Hello Mark. You know you could have done a set like OTJ (bringing characters from different plans on the same) before the Mending, without need of omenpath. Is this a confession that breaking portals and summoning with the Mending was a bad idea?

No. Stories evolve, things change. The Mending was great. That doesn’t mean it’s the way things should always be though.

Hey mark? I think my birthday trivia got lost, I sent it two days ago. I wanted trivia about my favorite Planeswalker, ma boi Teferi.

Teferi first appeared in the Mirage block story. He then played a role in the Urza’s Saga story which took place in the past when Teferi was a young student. He lost his spark in the Mending, leaving an open-ended storyline we didn’t resolve until March of the Machine.Happy Belated Birthday!

Hey Mark, can you compare the changes you talked about in the article today with the changes brought about by The Mending? Is this a similar change to the multiverse?

Both events had a huge impact on the multiverse. This one is going to be something impacting more individuals. Not a lot of people were aware of The Mending. The Phyrexian War’s impact is felt by almost everyone.

How much effort would Sorin need to just make another Avacyn?

As it’s post Mending, I’m not sure he can.

Hi Mark! It was my birthday yesterday, and I'm wondering if you had any Trivia on Bant aligned planeswalkers or tribes? Thanks!

We remade planeswalkers in the Mending, so we could power them down, as it’s hard using omnipotent characters in a story. Then we made Amintou, who controls fate, and we’ve found her tricky to use. I do hope to see her again though. Happy Birthday!

Hello Mark!I know it’s probably too soo to ask…but I have a general question about the “profound change to Magic” expected with Aftermath. The way it was expressed in the article sounded ambiguous to me. Is the change going to affect only Magic “Lore & Background”just the way The Great Mending did, or is this change something deeper that will affect Magic as whole (including gameplay and design philosophy)?

It’s too early to talk about.

Will there be an explanation about how Phyrexians can now hold a spark?

This isn’t my area of expertise, so I’m going to do my best to explain it, but I might get a few small details wrong. Bear me with me.Phyrexians can’t hold a spark. It has to do with the fact that they’re soulless and you need a soul to hold a spark. It’s the same reason some other creature types can’t become a planeswalker (well, without some extenuating circumstance like with Karn). Pre-mending planeswalkers were immune to Phyrexianization based on their ability to have total control over their form. This is not true with post-mending planeswalkers. The Phyrexians are aware of the Multiverse. Prior to the Mending, they used portals to travel between planes, but the Mending shut down the portals (with only once exception that I know of - The Planar Bridge, but even that can’t transport living tissue). Because Phyrexianizing someone removes their soul, it would take away a planeswalkers ability to planeswalk, which is what definitionally makes one a planeswalker. Thus, Phyrexianizing a planeswalker wasn’t a solution to the Phyrexians’ problem. Jin-Gitaxias is on Kamigawa studying spirits made manifest believing that it might hold valuable information for the Phyrexians. It turns out it did and Jin-Gitaxias learned how to compleat a planeswalker without removing their soul/spark. That’s what’s going on. Read the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty stories for more info.

I'm confused - has Sigarda and the Cathars come to embrace witchcraft? Seems like quite the shift. Even Faithful Mending with Avacyns symbol have the floating candles that seem like the witchcraft motif for the set.

The Humans, and their allies, are turning to whatever resources can save them.

You said: "The whole point of The Mending was to make our planeswalkers less god-like.". This makes me wonder: do any planeswalkers suspect that they're characters in a trading card game, and that their trials and suffering exist only because Creative wanted to create interesting storylines?

I have a hunch Urza, Headmaster has a clue.

Since The Brothers War takes place in the past, will that be before The Great Mending?

It did, so yes.