Planar Bridge

Planar Bridge
Characteristics
Origin	Kaladesh
Creator	Rashmi
User	Tezzeret, Nicol Bolas
Status	Unknown

The Planar Bridge is an artificial planar portal, created by the inventor Rashmi on Kaladesh.

Nature of the Bridge

When the Mending occurred, all existing planar portals had stopped working. The Planar Bridge is the only known example to replicate their function. The Planar Bridge, however, can only transport non-organic or dead matter. Planeswalkers are the one exception, presumably thanks to the protection of their spark. The New Phyrexian Praetors can also use the bridge as they are partially a form of sentient metal, but doing so destroys the organic components of their bodies, leaving them in a badly weakened state as they heal. This incineration also injures Tezzeret each crossing.

After Tezzeret installed the Bridge into his body, it began to eat away at him. It is unclear if it is due to the proximity to the portal, or due to damage incurred during the War of the Spark. Little by little, the Planar Bridge damaged Tezzeret to the point where he allied with the Phyrexians in order to get a new body made of Darksteel and to rid himself of it. He would have succumbed to it already if not for members of the Quiet Furnace who have to periodically cauterize his body.

History

The Planar Portal was stolen by Tezzeret, by order of Nicol Bolas. Tezzeret took it off the plane, and incorporated it in his body.

After putting together some of Bolas' machinations on Ixalan and Amonkhet, Jace and Vraska theorized that something on the plane of Ravnica was of extreme interest to Bolas. It seemed to be part of his plan to reclaim his lost power. In order to reach this goal, they reasoned that he planned to use the Planar Bridge to invade the plane with an interplanar army of immortals, while trapping the resident planeswalkers.

War of the Spark

Bolas's plan came to fruition, when Tezzeret opened up the Planar Bridge in the Chamber of the Guildpact on Ravnica, reducing it to rubble, and the Dreadhorde invaded Ravnica. It was revealed that planeswalkers could travel through the Planar Bridge without danger. Dack Fayden, Ob Nixilis, Karn, and Samut traveled to Amonkhet and shut it off. The portal inside Tezerret's chest exploded, which led to the larger portal that Eternals were actually walking through to implode and collapse upon itself. Tezzeret planeswalked away after his defeat. The scar of the planar portal was removed by the combined magic of the guildmasters of Ravnica, reviving Niv-Mizzet in the process.

Forsaken

After the war, Ral Zarek, Kaya, and Vraska were assigned to hunt down and kill Tezzeret, Liliana Vess, and Dovin Baan, respectively. Tezzeret planeswalked to multiple worlds before arriving at his fortress, the Seekers' Sanctum in Esper on Alara. The damaged Planar Bridge had begun leaking energy that slowly seared the surrounding flesh on his chest. The energy trail it left also allowed the Wanderer to track him as she assisted Ral Zarek in his hunt for Tezzeret. During their confrontation, Tezzeret used the Planar Bridge to redirect Ral's lightning strikes which rendered his attacks useless.

After Tezzeret's victory, he used the Planar Bridge to orchestrate the abandonment of his fortress. The Wanderer later revealed that she could no longer sense its technology and that Tezzeret had most likely intended to be followed.

Kaldheim

The Planar Bridge was used to transport the praetor Vorinclex to the plane of Kaldheim in order obtain a sample of Tyrite. The process seared off his organic components and left him as a pile of metal and bones that had to rebuild himself. Upon completing his mission, the Planar Bridge brought him back to Norn's throne room on New Phyrexia. Once again, his new body was incinerated, but the sample arrived undamaged.

Neon Dynasty

After forming an alliance with New Phyrexia, Tezzeret used the Planar Bridge to transport Jin-Gitaxias to and from Kamigawa. He also used it to kidnap Tamiyo, who served as the first compleated planeswalker.

Streets of New Capenna

Tezzeret used the Planar Bridge to transport Urabrask to New Capenna. Urabrask was left badly wounded after arriving and has spent weeks trying to heal his injuries. While taking Vivien Reid to meet the praetor, Tezzeret revealed the Bridge got corrupted from ferrying Phyrexian forces and the other praetors across the multiverse.

Dominaria United

The Planar Bridge was used to transport Sheoldred and some Phyrexian forces to the plane of Dominaria. Similar to the other praetors, the process of sending her through the Bridge incinerated her organic components and severely weakened her. The Planar Bridge was used again after Sheoldred reported her success and transported herself, a compleated Ajani Goldmane, and Karn away from the exploding Mana Rig back to New Phyrexia with each being sent to different places.

Phyrexia: All Will Be One

The Bridge was always meant to be at most a guerilla method for New Phyrexia to send troops, with Realmbreaker being the intended primary military transport, which by the time of Phyrexia: All Will Be One was prime for activation. Tezzeret himself had entirely burnt out by his last transportation of Rona to New Phyrexia, to which Elesh Norn granted him the darksteel body. It is unclear what became of the Planar Bridge after Tezzeret's escape, as neither the New Phyrexians or Tezzeret have mentioned or used it in any capacity.

In-game references

Represented in:

• Planar Bridge

Associated cards:

• Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge

Depicted in:

• Commence the Endgame
• Emergence Zone
• Gateway Plaza
• Mastermind's Acquisition
• No Escape
• Paradoxical Outcome
• Tezzeret's Reckoning

Referred to:

• Hope of Ghirapur
• Kaito's Pursuit
• One With the Machine
• Thunder Drake

Gallery

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  Card art in Kaladesh Inventions. Art by Raymond Swanland.