March of the Machine
March of the Machine is the ninety-sixth Magic expansion. It was released on April 21, 2023.
Set details
March of the Machine is an event set, with the focus on planes. Preview art featured characters from different planes fighting together. As a consequence of the events in this set, the very fabric of the Multiverse was said to fundamentally change.
This set features Yuta Takahashi's Player Spotlight card, Faerie Mastermind. Starting with this set, the collector numbers are changed to four digits, and the "Inside Set Numbering" (in the form of a fraction like 10/250) is abandoned. The rarity indicator is moved to the front of the collector number. Attending to previous numbering, March of the Machine contains 281 regular cards (116 commons, 80 uncommons, 60 rares, 20 mythic rares, 5 basic lands), furthermore there are 10 Phyrexian Full Art basic lands (#282-291). Different showcase-style (depending on the plane of origin) cards are #292-319. Borderless planeswalkers are #320-322. Standard legal Jumpstart cards are #323-337. Alternate art borderless praetor/sagas are #338-342. Extended artwork cards are numbered #343-380. The dark frame treatment cards from the Universal promo pack are numbered #381-385, the Bundle promo is #386, and the Buy-a-Box card is #387.
After being teased in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, Battle is a new card type that is introduced in this set, as well as Siege, a Battle subtype.
Storyline
This is the dramatic conclusion of the four-part Phyrexian story arc that began with Dominaria United — and ends with Magic forever changed. The entire Multiverse rallies together for one epic climactic battle. Elesh Norn expands her reach and brings the glory of New Phyrexia to the other planes. Her faction has become the Machine Legion, the core of the Phyrexian armada. People and creatures on many different planes are getting compleated.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath serves as an epilogue to this set, tying up some loose ends and starting new beginnings.
The cards that represent the Story Spotlights in March of the Machine are:
MagicStory
Marketing
March of the Machine is sold in regular 16-card Draft Boosters (one card being a marketing card), Collector Boosters, Set Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, the March of the Machine Bundle and five Commander decks.
Multiverse Legends
Multiverse Legends is a separate set of cards associated with March of the Machine, similar to the Mystical Archive and Retro Artifacts. In Multiverse Legends, Wizards of the Coast have reprinted 65 iconic characters in their home planes' Booster Fun treatment, and with the set code MUL. March of the Machine Draft and Set Boosters contain one Multiverse Legends card, and Collector Boosters have at least three. These will only be legal in formats that they are already legal in and in Historic. They are not part of the Standard environment, however the cards may be used in Limited events.
Events
- Prerelease: April 14–20, 2023
- Including Jumpstart prerelease: players receive two Jumpstart packs to open, shuffle together, and play.
- Digital release: April 18, 2023
- Launch party: April 21–23, 2023
- Friday Night Magic: April 21 – August 25, 2023
- Commander Nights: April 24 – August 31
- Store Championship: May 13 – 21, 2023
- WPN Premium-Exclusive Commander Party: May 26 – 28, 2023
Bundle
Promos
- Prerelease: a stamped card that can be any rare or mythic rare of March of the Machine.
- Commander-legal prerelease promos: alternate art Goro-Goro and Satoru, Katilda and Lier and Slimefoot and Squee
- These have the MOC code, are not Standard legal and are not playable in Prerelease decks.
- Other events: cards from the March of the Machine universal promo pack.
- The seasonal dark-frame promos are: Norn's Inquisitor, Scrappy Bruiser, Kami of Whispered Hopes, Botanical Brawler, Halo Forager.
- Buy-a-Box: alternate art Omnath, Locus of All
- Bundle promo: alternate art Ghalta and Mavren
- Store Championship promos: Strangle (participation), Aether Channeler (Top 8), textless Thalia and The Gitrog Monster (winner)
- Commander Party: Phyrexian language Beast Within
- 30th Anniversary promos: Eternal Witness, Portuguese Chord of Calling and Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
Tokens and emblems
March of the Machine has twenty-one tokens and two emblems. This is the first set to feature transforming double-faced tokens.
- 1/1 Monk creature with prowess for Monastery Mentor.
- 1/1 Soldier creature with lifelink for Archangel Elspeth.
- 1/1 Vampire creature with lifelink for Ghalta and Mavren.
- 1/1 Kraken creature with trample for Invasion of Segovia.
- 2/2 Zombie creature for Deluge of the Dead.
- First Mate Ragavan, a legendary 2/1 Monkey Pirate creature for Baral and Kari Zev.
- X/X Dinosaur creature with trample for Ghalta and Mavren.
- 1/1 Phyrexian Saproling creature for Blightsower Thallid.
- 1/1 Elemental creature for Joyful Stormsculptor, Kyren Flamewright, Preening Champion and Ral's Reinforcements.
- 2/2 Knight creature with vigilance for Invasion of Belenon, Invasion of New Phyrexia, Knight of the New Coalition and Xerex Strobe-Knight.
- 3/3 Phyrexian Hydra creature with lifelink for Polukranos, Engine of Ruin.
- 3/3 Phyrexian Hydra creature with reach for Polukranos, Engine of Ruin.
- 1/1 Spirit creature with flying for The Broken Sky.
- 3/2 Spirit creature for Quintorius, Loremaster.
- 3/2 Warrior creature with "Whenever this creature and at least one other creature token attack, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature." for Valor's Reach Tag Team.
- Incubator artifact with ": Transform this artifact." // 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature for Assimilate Essence, The Argent Etchings, Blighted Burgeoning, Bloated Processor, Chrome Host Seedshark, Compleated Huntmaster, Converter Beast, Corruption of Towashi, Elvish Vatkeeper, Essence of Orthodoxy, Eyes of Gitaxias, Furnace Gremlin, Gift of Compleation, Glissa, Herald of Predation, Glistening Dawn, Ichor Drinker, Infected Defector, Injector Crocodile, Marauding Dreadship, Merciless Repurposing, Norn's Inquisitor, Phyrexian Awakening, Progenitor Exarch, Sculpted Perfection, Searing Barb, Sunder the Gateway, Sunfall, Tangled Skyline, Tiller of Flesh and Traumatic Revelation.
- Incubator artifact with ": Transform this artifact." // 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.
- Incubator artifact with ": Transform this artifact." // 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.
- 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying for Invasion of Kaladesh.
- Treasure artifact (Defender) for Axgard Artisan, Beamtown Beatstick, Deadly Derision, Furnace Reins, Invasion of Ergamon and Rankle and Torbran.
- Treasure artifact (Phyrexian) for The Great Work.
- Emblem for Teferi Akosa of Zhalfir.
- Emblem for Wrenn and Realmbreaker.
In addition there are two tokens with the Multiverse Legends set code and symbol that can also be found in booster packs:
- 2/1 Phyrexian Myr creature for Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer.
- 3/1 Elemental creature with trample and haste for Valduk, Keeper of the Flame.
One emblem with the Commander deck set code and symbol can also be found in booster packs:
- Emblem for Teferi's Talent.
Themes and mechanics
Battle is both a new mechanic and a new card type. Battles are transforming double-faced cards. The front side with landscape art is placed horizontally on the battlefield (the first permanent to do so). Battles can be cast during your main phase, just like creatures, sorceries and other non-Instant spells. Each battle enters the battlefield with defense counters on it, equal to its defense, found in the lower right corner of the front face. This tells you how much damage it takes to defeat a battle. Specifically, all battles in this set are Sieges; these battles enter protected by an opponent, who must stop the battle's controller from attacking it and reaping its rewards. One battle card will be available in every Draft Booster and set Booster.
The use of TDFCs representing the Phyrexians allowed R&D to use "transformation matters" as a theme that runs through the Phyrexian side of the conflict. They transform through a mana payment, like Monstrosity creatures or the Werewolves from Eldritch Moon.
The characteristic mechanic of the Phyrexians in this set is Incubate, a keyword action that creates a transforming Incubator token which turns into a Phyrexian of variable size. Like with amass and Zombie typal in War of the Spark, Phyrexians receive typal support to enable these tokens.
Meanwhile, the multiversal resistance supports one another with Backup. Backup is an enters-the-battlefield trigger on creatures, which puts +1/+1 counters on another target creature and lets that creature gain the backup creature's other abilities until the end of turn.
Convoke is a returning mechanic. Basic landcycling from Conflux returns to Standard for the first time. Kicker is promoted to deciduous.
Card types
Battle is introduced as a card type. All thirty-six battles have just one subtype - Siege.
March of the Machine introduces the Incubator artifact type.
Creature types
The set makes use of various existing creature types and provides a Typal support for some of them.
Phyrexians matter in this set. They appear in various colors: mostly in 
but also as the flipped sides of compleated creatures throughout all colors. Knights are present mainly in 
, and provide a backbone for its limited archetype. Dragons are seen on the cards alluding to the plane of Tarkir, with various types called out in text of self-contained cards.
March of the Machine sees many characters "team up", being depicted on one card featuring both characters with the creature types associated with both.
Counter types
March of the Machine introduces Defense counters and makes extensive use of +1/+1 counters (mostly in green and white).
Limited Archetypes
March of the Machine features the following Limited archetypes:
- : Knights matter
- : Graveyard matters
- : Sacrifice
- : Battles
- : +1/+1 Counters matter
- : Phyrexians matter
- : Convoke
- : Incubate
- : Backup
- : Transformation matters
Cycles
Double cycles
Pairs
Mega-mega cycles
- The Omnath cycle is "compleated" with Omnath, Locus of All, the WUBRG member.
- The Mirran swords cycle is completed with Sword of Once and Future, the member.
Reprinted cards
- All ten gainlands, first printed in Khans of Tarkir, last seen as a complete cycle in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
- Fairgrounds Trumpeter, first printed in Kaladesh.
- Inspired Charge, first printed in Magic 2011, last seen in Jumpstart.
- Kitesail, first printed in Worldwake, last seen in Jumpstart 2022.
- Monastery Mentor, first printed in Fate Reforged, last seen in Double Masters 2022.
- Negate, first printed in Morningtide, last seen in Starter Commander Decks.
- Phyrexian Gargantua, first printed in Apocalypse, last seen in Jumpstart.
- Skittering Surveyor, first printed in Dominaria, last seen in Jumpstart.
- Stoke the Flames, first printed in Magic 2015.
- Vanquish the Weak, first printed in Ixalan, last seen in Zendikar Rising.
Notable cards
- Yargle and Multani is the first vanilla creature printed in a premier set in 25 months. It also supplants the highest printed power from Impervious Greatwurm.
- Monastery Mentor is the only monowhite card with prowess printed in a premier set since itself and others in Fate Reforged, despite white being "secondary" in prowess.
- Malady Invoker is the first new card since 2009's New Phyrexia's Tormentor Exarch to use -0/-N. Both are bends in templating, as the expected method would be dealing damage.
Misprints
- The artist credits for both Furnace Host Charger and Phyrexian Archivist are incorrectly listed as Daniel Romanovsky in all languages. The correct artist credit is Andreas Zafiratos.
Preconstructed decks
March of the Machine features five Commander decks that are released as a regular part of a set's product line.
Gallery
Key art
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Featuring Elspeth Tirel.
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Featuring Linvala, Teferi Akosa, Chandra Nalaar, Zimone Wola, and Quintorius Kand by Billy Christian.
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"Archangel Neon Elspeth," featuring Elspeth Tirel by Valentina Remenar.
