The Vorthos Cast

Archangel Elspeth Tirel, hero of March of the Machine, the nightmare of Phyrexia: how did she become the angel she is today? This week we cover the many lives and deaths of Elspeth and the hints laid forth from her very inception that she would one day wear the wings of an angel. Next week is our 250th episode! We'd love to answer questions from our listeners about all things Magic and Vorthos Cast! If you have a question, you can reach out to us on Twitter, @TheVorthosCast, you can join our discord through supporting us on Patreon (Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast), or even just shoot us an email at [email protected]! It's really easy to find us on the internet.

It's time for the aftermath of our flavor gems! Or, wait, the flavor gems of the aftermath? March of the Machine: The Aftermath is a special, story-driven booster product with only 50 cards, and we're talking about each and every one of them. There are some real tasty gems in this set, giving us a vision of what the multiverse looks like immediately after the Phyrexian invasion, and what it might look like going forward... If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We are now in the Aftermath of March of the Machine, and we've got two incredible stories to discuss that hint at the major consequences of the Phyrexian invasion and the future of the multiverse as we know it. And, more importantly, a lot of yuri. If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We're wrapping up our flavor gems for March of the Machine this week with a look at all of the new battle cards. Spanning 36 planes, with some of the deepest cuts of the set, we had our hands full for this episode! If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We have our first part of our flavor gems for March of the Machine! There's so many we couldn't possibly fit all of them into one episode! This week we cover the planeswalkers, the corrupted, and the defenders of the multiverse! If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We return to our regularly scheduled episodes to talk about all eight of the March of the Machine side stories in one episode! What terrors were delivered to the planes of the multiverse that we didn't see in the main story? How did the denizens of Ravnica deal with the eruption of Realmbreaker through the Undercity? Was there a soul saved on New Capenna? All these answers and more can't be found in this episode! But you can learn what happened, how we felt about it, and what we think might happen next! If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We were unable to record a regular episode of the podcast this week, so Chris reached out to friend of the show and former Magic Story writer, Yichao, who lapsed out of following the story after War of the Spark and wanted a "quick" rundown of what he's missed. Well, this isn't very quick, but it sure is a rundown! Listen along as Chris explains four years of the story to a very bewildered former narrative team member. We'll be back next week with a real episode 244 of the podcast! Until then, please enjoy this bonus episode! If you'd like to support the podcast, you can find us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month gets you into our Live Listen tier, where you can hear the show recorded live! If you'd like more episodes where Chris and Yichao rant about Magic story, you might have to wait four more years.

We have K Arsenault Rivera on the podcast this week to talk about writing the end of a multi-year arc to Magic story and what it meant to be the author who brought the end to Phyrexia. We also talk about what Magic means to her, and us, and the important roles it can play in our lives. We also make K cry (positive). If you want to support the podcast, you can find us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month will let you listen to us make authors cry live!

We finish our summary and discussion of the March of the Machine story by K Arsenault Rivera with episodes 7 through 10, where we see the rise of Archangel Elspeth and the fall of the Phyrexian machine. How can an unstoppable force of infection be brough to heel? Try cutting off its head. And then, of course, there are its consequences... If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

Thank you to Wizards of the Coast for these four free preview cards! We're excited to share with you Invasion of Ergamon, Tribute to the World Tree, Beamtown Beatstick, and (Daretti's) Deadly Derision! If you enjoy this episode, make sure to follow us on Twitter, @TheVorthosCast, to get full card arts! You can also support us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast!

We begin discussing the story of March of the Machine with episodes 1 through 6 by K Arsenault Rivera, picking up after the failed strike at the heart of Phyrexia where our heroes failed and the multiverse's fate seemed sealed to annihilation, and ending with the return of hope in the protector in white. With the multiverse hanging in the balance, how will the march of the machine be stopped? If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord channel where Vorthoses from around the world are reacting to the incredible story unfolding every day. For $3 a month you get access to our live listen, where you can hear the unedited podcast as we record it days before it goes live!

We've brought on Phyrexian language expert, Bella Guo, from Wizards of the Coast to teach us about the language of our favorite bionecromechanical horrors! Listen along as we attempt to speak the names of Phyrexians and their compleated masterpieces with our fleshy, weak mouths!

MagicCon Philadelphia gave us our first glimpse at the culmination of the New Phyrexian Invasion arc in March of the Machine. We go plane by plane and discuss the major players for each target of Elesh Norn's invasion, what team ups we've seen so far, and how the planes can fight back against the terror that's on its way.

It's the fifth anniversary of the podcast! This week we get a little self-indulgent and talk all about our trip to MagicCon Philadelphia, where we had the opportunity to talk on the main stage about the story of Magic! You can find out presentation on YouTube (linked below), but this is the story of how we applied for the panel opportunity, how we made our presentation, and how our trip went! You can watch our panel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmyx7AyLsgU And since it is our fifth anniversary, you can give us a little birthday present by supporting us over on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! We appreciate all our supporters, and as little as $1 a month gets you into our Discord server. Five years is a long time to do a podcast, and we wouldn't be able to do it without you.

This week we continue discussing the story of the set Phyrexia: All Will Be One with a recap and discussion on the five incredible side stories, including getting into the mind of a Phyrexian, understand the true nature of the Autonomous Furnace, and how incredibly moving Teferi's story has become. If you enjoy our show and you're going to be at MagicCon Philadelphia this weekend, we're doing The Vorthos Cast Live! We'll be on the main stage Sunday at noon to talk all about the story from War of the Spark until March of the Machine! And if you want to support the podcast, you can find us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast!

This week, we make a glistening vinaigrette and devour some delicious flavor gems of Phyrexia: All Will Be One! We're going to be at MagicCon Philadelphia! If you're going to be there, make sure to join us on the main stage Sunday, February 19th, at noon! We'll be covering the story of what's happened from War of the Spark to March of the Machine! If you want to support the podcast, consider joining us at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gives you access to our Discord server, and $3 a month lets you listen to the show as it's recorded every week!

The time has come to compleat the main story of Phyrexia: All Will Be One. We give our customary summary of the full story of the set while sharing our thoughts on the overall direction of the story, how well we think this dark period of the story was told, and how the future of the multiverse will unfold. If you enjoy our show, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast. For $1.00 a month, you get access to our Discord server. For $3.00 a month, you can listen as we record live! It's always a lot of fun!

This week, the author of the main story for Phyrexia: All Will Be One has joined us to talk Nahiri, Tyvar, and the heartbreaking fates of some of our favorite planeswalkers. Seanan McGuire is a Hugo Award-winning author of "more books than is actually healthy for a single person," including the Wayward Children series and, as Mira Grant, the Newsflesh and Parasitology series. Her story for ONE is the first main story collection she's written for Magic, but you may recognize her from "Homecoming," the story of Liliana and the Raven Man from Dominaria United, or the Hugo-nominated "Tangles" from Midnight Hunt. If you'd like to support The Vorthos Cast, check us out on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where all of our patrons get access to our Discord server!

Thank you to Wizards of the Coast for our free preview of Phyrexia: All Will Be One! We're happy to introduce you to Expand the Sphere, Gleeful Demolition, and Resistance Skywarden! These three uncommons can be found in the upcoming set, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, which releases February 10, 2023! You can head to your local game store the weekend of February 3rd to play in the prerelease to get your hands on these uncommon cards early!

All Will Be ONE... starting next week, when we cover the stories of Phyrexia: All Will Be One. This week, though, we're taking you through all eleven members of the strike team that's had a rough landing on New Phyrexia. Some are safe for now, like Kaito and Koth, and others, well... But who are these eleven intrepid planeswalking heroes and why are they the ones delving through the nine hells of biomechanical horror? We introduce you to each of them and what they bring (or brought) to the team. If you enjoy our show, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast. For $1.00 a month, you get access to our Discord server. For $3.00 a month, you can listen as we record live! It's always a lot of fun. A lot of what we record is left on the cutting room floor, and you don't have to miss any of it if you listen live!

We're back! After a long holiday break, the cast is back together with a very special author interview: Jay Annelli, author of Magic the Gathering: The Visual Guide, an in-depth exploration of Magic's lore full of character details, gorgeous art, and even some hints at the upcoming return to New Phyrexia. If you want to support the podcast, you can join our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! You could also support Jay's book by ordering it from your local bookstore. You can also buy it on some big websites but, like, don't you want to support your local bookstores, especially comic and gaming shops? It's not like you need this book today. You can wait a little while, it's okay.

The year of 2022 comes to a close! With some of the greatest Magic story content in recent history, 2022 was an incredible year for Vorthoses around the world. We get the whole cast together before our mandated two-week paid holiday vacation time. We discuss our thoughts on all the juicy story content that started with Kamigawa and ended with a sibling rivalry for the ages. If you enjoy our show, thank you! We really do deeply appreciate it when you tell us you like the show or show it to your friends. If you wanna give us a gift, you could subscribe to our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1/month gets you on our Discord server to talk about compleated planeswalkers or Boom! comics or the newest story releases. But since it's a traditional time of year to give gifts to people you love, consider maybe tossing $12 at someone and telling them to sub to us for a whole year. That's some free gift advice from your ol' pal, editor Chris. It's a real cheap and easy way to give two gifts at once. Anyways, this is our last episode until January when we'll be back to talk about Jay's new book and Phyrexia: All Will Be One! You can hang out with us on Discord, but you won't get any new episodes for a few weeks.

The second major arc of the Boom! Studios Magic comics has come to its close, and we're covering issues 16 through 20! Chandra, Garruk, and Niko must gather allies and return to Ravnica to save their friends and the multiverse from Tezzeret's (somewhat familiar) diabolic plans to become a god once more! How good are these comics, though? They're really incredible work. If you enjoy the Boom! comics, go buy them from your local comic book shop! If you enjoy our podcast, go buy our love by giving us between $1 and $3 a month on Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! We won't love you, but you can pretend we do!

It's time for our flavor gems of The Brothers' War! This set, and it's accompanying Commander release, is so full of flavor that it's truly a triumph of storytelling through the cards alone. We cover as many important characters and their cards as we can and traipse through all 40 of the Story Spotlights in their chronological order. If you think we missed out on any of your favorite flavor gems of the set, let us know which cards you think were the most delicious! If you want to support the Vorthos Cast, you can just give us a five-star review on your app of choice, share our podcast with a friend, or just tell some stranger you meet on the street how cool you think we are. You can also give us some money, the highest form of flattery, at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast!

The story of the Antiquities War, the war between Urza and Mishra, between the two brothers whose conflict shaped the future of Dominaria and the multiverse as we know it, is well documented. Records of their battles and the machinations have been held close for millennia. But this story, the five episodes written by Miguel Lopez, tell the story of the war outside of the lives of the two brothers, the war that ravaged the land of Terisiare and its people for decades. This is what happens in those stories, though you should read them yourselves. If you want to support the podcast, consider joining our Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast. If you want to find us on social media, well, listen to the end of the episode! We're still on Twitter, for now, at twitter.com/TheVorthosCast.

We're joined this week by the author Reinhardt Suarez, writer of the stories set in the present of the Magic story! He shares with us the experience of bringing these characters together, working with the story team at Magic, and how he got ready to write monumentally important characters for such a pivotal story. If you want to keep up with Reinhardt's writing, check out his website, www.thereinhardtexperience.com. If you want to support the podcast, you can find us on Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where $1 a month gets you access to our Discord community, and $3 a month gets you on our live listen tier where you can listen to the show recorded live, and sometimes extra content that's cut from the final release!

The story of The Brothers' War echoes through time as the past confronts the present and the present slips back into the past. This week we're covering the present day stories by Reinhardt Suarez. While Teferi grapples with the past, Elspeth must battle with the present as the Coalition's planeswalkers must defend their bastion of hope. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider supporting us at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! You can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TheVorthosCast!

As the story of the Brother's War set has wrapped up, we look at the legends of the time period, from the warring brothers themselves to their loved ones and those few brave souls who tried to stand between them. Learn of the origins of the Golgothian Sylex, the first spellcasters of Terisiare, and the greatest artificers, and toymakers, of all Dominarian history. If you would like to support the podcast, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TheVorthosCast! You can also join our Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast, where just $1 a month gets you access to our Discord server!

We sent a message out through the galaxy and our psionic trail has lead Ethan Fleischer, designer for Magic: the Gathering and long-time fan of Warhammer 40k, to our podcast. But we're not hear to discuss power-levels, color identity, or card designs. We need to take in all the lore possible to learn about the world of Warhammer, before the Tyranids absorb our biomass. If you'd like to support The Vorthos Cast, follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TheVorthosCast! If you're looking to throw a few bones our way and fund our intergalactic empire, check out our Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast.

This week, we discuss The Brothers' War that was, the 1998 novel by Jeff Grubb and the surrounding card sets and stories that told aspects of this monumental moment in Magic history, both in the story and outside of it. To know what to expect in the upcoming Magic set, you should know what's already been scribed into the annals of history. If you too want to be scribed into the annals of history, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast!

As if reliving some ancestral memory, Beyond the Multiverse returns! In this episode, we have special guest Jay Annelli on to talk all about the lore of the Assassin's Creed just after Magic the Gathering announced that they'll have a special partnership with the long-running game series next year! Learn all about jumping from tall buildings, communing with alien spirits, and fist-fighting the pope! If you enjoy our show, join our Patreon at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast where you can get access to our Discord server and give us suggestions for future Beyond the Multiverse episodes!

This week we're wrapping up all the stories from Dominaria United by discussing the three remaining side stories! We talk all about Squee's long relationship with death, the fall of the Weatherlight, and Niambi's work for peace. If you want to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server and more, join us at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast!

It's time for the traditional Flavor Gems episode! This time we're going over our favorite gems from Dominaria United, a set with so many legends that we couldn't possibly cover them all, so we have to do our best to get as many delicious gems as we could into one episode. These gems have so much flavor. You should try some. Just take a bite. It's okay*. If you want to support the podcast and get access to our Discord server and more, join us at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! *Our lawyers want us to mention that you should not eat the delicious gems, regardless of how many planeswalker sparks they may or may not contain.

We're taking a quick detour away from the world of Dominaria and Magic's main canon storyline to cover the full miniseries of The Hidden Planeswalker from Boom! Studios Comics! Liliana and Tezzeret fight over the future of a planeswalker with a mysterious past, and we learn what it means to be a villain, and what it takes to be a hero. If you enjoy our podcast, consider supporting us on Patreon at Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast where $1 a month gets you access to our very cool Discord server where Vorthoses from around the world are talking Magic story and comics!

Brian, Cary, and Chris join forces and tackle the final two episodes of the Dominaria United main story, "A Brutal Blow" and "A Whisper in the Wind," then share their honest opinions about the story, including how they felt about certain deaths and resurrections. But first, unhinged speculation! If you want to support Jin Gitaxias' wedding registry, go to https://www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast and pledge a dollar a month to get access to our discord!

This week we continue our summaries of the stories of Dominaria United with episodes 2 and 3, "Sand in the Hourglass" and "The Locked Tower" by Langley Hyde! We establish the major players of the story, see Karn's planeswalking prowess, and see Magic's take on John Carpenter's The Thing. The Phyrexians are here, and they're coming in force! If you enjoy our show, consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast/ where all patrons will get access to our Discord server!

The cast sits down to talk about the first episode of Dominaria United and the Raven Man reveal in Homecoming. With Chris and Loreley away, the cast has on special guest VorthosNick!

One of our most exciting episodes yet, this week we're talking with Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, and one of the most influential writers of early Magic lore. Jared Carthalion, the Shard of Twelve Worlds, Tevesh Szat, and more: all iconic elements of Magic lore as important today as they were almost 30 years ago, and all brought to us by Jeff Gomez. We discuss what it was like writing for Magic in its early days, creating the Armada Comics stories, and how important transmedia storytelling has become to media of all kinds today. We also talk, briefly, about the side story "The Education of Ulf" by Brian Evenson, which features Jared Carthalion and Geyadrone Dihada, both first seen in the Armada comics line, You can follow Jeff Gomez on Twitter @Jeff_Gomez. If you enjoy our show and want to support us, you can become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! Everyone who supports gets access to our Discord server.

We have a special free preview for Dominaria United, provided to us by Wizards of the Coast, who wanted to watch us, specifically, suffer. We are sadly introducing everyone to the terror that is the Sheoldred's Restoration and the heartbreak of Extinguish the Light. Check out our Twitter at twitter.com/TheVorthosCast for full card images and art! If you want to support the cast, you can join us at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! We won't be compleat without your support!

The last part of our Dominaria retrospective series. This week we're looking at the Great Mending and the first time we returned to Dominaria after a long time away, the 2018 Dominaria set with story by Martha Wells. If you've appreciated our series on the history of Dominaria and want to support the show, you can join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast!

This week, Brian and Chris are left alone to tell you the story of the first Phyrexian invasion, the one detailed in the Invasion block of sets and the Invasion novels: the end of Urza Planeswalker, the end of Yawgmoth, the beginning of Phyrexia's long, slow crawl back to Dominaria's shores in Dominaria United.

Once upon a time, long ago, a man used a powerful artifact to lay waste to an opposing army and most life on an entire continent. He then went on to be even worse. This week we're telling the story of Urza from the sylex blast to the beginning of the Weatherlight Saga. As they say, if it wasn't for Yawgmoth, Urza would be the greatest villain in Dominarian history... If you, too, want to dunk on Urza and support our show, you can join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast!

This week we're joined by the one and only Amanda Stevens, an expert in all things Zhalfir, to talk Jamuraa, Teferi, and all the mistakes made by wizards and Wizards that's left this slice of Dominaria out of the story for decades. You can find Amanda on Twitter at @AmandaTNStevens for more of her insight into DEI, Esports, and building Simic commander decks! If you'd like to support The Vorthos Cast, you can find us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! We appreciate all of you so, so much!

While it's one of the hottest summers on record, we're keeping it cool by talking all about The Ice Age, one of the lesser known periods in Magic's history. From the moment Urza detonates a magical nuke to well after one of his descendants smashes a mirror on some task mage's head, we discuss the thousands of years of history that got Dominaria from The Brothers' War to the plane as we mostly know it still today. If you enjoy The Vorthos Cast, consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/thevorthoscast! We appreciate all of you so, so much!

This week, the original Vorthos Cast crew has come together with storied Dominarian historian Ethan Fleischer to talk all about the complete history of Dominaria in lore. Not all the lore of Dominaria, but the lore of the lore of Dominaria. We're talking short story collections, licensed video game player guides, magazine articles, and even flash animations you'll never get to see again. A truly can't-miss discussion for any fan of Magic's story.

Dominaria served as the setting of almost all of Magic's earliest lore, and we're going to cover a lot of the Time of Legends in this week's episode! Jay, Loreley, and Chris talk the Armada comics, the Legends Cycle books, and some of the weirdest legendary creatures you might have missed in the Legends set. If you want to get your name into the legends of Magic Vorthos Podcasts, support us on Patreon and get access to our discord server, you can do that at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! We appreciate every single one of you.

This week the podcast embarks on a mission to revisit Dominaria, where we began years ago, but with a modern and updated vision. This week, we cover a broad view of the world of Dominaria, including the major regions and some of the world-shattering (and mending) events. Get out your map of Dominaria (or globe, you know who you are) and follow along with Jay, Loreley, Brian, and Chris! If you want to support us on Patreon and get access to our discord server, you can do that at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! We appreciate every single one of you.

This week, Cary and Chris cover issues 11 through 15 of the Boom! Studios Magic comics! With the former main trio trapped on Ravnica, three new planeswalkers take center stage with a new adventure to save their friends. Villains return, guildmasters die, and someone loses their tail! If you want to support us on Patreon and get access to our discord server, you can do that at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Patrons and Discord members got first dibs on our playmat, but now it's open to the public! If you want one, go check out our Twitter at twitter.com/TheVorthosCast

This week we're pouring over the pages of all the Magic story since War of the Spark to get caught up with what's been going on. We cover all the main Magic story and discuss what we might be leading up to with the next year of story and what we can expect from all this oil that's popping up everywhere... If you want to support us on Patreon and get access to our discord server, you can do that at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! Patrons and Discord members will get first dibs on our new playmat!

This week, we roll for initiative and enter the turn order as Jay, Brian, and Chris go over each of their top ten(ish) flavor gems of the new set, Magic: the Gathering: Commander Legends: Dungeons & Dragons: Battle for Baldur's Gate: The Quickening: 2 the Streets! You should make sure to tell Jay all about how much you enjoying sacrificing your Burnished Hart! If you want to support us on Patreon and get access to our discord server, you can do that at www.Patreon.com/TheVorthosCast! But you really don't have to. It's okay. We won't cast any dissonant whispers your way. Take a minute and fill out the survey about our upcoming new playmat release so we can decide how and what and how many to print: https://t.co/gGBtN8quHZ