The Release of Omnath | March of the Machine | Magic: The Gathering | MTG Story

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Omnath is a fan favorite - but what is its history? Where did it come from? And what's the newest version look like?
Big thanks to Doug Beyer and Ari Zirulnik for writing some of the original fiction and lore I grabbed to tell the story of Omnath.
Have a question? Post a comment! You can also catch me, Gavin Verhey, on the rest of the internet at:
Twitch: Twitch.tv/GavinVerhey
Twitter: gavinverhey
Instagram: gavinverhey
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@gavinverhey
Thumbnail background art is Omnath, Locus of All from March of the Machine by Bryan Sola.
#magicthegathering #mtgmarch #design

[@GoodMorningMagic]

If you enjoyed this video, you might also like the deep dive I did on Masticores - check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3PSXpWJdpetetE

[@LolaliciousSmiley]

That one's good too!

[@acdcguy18]

Does the new Omnath actually care specifically about three-coloured cards? Based on my understanding of what I read, he just cares about the card having three mana symbols of any colour not three different colours.

[@alexanderficken9354]

Please make more of these! Love them Soo much

[@gauthierphilippe2715]

thank you for your work !

[@elihall6480]

how do you compleat omnath

[@ryanfarrell2779]

I'd love more accessible lore resources like this. I love the details and older magic it's very difficult to find reliable information on.

[@GoodMorningMagic]

Thanks, and glad you enjoyed it! If you heard anything just now, it was my bones withering into dust as someone called Zendikar an old set.

[@Lionbug]

@@GoodMorningMagic 😂 I played the first zendikar as a child, now I feel old… that makes you ancient xP

[@marvinmuller4003]

More of that, please!!!

[@Deathmrn]

@@GoodMorningMagic How did they compleat an elemental?

[@Kryptnyt]

@@Lionbug Pearl Lake Ancient Ancient, or Ancient Silverback Ancient?

[@ErikTheRedd1]

Do more of this plz

[@GoodMorningMagic]

Glad you enjoyed it! What did you like in particular?

[@ErikTheRedd1]

@@GoodMorningMagic I enjoyed getting a deep lore dive on a character. I never even knew he was previously imprisoned. Great stuff. And you tell it so well

[@veersstreams9065]

@@GoodMorningMagic The combination of lore, artist prompts, and early design iterations given in context to the state of Magic at the time and/or how the cards altered it is fascinating. This was a really, really good video! I wonder if adding comments from people who worked on the cards could enhance this even further.

[@notSoAverageGuineaPigEnjoyer]

@@GoodMorningMagic i liked the insight into WOTCs mind and the love for the character

[@andrewp6738]

@@GoodMorningMagic Loved the "inside baseball" stuff - early design iterations, R&D thoughts, etc. Stuff that you can't just look up on a wiki!

[@linkmaxwell]

I love the fusion of lore with game design stories. Please do more.

[@christopherb501]

I'd particularly love to see such for the likes of Nicol Bolas, Tetsuya Umezawa and Yawgmoth Demon, considering the long shadow they cast.

[@moistnar]

I only got into Magic this year, but learning all the lore has been one of the biggest selling points of the game to me. This video reminds me a lot of one my absolute favorites on Magic lore, Rhystic Studies' "Odric's Tragedy". I would love to see more of this type of video, blending lore and card design to describe the journey of a character through mechanics--maybe Heliod next?

[@TotalElipse]

I honestly think this might be your best video yet.

[@Hundo_Mo]

I love the idea of cards backstory being explained alongside their development.

[@caseywellington4761]

Yes! This is what makes the channel so good!

[@christopherb501]

Tho maybe don't cover someone like a Gatewatch member, or gods help you, Urza or Bolas, until the format is worked out better.

[@dawidshakestheworld]

This presentation for lore and card design was flawlessly presented. please more

[@97MasterX]

Found it super neat you included the artist reference comment. Please throw these in more often if possible as seeing the creation process is really cool.

[@ty_sylicus]

This was great. Thank you Gavin.

[@ploobus1367]

I really love this video and would like to see more. Keep up the good work!

[@StanielJeffries]

Would love to see a video like this for the history of Thalia and the Gitrog Monster!

[@malakimphoros2164]

:^)

[@mabrewer64]

Please do more videos like this. I love learning the back stories of the creatures and the history of the cards. Being new to Magic it's a great way to learn the lore.

[@lukeisstrange1533]

The one thing I dislike about Omnath I haven't noticed on other cards is that the phyrexian mana pip is slightly bigger than the normal mana pips. Seeing them right beside each other looks.. weird to me. Beside that I like the design of new Omnath.

[@hikkisuki]

Love this lore video on Omnath! 1 of my first mono colored edh decks was Omnath Locus of Mana. It's great to find out more about the card design and the vorthos behind the character! Ty for taking the time to make this video Gavin~

[@MarkSalazar69]

This kind of vid is pretty good Gavin, more of this please, thanks.

[@simplistic_1]

This was a fun video. Your access to the parts of the card file we've never gotten to see allows you to add a new dimension to your videos covering lore and character design that other video essayists can't.

[@chancehelton942]

Lore videos are always a plus, and the insight to creation is a big plus.

[@christopherreay3242]

Nice video. The thing I think you add brilliantly is the insight into the development of the cards/characters. It's facinating!

[@waynesoniat3749]

Loved this!!! It's nice to peek behind the curtain and see some of the iterations of cards we love, particularly Omnath. And a colorless Omnath NEVER crossed my mind but that would even more sad and exciting than this compleated one.

[@imrahil_327]

This was a great one, thanks Gavin! Getting to see both the lore side and the design side synch up like this is really fun.

[@ardenroboknight5451]

As someone relatively new to Magic, having the lore and history of a card/character explained by someone with such in-depth knowledge of its creation and journey is truly special. More of this please

[@mikotagayuna8494]

Very excited for the future Omnath with colorless mana. Probably a Phyrexianized one that got rehabbed by the Eldrazi into becoming devoid.

[@TheNoblestMan]

This was incredible, and I'd love to see more of these! There are so many characters in Magic it's easy to lose track of all the interesting ones that exist, and letting us see R&D's alternate takes of those characters is a really interesting way of seeing aspects of those characters that maybe weren't seen before! Also, as a fan card designer, seeing alternate takes totally gives me ideas!

[@bryceduyvewaardt8136]

I LOVED this lore video -I have two Omnath decks with a third one in the works so I was really happy to listen to more lore on this legendary creature!

[@PatJamma]

Man that intro could give Rhystic Studies a run for his money

[@JuanRachadell]

Just subscribed to the channel because of this video. Love these lore explanations mixed with design information! It gives more meaning to the cards and characters we already love!

[@hithisisandreas]

This was awesome, I love hearing the combination of lore and getting a peek behind design's curtain!

[@EvolvedDinosaur]

I really like the addition of artist prompts. Make more of these story/gameplay fusion videos!

[@twarnold14]

Yes, love this video. As for Omnath, I like how the black mana is Phyrexian, comes from the old, mostly black-aligned enemy, and completes/compleats him. Also that we got to finish out the cycle so soon after the joke was made about him collecting colors. I had a rogue standard deck in BFZ era that had 2 Gruul Omnath and ran elementals from Tarkir plus awakening cards. It was fun, but I didn’t think it was start of a pattern then. Interesting seeing how things shaped out.

[@ebbj800]

I liked this style of video a lot. I love learning more about magic lore plus getting insight into development of cards is a super cool detail only an insider like Gavin can add.

[@iamalsopropaganda]

When my friends and I were first getting into Magic and specifically Commander, the first deck I ever built was Atraxa because I really loved her art and the Phyrexian lore, and one of my friends’ first deck was Omnath, Locus of Creation. When I saw he had been compleated, I HAD to send it to her. So excited for this upcoming set for many reasons, but Omnath is a big one.

[@LogoMotive11]

What a sweet video, please do more of these if possible. I love cards that get the entire community buzzing, and as soon as we say 3 color omnath we knew it was only a matter of time before we got 4 and 5. Now we are having fun speculating Eldrazi Omnath

[@Zytri92]

That was really cool. I especially liked seeing the art direction given to the artist. Also, seeing the road map of where it started and where it is currently was really cool. Do more of these!

[@Hyuuga2109]

This kind of video DEFINITELY needs to become a series.

[@HontoBakabaka]

Absolutely loved this. Even though you're edging a bit into Sam's wheelhouse here, the shorter format helps keeping it distinct. Lore dives like these are my favourite, please keep doing them. Also, the way you sound calm and relaxed is imho way better than the fast-paced, pauseless stressed-like tempo some of your shorter vids have. Keep this up, Gavin! 👍🏼

[@Phe0nix1986]

Loved the video. Very snappy and atmospheric dive into a favourite character. Locus of the roil is my fav. Commander! Love it. Please do more like this. Really really great.

[@jaya-prime]

Love it! I knew some of Omnath's lore, but adding in art details and background info is amazing. FAV!

[@LifeNotRules]

Love these kinds of videos, always cool to see design through a new window -- I had assumed it was always the plan to add a color with each iteration of Omnath, cool to see it emerge organically

[@andrewp6738]

+1 - I'm super interested in how Design takes regular Magic cards/aspects and expands them when there's an opportunity to create something really cool

[@mrknarf4438]

Wonderful storytelling: I've been playing for a long time, and following the story, but most of this was new to me. The additional details about the card design and the art description definitely add a dimension to the tale, and your voice complements it beautifully!

[@alexwenner5746]

This was a great video. Next only to the podcasts these are my favorites you make

[@HarutaArt]

This was a fun video to listen to! Thanks for the insights to Omnath! As for the card, the callback to the original is cool. And having a new way to use 3 color cards is neat. It's interesting how Omnath hasn't ever been tied to one theme. It really shows how the elemental has kept changing and evolving!

[@paultrampe7005]

I find myself more fascinated by both the lore and the developmental process the more I play, and a video like this satisfies both parts of that! This is great!

[@RazorOfArtorias]

I love this kind of videos because you have access to a lot of internal WotC data. Great job as always!

[@fireballfpv1207]

This was awesome. Omnath Locus of Creation was the first commander deck from scratch I built after getting into Magic. Excited for this one

[@multeyemeteor]

Very cool video, Gavin. Well done! I'd watch more of these for sure.

[@Deakonavory2002]

YES - defiantly loved this style and history lesson. And how appropriate that it took THIRTEEN years to get the 5 color Omnath we were waiting for! Excited to get this in my collection!

[@Krellitlikeitis]

This was super fun Gavin! Would love to see more like it when appropriate :)

[@zenalias3131]

as someone who's into the lore of mtg, I do want more of such videos. It's interesting to see how each character's life panned out in the card designs themselves

[@davidebella8831]

Loved the video Gavin! I absolutely love stories like these! I need more! MOOORE!

[@kokioen]

I love this combination of lore and card design history. I hope you do more like this!

[@ring-tailedlemurs8744]

I definitely loved this style of video. a nice combination of card design and lore/history.

[@Korg42]

We will need an Omnath with snow mana soon enough to truly complete the cycle

[@ferdithetank7535]

Absolutely love this format of storytelling! Character development in Magic cards is such an underrated flavor trope this game desperately needs more of. Can we have similar stories about other characters, maybe even Planeswalkers like Teferi?

[@TLG1255]

Hey! Seriously love the video! Great lore and card development, all my favorite things about magic and specifically what you talk about! Thanks for trying it out! Keep it up!

[@GoodMorningMagic]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching! 😄

[@HarleyLatex]

this was a cool one... always love to see how you combine story and mechanic

[@vaderwashere365]

I really enjoy the historical look at cards, especially with your insider knowledge of the development and "what could have been". Please keep these coming, whether it is on a single card/creature or on sets as a whole. It is a unique perspective that old farts like me love to watch/listen to. Bonus points if you can go all the way back to when I started playing during Legends/Revised.

[@nerdgoodness7656]

Definitely would love to see more of this series. I could only imagine this for cards such as Teferi, Queen Marchesa, or the Legend Retold series of creatures.

[@jihosna6834]

This was honestly great. Feel free to do more of these for sure!

[@DMCDCW]

Amazing content! It great to catch up with lore for returning players.

[@zeez145]

Great video as always, I love game design stories about supercycles of cards.

[@Honor_Basquiat]

Great video as always Gavin, always love hearing about the previous iterations and versions of rare and mythic rare cards (especially legends). Keep up the awesome work (and content). Extremely hyped for March of the Machine! - Honor Basquiat

[@frostwalkerspodcast5864]

Really loved this mix of lore and mechanics it’s a very fun time

[@arturozambrano2667]

I really like this style of video, in fact i want MORE Depth, more iterations in the design, more data in why was selected the final version! Great Content!

[@braidsmeetsbalthor7517]

This was incredibly interesting! Please do more videos like this🙏

[@EmmettMcMullan]

This was a nice history! Great video, Gavin

[@reubenfromow4854]

This is really good, I’d LOVE more story stuff like this! The story is easily the bit of magic that keeps me playing the game, but I can’t help but feel that I got into magic at the worst time for the story. I hear that a while ago you’d spend 2/3 whole sets at a time on the same story! That sounds amazing! So I love resources like this that take a larger focus on the story 😊

[@gcampoverde]

Lore + Design in a single story video? Love this! And I need more!

[@jjing4]

This was super cool and well done. Please do more just like this!

[@Floodle9358]

Something I really like about this Omnath design compared to the last on is the lesson learned about card draw. One of the (many) reasons 4c Omnath was so good was the etb draw a card. I really like that 5c Omnath has a window where it can be answered without a 2 for 1 while still doing powerful things when left unchecked. To me at least it really reads like the lesson was learned from 4c Omnath

[@JustABrokenToy]

I didn't know the lore behind Omnath, so it was neat to learn that it is a potential menace to the plane that was overshadowed by the Eldrazi. After RG Omnath (and certainly after Temur Omnath) it became pretty clear that Omnath would eventually absorb all colors of mana. At least, that's what the audience wanted, so good on WotC to deliver! With that in mind, I love subverting the expectation of 5-color Omnath by adding Phyrexian black mana! Very awesome, and very terrifying for our heroes on Zendikar.

[@Pug8]

Love this! Do more talking about evolution of characters mixed with design

[@StrataGames]

Have always loved Omnath, and had a mono green commander deck using Locus of Mana back in the day. Would love to see more deep dives on interesting characters!

[@Yesnomu]

This was great! Omnath is super cool and I like how it's been reimagined through the years. The new one should be a fun commander at the very least.

[@aurabullet4128]

This was a very fun watch. Thank you Gavin

[@brandonliming9612]

One of your best segments yet

[@Tybonel13]

I started playing during the Theros block and Omnath, Locus of Mana was my first ever commander deck, I think I built them sometime around Fate Reforged. Once Locus of Rage came out in BFZ they were already my favorite character, and each iteration after that just made me like them more. While I'm certain some are sad to see them compleated, I'm just happy for another version to build around.

[@ethansokol307]

I'm in for the Lore and design space, it really shows the depth of each of magics awesome characters

[@paulkelemen4199]

I really like the details on card design, or old versions of cards

[@Varler_]

This was a really interesting video, thanks! I never heard about a lot of that lore.

[@IceColdEmber]

Colorless mana is super cool to me. Putting it in omnath would be a cool way to drive back into the lore of it. Would love to learn more about the powers Ugin and the eldrazi invoke!

[@randomDisinformation13]

This was a fun video. I'd like to see one for Niv-Mizzet.

[@jays1de]

hearing the history of omnath was a treat.

[@christopherb501]

Definitely could stand to do similar lore videos, on the basis of character evolution and its reflections in the cards. Odric, Mishra, Olivia, the Kodama, Hazezon, Sorin, Weatherlight, Jhoira, the Praetors, Nahiri, Bolas, Niv-Mizzet, Freyalise, Narset, the Umezawa line, the Infernal Spawn family...the possibilities are endless.

[@CielCollins]

Loved the deep dive and reasoning behind these cards! (Not gonna lie, I hope we see other cool 1-5 color character arcs in the future.) :)

[@DeepCDiva]

I'd love to see more deep dives in cards that have more than one incarnation, and March Of The Machines is the perfect time for that with many fan favorites coming back. Maybe Thalia is next?

[@jordantaylor4390]

I’ve been a fan of Omnath since the beginning! There might even be room for a de-phyrexianized 5 colour Omnath if Jace shares whatever cure he’s going to use!

[@diegoblin9090]

I love when we get to see the history and development of characters and cards! I wish we see Radha next. I really love the character

[@SuperFlashfish]

Hi, Gavin! More deep dives into popular characters, cards, or even obscure cards with an interesting story would be awesome! While I'm not a big fan of this Omnath (I'm not into the Phyrexians or what they've done to my favorite walking mana elemental), I enjoyed this video a lot and I've love to see more!

[@Ceil420]

Certainly wish we'd got more proper lore for Omnath before its compleation, but I'm definitely glad you made this video : )

[@RipSkin5]

Absolutely loved this video!!!! Would definitely love to see more 😁

[@KingGurke98]

very cool to see some Dev insights on the evolution of specific cards, I wouldn't mind more like this Would've liked to hear more on its newest iteration though, I feel like the phyrexian omnath doesn't really know whether it wants you to play 3-colored or focus on black, so I wonder what thoughts went into that

[@deluezian_helix]

Looking forward to the next character overview!

[@Sinspinner]

Please do more like this. Omnath is awesome! Believe it or not, I spoke to my kids after All Will Be One came out and predicted a Phyrexian Onmath. I even called the name and the Phyrexian mana cost. I am obviously quite proud of myself. Lol Thanks for the great video and for all that you do.

[@zealcrux]

Dang this was neat! I’d love to have a look back at someone like Guff!

[@Kazz1187]

Love the trailing of characters over time

[@libraryofalexandria8528]

the original locus of creation is so cool! I wanna see that on a card

[@orsettomorbido]

Yeah, definitely appreciated the video! Really interesting!

[@StefanDillandMarcRIP]

Omnath was my first EDH deck. Also I second what everyone else is saying. Lore/Design is interesting to hear about.

[@swordmanjosh]

Love this type of storytelling