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Planeswalking is a difficult business – we’ve previously taken a jaunt through the 4 planes that led up to Dominaria, and explored a few other planes. That said, there are far too many stories to tell on all the planes and their intricacies are complex enough to warrant their own case studies. Here are 5 more planes are the ones that could be talked of endlessly; they are all vivid, rich, and have such diverse landscapes that you can find something that interests you on any one of them.
Ravnica
Definitely a favorite plane among many, Ravnica is both the name of the plane and the city. It is an ecumenopolis which means “a city made of the whole world” which was a word I didn’t know before Ravnica. It is a world that has 2 moons and subterranean oceans. I cannot fathom how those 2 things interact. Here 10 guilds composed of 2 colors of mana each have signed The Guildpact which prevents them from meddling in the business of the other guilds. It is later that Jace becomes a living Guildpact for the plane of Ravnica which often requires his attention. While the majority of the populace does not belong to these guilds, it is a part of daily life that these guilds interact with the world. The guilds were once broken then reformed with some performing new functions and others stepping back into their previous roles. The guildless and the guilds are possibly equatable to the idea of the proletariat. Finally, with Ravnica being as popular as it is, currency is also noted to be zibs and zinos which I think are awesome words. Fantasy currency is a goofy love that I harbor.
Mirrodin/New Phyrexia
Mirrodin was an artificial plane originally known as Argentum created by the Planeswalker Karn. It had a mix of mechanical and biological flora and fauna. It is a world with 5 different suns, one for each color of mana that exists. When Karn left, he left his creation Memnarch in charge and unfortunately he became corrupted by Phyrexian oil and just devolved into madness. Phyrexia, another artificial realm, began to use Mirrodin as its base to rebuild itself as it infected the world. While Phyrexia had been destroyed long and ran on colorless and black mana, it was here that they infiltrated all the colors of mana. Phyrexia, similar to Mirrodin, was a biomechanical kind of plane. Phyrexia was composed of 9 nesting spheres that hosted various different ecosystems or processes. Everything on Phyrexia is essentially body horror when compared to Innistrad’s more psychological terrors.
Alara
Alara was a plane composed of 5 shards built of 3 colors of mana due to the Sundering. This is where the term “shards versus wedges” comes from. This shift from one whole plane to 5 smaller shards caused them to grow independently of one another. All of these shards lost 2 of their colors over time which caused very distinct cultures and landscapes. It was the Conflux that brought these shards back together causing unprecedented problems. Lands once missing colors of mana were then flooded with long-forgotten magical energies. The various cultures began to clash, borders were dissolved, and there was Nicol Bolas at the heart of it all trying to feed on the chaos. Thankfully, he was stopped by Ajani before anything worse could happen. Alara was also home to Elspeth before her death on Theros and Tezzeret, a shaper of metals, who became a pawn to Nicol Bolas.
Lorwyn/Shadowmoor
Drawing from Celtic roots, Lorwyn is an idyllic land where the sun never sets and nature is the most pristine of beauty. Creatures who dwell here know nothing of gloom or sadness. Every 300 years, however, the land would shift from Lorwyn to Shadowmoor. If Lorwyn can be considered the day, then Shadowmoor was the night.
Diametrically opposed opposites, Shadowmoor is completely devoid of the lushness that Lorwyn would provide. In this shift, some races simply cease to be or are flipped. Elves who rule in the sunlight become those oppressed and struggling for survival. While boggarts might be playful and whimsical on Lorwyn, they become mean-spirited and cruel when the shift occurs. Additionally, most inhabitants know nothing of the other state of being and believe themselves to have lived in either state the entire time. This is not universally true as some beings retain all their memories, but this effect is prevalent enough to warrant note. Simply put, all kindness is washed away with the worst turn of personalities.
Kamigawa
A realm influenced heavily by Japanese architecture and spirituality, Kamigawa denizens peacefully worshipped the Kami. Then, seemingly out of nowhere their gods attacked them and began to materialize on the realm. It was later realized this attack happened because a ruler had kidnapped a Kami to harness its power. The damage that the time rifts that Teferi was dealing with caused the veil between the worlds to weaken which allowed for this to happen in the first place. It is here that Tamiyo hails; a truth-seeker that seeks to record truths as they are and is reticent to intervene. A shaky peace was once more brought to the land, perhaps ironically, through the ruler’s own daughter and the stolen essence of the Kami placating the other Kami. I, for one, am glad that Tamiyo seeks to find the unique truths of other lands and brings with her the essence of this plane as it gives yet another view to the multi-faceted structure that is the Magic multiverse.
What about the planes interest you? What backgrounds or cultures haven’t you seen in Magic: The Gathering planes that you’d love to see? Let us know in the comments!
Want more Magic: The Gathering Goodness?
- A Brief Visit to Some Of The Planes Of Magic: The Gathering (Part 1)
- Another Jaunt Through More Planes of Magic: The Gathering (Part 2)
- Playing Magic: The Gathering: How and Where to Get Started
Image Credits: Wizards of the Coast