| “ | Pained defiance or shameful surrender- every reaction is a pleasant surprise. | „ |
| ~ Tibalt |
Tibalt, also known as the "Fiend Blooded", is a half devil-half human planeswalker and an antagonist from Magic: the Gathering. Formerly a human who reveled in causing pain to others, he became a part devil planeswalker able to spread his signature brand of torture across the multiverse. Eventually after encountering the Phyrexian praetor Vorinclex, Tibalt was given a seed by him that would result in him being completed.
In Magic the Gathering: Arena, he is voiced by Lukas Larsson.
Biography[]
Innistrad[]
Not much is known about Tibalt's youth, but when he became a human adult, he decided to become a necromancer (which is a profession on Innistrad, Tibalt's home plane). He wanted to emulate his teacher but unfortunately for him, he wasn't skillful enough to master necromancy. Being distraught because of his failure and becoming more hateful, he decided to experiment on the living as opposed to the dead.
His mission was to study the effects of pain on living organisms. He started on vermin and eventually did experiments on humans. His actions interested the Plane's devil population, who told Tibalt about the true nature of pain. As Tibalt became more sloppy and psychotic, the townspeople found out about his experiment and wanted him stopped. Soon enough, a group of inquisitors cornered him in his torture chamber with the intent of arresting him. Before they got the chance, he cast a powerful spell that came about from the devil's teachings as well as his research.
He fused himself with all the devils at the cost of experiencing all of the pain he inflicted on others. His Planeswalker spark ignited, flinging him to an unknown plane, safe from harm. He was free to bring his unique brand of pain to the rest of the Multiverse. He eventually returned to Innistrad to challenge the vampire planeswalker Sorin Markov. The details of their battle mostly remain a secret, but it is known that Tibalt lost the confrontation, almost losing his life in the process.
War of the Spark and the Chandra IDW Comics[]
Tibalt from War of the Spark.
In War of the Spark, Tibalt was brought to Ravnica by Nicol Bolas and was imprisoned by the Immortal Sun. He was one of the many Planeswalkers who fought against Bolas. He and Davriel Cane lead an army of demons and devils to fight the Dreadhorde. Tibalt survived the War.
After the war, Tibalt traveled to Alara to inform Tezzeret that Nicol Bolas was defeated in the hope that he could feed on his pain. Unfortunately for him, Tezzeret revealed that he was pleased in his master's demise because now no one could foil his plans.
Tibalt later appears as the main antagonist of the Chandra comics made by IDW. Trying to exploit her inner turmoil, Tibalt clashed with Chandra and her allies to revel in their pain. Tibalt defeated Chandra and managed to weaken her morale but she managed to recover. He eventually traveled to Kaladesh and captured and tortured Chandra's mother Pia for more information about her. Chandra and the leonin planeswalker Ajani Goldmane intervened and sent Tibalt fleeing to Innistrad. When the two followed, Tibalt's army of devils subdued them and he revealed that he could sense Chandra's pain across the multiverse and went to Regatha to see if he could cause her more. Chandra learns that Tibalt gains strength from causing her physical and emotional pain and she believes that Tibalt's end goal was to make her lose her mind. She then manages to assert her self confidence and overcomes her grief enough to defeat Tibalt. He was taken to prison and was locked in a new rune-enforced cell where his powers will be severely weakened.
Kaldheim[]
Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter
Tibalt returns to the story again in Kaldheim. He appears to impersonate the God of lies Valki and wishes to steal the Sword of Realms. With it, he wishes to cause unimaginable chaos. Before the story began, the Phyrexian praetor Vorinclex kidnapped Tibalt and infected him with a "seed". This was so that Tibalt would be forced to cause a distraction while Vorinclex traveled throughout the plane. Fortunately for Vorinclex, Tibalt was already planning to cause trouble. He eventually managed to find and deceive Valki, the God of Lies, and imprisoned him inside king Narfi's castle. In exchange for keeping Valki hostage, Tibalt would bring Narfi treasures from Kaldheim's other realms before the Doomskar starts. As Valki, he traveled to meet the dwarven blacksmith Koll the forgemaster. While perusing his collection of artifacts made of Tyrite, the hardened sap of the World Tree, he discovered the Sword of Realms, a weapon that allows the user to travel between Kaldheim's realms. Tibalt tried to convince Koll to relinquish the sword, but refused due to the sword belonging to Halvar and him warning Koll that Valki was untrustworthy. In response, Tibalt pushed Koll into his own forge and took the sword for himself. Afterwards, he met Harald, King of the Elves, in order to warn him to prepare for a coming war. He also went to the realm of Surtland and warned the frost giants about the awakening of the Torga trolls. In Betragard, he formed an alliance with the demonic Skelle clan by promising to free their leader Varragoth. In Starnheim, he used the Sword of Realms to open the Omenpath which allowed the Cosmos Serpent Koma to cause mass destruction.
When he attempted to rally the trolls of Gnottvold, he was discovered by the ghost assassin Planeswalker Kaya. Tibalt managed to send a few species of trolls after her and used his sword to flee to the realm of Immerstrum. After evading the Kaya, he escaped to continue his scheme while being dogged by her and the elf Planeswalker, Tyvar Kell. After assembling hundreds of demons, Tibalt was planning to start the Doomskar. Kaya managed to cut Tibalt with one of her axes, but he created a mist which caused her other one to miss. It also induced a burning sensation to those who came in contact with it and filled them with shadows of doubt. In the confusion, Tibalt had a clear opportunity to slay Kaya using his sword, but it was blocked by Tyvar. Tyvar was immune to the mist's effects due to him not having inhibitions. The elf managed to best Tibalt and tried to coerce him into explaining his actions. Before he could, he Planeswalked away. Due to Tibalt's actions, Varragoth and the demons of Immerstrum were free to terrorize the rest of Kaldheim.
Phyrexia: All Will Be One[]
At some point after leaving Kaldheim, Tibalt became fully compleated after being infected with glistening oil from Vorinclex, now using his signature brand of torture for the benefit of the Phyrexians. His left arm was transformed into a metal blade that is smoldering hot and he now has two long, sharp tails extending from his back. He along with another compleated planeswalker, the leonin Ajani Goldmane, were tasked with guarding the Seedcore(New Phyrexia's nineth sphere) and to stop what was left of the planeswalker strike team from detonating the sylex and destroying Realmbreaker, New Phyrexia's invasion tree infused with the tyrite from Kaldheim. While Ajani faced his former friend Elspeth Tirel, Tibalt fought against Tyvar Kell who wanted revenge for all that Tibalt did to his home.
Tibalt beaten by Tyvar
Once again, Tibalt's magic had little effect on Tyvar, but his new mechanical enhancements gave him a bit of an edge. His magic did work on Elspeth causing her to doubt her actions and forcing her to partially retreat. After Tyvar enveloped Elspeth in his suppression magic, she could think clearly and managed to knock out Ajani with the hilt of her sword. Tyvar managed to grab Tibalt by the throat and was strangling him, allowing Elspeth to reach her friends. After stabbing Tyvar with one of his tails, the elf removed it and impaled the half-devil with it where his heart would normally be before forcing Tibalt to fall hitting a bridge far below them. It is presumed that he did not survive this.
Powers and Abilities[]
When he was human, Tibalt only had his intelligence and scientific equipment to aid him. After his ascension as a Planeswalker, he gained the ability to travel between planes. He also gained the ability to use empath magic, which he has used on many creatures. He gains strength by inflicting pain on others. He can also create lightning from his hands and create a giant illusion of himself. He has the abilities to create illusions and has a resistance to fire as seen when fighting Chandra. When Tibalt planeswalks, orange cinders form that resemble burning paper. He can also create a haze that burns those in contact with it and increases the negative emotions of weak willed beings.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Tibalt has been dubbed the "Worst Planeswalker" by the Magic: the Gathering fanbase because his lore and original card are seen as terrible. However, this changed with the Chandra comic book miniseries and the Kaldheim storyline, both of which featured Tibalt as the main antagonist and portrayed him as a serious threat, emphasizing his cunning, his sadism, and his love of pain and chaos. His newer cards were also more useful and better received.
- Tibalt is the second Planeswalker to become a God, with the first being Xenagos.
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 Villains
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Planeswalkers Phyrexians Multiversal Threats Villains by Plane Mirrodin/New Phyrexia Kamigawa Ravnica Lorwyn/Shadowmoor Alara Zendikar Innistrad Theros Tarkir Kaladesh Amonkhet Kaldheim Ikoria Arcavios Unknown | ||