| Sleeper agent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| History | |
| Founded on | Phyrexia |
| Founded | Between the Fall of the Thran and the start of Urza's Saga |
| Status | Unknown |
| Membership | |
| Founded by | Yawgmoth |
| Notable members | Ajani Goldmane, Kerrick, Malach, Stenn, Xantcha |
| Races | Phyrexian humanoids |
- For the Magic: The Gathering Arena format, see Sleeper Agent (format).
A sleeper agent is a Phyrexian organism that is planted on a foreign plane, remaining inactive for a long period while establishing a secure position.
History[ | ]
Phyrexia[ | ]
First Generation Sleeper Agents[ | ]
Xantcha was a first-generation sleeper agent
The original sleeper agents were grown from harvested flesh stored within the Phyrexian flesh vats. They did not have proper names, were gender- and sexless, were shorter than the average adult human (about the height of a twelve-year-old child), had no facial hair, and did not age. Unlike most other Phyrexians though, they had to breathe, drink, eat, and sleep to survive. Called "newts" they were some of the most expendable forces ever created on Phyrexia. About a thousand of this first generation of newts were created, separated into cadres of about twenty individuals each. These sleeper agents were sent out in the wake of the Brothers' War, but their deployment was stopped before it could be finished, as their strange appearance led to them being slain by the planes' defenders shortly after their arrival. The praetor Gix was harshly punished for this oversight, and a new generation of sleeper agents was set to be made.[1]
The best-known example of this first-generation sleeper agent was Xantcha, who betrayed Phyrexia and became a friend of Urza's.[1]
Second Generation Sleeper Agents[ | ]
Kerrick was a second-generation sleeper agent
Later sleeper agents had gender and sex, naturally aged, held individual appearances, and were of full adult human height. After their placement on target planes, their memories were wiped, making them usually unaware of their Phyrexian origin until the time they would be used for various chores, including the construction of portals to allow Phyrexians to enter other planes. They were never compleated beings, as they were specifically grown by Phyrexia.[1]
The best-known example of this type of sleeper agent was Kerrick, who infiltrated the academy on Tolaria and almost managed to kill Urza.[2]
New Phyrexia[ | ]
Created Sleeper Agents[ | ]
Stenn was a converted New Phyrexian sleeper agent
New Phyrexia's sleeper agents were compleated beings created by Sheoldred that were disguised as normal beings. They may have been unaware that they had been altered, until their activation. Their fleshy and metallic parts sometimes burst out of their skin when they were exposed or activated.[3][4]
New Phyrexia employed large numbers of sleeper agents when invading Ixalan, assassinating the emperor and causing ruin to many of the Sun Empire's cities.[5]
Converted Sleeper Agents[ | ]
Ajani was a converted New Phyrexian sleeper agent
The technology of New Phyrexia also allowed them to turn naturally born creatures into sleeper agents through a new Compleation process, which allowed New Phyrexia to seed sleeper agents into the world's natural population. These sleeper agents did not know of their Compleation until their full conversion was triggered. The best examples of this process were the nobleman Stenn and Ajani Goldmane. Stenn was given orders from Phyrexia to obtain the role of the leader of those seeking to root out and discover sleeper agents in Benalia, instead of secretly seeding and infecting the inhabitants. Stenn himself was unaware of his true identity until he learned the (false) location of Karn's sylex[6] Ajani Goldmane was captured and turned into a Sleeper Agent, then let loose to return to his former allies with no memory of this event. His Compleation was revealed both to himself and to others when he was able to put his hands on Karn's sylex.[7][8]
Notable sleeper agents[ | ]
- Ajani Goldmane
- Kerrick
- Malach
- Stenn
- Xantcha
In-game references[ | ]
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Referred to:
References[ | ]
- ↑ a b c Lynn Abbey (1998). Magic: The Gathering - Planeswalker. Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ J. Robert King (1999). Time Streams. Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ Langley Hyde (August 11, 2022). "Sand in the Hourglass". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Roy Graham, Ethan Fleischer, Jenna Helland, Gerritt Turner (August 31, 2022). "Planeswalker's Guide to Dominaria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/planeswalkers-guide-to-the-lost-caverns-of-ixalan
- ↑ Langley Hyde (August 12, 2022). "Episode 3: The Locked Tower". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Langley Hyde (August 18, 2022). "A Whisper in the Wind". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Jay Annelli. (2022.) Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.