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in: Amonkhet, Concepts

God Trials

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The God Trials were the core of the faith of the people of Amonkhet.[1]

Description[ | ]

The God Trials were a series of tasks performed on the plane of Amonkhet that each inhabitant of the world aspired to complete. Originally, the Trials predated Nicol Bolas's intrusion into the plane and were only held once in a solar cycle. Bolas took this tenet and perverted it to hold the population of Naktamun in a never-ending state of exercise.[2] An initiate who underwent a trial was awarded a Cartouche upon its completion.[3] The God-Pharaoh taught that this record of the initiate's achievements preserved the initiate's essence, safeguarding their life force for the journey to the afterlife. Only the best of the best attained the "worthy dead" and had the honor of being personally killed by Hazoret after completing the 5th trial. The corpses of the survivors were shipped through the Gates of the Afterlife at the end of the Hekma and were believed to stay in a hidden oasis. It was thought that upon his return, Bolas would grant an afterlife to the worthy dead. This "afterlife" was revealed to be the transformation into an Eternal. With the deaths of most of the gods and citizens of Naktamun, and the complete desolation and abandonment of the city, the trials could not continue.

Here are the Trials in the order that the citizens of Amonkhet completed them:[4]

  1. The Trial of Solidarity ({W}) — Oketra's was the first trial initiates undertook.[5] This Trial tested one's ability to work with others. A crop entered her monument to find their obelisk, which they worked for years to construct, standing in the center of the chamber. At the beginning of the trial, Oketra shot a massive arrow at the far side of the chamber. The floor of the monument shifted, creating a treacherous landscape, and all manner of enemies swarmed in — viziers, anointed mummies, horned beasts, and even angels. The enemies assaulted both the initiates and their obelisk. The crop had to work together to defend their obelisk and retrieve Oketra's arrow. They succeeded or failed together.
  1. The Trial of Knowledge ({U}) — This Trial tested one's mental capacity. Kefnet welcomed initiates to his trial with a spell that dampened their emotions and physical instincts, forcing them to depend on their mental acumen and spellcasting abilities.[5] A vast labyrinth of water and illusion extended before them. The maze defied reality. It was filled with threats like illusory horrors, traps, and false doors — all curated to play on the fears of the individual initiates. Not only did the initiates have to navigate this labyrinth of terror, but they also had to realize the glyphs on the walls held the key to passing the trial: a spell that would reveal the true exit. Without this spell, they would drown in the final room. A truly wise initiate would feel barely a drop of water.
  1. The Trial of Strength ({G}) — This Trial tested one's physical capacity. Rhonas had little patience for the weak, which was why he made entry into his monument a trial of its own.[5] Initiates had to climb thorny vines and ride down a raging waterfall. Rhonas greeted those who survived, informing them that the toxin from the thorns had left them incapable of spellcasting; they had to depend on their physical prowess. Within the monument, a seemingly endless jungle was filled with territorial beasts and poisonous hazards. It took days for initiates to reach the heart of the jungle where they found an ancient basilisk. They had to claim one of the basilisk's scales, which held the cure for the toxin. But that was not the end. Initiates still had to cross the final half of the jungle.
  1. The Trial of Ambition ({B}) — This Trial tested one's willingness to do what must be done. Ten members of a crop entered the Trial of Ambition, where they were made to compete rather than cooperate.[5] It involved moving through several dark chambers full of traps and monsters, encouraging crop members to sacrifice each other until they arrived at a clear water body full of poisonous snakes, whose only means of crossing involved sacrificing the heart of a fellow crop member. In the final chamber, Bontu informed the remaining initiates that there were three doors, and their starting position in the final Trial of Zeal would be determined by the door through which they exited. The initiates were forced to act quickly as swarms of flesh-eating scarab beetles entered the room. It was the initiate willing to put personal glory over friendship who would achieve the highest honor.
  1. The Trial of Zeal ({R}) — Hazoret saw the initiates who passed the first four trials as her children.[5] She celebrated with these glorified initiates before the final trial, and it fell to her to grant them a Glorified Death. All who entered the final trial had earned the rank of worthy and would be invited to the afterlife. This trial determineed what place each would have, and it ended with Glorified Death for all. Hazoret’s trial took place in the arena of her monument, known as the Proving Ground. A series of escalating combats pitted initiates against each other. The surviving initiates from each combat climbed to the next platform, moving up the Steps of Battle. The bodies of those who died were carried to funerary barges, which would take them through the Gate to the Afterlife. When only one initiate remained, Hazoret granted that initiate the most Glorified Death with her forked staff. Her gift was eternal honor. During the last Trial before the Hour of Devastation, the Worthy had to face dissenters and heretics to prove their faith. In a previous trial, they faced a dragon.

Gallery[ | ]

In-game[ | ]

In-game, the Trials are represented by a cycle of uncommon enchantments, which have an enter-the-battlefield effect, which reflects their color. Trials also have a clause, where whenever a trial's owner resolves a Cartouche, they return it to their hand.

In-game references[ | ]

Represented in:
Referred to:

References[ | ]

  1. ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
  2. ↑ Alison Luhrs (June 7, 2017). "The Hour of Revelation". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Dave Humpherys (April 4, 2017). "Developing Amonkhet". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 17, 2017). "Amonkhet Down to Business, Part 3". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b c d e Ethan Fleischer (2017). Amonkhet Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
Amonkhet block
Annex set
Amonkhet storyline
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