Desparkening

The event as depicted in Spark Rupture.

The Desparkening, Great Desparking, or Great Desparkening, 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.

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. 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.

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. Although the spark is intrinsically connected to a being's soul, it is confirmed that the desparked planeswalkers retained their souls. In contrast to other methods of spark removal (e.g. Nicol Bolas's Elderspell), the Desparkening was not lethal.

For former planeswalkers, the lost spark feels like a hole, a cavity, a pain, like a missing limb that has been sunburnt. 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 rather than the sparks of planeswalkers having been destroyed they merely have been moved somewhere, leaving the possibility that a planeswalker can regain their sparks in someway.

History

The Desparkening began after New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse in 4562 AR. 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.

Planeswalkers that lost their sparks were subsequently trapped on their current plane. 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. It is unknown if these Omenpaths are due to the Desparkening itself, or if they are a residual effect of Realmbreaker opening portals across the Multiverse.

Known sparks lost during the Desparkening

• Calix
• Huatli
• Kiora
• Koth of the Hammer
• Narset
• Nissa Revane
• Ob Nixilis
• Rowan Kenrith
• Saheeli Rai
• Samut
• Sarkhan Vol
• Teferi Akosa
• Tyvar Kell
• Vraska
• The Wanderer
• Will Kenrith

Sparks lost otherwise

• Karn sacrificed the spark he inherited from Venser to un-compleat Ajani Goldmane and Nissa Revane.
• Nahiri's spark ended up encased in a hedron after her un-compleation, but it was lost when the hedron shattered.

Known sparks retained

• Ajani Goldmane
• Ashiok
• Chandra Nalaar
• Jace Beleren
• Kaya Cassir
• Oko
• Quintorius Kand
• Ral Zarek

Mechanics

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 future sets will feature the same watermark. It is yet unknown if desparked planeswalkers who never received a Planeswalker card will feature the watermark. Head designer Mark Rosewater announced that, beginning with Wilds of Eldraine, most sets would feature only one Planeswalker card.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Spark Rupture

Referred to:

• Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin