Episode 32: March of the Machine

The tree pierced the skies of every world. The Realmbreaker, the corrupted World Tree, activated fully, projecting its branches through the barriers between planes. In an instant, the Phyrexian invasion became a multiplanar war. Every world in the Multiverse was attacked simultaneously.

This episode recounts the March of the Machine — the Phyrexian apocalypse that threatened to consume everything.

The Activation of the Realmbreaker

When Elesh Norn activated the Realmbreaker, the entire Multiverse trembled. Metallic branches pierced the skies of dozens of planes, unleashing Phyrexian armies. This was no longer an invasion — it was an extinction.

The Phyrexians had learned from their past failures. This time, they would not allow any world to organise a resistance. All would be struck at the same time.

The Worlds Under Assault

Every plane in the Multiverse became a battlefield:

• Zendikar — The hedrons that had imprisoned the Eldrazi were turned against the defenders
• Ravnica — The ten guilds, barely rebuilt after the War of the Spark, had to unite once again
• Theros — The gods themselves fought the infection
• Ixalan — Pirates, vampires and dinosaurs allied against the common enemy
• Eldraine — The fairy-tale kingdoms faced a very real nightmare

The Heroes of Every World

Faced with the global invasion, each plane had to rely on its own champions. Planeswalkers could not be everywhere — but local heroes rose to the occasion.

On Theros, the gods led by Heliod fought the invasion forces directly. On Kamigawa, the kami and mortals set aside their ancestral differences. On Kaldheim, the warriors of the ten kingdoms marched to Ragnarok.

The Resistance of Innistrad

Even Innistrad, the world of gothic horror, resisted. The vampires of the great bloodlines allied with the humans they usually hunted. The werewolves turned their rage against the invaders. For as terrible as Innistrad's monsters were, they refused to be replaced by even worse horrors.

The Battle for New Phyrexia

While the worlds fought for their survival, a small force of planeswalkers led a desperate assault on New Phyrexia itself. Their objective: destroy the Realmbreaker at its source.

Wrenn, the symbiotic dryad who could merge with trees, took the greatest risk. She attempted to connect to the Realmbreaker itself — to take control of the corrupted tree from within.

The Sacrifice of Wrenn

The plan worked — in part. Wrenn managed to establish a connection with the Realmbreaker, opening a retreat route for the planeswalkers trapped on New Phyrexia. But the price was terrible: she remained fused with the tree, unable to free herself.

Elspeth versus Elesh Norn

Elspeth Tirel faced Elesh Norn in the heart of New Phyrexia. This was not just a battle — it was the fight of a lifetime.

Elspeth had been traumatised by the Phyrexians in her childhood, on New Capenna. She had fled, survived, and spent her life fighting darkness. Now, she faced the source of her nightmares.

Armed with the Halo — the pure essence of New Capenna's angels — Elspeth unleashed a devastating light. Elesh Norn was consumed. The Realmbreaker was severely damaged.

The Turning Point

With the death of Elesh Norn, New Phyrexia's forced unity shattered. Without their leader, the praetors returned to their ancient quarrels. The invasion armies lost their coordination.

Across every plane, the resistance gained the upper hand. The Realmbreaker's branches were cut, burned, destroyed. One by one, the invasions were repelled.

But the victory was not total. Pockets of Phyrexian corruption remained on every world. Completed heroes — Ajani, Nissa, Nahiri — were still at large. And the Multiverse itself had been changed by the Realmbreaker's activation.

The Price of Victory

Some completed heroes could be healed. The process was painful and imperfect — Nissa, Ajani, and a few others regained their free will, but carried the physical and mental scars of their transformation.

Others could not be saved. Tamiyo died, her Phyrexian body incompatible with healing. Lukka disappeared into the ruins of New Phyrexia.

The End of New Phyrexia

New Phyrexia itself collapsed. Without Elesh Norn to maintain unity, the factions destroyed each other. The plane became a haunted ruin — Mirrex — neither truly Mirrodin nor truly Phyrexia, but something new and uncertain.

In the next episode...

Episode 18: The End of Phyrexia

The Phyrexian threat is defeated, but the consequences of the March of the Machine are immense. The Realmbreaker has created Omenpaths — permanent passages between planes. The Multiverse itself has changed. A new era begins.

Sources

• MTG Wiki: March of the Machine — The multiplanar invasion
• MTG Wiki: Realmbreaker — The corrupted World Tree
• March of the Machine (Magic expansion, 2023)
• March of the Machine: The Aftermath (Magic expansion, 2023)

Products related to this episode

Relive this saga with cards from the corresponding expansions: