Venerated Rotpriest: A history of bonkers one drops

Venerated Rotpriest: A History of Bonkers One-Drops

Chris CornejoModern, Pioneer, Standard

There are a lot of powerful cards in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, but we’re going to focus on this guy — Venerated Rotpriest:  This little druid has been making waves as some figured out it may be the linchpin for making several varieties of Toxic decks across multiple formats work. I fully plan on experimenting around several Proliferate builds …

The Danger of Phyrexian Mana

The Danger of Phyrexian Mana

Tom AndersonModern, Standard

Phyrexia: All Will Be One has shown us that New Phyrexia’s armies are filled with endless ranks of destructive, living weapons — but its most dangerous power remains its most simple: Phyrexian mana costs. Introduced in 2011’s New Phyrexia, at the culmination of the Phyrexian invasion of Mirrodin, Phyrexian mana allowed players to pay for spells with chunks of life …

Skullbombs and the Evolution of Magic Design

Skullbombs and the Evolution of Magic Design

Chris CornejoDesign, Limited, Standard

In Phyrexia: All Will Be One, we have a cycle of one-mana artifacts with activated abilities that can draw you a card called Skullbombs. This builds on a similar cycle from Scars of Mirrodin called Spellbombs, which were themselves a sequel to the original Spellbombs from Mirrodin block. It’s not often we see cycles full reiterated this many times, but …

Flavor Check, Phyrexia All Will Be One

Flavor Check: Phyrexia: All Will Be One

Jason KrellCommander, Design, Standard

As Magic players, most of us primarily care about how the game actually plays. However, so much more goes into a set than the cards themselves — from worldbuilding, to characters and the places they intersect. Often, these qualities outside of gameplay are called flavor, and they help sets taste different even if they are similar in some ways to …

How Will Magic Change in 2023?

Tom AndersonDesign, Magic Story, Products, Standard

There’s a lot on the horizon for Magic in 2023, and Tom is here to take a look at what all the different moving parts may mean! It’s a new year for Magic just as it is for you and me – and 2023 in particular stands as a tense cliffhanger moment in the game’s proud history. The narrative stands …