March of the Machine Set Review

Not all Magic: The Gathering sets are created equal. Sure, they all have excellent art, highly collectible cards, and a stellar game to play with them, but sometimes you get something a little bit more special: an event set. The culimination of years of design and storytelling reaching a climactic conclusion in an all-out adventure. That’s the next set for MTG, March of the Machine.

With Elesh Norn launching her full-scale invasion of the Multiverse, nowhere is safe. Faces old and new team up to take on the encroaching threat, while others return in a heartbreaking fashion, and are fully converted into horrific Phyrexians. With everything from new mechanics, returning art treatments, and the entirely new battle cards, this is perhaps the one set this year you won’t want to miss out on.

There is so much to cover for March of the Machine, so let’s quickly run over the new mechanics. Backup allows you to put a number of +1/+1 counters on a creature and, if that is a different creature to the one with backup, it gains the original’s extra abilities until the end of the turn! Find a Boon-Bringer Valkyrie, and any other creature you control could be getting flying, first strike and lifelink until the end of the turn.

Next is incubate, a way to make a new artifact token. Instead of making life or mana, though, these tokens can transform into Phyrexian creatures just by paying two mana. These can be used in a huge amount of ways, so keep an eye out for cards like Glissa, Herald of Predation and start spitting out those Incubators!

The final new mechanic is the first new card type since Planeswalkers were introduced back in 2007: battles. Battles enter with a certain number of defence counters, and will give you some kind of benefit when they’ve been defeated. March of the Machine only introduces the Siege type of battle, which has you task an opponent with defending your battle from your own cratures – knock out the battle, and it’ll transform into something way, way better! Every pack of March of the Machine has a battle in it, and they showcase planes from right across Magic’s multiverse, like Muraganda, Ixalan, Eldraine, Ikoria, and Ravnica.

For returning mechanics, we have convoke, found in new blue and red colours as opposed to its traditional white and green. With convoke, your creatures can help cast the spell by tapping them instead of paying mana! Why choose between going wide or casting big spells, when you could play a convoke spell and do both?

Finally, we have transforming. This set is full of double-faced cards, such as the battles, the five Phyrexian Praetors that transform into some of the most powerful Sagas we’ve ever seen, and creatures who can flip into their compleated Phyrexian counterparts by paying some Phyrexian mana. The set is full of payoffs for playing transforming cards, so you may want to keep an eye out for an Elesh Norn//The Argent Etchings, or an Etali, Primal Conquerer//Etali, Primal Sickness and transform as much as you can!

All these mechanics are exciting, but one of the most intriguing things about March of the Machine is its alternate art treatments. Each legendary creature, including the new team-up cards which show two older MTG characters working together for the very first time, are given art styles based on the original set they’re from! So, for example, Rankle and Torbran from Eldraine receive the gorgeous art nouveu storybook treatment we last saw in Throne of Eldraine, while Zimone and Dina get a treatment inspired by Strixhaven: School of Mages’ Mystical Archive cards.

It’s really cool looking through and revisiting old showcase art treatments to give each plane invaded by the Phyrexians their own identity. What’s even cooler are the cards on planes that haven’t yet received a showcase frame, like Zurgo and Ojutai from Tarkir, Borborygmos and Fblthp from Ravnica, or Ghalta and Mavren from Ixalan. They’ve been given brand new showcases inspired by their home planes – a fun callback to their worlds, or maybe a teaser of things to come?

Of course, there’s even more spice for you to find in booster packs, like the full-art Planeswalker cards (including Wrenn’s tragic sacrifice in Wrenn and Realmbreaker, and Archangel Elspeth finally showing Elspeth at her full power!). Collector boosters will include more of the serialised cards that have become so popular since the Brothers’ War, with alternate art treatments of the Phyrexian Praetors stamped with a number to make them truly unique and valuable!

An extra special inclusion are the Multiverse Legends. Where Strixhaven had the Mystical Archive of instant and sorcery spells, and The Brothers’ War included the Retro Frame Artifacts, March of the Machine is reprinting some of the game’s most iconic legendary creatures, with brand new showcase art from their home planes. Every booster pack will include a Multiverse Legend, and this could include some real powerhouses! We’re talking cards like Kenrith, the Returned King and Atraxa, Praetor’s Voice for Commander, or even a Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer for Modern! We’re even getting all ten of the companions, so you can terrify your opponent with a Lurrus of the Dream-Den like it was 2021

Finally, of course, is Commander. For such a big set, we need a bumper crop of Commander decks. There are some real powerhouses in this set’s decks, including the white/black Phyrexian-themed. Growing Threat deck, led by Ajani’s old ally on Theros, Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos. There’s the red/green/white Call For Backup, which uses the Fox Shaman Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener to play with the new backup mechanic.
We also have Divine Convocation, a blue/red/white deck that loves to convoke spells, and is led by Kasla, Broken Halo. And we finally get a Gremlin commander with Tinker Time’s green/blue/red Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy, where the aim is to make as many different artifact tokens as possible!

Of course, the most exciting deck is the white/blue/black Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir in the Cavalry Charge deck. This deck marks the return of two classic mechanics: eminence, which lets Sidar Jabari impact the game without ever even needing to be cast, and horsemanship, an alternate version of flying that is powerful thanks to how few other cards with horsemanship are played these days. While all five decks look fantastic, Cavalry Charge has quickly become the one to watch.

As a final surprise, March of the Machine’s commander decks mark the return of the ever-popular Planechase! Planechase is a way to spice up your games by having a secondary deck of oversized ‘plane’ cards. Roll the Planar die, and you could be whisked away to places like Towashi on Kamigawa, or the Nyx of Theros, where new abilities will change how you play your game. Every deck will include a Planar die and a mix of both older Planechase cards, and the first new ones printed in over a decade!

March of the Machine marks the end of a story we’ve been following for over ten years, and this set goes all-out in making it as explosive and exciting as possible, while also including enough references to beloved planes we’ve not seen in many years.

Don’t forget to order your packs, boxes, singles, and Commander decks through Magic Madhouse today, as this is a set that’s going to be talked about for a very, very long time.