Mending

Overview

The Mending represents one of the most significant turning points in Magic’s ongoing narrative, marking the end of what fans often call the “oldwalker era” and the beginning of the modern planeswalker age. The crisis began when temporal rifts started appearing across the multiverse, caused by catastrophic magical events throughout Magic’s history. These rifts weakened the barriers between planes and threatened to unravel reality itself.

The most dangerous rifts were concentrated on Dominaria, the nexus plane of the multiverse and setting for much of Magic’s early storyline. Planeswalkers like Freyalise, Lord Windgrace, Jeska, Karn, and Nicol Bolas worked together to seal these rifts, but doing so required enormous sacrifices. Most dramatically, several planeswalkers gave up their lives and sparks to power the healing process.

The culmination of these efforts fundamentally altered the nature of the planeswalker spark itself. Where oldwalkers once possessed near-omnipotent power, immortality, and the ability to reshape entire planes, post-Mending planeswalkers became more mortal, retaining only their ability to travel between planes and enhanced magical abilities. This change created the framework for planeswalker cards as we know them today, representing powerful but ultimately finite beings rather than the god-like entities of the past.

Key Cards

Several cards directly reference or relate to the Mending and its aftermath:

• Time Spiral – The namesake card of the block that introduced the Mending crisis, representing the temporal chaos threatening the multiverse

• Akroma, Angel of Fury – A red incarnation of the legendary angel, representing the temporal distortions affecting even iconic figures from Magic’s past

• Teferi, Hero of Dominaria – A post-Mending planeswalker card showing how the formerly godlike Teferi adapted to his reduced power level

• Karn Liberated – Represents Karn after losing and regaining his planeswalker spark during the Mending crisis

• Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker – Shows the ancient dragon’s adaptation to post-Mending existence while retaining much of his cunning and ambition

• Ajani Goldmane – One of the first new planeswalkers introduced in the post-Mending era, representing the new generation of planeswalkers

• Jace Beleren – Another foundational post-Mending planeswalker who became central to future storylines

• Chandra Nalaar – A young pyromancer whose planeswalker spark ignited after the Mending, exemplifying the new type of planeswalker

History

The events leading to the Mending began accumulating over Magic’s first decade of storylines. Major magical catastrophes created temporal rifts across the multiverse: the destruction of Argoth during the Brothers’ War, the Phyrexian Invasion of Dominaria, Karona’s reality-warping presence, and numerous other planeswalker conflicts left scars in the fabric of reality. These wounds in time and space began to expand and merge, creating a cascading crisis that threatened all existence.

The Time Spiral block (Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, and Future Sight) chronicled the desperate efforts to address this crisis. Planeswalkers who had previously been rivals or enemies were forced to work together. Teferi returned from his self-imposed exile to help heal the damage his own time magic had contributed to. Freyalise sacrificed herself to close the Skyshroud rift. Lord Windgrace gave his life to seal the Urborg rift. Jeska, the final incarnation of Kamahl’s sister, ultimately sacrificed herself to complete the Mending process.

The Mending succeeded in saving the multiverse, but the cost was enormous. Beyond the immediate casualties, the fundamental nature of planeswalker sparks changed forever. The infinite power and effective immortality that had defined oldwalkers like Urza, Yawgmoth, and the pre-Mending Nicol Bolas became things of the past. This change was reflected mechanically in the introduction of planeswalker cards in Lorwyn block, which depicted these powerful but ultimately mortal beings as they existed after the Mending.

In Commander

The Mending’s impact on Commander extends beyond lore into gameplay mechanics. Post-Mending planeswalkers serve as popular commanders and powerful threats in the format. Cards that reference pre-Mending events or characters often carry significant nostalgic value and unique effects that reflect the old storylines.

Many Commander decks built around planeswalker themes explicitly or implicitly reference the post-Mending era. Superfriends decks that focus on deploying multiple planeswalkers reflect how these powerful beings now work together more frequently than in the oldwalker era. The finite loyalty system of planeswalker cards creates interesting political dynamics in multiplayer games, as players must carefully manage when to attack planeswalkers versus when to focus on other threats.

Legendary creatures who survived the transition, like various versions of Karn or Teferi, often appear in Commander decks that explore themes of time, artifacts, or the intersection of old and new Magic storylines. These cards serve as mechanical bridges between Magic’s past and present, offering powerful effects while remaining balanced within the post-Mending power framework.

Notable Interactions

The Mending created several interesting interactions between Magic’s storyline and mechanical development. The introduction of planeswalker cards immediately after the Time Spiral block was no coincidence – the Mending provided the perfect in-universe explanation for why planeswalkers could now be represented as finite resources rather than unstoppable forces.

Cards that reference specific pre-Mending events gain additional resonance when understood in context. Urza’s Saga cards represent the height of oldwalker power, while their spiritual successors in later sets show how similar effects require more resources or come with greater restrictions in the post-Mending world. This creates a natural power level consistency that helps explain why newer cards rarely match the raw power of early Magic sets.

The Mending also established precedents for how major storyline events can have lasting mechanical implications. Just as the Phyrexian corruption spread across multiple sets and years, the post-Mending era continues to influence how planeswalkers are portrayed and how their stories are told. Modern storylines often reference the Mending as a historical turning point, with characters like Chandra or Jace representing a new generation who grew up in the post-Mending world.

The event’s legacy extends to how Magic handles power level in storytelling. Where oldwalkers could casually reshape planes or travel through time, post-Mending planeswalkers face real stakes and consequences. This shift enabled more relatable character development and allowed for ongoing storylines where planeswalkers could grow, change, and face meaningful challenges without requiring increasingly cosmic threats to remain relevant.