In the wake of March of the Machine: The Aftermath’s massive leak last month, Wizards of the Coast has released the entirety of the 50-card set for players to behold. Host Blake Rasmussen was joined on WeeklyMTG by Emily Teng and Roy Graham to talk about all the new cards and how they fit into Magic’s forever-changed story.
Planeswalkers: Where Are They Now?
Something has happened to most of the Planeswalkers from Magic’s story in the aftermath of New Phyrexia’s attempt at total conquest—their sparks have vanished. Graham was careful to state that most Planeswalkers have lost their sparks, but left open the possibility that there are those who remain capable of traveling between planes.
10 Planeswalkers are confirmed to have lost their sparks: Calix, Guided by Fate, Karn, Legacy Reforged, Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep, Nahiri, Forged in Fury, Narset, Enlightened Exile, Nissa, Resurgent Animist, Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, Samut, Vizier of Naktamun, Sarkhan, Soul Aflame, and Tyvar the Bellicose. Now as regular legendary creatures, these cards are still immensely powerful and are reminiscent of their former planeswalker glory.
Curiously, this is not the first time Ob Nixilis has lost his spark, though previously it was because a Zendikarian hedron was shoved in his chest.
The full list of which Planeswalkers have been desparked and who have not is a closely guarded secret, for now. Planeswalkers are not completely gone, as Rasmussen confirmed that Chandra has kept her spark, while Graham confirmed that Teferi has lost his spark again while Ajani has kept his.
Ravaged Planes
Much like March of the Machine, Aftermath features cards from across multiple planes, with cards featuring creatures and events occurring now that many planes are connected in previously unheard-of ways.
The cards were revealed in conjunction with updates on their corresponding plane.
Zhalfir
Nissa, Resurgent Animist and Karn, Legacy Reforged both find themselves on the newly restored Zhalfir, but along with them are beasts from Kaldheim, as seen in Animist’s Might.
Cards that also feature Zhalfir are Open the Way and Leyline Immersion.
Zendikar
Zendikar finds itself particularly hard hit by the Phyrexian Invasion, with Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep and Nahiri, Forged in Fury being stranded on the plane. There are still remnants of the invaders, with the branches of Realmbreaker visible in the background of Tazri, Stalwart Survivor.
Cards that also feature Zendikar are Reckless Handling and Nahiri’s Resolve.
Theros
Another plane devastated by the Phyrexians is Theros, where a compleated Ajani twisted the faith in the gods of Theros into Phyrexians themselves. The Gods are missing for now, replaced by a potential new god in the form of the angelic Elspeth as seen in Deification. Whether or not the gods will return, or if they will be the same when they return, depends on the conviction of their faithful.
The other card that features Theros is Calix, Guided by Fate.
Tarkir
Narset, Enlightened Exile and Sarkhan, Soul Aflame are both on the dragon-dominated plane of Tarkir, but in two wildly different statuses there. Narset has done something to find herself on the outs with the dragonlords while Sarkhan appears to finally be at peace.
The other card that features Tarkir is Kolaghan Warmonger.
Strixhaven
The school of Strixhaven is rebuilding after the majority of the campus was destroyed in the Phyrexian Invasion. Teng points out that the Efreet Nassari from the new legendary card, Plargg and Nassari, was compleated during the invasion, but mysteriously, is better now.
The other card that features Strixhaven is Campus Renovation.
Ravnica
Vraska was in charge of conquering the plane, starting with the Golgari guild and using them to take the surface world. Niv-Mizzet, Supreme shines in a new card among the ruins of the city-plane of Ravnica. Graham hints that Niv-Mizzet is keeping a close eye on the happenings across the multiverse, and that the dragon might be keeping a firm hand over the workings of Ravnica to keep the city and guilds together, but didn’t say more.
The other card that features Ravnica is Undercity Upheaval.
New Capenna
The plane is rebuilding with the help of all the families of New Capenna. Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin is here to try and capitalize on the rebuilding, but he’s not alone, as the Angels are back and not happy at those who imprisoned them.
Cards that also feature are Metropolis Reformer, Rebuild the City, and Rocco, Street Chef.
Kamigawa
In the ruins of Kamigawa, the Oni are breaching into reality, looking to take advantage of the chaos of the invasion. While Tamiyo was killed during the invasion, she lives on in a way, through Nashi, Moon’s Legacy and a scroll that contains her story.
Cards that also feature Kamigawa are Blot Out and Death-Rattle Oni.
Kaldheim
The people of Kaldheim are celebrating their survival of the invasion with a massive party, so large even the spirits of the dead are joining in. During the battle, the people of Kaldheim destroyed their own Worldtree to prevent it from being poisoned by Phyrexia but it is now in the process of regrowing, as seen in Cosmic Rebirth.
Not everyone seems to be celebrating on Kaldheim though, with Tyvar the Bellicose and the Elves challenging the status of the gods, likely looking to reinstate themselves as Kaldheim’s deities.
Cards that also feature Kaldheim are Arni Metalbrow and Feast of the Victorious Dead.
Kaladesh
Only one card is coming from Kaladesh, and that’s Chandra’s mom, Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival. Much of the city was demolished in the battle, along with aetherflux reservoirs that power the city.
Ixalan
Right before the onset of the Phyrexian Invasion, the vampires of Ixalan were gearing up for their own conquest. Much of the vampire forces were lost, but thankfully Huatli was able to summon titanic dinosaurs to combat the Phyrexians. Cryptically, something was found beneath the Sun City, something of massive power that will be shown more in the next Ixalan set.
Cards that feature Ixalan are Harnessed Snubhorn, Filter Out, Tranquil Frillback, and Gold-Forged Thopteryx.
Innistrad
The best thing of Innistrad is that monsters are nothing new to the plane. Interestingly, Sigarda, Font of Blessings is capable of channeling the mysterious Halo energy, possibly giving her and the humans a chance to fight back against the things that bump in the night.
The other card that features Innistrad is Markov Baron.
Ikoria
Coming out worse for wear in the war was Ikoria and the now completely ruined city of Drannith. While the humans of Ikora have come out on top, they have lost their one major city in a plane full of kaiju-sized monsters.
Cards that feature Ikoria are Coppercoat Vanguard, Jirina, Dauntless General, and Drannith Ruins.
Eldraine
Much of what we know about Eldraine is changing now that the plane has been torn apart by the Phyexians. King and Queen Kenrith have died and since their might held the courts in check, there’s chaos on the horizon for the realm.
Cards that feature Eldraine are Training Grounds, Ayara’s Oathsworn, and The Kenriths’ Royal Funeral.
Amonkhet
The people of Amonkhet can’t catch a break. First, Nicol Bolas created a generational Zombie army, then, just as they’re working to rebuild their society, Phyrexia unleashed a new horror on the realm. The only card from Amonkhet is Samut, Vizier of Naktamun, the former planeswalker, now Vizier.
Dominaria
One of the largest planes and the one that has fought off Phyrexia more than any else, is Dominaria. As the plane rebuilds from the latest in a long sequence of calamities that have befallen Dominaria, the peoples of the world are settling into a type of peace.
Cards that feature Dominaria are Tolarian Contempt, Vesuvan Drifter, Urborg Scavengers, and Danitha, New Benalia’s Light.
Promos
Two promos for March of the Machine: The Aftermath were revealed on stream, Jolrael, Voice of Zhalfir, and an alternate art Spark Rupture. Jolrael is the buy-a-box promo, while Spark Rupture is the bundle promo.
Special Cards
Spark Rupture also gets a borderless variant, with the majority of the cards getting a planar treatment instead. There are still extended art cards, which are different from borderless, as well as Foil-etched cards. Cards that take place on Zalfir however, are getting the retro treatment for their current planar frame.