Chris Inglis
During the week, Wizards of the Coast released the latest set for Magic: The Gathering titled, March of the Machine. Launched on April 18 for Magic: The Gathering Arena and yesterday April 21 for the physical release, March of the Machine is the final instalment to the four-part Phyrexian storyline. Starting with Dominaria United in 2022, we then saw The Brothers’ War, Phyrexia: All Will Be One and finally, March of the Machine has arrived. With this set, players team up with Legendary creatures and Planeswalkers from all across the Multiverse to battle against the Phyrexian invasion.
Wizards of the Coast sent me a Commander Deck for Gimbal, Gremlin Prodigy as well as some set boosters, draft boosters, jumpstart boosters and collector boosters to unbox and I am continually impressed with the detail in the artwork of these card sets which never feel the same from set to set. This commander deck also contained some cards I hadn’t seen before which is a set of ten larger Planechase cards. These are oversized land cards that feature all-new artwork depicting some of the exotic realms of the Magic multiverse.
March of the Machine features several new mechanics, the most exciting being a brand new card type – Battle. Battles are a new type of dual-faced card: when you play a Battle, you pick an opponent to protect it. Similar to Planeswalkers, Battles can be damaged or attacked and when they are defeated, flip into a powerful new card for free! This is the first new card type since the debut of Planeswalkers in 2007 so players can look forward to an exciting new gameplay experience.
Also featured is the creature-based mechanic Backup which allows players to add +1/+1 counters to creatures and gain additional abilities based on the creature giving the counter. Fans of the Phyrexian armada will also get to play with Incubators – artifacts that enter with a number of +1/+1 counters and can be turned into creatures by paying two mana. Opening some of the booster sets netted multiple rares and mythics, foils and borderless cards to add to the collection.
It’s exciting to unbox a set like this as each booster pack could contain some great cards. As I learn more about Magic through MTGA, it means I connect more with the cards that are revealed. There were a heap of foil and borderless cards in this collection, and I am looking forward to opening the rest of the booster packs in the coming days.
Magic: The Gathering March of the Madness is now available as Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, Welcome Boosters, Commander decks, Bundles and a Secret Lair. Thanks very much to Wizards of the Coast for sending us this bundle to unbox and you can watch the unboxing video here or below. For more information on March of the Madness, visit the official Magic website.
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