| Desparkening | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Event Information | |||||
| Era | End of Mending Era, start of Omenpath Era | ||||
| Date | 4562 AR | ||||
| Location | The Multiverse | ||||
| Sets | March of the Machine: The Aftermath | ||||
| Characters | Most planeswalkers | ||||
| Outcome |
| ||||
| Timeline | |||||
| |||||
 | The title of this article is a fan created nickname. |
The Desparkening,[1][2] Great Desparking,[3] or Great Desparkening,[1] was a process that caused the vast majority of planeswalkers across the Multiverse to lose their sparks following the end of New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.[4][5][6]
Description[ | ]
The Desparkening caused a gradual fading of the spark from planeswalkers' bodies, leaving them without the ability to enter the Blind Eternities and travel between planes.[6][7] How quickly the process took is unknown but it appears to have been subtle enough that some planeswalkers didn't notice the change until they attempted to planeswalk.[8]
It has been stated that the energy that made up the sparks still exists, and that they may have left their hosts rather than disappearing altogether.[6] Although the spark is intrinsically connected to a being's soul, it is confirmed that the desparked planeswalkers retained their souls.[9] In contrast to other methods of spark removal (e.g. Nicol Bolas's Elderspell), the Desparkening was not lethal.[6]
For former planeswalkers, the lost spark feels like a hole, a cavity, a pain, like a missing limb that has been sunburnt.[10] Saheeli Rai has theorized that the sparks were moved, not destroyed because a law of reality asserts that its fundamental elements — mana, aether — cannot be created or destroyed. "Life and death, being and nonexistence. It is all the same substrate, only the expression, and the location changes." In her belief, the missing sparks have merely been moved somewhere, not destroyed, leaving the possibility that a planeswalker can regain their sparks in some way.[10]
The exact cause and mechanics of the Desparkening are unknown, but Teferi speculated that the Multiverse may have been attempting to heal itself in response to Elspeth's detonation of the Filigree Sylex within the Blind Eternities and the chaos caused by Wrenn and Realmbreaker's successful New Phyrexia-Zhalfir switch. The dimensional researcher Zimone Wola has espoused the theory that the Desparkening took place due to the opening of the Omenpaths. In her theory, before the event, planeswalkers acted as observers that maintained the quantum structure of the Multiverse by interacting with it, but Omenpaths have rendered that unnecessary.
History[ | ]
The Desparkening began after New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse in 4562 AR.[4]
Planeswalkers that lost their sparks were subsequently trapped on their current plane.[6] Many planeswalkers participated in the defense of their home planes during New Phyrexia's Invasion, relegating them to their original planes. However, some planeswalkers retained their sparks, and thus their ability to travel between planes at will. Around the same time, Omenpaths opened throughout the Multiverse, allowing both planeswalkers and non-planeswalkers to travel the Multiverse for the first time since the Great Mending.
Known sparks lost during the Desparkening[ | ]
Sparks lost otherwise[ | ]
- Karn sacrificed the spark he inherited from Venser to un-compleat Ajani Goldmane and Nissa Revane.[16]
- Nahiri's spark ended up encased in a hedron after her un-compleation, but it was lost when the hedron shattered.[6][17]
Known sparks retained[ | ]
Desparked symbol[ | ]
A cracked planeswalker symbol represents those who have lost their spark.
Multiple former planeswalkers received new cards as Legendary Creatures in March of the Machine: The Aftermath. Each featured a cracked planeswalker symbol watermark. Desparked former planeswalkers' first appearance as legendary creatures in later sets feature the same watermark.[22] Desparked planeswalkers who never have received a Planeswalker card won't feature the watermark.[23][24]
Diminished presence in sets[ | ]
Head designer Mark Rosewater announced that, beginning with Wilds of Eldraine, most sets would feature only one Planeswalker card.[2]
In-game references[ | ]
- Represented in:
- Referred to:
References[ | ]
- ↑ a b The Vorthos Cast (July 10, 2023). "255 - Interview with Story Lead Roy Graham". Soundcloud.
- ↑ a b The Preview Panel at MagicCon: Barcelona (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (July 28, 2023).
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 13, 2023). "Has the public reception to The Great Desparking been mostly positive or negative?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Grace P. Fong (May 1, 2023). "March of the Machine: The Aftermath - She Who Breaks the World". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 2, 2023). "Doing the Aftermath". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d e f WeeklyMTG - March of the Machine: The Aftermath (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (May 2, 2023).
- ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (August 8, 2023). "Wilds of Eldraine - Episode 1: Pure of Heart". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (August 10, 2023). "Wilds of Eldraine - Episode 3: Two Great Banquets". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 27, 2022). "Will there be an explanation about how Phyrexians can now hold a spark?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ a b c d Valerie Valdes (October 20, 2023). "The Lost Caverns of Ixalan - Pawns". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c Mira Grant (August 19, 2024). "Duskmourn: House of Horror - Episode 1: Don't Go Past the Old Dark House". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c The Preview Panel at MagicCon Minneapolis (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (May 5, 2023).
- ↑ a b c Seanan McGuire (December 5, 2023). "Murders at Karlov Manor - Episode 1: Ghosts of Our Past". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Alison Lührs (April 2, 2024). "Outlaws of Thunder Junction - Epilogue 2: Bring the End, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ No Sparks Allowed – Aftermath Lore ft Rhystic Studies (Video). YouTube.
- ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (March 28, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 10: The Rhythms of Life". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Emily Teng (May 2, 2023). "March of the Machine: The Aftermath - Beyond Repair". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Adam Styborski Clayton Kroh (February 23, 2024). "A First Look At Outlaws of Thunder Junction". magicthegathering.com.
- ↑ Adam Styborski (September 22, 2023). "A First Look at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan®". magicthegathering.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023.
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 16, 2024). "Gods of Chaos, the DVD extras". Seanan McGuire.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 29, 2024). "Now that Ral has appeared in Bloomburrow, is Ral a planeswalker who hasn't lost Spark?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 8, 2023). "When we see desparked former planeswalkers in future sets, will they have the desparked watermark we saw in MOM aftermath?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 8, 2023). "Will we see cards of desparked planeswalkers who never had a planeswalkers card?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 11, 2024). "Will we see cards marked with the desparked symbol on cards where we haven't previously seen their PW?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
