All 18 Praetors in Magic Ranked + Lore!

Last updated on September 9, 2026

Sheoldred, Whispering One | Illustration by Jana Schirmer & Johannes Voss

I can’t think of a more mysterious, deadly, and interesting creature type than the mythical Praetors of Phyrexia. Nearly every player knows them and what they do. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur are household infamous names at this point. Their art is amazing and incredibly detailed, they’re each powerful in unique and creative ways, and there’s one for every single color of Magic! What’s not to love?

But the Phyrexian Praetors are more than just cardboard. They have a unique storyline that’s fully fleshed out, detailed interactions with one another, and are some of the most powerful creatures in all of Magic. Today it's time to take a look at them. Let’s get started!

What Are the Praetors in MTG?

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

The Praetors are mysterious dictator tyrants of five unique factions on the plane of New Phyrexia, formerly known as Mirrodin. Each Praetor is entirely concerned with sculpting New Phyrexia into a plane of perfection, with each having their own design and view as to what “perfect” actually is. This great quest of unimaginable scale is known as the “Grand Work.” It also extends beyond New Phyrexia; as detailed in the events of Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machines, the grandest plane was to compleat and perfect all the Multiverse.

Despite their conflicting visions and roles, the Praetors and their correlating factions don’t necessarily stay in a state of conflict with one another. Each leader has their own agenda and role that adds to the monstrosity and uncanniness of New Phyrexia.

As for mechanics, there are a few different takes. There are a few non-phyrexians with the Praetor type that have distinct abilities, but the Praetors everybody thinks of are the Mirrodin phyrexians, which are captured on three cycles. The original cycle from New Phyrexia and the following cycle (spread across multiple sets, from Kaldhiem to ONE) played with the idea of giving their controller a boon while removing an equivalent from the opponent; Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite‘s anthem and anti-anthem are the cleanest example. Then MOM printed a cycle of Praetors that transformed into sagas, and these were more more unique beyond sharing the transformation.

How Many Praetors Are There?

There are eight Praetor characters and 18 unique praetor cards in Magic, representing each color with a few extra in black.

So Who’s the Best Praetor in Magic?

When it comes to which Praetor is the best, the most powerful lore-wise is obviously Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. Elesh Norn holds all of the cards politically, and while she isn’t as strong as Vorinclex or as fiery-hot as Urabrask, she can project the most influence and dominated the lands of Sheoldred and Urabrask.

Although Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is tried and true, there's some strong competition in Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines and the Sheoldreds. Let's get to the ranking!

#18. Ebon Praetor

The first praetor is Ebon Praetor from Fallen Empires. This Reserved List praetor is not a Phyrexian praetor and got errata to add the praetor subtype. Needing thrulls is a bummer since that is far from a common token or creature card. One of the few cards with -2/-2 and +1/+0 counters. Old Magic cards were weird, man.

#17. Sanguine Praetor

Into the modern frame I go for Sanguine Praetor from Guildpact. This avatar costs eight and still needs another and creature in order to do a conditional board wipe. Pretty powerful card, but boy is it cost prohibitive.

#16. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger

Sometimes you can't ignore drawbacks. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger comes to mind when I think of Praetor that is legitimate scary-looking and would do otherwise unimaginable things in Magic. Not just a mana doubler for eight.

Don’t get me wrong, when you put Vorinclex in play is great, but Mana Reflection is often just better, and it's easy to whiff against dorks and mana rocks. This could be cool if you want to Natural Order something nasty into play, but it's still like tenth on the list.

#15. Urabrask the Hidden

Here we have the most sympathetic praetor, Urabrask the Hidden. Urabrask lived a simple life of making metal parts and keeping the forges running, and that philosophy transfers over to its relatively barren oracle text. It gives your creatures haste and forces your opponent’s creatures to enter tapped.

This card is great in the right deck, something like cascade with Maelstrom Wanderer. But it’s kind of dull outside of that.

#14. Elesh Norn

Elesh Norn forces an odd tax on your opponents, and the damage to your permanents can certainly add up. It really depends on how much action you can entice people into during the combat phase. The transform to saga cost is among the least impactful of the March of the Machine praetors, and requirescareful deckbuilding to not get burned by stage III of The Argent Etchings. If stage II doesn't secure you the win, the tax after stage II should do the job.

#13. Jin-Gitaxias

The Jin-Gitaxias draw cards mode is great and the transformation condition is the simplest to achieve. When most of your spells cantrip, the transformation into The Great Synthesis is worth it holding onto cards. You double your cards in hand, pull off a sort of overloaded Cyclonic Rift, and then Omniscience to finish it off. Not bad for and a couple turns.

#12. Vorinclex

The ramp from playing Vorinclex is welcome, since the first stage of The Grand Evolution saga is really something. A shame it cannot grab any creature from the graveyard, since the possibility of whiffing on two of the 10 milled cards is real. The second and third stages are great for controlling the board. If you filled your deck with strong creatures you should do just fine.

#11. Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

Next up is the OG blue Praetor, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Of all of the Praetors you could hope to stick for a complete rotation around the table at Commander night, this is the one you want. Despite costing 10 mana and only being a 5/4, this Jin-Gitaxias absolutely decimates any hopes your opponents had of winning once they discard their entire hand and can no longer hold a card.

But keep in mind that this card doesn’t increase your maximum hand size. Don't forget your Thought Vessel.

#10. Sheoldred

Sheoldred is so smooth about sinking creatures into graveyards. You really want to mill an opponent to ensure you can transform it into The True Scriptures as soon as possible. This powerful saga slaps your opponent's hands and the backside of their head (the library), and triggers Sheoldred upon re-entry for another edict effect.

#9. Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant

The Praetor from Neon Dynasty is a hard one to deal with once it's on the battlefield. This sleek new look for Jin-G is also a much more potent version, and at a cheaper cost!

Instead of drawing you cards, Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant copies your spells each turn and even counter’s your opponents spells. This is an incredible card overall, and I love to see this for blue.

#8. Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider

Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider‘s focus on counters is ultimately a knock against the card. Its counter halving ability doesn't impact many players (though it murders the saga player), so it doesn't have the same utility as, say, Elesh Norn killing small creatures.

But a giant, hasty counter doubler is terrifying. If you have the tech to slap counters on Vorinclex the turn it enters, like Arwen, Weaver of Hope or Innkeeper's Talent, you'll smack your opponents for considerable damage. It also doubles any kind of counter, so the superfriends players might want this.

#7. Urabrask

Urabrask rewards you for slinging spells and the instant rebate of red mana is incredible. The saga side might be small in scale but is often exactly what a burn deck wants to do. The inevitable saga stage in which you take their spells is the icing on the cake for one of the more reasonably costed praetors.

#6. Urabrask, Heretic Praetor

Urabrask, Heretic Praetor turns every draw into “red impulse draw” for your opponents, actively stalling them from adding cards to their hands. This is awesome against control players that play draw-go style decks, hold onto flash cards and counterspells .

Besides, you stay proactive with an extra impulsive draw each turn as the red aggressive player.

#5. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite is one of the best Praetors, even if it costs seven mana. Its -2/-2 isn’t something to understate since it totally purges almost all mana dorks and cheap hatebears. You already play it with other creatures, and +2/+2 is incredible if you have even a couple of other creatures to swing with.

Grand Cenobite was once a prime reanimation target against creature-based and weenie strategies in Unburial Rites decks. The only problem is not being able to capitalize on the double-sided anthem‘s +2/+2 if you don't have a sizeable board.

#4. Sheoldred, Whispering One

Sheoldred, Whispering One ended up in this rank because of the sheer value you get from it. Not only does it cause players with non-creature-based strategies to come up short, it also works as a great recursion engine later in the game. Its devastation in a turn cycle is only beaten by Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur, but that demands more mana which is a pretty large setback.

#3. Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor is a nice 3-drop in black aggro decks to keep drawing cards after you hit opponents and add a nice Curiosity effect. It's even got a 7-mana application for EDH purposes where its bonus applies to all creatures as long as they're not attacking you, so you’re implicitly goading your opponents’ creatures.

#2. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

A card that scares plenty of EDH tables into emergency mode, Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is a Panharmonicon for you that negates ETB effects for everyone else. All that plus the same 4/7 stats and vigilance from Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, and a steal at five mana.

#1. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

One of the better costed praetors for Constructed at four mana, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse sees play in lots of formats including a dominant run through Standard and Pioneer, is an excellent wheel commander, and a premium black 4-drop.

The Apocalypse has got stats, some resistance to removal, a drain effect that ultimately wins the game, and it hates on card draw from the opponents and bolsters your own. Many black card draw effects cost you one life, but you actually profit when you draw with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

The Lore of Magic’s Praetors

Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor | Illustration by Anna Podedworna

Who Were the Praetors and What Did They Do?

Elesh Norn was the leader of the Machine Orthodoxy that sought to replace skin with metallic structures. They believed skin was the ultimate symbolic barrier between individuals and unity. In accordance with this belief, Elesh Norn wanted to be a “great unifier” of New Phyrexia.

Compare that cooperative lifestyle with that of Jin-Gitaxias, who led the Progress Engine, an organization devoted to progressing Phyrexia through experimentation. These experiments tried to further “develop” life through new tools, methods of warfare, and enhanced cybernetics.

But there were other plans in motion to corrupt, enslave, and overpower all other human beings. Sheoldred was one of seven “Steel Thanes” that fought to control the black faction of Phyrexia and dealt in the shadows with a constant influx of information from spies and secret informants. In contrast with Elesh Norn’s beautiful porcelain and Jin-Gitaxias’ sleek metal, Sheoldred was covered in rusty metal plates and oily liquids.

Urabrask was the Praetor of the Quiet Furnace, the red faction in New Phyrexia. He was in charge of the industrial side of Phyrexia, commanded and managed those who work in the forges or harvest slag. He was covered in a mixture of bone, sharpened steel, and rusting iron, which gives him a very molten and fiery appearance. Instead of dealing in any kind of grand plan, he supplied materials and weapons to the other Praetors looking to project power.

It’s this simplicity that causes the other Praetors to view Urabrask as weak and lacking in willpower. But he gained the most sympathy here since he let Mirrodin refugees take shelter in his domain. Urabrask was the red Praetor and open to freedom and emotion, something the other Praetors lacked. While Urabrask believed that compleation was the ideal for all life like the other Praetors, he thought true “perfection” came from consenting compleation and didn't force it.

Finally there was Vorinclex, the leader of the Vicious Swarm and diehard supporter of a survival-of-the-fittest lifestyle. He commanded a group of Apex predators that wanted to turn New Phyrexia into the ultimate arena to hunt down and eliminate flaws in the population. He looked to turn the creatures of the plane into ultimate perfection not through science or unity but through natural selection.

Was Urabrask a Slobad?

Urabrask the Hidden | Illustration by Brad Rigney

There’s some speculation that Urabrask the Hidden was secretly a Slobad, a goblin with a spectacular affinity for artifacts. This would explain his mercy shown to Mirrodin refugees, his lack of any real concept for the Grand Work, and why he was so looked down upon by the other Praetors.

The only real evidence I can find for this is that Jin-Gitaxias had a hunch (that’s right, we’re working off a hunch) that Urabrask had some grander idea planned that he hadn’t revealed. This could very well be a future where Mirrodin was reclaimed by Phyrexia and the Mirarri’s goblin population would benefit from that.

How Did Vorinclex Get to Kaldheim?

It’s not a secret that the Praetors aren’t planeswalkers, so it’s not unreasonable to wonder, “hey, how did this monstrosity cross into another plane of existence?” Well, the secret is Tezzeret.

Following Nicol Bolas's defeat in War of the Spark, Tezzeret returned to Esper on Alara, as outlined in Forsaken. Sometime after this, he allied himself with New Phyrexia; the exact circumstances were never clear, but he wanted a darksteel body and exchanged services with the Phyrexians, most notably using Rashmi's Planar Bridge, which was imbedded in his body, to bring the Praetors across planes.

The journey was not without cost, however; organic matter without a planeswalker spark can't traverse the Blind Eternities safely, so the organic portions of Vorinclex were burned away, leaving him severely wounded.

How Did Jin-Gitaxias Get To Kamigawa?

Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant | Illustration by Chase Stone

In the quest for multiplanar domination, Elesh Norn demanded Jin-Gitaxias find a way to compleat planeswalkers and use their abilities to transport Phyrexians across multiple planes. Jin-Gitaxias traveled to Kamigawa through the Planar Bridge and with Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh’s help, where he learned to successfully compleat a planeswalker without removing their soul. During his period of research on the plane, he was sliced in half by The Wandering Emperor only to be reconstructed by Tezzeret after being brought back to New Phyrexia.

And if you were wondering, that isn’t a typo. “Compleat” is the word in Phyrexia that means to bring something organic to perfection by turning their organic components into artifacts and machine.

How Did Urabrask Get To New Capenna?

Although Urabrask is a Praetor he actively opposes Elesh Norn’s rule, which is a belief he shares with the planeswalker Tezzeret.

Because of this, Tezzeret transported Urabrask to New Capenna using the Planar Bridge to obtain what they needed to fight Elesh Norn in New Phyrexia. Most notably the help of Elspeth Tirel as well as Halo, a substance already used by New Capenna denizens to fight Phyrexia in the past.

Are the Praetors Dead? SPOILER ALERT

*SPOILER ALERT* If you want to read how the March of the Machine story plays out, start with Episode 1: Triumph of the Fleshless.

Then return for the latest Draftsim's Lore & Story Summaries.

OK back to your question, “Are the Praetors dead?”

Yes, the Praetors were killed during the story of March of the Machine. The most ambiguous being the beheading of Vorinclex: He has incredibly regenerative abilities, so he could feasibly put himself back together.

Sheoldred was swiftly executed at Elesh Norn's command by the phyrexianized Ajani because Norn recognized that she didn't follow her.

Urabrask was dismembered by those serving Norn in episode six of the March of the Machine story for rebelling against her rule.

Vorinclex's head is chopped off while attacking Teferi; it's implied that either an Askari woman or Elspeth stop the green praetor with a blazing sword.

Jin-Gitaxias is knocked into a vat of his own newts and consumed.

Elesh Norn is completely unmade by Karn after Jin-Gitaxias had turned his army against her.

Is There a Praetor Secret Lair?

Yes, there was a Praetor Secret Lair that’s no longer available. It included a copy of each original Praetor in the Phyrexian language for $29.99, or $39.99 in foil. This was a great deal given just how much each Praetor is on its own, and you can still find foiled versions of the Phyrexian Praetor Secret Lair for sale on TCGplayer.

Decklist: Praetors in Commander

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur | Illustration by Eric Deschamps

All together the Praetors only make up a small portion of unique cards in a deck and don’t have much synergy with other cards in Magic. They aren’t a tribe in any sense and are really just cool creatures to include in a Kenrith, the Returned King deck, which is exactly what I have for you here!

This list is your typical run-of-the-mill 5-color-good-stuff list with Kenrith. It has a lot of customizability since it’s meant to literally be a casual deck of your favorite cards. This version is more of an all-out list with an expensive mana base and tutors, but you can easily tone it down a bit.

The overall theme with this list is “big stuff,” which of course includes all the Praetors and other bombs like Genesis Ultimatum and Mob Rule. If you like a casual deck that looks to include the big and powerful Praetors, this is one of the most fun ones to play.

Wrap Up

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

That wraps up what there is to know about the Praetors! They’re my favorite creatures in Magic. I just think they’re so cool and overwhelmingly villainous, and I can’t help but like them.

What do you think, though? Do you see them as intimidating as I do, or are they just another overpriced creature that dies to Infernal Grasp? Let me know in the comments or over on the official Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!

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