| “ | It is not a goal, but a process—the process of creating the perfect Phyrexia. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
Jin-Gitaxias is the blue aligned praetor of the Phyrexians and major antagonist of Magic: the Gathering. With the help of his faction known as the Progress Engine, he hopes to exterminate all organic life on New Phyrexia (formerly Mirrodin) and remake this world into his version of perfection. Though he would ultimately fail in these efforts, he would continue to advance the will of Phyrexia by aiding Elesh Norn in her gambit to conquer the multiverse.
Description[]
Jin-Gitaxias is taller than the average human. His body is hunched and has spines all over. He has the ability to speak in multiple languages as well as being able to use telepathy. Jin-Gitaxias is the leader of the Progress Engine, the faction of New Phyrexia filled with the blue aligned Phyrexians. This faction is dedicated to primarily mutating and experimenting Mirran life and works to achieve the "Great Synthesis"(The Gitaxian standard of perfection).
To make the "Great Synthesis" a reality, Jin-Gitaxias and his faction perform clinical experiments upon the denizens of Mirrodin. While the other praetors are dedicated to perfecting the Plane in their own way, none are more devoted than Jin-Gitaxias. There is also no praetor who is smarter than him as well. He is somewhat aware about Yawgmoth's actions and while he appreciates his cunning and planning, the Core Augur believes he failed because he didn't think things through.
He is cold, brutal, and believes himself to be the smartest of the praetors. Due to his main focus of perfecting compleation, Jin-Gitaxias has little desire to control over the other factions. Regardless of which language he speaks, Jin-Gitaxias usually speaks with a grinding voice and uses long and complicated words. He believes that all beings should be able to understand his complex vernacular no matter how complicated it is.
History[]
Scars of Mirrodin Block[]
After Yawgmoth's demise after his attempted invasion of Dominaria, all Phyrexians were either deactivated or destroyed. Even though the threat of the Phyrexians was neutralized, the instrument of their resurrection remained in the form of glistening oil contained within the artificial planeswalker Karn(ironically one of the beings necessary for Yawgmoth's downfall). After becoming a planeswalker, Karn traveled across the multiverse while unknowingly leaking the oil on each of the planes he visited. Though the impact the oil had on most of these planes is unknown, it easily corrupted Karn's self-made world of Argentum(eventually Mirrodin) and would transform it into New Phyrexia. This allowed the Phyrexians to be reborn except with the race aligned with all five colors of mana instead of just colorless and black mana. Though the Phyrexians as a collective had no foreseeable weaknesses, the unity they had was lost because of the different ideologies granted by each color. This resulted in a different faction arising for each color resulting in a leader rising for each faction known as a praetor. Jin-Gitaxias became the praetor to the blue faction known as the Progress Engine.
While Jin-Gitaxias didn't play too much of a role in the main story, his actions have been recorded and can be pieced together. The first part of his invasion plan was to pump glistening oil into the Quicksilver Sea. This would allow for Phyrexian infection to spread faster than other means. He then conquered the vedalken city of Lumengrid and made it his base of operations and master laboratory. He has created weaker Phyrexian beings in this lab and oversaw production on all projects done in Lumengrid. Most of the other buildings were repurposed into slaughter houses and smaller Phyrexian labs. In order to achieve true ultimate synthesis, Jin-Gitxaias delved into the realms of both the occult and divine to aid him. He took inspirations from Phyrexian Scriptures and Sheoldred's necromantic vision. Others in his faction are aware of his behavior, but they cannot stop him. With these texts and his own vision of perfection, Jin-Gitaxias believes he can create perfect Phyrexian creatures. He also used them to create the "Gitaxian Standard of Purity", the benchmarks needed for an experiment to be deemed a success.
Jin-Gitaxias and his faction fighting Mirrans
The reason he describes his goals as the "Great Synthesis" and not the "Great Evolution" is because of its use by Vorinclex and Glissa. He views them as imbeciles who can't understand basic logic and views their plan of creating Phyrexian predators that slaughter each other as pointless. His faction is also suspicious of Urabrask and his secretive ways. In response, Jin-Gitaxias has sent numerous spies to watch him though they found little evidence that he was betraying the other factions. It seems that he is on neutral terms with Elesh Norn and Sheoldred though the former rescued Karn from him and brought him closer to the surface. Once the Planeswalker Tezzeret arrived, Jin-Gitaxias brought him to Karn's throne room (Karn was the previous Father of Machines). He views Karn as a terrible leader due to his incomprehensible ramblings. During an unspecified period of time, his forces attacked a rebel hideout and captured everyone there. He personally compleated the group's leader Ezuri and he became Jin-Gitaxias's champion. He also worked with the other praetors (except of Urabrask) to create the Phyrexian angel horror known as Atraxa.
Jin-Gitaxias along with Sheoldred and Vorinclex pledging their loyalty to Elesh Norn
After the Mirran-Phyrexian War neared its conclusion and Karn was liberated, Elesh Norn mutilated the forces of the black and red aligned Phyrexians with the blue aligned Phyrexians left intact. The last known appearance of Jin-Gitaxias was when he met with the other praetors and Tezzeret in New Phyrexia's core to crown Elesh Norn as the new Mother of Machines. Jin-Gitaxias and the Progress Engine pledged themselves and their sphere the Surgical Bays (New Phyrexia's fifth sphere) to aid Norn's grand vision.
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty[]
Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant
After Elesh Norn became the new leader of the Phyrexians, she tasked Jin-Gitaxias with finding a way to transform Planeswalkers into Phyrexians that can still planeswalk. Planeswalkers could be compleated, but not with the ability to planeswalk since compleation removes one's soul and a planeswalker's spark is tied to the soul. With the aid of Tezzeret and his Planar Bridge, Jin was transported from his home of New Phyrexia to Kamigawa. He formed an alliance with the criminal organization known as the Hyozan Reckoners along with the futurist Tameshi in Towashi City in the hope of understanding how to do so by experimenting on the kami. The plane's dual realm nature and the kami's relationship to this nature would prove pivotal to solving this conundrum. The praetor spent months kidnapping, dissecting, and experimenting on the kami to gain a better understanding of how the spirits passing between the realms compare to planeswalkers traveling through the Blind Eternities. This resulted in the upgrade to a tool Tezzeret had called the Reality Chip, a device that can alter the sparks of planeswalkers and more importantly, allow the Phyrexians to compleat them without removing their souls so they can planeswalk.
After his initial research was completed, he left Tameshi for dead, attempted to destroy any evidence of his involvement, and gained the ire of Kaito Shizuki. When Kaito and his moonfolk ally Tamiyo infiltrated one of Tameshi's abandoned labs to find the Reality Chip, the praetor ambushed them with some of the Reckoners in order to reclaim the Chip. Though Kaito managed to defeat Jin's minions, he was cornered by a dragon-shaped mech. The Wanderer planeswalked in and managed to save Kaito, allowing them to reach safety.
Jin-Gitaxias fighting Kaito and Tamiyo
After the Emperor inserted the Reality Chip into her arm in order to stabilize her Spark, she realized she was connected to the monitoring machines back at Tameshi's compound and knew of Gitaxias's next move. He informed the leader of the Uprisers of the Emperor's return and they were staging an assault on Eiganjo. Though they didn't know why he would do this since he has no interest in conquest, the group of planeswalkers and their allies knew he must be stopped. Kaito and Tamiyo scoured one of Jin's abandoned labs in an effort to destroy Gitaxias's progress, but were ambushed by the praetor and Tezzeret. They revealed their true intentions to them and used this lab as a trap. They wanted to compleat the two planewalkers resulting in them becoming Phyrexians and loyal to New Phyrexia by extension. The two managed to knock out both Kaito and Tamiyo and Jin-Gitaxias was ready to begin his experiment. The Wanderer knew they were in trouble and managed planeswalk in and severely slashed Jin from his neck to his stomach. He managed to to escape back to New Phyrexia after the group of planeswalkers had to fight Tezzeret and the Uprisers with the former recovering the praetor's body. Gitaxias's ultimate prize would come when Tezzeret brought him an unconscious Tamiyo to experiment on after his body was rebuilt. Once his progress was done, he managed to create the first Phyrexian planeswalker with the use of the Reality Chip.
Phyrexia: All Will Be One[]
After the success of Tamiyo's compleation, Jin-Gitaxias began conducting more torturous and inhumane experiments on planeswalkers the Phyrexians captured, turning them into powerful Phyrexian agents that served as their heralds on other worlds. He also strengthened the Glistening Oil making it more effective and resistant to the curing effects of the Sylvok Melira. It also proliferates much quicker too causing those infected to become corrupted more easily.
Finally agreeing to uphold her end of the deal, Elesh Norn had Jin-Gitaxias be the one to attach Tezzeret to his new body. Though Tezzeret had been unconscious for a while, Jin was prepared to do what was asked of him, even if it was on such short notice. After explaining that he would melt Tezzeret's etherium body, reshape it, and use it as a bonding agent to hold him to his new Darksteel body, the praetor went to work and successfully attached the Seeker to a body made of Darksteel. He appreciated the Core Augur for his help, but soon realized he was unable to planeswalk and saw he was bound to the same material that Karn was. Jin-Gitaxias revealed he intended to corrupt his body into Blightsteel by using glistening oil and a new version of the Reality Chip that he created. Tezzeret warned that Norn would have his head for defying her, but after opening a wall revealing one of Urabrask's chief lieutenants, he revealed he was aware of Tezzeret's betrayal this whole time. Controlling the weakened lieutenant, the Seeker helped free him, allowing him to knock Jin to the ground afterwards. The Phyrexian also freed Tezzeret from his restraints. The praetor got up and killed his attacker, but before he could capture the Seeker again, he planeswalked away.
March of the Machine[]
During New Phyrexia's invasion of the Multiverse, Jin-Gitaxias's faction became the Chrome Host. His forces are strategically deployed on each plane to maximize efficiency, based on existing knowledge of that specific plane. Their success is based on how accurate information about the planes' are. The praetor himself modified himself to have many mechanical tentacles extending from his lower body each ending with sharp surgical equipment attached to them. Unlike some of the other praetors, Norn allowed Gitaxias to retain control over his forces which gather information throughout the multiverse, some of which he shares with Elesh Norn to help further the invasion. Though his forces infiltrated many planes, he took particular interest in Kaladesh due to the plane's powerful inventions and aether supply.
The praetor was ordered by Norn to compleat the planeswalkers Koth, of the Hammer, Chandra Nalaar, and Wrenn but before he could, he was intercepted by Elspeth Tirel who ascended as an archangel. Though he is injured, he manages to escape Elspeth's fury. He returns to his master who wants him and the compleated elf planeswalker Nissa Revane to handle the prisoners while she fights Elspeth. Gitaxias felt that dealing with Elspeth would be a waste of time since his forces could handle them and Vorinclex's would devour the rest and suggests that they should retreat and come up with a new plan. Though he went to fight New Phyrexia's enemies, he once again returned to Norn to ask her to compleat the angel so they could move on. After disregarding his suggestion again and then ripping off his arm in her anger, Jin-Gitaxias fled while Norn was severely injured by Elspeth.
He leaves and returns with a massive war machine, fully armed and containing Phyrexian newts ready to attack on his command. He also rejects Elesh Norn as his superior due to her ego and wants to destroy her. The compleated leonin Ajani Goldmane appeared to protect his master, but this gave the newly arrived Zhalfirians that appeared due to New Phyrexia switching places with Zhalfir an opportunity to attack him and his forces. Gitaxias was about to attack the time mage Teferi when one of the planeswalkers allies used a warhammer to destroy his machine and freeing his newts which proceeded to devour the praetor.
Quotes[]
| “ | Forswear the flesh and you will truly see. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
| “ | See how gratefully this world accepts our blessings. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
| “ | A mind may be steeled against madness, but all battlements fall in time. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
| “ | I despise Vorinclex and his slobberings about ‘evolution.’ Only I know true progress. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
| “ | That? A minor test, nothing more. Incompleat flesh is weak. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
| “ | Wake up, new Phyrexian Planeswalker! You will not be the last. | „ |
| ~ Jin-Gitaxias |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Even though Jin-Gitaxias is male, he claims he has offspring of his own
- His title of "Core Augar" was determined after multiple failed names
- Jin-Gitaxias is the New Phyrexian praetor who appears on the most Magic cards.
- Two of Jin-Gitazias's compleated minions, Ezuri and Tamiyo, are also aligned with green mana along with blue. This is ironic because of Jin-Gitaxias's hatred of Vorinclex and the green aligned Phyrexians and their ideology.
- Jin-Gitaxias appears to be the only praetor to be immune to the side affects of using the Planar Bridge. Though this could be because his body is the least organic among the praetors, a canonical explanation or any signs of damage received from using it have not been shown.
External Links[]
- Jin-Gitaxias on the MTG Wiki
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
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 | ||