The war is over. Phyrexia is defeated. But the Multiverse will never be the same. The Realmbreaker, even destroyed, has left permanent scars in the fabric of reality. Passages between the planes — the Omenpaths — remain open. A new era begins.
This episode concludes the Phyrexian Era and sets the stage for the dawn of the Era of the Omenpaths.
The Immediate Aftermath
Every plane in the Multiverse bore the marks of the invasion. Cities in ruins. Corrupted lands. Decimated populations. The victory over Phyrexia did not erase the destruction.
The survivors began the long process of reconstruction. But this work would take generations.
The Fate of the Praetors
The praetors met varied fates:
- Elesh Norn — Destroyed by Elspeth, her body consumed by the light of the Halo
- Jin-Gitaxias — Vanished in the ruins of his laboratories, presumed dead
- Sheoldred — Killed during the invasion of Dominaria by the forces of the Coalition
- Vorinclex — Fate unknown, possibly returned to a feral state on Mirrex
- Urabrask — Executed by Elesh Norn for his betrayal, before the final battle
The Healed Heroes
Thanks to the efforts of Melira (Mirrodin's original immune one) and other healers, some compleated planeswalkers were able to be restored — at least in part.
Ajani regained his free will, but not his inner peace. The memories of what he had done under Phyrexian control — most notably the murder of Jaya Ballard — would haunt him forever.
Nissa was healed, but her connection to the land, once so pure, now carried a tinge of corruption. She would have to learn anew to trust her instincts.
Those Who Could Not Be Saved
Not everyone could be saved. Tamiyo died, her Phyrexian body incompatible with the healing process. Her children on Kamigawa mourned a mother they had already lost once during her compleation.
Lukka disappeared into the ruins of Mirrex, his fate unknown. Other minor planeswalkers, compleated and never recovered, remained somewhere in the Multiverse — potential ticking time bombs.
The Omenpaths
The most significant consequence of the March of the Machine was not the destruction — it was the transformation of the Multiverse itself.
The branches of the Realmbreaker, by piercing the barriers between the planes, had created Omenpaths — natural passages allowing travel from one world to another without being a planeswalker.
For the first time in history, the ordinary inhabitants of different planes could meet, trade, and migrate. The Multiverse was becoming interconnected.
Implications
- Massive migrations began between the planes
- Interplanar trade became possible for non-planeswalkers
- Conflicts could now spread beyond a single world
- Cultures began to mix in unexpected ways
The Transformation of the Gatewatch
The Gatewatch had lost members — Gideon dead during the War of the Spark, others traumatized by their Phyrexian experiences. The organization had to reinvent itself.
Teferi, the time mage, emerged as one of the leaders of this reconstruction. His wisdom and experience — centuries of life, lessons learned from his mistakes — made him a natural guide.
Chandra kept burning, but with more maturity. The losses had changed her — she was no longer just an impulsive pyromancer, but a warrior who understood the cost of war.
Karn and Mirrex
Karn returned to Mirrex — the ruins of Mirrodin/New Phyrexia. The planeswalker golem who had unwittingly created this catastrophe spent long moments contemplating the wreckage.
Mirrex was no longer Phyrexian, but it had not become Mirrodin again either. It was something new — a plane in transition, bearing the scars of its past while seeking a new future.
Karn vowed to watch over this world, to ensure that Phyrexian corruption would never return. It was his penance — and perhaps, one day, his redemption.
A New Multiverse
The Phyrexian Era was over. The greatest threat the Multiverse had ever known — older than the Eldrazi, more insidious than Bolas — had been defeated.
But the world that followed was not the world that came before. The Omenpaths had changed the rules. Interplanar travel was no longer the exclusive privilege of planeswalkers. The Multiverse was now an interconnected network — with all the opportunities and all the dangers that implied.
A new era was beginning: the Era of the Omenpaths.
In the Next Episode...
Episode 19: The Aftermath
The Multiverse is rebuilding, but the Omenpaths are creating new challenges. On Ravnica, refugees from dozens of planes seek asylum. On Ixalan, the vampire conquistadors discover that their empire is no longer isolated. And in the shadows, new threats emerge — for chaos always summons new predators.
Sources
- MTG Wiki: March of the Machine: The Aftermath — The immediate consequences
- MTG Wiki: Omenpaths — The new passages between the planes
- March of the Machine: The Aftermath (Magic expansion, 2023)
Products related to this episode
Relive this saga with cards from the corresponding expansions:
