MTG Players Wondering Where Two Major Characters Have Gone

Introduction

The reception to March of the Machine’s storyline has been decidedly mixed. On the one hand, many players loved Elspeth’s dramatic return and the integration of preview cards with key plot beats. On the other hand, however, many players felt that the long-awaited conclusion to the Phyrexian arc was slightly anti-climactic. There were concerns that the pace was hurried, as the entire story of the invasion needed to be told in only 10 short chapters, and a handful of side stories. Nevertheless, now that March of the Machine’s story is wrapping up, and we’re moving into March of the Machine: the Aftermath, players are left with one primary question…

Just where are Jace and Vraska?

Jace and Vraska

Jace Beleren is one of the main characters of Magic: the Gathering’s story. He is a founding member of the Gatewatch, MTG’s Planeswalking equivalent of the Avengers or the Justice League. Jace is a powerful mind mage and a cunning tactician.

Vraska is also a significant character. This Gorgon assassin has served as the head of the Golgari Swarm on Ravnica and has sailed the oceans of Ixalan as a pirate captain.

Jace and Vraska are a couple, having gotten together in the aftermath of the War of the Spark. Both were also Compleated by the Phyrexians. Vraska was corrupted fighting in Sheoldred’s coliseum and she in turn then corrupted Jace, a scene depicted in the art of Phyrexian Arena.

With both of these two key characters Compleated, the stage was set for them to play a major role in the Phyrexian invasion of the multiverse…

March of Mysteries

Jace appears only in the first chapter of the story of March of the Machine “Triumph of the Fleshless”.

This chapter is told from the perspective of Elesh Norn, as she assigns tasks to the Planeswalkers serving her. She appears to have given Jace a special mission, although just what exactly this task is never gets explained.

Specifically, the story states: “Norn turns toward her holy evangels. Jace slips off—he knows what Norn wants, of course, knows before she has to say a thing.”

After this Jace vanishes from the narrative and is not seen again, or at least his physical body is never seen.

Vraska, meanwhile, has a significantly larger role in March of the Machine’s storyline. The majority of the chapter “Ravnica: One and the Same” is told from her perspective, as she commands the invasion of her former home.

Vraska is defeated by the Izzet Guild leader Ral Zarek. She then mentally retreats into a corner of her mind which the Phyrexians were unable to taint and dreams about Jace. Vraska and this dream version of Jace have a long conversation about her regrets and then kiss. Whether this dream Jace is an illusion cast by the mind mage, a figment of Vraska’s imagination or something else altogether is not currently clear. The illusory Jace uses magic to bring back memories that Vraska sealed away inside herself after their time together on Ixalan. Regaining these memories consumes Vraska’s mind with a blast of pure white, and causes her physical body to vanish from Ravnica.

Fun Fan Theories

The MTG community are enjoying brewing all manner of theories about where Jace and Vraska might be.

In a thread discussing leaked cards from March of the Machine: the Aftermath, several fans are sharing their ideas about what may have happened to the duo…

The user Humorlessness writes: “Jase and Vraska are almost certainly alive and uncompleated.”

This idea is challenged by bossyesterday, who argues: “If that’s true, then it’s so lame and a missed potential to me because they literally don’t bother doing anything with phyrexianized Jace, despite him having a lot of potential as an actual terrifying antagonist.”

TLKv3, also argues that the Phyrexianized Jace still has more to do in the story, writing: “I still really, really, really hope that Jace is the next big bad of MTG.”

Conclusion

So Jace and Vraska could be enjoying a peaceful retirement together, or they might be Magic’s next big bads. Hopefully once March of the Machine: the Aftermath is released we will have some answers. It is also possible that this story thread could be continued in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, considering Jace and Vraska’s history on that world. At the minute we simply can’t say what could happen next.