What’s on the horizon for our desparked heroes?
After the epic conflict in March of the Machine, March of the Machine: The Aftermath serves as a unique micro Standard expansion, closing out the amazing four-part Phyrexian storyline. The Multiverse in its current iteration will likely change permanently during March of the Machine, where March of the Machine: The Aftermath will highlight other happenings post-Phyrexian invasion with a unique new booster type to support the release.ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTEverything We Know About MTG’s March of the MachineWhen Magic meets Marvel.Emma Partlow4/15/2023
As previews wrapped up in early May, let’s dive into what we know about the unique fifth Standard expansion, March of the Machine: The Aftermath.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Release Dates, Previews, and Event Schedule
The announced schedule for March of the Machine: The Aftermath is as follows:
- Card Previews: May 2, 2023
- Card Image Galleries Complete: May 2, 2023
- MTG Arena and Magic Online Digital Release: May 11, 2023
- Global Tabletop Release: May 12, 2023
The release for the upcoming mini-Standard expansion is May 12, 2023, with Magic Online and MTG Arena release falling on May 11. March of the Machine: The Aftermath won’t have Prereleases or Prelease Kits, given the nature of the expansion, since Draft Boosters won’t feature as part of the release. As for previews, the complete March of the Machine: The Aftermath dropped on May 2, where only fifty cards feature in this mini-Standard expansion. In addition, there are no Commons in this release, only Uncommons, Rares, and Mythic Rares.
Since the story centers around reparations after the March of the Machine conflict, where many of Magic’s most-loved characters lost their spark, becoming Legendary creatures instead. Despite their de-sparking, many of the cards look to be powerful and will offer a way for Magic players to incorporate their favorite characters as a Commander. As for previews, there’s plenty of excitement to see this new approach to Magic’s most iconic characters.
Sarkhan, Soul Aflame
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
Nahiri, Forged in Fury, Narset, Enlightened Exile, Karn, Legacy Reforged and Nissa, Resurgent Animist are some of the highlight Mythic Rares from the upcoming release. In addition, each former Planeswalker comes in at Mythic Rare, but there are also some other fantastic-looking cards such as Spark Rupture, Nashi, Moon’s Legacy, and Plargg and Nassari who will likely see Commander and constructed play upon release.
Training Grounds
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
The more exciting card to appear in March of the Machine: The Aftermath is Training Grounds, an extremely desirable card first printed in Rise of the Eldrazi. A Commander staple, Training Grounds allows you to reduce activated abilities by two generic mana to activate, enabling absurd combo potential in the singleton format. With the release, you can expect Training Grounds to become a more affordable card for Commander players.
In addition, there are plenty of creature-type matters support with Humans, Angels, and Vampires with cards such as Jirina, Dauntless General, Metropolis Reformer, and Markov Baron that will likely see heavy play upon release. Despite the 50-card stet release, there’s plenty to offer in March of the Machine: The Aftermath that will accommodate every kind of Magic player.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Lore
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
With the conclusion of March of the Machine and the four-part Phyrexian story arc, the Multiverse has permanently changed where March of the Machine: The Aftermath serves as an epilogue, tying up loose ends before the Magic story starts again with Wilds of Eldraine. In terms of story, many Planeswalkers have now lost their spark due to a rift in the Blind Eternities. Karn, Nissa, Nahiri, Ugin, Narset, Kiora, Ob Nixilis, Samut, Tyvar, Nicoll Bolas, Teferi, Sarkhan, Kiora, Koth, and Calix are all confirmed to have lost their sparks in the story thus far. However, Ajani remains a Planeswalker where we’ll no doubt see a Planeswalker card in future releases. March of the Machine: The Aftermath Mechanics
Market Price: $26.85
As March of the Machine: The Aftermath is now fully revealed, there aren’t any new mechanics. However, there are plenty of returning well-loved keywords such as Landfall, Constellation, Affinity for Equipment, and Convoke.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Products
Market Price: $58.98
Market Price: $123.02
Market Price: $33.63
As mentioned earlier, March of the Machine: The Aftermath doesn’t come with the complete slate of products you often see with dedicated Standard releases. As this is an extra mini-Standard expansion, March of the Machine: The Aftermath will feature Bundles, Collector Boosters, and Epilogue Boosters — a new Booster variant for the release. Unfortunately, there won’t be any Draft, Set, or Jumpstart Boosters, nor will there be Prerelease Kits or Commander Precons in March of the Machine: The Aftermath.
According to Wizards of the Coast, Epilogue Boosters continues the story between expansions where each booster promises a Foil and a Showcase card. Every March of the Machine: The Aftermath Epilogue Booster contains five cards, with a combination of one to three cards of rarity Rare or higher and two to four Uncommon cards. In every pack, a total of one to two cards of any rarity are Traditional Foil. It’s best to see Epilogue Boosters as lore-focused, as the goal is to tie the happenings from March of the Machine and before into an easy-to-consume product. In terms of an Epilogue Booster Display, these will contain twenty-four boosters per box.The List Cards in March of the Machine
As March of the Machine: The Aftermath won’t come with Set Boosters, there won’t be any new additions or changes to The List, and will maintain the same catalog revealed from March of the Machine and will next update with Wilds of Eldraine.
March of the Machine: The Aftermath Card Frame and Treatments
Market Price: $11.30
As the upcoming expansion is now fully revealed, there is a wide range of Showcase, Etched, Borderless, and Retro Frames to collect when opening March of the Machine: The Aftermath Epilogue Boosters and Collector Boosters. As similar with March of the Machine, the Showcase Frame is tailored towards the character’s plane of origin, such as Samut, Vizier of Naktamun featuring a design first seen on the Amonkhet Invocations. In addition, Halo Foils return on the Showcase Frame cards, continuing a theme first seen in March of the Machine.
Karn, Legacy Reforged (Retro Frame)
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
Market Price: $18.59
Market Price: $21.28
Market Price: $42.34
Going further, Etched Foils return if you prefer your cards to come with a more subtle foil treatment, a foil process first seen in Commander Legends and remains a popular option with Magic players.
Leyline Immersion (Extended Art)
March Of The Machine: The Aftermath
And finally, Extended Frames returns with extra attention to some of the fantastic art in March of the Machine: The Aftermath. With the number of different printings of the same card for the release, it should enable plenty of affordable options for Magic players with maintaining personality.