The third installment of the four-set Phyrexian story arc, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, sees our heroes venturing back to New Phyrexia. The poison counters previously hinted at in Kaldheim are making a full-fledged return to Standard, but that’s not the only throwback this release offers.
Expect to see retro-frame promotional cards, a new Jumpstart set, and the final Phyrexian Praetor we’ve been eagerly anticipating. Let’s explore everything this set brings to the table!
Phyrexia: All Will Be One Basic Information
At Wizards Presents 2022, host Jimmy Wong teased that our adversaries are gaining strength in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Wong confirmed our return to the “terrifying and beautiful plane” of New Phyrexia, under the dominion of Elesh Norn. She is inching closer to her goal of universal conquest, with terror and oil seeping from the plane’s every crevice.
Wong assured us that we’d experience the dread (and thrill) of becoming One, adding that horror enthusiasts would find much to appreciate.
Set Details
| Set Symbol |  |
| Set Code | ONE |
| Hashtag | #MTGONE #MTGPhyrexia |
| Number of Cards | 271 + 208 |
| Rarities | 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 60 rares, 20 mythic rares, 10 basic lands |
| Mechanics | Proliferate, Toxic, Corrupted, For Mirrodin!, Oil Counters, Poisonous, Phyrexian Mana |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Story release | January 12 to 17, 2023 |
| Previews start | January 17, 2023 |
| Commander previews and decklists | January 18, 2023 |
| Full gallery available | January 26, 2023 |
| Prerelease week | February 3 to 9, 2023 |
| Release on MTG Arena and Magic Online | February 7, 2023 |
| Available on Arena Tutor | February 7, 2023 (estimated) |
| Paper release date | February 10, 2023 |
| In-store launch party events | February 10 to 12, 2023 |
| Commander Nights events | Weekly from February 13 to April 13, 2023 |
| Store Championship events | February 25 to March 5, 2023 |
| Commander Party events | March 10 to 12, 2023 |
The Story Behind Phyrexia: All Will Be One
The story arc of “Phyrexia: All Will Be One” delves deeply into the conflict on New Phyrexia, formerly known as Mirrodin and now transformed by the Phyrexians. The narrative focuses on an assembled team of Planeswalkers, each with their own reasons for battling against the Phyrexians’ corruptive influence. In a desperate effort to stop the Phyrexian threat under the leadership of Elesh Norn, the Mother of Machines, characters like Kaito Shizuki, a ninja planeswalker from Kamigawa, and the Wanderer, the Emperor of Kamigawa, join forces.
The plot unfolds as the planeswalkers arrive in New Phyrexia, aiming to halt the spread of Phyrexian corruption and stop Elesh Norn’s plan to conquer the universe. However, their arrival does not go as planned, scattering them across the plane and forcing them into immediate conflict with the Phyrexians. The Mycosynth Gardens and the Seedcore, as well as the divisions among the Phyrexians, including the Machine Orthodoxy under Elesh Norn and the Progress Engine under Jin-Gitaxias, play important roles in the unfolding story.
Characters like Nahiri, Tyvar Kell, Kaya Cassir, and Lukka, among others, bring their unique abilities and backgrounds to the fight, each contributing to the resistance against the Phyrexians in their own way. The narrative is rich with themes of struggle, betrayal, and the quest for purity as the planeswalkers confront the existential threat posed by the Phyrexians’ vision of a universe unified under their corrupt regime.
Set Mechanics
Phyrexia: All Will Be One introduces the return of poison counters and presents some fresh mechanics alongside them.
Poison Counters
The notorious poison counters offer an alternative win condition in Magic, a concept dating back to the 1994 Legends set. Players accumulate poison counters through various effects, but any player with 10 or more loses the game.
Toxic
Toxic is a new mechanic in this set, intentionally designed to be less potent than infect, which converts all damage into an equivalent number of poison counters. Moderating the poison accumulation to a fixed amount per damage instance could provide the needed balance. Nevertheless, it remains a formidable mechanic, especially on well-chosen cards.
Proliferate
Given its iconic status in Phyrexian lore, the inclusion of proliferate in Phyrexia: All Will Be One is unsurprising. This ability allows you to add another counter of any kind already present on any number of permanents or players. Notoriously paired with infect, it enables a swift poisoning of your opponent to defeat in a single turn.
Oil Counters
Sawblade Scamp was the first card leaked to mention “oil counters.” Based on available information, the impact of oil counters seems highly card-dependent, rather than being inherent to the mechanic itself. We’ve seen similar concepts with charge counters, so this isn’t entirely novel.
Corrupted
Tapping into the poison counters theme, corrupted abilities activate only if an opponent has three or more poison counters. Sinew Dancer, revealed as an early Phyrexia: All Will Be One spoiler, echoes the functionality of New Phyrexia’s Blinding Souleater, offering a three-mana discount on its tap ability once your opponent is sufficiently poisoned.
Final Thoughts
If you were part of the Magic: The Gathering scene during the Scars of Mirrodin Standard era in 2010, you’ll recall the dominant presence of infect decks in the meta. Whether you were a fan or not, it was undeniably an exhilarating period.
When I think back to those times, I get a nostalgic feeling for the tactical difficulties that mechanics like poison presented, and I find Phyrexia: All Will Be One’s revival to be intriguing. I’m crossing my fingers, hoping I won’t regret my enthusiasm as the Standard metagame evolves!
What about you? Are you looking forward to unleashing toxic creatures, or does the thought of poison counters making a comeback fill you with apprehension?