MTG Lore - Jace Beleren and Vraska: The Full Story of Their Deep Connection

Jace is a human from Vryn, and was born in Silmot's Crossing.

Vraska was originally a Gorgon from Ravnica, specifically from Ravnica's Undercity.

Jace is an exclusively blue character.

Vraska is usually represented by green/black cards, but she has also been featured on purely black cards.

Both characters had a difficult start in life, as they came from poor homes and the least important regions of their original planes. They went through a series of challenges and traumas before they found their footing. That being said, their paths may have gone into two different directions, but they both tell us about resilience, vengeance, and, most importantly, reunions.

Vryn was dominated by two factions that were always at odds with each other. This conflict was often dealt with by "arbiters" who were supposed to keep the peace. One of them, a powerful mind mage, became Jace's master: Alhammarret, the Sphinx.

Jace then started working on his telepathy skills with his master while collecting information for him to, supposedly, keep the peace. However, he ends up discovering that his tutor was using him. More specifically, Alhammarret was using Jace to instigate war and make a profit at the same time.

Risky Business

Frustrated and tired, Jace also realized he was a lot more powerful than he thought, and could finally fight his great tutor. Though he had more experience now, Jace knew how difficult this battle would be, and, most of all, he knew that, to win, he'd have to lose something.

Then, Jace made a risky decision, and brought the fight to where he had the advantage: his own mind. As such, he struck Alhammarret, but lost most of his childhood memories. For Alhammarret, the attack was much more devastating, as he simply forgot how to breathe. After winning the battle, Jace, exhausted, accidentally planeswalked for the first time and reached Ravnica.

Vraska appeared for the first time in Ravnica as part of the Golgari. At the time, many races and Guilds were being "cut down" by the majority, specially compared to the Elves, and Vraska was particularly affected by this class "imbalance". It was only at 17, when the Azorius Guild started arresting Golgari people, that everything got more complicated.

After being brought to an Azorius detention compound, Vraska and many other pariahs were beaten by their captors. This unfair arrest and violence motivated Vraska to lead two riots. The first, which was swiftly dealt with, only increased the daily beatings. But, as the violence grew, so did her thirst for justice.

The Second Uprising

Consumed by the agony of prison, the second riot was "all or nothing". Decided to never be humiliated like this again, Vraska leads all prisoners to freedom. It comes at a price, though: during the fight, one of the most powerful Azorius members is taken, and, as he knew Vraska was getting close to petrifying him, he squints and, with some effort, frees himself. Then, he lunges at Vraska with one single goal: to kill her.

Vraska is once again beaten brutally, and is dragged and left for certain death... That is, until her spark ignited. In Ravnica, her riot successfully freed her companions, but, before she could understand how, Vraska was already on a new plane. She was saved, but tragically captive, in a hostile, unknown, and, most importantly, closed-off space. Vraska is once again stuck.

We're back in Ravnica. At this point of the story, Jace is already "The Living Guildpact", that is, the great political arbiter for the ten Guilds. He is supposed to keep the balance between the powers of this great city. As for Vraska, after a lot of time meditating, exercising, and learning more about herself, she finally escaped her prison and returned to Ravnica.

A series of murders starts standing out to Jace. Many powerful public figures are killed in spectacular murders, done not only to draw attention, but also create chaos.

The Meeting

Vraska was behind these murders. As she yearned for justice and vengeance, she wanted to flip Ravnica's power dynamic upside down. Soon, she notices a new character is essential to her plans: Jace Beleren.

It is in this context that these two characters first meet. They argue with words and strength, but, because of Jace's typical shenanigans, Vraska loses the battle, and has to give up her plans.

Now, we have to go to Ixalan and get entangled in the plans of the great villain Nicol Bolas. Luckily, Jace escaped his first battle against this elder dragon, and, as such, sees himself in Ixalan, abandoned and without any memories. As for Vraska, she is already in Ixalan, and following Bolas' orders.

When she finds Jace so forgotten and abandoned, Vraska soon notices he isn't the same, not really. Losing his memory made him friendlier, so he became a potential ally for her and her goals.

Both follow the same path and do exactly what Bolas wants. They start looking for an artifact called The Immortal Sun. This entire process gives them an opportunity to know each other. Obviously, Vraska still has one goal in mind: to become the leader of the Golgari and bring justice to this guild's pariahs. That's why she was following Nicol Bolas' orders.

A Critical Moment and A Difficult Decision

But neither her nor Jace truly knew what this artifact could do. At this point, their relationship is complex, but quite different from the rivalry they had in Ravnica. As a result, Vraska is surprised when, with the Immortal Sun in hands, Jace collapses. It is a matter of seconds before everything is clear. She then sees Jace's shining eyes once again become the deep-set eyes of one who has lived many lives.

Jace says:

- I remember everything.

When Vraska realizes what she has lost, she understands there's something more between them. Jace confirms that their experiences together were real. Still wavering, Vraska waits, and listens to him say:

-I had to remember. Because, if I forget again, I might end up losing this...

And she asks:

-This?

- You. - Jace answers, showing how important she is to him.

Vraska and Jace decide that Nicol Bolas can't know everything that had happened, and that they have to erase Vraska's memories until the right time.

The War of the Spark

So, it is only during the War of the Spark, the final battle between planeswalkers and the big bad dragon, that Jace can restore her memories. They get together again to defeat Bolas, and, after the battle, they share a thrilling kiss, which marks the true beginning of their romantic relationship.

Even though they fought and beat the most iconic Magic: The Gathering villain, the most impactful and somewhat dark moment in this relationship is their fall from grace.

In All Will Be One and March of Machines, they both invade New Phyrexia and are separated. Vraska is rapidly captured by the heralds of this corrupted world. As such, Jace finds her already in agony. The Phyrexians had tortured her and toyed with her as they infected her with Phyrexian oil.

Jace is desperate and tries to save her in any way he can, which only brings him to his own defeat. Vraska, even transformed, whispers parting words, and tells Jace that she always wanted a future next to him.

Everything Gets a Lot Worse, Quite Fast

Jace lost too much throughout his life, so, at that moment, losing Vraska was simply too much to bear. So, Jace decides to stay there, next to Vraska, and remember their moments together until the inevitable end.

In the most cruel way, a way they never imagined, they were together. They were One in Phyrexia.

When New Phyrexia was defeated, Jace and Vraska managed to "uncompleat" themselves, and destroy all the corruption and signs of the glistening oil. Yet, something in them changes. They were sure nothing good would come from Omenpaths, the portals connecting the planes that were created by the invasion of New Phyrexia. And that's how a wish is born: they wanted to end the multiverse conflicts that marked them, and recreate the Multiverse.

The question is... how?

Right now, Jace and Vraska's plans aren't completely clear (as of Tarkir: Dragonstrom), but there have been a few strange signs in the latest sets. Let's go through each one:

Wilds of Eldraine

Jace Beleren doesn't play a clear part in this story. However, in the final scene, Jace uses his illusion skills to disguise himself as Ashiok. This strategy is part of a bigger plan that unravels in Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

The Lost Cavern of Ixalan

Though neither Jace nor Vraska appear in this story, this is when we are introduced to the now extinct and powerful Fomori Empire, or the Coin Empire. This ancestral civilization has spread across the entire multiverse. They invaded and conquered planes, which is incredibly dangerous considering the multiverse is now covered with Omenpaths that can be exploited by any evil forces that want to corrupt the multiverse. And, apparently, they are coming back.

Murders at Karlov Manor

Somewhere between Ixalan and Karlov Manor, we figure out that Jace Beleren went to Ravnica to meet the detective Alquist Proft, invade his mind palace, and learn how to materialize thoughts from him.

The Outlaws of Thunder Junction

Some important facts come to light in this part of the story. Jace and Vraska clearly meet each other in a plane connected to the mysterious Fomori Vault. We find out that Jace had already stumbled upon the vault in one of his missions for Nicol Bolas. At the time, he realized there was some sort of life form inside the vault, but what most stood out to him was that Nicol Bolas himself feared the artifact.

At the end of the story, Jace, disguised as Ashiok, uses this identity to get access to not only the vault, but, particularly, the keys that seal it. Inside, they rescue Loot, an extraordinary child with the incredible ability to see the entire multiverse and all Omenpaths. Could he be part of the Fomori?

Bloomburrow

The story of this set focuses on the internal events of this plane. However, at the very end, we are shown why Jace Beleran is a fox in this plane: a character tells Ral Zarek an enigmatic prophecy.

- The kings in the dark will return, the blue mage will bring about the end.

This revelation suggests a possible connection between the Fomori Empire and Jace's plans. But prophecies are often mysterious and capricious, and we still don't know everything.

Duskmourn: The House of Horrors

Duskmourn added some very interesting chapters to the current lore. First, we are introduced to Valgavoth, a demon. He is a powerful creature that can swallow planes whole, and, with Omenpaths, he can access the entire multiverse. This means Jace and Vraska are right to worry about the conflicts these portals can bring.

We were also shown that Vraska and Loot were once kidnapped by this demon at one point. As all of this is going on, we see Jace, and the set suggests that he only manages to rescue Vraska. Jace then finds Kaito and abandons him in a delicate situation, which reinforces the idea Jace is an anti-hero. Still, at the end of the story, we are left with a question: what can Valgavoth do with Loot and his ability to see the entire multiverse?

Aetherdrift

In Aetherdrift, Jace and Vraska's dubious actions pile on, and they even get into a fight with Chandra Nalaar. They show up during the Ghirapur Grand Prix and rescue Loot, which has been lost since Duskmourn. This small and popular character is rescued from Winter, a sort of Valgavoth herald.

The question is how this happens: Jace negotiates a coup at the headquarters of the competition, Avishkar (the old Kaladesh), attacks Chandra violently and directly, and invades the minds of many pilots competing in the race. He was so violent that he scared not only Chandra, but his own companion, Vraska, and even himself. Jace justifies himself by saying his plan to renew the multiverse was more important... Something like, "the ends justify the means!"

Another detail that becomes clear is that Vraska has recently become rather annoyed with how Jace has been handling things. Particularly with how he has treated Loot more like an object and less like family, which was how they treated it before.

In Tarkir, Jace Beleren and Vraska fight to rebuild, but the pain they share pushes them in different directions. Vraska tries to look forward, Jace looks back.

Their conflict centers around Loot, which, at this point, is part of the Fomori, as we suspected. Jace, consumed by the desire to repair his past mistakes, dives into Loot's mind again and again with hypnosis. Vraska watches on, and is quite uncomfortable. She sees Loot as family, not a tool.

- You don't have to fix everything - she tells Jace.

- You only need to live with me. Here. Now.

However, Jace only looks away, and tries to unravel old secrets that, to him, can make the pain that separates them go away.

The Forbidden Kingdom: The Meditation Plane

Guided by fragmented clues and visions, Jace, Vraska, Narset, and Elspeth go through many planes until they reach the mythical Meditation Plane. This nearly timeless space is where dragons and ideas take shape.

When they get there, they stumble upon an ethereal prison: Ugin and Nicol Bolas, stuck together in a thin balance, sealed by old forces.

Ugin, enraged, but restrained, comes before them. His eyes sparkle with ancestral energy while he faces Jace.

- What are you doing here? Go away. Beleren, we had a deal.

They had made a pact: Jace was supposed to keep the secret about Bolas' prison, and never interfere. But his intentions betray this pact. Jace, in silence, follows his own plans now. He creates an illusion to distract the others and gets close to Ugin's spirit-gem (which was used by Nicol Bolas for a long time in the story). This gem holds a lot of primordial energy, and can remodel entire realities.

He holds it, and, as his allies realize, a bit too late, says, trembling but determinedly:

- Please, trust me.

He wanted to recreate the multiverse. Mold a new beginning, free of Phyrexian corruption, free from pain, and free from the guilt that haunts him. But the power that he tries to control doesn't bend to his will.

Jace Might Have Gone Too Far

The raw power of the gem reacts like a wild beast. The entire plane starts to disintegrate. What Jace believed he could reorganize escapes through his hands. His illusions break and his body comes apart, consumed by his own desire to save himself.

Narset, Elspeth, Vraska, and Loot barely escape. They go through an unstable Omenpath before the Meditation plane collapses for good. The seal, now broken, no longer holds who was imprisoned.

Returning to Tarkir

Back in Tarkir, a new threat comes along: an army of dragons led by Sarkhan Vol, in his new dragon form. Before the assault begins, Ugin returns and intervenes with a single word:

- Enough!

After a brief, but intense battle, he defeats Sarkhan, gets rid of the dragons, and, as he lands, carries not only the weight of victory, but guilt for being so negligent.

- The dragonstorms behave like whelps when I'm not there to keep them in line. I was remiss in my disciplining. And I have been remiss in the keeping of my brother. Somehow Bolas returned. Nicol Bolas, I am afraid, is free.

Silence After the Chaos

While the skies clear and the dragon roars disappear in the distance, Elspeth faces the horizon. She turns to Vraska, who now holds Loot in her arms.

- Take him. Protect yourselves, Elspeth says.

- What comes now... needs us to stay and fight.

Vraska leaves with Loot. Elspeth and Narset get ready. But, at the last moment, we return to Jace. Yes, he managed to put his body back together, but what now?

Do you have any theories on what will happen to Jace and Vraska now? Tell us in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!