Although Magic: The Gathering is essentially just a strategy game that uses decks of cards, an intricate storyline underlies the cards released in each expansion. This storyline is shown in the art, through quotes and descriptions on the bottom of most cards (called "flavor text"), and in the novels published by HarperPrism and Wizards of the Coast.
The majority of Magic's story is set on the fictional plane called Dominaria, and can be broken down into several distinct time periods each detailed in certain sets:
- The Thran: The Thran were a race of powerful beings who existed long before the sentient races currently living on Dominaria and were master artificers. The Thran are only hinted at in the game.
- The Brothers' War: The brothers Urza and Mishra waged a vast war utilizing powerful constructs. The war devastated the land of Terisiare on the plane of Dominaria and culminated in a world-destroying climax on the island of Argoth. This story is the basis for Antiquities expansion and later the Urza's Saga Block.
- The Dark: The devastation wrought by the brothers war led to the fall of many civilizations and the beginning of a dark age in Dominaria. This story is portrayed in The Dark and Fallen Empires expansions.
- The Ice Age: The climate-altering effects of the devastation continued leading to a global ice age. Eventually this cooling climate was reversed and life returned to normal. This story is portrayed in the Ice Age and Alliances expansions.
- The Phyrexian Invasion: After millennia of peace, the Phyrexians, who originate on a hellish mechanical world, invade the world of Dominaria from the alternate plane of Rath. War ensues; with the aid of Urza (who has been spending thousands of years planning a defense against the Invasion), the Phyrexians are eventually overcome, but several civilizations are decimated or destroyed, creating social chaos in many parts of the world. The backstory is portrayed in the Tempest block, preparation (and Urza's involvement) occurs in the Urza's Saga block, and the Invasion itself occurs in the Invasion block.
- The Kami War: Taking place in a plane far removed from those seen so far in Magic: The Gathering, this story is the one currently unfolding in the Kamigawa block, which began in 2004 with Champions of Kamigawa and is to be continued and finished by Betrayers of Kamigawa (early 2005) and Saviors of Kamigawa (mid 2005). It centers on the kukuriyo Kami world (spirit world) and the utsushiyo material world; both worked and operated harmoniously until the Kami began attacking the material world, resulting in a grand struggle. This storyline is interesting in that instead of relying on the "color wheel" to denote conflict (traditionally opposing colors such as White and Red are correspondingly in opposition in stories), it is strictly about the Kami world versus the material world, meaning that it is less important what colors a card has for purposes of synergy, but rather whether it is among the Kami world or the material one. (Example: white and red, as mentioned before, are historically opposed, but in Kamigawa block, they find strong elements of affinity as they both are very strongly opposed to Kami and they both share Samurai as a predominant creature subtype.)
There are numerous other smaller plots and subplots that take place in Dominaria and on the many planes of the multiverse of Dominia as well as events after the invasion of Dominaria by the Phyrexians.
For example:
- The sets from Weatherlight up to Apocalypse follow the epic story arc of the crew of the airship Weatherlight, their trek across several planes, and ultimately their role in defending Dominaria from the Phyrexian invasion.
- The sets from Odyssey to Scourge, set in the era of upheaval after the Invasion, involve the Dominarian continent of Otaria and the struggle between various factions for the powerful artifact known as the Mirari.
- The sets from Mirrodin to Fifth Dawn are set in the world of Mirrodin, where artificial and natural life are inseparably entwined.
- Several Magic: The Gathering video games have their own storylines and worlds.
Settings
Dominia
Dominia is the general name for the multiverse, which, in the books, refers to all of the infinite planes.
Dominaria
A world where the many planes intersect. It is the base setting of Magic: The Gathering. Known as the "Song of Dominia", Dominaria is 2.5 times the surface area of the Earth, with a radius of about 6,260.34 miles, but is mostly covered in oceans. Notable continents include Terisiare, setting of the Brothers' War and Ice Age, Corondor, Jamuraa, Shiv, and the Domains, as well as the island of Urborg. Although not mentioned in the current series of books, Sarpadia, setting of the Fallen Empires set, also exists in the southern hemisphere.
Otaria
Otaria is first introduced in the Odyssey expansion, and the storyline is set in Otaria up to the Scourge expansion. It is not a plane or a planet, but is a continent on Dominaria.
In the story, the Mirari is a mysterious artifact from the land of Otaria that lends great power to the one who possesses it. Its possession by the Cabal and transfer to the pit fighter Kamahl is an important conflict in the storyline.
Kamigawa
A world far removed from the other planes, elements of Kamigawa show a strong Japanese influence. Instead of Knights, there are armies of Samurai. Demons are referred to as Oni, and Spirits as Kami. Kamigawa has experienced a devastating war between the Kami world and the material world, and the story of Kamigawa is revealed through tattered documents and history books.
Mercadia
Mercadia is a plane, most notable for its unique mountain, shaped as a giant cone, growing wider as it gets higher, on the top resting a large city. In the story, the city was founded by various Thran officials teleported there to escape Yawgmoth, and Ramos, who reaches god-like status among the natives, is a dragon engine transported there during the Sylex blast of the Brothers' War.
Mirrodin
Originally called Argentum, Mirrodin is the artificial plane created by Karn, and setting for the Mirrodin, Darksteel, and Fifth Dawn expansions. The plane is made entirely of metal, the creatures on the plane having, for example, copper skin.
In the story, Memnarch, a creation of Karn, gradually grows insane, causing the near extinction of the blinkmoths, which create the rain, as well as other plot elements. Glissa, an elf, is a prominent figure in this storyline.
Phyrexia
Yawgmoth is the god of the artificial plane of Phyrexia. This realm is covered in glistening oil, and home to a vile race machine-beings.
Rabiah the Infinite
In ancient times, Rabiah, due to some mysterious force, was multiplied 1000 times, across 1000 different worlds. Although identical in the beginning, these planes started to drift apart culturally, forming 1001 planes that were at the same time the same, yet different.
Rabiah was home to the planeswalker Taysir. When the plane refracted, Taysir was created five times- each Taysir skilled in one type of Mana. Nailah, a Rabian sorceress, plotted to use the power of the Taysirs against them, to aid her in her plans of conquering the planes. She convinced the black Taysir to kill the others, but, after merging with his other selves, forming the most powerful planeswalker until Urza. Taysir rebelled against Nailah, but, with her last breath, she banished Taysir from Rabiah forever.
Rabiah today is a drifting family of planes, never staying in one place. It currently has portals to Wildfire, and, in ancient times, to equatorial continents on Dominaria. Rabian planes occasionally collide with each other, temporarily merging the two worlds.
Rath
Rath was an artificial plane, created of flowstone, a strange living stone composed of nanorobots. Made by Phyrexia for their invasion of Dominaria, it eventually became the size of Dominaria, at which point it melded with Dominaria, putting the Phyrexian forces in the middle of the Dominarian forces. Rath no longer exists as a separate plane, instead existing as part of Dominaria.
Shandalar
Shandalar is a small plane, one of the most Mana-rich in all of Dominia. Host of countless planeswalker wars, it is unstable, constantly spinning out of position. Was the center of an unsuccessful plan to shatter the shard that had trapped planeswalkers within the twelve immediate planes of the multiverse.
Ulgrotha
Ulgrotha was the setting of the Homelands expansion, notable for being the presumable origin of Sengir vampires.
The complete history and description of Ulgrotha, from MTGNews.com.
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