Episode 33: The End of Phyrexia

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 planes — the Omenpaths — remain open. A new era begins.

This episode concludes the Phyrexian Era and prepares the dawn of the Era of Omenpaths.

The Immediate Aftermath

Every plane in the Multiverse bore the marks of the invasion. Ruined cities. Corrupted lands. Decimated populations. Victory against Phyrexia did not erase the destruction.

The survivors began the long process of reconstruction. But that work would take generations.

The Fate of the Praetors

The praetors met varied fates:

• Elesh Norn — Destroyed by Elspeth, her body consumed by the Halo's light
• Jin-Gitaxias — Disappeared into the ruins of his laboratories, presumed dead
• Sheoldred — Killed during the invasion of Dominaria by the Coalition's forces
• 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 (the original Mirrodin immune) and other healers, some completed planeswalkers could be restored — in part.

Ajani regained his free will, but not his inner peace. The memories of what he had done under Phyrexian control — notably the murder of Jaya Ballard — would haunt him forever.

Nissa was healed, but her connection to the earth, once so pure, now carried a tinge of corruption. She would have to relearn how to trust her instincts.

Those Who Could Not Be Saved

Not all 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, completed and never found, remained somewhere in the Multiverse — potential 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 Realmbreaker's branches, by piercing the barriers between 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 the different planes could meet, trade, migrate. The Multiverse was becoming interconnected.

Implications

• Massive migrations began between planes
• Interplanar trade became possible for non-planeswalkers
• Conflicts could now extend 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 traumatised by their Phyrexian experiences. The organisation had to reinvent itself.

Teferi, the temporal mage, emerged as one of the leaders of this reconstruction. His wisdom and experience — centuries of life, mistakes learned — made him a natural guide.

Chandra continued to burn, but with greater maturity. The losses had changed her — she was no longer just an impulsive pyromancer, but a warrior who understood the price of war.

Karn and Mirrex

Karn returned to Mirrex — the ruins of Mirrodin/New Phyrexia. The planeswalker golem who had inadvertently created this catastrophe spent long stretches contemplating the wreckage.

Mirrex was no longer Phyrexian, but 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 swore to watch over this world, to ensure the Phyrexian corruption would never rise again. 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 entailed.

A new era was beginning: the Era of Omenpaths.

In the next episode...

Episode 19: The Aftermath

The Multiverse rebuilds, but the Omenpaths create new challenges. On Ravnica, refugees from dozens of planes seek asylum. On Ixalan, the vampire conquistadors discover their empire is no longer isolated. And in the shadows, new threats emerge — for chaos always calls new predators.

Sources

• MTG Wiki: March of the Machine: The Aftermath — The immediate consequences
• MTG Wiki: Omenpaths — The new passages between planes
• March of the Machine: The Aftermath (Magic expansion, 2023)

Products related to this episode

Relive this saga with cards from the corresponding expansions: