The director of The Clone Wars returns with an animated series about the most charismatic villain in Star Wars

Although it is not usually remembered with much affection, the second Star Wars trilogy has many valuable and memorable things. The Phantom Menace has many remarkable elements that have aged notably well. The pod races, the Jedi battles, and of course, an antagonist that no one understood at the time why he was killed off when he was introduced: the incredibly charismatic Darth Maul. Since his introduction in The Phantom Menace, Star Wars has been returning again and again to the figure of this mysterious Sith who, despite his evident evilness and connection to the […]

Although it is not usually remembered fondly, the second Star Wars trilogy has many valuable and memorable things. The Phantom Menace has many remarkable elements that have aged notably well. The pod races, the Jedi battles, and of course, an antagonist that no one understood why he was killed at the moment of his introduction: the incredibly charismatic Darth Maul.

Since his introduction in The Phantom Menace, Star Wars has repeatedly returned to the figure of this mysterious Sith who, despite his evident evilness and connection to the underworld, has continued to fascinate a significant portion of the audience. A significant part of movies, animated series, and video games, at Disney have decided that it is time to give him the main focus. And they have done so with a miniseries that, although still airing, seems to have captured exactly what people like about the character: he hasn’t come here to make friends.

A director with a knack for animation

Maul: Lord of Shadows, premiered on April 6 on Disney+ and, at the time of publication of this article, two episodes have been aired. Created by Dave Filoni, the series is everything fans expected not only from the character but also from its creator.

What did you expect? Well, considering that Filoni is known for being the director of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as the creator of Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and Star Wars: Tales, a series that pays great attention to animation. With a clear inspiration from anime, where heroes are not white and pure, nor villains lack reasons for their actions, and where the action is spectacular, interesting, and tremendously visceral. Exactly everything that Maul: Lord of Shadows offers us.

Because for this journey, he is not coming alone. He has decided to enlist Matt Michnovetz, who has honed his skills in The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch, creating a perfect tandem to tackle the most beloved character by fans. The most charismatic bad boy in the history of Star Wars.

Darth Maul is evil, and that’s the point

The premise of the series is based on the fact that Darth Maul is anything but an angel. After the Clone Wars and having been betrayed by those he thought were his allies, he begins to rebuild his crime syndicate and seeks, on the planet Janix, a Force user who can be his disciple. He discovers one in Devon Izara, a padawan of the Twi’lek species, who has serious conflicts not only with her future as a Jedi but also with the concepts of good and evil.

With the police chasing him, the series has a simple premise. Darth Maul may be a bad person, but those who oppose him are, in this case, worse. And the whole series will revolve around that. Finding himself in conflict with the police, other crime syndicates, and everything points to much more powerful forces that will want to hunt him down, the series knows how to walk that sweet spot where the protagonist doesn’t do the right thing, but it’s interesting to see him pursue his ambitions. Even if it’s evident that it will lead him down a path where he will increasingly commit more ignoble acts.

The animation is, as expected, excellent, and the music by Kevin, Sean, and Deana Kiner complements the almost hardboiled storytelling style of Maul: Son of the Shadows. Something that makes it unsurprising that it is exciting not only among the audience but also among critics: with a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71 on Metacritic, it has received an extremely positive rating so far.

With eight episodes left, it seems that Maul: Lord of Shadows has everything to become one of the must-watch series of the year for Star Wars fans. Not to mention the fans of Darth Maul. So all that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the ride.

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Magic: The Gathering has cards that you don't know exist from your game or your favorite series

Magic: The Gathering, for a few years now, has been carving out a very particular space within collectible card games. Collaborating with all kinds of franchises, it has become increasingly common to find cards from all sorts of franchises, characters, and even artists. This is something that has had both fans and detractors among Magic franchise players, but one thing is certain: it has opened the game to an audience that would not have even considered approaching it before. Although it may be more evident thanks to collections like the one from Avatar: […]

Magic: The Gathering, for a few years now, has been carving out a very particular space within collectible card games. Collaborating with all kinds of franchises, it has become increasingly common to find cards from all sorts of franchises, characters, and even artists. This is something that has had both fans and detractors among Magic franchise players, but one thing is certain: it has opened the game to an audience that would not have even considered approaching it before.

Although it may be more evident thanks to collections like Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Lord of the Rings, or Final Fantasy, this is not something new. Even if it has happened and continues to happen on a smaller scale. Because at Wizards of the Coast, the parent company of the game, they realized long ago the possibilities of exploiting these collaborations with cards that were printed outside the natural rotation of the game. And for that, they created a direct sales system: Secret Lair:

The most original cards in the world

The premise of Secret Lair is simple: to create small thematic collections where anything goes in a way that would be impossible in the larger collections of the game. Sometimes featuring reprints of existing cards, sometimes being completely new cards, the charm of Secret Lair is that it is impossible to know what they will present on each occasion. Always a generous surprise.

Secret Lair was born in December 2019 with seven drops over seven consecutive days, from the 3rd to the 9th of that month. And in fact, these seven drops already give us a good idea of what to expect from Secret Lair in the future. Two of them, Bitterblossom Dreams and Eldraine Wonderlands, focused on the plane of Eldraine, offering iconic cards and lands with art from this beloved plane by Magic fans. Meanwhile, Seeing Visions and OMG KITTIES! had a clear theme: the former featured cards with scry 2 with new and spectacular art, and the latter, of course, were classic cat cards now especially chubby and adorable.

But if there were some drops that set the tone for Secret Lair, it was the remaining three. Restless In Peace, < explosions sounds > and Kaleidoscope Killers not only had a particular theme each, but also featured a unique artist. Restless In Peace were cards related to the graveyard illustrated by Dan Mumford, an illustrator for Dungeons & Dragons. < explosions sounds > were goblin cards illustrated by Mike Uziel, known for his dynamic style and action figure-like quality. And Kaleidoscope Killers were five-color cards illustrated by Justine Jones, already one of the most legendary figures in Magic: The Gathering.

This opened the door to what could be expected from Secret Lair. Specific themes, specific artists providing their own perspective on that theme, and a way to give a distinctive tone to the collections. Until Universe Beyond arrived.

Universe Beyond includes all the cards that do not belong to the Magic: The Gathering universe, but to any IP that does not belong to Hasbro. And it all started with Secret Lair. The first was The Walking Dead, in 2020, and it was the first time new cards with unique mechanics that did not belong to the Magic universe were introduced. This caused significant conflicts among Magic fans, but it ultimately became a success. Opening the door to what we know today: complete collections dedicated to other universes that are not Magic: The Gathering.

But also to Secret Lair collections that are dedicated to universes that are not from Magic. Among them, the collections of Hatsune Miku, SpongeBob, or currently available, the PlayStation collection featuring several iconic franchises from the Japanese video game manufacturer. Demonstrating that there is something for everyone here.

Because, and this is the key to Secret Lair, all its offers are temporary. The cards are limited and last until they run out. They are released on a specific date, are withdrawn once the next drop arrives, and you have to be alert so they don’t run out before other collectors or players get them if we want them. Collections as sought after as the Junji Ito or Yoji Shinkawa cards flew off the shelves in just minutes, and it is expected to happen again in the future when renowned artists lend their talents to illustrate cards for the game.

But that is the magic of Secret Lair. You don’t need the cards they sell to play Magic, but if you like the IPs from Universe Beyond that they release at any given time, or if you really like a specific artist, you are going to want to have a specific drop. And Wizards knows that. That’s why it’s important to know about Secret Lair. Because that’s where the magic happens.

Magic: The Gathering Arena DOWNLOAD

Magic: The Gathering Arena is a free online card game for Windows developed by Wizards of the Coast. Magic is undoubtedly one of the most important and iconic collectible card games, with millions of players worldwide and official competitions with great prizes. Now, thanks to Magic: The Gathering Arena, you can enjoy this card game on your computer for free.

Magic: The Gathering has achieved the impossible: perfectly translating the powers of Avatar: The Last Airbender

The new Magic: The Gathering set inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender introduces a magic system based on the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. Each type of control has unique mechanics that aim to challenge the traditional rules of the game, offering a distinct experience for players, especially younger ones who need to familiarize themselves with new dynamics. Not some powers with a strict logic Fire, represented by fire control, allows generating red mana without the need to have the element present. This mechanic rewards aggressive play, in line with the philosophy of control […]

The new Magic: The Gathering set inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender introduces a magic system based on the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. Each type of control has unique mechanics that aim to challenge the traditional rules of the game, offering a distinct experience for players, especially younger ones who need to familiarize themselves with new dynamics.

Not One Powers with Ironclad Logic

The fire, represented by fire control, allows for the generation of red mana without the need for the element to be present. This mechanic rewards aggressive play, in line with the philosophy of fire control in the series, where violence is a common option for firebenders. In contrast, water control requires a source of mana, whether from lands, creatures, or artifacts, and offers a variety of effects, ranging from healing to stalling, reflecting the versatile nature of water in the show.

The control of land transforms lands into creatures, which is an innovative mechanic that allows players to keep the lands converted into creatures after their use. This mechanic is aligned with the ability of land controllers to use the terrain to their advantage, whether for attack or defense.

Finally, air control focuses on agility, allowing cards to be exiled that can then be recovered by paying two mana. This ability provides both a push and a pull in the game’s strategy. Unlike the Spider-Man set, which leveraged existing mechanics, the Avatar set is encouraged to create bolder changes, which could mark a new direction for future collaborations in Magic: The Gathering.

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Persona 5 arrives in Overwatch 2 with a series of skins to steal hearts

The arrival of the Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 to Overwatch 2 is scheduled for September 16, promising an exciting fusion between both universes. Blizzard has revealed that five new premium cosmetics will be introduced, designed to make the heroes of Overwatch 2 resemble the memorable characters from Atlus’ popular JRPG. Each skin will include unique details that evoke the aesthetic of Persona 5, such as falling rose petals from Mercy’s wings and the evocation of Arsene in Wuyang’s staff, the new support hero in the game. Overwatch has never looked […]

The arrival of the Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 to Overwatch 2 is scheduled for September 16, promising an exciting fusion between both universes. Blizzard has revealed that five new premium cosmetics will be introduced, designed to make the heroes of Overwatch 2 resemble the memorable characters from Atlus’s popular JRPG. Each skin will include unique details that evoke the aesthetic of Persona 5, such as rose petals falling from Mercy’s wings and the evocation of Arsene in the staff of Wuyang, the game’s new support hero.

Overwatch has never looked more spectacular

Unlike previous collaborations such as Gundam Wing and Avatar: The Last Airbender, where Blizzard took creative liberties, the new Persona 5 skins remain true to the design of the original characters, which makes identifying the heroes beneath the costumes a bit more challenging. In addition to the skins, the expected price per pack is around 2,800 Overwatch coins, which is about $28, a trend that has been seen in past collaborations.

The crossover event will not only include these new cosmetics. Visual elements from Persona 5 will also be added to the menus of Overwatch 2, such as a new artwork by renowned artist Shigenori Soejima and an overlay inspired by the Phantom Thieves within the in-game shop. This will be a milestone as it will be the first time such visual adjustments are implemented in a collaboration.

For players who are not willing to spend on these cosmetics, Overwatch 2 will offer free rewards, such as sprays, weapon charms, and player icons, available by completing various challenges during the event, which will take place from September 16 to 30. With these additions, Blizzard continues to demonstrate its commitment to events that enrich the gaming experience and attract different communities of players.

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