Thread by @jay13x

So what’s a dragon engine? #MTGBRO

Dragon Engines were the term for both the highly sophisticated artificial lifeforms that were ‘native’ to Phyrexia, and the copies made by Mishra’s army. All of these are examples of dragon engines.

Back in The Thran, we learn the original planeswalker creator of Phyrexia loved taking the form of a metallic dragon, and populated the first sphere with ‘serpents’ in his image.

These were, of course, corrupted by Yawgmoth when he claimed the artificial plane for himself.

We don’t know anything else about the original creator of Phyrexia, just that his technology allowed Yawgmoth to fully realize his vision. He was not Chromium.

After Urza and Mishra first split up, Mishra was a slave to the Fallaji. The weakstone activated a long-buried dragon engine that was basically why he was eventually able to take over their growing empire.

After being attacked by Urza’s ornithopters in a surprise attack by Yotia’s Warlord, Mishra realizes he needs more, and heads to Phyrexia through a portal to get them, which is what brings him to Gix’s attention.

These dragons engines were very much mechanical life forms. They typically have the “dragon” subtype, but the same size is small and that may change in the BRO set.

Eventually Mishra realizes he needs more, but can’t risk going back to Phyrexia. So he builds facsimiles. These are the steam-punkier ones you may remember best, typically made of copper materials. They’re also constructs.

Traxos’ is an oxidized copper construct version, either from the sacking of Kroog or fighting in that area later in the war.

I don’t recall the timeline if Mishra had the construct versions yet during the sacking of Kroog, and I can’t look it up right now, but it doesn’t matter much.

At the end of the war in Argoth, Mishra has his original dragon engine with him (or so Urza thinks, since it’s his POV). He fuses with it and it’s the last straw for Urza before detonating the Sylex.

Ramos is another of the dragon engines, supposedly reprogrammed by Urza at the end of the war to transport survivors to Mercadia. As he’s not a Phyrexian, he’s probably a good example of the ‘pure’, non-Phyrexian version.

I have no idea how the Henge Guardians relate to all this

My assumption is that they were built by Ramos. So much of Ramos’ lore is surrounded by Mercadia superstition though.

Here’s the passage from Mercadian Masques about Ramos. Amusingly, this lore was introduced like a year later but didn’t actually happen in the Brothers’ War novel 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sorry for typos, been typing this in my phone while daughter was napping 😅