GODS vs PHYREXIANS | Kaldheim Chapter 1 | Magic: The Gathering Lore 

If blocks were still a thing, I’d imagine it being titled kaldheims take on ragnarok. That’d be so cool.

Damn it WoTC, why you gotta mess up blocks when they gave us so much story

If they were continuing the metal theme that would be siiiick

That'd be metal.

That would be crazy

Wait, Kaldheim set have PHYREXIANS CARDS on it ?! (I haven't really made researches about this set)

@@rKhael53 vorenclex is a card in the set and now phyrexian is now a official creature type

Yes. Dr death (our lord and savior yawgmoth)

@@TomozAlpha ​ Ah, only Vorinclex? So we need to wait one more set to have phyrexians return probably

@@rKhael53 I Don’t know but like the comment says ”I, for one, Accept our phyrexian overlords.”

Ah, thank you for the clarification. I haven't read the lore, but I'm on team Vorinclex for this battle. It doesn't sit right with me for a monstrosity that powerful to be taken out by someone like Kaya, who literally specializes in ghost assassinations (assassins don't match up well against bruisers, and it is much too early for the Praetors to actually die imo.)

@Democrats Lie Are you okay?

Ya, the lore has been an absolute shit show for quite some time. It's painstakingly obvious that WoTC has shifted the vast majority of its efforts into pumping out set , after set, after set ad nauseum. The days of commissioning veterans of fantasy literature to write compelling storylines, complex characters, and intriguing worlds are long gone in of favor of a frantic cash grab.

It's a blessing on high, that they haven't bastardized Urza. Still the best story arc in MTG;s history imo.

I've got to stop comparing every set's story to Shadows over Innistrad. That was the exception, not the rule, yet I still get my hopes up every time.

@@blakegrose1774 that's the first story I read, it's sooooo good. When I saw Halana and Alena got their own cards I was so excited

@@blakegrose1774 shadows was sooo good. But ixalan was also solid storytelling

Exactly.

So will more phyrexians be made on Kaldheim. Because we all know how leaking oil went down with a certain metal plainswalker

Yeah but they were already some phyrexians infections on the wall of cavern so it didn’t do much I think

Glistening Oil is not that dangerous for planes made by stone and rock, if it were, Dominaria would have been entirely compleated by now. The reason Mirrodin was compleated into New Phyrexia at the fast rate it did, was because it was an artificial plane made of metal. If Glistening Oil was all that was needed, Yawgmoth would not have needed to invade Dominaria in the first place.

@@Krishnath.Dragon that’s true, but it can still infect organic matter, the Mirrans were frequently infected. Generally they did just die, but some became Phyrexians.

They went pound for pound with premending planeswalkers it's retarded

In all fairness we havent seen what ghostblades would do to vornclex in the padt. But I agree she should have had a harder time dealing with vorinclex since he is mainly about brute strength. Personally I would have had her be the one losing the fight and the god stepping in to save the party.

I think he was intentionally trying to get hurt

Phyrexians are historically very weak in the bitter cold. It's why Urza used the Cylex to create the Ice Age which killed 99% of the phyrexians at the time. It wasn't until Freyalise ended the Ice Age that the phyrexians who weren't killed "woke up" and restarted their efforts. (Which, by the way is what Karn is working on right now, figuring out a way to use the Cylex to defeat the phyrexians on Mirrodin.) Not to mention that on Mirrodin "cold" doesn't really exist. The place has 5 suns!!! lol. Perfect environment for them to grow in. Basically, it's not that Kaya is "strong enough to beat him" so much as "he, because of the cold, is operating at less than half his strength" Hope that clears some of that up for ya.'

@@SilentGrudge thanks a lot, that actually helped very much, altough I still think Vorinclex should have been a bigger menace... I mean, even in a cold environment... for crying out loud, PWs like Koth and Elspeth were afraid to face them! AND ELSPETH DEFEATED POLUKRANOS AND HELIOD! Of course the conditions here were very different but going from ruling an entire ecosystem og Geiger-esque nightmares to barely keeping up with an assassin with fancy blades...

Well we haven't ever seen a Phyrexian put against soul blades so there is no evidence suggesting that they wouldn't be effective compared to the normal weapons which do little to no damage almost all of which heals nearly immediately.

Yawgmoth will return to "unmend" things. The end is nigh.

@@architectofdreams73 The time rifts were one of the two main things caused by the Golgothian Cylix, the other being Dominaria's second Ice Age. If anything Karn will unintentionally cause the unmending if he were to use the Cylix assuming that his hunt for it on Dominaria went well. The mending refers to the repair of these time rifts and the decrease of power in all planeswalkers that resulted.

@@architectofdreams73 yagmoth would die to nicol bolas

not me

We will flay the false skin of this world to reveal the face of new Phyrexia

Wait, Kaldheim set have PHYREXIANS CARDS on it ?! (I haven't really made researches about this set)

@@rKhael53 Did you watch the video?

@@supercannonball1236 No

@@rKhael53 Watch the video, it explains everything

If I recall, they were originally locked down on New Phyrexia by the 9 Titans, but it seems like Tibalt or someone released Vorinclex at the very least. Hopefully not the others, but I have a feeling we might see Gin-Gitaxis on Strixhaven, the next set.

Thank you so much

But guys, it's so *METAL*. Right? ...Right? That's coming across guys, right? How about if we just say it more? No? Oh...

Glad to have you back my friend! Thank you

Another thought: Isn't Bolas technique to make Eternals draw similar parallels to Phryexian Oil?

@@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 except for Lazothep isnt a living metal like the Phyrexian oil tends to make everything be. Lazothep is just a metal that has high magic properties. The Phyrexian oil is known to act almost more like a living wireframe metal structure that can spread from creature to creature and keep people on a sort of half life half metallic monstrosity thing Lazothep just makes a magic armor for the undead

Awesome snag! As much as I love the Phyrexian text version, I really like the showcase art. It would have been cool to have my cake and eat it too with both having a Phyrexian text version available. lol. Outstanding pull though - congrats!

I mean, planeswalkers are still people, and people need things. But at least from my perspective it seemed like Kaya was motivated by just having something simple to do instead of dealing with all the business on Ravnica.

That cracked me up too. I guess it's a good thing that gold seems to be a semi-universal currency (*maybe*), because otherwise being an interdimensional mercenary is ... pointless.

I mean it makes 0 sense. Not once in the lore have phyrexians struggled to deal with spirits.

I still don't understand how Kaya's ability to ghostform and attack spirits equates to "chopping through the arms and legs of a 16 foot hulking monster with daggers, no problem at all". Her ghosting a dagger into his spine, I'd understand. But just chopping off arms and legs willy-nilly seems ridiculous. I'd believe it if it were Elspeth, Godsend in hand. Kaya, no.

Also - she was chopping off arms and legs. Vorinclex was bleeding. How did none of that get on her? Because I think we all have a good idea of what should happen when you get a Preator's blood on you.

Sorry brother, I will be doing more though! I was super tired today so the reading wasnt even good... lol

@@AetherHub that’s fair. Most people don’t have as messed of a sleep schedule as I do.

She's a ghost assassin. What a super niche skill set. It made sense on ravnica, its kinda weird on kaldheim

It would have been fun for once to have the face of the set not be a "good guy". It almost would have been... metal. And it would be nice to have more than 1 of the planeswalkers of this set be from Kaldheim. And Tyvar, don't get a swollen head, I'm none to fond of you either.

Uhhh...Tibalt is a PW.

Mirroring was lost because of a trace of phyrexian oil. Kaldhiem is dead. Better to burn the plane than let it suffer that fate.

A single drop of oil doomed the entire plane. Imagine how much of it spewed out of Vorinvlexs wounds on Kaldheim. Kaldheim has fallen. And the phyrexians were barely even present.

We will flay the false skin of this world to reveal the face of a new Phyrexia

All will be one

They fear death even as we offer immortality

She can't. Minorities Protection deems it such.

@@architectofdreams73 found the pepega bigot lul

@@thoticcusprime9309 I guess the truth is bigoted then.

I know it appears on the box art for the draft booster box. Also, this link has the art halfway down, but no credit. www.magicspoiler.com/mtg-news/kaldheim-art-and-packaging-spoilers/

I wish they'd used the Phyrexians as an easter egg - more like "Look at this huge conflict between the different generations of gods, and the demi-planes colliding! Kaldheim is AWESOME, isn't it? Something something, so metal! Also, in the corner, you know that Vorinclex is here, doing ... *something*. You don't know what, we won't tell you - just stew on that for, oh, a year or two." And then we do similar things with all the other planes we visit for the next bunch of sets. Set up the idea of Phyrexians somehow escaping New Phyrexia for planar contamination. This just pulls all the attention onto the Phyrexians.

On different planes. Just wait. The return of Phyrexians is at hand. This is the next "big bad". Yawgmoth will return. The end of the multiverse is nigh.

Vorinclex is something like 12 - 16 feet tall, right? And Kaya uses an *assassin's* knives. So... logistically, even ignoring how/why her powers should work this way - how do those knives cut through limbs that big so cleanly?

I won't deny that I was thinking it too. The sky would cave in if MTG ever did an African based set with a white planeswalker as its face. Why doesn't this set have a VIKING planeswalker? (Sit down, Tyvar, you don't count).

We know that Elspeth and Koth together were sent running by a single praetor. The lore seems to establish that the (at least) 5 praetors are horrifyingly strong.

But they are getting everywhere, infecting everything. Yawgmoth is still a threat, even dead his power still corrupts all. Things are set in motion to bring back the Phyrexian "god". When Yawgmoth returns, they will beg for something sweet as death. Bolas is but a speck on a napkin compared to the horrors that Yawgmoth will bring. And bring his vengeance he shall. The end is nigh.

Vorin-halla? The Great Work Tree?

Karn is a possibility due to his history with and knowledge of New Phyrexia he'd very likely be keeping an eye on the plane and upon figuring out that any Phyrexian let alone a Praetor escaped he'd definitely want them slowed down if not killed as immediately as possible, some other options could be Elspeth who hates the Phyrexians immensely after what she endured on their plane, Ajani who both hates Phyrexians due to his care for Elspeth and who has lived through many of the extra planar threats throughout his time, etc

@@phoenixshadow4631 other than karn, why would any of the other walkers not go to kaldeim personaly? i dont think it was any of them

@@goncaloferreira6429 Ajani and Elspeth both hate the Phyrexians but both of them also know how most regular weapons have no lasting effect on the Phyrexians. Therefore Ajanj is totally out because he knows that he can't win against them, Elspeth could try but we don't know how effective the ShadowSpear would actually be on Phyrexians so assuming that's its ineffective there is no point and assuming it is effective then obviously she wasn't the one who hired Kaya

@@phoenixshadow4631 i am taking it from a story perspective. ajani and elspeth are both white walkers, they would not hire someone. they would go themseves to at least help and share knowledge. does kaya know who hired her? i got the feeling she doesnt and ajani and elspeth would not do things like that. also, am i forgetting something or you are wrong about ajani´s relationship with the pyrexians? he never actually encountered them so he cant hate them.

@@goncaloferreira6429 According to the mtg Fandom wiki Ajani had visited New Phyrexia to help Elspeth this is also hinted at in an old 2013 article on the Magic Story page where Elspeth wrote a letter to Ajani telling him to not come to Mirrodin now turned New Phyrexia to be short he did anyways and he saved Elspeth from some Phyrexians. And when you're facing a multiversal threat on top of you're own problems you would be more likely to hire a specialized member of the Gatewatch to do it then otherwise, also Kaya has no clue who hired her. Ajani has also been shown to be quite the tactician and knows that while he was able to beat a few of them he couldn't necessarily face a Praetor. Also some white aligned characters have been evil or dark in their own wierd way before for example Heliod who wanted to kill his own champion out of jealousy and sent many trials and challenges her way to try and do so and Dovin Baann who wanted control over others so much that he joined the side of Bolas. So white doesn't inherently mean not evil or not swayed to darker means. I can see Ajani not hiring her but I can also see an argument for hiring her. Elspeth though quite literally endured torture to the point of being near dead in one of the novels and surely would have quite good reasons for hiring an assassin out of vengeance. And I said they are possible options for the client not necessarily her actual client, also if I'm honest it is more than likely Karn because he has the largest grudge against the Phyrexians out of all living walkers due to the original Phyrexian war in which he was tortured by being put into an endlessly tumbling box and made to crush thousands of the Mogg species (once again found in an old novel) and saw many of his friends and his creator die then he made his own plane which became infected with Phyrexian rot and unintentionally brought one of the worst threats in the multiverse back into being seeing his friends on Mirrodin even fold and become part of heir ranks with Geth and Glissa both becoming aligned with New Phyrexia very early on and both being in positions of power with Geth being one of the 7 Steel Thranes and Glissa being the sort of secret background leader of the Viscious Swarn as well as the one who lead to most of the elven population being compleated. Another one that I didn't bring up was Koth because we have no idea whether he is still alive or not and also because he was pretty much the overall leader of the Mirran forces meaning that if he left and an attack occurred every last Mirran would be conpleat-ly gone.

Right? It's hard to care about the story when it mentions Vorinclex escaping through some mycosynth-analogue in the wall, because my initial reaction was, "Well, Kaldheim's fucked then, have fun with that Vikings. Wish I would have gotten to meet you, but sing some psalms to the Machine Father for me, will ya?"

Short answer. Insanely

@@AetherHub like sorin

I believe Vensers spark was absorbed into karn entirely so if venser was brought back at all, it’d be even more of an empty shell

@@Dyllrboy They make Phyrexia so OP that I wouldn't even be surprised if they can make artificial sparks too. lol

@@Venom87542 but that was the issue ever since Memnarch wasn’t it? Trying to create an artificial spark that didn’t involve someone else’s spark?

@@Dyllrboy Hm well that would mean they'd have to capture another Planeswalker. Aside from Karn, I'm surprised no Planeswalker has been corrupted by the oil. (To my knowledge)

Garruk, Garruk all the way.

Even if Garruk wins the fight, all that oil that spews from vorinclexs wounds would eventually turn him. And if Garruk is grabbed once, he just gets absorbed. So I'm going to say The Praetor is the winner here lol

@@Derpy_fish63 True, but what it Garruk never touches Vorinclex? He can summon hordes of beasts that he can just make disappear so even if one fo them gets the oil on it he can just poof it out of existence and never get infected.

Vorniclex for sure, I mean he and a few other praetors corrupted Karn just by telling him their bible psalms

Garruk, he roamed cursed by the veil for a decade

I don’t think Vorinclex is designed to be the main enemy. But rather a perplexing mystery.

@@AetherHub perhaps, if you consider just this story. but if you consider the kaldeim arc? and all the comments here show that people see the phyrexians, and vorinclex, their emmisary, as pretty important and powerfull.

I was super excited when I saw the spoiler, because I thought Vorinclex would barely be in the story, and it was almost an easter egg. The main story would be the strife between the different generations of gods, involving the demiplanes of Kaldheim colliding. I thought this was a really way to do a return to New Phyrexia (You don't return to New Phyrexia. New Phyrexia returns to you!) would be to sprinkle easter eggs that *somehow* the Phyrexians had escaped their plane. Which could be a really cool planar saga of how different planes react to this new threat. But this plot just pulls all the attention away from Kaldheim. I read about the metal corrupted in the cave and thought, "Well, this plane is already fucked, sorry Vikings, wish I'd gotten to know you."

Both Vorinclex and the 3/4 foreign planeswalkers do pull away from Kaldheim itself. Like damn, guys, let us get to know this plane first. We need to love Kaldheim for Kaldheim, not just because it was the plane that got fucked by Vorinclex (which I'm going to need *seriously* good writing to understand how it's already not).

HAHA! Someone else gets it! Regardless of how her magic works (which I don't understand either), her knives are way too small. Postmending planeswalkers aren't supposed to be *this* powerful. Cheers sirrah!

He is protecting Rowan and Will, no ? 🤔

That's the thing....you don't kill a Phyrexian. You can defeat one, but they won't stay "dead" forever. Once Yawgmoth makes his return, you will witness the full power of the Phyrexians. He will return...and the beginning of the end will be at hand.

Sorry about that! There will be plenty more random night streams though!

Back in the day, Old Phyrexia was able to phase its entire plane into Serra’s Realm and nearly did the same to Dominaria, only being stopped by Urza and his team of other old planeswalkers in giant robots. It’s likely New Phyrexia’s trying to phase into Kaldheim here.

@@maxspecs thanks for the lore info.

A postmended pw. She had no business even scratching a Praetor much less nearly killing them solo

@@mistertaz94 Not to mention her whole gimmick is phyrexians now cant hurt spirits

So were Koth and Elspeth, and one single praetor sent both of them *running*. So was Karn, and if it weren't for Venser, the oil would have consumed him. Planeswalker status doesn't and shouldn't immediately equate to tactical superiority in any situation. Hell, Urza was an oldwalker with oldwalker allies, and for years the Phyrexians besieged Dominaria rather successfully. I agree with the complaint that this fight shouldn't have been so easy for Kaya. I could understand her using her ghostform defensively to avoid Vorinclex's attacks - but hacking limbs off right and left seems ridiculous. Also, how did she not get any of his blood on her? Because that would be game over, my friend.

THANK YOU. I didn't understand why Kaya was on Kaldheim, and I thought the fight was ridiculous. The praetors were enough to send Elspeth and Koth *running*. And those two knew what they were walking in to. It also pissed me off how Kaya just somehow knows not to touch anything in the cave. She says it multiple times, and the only reason for it is plot armor. It's an easy fix - this was just bad writing.

@@blakegrose1774 Oh my gawd, thank you, I barely even registered her saying that. She didn't know what she was here for other than to kill a monster so twice she'd had no idea. I just chalked it up to don't touch the weird junk anyway (and bad writing) so I didn't think much of it. But as always female led set, no reason being here, out playing warriors who could do or did better, downplay villains so they don't curve stomp them. I'm just glad we're getting Kasmina next set, at least she'll make sense, at least she belongs. So long as they don't introduce another downplayed Phyrexian on her plane I have high hopes for her character Oh that would be cool, however they explain the Phyrexians escaping, if there were multiple escapes to multiple planes that would be cool. Just too bad they can't give them the credit they earned

grats, and thank you always for your support buddy

@@AetherHub THANKS!!! and thank you for great videos!!!