Rift
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- For test card location, see Rift (location).
The rifts or time rifts were fractures in the planar fabric of Dominaria and to a lesser extent other planes (such as the Dead Zone on Ulgrotha). In the greater scheme of things, the rifts resulted from the imbalance between the primal forces of the Multiverse, and the power of godlike planeswalkers or similar spells.
Description
Each of the major rifts was caused by some catastrophe, and in almost every case, a planeswalker was involved.[1] Sometime after Karona's destruction, the rifts that accumulated over Dominaria's history proved too much — the damage to the plane was too severe to allow for self-repair.
While each rift had a unique "personality" linked to the circumstances of its creation, they all had some common properties: They cut off the plane from its mana and caused anomalies in space and time. They also influenced each other, and with each additional rift, the others grew.
If a planeswalker would 'walk near a rift, they would be afflicted with pain and glimpses of the realities that lie beyond the rifts. As such, 'walking near a rift would often cause the planeswalker to momentarily lose consciousness and become dazed and confused. Teferi was noticeably affected by the rifts in his first few encounters with them, while Freyalise was able to retain her focus. Nicol Bolas seemed to be unaffected or undisturbed by the rifts when he planeswalked in Madara near the Talon Gates while fighting Teferi.
The rifts allowed creatures, people, objects, and spells from the past, alternate timelines, and possible futures to be pulled into the present day, while present Dominarians were sometimes caught up in the rifts and sent to times other than their own. Some wizards used the rifts to their advantage, learning to draw magic through them.
When phased-out Shiv was about to return, Teferi realized that without repairs, Dominaria would be destroyed. Being the Nexus of the Multiverse, it would take every other plane with it in a chain reaction.
The keywords split second, vanishing, and suspend are associated with the time rifts.
Major rifts
Before the Mending, there were eight major rifts in existence (though numerous smaller ones sprang up across Dominaria). Here they are presented in the chronological order of their creation:
Madaran rift
Fifteen to twenty thousand years before the events of the rift crisis, the first battle between planeswalkers on Dominaria took place in Madara.[2] It was a fight to the death between the elder dragon Nicol Bolas and an unknown demonic leviathan. Their battle destroyed one-third of the continent and caused the first temporal damage to the plane. The rift was located at the Talon Gates, a remnant of that conflict.
When Ravi rang the Apocalypse Chime, the damage propagated throughout various planes, in effect creating some sort of connection between Ulgrotha, Dominaria, and Kamigawa.
The rift was closed second to last by Nicol Bolas, using Leshrac's powers, killing the Nightwalker in the process.
Yavimayan rift
Urza's Sylex Blast changed the face of the world, brought on the Ice Age, and led to the formation of the Shard. In addition to these visible effects, the plane itself was damaged, resulting in Yavimaya's rift. When the rifts worsened, the sentient forest tried to heal the damage, without success, instead causing Multani to become trapped in the rift.
The Yavimayan rift was the sixth rift to be closed. After Venser rescued Multani from the rift by teleporting him to outside its direct influence, Jeska brought Radha to the scene. Under the influence of Leshrac, she used both Radha's unignited spark and Multani's life essence to seal the rift. This time, Radha's spark burned out, causing the warlord to lose her potential to become a planeswalker.
Tolarian rift
In contrast to the other rifts, the Tolarian rift was felt immediately after it came into being. Urza's failed time travel experiment, which triggered the Tolarian Temporal Disaster, caused disruptions of time throughout the isle — there were bubbles in which time flowed much faster or much slower. During the Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, the rift was worsened beyond repair when Barrin obliterated all of Tolaria.
The Tolarian rift was the fourth to be repaired. Since the rift was torn beyond being able to heal it, it was necessary for Karn to travel back in time and mend the rift just before Barrin cast his obliteration spell. Although he was weakened to the point of being overwhelmed by Phyrexian corruption, he did not lose his spark at this point, and was able to planeswalk away.[3]
Shivan rift
During the Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, Teferi phased out a part of Shiv, leaving a hole in Dominaria. When the time came for Shiv to return, he realized that it would not fit.
The Shivan rift was the first to be closed. Teferi successfully healed the damage, sacrificing his spark in the process. Closing the first rift allowed Shiv to phase back in safely.[1]
Zhalfirin rift
Two hundred years before the Mirage War, Teferi caused the Phasing of Teferi's Isle, which primed the area for a rift.
Before Shiv was phased out, Teferi demonstrated his abilities for Urza with the Phasing of Zhalfir. In an instant, Zhalfir and all its people, animals, plants, buildings, and even the landmass itself, were phased out. This event opened the primed Zhalfir rift.
The Zhalfir rift was the fifth to be closed. Under the influence of Leshrac, Jeska used Radha's unignited planeswalker spark to seal the Zhalfiran rift despite Teferi's protests. Since Zhalfir was not yet due to phase back in, sealing the rift closed the nation off from being able to return, and it was forever lost from Dominaria, remaining in phased-out stasis until the New Phyrexia-Zhalfir switch.[4]
Urborg rift
The rift at Urborg did not involve any planeswalker, but was instead a side effect of the Rathi Overlay with the arrival of Volrath's Stronghold. A shadow dragon and Phyrexians from an alternate timeline in which the Ice Age never ended came through the rift while it was active.
The Urborg rift was the third to be closed. After much convincing by Teferi, Jhoira, and Karn, Lord Windgrace realized what he had to do. After he anchored his spirit to the very soil of Urborg, he gave up his life to heal the rift, although his spirit would find a way to return to the land in time.[3]
Skyshroud rift
To protect Skyshroud Forest during the Rathi Overlay, Freyalise relocated it from its unnamed initial destination. Similar to the rift in Urborg, it was linked to an alternate timeline in which the Phyrexian Invasion was successful.
The Skyshroud rift was the second to be closed. Freyalise gave her life to seal the rift, and save for a single tree, the whole forest died with her.[3]
Otarian rift
The last major rift to come into existence was created at the climax of Karona's War, when Karona, the incarnation of Dominarian magic, was destroyed. Because of Karona's nature, Otaria's rift was diffuse, widespread, and the most difficult to seal.
Only with the help of Venser and Radha, and her sacrifice, could Jeska close it. With the last major rift sealed, the Great Mending began.
Effects on other planes
Since Dominaria is the Nexus, its damages were also felt on other planes.
Kamigawa
On Kamigawa, the veil between the utsushiyo and kakuriyo weakened. This enabled Konda to steal That Which Was Taken, thus beginning the Kami War.
Lorwyn-Shadowmoor
In the dual-plane of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor, the mending accelerated the cycle in which the plane alternated its structure for decades.
Mirrodin
The rifts affected the stability of Mirrodin's mana core, causing the five moons/suns to erupt. It also allowed Memnarch to prevent Karn from entering the plane.
Ravnica
Ravnica became isolated from the rest of the Multiverse. The spirits of the dead could no longer move on to the afterlife. Over time, this resulted in the Ghost Quarter of Agyrem, a "blister" on the plane of Ravnica.[5] It was reachable through a rift named The Schism.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Referred to:
Gallery
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Future Sight fat pack Players guide, page 6 -
Future Sight fat pack Players guide, page 7 -
Future Sight fat pack Players guide, page 8 -
Future Sight fat pack Players guide, page 9
References
- ↑ a b Scott McGough (2006), "Time Spiral", Wizards of the Coast
- ↑ James Wyatt (2018), The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria. VIZ Media.
- ↑ a b c Scott McGough (2007) - Planar Chaos, WotC.
- ↑ Scott McGough (2007) - Future Sight, WotC.
- ↑ Adam Lee (August 29, 2012). "Ravnica, then and now". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-03-23.
Sources
- Time Spiral Cycle
- Brady Dommermuth. "You Are a Planeswalker". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-09-26.
- Matt Cavotta (September 28, 2006). "Dueling in Dominaria". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.