Things were looking pretty grim in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, or, if you're on the side of Phyrexian domination, things were going great! Well, that was until a few pesky Planeswalkers were caught meddling about, and some stubborn Mirrans were still hanging on to reclaim their home plane Against All Odds. And while the threat of Phyrexia has currently subsided, as long as a single drop of Glistening Oil remains somewhere out in the Multiverse, there's always a chance for us, I mean, the Phyrexians, to rise once again to complete their mission: All Will Be One.

*Ahem* Deeply immersive lore aside, with the release of this set on February 10, 2023, we also received some fresh, new mechanics, as well as the return of a few old fan favorites. That's what I'm really here to talk about today. So, without further ado, let's take a trip down this non-Jace-tempered-with memory lane and see how these mechanics work, how they interact with one another, and their impact on overall gameplay.

Phyrexia: All Will Be One Mechanics Overview

Toxic

The Phyrexians are infamous for their toxic influence, both in lore and gameplay, and I feel that the Toxic mechanic embodied this concept perfectly. Toxic is a keyword ability found on several Phyrexian creatures, representing their poisonous nature and inherent ability to bypass an opponent's life total entirely. And not to be confused with creatures with Infect, creatures with Toxic deal their normal combat damage and also give poison counters to the defending player equal to the Toxic value stated on the card.

For example, a card like Venerated Rotpriest has "Toxic 1", meaning whenever it deals combat damage to a player, in addition to the combat damage dealt, that player also gets 1 poison counter. And just like when Poison Counters were first introduced way back in Future Sight, a player who accumulates 10 or more poison counters automatically loses the game, regardless of their life total.

Corrupted

The Corrupted mechanic was built upon the Toxic mechanic, rewarding players for incrementally poisoning their opponents. In this instance, if an opponent has three or more poison counters, cards with the Corrupted mechanic become significantly better as they gain additional abilities and effects.

Take Skrelv's Hive, for example. Normally, this enchantment generates 1/1 Phyrexian Mite creature tokens that cannot block. However, once an opponent becomes Corrupted--having three or more poison counters--these Mites, along with other creatures you control with Toxic, suddenly gain lifelink, increasing their value as both offensive threats and inevitable win conditions.

Corrupted didn't have to be used just offensively, either. Bring the Ending proved to be a versatile counterspell that, in the early game, can only counter spells unless their controller pays an extra two mana. But once you've corrupted your opponent, it upgrades into a straight-up Counterspell in Standard of all places!

In a similar sense, Distorted Curiosity is a card draw spell that has the typical draw 2 cards cost of a Divination. However, with Corrupted active, it lets you draw two cards for just one Blue mana! And while that's still not as great a rate as Ancestral Recall, I gladly corrupted a friend or two for this kind of card draw.

For Mirrodin!

The foolish Mirrans were still fighting back, and the For Mirrodin! mechanic represented their last stand quite eloquently. Found solely on Equipment cards, this mechanic adds a 2/2 Rebel creature token equipped with the Equipment when it enters the battlefield.

For those of you who are fans of cards like Kaldra Compleat and Batterskull, yes, For Mirrodin! is effectively a thematic callback to the Living Weapon mechanic from Mirrodin Besieged, but with one distinct difference: you're no longer stuck with 0/0 Germ tokens when someone removes the artifact; instead, you'll get to keep a Rebel who just doesn't know when to quit.

Oil Counters

Although Oil Counters don't have a specific keyword, many cards in Phyrexia: All Will Be One interacted with oil counters, which tastefully represented the Phyrexian corruption spreading across the battlefield. Oil counters appeared on both creatures and artifacts, with various effects ranging from accumulating power to generating resources.

A great example of a card that uses Oil Counters is one that's still seeing play in today's Standard, Urabrask's Forge, which places oil counters on itself each turn, then creates a hasty Phyrexian Horror token with power equal to the number of oil counters on it. So, as the game progresses and more oil counters get added, the forge continues to produce increasingly powerful creatures. Can't Get Lost this, can you, control players?

Proliferate

From the Scars of Mirrodin block, Proliferate made a triumphant return, allowing players to add counters to any number of permanents or players with at least one counter. These counters can be poison, oil, +1/+1, loyalty counters, you name it!

With so many cards in Phyrexia: All Will Be One using poison or oil counters, Proliferate proved to be a key mechanic for expanding your advantage. For example, Bloated Contaminator was a powerhouse of a creature with great stats, Trample, Toxic 1, and a built-in Proliferate trigger whenever it dealt combat damage to a player. So, not only does it hand out a poison counter with each hit, but it also lets you Proliferate afterward, potentially pushing your opponent even closer to the lethal 10 poison counters--or doubling the impact of any oil or loyalty counters you've been working with.

Speaking of loyalty counters, Vraska, Betrayal's Sting is a Planeswalker that showed just how well Proliferate fits with planeswalker-heavy strategies. Vraska's -2 ability directly proliferates, allowing you to add loyalty counters to not only herself but also any other planeswalkers you control. For the sake of keeping our discourse mechanics driven, I'm just going to gloss over her -9 ability, but I promise it also works well with Proliferate.

Returning Mechanics

As I mentioned earlier, Phyrexia: All Will Be One also brought with it several iconic mechanics that fit perfectly with the Phyrexian theme:

• Compleated: Introduced in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Compleated returns to the Planeswalkers in Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Planeswalkers like Jace, The Perfected Mind feature Phyrexian mana, allowing you to cast them for less mana, but at the cost of less loyalty counters and/or life. But at the end of the day, life is just a resource, right?
• Affinity for Equipment: A subtle nod to the classic Affinity mechanic, cards like Rebel Salvo used Affinity for Equipment, which reduces their cost based on how many Equipment cards you control. And while Affinity is debatably one of the most broken mechanics in Magic's history, I felt this specific iteration felt much more balanced and well-suited to the Mirran resistance.
• Battle Cry: A returning aggressive mechanic from Mirrodin Besieged, Battle Cry rewards go-wide strategies by giving an attack buff to all your creatures whenever a creature with Battle Cry attacks. Cry your heart out, Ria Ivor, Bane of Bladehold!

Eventually, All Will Be One

So, which Phyrexia: All Will Be One mechanic stood out to you the most? Did you prefer Toxic over Infect? How many of your friends got salty over being Corrupted? What's your favorite Compleated Planeswalker? Let me know down below, and together, let's think of some ways to revive our Praetor overlords, I mean, keep the conversation going. Until next time!