March of the Machine: Release Date, Leaks, Spoilers & More

24, Feb, 23

March of the Machine: Release Date, Leaks, Spoilers & More

Alex Atkin

Now that Phyrexia: All Will Be One has been released, eyes are turning toward the next premier set on the horizon. This set, March of the Machine is easily one of the most anticipated sets in recent memory. As the climactic finale of the ongoing Phyrexian Arc, March of the Machine promises a story like no other. While details about this set are still somewhat few and far between, Wizards recently revealed a tantalizing first look at what’s in store.

Thanks to this recent event, we’ve been given new dates, details, and card treatments to fantasize about. So, with that brief introduction out of the way, here’s everything you need to know about March of the Machine.

March of the Machine Release Dates

As you will likely have come to expect, March of the Machine will follow a fairly typical MTG release schedule. This means that ahead of the set’s official paper launch, there will be Prerelease events spanning the week prior. Thanks to a recent change, March of the Machine cards will be legal in all applicable formats following Prerelease events rather than the official tabletop release date. This change came into effect following Phyrexia: All Will Be One Prerelease.

Here are all the dates that have been announced for March of the Machine.

March of the Machine Story: March 16th – March 28th
Set Debut & Cinematic Trailer: March 29th
Card Previews: March 29th – April 4th
In-Store Prerelease Events: April 14th – April 20th
MTG Arena & Magic Online Release Date: April 18th
March of the Machine Global Tabletop Release Date: April 21st
In-Store Launch Party Events: April 21st – April 23rd

March of the Machine Story

Currently, Wizards is keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to the March of the Machine story. This is to be expected since the story is the climactic finale of the Phyrexian Arc. What we do know, however, is that, following the successful activation of Realmbreaker in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, March of the Machine is a true battle for the multiverse that’s being fought across multiple planes. While it’s unclear exactly how this battle will play out, expect there to be some monumental consequences. Many of these consequences are so world-changing, they’re playing out in their own unique follow-up supplemental set; March of the Machine: The Aftermath.

Despite the set being shrouded in mystery, the details we know have conjured up plenty of wild speculation amidst the MTG community. Recently, for instance, MTG players on Reddit offered up countless wild theories about March of the Machine following a tease by Lead Designer Mark Rosewater. Officially, all of these wild theories are just that, theories. That being said, however, it’s clear Wizards of the Coast has some huge reveals in store.

As we highlighted earlier, March of the Machine’s story will play out from the 16th to the 29th of March.

March of the Machine Mechanics

With previews for the set still over a month away, March of the Machine’s mechanics have yet to be confirmed. Thanks to leaks, rumors, and the first round of spoilers, however, we do know some details about what’s in store.

Double-Faced Cards

To start March of the Machine’s early spoiler season off with a bang, Blake Rasmussen revealed the first of many double-faced cards in the set; Jin-Gitaxias. Later followed up by Heliod, the Radiant Dawn it appears double-faced cards will be a major component of the set. So much so, in fact, each March of the Machine Set and Draft Booster will include one guaranteed double-faced card. While it has not yet been confirmed, this double-faced card is expected to be one of the highly-anticipated Battle Cards. Speaking of which…

Battle Cards

First teased via Atraxa, Grand Unifier, Battle cards are a brand-new card type in March of the Machine. Currently, very few details about this new card type exist, beyond the likelihood of them being double-faced cards. That small detail, however, hasn’t stopped players from relentlessly speculating about what these new cards might be. Currently, the prevailing opinion is that Battle cards are a reworked interpretation of the scrapped Skirmish mechanic.

Originally intended for War of the Spark, Skirmish portrayed the ebb and flow of combat on a grander scale. Introducing a new game piece, players would progress across Skirmish cards by completing in-game actions, such as dealing combat damage. It’s believed a similar system will be used for Battle cards, which will flip once the battle has been won. On the other side of the Battle Card, it’s expected there will be a reward or effect of some kind.

While many players are convinced this is what Battle cards are, keep in mind, for now, this is just a theory. Ultimately, we won’t know exactly what Battle cards are until March of the Machine’s spoiler season starts. As a quick reminder, the set’s spoiler season will take place between March 29th and April 4th.

Planechase Cards

Towashi | March of the Machine Planechase

Found within March of the Machine’s five Commander decks, Planechase cards are coming back to MTG after 11 years. For the set, Wizards has created 25 new Plane cards, which will be found alongside 20 reprinted Plane cards and 5 Phenomenon cards. Each Commander deck will have 10 unique Planechase cards, five of which are the new Plane cards.

In case you’re not familiar with the mechanic, Plane cards offer symmetrical bonuses and or restrictions to each player. Played from the aptly named Planar deck, players can Planeswalk by rolling the special six-sided planar die. Adorned with a Planeswalker symbol, Chaos symbol, and four blank faces, this die can be rolled any number of times per turn. While the first roll of each turn is free, subsequent rolls during the turn cost 1 more than the last. Upon the die landing on the Planeswalker symbol, players will Planewalk to a new plane. The new plane is determined by the active player revealing the top card of their Planar deck. Should the die land on the Chaos symbol, however, the “Whenever Chaos ensues” effect of the current Plane will trigger.

March of the Machine Leaks & Spoilers

Following the recent First Look presentation for March of the Machine, MTG players now have a handful of preliminary spoilers to digest. As we’ve already covered, these include the double-faced cards Jin-Gitaxias, and Heliod, the Radiant Dawn. Additionally, Wizards of the Coast also revealed the set’s first Planeswalker; Chandra, Hope’s Beacon. While exciting, these three spoilers were far from all that Wizards showed off.

Stealing the limelight of the presentation were March of the Machine’s new “team up” cards. As the name suggests, these cards feature two unlikely allies teaming up to fight back against the Phyrexians. So far, four of these team-up cards have been revealed, however, it’s expected they will be a major component of the set. The team-up cards revealed thus far are as follows: Drana and Linvala, Yargle and Multani, Thalia and The Gitrog Monster, and Ghalta and Mavren. Also Omnath is back.

Complimenting the first taste of March of the Machine spoilers, Wizards also revealed the set’s myriad card treatments. Alongside the usual borderless art cards, March of the Machine’s showcase booster fun cards are absolutely wild. Playing into the set’s multiversal themes, each card’s showcase frame highlights the plane it originated from. Heloiod, the Radiant Dawn, for instance, is reprised in Theros: Beyond Death’s unique astrology-inspired showcase card frame. Meanwhile, Yargle and Multani uses the completely different stained glass booster fun frame from Dominaria United. Following in the footsteps of The Brothers’ War, the set also features serialized cards for its Multiverse Legends Bonus Sheet.

As we covered previously March of the Machine’s spoiler season will take place between March 29th and April 4th.

March of the Machine Products

Being a Premier MTG set, there are a variety of different products and ways to collect March of the Machine once it launches. These include Draft Boosters, Set Boosters, Collector Boosters, Jumpstart Boosters, Commander Decks, and the Bundle. Due to Wizards fiercely guarding details, a few products are still missing box art. Specifically, the Commander Decks and Collector Boosters are currently using placeholder art. This is because they feature characters or story moments that have not yet been made public.

Here’s a look at each of the products and a quick rundown of what they include.