Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria

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Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria
Event Information
Also known as The Phyrexian War
Era First invasion: War with Phyrexia
Second invasion: Mending Era
Date First invasion: 4205 AR
Second invasion: 4562 AR
Location Dominaria
Sets First invasion:
Invasion, Planeshift, Apocalypse
Second invasion: Dominaria United
Outcome

First invasion:

Second invasion:

Timeline
Prophecy War Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria The Phasing of Zhalfir

The Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria may refer to two separate events taking place on Dominaria.

First invasion

The first invasion, known by some on Dominaria as the Phyrexian War, began in 4205 AR after millennia of planning by the dark god Yawgmoth, as the culmination of the Weatherlight Saga.

First stage

  • The Battle of Benalia – The first stage of the invasion began with precision strikes by Phyrexian forces led by Tsabo Tavoc, aiming to secure strategic locations and eliminate key pockets of resistance.[1] Despite a valiant defense by the Weatherlight crew, Tsabo’s forces quickly overwhelmed the unprepared Benalish defenders and established a foothold on Dominaria. However, hundreds of prisoners from the penal colony at Atrivak Mounds were rescued and conscripted into the local defense militia.[2][3]
  • The Battle of the Mori Tumulus – Targeting lands tied to the Bloodline project, the Phyrexians launched a brutal offensive against Yavimaya. The defense was orchestrated by the forest's ancient Maro-Sorcerer, Multani, with indirect support from Gaea, who unleashed the dormant kavu upon the invaders. The result was a total defeat for Phyrexia, with every invading unit either destroyed or transformed into wood elementals.
  • The Phasing Out of Zhalfir – The Zhalfir battlefront was commanded by Teferi and his circle of archmages. With aid from Urza in sealing the active portal and repelling the siege, Teferi used the residual energy to phase out Zhalfir entirely, leaving behind the Zhalfirin Void. While this maneuver prevented Phyrexia from exploiting Zhalfir’s resources, it also meant Dominaria lost one of its greatest powers.
  • The Battle of Keld – Began soon after Zhalfir's phasing. Barrin joined in the defense, but the conflict remained inconclusive.
  • The Battle of Shiv – Drawn to Shiv from Keld, Barrin joined Urza and witnessed a fierce defense mounted by Rhammidarigaaz, Jhoira, and Teferi. Shortly afterward, Teferi phased out the majority of Shiv, taking both himself and Jhoira with it, leaving only the Mana Rig for Urza.[3]
  • The Battle of New Argive – The compleated Argivian scholar Godwyn wrought devastation across the cities of Elbreth, Calum, Toribah, and Argivia until he was ultimately slain by his second-in-command, Kari.
  • The Battle of Llanowar – The sentient forest of Llanowar was defended by its Maro-Sorcerer, Molimo, aided by Multani and the Weatherlight Crew. Though the defenders endured great losses—including King Fhedusil and Takara en-Dal—they succeeded in repelling the Phyrexians with immense effort.[3]
  • The Battle of Urborg – A failed defense of the swamp isles, held by liches, witches, and ghouls, supported by Windgrace, Barrin, Darigaaz, and a coalition of Serra Angels, Keldons, elves, and cat warriors. Despite their strength, the treacherous terrain hindered the defense, and Phyrexia succeeded in capturing Urborg as a staging ground for the Rathi Overlay. This battle would start up again in the second stage of the invasion.
  • The Obliteration of Tolaria – The Tolarian Academy and all its surroundings were annihilated. After Tolaria fell to the Phyrexians, the island swarmed with enemy troops. A grief-stricken Barrin brought his daughter’s corpse to the island, sealed it in a sarcophagus, and cast obliterating, erasing himself, the island, its invaders, and all remaining inhabitants and structures.
  • The Battle of Koilos – A prolonged engagement following the fall of Benalia. The metathran, led by Thaddeus and Agnate, battled endless Phyrexian hordes under Tsabo Tavoc’s command. Thaddeus was eventually lured into Tsabo’s lair and dissected, unbalancing Agnate. Reinforcements arrived in the form of Urza, the Nine Titans, and the Weatherlight Crew. Eladamri replaced Thaddeus as co-commander, and together they destroyed the Gate to Phyrexia. Though Tsabo was wounded, she escaped, and Thaddeus and Hanna died in the battle.

Overall, the first stage of the invasion yielded mixed results for Phyrexia. While they secured Benalia, New Argive, Tolaria, and Urborg—and neutralized Zhalfir and Shiv—major defeats at Yavimaya, Llanowar, and Koilos signaled that Dominaria would not fall easily.

Second stage

  • The Rathi Overlay - the second stage of the invasion began with the intersection of the planes of Rath and Dominaria. Rath overlaid on top of Dominaria, bringing the massed legions of Phyrexians that occupied Rath into existence across the world. In the area of the Stronghold alone, there were over one thousand portal ships and well over one hundred thousand Phyrexian shock troops, with many hundreds of thousands across the plane, and sparked major battles across the globe. At this stage, Crovax killed Tsabo Tavoc as punishment for her failure at Koilos.[4][2]
  • Loss of Koilos - Upon seeing the massive army charging the Coalition's forces at Koilos, Urza led his forces away and let the Phyrexians reclaim their hold on Koilos. Having destroyed the portal to Phyrexia, Koilos now held little strategic value.
  • The Battle of Shiv also picked up again, but this time only on the remnant left behind when Teferi phased out the rest. Faced by viashino, Shivan Dragons, and even Rhammidarigaaz and Tevesh Szat, the Phyrexians did not stand a chance and were wiped off the remnant of the continent.
  • The Battle of Keld and the Keldon Twilight - fighting in Keld continued from the first stage, with its defenders now bolstered by Eladamri and Sivvi en-Vec leading the planeshifted Skyshroud elves, alongside the Keldons themselves, led by Warlord Astor, Doyen Olvresk and Doyenne Tajamin. The battle was decided by the Keldon Twilight, which awoke the dead of the Keldon Necropolis and swept all the armies away in huge tides of meltwater. Those aboard the Golden Argosy survived and were announced as the prophetic heroes that would lead Keld into glory. With all their forces killed in volcanic meltwater, this battle was an absolute loss for the Phyrexians.
  • The Battle of Hurloon - the mountain valley of Hurloon became a new battlefield in this stage of the invasion, with the native minotaurs suffering heavy losses against the hordes of invading Phyrexians. Although the Weatherlight Crew arrived seeking to bolster their ranks and rescued hundreds of minotaurs from Phyrexian torture, this battle was won by the Phyrexians.
  • Counterattack on Phyrexia - leaving the plane's mortal defenders to finish the other battles without planeswalker support, the Nine Titans launched an assault directly against Phyrexia itself, launching bombs to destroy the nine layers of the plane. Although Kristina of the Woods, Daria, Tevesh Szat and Taysir all were killed, and Urza defected to the side of Yawgmoth, the outcome of the counterattack was unfinished, and continued into the third stage of the invasion.
  • Reawakening the Primevals - after Tevesh Szat showed Rhammidarigaaz the tomb of the Shivan primeval, he went on a quest to reawaken the remaining four primeval dragons - Rith in Yavimaya, Treva in Argivia, Dromar in the Old Voda Sea, and Crosis in Urborg. Although this mission was a success, it resulted in Rhammidarigaaz being turned against the plane's mortals instead of attacking the invading Phyrexians. Karn managed to speak into the dragon's mind, clearing it enough for him to kill himself in an Urborg caldera, allowing Nemata to recapture Rith, and for Crosis to be forced back into his tar pit, while Dromar and Treva flew off, chased by the angered Dragon Nations.
  • The Battle of Urborg - After losing Urborg to the invaders in the first phase, the island became the main battle of the second stage of the invasion, as the various armies of the Coalition tried to liberate Urborg by destroying the Stronghold, which had arrived there in the Rathi Overlay. The Weatherlight crew were the first to arrive, soon backed by Agnate's metathran, Vodalians and the Benalish irregulars. They were also joined by the lich lord Dralnu and his hordes of undead, although he had treacherous motives, secretly infecting Agnate with a virulent plague. The Weatherlight Crew reinforced the lines with Grizzlegom and his Hurloon minotaurs, and Agnate gave the command of the Metathrean army to the minotaur commander before he died. The Stronghold was defended by the Predator, which boarded the Weatherlight in the skies. In a duel, Tahngarth killed Greven il-Vec and Karn took control of the Predator, sending it smashing into the Stronghold itself. However, Ertai appeared and stole Gerrard and Squee away to the throne room of Crovax, who sent Gerrard on into Phyrexia to do battle with the traitorous Urza.[5] Meanwhile, after many days of fighting, the various parts of the Coalition were able to fight towards the Stronghold and besiege it.

Overall, the second stage of the invasion saw Phyrexia unleash overwhelming forces through the Rathi Overlay, securing Koilos and Hurloon, sabotaging the Keldon Twilight, disrupting the Nine Titans' mission, and capturing Urza and Gerrard, but also suffering major defeats at Shiv, Keld, and Urborg. The Coalition’s resilience and shifting tides of battle made it clear the war was far from over.

Final stage

  • Duel in Phyrexia - The final stage of the invasion started with Yawgmoth bidding Gerrard Capashen and Urza duel each other to the death in the amphitheater in Phyrexia. After an extensive fight with several false deaths, the duel ended with Gerrard decapitating Urza, only to realize that the Hanna that he dueled for was in fact Yawgmoth in disguise. After wounding the dark god twice, he was pushed out of Phyrexia, still carrying Urza's head.
  • The Yavimayan Overlay - in a bid to send the defenders of Yavimaya - giant spider, great apes, elves and treefolk - to Urborg, Multani gathered the trees in a five-mile radius and, with the help of Gaea, overlaid it onto a scraggly forest in Urborg.
  • The Gutting of Phyrexia - despite losing more than half their number, the remaining four of the Nine Titans continued their assault, triggering the planted soul bombs to destroy parts of the plane at a time. In total, the first seven spheres of Phyrexia were wrecked, leaving a broken shell of a plane.
  • The Battle of the Stronghold - having reached the Stronghold, the remnants of the Weatherlight crew and the armies led by Eladamri, Sivvi en-Vec and Grizzlegom charged the gates of the mountain. They destroyed Portcullis, smashed the Map Room, and entered the heart of the Citadel even as Gerrard killed Crovax and Squee killed Ertai.
  • The Death Cloud - After the duel in his amphitheater and the gutting of his plane, Yawgmoth arrived on Dominaria to take Dominaria personally. He appeared as a black cloud of death and reanimated every dead thing on the plane, including the soil they lay in, to serve as his army. Llanowar was beset with undead, the first Rhammidarigaaz rose in Shiv, and Barrin, Rayne and Hanna rose along with various corpses on the blasted remnant of Tolaria. The whole world was covered with shambling undead. Guff, Bo Levar, Eladamri and Sivvi en-Vec were among those who were killed by the death cloud.
  • The Magmatic Intrusion - channeling by the stone dwarves led by Nadeen Dormet brought forth a huge lake of magma that originated in the Urborg Volcano where the Stronghold had planeshifted to. The lower levels of the Stronghold were buried in molten rock, and the open portal to Phyrexia located in the throne room poured huge volumes of magma into the lowest level of that plane, destroying it further.
  • The Legacy completed - Yawgmoth seemed to have an easy victory at hand, but he was stopped when the Legacy was completed through the sacrifice of Urza, Gerrard Capashen, and Karn. The Legacy released a massive burst of white mana channeled from the Null Moon, which sought out Yawgmoth's essence and destroyed it utterly. His devoted minions lost all hope of victory upon his apparent death and did not resist their enemies' attacks.

Overall, the final stage of the invasion ended in disaster for Phyrexia. Though Yawgmoth personally entered Dominaria and devastated the plane, the destruction of Phyrexia’s layers and core, the fall of its leaders, and the activation of the Legacy ultimately shattered his forces and ended the invasion.

Alternate Timeline

During the Temporal crisis of Dominaria in 4500 AR, Teferi Akosa, Jhoira, and Venser teleported to an alternate timeline in which the Ice Age had never ended and Lord Windgrace was battling a new Phyrexian Invasion.[6]

Second invasion

A Second Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria took place in 4562 AR and was initiated by New Phyrexia. The Praetor Sheoldred traveled to Dominaria through the Planar Bridge. With the help of the Society of Mishra, Rona, and a resurrected Ertai, she created an army of compleated Argivians, sleeper agents, monstrosities, and resurrected Phyrexian war machines. The Coalition was renewed, and the two armies clashed at the Battle of the Mana Rig on Shiv. The Coalition suffered the loss of a critical armament, the Sylex, and three strategic commanders (the Compleated Ajani killing Jaya Ballard and kidnapping Karn) but managed to destroy the Mana Rig and a large portion of the Phyrexian ground forces with minimal losses of their own. With the sleeper agent infiltration still widespread, they quickly began preparations for the Phyrexians' inevitable return.[7]

While their main forces were still recuperating, the Phyrexian forces launched a successful assault on the Temporal Anchor, functionally putting Teferi in a coma. Though unbeknownst to them, Kaya had also learned the critical information they were seeking.[8]

As part of New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, Realmbreaker brought New Phyrexia's main forces to Dominaria to once again continue their invasion, with some of the Phyrexian invaders performing iconoclasm at temples of Serra.

In-game references

Referred to:
Heroes of the Second Invasion:

References

  1. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 11, 2005). "Invasion Style Guide: Phyrexian Portal Ships". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11.
  2. ↑ a b Jesse Decker. "Apocalypse Story Summary". wizards.com.
  3. ↑ a b c J. Robert King (2000) – Invasion, WotC.
  4. ↑ Kev Walker & Scott McGough (2001). Invasion storybook.
  5. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 9, 2005). "Invasion Style Guide: Gerrard's Troops". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21.
  6. ↑ (2006). Time Spiral Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Langley Hyde (August 18, 2022). "A Whisper in the Wind". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Reinhardt Suarez (October 26, 2022). "Chapter 5: Exodus". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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