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MTG’s Reality Fracture set reunites the Lorwyn Five after 20 years with 16 newly revealed cards
A new Magic: The Gathering set called Reality Fracture, releasing on 2 October, will reunite the "Lorwyn Five" Planeswalkers for the first time in nearly 20 years since they were introduced in the 2007 Lorwyn set. The reunion is driven by the set's story, in which Jace Beleren, now calling himself The Theorist, attempts to overwrite reality with his own vision of a multiverse free from conflict, making him the set's primary antagonist.
Jace's alternate reality, the Echoverse, has produced twisted versions of the original characters, such as a vengeful Ajani Unrelenting and a soul-devouring Garruk who dons the Chain Veil, while Liliana's counterpart never turned to necromancy after her brother survived. Where a legendary character has an Echoverse equivalent, both cards will appear together in the same pack. The Theorist operates from Hexhaven, a dark mirror of the Strixhaven setting, comprising five allied-colour schools including Fatehold, Theorex, Stingerquill, Constrari and Vigorbloom, blending familiar and new design elements according to head designer Mark Rosewater.
In short
- MTG's Reality Fracture set reunites the Lorwyn Five Planeswalkers, out 2 October
- Villain Jace Beleren ("The Theorist") tries to overwrite reality via the Echoverse
- New Hexhaven schools mirror Strixhaven with twisted, allied-colour variants
Explained simply
Magic: The Gathering is a long-running trading card game where players build decks and battle using spell and creature cards. The Lorwyn Five are five legendary Planeswalker characters—powerful wizards who can travel between different worlds—who were first introduced together in the 2007 Lorwyn set. Their reunion in the new Reality Fracture set is notable because it marks the first time these characters have appeared together as a group in nearly two decades.
The set's story revolves around Jace Beleren, one of the Lorwyn Five, who has taken on a new identity called The Theorist. He is attempting to fundamentally rewrite reality itself, imagining a multiverse without conflict, and serves as the story's main antagonist. His actions have created an alternate reality called the Echoverse that contains twisted versions of the original characters—for instance, a version of Liliana who never embraced necromancy because her brother survived in that timeline.
To reflect this dual-reality concept, the cards themselves feature both the original Planeswalkers and their Echoverse counterparts, with paired versions of the same character appearing together in card packs. The story unfolds across a dark reflection of the Strixhaven magic school setting, reimagined as Hexhaven and divided into five rival schools of magic.