March of the Machine: The Aftermath

March of the Machine: the Aftermath is a non-draftable Magic micro set that was released on May 12, 2023. 
==Set details==
Aftermath was a rare fifth premier set in the Standard environment, but it is also a "new kind of thing" and "not a normal expansion". It is a micro set of 50 cards following up on March of the Machine, and was released both in tabletop and digital. From a product standpoint, it is considered an extension of March of the Machine.
Aftermath contains 50 regular cards , and 180 alternate versions of those same cards. Different showcase-style cards are #51-100, #101-150 are etched foil, #151-185 are extended art (no uncommons) and #186-228 are halo foil (skipping the retro frame cards), #229 is the Bundle promo, while #230 is the Buy-a-Box card.
===Storyline===
What is left when the dust settles after the epic four-part Phyrexian story arc? The very fabric of the Multiverse has fundamentally changed: many planeswalkers have lost their spark and omenpaths have now become the main way to travel between planes. Aftermath serves as an epilogue, tying up some loose ends and starting new beginnings.
Although marketed as a story focused micro set, there were no Story Spotlight cards in Aftermath. Many cards also lacked flavor text, and the set was only accompanied by two story articles. This left a lot of storylines unexplained.
====Magic Story====
Title	Author 	Publishing date	Set 	Setting (plane)	Featuring
 	Grace Fong	2023-05-01 	March of the Machine: The Aftermath	Zhalfir 	Nissa Revane, Chandra Nalaar, Teferi Akosa, Karn, Koth of the Hammer
 	Emily Teng	2023-05-02 	March of the Machine: The Aftermath	Zendikar 	Nahiri, Ajani Goldmane
===Marketing===
March of the Machine: The Aftermath is sold in Epilogue Boosters: lore-packed boosters that continue the story in between sets, with a guaranteed foil and Showcase card in every pack. Each Epilogue Booster contains 5 cards, with a combination of 1–3 card(s) of rarity Rare or higher and 2–4 Uncommon cards. In every pack, a total of 1–2 card(s) of any rarity are Traditional Foil.
The set also features Epilogue Collector Boosters as well as a Bundle. Each Epilogue Collector Booster contains 6 Magic: The Gathering cards and 1 Traditional Foil double-sided token, with 4 cards of rarity Rare or higher and 2 Uncommon cards. Every pack contains a total of 5–6 foil cards.
The set is available in English and Japanese.
====Events====
*Digital release: May 11, 2023
*Global Tabletop Release: May 12, 2023
====Promos====
*Buy-a-Box: alternate art 
*Bundle promo: alternate art 
====MTG Arena====
March of the Machine: The Aftermath replaced the Alchemy set release for March of the Machine. It is available in store boosters per regular set releases and in a limited-time draft format. Draft boosters contained one Aftermath card and one Multiverse Legends card with the rest being March of the Machine cards.
==Tokens and emblems==
Aftermath did not feature any tokens using its own set code or expansion symbol but boosters included selected tokens and emblems from March of the Machine, March of the Machine Commander and Multiverse Legends. A number of cards in the set generate tokens, so a list is provided below for reference.
# 1/1 Thopter artifact creature with flying for <c>Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival</c>.
# Food artifact for <c>Rocco, Street Chef</c>.
#Copy, for <c>Calix, Guided by Fate</c>, <c>Narset, Enlightened Exile</c>, <c>Nashi, Moon’s Legacy</c> and <c>Rebuild the City</c>.
==Themes and mechanics==
"Legendary matters": Aftermath features several planeswalkers as desparked legendary creatures. These cards feature a cracked planeswalker symbol as a watermark. There is also an Aura that enchants Legendary Creatures (<c>Leyline Immersion</c>)
Several returning mechanics appear as one-offs: Constellation, Convoke, Jump-start, Landfall, Madness, and Undergrowth.
==Reprinted cards==
*, first printed in Rise of the Eldrazi, last seen as a Judge Gift card in 2022.
==Misprint==
*The halo foil version of says "all of its loyalty counters", instead of "all loyalty counters on it".
==Reception==
A massive leak spoiled all the cards of the set. The small size of the set, the lack of cohesive storytelling and the price / quality ratio of the Epilogue Boosters caused Aftermath to have an unfavorable public reception. Another big complaint about Aftermath was that it was undraftable. Another stand-alone Epilogue set similar to Aftermath became highly unlikely as a result.
Wizards of the Coast market research often ask players to rank a set on a scale, and then looks at the top-two-box score, meaning how many people rated this with one of the top two ratings. It's a common metric used in data research. March of the Machine: The Aftermath had the lowest top-two-box score for a randomized booster product ever recorded at five percent.
The immediate poor reception caused Wizards to cancel an already designed epilogue set for Outlaws of Thunder Junction, folding many of the designs into the main set as The Big Score bonus sheet. The fallout also caused a restructure in the way Beyond Boosters were designed for Universes Beyond: Assassin's Creed. Long term, the product concept of Epilogue Boosters was cancelled entirely.
==Trivia==
*<c>Deification</c> basically gives a planeswalker <c>Worship</c>.
*Aftermath is the only set ever printed in which no cards are part of a cycle.
* is the first creature to be printed with the combination of exactly first strike, vigilance and haste.
==Gallery==
===Key art===
File:MATKeyArt1.jpg|Featuring Sarkhan Vol, Nissa Revane, and Nahiri by Chris Rallis.
File:MATKeyArt2.png|Featuring the Skyship Weatherlight, Kiora, Nissa Revane, Jolrael, Sarkhan Vol, Nahiri, Ob Nixilis, Samut, Sigarda, Karn, Tamiyo and Nashi by Boneface.
==External links==
*Official product page.
*WPN product page.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Micro sets