Tarkir.[4]
Clan Ojutai
As the new leader, Ojutai demanded that the records of the Jeskai be edited to rewrite history in his favor, declaring himself ruler and founder of the clan.[5] The humanoids of his clan revered the dragons as the epitome of age, wisdom, and martial strength, seeking their guidance and believing that, by following Ojutai's edicts, that they would in another lifetime be reborn as dragons.[1] The elites of the clan were the long-lived Skywise dragons. They were aloof, solitary, and graceful. The teachings of the dragons (and of Ojutai in particular) were seen as the pinnacle of attainable wisdom and the entire clan was structured around gaining enlightenment from the Great Teacher himself. Leadership among the humanoids was earned by martial prowess and spiritual teaching rather than by heredity. Each humanoid member of the Ojutai held both a martial rank and an academic rank. Any given individual could pursue either or both, and the two existed in parallel. The highest-ranked martial artist in a sanctuary commanded the sanctuary's fighters, and the highest-ranked scholar taught and led the sanctuary in peacetime. The dragons rarely involved themselves in the lives of their subjects, preferring to tend to their own, inscrutable affairs. Attempts to deviate from Ojutai's teachings, including seeking records of the past, resulted in the person being declared a heretic and executed.
The dragonlord himself resided in the mountain sanctuaries, concerned with enlightenment and teaching, not with the mundane details of humanoid society. Ojutai himself seemed to have gained a soft spot for his best and favorite student: Narset. He not only allowed her to live after she discovered the existence of the original clans, but he also encouraged her to continue seeking knowledge.
Phyrexian Invasion
Though he had been harassed and beset by dragons throughout his life, Zurgo was the first to understand that dragons and non-dragons would not be able to survive without each other's help and would have to work together if they were to save Tarkir. Swallowing all his bitterness and pride, he approached the one dragonlord he thought would be the most likely to listen to reason: Ojutai. With the dragons' numbers decimated by the invaders, Ojutai agreed. Together, the partnership of dragonlord and despised outcast set an example that others soon followed, leading to unprecedented cooperation between dragons and their scions.[6]
Defeat
The invasion by New Phyrexia resulted in substantial casualties for the dragons, which, combined with reduced dragonstorms, sufficiently weakened the dragonlords' grip on power.[7] The humanoid rebellions were able to gain traction, evolving from scattered militias and guerilla operations to overt and open rebellions under the banners of the old clan names.
Narset hoped to find a way to end what she saw as a perpetual battle of attrition that would leave Tarkir as little more than ruins[7]. In her research, she uncovered a spell scroll for the Stormnexus Ritual. Though hesitant to use the ritual due to its potential dangers, was convinced by the other rebellion leaders that this was the best way to ensure a unified Tarkir.
The magic called up a massive dragonstorm, and in its swirling energies, five mighty spirit dragons emerged.[7] In a flash of power, the dragon spirits and what would become the new clan leaders were bound. As the ritual was enacted, the dragonlords and their remaining broods attempted to stop the rebellion's plans. A fearsome battle ensued between the dragonlords and the newly formed spirit dragons, the storm raging around them. In the end, the dragonlords were defeated and seemingly swallowed up by the massive storm.
Story appearances
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Quoted or referred to:
- Ancient Carp
- Battle Mastery
- Cunning Breezedancer
- Dance of the Skywise
- Dragon's Eye Sentry
- Elusive Spellfist
- Graceblade Artisan
- Great Teacher's Decree
- Guardian Kirin
- Kiddie Coaster (Unfinity, #219f)
- Learn from the Past
- Mind Rot (Dragons of Tarkir)
- Negate (Dragons of Tarkir)
- Pristine Skywise
- Scalding Tarn
- Seeker of the Way (Double Masters 2022, #341)
- Skywise Teachings
- Verdant Catacombs
- Whisk Away
- Zephyr Scribe
Depictions of Ojutai's brood
References
- ↑ a b Cassandra Khaw (March 3, 2025). "Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Episode 1: Stories and Their Bones". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 31, 2015). "Here's a pronunciation guide for some of the names that were requested earlier today.". The Official Magic: The Gathering Tumblr. Tumblr.
- ↑ Doug Beyer (February 25, 2015). "Breath weapon rundown". A Voice for Vorthos. Tumblr.
- ↑ Kelly Digges (February 18, 2015). "Khanfall". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21.
- ↑ The Magic Creative Team (March 11, 2015). "Planeswalker's Guide to Dragons of Tarkir, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-08-31.
- ↑ Emily Teng (April 13, 2023). "The Legendary Team-Ups of March of the Machine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Lauren Bond & DK Billins (February 21, 2025). "Planeswalker's Guide to Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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