Highlighting the power of each Magic: The Gathering Phyrexian Praetor in the March of the Machine set is a cycle of five Transform cards that feature game-ending abilities.
The Phyrexians are ready for the Multiverse invasion in March of the Machine (MOM), featuring an activated Transform ability that turns the Praetors into a Saga. There are five of these MTG cards in total, one for each Phyrexian Praetor. Each will slot into various Commander decks and have varying degrees of success within the casual format. Standard, on the other hand, is a little different.
Each MOM Praetor has a passive ability attached to the front side of the card. And each has a paid activation cost required for the Praetor to Transform into a Saga. The Saga’s chapters are meant to end matches. But they are vulnerable to removal as well. Should a Saga complete itself, it Transforms back into the Praetor front side of the card.
Here are the five MTG legendary Praetor Saga Transform March of the Machine cards.
All MTG Mythic Rare Praetor/Sagas in March of the Machine
Urabrask//The Great Work
Synergizing with Izzet spell builds, is Urabrask//The Great Work, a unique Praetor Saga that can flip for only one Red mana. But it also requires three or more Instant or Sorcery spells to have been cast that turn, making Urabrask//The Great Work a narrow card to play.
Jin-Gitaxias//the Great Synthesis
Control decks want Jin-Gitaxias//the Great Synthesis. Most Blue Control builds are heavy on spells, synergizing with Jin-Gitaxias’s passive, and can draw up to seven or more cards in hand to pay the Transform cost. The Praetor will likely end up as a one-of in Mono-Blue Standard decks.
JIn-Gitaxias
- Mana cost 3UU
- Type: Legendary Creature—Phyrexian Praetor
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 5/5
- Ward: Two
- Passive: Whenever you cast a noncreature spell with a mana value of three or greater, draw a card
- Activated Transform: Pay 3U—Activate only as a Sorcery and if you have seven or more cards in hand
The Great Synthesis
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Chapter one: Draw cards equal to the number of cards in your hand. You have no maximum hand size for as long as you control The Great Synthesis
- Chapter two: Return all non-Phyrexian creatures to their owner’s hands
- Chapter three: You may cast any number of spells from your hand without paying their mana cost. Exile and return it to the battlefield face up.
Sheoldred//The True Scriptures
Discard Black decks may see a revival in Standard through Sheoldred//The True Scriptures. Like her DMU version, Sheoldred has a presence on the board worth her mana cost. Getting eight or more cards into an opponent’s graveyard isn’t always easy, though. Discard Mono-Black and UB mill builds have the potential to pull off the task, as long as the Standard meta allows for the setup.
Sheoldred//The True Scriptures translation and image via MTGGoldfish.
Sheoldred
- Mana cost: 3BB
- Type: Legendary Creature—Phyrexian Praetor
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 4/5
- Keyword: Menace
- Passive: When Sheoldred enters the battlefield, each opponent sacrifices a non-token creature or planeswalker
- Activated Transform: Pay 4B—Activate only as a Sorcery and only if an opponent has eight or more cards in their graveyard.
The True Scriptures
- Chapter one: For each opponent, destroy up to one target creature or planeswalker that player controls
- Chapter two: Each opponent discards three cards and mills three cards
- Chapter three: Put all creature cards from all graveyards onto the battlefield under your control. Exile and then return it to the battlefield face up
Elesh Norn//The Argent Etchings
The low casting cost of Elesh Norn//The Argent Etchings gives the Praetor a chance of succeeding within the Standard meta. The Phyrexian’s passive is great for Big White and Midrange builds. But the build has to generate disposable creatures or tokens for players to capitalize on the power of The Argent Etchings.
Elesh Norn
- Casting cost: 2WW
- Type: Legendary Creature—Phyrexian Praetor
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 3/5
- Keyword: Vigilance
- Ability: Whenever a source an opponent controls deals damage to you or a permanent you control, that source’s controller losses two life unless they pay one mana.
- Transform: Pay 2W and sacrifice three other creatures—Exile Elesh Norn, then return it to the battlefield transformed under its owner’s control. Activate only as a Sorcery.
The Argent Etchings
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Chapter one: Incubate 2 five times, then transform all Incubator tokens you control.
- Chapter two: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain Double Strike until the end of the turn.
- Chapter three: Destroy all other permanents except for Artifacts, lands, and Phyrexians. Exile the Argent Etchings, then return it to the battlefield front face up.
Vorinclex//The Grand Evolution
Of all the Praetor Sagas in MOM, Vorinclex//The Grand Evolution has the most potential to succeed within the Standard format. There are several Ramp builds already hanging out in the meta and will likely want Vorinclex//The Grand Evolution as their big finisher.
Vorinclex
- Mana cost: 3GG
- Type: Phryexian Praetor
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Stats: 6/6
- Keywords: Trample and Reach
- Passive: When Vorinclex enters the battlefield, search your library for up to two Forest cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle
- Activated Transform: Pay 6GG—Activate only as a sorcery
The Grand Evolution
- Type: Enchantment—Saga
- Chapter one: Mill ten cards. Put up to two creature cards from among the milled cards onto the battlefield
- Chapter two: Distribute seven +1/+1 counters among any number of target creatures you control
- Chapter three: Until the end of the turn, creatures you control gain Pay one—”This creature fights target creature you don’t control. Exile and then return it to the battlefield face up
Update April 5 6:20pm CT: Urabrask//The Great Work was added following the update to the WotC card gallery.
