The Eldrazi are iconic figures in the vast library of Magic: The Gathering lore. These interdimensional, mana-hungry beings occupy the Blind Eternities, the void between planes. The Eldrazi threaten entire planes with their hunger and are only rivaled by the Phyrexians in sheer might. Throughout the multifaceted history of the Magic: The Gathering multiverse, only three Eldrazi Titans have been seen and named: Ulamog, Kozilek, and Emrakul. However, the previews of the upcoming Commander Masters set has revealed a new legendary Eldrazi: Zhulodok, Void Gorger.
Zhulodok, Void Gorger is one of the few new cards being released in the compilation set Commander Masters as part of the colorless Eldrazi Unbound deck. This card’s release has raised many questions, primarily because its presence undermines over a decade of established lore. The fact that it's being released in a set without a storyline makes it even stranger. Many players have been left wondering just how Zhulodok came to exist, and how they fit into the established lore.
A Brief History of the Eldrazi
The Eldrazi first appeared in the appropriately-named 2010 set Rise of the Eldrazi. They are massive, unknowably large creatures who consume entire planes for their mana reserves. The physical manifestations of the Eldrazi titans are only a fraction of their actual beings. The spirit dragon Ugin compared them to a human dipping only their hand into a pond. Even so, the Eldrazi are incredibly powerful, capable of warping reality and spawning hiveminds of smaller Eldrazi creatures.
Thousands of years ago, the planeswalkers Sorin Markov of Innistrad, Nahiri of Zendikar, and Ugin of Dominaria decided to imprison the Eldrazi on Zendikar. The three did not initially kill the Eldrazi, as they wanted to stop their destruction without potentially disrupting the balance of the Multiverse. Ugin made it very clear that there were only three Eldrazi Titans in existence: Kozilek, Ulamog, and Emrakul. These three were eventually sealed by a network of stone hedrons floating across Zendikar using the power of leylines.
Many millennia later, the bonds holding the three Eldrazi titans were accidentally loosened by another set of three planeswalkers: Jace Beleren, Sarkhan Vol, and Chandra Nalaar. Another planeswalker, Nissa Revane, completely destroyed the main hedron in a desperate move, thinking that the Eldrazi would flee Zendikar. She was, of course, incorrect in this assumption and the Eldrazi begin to wreak havoc across Zendikar. Kozilek and Ulamog were eventually slain by the future Gatewatch. However, Emrakul was lured to Innistrad instead and finally imprisoned in its silver moon rather than being killed. As of March of the Machine: The Aftermath, she remains trapped there.
Zhulodok, Void Gorger Undermines the Canon Lore
The number three is extremely important across the history of the Eldrazi. Ugin stated that there were only three Titans, and it took three planeswalkers to seal them and three to unbind them. This makes Zhulodok an unexpected addition to the game. It has been a few years since the Eldrazi appeared in a set, making it all the stranger that a new one would be released in a set like Commander Masters, which is made up of mostly reprinted cards.
Jay Annelli, a consulting Loremaster for Wizards of the Coast stated in a Tumblr post that Zhulodok is not a true titan but rather part of Ulamog's brood. This has not been officially confirmed by Wizards as of present but it still raises questions even if it's true. The only other cards besides Zhulodok described as Legendary Creature - Eldrazi are the three titans and two Eldritch Moon cards - Brisela, Voice of Nightmares and Hanweir, Writhing Township. Brisela is an amalgamation of two existing legendaries, and Hanweir is a specific named location, so their legendary status makes sense and doesn't conflict with the existing lore. Zhulodok simply being a powerful member of Ulamog's brood goes against the faceless horde mentality of the Eldrazi and doesn't seem worthy of the legendary typing. Further, Ulamog himself was killed by Gatewatch on Zendikar, which raises more questions about Zhulodok’s presence in the multiverse.
Is Emrakul Involved?
Emrakul is the only known Eldrazi titan to have survived Gatewatch’s counteroffensive. She is currently sealed in Innistrad’s moon, sleeping and imprisoned. However, she also canonically allowed herself to be captured rather than fighting back. In the short story "The Promised End" by Ken Troop, Emrakul contacts Jace and says:
"This is all wrong. I am incomplete, unfulfilled, inchoate. There should be blossoms, not barren resentment. The soil was not receptive. It is not my time. Not yet…It is coming, Jace. I am coming. Keep moving. Find your answers. But quickly. Time points one way, and it does so with hunger."
One theory is that Emrakul was referencing the impending Phyrexian Invasion and Jace's later Compleation. But she may have been foreshadowing the birth of a new titan, or at least the arrival of a powerful new Eldrazi. While Ulamog alters the physical world around him and Kozilek warps space, Emrakul has control over biology and bodies. If anything could create a new Eldrazi titan, it would be Emrakul.
Zhulodok may be what Emrakul was warning Jace about, or merely a small part of a greater threat. With the death of the other two titans, it is possible that Emrakul allowed herself to be trapped in order to regain strength and plan out long-term machinations. She conveniently disappeared shortly before Innistrad was invaded by the New Phyrexians, allowing her to escape the events of March of the Machine completely unscathed. Emrakul may be planning to restore her two lost brethren and once again emerge to threaten the many planes of the Multiverse while they are still recovering from their war with the Phyrexians.
Whether Zhulodok is simply a powerful member of Ulamog's brood or a new Eldrazi titan, it is sure to make a splash as a powerful Cascade-based commander for colorless decks. Commander Masters is set to release on August 4, 2023.