Lukka

Lukka
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Lukka Bound to Ruin.jpg}}|250px]]
Details
Race	Phyrexian Human Planeswalker
Birthplace	Ikoria
Lifetime	Mending Era
Colors
Center: Currently:

Lukka (Phyrexian: cyhYD, IPA: [lykuʔ]) is a red-aligned human Phyrexian Planeswalker from the plane of Ikoria. He was compleated during the events of Phyrexia: All Will Be One.

Appearance and characteristics

Lukka is a military-trained man in his late thirties. He is lean and muscled and has a short beard. His black, short-cropped hair is greying at the temples. He has the ability to bond and control animals. When he does that, his face acquires the physical attributes of those animals.

Lukka used to be a member of the Coppercoats, an elite military squad tasked with protecting the human cities of Ikoria against monsters. He used to be engaged to Jirina Kudro, the daughter of the general of the Coppercoats. The influence of an unnamed planeswalker via the Ozolith has disturbed his sense of justice and destabilized his mental health. He has a strong urge to return home and take control of the city where he grew up, thinking his way is the only way. He always wants to be respected, but usually is feared instead. This instability made him vulnerable to the corruption of phyresis, as his detachment made him unaware that his mind was being overwritten. The Darwinism of the Vicious Swarm appealed greatly to his inclination towards supremacy.

Although he still has the ability to connect with animals, he sees them as tools rather than as allies. Lukka was centered in red mana, but when compleated by the Vicious Swarm, he gained access to their corrupted green mana.

History

Ikoria

Lukka creates a bond with a Patagia Tiger.

Lukka was the Commander of the First Special Intercept Squad, commonly known as the "Specials", which acted as a small incident reaction team. He had spent half his life - twenty years - in the Coppercoats, and the last two years as captain of the Specials.

After he bonded with the winged cat, Lukka was banned from Drannith and became an outcast. The visiting planeswalker Vivien Reid had sensed some of his bonding magic and came to investigate. She rescued Lukka from his pursuers and befriended him. They found out that a crystalline formation in the north, the Ozolith, had been instrumental in causing the bondings and the newfound rage of the monsters against Drannith. The Ozolith had been used for this purpose by an unnamed planeswalker known for his meddling. Since Lukka had been successful in counteracting the rage in his winged tiger, he and Vivien theorized that he would be able to neutralize the workings of the Ozolith, as well.

Lukka gathers an army of monsters to attack Drannith

Under the influence of the Ozolith he became powerful but imbalanced. He formed an army of beasts, that he proposed to use to defend the city. As Kudro refused to listen, Lukka killed him. Against his deluded expectations, Jirina refused to join him. She attacked him and fled home to take command of Drannith's defenses.

Believing that his newfound power would save Drannith in the end, Lukka and his army attacked the city. The sheer number of monsters threatened to overrun Drannith, but Jirina's strategy of defense and use of the bonders proved enough to turn the tide of battle. Facing defeat, Lukka attempted to use more of the Ozolith's power but was warned by the unknown planeswalker of its consequences. Lukka refused to listen and the Ozolith exploded, causing his planeswalker's spark to ignite as he planeswalked away.

Lukka awoke in a swamp on another world facing a small group of dangerous beasts. Although the power of the Ozolith was gone, Lukka was still able to control one of them. Glad to be alive and with at least some of his power intact, Lukka vowed to one day return home.

Arcavios

Lukka on Arcavios.

Still coming to terms with his newfound power, Lukka traveled to Arcavios. Faced with the hostility of the inhabitants, he was drawn to the crazy, mysterious presence of the dark mages called the Oriq. After he had arrived on the plane, he bonded with a grey fox-like, fire-breathing creature, called Mila. During a confrontation between the Oriq and a Dragonsguard, Lukka was mistaken as one of the Oriq but was saved by Mila. While searching for the dark mages, Lukka was captured and taken to their leader Extus Narr, who Lukka discovered had knowledge of planeswalkers. Extus explained that there were things he could teach Lukka and proposed a trade.

Lukka had developed a deep distrust of Strixhaven and its influence on the plane, due in part to his rejection by local inhabitants and for the ongoing persecution of the Oriq. Now with a common enemy, Lukka decided to help the Oriq by distracting Kasmina and coordinating a mage hunter attack on Strixhaven. However, when the tide was turned by the Founder Dragons, Lukka quickly left the battlefield. He was last seen wandering the land with Mila and a few of the remaining Oriq, scrounging for food and shelter. It is currently unknown what Lukka received from Extus Narr in exchange for his help.

Against the Phyrexians

Lukka joined the Gatewatch and other assembled planeswalkers to support the Mirrans' efforts against Elesh Norn on New Phyrexia. However, when the planeswalkers were scattered across the Spheres upon entry, Lukka was stranded alongside Nissa Revane in the Hunters' Maze and made the mistake of forming the eludha with a Phyrexian beast. This made him susceptible to compleation. By the time he fought Glissa and Vorinclex, it only took a sentence for him to turn on Nissa. His body became covered in copper-like metal, a pair of large, durable arms sprouted from his back connecting to wires attached to his head and shoulders, his original arms have been fully mechanized, and his legs became thinner and longer. After the Wanderer intervened to buy Nissa time to escape, Lukka was ordered by Glissa to capture the elf alive since she would prove useful to Phyrexia. Pleased by the confidence Glissa and Vorinclex had in him, Lukka was ready to go on a hunt.

Companions

Lukka is a Bonder from the plane of Ikoria, and as such he can form a magical bond called Eludha with creatures across the multiverse. Here are the various creatures he has bonded with across the planes.

Lukka's Patagia Tiger

Lukka's first experience bonding was with a large winged cat known as a patagia tiger. The cat was huge, easily taller than a man, and longer than a cart. Its basic form was cat-like, with thick white fur cut by light brown stripes. Its fangs included two long canines that protruded beyond its lower lip like a pair of swords. It had leathery wings. The monster was very smart and tried to protect Lukka's humanity, but was executed in a Heartless Act by General Kudro. Lukka never even gave her a name.

Mila

Mila is a magical, grey fox-like creature with many spots that can breathe fire. Lukka first meets her when she brings him food after he nearly starves. He then bonds with her. Sometime later, he gets into a fight with a Dragonsguard and Oriq members. Mila then rescues him. He then strengthens the bond with her.

Lukka's centaur hulk

When Lukka arrived on New Phyrexia, he encountered Nissa and the Wanderer imperiled by a Phyrexian beast he dubbed a centaur hulk. He formed the eludha with it to keep his companions out of danger, and later used it to help the party traverse the Hunters' Maze. However, when he instructed it to "secure him" to keep him from falling down one of the monolithic trees, it did so by piercing his body with oily tentacles, inducing phyresis. Later, when he fully succumbed to the infection, he found that the centaur hulk could fully fuse with him, and the two became a singular entity.

Planes visited

• Arcavios
• Dominaria
• Ikoria
• New Phyrexia
• Unnamed plane

Planeswalkers met

• Chandra Nalaar
• Elspeth Tirel
• Jace Beleren
• Kaito Shizuki
• Kasmina
• Kaya
• Liliana Vess
• Nahiri
• Nissa Revane
• Saheeli Rai
• Teferi Akosa (non-mutually)
• Tyvar Kell
• Unnamed planeswalker of the Ozolith (voice only)
• Vivien Reid
• Vraska
• The Wanderer
• Wrenn

Gallery

• 

  Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast

• 

  Lukka's original appearance before becoming a phyrexian.

• 

  Lukka’s bond provided not only friendship, but also the most powerful weapon in his arsenal.

• 

  “Drannith gives no quarter to traitors.”

• 

  Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast variant art by Kieran Yanner.

• 

  Kudro runs the Patagia Tiger.

• 

  Lukka and Kasmina confront each other in Strixhaven.

• 

  Mila, Lukka's partner in Arcavios.

• 

  Magic: The Gathering Arena avatar.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Episode 1: Class is in Session	Adana Washington	2021-03-25	Strixhaven: School of Mages	Arcavios, Kylem	Liliana Vess, Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Lukka, Mila, Kasmina, Shaile, Nassari, Lisette
Episode 2: Lessons	Adana Washington	2021-03-31	Strixhaven: School of Mages	Arcavios	Lukka, Mila, Liliana Vess, Beledros Witherbloom, Extus Narr, Rowan Kenrith
Episode 3: Extracurriculars	Adana Washington	2021-04-07	Strixhaven: School of Mages	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Quintorius Kand, Liliana Vess, Kasmina, Lukka, Mila, Extus Narr
Episode 4: Put to the Test	Adana Washington	2021-04-14	Strixhaven: School of Mages	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, Liliana Vess, Imbraham, Kianne, Lukka, Extus Narr, The Blood Avatar
Episode 5: Final Exam	Adana Washington	2021-04-21	Strixhaven: School of Mages	Arcavios	Will Kenrith, Rowan Kenrith, The Blood Avatar, Extus Narr, Uvilda, Lukka, Mila, Nassari, Lisette, Liliana Vess, Kasmina
The Brothers' War - Chapter 5: Exodus	Reinhardt Suarez	2022-10-26	The Brothers' War	Dominaria	Chandra Nalaar, Nissa Revane, Kaya, Saheeli Rai, Teferi Akosa, Wrenn, Seven, Nahiri, Jace Beleren, Jodah, Elspeth Tirel, The Wanderer, Kaito Shizuki, Tyvar Kell, Lukka, Vraska
Phyrexia: All Will Be One - Hard as Anger, Bright as Joy	Langley Hyde	2023-01-14	Phyrexia: All Will Be One	New Phyrexia	Nissa Revane, The Wanderer, Lukka, Vorinclex, Glissa Sunseeker

In-game references

Represented in:

• Lukka, Bound to Ruin
• Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast
• Lukka, Wayward Bonder

Associated cards:

• Mila, Crafty Companion

Depicted in:

• Go for Blood
• Sanctuary Lockdown
• Test of Talents
• Tentative Connection
• Thwart the Enemy
• Weaponize the Monsters

Quoted or referred to:

• Checkpoint Officer
• Spawning Kraken

Lukka's flying tiger:

• Heartless Act
• Patagia Tiger