March of the Machine may represent the biggest narrative climax in Magic: The Gathering’s story history. Exceeding War of the Spark on a staggering Multiversal scale, this set showcases New Phyrexia’s attempt to wage war on life itself and the brave resistance offered by the many planes they watch over.
In a war that spans such a vast battlefield, familiar faces are bound to emerge. Many have made the main set, but more appear in Multiverse Legends, a collection of faux masterpieces showcasing much-loved legendary creatures in a new showcase frame.
10 Kroxa, the Death Hunger Giant
Theros: Breaking out of the dungeon during the Beyond Death event, Kroxa has earned more than just the horoscope card handling he boasts here, given his all-star performance across a variety of formats. From Explorer to Pioneer to Modern, this elder giant’s reach is only as far as his thuggish arms suggest.
Kroxa is the epitome of a midrange card, slowly draining lives and resources as opponents appear and attack. He’s a staple like Jund, but is also involved in Death’s Shadow decks and Grixis midrange strategies. Kroxa isn’t quite as devastating as her form-twisting Simic brethren, but she deserves to be a Multiverse Legend.
9 Lurker of the Lake, Emri
Throne of Eldraine was a set with no shortage of powerful cards and standout legendary creatures, but one of the best in both categories was undoubtedly Emry, Lurker of the Lake. Emry adapts the artefact problem to the Lady of the Lake fable of Arthurian legend, allowing her to draw valuable artefacts from the depths of the graveyard at every turn.
This ability, combined with built-in cost savings, has made Emry a staple in multiple formats, including Modern, Commander, and Legacy. A clutch card that provides redundancy in a standout artifact strategy, Emry is as much of a kingmaker in Magic as her inspiration was in lore.
8 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Perhaps the defining card of the eternal Death and Taxes archetype, Thalia has kept control decks in the background since her debut in 2011’s Dark Ascension. The combined tax effects of being able to play her creatures on time make Thalia one of her best cards of her time and a title she retains.
Other similar effects have come and gone, but nothing compares to Thalia in terms of efficiency. Her later incarnations on the Eldritch Moon were also absent. As long as an aggressive white deck is possible in Magic, Thalia will have a home that can defend against unholy hordes.
7 Skittyrix, Plague Dragon
More familiar among the demons of New Phyrexia than most of Multiverse Legends, Skithiryx represents one of the most potent toxic threats the Twisted Plane has to offer. You can apply at least 4 poison counters per dodge attack, as well as gain haste and protect yourself from elimination.
These abilities combined make Skithiryx one of the first picks for Infestation Commanders, ideal for quickly finishing opponents off with the support of a few pump spells. Seeing this mighty dragon in the showcase style of Phyrexia: All Will Be One is a nice bonus that adds a new layer of visual horror to support the mechanical horror of the card.
6 Atraxa, Voice of the Judge
Plenty of digital ink has been poured out to extol this Phyrexian Angel’s virtues, and not a drop is wasted. Atraxa has consistently been ranked as the most popular commander in gaming ever since its debut print at Commander 2016 for reasons that become apparent as soon as you read the card.
Atraxa is not only a bowl of hot keyword soup that contains 4 highly relevant combat abilities, but also allows you to multiply them at the end of each turn. This allows you to simultaneously double things like poison and -1/-1 counters for your opponent while evolving multiple counter-based strategies. It’s worth mentioning that the bold New Capenna artwork featured in this new edition is perhaps the most impressive version of this immensely popular creature ever printed.
5 Lurus of the Dream Cave
There’s a fair argument to be made for Lurrus being the most powerful single Magic card ever printed. After all, it takes a special kind of broken card for a card to get banned in the mighty hellscape of legacy and vintage. But with bans from Modern, Pioneer, and Explorer, that’s exactly what Lurrus did.
Much of this power comes from the original design of the companion mechanic, which has thankfully been corrected since. This change brought Lurrus back to Vintage, but it remains banned in both Legacy and Modern. Because of the very consistent and powerful strategy made possible by the passive ability, and the low opportunity cost of never playing more than 2 mana in the Eternal format.
4 Taysa Karloff
A true aristocrat both visually and mechanically, Teysa Karlov is one of the best choices for a sacrifice-focused deck in the Commander format. Doubling down on the dice trigger is powerful enough for Teysa to act as a sort of pureblood panharmonicon, but she also boosts creature tokens with two important keywords in vigilance and lifelink.
Tokens are often created by the death of other creatures, so Teysa’s abilities can work surprisingly well together to create a Vampire Tax Collector board for her opponents to deal with. Her stunning frame, which makes you crave the full Ravnica masterpiece series, is the elegant decoration of this pitch-perfect reprint.
three GrimGrin born from a corpse
A popular Commander choice for decks built around zombies or self-sacrifice (or many in the middle of these concentric circles), Grimgrin is a true engine of destruction. Running on the life fuel of pristine but ethically questionable creatures, he can eliminate major threats from the board as he grows gigantic in the process.
By modern commander standards, he may seem very slow, but this can work to his advantage as the rest of the table ignores him and prioritizes other threats. But while the cards you receive here may be less true with bold new art treatments, they sacrifice the grim darkness of the original for a more detailed exploration of Grim Green’s gruesome form.
2 Goreclaw, Terror of the Cal Sisma
Whether you’re playing Standard or Legacy, subtlety is rarely Green’s strength in Magic. The same goes for Commander, which gives Goreclaw one of the most efficient leaders of a deck full of lumbering green creatures that can be sidelined until victorious. Not only does he make such creatures much cheaper to cast, they also give them a nice boost when attacking together.
Buffs also apply to Goreclaw himself. That said, it can function alone, but it works best with a pack of sturdy beasts by your side and an unprepared opponent in sight. It’s a simple card, but it’s very effective because of the striking new pencil swipe art presented here.
One Agile Marauder Ragavan
The focus of intense debate surrounding the impact of Modern Horizons 2-like sets on Magic’s timeless format, Ragavan stands apart from many of its overwhelming peers thanks to its absurd mana cost-to-power ratio. For just one mana, this pirate primate offers aggressive body, mana ramp, and card draws along with convenient alternative casting costs when charging.
If you can’t block or eliminate turn 1 Ragavan, it may be game over. That’s his power and snowballing advantage. His new frame, which goes back to Kaladesh’s intricate workmanship, is fitting, but some may object to the inclusion of such a controversial design among masterpieces that have carried the frame in the past.