MTG players agree on why March of the Machine’s story feels so rushed

The Phyrexian Magic: The Gathering Multiverse invasion has ended in the upcoming March of the Machine set, leaving the community wanting more. 

Wizards of the Coast completed the storyline of the Phyrexian MTG Multiverse invasion in the upcoming set March of the Machine (MOM), but the community feels the story was rushed and that the villains of the tale failed to live up to the hype.

After months of buildup through sets like Dominaria United and Phyrexia: All Will Be One, the story in March of the Machine included a full-on invasion, the defeat of Praetors, and the recovery of beloved heroes in just 10 episodes. For many in the MTG community, the complaints aren’t about the Phyrexian’s defeat but rather how rushed it was, according to “The Professor” at Tolarian Community College.  

The biggest takeaway from The Professor is that the story needed “more room to stretch,” with many in the MTG scene agreeing. Even Hall of Famer Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa weighed in on the Twitter conversation, comparing the rushed ending to the printing of Niv Mezzet Reborn for War of the Spark. 

Both War of the Spark and March of the Machine are similar in that they portrayed epic battles that were built up over multiple sets, only to have everything resolved in a few chapters or even paragraphs. It’s a fine line in which a story of epic proportions can get dragged out or rushed over, especially when it’s attached to a product for sale.

The writing and the art for the March of the Machine story were executed well and many in the MTG community appreciated having Story Spotlight MOM spoilers worked into the stories themselves. Having Vorinclex appear for only a few sentences and lose his head during that time is why, for many, the story feels rushed. And the same can be said of Elesh Norn’s defeat as well. 

A common thread from the MTG community is that many would have appreciated the story getting stretched out over a larger time span. Perhaps a continuation of the story after ONE was released could have allowed the story team to flesh out the invasion and the ultimate defeat of the Phyrexians. And WotC could have still included Story Spotlight cards as previews and spaced them out to prevent “product fatigue.”

The MTG story for March of the Machine is available to read on the website and spoilers for the upcoming Standard-legal set are dropping now. Players interested in checking out the new set can experience it at prerelease events that start on April 14 at local game stores.