Phyrexia: All Will Be One Spoilers and Discussion
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Jan. 15, 2023, 1:39 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
Amazingly, there is not yet a thread for discussing Phyrexia: All Will Be One, so I am making such a thread, so that we may discuss the new set!
I am mostly very impressed by the set, thus far, except that the only instances of Phyrexian mana, thus far, are on planeswalkers, and, not only that, the planeswalkers still have normal mana symbols in their costs, and, even worse, they have less loyalty if their controller pays life to cast them; I understand that certain cards that used Phyrexian mana, such as Dismember or Mental Misstep, were extremely powerful, but did WotC really need to go this far in the other direction?
Also, why is the new Vraska mono-black, when she has more often been black/green in her previous portrayals?
The new Elesh Norn is awesome, so I shall definitely put her into my Chulane, Teller of Tales EDH deck.
I definitely like the new Glissa, although I do feel that she may be slightly too powerful, as she simply has too many great options for such a low cost, but that shall not stop me from putting her into my decks that support her colors.
How is everyone feeling about the set, thus far? Are you excited for it?
DemonDragonJ says... #3
Gleeock, which card is a "white Bitterblossom," as you call it?
January 15, 2023 2:35 p.m.
I don't know if the stories have started to come out yet, so this is totally a knee-jerk reaction, but one name in particular worries me: Melira, the Living Cure.
The inference that I'm getting from this name is that there may be a way to use Melira's essence/influence/whatever to reverse Phyresis.
-
If this is the case, then there's potential to completely cure every reasonably-intact character who's been compleated.
-
If this is the case, then the great multiverse threats of Nicol Bolas (millennia-old nearly omnipotent supergenius), the Eldrazi titans (so alien that they're literally incompatible with organic life and rational thought), and the current stock of Phyrexians (massive army able to convert anyone to their side without being noticed) could all be negated with virtually no casualties among the main protagonists. (Gideon was ready to die anyway.)
People who aren't named planeswalkers will be disposable statistics, JaceCo. will have mile-thick plot armor, and almost every Bad Thing will not have any lasting effect on Our Heroes.
Is this a slippery-slope argument? Probably. Is it based on a lot of barely-supported conjecture? Yes. Will I give up on the story conpletely if this happens? Yes, until and unless there's a radical change in story direction.
January 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Wouldn't it be great though if "the cure" was something that you could reject? :)
January 15, 2023 3:54 p.m.
I don't know about anyone else, but I for one am really glad both Kaito and The Wanderer are safe from compleation. I loved both characters from Neon Dynasty and can't wait until they meet up again. (Haven't read any of the newly published stories, so I dunno if they have or not in ONE)
On the compleation note, more Phyrexian Ajani art, please. <3
January 15, 2023 4:34 p.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #8
I definitely want to make some kind of Voltron or general Aggro build with the new Glissa. I haven't played or constructed a deck yet. I've also wanted to take apart my Mono Green deck to reuse the pieces for something new.
I'm also excited for Ria Ivor, Bane of Bladehold, mostly for the flavor & callback. The set up for the token generation is kinda funky. I'd like to see how it plays.
January 15, 2023 6:35 p.m.
I'm looking forward to building Selesyna infect in Standard
Unofficial Spoilers Show
January 15, 2023 7 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #10
legendofa, I share your feelings on this matter and dearly hope that there is no way to cure completion, or, at least no way that is easy and has no negative effects, since I am hoping for there to be actual consequences after this story, and that the story does not simply reset everything and cure all the damage, as that would ruin the emotional impact of whatever happens.
However, I still am hoping for a proper visit to Vryn, which would almost certainly involve Jace returning there, so could that still happen if he were completed?
January 15, 2023 8:32 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #11
I am both saddened that so many great Planeswalkers have fallen thus far, while also feeling like I can breathe easier that they have.
Perplexed? Let me explain.
For several years WOTC built up the Bolas saga and Eldrazi threat, drumming it up as an apocalyptic event that only the brave few could face and take upon. And as with so many cliche superhero tropes, our protagonists survived without so much as a scratch.
Then, during War of the Spark, WOTC dipped their toes into the water and killed off Dack, Domri and one other cardless fellow. The original intent was to off Liliana, but they opted for Gideon, instead. And much to all of our dismay, the story was lackluster, clunky, had no real weight and the characters that they did decide to kill off were secondary at best. Even Gideon, a beloved face, was really just an Ajani / Elspeth clone with no real merit. Not to denounce the story and beloved fans of Gideon, but he wasn't exactly awe-inspiring either. An indestructible man and a tactician. Wonderful. He's essentially Captain America, with a less cool shield.
Then, I suspect, WOTC actually did what few studios do and listened. So what happened? We move forward in time toward Crimson Vow and they straight up murder Odric, one of the most beloved characters of all of Innistrad. But not just murder him, worse. Far worse. So much worse. They turned him into the thing he hates most, a Vampire.
The uproar and outcry was strong, passionate and fervent. But, worthy. For now it had weight.
So I suspect WOTC learned. This time, death and conversions are permanent; There's no going back. There's no holding back. There is no forgiveness, hope or mercy.
There is only Phyrexia.
And now, we as fans finally have that weight we have so longed for. The desire to have meaning within our game.
It may be sad, but it's a sadness we've been craving.
And I, for one, love it.
January 15, 2023 8:50 p.m.
I'm not sure what's a leak and what's a legit spoiler and I don't want to get in trouble
January 15, 2023 9:51 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #13
A leak is typically going to be garbage cellphone pictures, and a spoiler will be officially announced on a website.
If you go to Mythic Spoiler, you'll be able to tell the difference. The exceptions are for Vraska, Jace and Nissa who were essentially cellphone pictures, officially taken by the employee showcasing them. But the images are foiled so it's hard to make them out.
January 15, 2023 10:08 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #14
Conduit of Worlds is intense though, omg.
I won't post it, but that activated ability seems like it allows you to essentially cast up to one spell at Flash speed. If that's accurate, it is insanely powerful.
I assume it circumvents timing restrictions based on its wording. Being able to cast the spell is part of the resolution of the activated ability resolving, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to?
January 15, 2023 10:14 p.m.
Yeah, Conduit of Worlds is instantly one of those "hall of fame" level cards for me. I love everything about it. Flavor, art, abilities... perfection!
TypicalTimmy it does say "activate only as a sorcery", though. No flash speed shenanigans here! (Probably)
January 15, 2023 10:43 p.m.
'Mirrex' is pretty good. Making a mite for aint too shaby
January 15, 2023 11:46 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #17
Conduit of Worlds's activated ability can only be activated at sorcery speed, it says right at the end. There's no breaking of timing restrictions, TypicalTimmy
I resent the description given of Gideon though. I've always loved the fact that he takes the battle into his own hands, when needed. It's one of the most consistent planeswalker abilities ever printed, Gideon Planeswalkers will turn into indestructible creatures that don't take damage. All of them. It's more consistent than a Chandra doing direct damage (Chandra, Acolyte of Flame), more consistent than Elspeth making tokens (Elspeth, Undaunted Hero), more consistent than Ajani boosting creatures (Ajani Vengeant). They might have killed him because they foresaw running out of design space because of that, but how dare you call him an Ajani/Elspeth clone when all they share is a color.
January 16, 2023 3:55 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #18
I still do not understand why the new Vraska is mono-black, rather than black/green, as that is how she has usually been portrayed.
Is the usage of Phryexian mana in this set indicative of how Phyrexian mana shall be used from now on? A cost reduction that penalizes the player for choosing it? I do hope that there shall be at least several cards that use Phyrexian mana the way that it was used when it premiered.
January 16, 2023 6:24 p.m.
It seems like the colors were chosen for color balancing. There's one for each single color (or at least there will be once the last one gets revealed, which we all likely know who that is thanks to the leaks) and then one for five of the color pairings.
January 16, 2023 6:34 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #20
Nissa was released by WOTC but her card was partially covered. I believe she is Golgari. They likely didn't want two Golgari Planeswalkers in the same set that are corrupted.
I sort of feel like some of the characters will return. Jace, Nissa, probably Vraska.
But I think the more evil ones, Nahiri, Lukka and whomever else they throw at us, will remain. Per the lore, as long as your heart hasn't been compleated, you can be returned. That's how Karn was able to be returned to normal. So I suspect someone of such pure of heart such as Ajani will be just fine. Jace is likely so strong willed he can fight it. Nissa and Vraska, it's a toss up.
But Nahiri and Lukka are so evil and vile, I don't think they can be saved.
Tell you what though, if they turn Angrath before we see him reunite with his daughters, imma be hella pissed. But, that's war for you. C'est la vie.
EDIT: Nissa is mono-green. So more likely is they will have 1 of each mono color normal, 1 of each Compleated and likely all 10 guilds split 50/50
January 16, 2023 8:47 p.m. Edited.
TypicalTimmy says... #21
WAIT WE HAVE A NEW CARD TYPE?????
ATRAXA SAYS SO
WHEN SHE ETB YOU REVEAL THE TOP TEN, AND FOR EACH CARD TYPE YOU MAY PUT UP TO ONE IN YOUR HAND
IT LISTS ARTIFACT, BATTLE, CREATURE, ENCHANTMENT, INSTANT, LAND, PLANESWALKER AND SORCERY
WHAT?!
January 17, 2023 2:18 p.m. Edited.
Crazy stuff!!
I'm also super excited about the new mono W commander. Anointed Procession on a creature is an absolute win for me!
January 17, 2023 3:14 p.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #24
I posted the following as an update on my Isshin deck, but these are currently what's on my radar:
Neyali, Sun's Vanguard was officially spoiled today, after being leaked from Brazilian Amazon screenshots a couple weeks ago.
I can see her potentially swapping out with Professional Face-Breaker in my list. Hard to turn down a Double Strike anthem for tokens, and impulse draw with less of a timing downside.
In general excited for more tech from this Boros precon
Mondrak, Glory Dominus also seems nuts as a self-protecting Anointed Procession
January 17, 2023 3:27 p.m.
RiotRunner789 says... #25
Anyone know the difference between poisonous and toxic? It seems like the same exact mechanic.
January 17, 2023 4:04 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #26
I don't think so. Tribal is a supertype, like legendary and snow. It doesn't make sense for them to include Tribal, and not the others.
I could be wrong but I think one cares about ANY damage the creature deals, and the other specifically focuses on combat damage. But I could be wrong.
January 17, 2023 4:24 p.m. Edited.
RiotRunner789 Poisonous is a triggered ability, and toxic is a static ability. It's the same relationship as Spirit Link and Lifelink.
Also, both poisonous and toxic only interact with combat damage.
January 17, 2023 4:42 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #28
So far all of the compleated planewalker choices make sense. Besides Jace, all of them have outlived their story arc, have readily available replacements, or are terribly written characters that need to be gone cough cough Lukka. It will be interesting to see a new crop of PW's take center stage.
Cards wise I find myself intrigued by Mondrak, Lukka, and Nissa for already existing commander decks of mine. Ixhel in theory seems awesome, but sadly I think she(?, it?) will be one of those commanders that everyone groans at. Combining theft AND "infect" on the same commander will upset a number of people I think. Graaz is just hilarious.
January 17, 2023 4:50 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #29
Ovika seems like tons of fun. I'll definitely be building her.
Him? It?
It's a Nightmare. Do Nightmare have genders?
She produces Goblin tokens so I'll go with her.
January 17, 2023 5:16 p.m.
Crow_Umbra says... #30
TypicalTimmy Ovika seems like a lot of fun with stuff like Hordeling Outburst, Magnus the Red, Hellrider, and all of the Impact Tremors effects
January 17, 2023 5:51 p.m.
Jace the Perfected Mind actually seems fairly strong in standard. Cast it t3 as a defensive planeswalker, and just uptick it every turn to neutralize a creature. Go down one, to draw a card and make the opponent lose a couple cards. If the game has gone long, get a bonus two cards. If you draw a duplicate Jace you can make the opponent dump a large chunk of their library.
The -X will be absurd in limited. My games are always about who will deck themselves first, and this does that really well. Also has high potential to make the opponent lose multiple bombs as there's not much recursion in this set yet.
TypicalTimmy tribal is a card type. Tarmogoyf notes this.
January 17, 2023 6:08 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #32
Crow-Umbra, I've been looking to run Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer as a secret Commander, as well. This would be the perfect deck for it.
January 17, 2023 7:06 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #33
Mondrak, glory dominus is awesome, and will definitely replace Anointed Procession in my Ghired, Conclave Exile deck!
I shall share everyone's hope that the new Atraxa is referencing tribal cards and not introducing a new card type, because why would the game need a new card type after all these years?
KBK7101, also, the new Tyvar is black/green, so I suppose that WotC did not feel that it was necessary to have two planeswalkers of that color in this set.
January 17, 2023 8:48 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #34
DemonDragonJ - Maro did hint that there would be a big game play change coming with this trip to Phyrexia so a new card type is within the realm of possibility.
So today we got a fixed Mental Misstep that also hits 0 cmc spells. I wonder if that will be safe enough for Modern?
Green got it's obligatory giant, keyword soup, mythic creature. I do like it though. Every set that we get one pushes me closer to building a commander deck constructed exclusively of these creatures.
Staff of Compleation is awesome. A great nod to Staff of Domination. It's a little less combo-centric, but still very powerful.
I like Otharri's design. I am definitely considering them to replace Iroas as the new leader of my Boros tokens deck. That artwork will pop in foil.
January 18, 2023 12:46 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #35
Tyvar's flavor being about beatdown while his passive and +1 leading themselves to tap abilities is kinda off
Kinda annoyed if Nissa dies, if only because Vivian and mono-green Garuk are mechanically indistinguishable.
Rhuk: For Mirrodin!-tribal I guess.
Not a fan of the mechanical eyestalks that Serum Sovereign and Jace (and Ajani in one version) have, looks too sci-fi
Hoping against hope that Ertai, the Corrupted gets a non-Secret Lair reprint, he's neat.
IDK if they could have skipped creating Mites and just kept going with Germs
Staff of the Storyteller: I've been down on recent white draw enginge attempts, but this is pretty good if you got a deck where the token is relevant so you're not just paying 2+1 mana to draw your first car
Mesmerizing Dose: Kinda misleading art?
Vanish into Eternity: I hope they're not killing of too many cool planes.
Capricious Hellraiser: Not bad EDH mono-red Dragon tribal if you include some rummaging.
Me as usual complaining that things aren't more pushed: Kinzu seems overall worse than Hofri Ghostforge, even if her tokens are basically 4/1s in EDH. I hope there's some cool "corrupted" cards for her to take advantage of.
Annoyed by Mite Overseer because AFAIK white still doesn't have straightforward weenie makers that are as efficient as green's Jade Mage & Ant Queen
Kinda find Atraxa disapointing, her ETB would have been neat as just a stand-alone sorcery
I wish Staff of Compleation cost 1 less life on all of its tap abilities, not as easily abuseable as Staff of Domination anyway.
Roar of Resistance's triggered ability could just cost to make politicking smoother
Clever Concealment: Booo, when are we getting a straightforward Heroic Intervention color shift? (Don't talk to me about Grand Crescendo or And They Shall Know No Fear, they are not the same.)
Otharri: Yeah this is much more appropritate for the color combination than Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas, but unlike the rest of the original experience commanders there's still not a lot of ways to get multiple counters quickly
Necrogen Rotpriest: with e.g. Goliath Hatchery in mind, I don't see why this couldn't just give out Toxic 1 as an anthem.
Resistance Reuinted: Kinda sad that you can basically counter the anti-board wipe part by removing the targeted creature.
January 18, 2023 12:51 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor says... #36
Holy crap, Corrupting Influence looks fun. The reprints are disappointing unfortunately. Especially when compared to Rebellion Rising which has Flawless Maneuver. Still, value infect is an interesting strategy and the new cards all look powerful. Especially Norn's Choirmaster and Wurmquake.
January 18, 2023 2:56 p.m.
Hi_diddly_ho_neighbor Happy to see they put Flawless Maneuver in. That was my "solution" to the original sin of putting the "free spells" in such a limited print environment when they were bound to become format semi-staples. I said, just use some set mythic spot for the "free spells" on several commander products, like with Command Tower. Sure it wastes a spot for creative design... but I think it would be forgivable to rectify the mistake.
January 18, 2023 3:35 p.m.
Coward_Token says... #38
So "Battle" seems to have been confirmed as a new card type. I'm guessing it's going to be part of the next set? It sounds similar to Skirmish, which was going to be in WAR, and March of the Machine also seems like it will be a "climax war" set.
So uhh is the Mirari ever going to make an appearance? It's what Mirrodin was named for, but its plot thread seems to be dangling. With Glissa, Geth, and Slobad all compleated, you'd think it would be shown used by the Phyrexians.
The art for Kemba's Banner is a neat reflection (pun intended) of its mechanics.
Sword of Forge and Frontier: Good value, as expected. However, I feel that with colored Equipment becoming increasingly common, Swords are kinda awkward due to protection's anti-attachment aspect.
January 18, 2023 5:09 p.m.
I have mixed feelings about Skirmish. I'd want it to be good and playable, unlike the first three dungeons (those failed miserably), but I don't want to see modern/standard become 20 different variations of turbo battle (like initiative did to legacy -_-).
Honestly I just hope WotC manages to balance Battle correctly while having a fun viable addition to the game.
January 18, 2023 5:35 p.m.
I really hope Battle doesn't end up being Dungeons 2.0. Dungeons were... Not my favorite.
January 18, 2023 7:57 p.m.
My best guess for new card type "battle" is that it will act like an enchantment until some trigger is met involving combat, then exile itself and create an emblem. Maybe it could also create creature or equipment or any other form of tokens related to the card. So it'd be like:
Battle of New Phyrexia
3 (and one of each color phyrexian mana)
Battle
Whenever a player attacks or blocks with 3 or more creatures, exile Battle of New Phyrexia and create a Battlefield of New Phyrexia emblem. Then create a token copy of any creature on the battlefield or in any graveyard. It becomes a Phyrexian in addition to its other types.
Battlefield of New Phyrexia
Emblem
Pay 2 life: Add one mana of any color. Use this mana only to cast spells from your hand.
January 18, 2023 8:05 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #44
I hope that "battle" is similar to tribal in that it only ever appears on cards with other types, providing them with synergies with cards that care about battles, since I fail to see what possible need a new card type could fulfill at this time.
Sword of forge and frontier is nice, but I shall need to see it in action before I can properly judge it.
I must find a way to put staff of compleation into my Atraxa, Praetors' Voice EDH deck, but the only question is which card I shall remove to make room for it.
January 18, 2023 8:45 p.m.
Guesses about battles:
They will appear in ONE. (Well, duh. But maybe less duh than it first looks; Eye of Ugin and Tarmogoyf referenced types that didn't exist yet, and March of the Machine is supposed to have a major change.)
They will not appear in every Standard set. (No deep reason for this guess, other than gut feeling and not knowing what it is.)
They are not permanents, more like instants and sorceries. (I can't think of anything a new permanent would do that wouldn't be covered by another type.)
They interact with creatures in the combat step. (Going strictly off the name.)
They are similar to Sagas in that they "advance" their effect each round. (Another "gut feeling" guess not really based on anything.)
January 18, 2023 9:01 p.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #46
legendofa, I think that battles being able to be cast only during combat would be a good way to ensure that they do not intrude on the territory of any other card types.
January 18, 2023 9:11 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #47
Well, we know it can't be akin to an Emblem, Dungeon or for Archenemy the Scheme and Ongoing. Those four cards, while types, exist outside of the game. It would be very hard pressed to believe that a Battle is a card you cast, that immediately is removed from the game. So I doubt it'll be akin to those.
We also know, being listed as a type, it likely won't be something such as "Enchantment - Saga"; It isn't a subtype, it's a type.
This leads me to speculate in a similar vain to the Arenas for Pokemon. Your starting deck can have numerous Arena, but only one in play at a time.
For example, you may have a Pallet Town Arena where maybe your Pokemon retreat costs are reduced by 1, but if that is in play you can't use a Veridian City Arena.
I suspect it'll be like that. For example;
The Last Stand
Battle
You may only control one Battle at a time. If you would control multiple Battles, choose one and sacrifice the rest.
Effect
In this way it's basically an Enchantment. You could just have it as a subtype at that point with a keyword mechanic to denote only having one at a time.
So this is quite a curious feature.
This leads me to believe there must be something mechanically unique, such as how Planeswalkers have loyalty and creatures have P/T.
There must be a new mechanic at play here, to justify a new permanent type.
January 18, 2023 9:31 p.m.
TypicalTimmy That "can only have one at a time" deal is already extant with the World super type, like Concordant Crossroads or Koskun Falls.
I'm kind of envisioning a "temporary permanent" like Sagas, but I have no idea what the details will be or how it will be unique.
January 18, 2023 10:07 p.m.
I like to think it will be similar to a saga, except the progression condition for it will be triggered by combat.
January 18, 2023 10:39 p.m.
RiotRunner789 says... #50
In the "world" enchantments, there can only be one in play, between all players, at a time.
But it would still feel like nothing more special than a legendary enchantment.
Gleeock says... #2
I enjoy what I see so far. I like the new bitterblossom. & some of the overcosted walkers have some interesting abilities attached. I see no creativity was spent on still... which has to change
January 15, 2023 1:57 p.m.