| “ | Beast. Kill them all and feed them to the new recruits. | „ |
| ~ Crovax |
Crovax was a human corrupted into a phyrexianized vampire and secondary antagonist of Magic: the Gathering. For much of his story, he aided the Weatherlight crew against the Phyrexians. His hatred of them was due to their constant attacks on him and his family. But, after he was cursed into becoming a vampire and was abandoned by his crew, he was transformed into one of the Phyrexian's deadliest soldiers.
History[]
Early Life[]
Crovax was born in Urborg on the plane of Dominaria. He had a rocky relationship with his parents and with his noble status, Crovax had a real difficult time making new friends. His only friend was an angel named Selenia who was imprisoned in a mirror and helped protect his family's estate. Crovax fell in love with Selenia, but she couldn't share those feelings with him. Once he was invited to join the Weatherlight crew, he ecstatically accepted so he could explore more of the plane. He took Selenia with him so he had a friend on his journey.
Serving Aboard the Weatherlight[]
Crovax proved useful to the crew as a skilled warrior though he still had trouble befriending most of his crewmates. He did become friends with the elf Rofellos and Gerrard Capashen. Even if most of the other members of the crew had their suspicions, Crovax's battle prowess proved vital enough to allow him to stay. He was instrumental in obtaining some of the Legacy Artifacts, a group of artifacts that when combined could destroy Phyrexia. Crovax received notice that his home was being ravaged by giant monsters so he returned with his crewmates to deal with them. The Phyrexian agents Morinfen and Gallowbraid attacked his family's land and left the other properties alone. Crovax's family was slaughtered in the process and the Weatherlight Crew engaged the monsters. During the battle, Rofellos was killed in action which devastated Crovax. In order to prevent more deaths, Crovax summoned Selenia and she laid waste to the two. Crovax blamed himself for what happened, believing taking Selenia with him caused his land to become defenseless. In order to atone, he decided to remain in Urborg to rebuild his Estate.
Descent into Madness[]
With only Selenia to keep him company, his love for her turned into obsession. Wanting to be with her more than anything, he broke the mirror she was stuck in and freed her. Instead of embracing him, Selenia fled and Crovax was alone once again. With no one to interact with, Crovax started to descend into madness. Freeing Selenia also inflicted him with a curse. Crovax's isolation was interrupted when Gerrard arrived and wanted to recruit Crovax again. The ship's captain Sisay was captured by the Phyrexian Evincar Volrath and he thought Crovax would prove very helpful. He accepted and the Weatherlight crew traveled to the plane of Rath. To his horror, the one leading the Phyrexian forces who met them when they arrived was Selenia. Seeing the object of his affections leading the forces of his enemies, he went below the deck and became a sobbing mess. The ship's healer Orim managed to console Crovax enough to allow him to fight. Now his love for Selenia turned into hatred and he now desired to kill her.
The plan Gerrard had come up with was to liberate Sisay, the other captured crewmates, and the Legacy Artifacts that Volrath had stolen. Once Crovax arrived at the stronghold, he saw a shapeshifter disguised as Selenia. He destroyed it in a fit of rage, much to the shock of his allies. Gerrard tried to calm him down in order to stop him from compromising their presence, but Crovax managed to regain control. He, a panther warrior named Mirri, and a native named Starke il-Vec continued into the fortress and found the real Selenia. He attempted to kill her, but managed to wound Mirri in the process. His rage inhibited his attacks until Selenia allowed Crovax to land a blow on her. She shattered on impact and her shards entered his skin, turning him into a vampire as a result. Now that he killed his love, his transformation was complete.
Crovax fell unconscious and was taken back to the ship and was healed by Orim. After waking up, he went to the deck to sabotage the ship's sails under the influence of voices in his head. Before he could succeed, Mirri attacked him, following him believing he was up to no good. The two fell off the ship into Volrath's garden. Crovax won the fight and killed Mirri. As he fell into a ravine and watched the Weatherlight Crew leave Rath, he was hoping for death to take him. Unfortunately, the Phyrexians had other plans for Crovax.
Dark Rebirth[]
Crovx was taken to Phyrexia where he learned that the voices in his head belonged to the leader of the Phyrexians, Yawgmoth. He underwent the Compleation Process and became a Phyrexian. He also learned how to transfer energy from one being into himself. He gained increased strength, the ability to control flowstone, and the ability to teleport. The process also gave him glistening oil blood and removed any morality he had left. With his new form, Crovax needed to compete to become the new Evincar. His rivals in the endeavor were the Phyrexian general Greven il-vec and the wizard and former Weatherlight crew member Ertai. In combat, Greven at first had the advantage against Crovax. But with the ability to manipulate flowstone, Crovax was able to cripple Greven's spine to win the fight. He believed that this feat would ensure his claim to be the new Evincar. But the observer Belbe denied his request. To prove himself, he led a raid against the Skyshroud rebels. But, the attack was poorly planned and his crew was weak physically and mentally. Many minions died in the process and his respect among the other Phyrexians dropped significantly. His opponent Ertai seemed certain to be the next Evincar. Ertai had formed a romantic relationship with Belbe and managed to successfully capture 6,000 kor, vec, and dal to prevent a rebellion. In response, Crovax killed every single hostage by manipulating the flowstone inside of them. Though Belbe was impressed, she still denied him the position.
Believing the only way to become the new Evincar was by force, Crovax and his Corps of Sergeants plotted a coup against Belbe. He was successful because he captured Ertai and threatened to kill him if she did not crown him the winner. Belbe attempted to organize a coronation for Crovax, but was interrupted by Volrath who returned to reclaim his title. In order to truly decide who would gain the position, the two fought each other. Volrath proved to be the better fighter among the two. But with Ertai's help and absorbing the life force from those who watched the battle, Crovax managed to best Volrath and became the definitive Evincar. Ertai saw Crovax's victory as a good thing because he saw Ertai as useful and he thought Volrath would kill him. After finally proving himself, Crovax's reign could begin.
Reign of Terror[]
Crovax easily managed to conquer Rath and quelled all rebellion. He also organized a funeral for Belbe who was killed by her father Eladamri and an execution for Volrath. He also forced Ertai to undergo the Compleation Process and he too became a Phyrexian. Ertai became Crovax's court mage. With the Rathi Overlay about to take place, Crovax readied himself and his forces to wage war against Dominaria. When Rath Overlayed on to Dominaria, Crovax's stronghold was located in his old home of Urborg and it was here where he oversaw the Rathi troops. He turned his home into a shrine and turned his dead parents into puppets for his amusement. He killed his subordinate Tsabo Tavoc for her failure at Kolios and now plotted to destroy the Weatherlight Crew and the Legacy Artifacts for revenge and to prevent the destruction of Phyrexia. He sent Ertai to capture Gerrard and take him directly to his stronghold. Crovax and Gerrard dueled but Crovax offered to help resurrect Gerrard's deceased lover Hanna if he joined the Phyrexians. To prove his sincerity, he showed that he revived Selenia. Gerrard agreed to join him and Crovax was rewarded by Yawgmoth the ability to revive and kill the goblin cabin boy Squee as many times as he wished.
With Gerrard currently meeting Yawgmoth, Crovax now decided to terrorize all of Dominaria. When Multani sent part of Yavimaya to Urborg, Crovax led forces to counter the attack. He was winning the battle by using necromancy and his immense strength. But before he could claim victory, he received a distress message from Ertai which caused him to immediately retreat. Once returned to his throne room, he realized that Gerrard had returned from Phyrexia with the boons that Yawgmoth gifted him. Gerrard sought to kill Crovax permanently and they clashed again. Gerrard managed to hold his own with his new powers and could counter Crovax's flowstone manipulation. Though at one point Crovax gained the upper hand, he was ultimately cut in half by Gerrard. In his final moments, his normal soul reunited with Selenia and the two are never seen again.
Alternate Reality[]
In the Planar Chaos set, an alternate reality was created where the fates of famous Magic characters were altered. In this reality, Mirri killed Selenia and underwent the horrible experiences that Crovax endured. Following this, Crovax became known as the Ascendant Hero.
Quotes[]
| “ | He is Yawgmoth’s reward to me. I shall kill him a hundred times a day. | „ |
| ~ Crovax to Eratai refering to Squee |
| “ | They killed my family to deny me a future. They fed on my ancestors to deny me a past. | „ |
| ~ Crovax |
| “ | When I cut down my angel I only started my fall. | „ |
| ~ Crovax |
| “ | What is crueler? To let a wound of the heart fester, or to simply cut it out? | „ |
| ~ Crovax |
| “ | I am confined by sleep and defined by nightmare. them all and feed them to the new recruits. | „ |
| ~ Crovax |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Though many players believe that Crovax is related to the panther Planeswalker Lord Windgrace, there is no cannon information that suggests this.
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 Villains
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Planeswalkers Phyrexians Multiversal Threats Villains by Plane Mirrodin/New Phyrexia Kamigawa Ravnica Lorwyn/Shadowmoor Alara Zendikar Innistrad Theros Tarkir Kaladesh Amonkhet Kaldheim Ikoria Arcavios Unknown | ||