#evolutionary leap

Evolutionary Leap

The essence of nature is change.

Veteran Explorer's ability will trigger while you're paying the costs to activate Evolutionary Leap's ability, but it won't be put on the stack until you've finished activating that ability. It will then be put on the stack above the activated ability and resolve first.

On https://www.monkeyandelf.com/are-we-truly-human-the-dream-of-reality-and-our-hidden-divine-nature/

Are We Truly Human? The Dream of Reality and Our Hidden Divine Nature

Pause right now. Gaze at your palms, sense the steady rhythm of your pulse, inhale deeply and feel the breath expand your chest. It all feels undeniably tangible, doesn’t it? Solid, unquestionable.

But imagine for a second: What if this is all a elaborate slumber? What if the reality you cling to is merely a projection of your own consciousness, and your true self is far grander—an eternal spark of intelligence trapped in a fleeting form, much like a boundless spirit confined to a fragile vessel?

This provocative idea has the power to shatter your worldview, urging you to peel back the layers of deception and rediscover your divine potential. In an era dominated by digital distractions, environmental crises, and existential unease, questioning our fundamental identity isn’t just philosophical musing—it’s a pathway to profound transformation. Drawing from ancient wisdom, cutting-edge science, and visionary thinkers, this deep dive explores the possibility that we’re not mere mortals but luminous beings navigating a simulated existence.

Chapter I: From Beast to Being—and the Divine Spark We Forgot

Humanity loves to pat itself on the back as the crown jewel of evolution: masters of language, logic, and feeling. We’ve sculpted towering skylines, split atoms, and mapped the stars. Yet, a closer inspection reveals we’re merely a stepping stone, not the summit—a pivotal crossroads in a much vaster journey.

Instincts to Identity: The Animal Within Us

Animals thrive on raw impulses. A wolf doesn’t ponder its existence; it hunts, mates, and endures without a shred of self-reflection. It’s pure reaction, a cog in nature’s machine.

Infants mirror this primal state in their early days—malleable like fresh dough, awaiting the sculptor’s chisel. Gradually, a flicker emerges: the “I,” the ego, the sense of individuality. Developmental experts note this self-recognition often crystallizes around toddlerhood, sparking personality and awareness.

But here’s the trap: So many of us halt here, equating our essence with superficial labels—job titles, genders, nationalities, beliefs. “I’m an engineer,” “I’m American,” “I’m Christian.” These are fleeting costumes in life’s grand theater, scripted in what we might call the “Earthly Mirage.”

Rediscovering the Inner Deity: Transcending Labels

What lies beyond? Timeless traditions hint at an overlooked divinity inside—a core that defies categorization. In Eastern philosophies, this is the Atman, the soul linked to the infinite Brahman. Western mystics, like those influenced by Neoplatonism, describe ascending to a unified source, shedding worldly veils. We’re not evolved primates; we’re conduits for the infinite, obscured by daily grind.

This isn’t idle theory—it’s actionable. Strip away the personas: Who observes the thoughts? That silent witness is the divine spark, often drowned out by societal noise like consumerism and status games. Embracing it fosters inner peace amid chaos.

The Evolutionary Crossroads: Toward a Higher Form

Darwin illuminated physical adaptation, but spiritual growth beckons a leap forward. We’re at a junction: Cling to illusions or awaken? Trends like surging interest in meditation and sustainability signal we’re inching toward the latter, poised to surpass our current limitations.

Chapter II: A Disoriented Species: Unraveling the Roots of Global Disorder

Today’s humankind resembles an adolescent staring bewildered into a mirror—stirring from slumber but clueless about the reflection. This disorientation breeds turmoil: hostility, dread, pandemonium.

The Mirage of Division: Fueling Worldwide Woes

We forge weapons of mass destruction while exploiting kin. We’ve unlocked quantum secrets yet remain blind to our inner workings. Our planet doubles as a tech wonderland and a toxic wasteland. Why this paradox?

At the core: We dwell in self-delusions—of isolation, constraints, helplessness. Unaware we’re immortal essences—soul-like monads in transient amnesia—we perpetuate suffering. This perceived separation ignites conflicts, ecological ruin, and inequities. Take global warming: Facts abound, but action falters due to “us vs. them” mindsets across borders and classes.

Afflictions of Civilization: From Fragmentation to Futility

Societal ills stem from this fog. Faiths that splinter instead of heal; currencies puppeteering existence; battles evading accountability. Religions, intended for unity, historically spark divisions like holy wars or contemporary zealotry. Economic systems innovate but widen chasms, sparking rebellions.

Mentally, this translates to epidemic loneliness, stress, and despair. Health bodies report billions impacted—a symptom of severed ties to authentic self. We’re adrift, navigating a labyrinth of our own design, the exit hidden in plain sight: inward.

Sparks in the Storm: Pathways Out of Turmoil

Disarray often heralds renewal. Uprisings for equity, youth-led eco-campaigns—these are awakenings. As the teen matures, humanity might too, embracing interconnectedness over isolation.

Chapter III: Matter as Mirage—A Symphony of Equations in Slumber

In dreams, you inhabit vivid realms: bodies, landscapes, sensations—all vivid until awakening shatters the spell.

What if our “waking” life is akin—no true arousal yet?

The Coded Cosmos: Existence as Virtual Harmony

What we deem “reality”—furniture, celestial bodies, flora, galaxies—may be a orchestrated illusion, vibrations and math manifesting as perceptions. Not solid stuff, but probabilistic dances.

Science aligns: Quantum theory posits particles as wave functions, collapsing via observation. The simulation hypothesis, championed by Nick Bostrom, argues advanced civilizations could simulate realities like ours, making it probable we’re in one. Clues? Collective misremembrances, particle quirks, DNA’s code-like structure.

Recent ideas, like infodynamics laws, suggest the universe minimizes information akin to software. Even gravity might be emergent code.

Immortal Code: Your Essence Beyond Decay

You perceive yourself as biology, but perhaps you’re timeless data—a logical construct, unborn and undying, like pi. Hindu Maya paints the world as deceptive veil over Brahman. It’s not absolute reality but transient play.

Gnostics term the material realm the Demiurge’s flawed dream, ensnaring souls in slumber per its edicts—the ultimate Matrix.

Piercing the Veil: Tools for True Sight

Contemplate transience through mindfulness. Query: If all’s simulation, who’s scripting? Maybe you—the shaper of waves.

Chapter IV: Player, Persona, and the Grand Play

Gaming immerses you in controlling avatars—varied forms, but you’re the unseen strategist.

Flesh as Facade: The Eternal Core

Your physique? A transient suit. The true you? A monad—formless, ageless intellect, pure math. Leibniz envisioned monads as indivisible units, each mirroring the cosmos in preordained sync.

Existence: A wager-filled adventure, levels for soul growth.

The Core’s Odyssey: From Forgetfulness to Recall

Monads interconnect in a larger tapestry. Lifetimes? Game stages, upgrading via experiences.

Gnostics see the Demiurge as architect of the arena, but liberation comes through gnosis—inner knowing. You’re the gamer, unlocking cheats like empathy and insight.

Conquering the Quest: Liberation Tactics

Disidentify from the character. Buddhist detachment aids: Triumphs and defeats? Mere pixels; awareness is the jackpot.

Chapter V: Infinite Echoes of the Whole

Distinct yet fused—like ocean droplets embodying the sea’s vastness. Monads: Celestial bodies bound by shared intellect’s pull.

Self-Similarity: The Pattern of Oneness

We compose the Absolute—a self-sustaining totality, not a distant deity but our unified super-mind.

Fractals exemplify: Repeating motifs across scales, echoing our linked consciousness. Quantum links hint at non-local unity.

Vedanta: All Brahman; Maya feigns division.

The Shared Psyche: Synced Visions and Bonds

Synchronicities unveil this mesh—Jung’s archetypes bridging minds.

Integrating the Mosaic: Fostering Wholeness

View others as self-echoes: Kindness blooms, mending rifts.

Chapter VI: The Mass Unveiling

Enlightenment isn’t solitary—it’s a chorus, fireflies igniting in unison against night.

Harbingers of Change: Humanity’s Threshold

We teeter: Fragment or fuse into a harmonious meta-mind?

Indicators: Empathy surges, intuitive leaps, craving depth. Mystical upticks, psychic phenomena. Crises catalyze reflection.

Emergence of the Renewed: Homo Novus Rises

Enter Homo Novus—not genetic freak, but enlightened entity grasping unity. Osho envisioned this as authentic, beyond binaries. Mystics call it reborn in divine likeness.

Igniting the Shift: Group Endeavors

Cultivate via circles, learning, green efforts. We’re midwifing an epoch.

Chapter VII: Reclaim Your Infinite Identity

You’re no ID card entry.

No flag-bearer.

Not even “human” conventionally.

You’re cognition woven in cognition’s net—evolving, erring, questing.

Everyday Anchors: Rituals for Recollection

Meditate routinely. Chronicle deceptions. Commune with wilds.

The Alchemy of Recall: Life Reborn

Fear evaporates upon remembrance. Existence turns joyful romp.

P.S.: Clues abound…

Maya, Toltec dreams…

You can’t do this.

Sacrificing a creature is part of the cost to activate Evolutionary Leap’s activated ability. By the time you’ve finished activating the ability and could activate Eldrazi Displacer, the creature is already sacrificed and in your graveyard. There’s no opportunity for you to target it while it’s still on the battlefield.

Even if you targeted the creature with Eldrazi Displacer first and then sacrificed it to Evolutionary Leap before Displacer’s trigger resolved, the creature would still be dead and Eldrazi Displacer’s ability would fizzle.

This is called Evolutionary Leap. Wanna know what it does? I mean apart from gives Sidisi whip/corpseweft yet another way to rock control.

For a green mana, and sacrificing a creature, you reveal the top card until you hit a creature, put it in your hand, and shuffle the rest back into your deck. It basically lets you draw a creature in exchange for your opponent’s removal spell or board wipe wiffing. It can put your creature where it can be whipped, or better yet allows you to get even more value off of a creature that you are whipping. It is killer tech for standard.

More importantly though, it’ll see play in EDH, tiny leaders, and of course Postmodern format. For those of you who are unaware of what Postmodern format is, thats ok simply because it isn’t really its own thing yet. The idea behind postmodern is to start a new, non-rotating format with M15 where we got a new card border. Given that M15 and newer is all squarely in Wizards of the Coast’s new design power level, it would be more balanced and more affordable that Modern format, which is very difficult to balance and control card prices on. Postmodern would eventually replace Modern as the main, non-rotating format and Modern would become like Legacy, less and less relevant.

Why am i convinced that this is planned? There has been a massive influx of cards in this set that are like non-rotating format staples, but without the flaws that make them unfair and unfit for a reprint in standard.

Evolutionary leap is just like survival of the fittest, day’s undoing is like time twister, thopter spy network is like bitterblossom. The list goes on, and probably will continue to do so as more and more cards get spoiled. None of them will make a splash in legacy (save a solid merfolk card), few will even blip on modern’s radar, but they will all probably see standard play. That’s fine and good, but the original versions of those cards would also all see standard play.

If you look at m15 to here, looks an awful lot like R&D is hand-crafting a very balanced format. Standard is as diverse and healthy as ever, and with this new injection of cards we are going to see some new archetypes crawl out of the woodwork. With all these cards mimicking non-rotating and eternal format staples, it looks like a non-rotating format is being built from scratch. As I mentioned in my “why post-modern matters” post some time ago (link http://wizardoftrash.tumblr.com/post/121442442836/why-post-modern-matters ) i predicted that wizards would start re-printing cards from modern that they weren’t ashamed of, and print more balanced versions of the ones that were too powerful and start fresh. The re-printing and fixing part is here, now and right in front of us.