The story so far of MARCH OF THE MACHINE has been one of relationships, loss and the stages of grief.
Jace Berelen becomes despondent, nihlistic and downright suicidal at the loss of his love, Vraska.
And most of what’s left of the Gate Watch is focused on trying to save what they can of their and other planes.
But the voice of reason…or is it emotion…is Chandra. Where Tamiyo is in full on acceptance and Jace is dealing with depression, Chandra is dealing with something akin to denial. She was not on New Phyrexia and did not see the onslaught happening on this plane and against the others. Those that did saw the best of them taken. And dealing with that level of loss brought a brash realization.
To read the beginning of Chandra’s plan in motion, follow the link to the story.
But Chandra is still in the first stage of grief, DENIAL. She refuses to believe that all is lost. She can’t come to grips with the thought that the mighty Gate Watch will not arm up and do a full frontal assault. In fact, as she tries to rally the troops, THEY seem dead set on NOT going back. They are dealing the horror that they witnessed; dealing with the feelings of inadequacy in the face of their opposition…their mentors.
This is the perfect ‘ACT TWO’ moment when all looks lost and the heroes gather for one awe-inspiring battle to end the conflict. But the others defy Chandra. Even though she is one of the core group of planeswalkers that make up the most powerful, after watching Jace, Nissa and many others fall to Phyrexia, her words fall on deaf ears.
But, of course, this will not deter Chandra. She is a ‘hot head’ after all. But, in many ways, she is right. The only way to truly stop Elesh Norn is to attack her in her ‘safe haven’ on New Phyrexia. And to stop the onslaught across the planes, they must stop or destroy the Phyrexian world tree, Realm Breaker…
And, there lies the problem.
To get to Realm Breaker, Chandra will have to go through Nissa. Fight Nissa. Face Nissa.
Finally, we come to the core of the problem. With Tamiyo, it was her love of world and family; especially the love of her adopted son, Nashi. For Jace, everything fell apart with the loss of his love, Vraska. (Or is this all an illusion…hmmm)
For Chandra, her cross to bear is Nissa. For a long time, the relationship between Nissa and Chandra has been a much loved and cherished part of MTG Vorthos. Their relationship grew deeper with every story. And, now, Chandra stands in the shadow of the possibility of losing her. Why wouldn’t we expect her to go in ‘guns blazing’? Who’s going to stop her?
BUT WAIT…IS SHE RIGHT?
Is is possible that Chandra is thinking more clearly than the rest of the Gate Watch? Sure, her decisions are steeped in emotion, but that shouldn’t automatically discredit them. Because she wasn’t there, she isn’t tainted by the fear of becoming like her friends. The others have to live the horror of the other Planeswalker’s reality. But Chandra’s decision is separated from any fear of failure. To her, it’s the only sane course of action and she is angered that the others don’t see it her way.
Getting to the roots of Realm Breaker is the only real way of stopping the invasions. The only way to cut the Phyrexians off from the other planes. And, to get to the Realm Breaker, she will have to confront a Phyrexianized Nissa; her ultimate nightmare.
BUT WHAT IS THE PLAN, ACTUALLY?
But the plane seems a wee bit more complicated than that.
To be honest, it’s more than an all-out berserker assault on New Phyrexia that Chandra is planning. First of all, Wrenn and Seven come to her side telling her she was making perfect sense. Something about a sick branch just needs to be pruned before you can assess the whole plant/tree. And then there is this enigmatic statement from Wrenn:
But Wrenn looks away, her hand resting on Seven’s bark. “Seven has done so much for me—but he cannot do this. He cannot lend me power he doesn’t have. It must be the fire, and it must be the World Tree.”
It must be FIRE and it must be the WORLD TREE.
Notice Wrenn did NOT say the Realm Breaker. They said the World Tree. And it must be fire? What could they possibly be planning? Could burning the World Tree be the answer? How could it? Whatever they mean, they all seem to be headed for Kaldheim. UNLESS I’m totally misunderstanding this!
NOTE: If Wrenn does come to the World Tree on Kaldheim, could she bond with it? Become one with it and become WRENN AND THE WORLD TREE? Once again, another great team-up for the war with Phyrexia.
I can only imagine that they mean Realm Breaker and Wrenn is the bomb. Somewhere to unleash the fire she has held within. Maybe this tree can contain the fire burning so long in Wrenn and maybe, JUST MAYBE, it can purify this corrupted Realm Breaker.
NOTE: Purifying the Realm Breaker may make it possible for all people in every plane to travel from plane to plane like some have suggested was coming!
And, speaking of enigmatic statements from Wrenn…
“You guessed right,” Chandra says. “You should give yourself more credit. If we had Teferi with us . . . You think you know where to find him?”
“I think so,” Wrenn says. She nods, while Seven assumes a thinking posture. “He’s gotten himself caught in a tangle again—but it’s nothing we can’t solve. I’ve been studying it while we’ve been in this place, the twisting paths he’s gone down. I know how to reach him, but I won’t be able to do it on my own.”
Art by Romain Kurdi on Artstation
Wrenn knows were to find Teferi? Adding him would definitely tip the scales in their favor. But what do FIRE, THE WORLD TREE (I can only imagine they mean Realm Breaker) and TEFERI have to do with ending this Phyrexian Invasion?
I’m open to suggestions!
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