The Brothers’ War is one of the most iconic events in Magic’s lore, and the upcoming set will give us a deep dive into that history. Not only will we get cards of the war’s battles, weapons, and machines, but we’ll also get to see the story from new perspectives. WOTC’s most recent web fiction portrays a variety of characters reflecting on or living through the destruction of the war.
If you’re interested in Magic’s story but you just want the short version, read on! This article will fill you in on all the important story beats for the next chapter of Magic’s latest arc. If you’re interested in reading the whole story for yourself, it’s available on Magic’s official website here.
The Brothers’ War Novel
If you aren’t already familiar with the lore of this time period, I highly recommend reading Jeff Grubb’s novel: The Brothers’ War. It isn’t necessary to understand the most recent fiction, but it would certainly give you a broader look at the war.
The novel focuses on the two brothers Urza and Mishra, who fight on opposite sides of the war. Urza becomes the Lord Protector of Argive and fights for the coastal nations, while Mishra ascends among the Fallaji clans in the desert. If you want to know more about how the war got started and who its major players were, this novel is definitely for you.
The current web fiction shines a spotlight on the rest of Terisiare: the soldiers who lived through hell and the people who survived after the world ended. As a result, you don’t need to know the full details of the broader war to enjoy it, but reading all of the available fiction will give you a more complete picture of the time.
Stories from the Past
Before we learn what’s happening in the present era, we get to see events both during and after the Brothers’ War. These stories show us the consequences of the Brothers’ War for the ordinary people of the time, as well as the cataclysmic aftermath.
Episode 1: The End
Five years after the end of the war, the city of Penregon struggles to survive. Kayla bin-Kroog, once the Princess of Kroog and Urza’s wife, now leads the city as life continues after the apocolypse. The climate grows colder, the harvests grow thinner, and former soldiers are now beggars in the aftermath of war.
One evening, Kayla meets with Tawnos, one of Urza’s most trusted artificers during the war. Tawnos wants to help rebuild Penregon using automatons he designed with Urza. Since no one else knows how to use Urza’s old warehouses, and knowing how it could benefit her people, Kayla agrees.
However, she also makes it clear that she hasn’t forgotten the past. Her son, Harbin, died during the war, and she hasn’t forgiven Urza for ending the world as they knew it.
As the months go by, Penregon rebuilds its walls and constructs civil automatons to help with farming and mining. However, a traveling band of warriors known as the Talites approaches the city. Over a hundred thousand people march with whatever weapons, armor, and resources they can muster.
Their leader, Raddic of Kroog, claims they are on an iron pilgrimage to purge the “machine demons” from Terisiare. He asks Kayla to join his quest and recruit anyone else in Penregon willing to fight for humanity. She allows the Talites to rest in her city and resupply, but rejects his invitation.
This decision proves to be damning, as conflict breaks out when the Talites encounter the civil automatons. Raddic demands that they send their machines into the ocean and repent, but Kayla refuses. He believes the Talites cannot save Penregon, and Kayla must prepare her city for battle.
Episode 2: The Beginning
As Tawnos and his artificers prepare for battle, he reflects on all the destruction his work has wrought. He may have originally built the civils for peaceful work, but now he’s once again outfitting his machines for violence. Even if Penregon does prevail, he realizes that his supply of powerstones will eventually run out, and he fears how the masses will react. Before his machines can do any more damage, he decides to burn the warehouse and the blueprints.
Meanwhile, Penregon’s militia is able to fend off the Talites. Not only do they have to contend with the outside army, but there are also Tal cultists who have infiltrated the city’s population. As Kayla surveys the damage to her city, she finds out that Tawnos is missing and his warehouse is destroyed. She puts two and two together, cursing him for leaving her city vulnerable to the impending ice age.
Penregon suffers as the years go by. The climate continues to cool, and the city’s harbor begins to freeze over. With limited fishing, trade, and farming, it becomes clear that Penregon won’t survive for long. Kayla maintains a brave face publicly, but falls further and further into despair. As she discovers her affinity for magic, however, she learns to confront her past and current trauma and look towards a brighter future.
Eventually, there is a real cause for hope. Penregon’s scouts report that there are cities thriving to the West, and caravans begin leaving for a better life. Kayla herself joins the last caravan after hearing a rumor that Harbin might still be alive, finally leaving Penregon behind.
Episode 3: Sword One
Next, we jump back to the day Kroog fell, almost 50 years prior to the end of Episode 2. Sanwell, along with a few other cadets, have been abruptly promoted to pilots as some of the most clever and skilled students available in Urza’s army. Each new pilot receives a new sword avenger prototype: a mech warrior which can be remotely ordered through a command rod.
The new pilots’ mission is to destroy a dragon engine within the city. Doing so will not only buy more time for citizens to evacuate, but also aid the chances for a successful counterattack. Sanwell attempts to flank the dragon engine with two other pilots, Rica and Carlo, but they soon find the realities of war to be unbearable. They watch the dragon engine kills other pilots in an instant, and they make a hasty retreat.
As they plan to escape from the city, more of Mishra’s troops find them, and they unleash their sword avengers. The swords are incredibly effective, and Sanwell is relieved that such destructive weapons are on their side, rather than the enemy’s. Eventually, though, the Fallaji are able to destroy Rica’s sword, creating a devastating explosion.
The pilots are all seriously injured, and the Fallaji kill Carlo once they find him among the wreckage. Sanwell orders his sword to fight as he and Rica make a desperate run to leave the city.
Episode 4: The Ink of Empires
Our next story takes place in the Fallaji trenches, in which we follow two soldiers, Farid and Karrak, who have seen the worst of the war. They have no interest in honor or even fighting; they just want to survive this hell.
It becomes clear to the soldiers that they’ll soon be charging the Argivian lines. New reinforcements come to the trenches, and everyone is receiving extra rations. A horde of transmogrants, hybrids of dead flesh and metal crafted by Ashnod, even arrive to aid in the attack.
Before the ensuing battle, however, Farid has another goal. Along with three other soldiers, he sneaks out into no-man’s-land to trade with enemy soldiers. They exchange food, silk, and other goods in a rare moment of peace and humanity.
Farid reflects on how the war has changed him, numbed him, and how replaceable he and his fellow soldiers are to their leaders. He decides to warn the Argivians about their attack, and they tell him about their defenses in return.
Two days later, the Fallaji attack the Argivian front. They bombard the Argivian trenches with bombs and energy weapons, and eventually send soldiers and transmogrants to drive them out. By the time that Farid’s company reaches the Argivian front, they’ve already deserted it.
Among the bunks, Farid and Karrak discover a note from the Argivian soldier, reading only “Our Gratitude.” Immediately, the Fallaji officers order their soldiers to move forward, and the battle continues.
Episode 5: As Cruel, As Necessary
With the Phyrexians invading Dominaria once again, the Gatewatch and their allies are searching for the secret to using the Sylex. To do so, Teferi, Saheeli, and Kaya have been combining their talents to explore the past and learn how Urza detonated it at the Last Battle.
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The process is far from simple, though. Returning to a precise moment from thousands of years ago is a complicated and taxing quest. In his journey, Teferi visits all the past stories we’ve read so far, until he finally sees the Last Battle in the tapestry of time: a dark spot where innumerable lives were lost.
Teferi returns to the Last Battle as a spirit, aided by Kaya’s magic. He watches Urza detonate the Sylex, but he can’t glean any specific ritual. He doesn’t see a clear spell, emotion, or situation that activates the Sylex. Out of desperation, Teferi decides to stay after the Sylex’s blast so he can directly ask Urza how to use it.
In the moment after the blast, Teferi speaks with Urza while his spark ignites. Urza’s body is burned away, then reforms into a planeswalker. Teferi explains that the Phyrexians will continue to attack Dominaria after this battle, and they’ll eventually threaten the whole multiverse.
Urza reveals that he didn’t have specific instructions for using the Sylex. Once he held it, he simply knew what to do. He poured all of his emotions, memory, and being into it, and it worked. Teferi understands that they need a person, not a spell, to trigger it, and he returns to the present.
Years after the Last Battle, Urza finds Tawnos. They reflect on the destruction of the war, and Urza asks Tawnos to share the story of the war before leaving Dominaria.
Stories from the Present
The Brothers’ War doesn’t just take place in the past, however. WOTC continues the story of the New Coalition in the present, defending Dominaria from the Phyrexians.
Chapter 1: Stronghold
On Dominaria, Teferi prepares for the continued threat of the Phyrexians. He has gathered other planeswalkers, including Saheeli Rai, Kaya, and Wrenn, to Urza’s Tower, which has been abandoned for centuries.
While Jodah leads the New Coalition’s defenses, Teferi plans to go back in time so that he can learn how to activate the Sylex. It’s the only weapon capable of stopping Elesh Norn once and for all, but its use still largely remains a mystery.
Across the multiverse, planeswalkers are warning other worlds about the potential Phyrexian threat. Since Vorinclex was found on Kaldheim, the New Coalition fears that he was studying the World Tree. If the Phyrexians could create a second, larger World Tree to unite all of the planes, they could attack anywhere with little warning.
To stop the Phyrexians at their source, the New Coalition decides to work with Urabrask, Tezzeret, and the Mirrans to invade New Phyrexia. Elspeth, who is still grieving Ajani’s compleation, doesn’t believe they should trust Urarbrask and thinks the mission will fail.
As the days pass by, Teferi gets a chance to talk with the other walkers. Saheeli has finished her replica of the Sylex, and she’s making progress on the Temporal Anchor. Once it’s finished, it will allow Teferi to travel through the past, but it comes with risks.
He also convinces Elspeth to stay and help the New Coalition. He ackowledges that their plan will be difficult but has faith for those they need to protect.
Chapter 2: Antiquities
Saheeli and Kaya have made a great deal of progress on the Temporal Anchor. In order to protect Teferi and prevent him from changing the past, the Temporal Anchor will project his spirit back to the Brothers’ War instead of his body. Still, they haven’t figured out how to keep the Anchor stable.
The Temporal Anchor fails yet another test, but this time the pair notices something strange. There’s another presence in the room during the test, which Kaya identifies as a ghost sabotaging the Anchor. She believes its source is one of the many artifacts which Teferi provided them, so they confront Jodah about the artifact’s origins.
Jodah doesn’t tell them much about the artifact, but he recognizes it as something from Urza’s time. Kaya wants to get rid of the spirit, but Saheeli suggests they try to talk to it. To do so, she designs a trap in the Temporal Anchor that causes the ghost to solidify. It has no interest in talking, however, and Kaya fends it off.
After chasing the spirit through the tower, it identifies itself as Sharaman, Urza’s leading general. He wants to stop the planeswalkers from learning about the Sylex so they don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Saheeli tries to explain that it’s the only way to stop the Phyrexians, but Sharaman can’t look past his regrets. Kaya assassinates him, and they continue to test the Temporal Anchor.
Chapter 3: Nemesis
On New Phyrexia, Tezzeret is a reluctant witness to Karn’s captivity. He actually despises Elesh Norn and her Machine Orthodoxy, but he also needs their help. The Planar Bridge is a part of his body, and it’s slowly destroying him. By assisting the Phyrexians, he will receive a new, stronger body made of darksteel, and he’ll be rid of the Planar Bridge. However, he notices that the Phyrexians are treating him with more scrutiny and scorn the longer he stays.
His final task is to bring Karn’s body to Elesh Norn. Although Karn’s mind is still intact, they’ve dissasembled him and prevented him from planeswalking. As a Phyrexian guide leads Tezzeret deeper into the Mycosynth, the core of New Phyrexia, he worries that Elesh Norn has learned of his betrayals. Not only has he fed information to the Gatewatch, but he also hired Kaya to track down Vorinclex on Kaldheim. Rather than fall into a trap, he kills his guide and moves ahead on his own.
Tezzeret seeks out the Darksteel Eye, which can view any location in New Phyrexia. Karn, though still immobile, uses his magic to help him reach the Eye. After using it, though, Tezzeret discovers he cannot view Elesh Norn’s sanctum. Although Tezzeret thought he was safe from the glistening oil, he’s begun hearing whispers to join the Phyrexians. Fearing compleation, he makes his way to Elesh Norn.
The Mycosynth has changed since Tezzeret’s last visit to New Phyrexia. It now resembles a tree, and he leads Karn into his old throne room: a chasm which resembles a beating heart. Elesh Norn awaits him there, and instructs him to return to Dominaria to lead her armies against the New Coalition. Tezzeret realizes that she never plans on giving him the darksteel body, and returns to Dominaria.
Chapter 4: The Dark
On Dominaria, Elspeth commands an army of Saheeli’s mechanical soldiers. Between training and setting up the tower’s defenses, Elspeth has her hands full preparing for the Phyrexians’ return. She buries herself in this work, unwilling to form bonds to the other planeswalkers around her. She’s obsessed with all the lives she’s failed to save, especially Ajani, and is struggling to process that grief.
Chandra and Nissa arrive at the tower, and Elspeth encounters Chandra and Jodah talking one day. They’re sharing memories of Jaya and celebrating her life, and they invite Elspeth to join them. She shares her memories of Venser, who also died before his time. The three discuss their losses and vow to save Ajani from the Phyrexians.
One night, a giant, living skyship brings an army of Phyrexians to the tower. Teferi hasn’t discovered how to use the Sylex yet, but he’s currently searching in the past. In order to give him the time he needs, Elspeth and Jodah need to defend the tower. Elspeth’s traps work fairly well, and she commands her automated soldiers to drive the Phyrexians back.
However, the skyship transforms and unfurls new limbs, marching towards the tower. In order to defeat it and the rest of the Phyrexian army, Jodah needs Elspeth’s help to cast an incredibly powerful fire spell. The emotional intensity required to cast it helps Elspeth realize that she’s held the burden of being everyone’s protector for too long. Sometimes, she needs to trust her allies to protect her as well, and not linger upon all of her failures.
The spell works, but Elspeth realizes that the skyship was only a distraction: Rona’s forces have invaded from the other side. Elspeth manages to fend her off, and Tezzeret appears to escape with Rona.
Chapter 5: Exodus
On the morning before the Phyrexians’ attack, Nissa discusses the New Coalition’s plans with Chandra, Kaya, and Saheeli. Teferi hasn’t yet discovered the secrets of the Sylex, but the Mirrans are ready to launch their attack at any moment. Chandra wants to act as soon as possible, but everyone else wants to be patient and learn more about the Sylex. The meeting ends with tension and no real consensus.
That night, Nissa and Wrenn defend the tower while Elspeth and Jodah lead the counterattack. After it seems Elspeth and Jodah defeated the Phyrexians, another legion approaches the tower. Nissa and Wrenn struggle to fend them off, especially because Dominaria’s Worldsoul, Gaea, initially refuses to help. The plane has seen too much war and destruction to believe Nissa’s intentions are pure. Without the plane’s magic, Nissa can’t channel elementals or use the full force of her magic.
Nissa continues to plead with Gaea for assistance, and she eventually succeeds. As Gaea lends Nissa her strength, the planeswalker sees all the atrocities the Phyrexians have committed in the past and present. She truly understands just how relentless and brutal her foe is. With Gaea’s help, they win the battle.
Other planeswalkers arrive on Dominaria, and everyone reconvenes. Teferi has spoken with Urza, but is now stuck in stasis within the Temporal Anchor. As his medium, Kaya saw some of his experience, but not all of it. Jodah and Wrenn stay with Teferi, while Saheeli returns to Kaladesh. Everyone else makes their final preparations before heading to New Phyrexia.
End Step
The Brothers’ War features harrowing yet triumphant tales of humanity, and I highly recommend that any Vorthos reads them. I’m excited to see where the Phyrexian story arc goes next, so stay tuned as WOTC releases future stories!
