Happy holidays! This Arcana originally ran on January 20, 2004. Magicthegathering.com will return with new content on January 4th, 2005.The Thran, an extinct race to which the Phyrexians belonged before they became half-mechanical monstrosities, once ruled Dominaria. They created powerful artifacts long before the times of Mirrodin or the Urza Saga block, and crafted ornate designs into their creations.
Buried in a Magic artist's style guide from the Urza's Saga days is this tidbit about the Thran: the Thran symbol, an icon representing the Thran culture and technology (see the symbol at right). This symbol is depicted in a few Magic cards; for example, see the art of Urza's Legacy's
Thran War Machine and Urza's Saga's
Thran Quarry, below.
Learn more about the Thran in The Thran, a novel by J. Robert King.
Thran War Machine
Thran Quarry