Battle for Zendikar

Lore & Background

For eons, Zendikar was a plane of wild magic and untamed beauty, until it became the prison for three Eldrazi Titans: Ulamog, Kozilek, and Emrakul. When the ancient seals began to fail, the Titans broke free, consuming the land and its people, turning the vibrant world into a desolate husk known as the Eldrazi Spawn. The plane's magic was siphoned away, leaving only gray, lifeless rock and mindless monsters. The crisis escalated when Jace Beleren, realizing he could not stop the threat alone, rallied a new generation of Planeswalkers to form the Gatewatch. This coalition included Chandra Nalaar, Gideon Jura, Liliana Vess, and the golem Karn. Their mission was twofold: to contain the two Titans still on Zendikar and to deal with Emrakul, who had fled to another plane. The battle required them to master the very magic of the Eldrazi, using the power of the Agony Stone to trap Ulamog and Kozilek back within the plane's core.

In Their Own Story

The sky above Zendikar was no longer blue but a bruised purple, choked by the swirling mass of the Eldrazi. Jace Beleren stood atop a jagged spire of obsidian, his mind racing through millions of possibilities, yet every path led to extinction. Beside him, Chandra Nalaar clenched her fists, fire dancing on her knuckles as she stared at the colossal form of Ulamog descending from the clouds. The air tasted of ash and old magic. "They are too big," Gideon whispered, his sword glowing with a faint white light that seemed insignificant against the void. "We cannot kill them." Karn, the silent golem, stepped forward, holding the pulsating Agony Stone. "Then we do not fight to destroy. We fight to seal." As the ground shook and the Spawn surged like a tide of gray flesh, the Gatewatch drew their powers together, weaving a spell that would bind the unbindable, knowing that if they failed, there would be no tomorrow for any plane.

Reader's Guide

The conflict began when Jace Beleren realized the Eldrazi seals on Zendikar were failing. He traveled across the Multiverse to recruit Chandra Nalaar, Gideon Jura, Liliana Vess, and Karn, forming the Gatewatch. Their first major objective was to stop Emrakul, who had escaped to Innistrad, resulting in a fierce battle where she was temporarily imprisoned within the plane's moon. Returning to Zendikar, the team faced the two remaining Titans: Ulamog and Kozilek. The Planeswalkers discovered that direct combat was futile against such cosmic entities. Instead, Karn crafted the Agony Stone, a device capable of channeling the Eldrazi's own hunger back into them. In a climactic confrontation, the Gatewatch used this artifact to trap Ulamog and Kozilek deep within Zendikar's core, effectively re-sealing them. The victory came at a cost; Liliana Vess was forced to make a pact with the demon Erebos to survive the ordeal, while the plane of Zendikar began its slow, painful recovery. The event solidified the Gatewatch as the Multiverse's primary defense force against existential threats, establishing a new era of cooperation among Planeswalkers.

Did You Know?

• The Battle for Zendikar was the first major storyline to feature the newly formed 'Gatewatch' teaming up across multiple planes.
• Karn played a pivotal role by creating the Agony Stone, which was essential in resealing Ulamog and Kozilek.
• Emrakul was not defeated on Zendikar; she fled to Innistrad, where she was trapped inside the moon during this conflict.
• The event marked the first time the Eldrazi were successfully contained by Planeswalkers rather than ancient artifacts alone.