March of the Machine is the second Standard Magic: The Gathering set of 2023. March of the Machine is the decisive conflict that concludes the grand Phyrexian storyline that has spanned four series and features beloved characters from all corners of the multiverse. Since the promotional art depicts Kaldheim gods and Strixhaven pupils standing shoulder to shoulder, it appears that these realms have somehow become intertwined. Mysterious!
The set is almost approaching, so prepare for spoilers! You can discover all the information you need about March of the Machine, the largest MTG set of 2023, below, including its release date and plot summary. To find out about everything else that will be released in the upcoming months, be sure to look at our MTG 2023 release calendar. And of course, if you’re new to playing Magic online, use our guide to MTG Arena codes to obtain a ton of free cards.
March of the Machine release date
The March of the Machine tabletop game will be available everywhere on April 21, 2023. After a week of prerelease activities from April 14–20, it will be completely available on paper. For those of you who play Magic Arena or Magic Online, the set will be available digitally starting on April 18.
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The March of the Machine’s major release dates are shown above, but we also know when the set’s spoiler season will begin. Check back in around that time because we’ll be showing you all the best cards as they come marching in. Card previews will run from March 29 to April 4.
March of the Machine spoilers
Many March of the Machine spoilers has already been revealed as spoiler season has officially started. First off, there are a ton of cards that have MTG characters working together, forming unusual alliances with legendary beings that would typically loathe each other to their very core. Everyone is cooperating, from Fblthp and Borborygmos to Yargle and Multani.
There are also a few brand-new high-profile compensation victims, and there will undoubtedly be more. According to Wizards, the Theros god Heliod has become Phyrexian, implying that his followers have become corrupted. And the lovely Omnath acquires his fifth color, turning him into a Phyrexian.
The Ramp and Card Draw in Omnath, Locus of All are exciting, and this double-sided Heliod adds flash and a cost reduction. Etali, one of our favorite dinosaurs, also gets a whole card. Etali begins in the conventional form before changing into the robot form. Reprints of these iconic MTG terrain cards, which add life, are also available. They feature a variety of planes that are generally in poor condition.
Then, there are many more MTG cards to consider. A new Chandra planeswalker named Chandra, Hope’s Beacon can replicate all of your spells in addition to having other effects. Then there is the pricy black spell Breach the Multiverse, which allows you to mill your opponents and then steal their best items from the graveyard.
The final “Sword of” card, which is the Dimir portion of this cycle, is revealed. The Realmbreaker legendary artifact also allows you to steal lands from your opponent’s deck and, for a pricey amount of mana, summon a large number of Praetors to the field. Regarding Praetors, here is the most recent Elesh Norn!
March of the Machine Mechanics
The mechanics of MTG March of the Machine are now thoroughly understood. In All Will Be One, the Atraxa card served as the first example of a brand-new card type called Battles. A whole new card type, like Planeswalkers, not a subtype like Sagas. Soon after, we learned that Battles are double-sided cards and that one will be included in each March of the Machine pack.
These cards operate something like reverse planeswalkers. They are cards that, when combined with defense counters, favor your adversaries. When you defeat them (through damage or fight), you get to cast their opposite for free. They provide you with an effect.
Incubate is a new mechanic as well. This brand-new class of artifact tokens produces tiny cocoons with +1/+1 counters. Then, for a fee, you can have those cocoons become Phyrexian monsters. What will they do after changing the tokens?
We’ve finally seen Backup. Backup creatures grant all of their abilities to another creature for one turn and place a +1/+1 counter on it. These might be straightforward keyword skills (like those of Boon-Bringer Valkyrie) or intricate, potent effects (like those of Archpriest of Shadows).
The storyline of March of the Machine
According to MTG head designer Mark Rosewater, March of the Machine will bring about significant modifications that will alter both the game’s gameplay and its plot. To demonstrate how “the very fabric of the multiverse has fundamentally changed,” an entire mini set is planned. No matter what occurs in the battle—whether the Phyrexians take control of whole planes or are easily defeated—MTG March of the Machine won’t be your typical Magic set.
The main plot points of March of the Machine are as follows: Under Elesh Norn’s command, the Phyrexians have created Realmbreaker, their adaptation of the Kaldheim world tree, which enables them to break into several planes and attack the whole multiverse at once.
However, it appears that the good guys will also utilize these portals and unite to battle the Phyrexians as one massive army, making this a bigger Avengers Assemble moment than War of the Spark. Who will survive the conflict and whether the multiverse will stay connected afterward are the two current unknowns. Additionally, there is the new evil league of fully developed planeswalkers to be concerned about.
Bringing Zalfir (Teferi’s home) back to attack New Phyrexia is part of the strategy for combating the Phyrexians. Wrenn accomplished this by fusing with the Realmbreaker doomsday device to build new gateways. More March of the Machine tale hints can be found here.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath
The fact that March of the Machine has consequences is one aspect of this set that Wizards of the Coast wants to emphasize. There are so many implications that it appears that a distinct set of Standard-legal rules is required to address them all.
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The micro set’ March of the Machine: The Aftermath will be available on May 12, 2023. It will be offered in small epilogue boosters with only five cards and collector boosters. The most important fact about this set is that it is smaller and only contains Uncommons, Rares, and Mythic cards instead of Common cards.
Players will “Rebuild the Multiverse while building up your collection,” according to the WPN website, which makes this cryptic suggestion. The Kenriths’ Royal Funeral is the only card from Aftermath that has been displayed thus far.
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