The worst horror is not death — it is transformation. The Phyrexians did not merely kill their enemies. They converted them. And when the heroes of the Multiverse began to fall, hope itself seemed to die with them.
This episode tells the tragedy of the compleated heroes — defenders turned destroyers.
The Fall of Ajani
Ajani Goldmane had been one of the greatest heroes of the Multiverse. The leonin had fought Nicol Bolas, protected countless innocents, and embodied the values of courage and compassion.
No one knew exactly when he was compleated. The Phyrexians had captured and transformed him in secret, then sent him back among his allies as a sleeper agent. For months, he had spied on the Gatewatch, transmitting every plan, every secret.
The Revelation
On Dominaria, as the heroes prepared their defense against the invasion, Ajani revealed his true nature. He attacked without warning, killing Jaya Ballard — the pyromancer who had survived centuries of battle.
The shock was devastating. Ajani had been a friend, a mentor, a symbol of hope. Seeing him transformed into a Phyrexian monster broke something in those who knew him.
The Invasion of Dominaria
With their sleeper agent revealed, the Phyrexians launched their assault on Dominaria. Sheoldred led the vanguard, her armies sweeping across the continents of the original world.
The defenders rallied around a few strongholds: the reformed Coalition, led by veterans like Teferi and Karn. But every battle came at a heavy cost, and the Phyrexians only grew in number.
Jodah's Sacrifice
Jodah, the archmage who had survived the Ice Age and countless catastrophes, led the magical defense of Dominaria. His unifying power allowed him to coordinate mages from every tradition.
But against the Phyrexian legions, even the most powerful mage on Dominaria could only delay the inevitable.
New Phyrexia: The Final Battle
The survivors realized that a passive defense was doomed to fail. The only chance was to attack New Phyrexia directly — to destroy the Realmbreaker before it was fully activated.
A coalition of planeswalkers assembled for this suicide mission:
- Karn — The one who knew New Phyrexia best
- Elspeth — Who had a personal score to settle
- Kaya — The assassin able to pass through barriers
- Nahiri — The lithomancer with devastating powers
- Jace and Vraska — United despite their complicated past
The Fall of Nahiri
Nahiri, the lithomancer of Zendikar, was captured and compleated. Her power over stone and metal became a Phyrexian weapon. She who had wanted the destruction of Phyrexia became one of its champions.
Nissa's Betrayal
Even more tragic was the fall of Nissa Revane. The elf who had always been connected to the land, who heard the songs of the leylines, was corrupted not by force but by a promise.
The Phyrexians showed her their vision: a Multiverse united, where all life would be connected as she had always desired. The connection she had sought all her life — but corrupted, perverted, Phyrexian.
Nissa accepted compleation. One of the original Gatewatch became a deadly enemy.
The Price of Resistance
The list of fallen heroes grew longer:
- Ajani — Friend to all, turned traitor
- Tamiyo — The keeper of stories, reduced to silence
- Nahiri — Rage transformed into obedience
- Nissa — The corrupted connection
- Lukka — The bonder bound to monsters
- Vraska — Captured and compleated (briefly)
Each loss was not just one less ally — it was one more enemy.
The Hope That Remains
Despite the losses, some refused to give up. Chandra kept burning, more furious than ever. Wrenn, the symbiotic being, sought a way to connect to the Realmbreaker and control it. Tyvar of Kaldheim brought new energy to the coalition.
And at the heart of New Phyrexia, Elspeth was preparing her final act — one that could either save the Multiverse or doom it forever.
In the next episode...
Episode 17: March of the Machine
The Realmbreaker activates. The Phyrexian invasion strikes every plane simultaneously. From Ravnica to Zendikar, from Theros to Ixalan, every world of the Multiverse is besieged. It is the end of everything — or the beginning of the final resistance.
Sources
- MTG Wiki: Dominaria United — The defense of Dominaria
- MTG Wiki: Phyrexia: All Will Be One — The assault on New Phyrexia
- Dominaria United (Magic expansion, 2022)
- The Brothers' War (Magic expansion, 2022)
- Phyrexia: All Will Be One (Magic expansion, 2023)
Products related to this episode
Relive this saga with cards from the corresponding expansions:
