Hello! Welcome to my set review of Phyrexia: All Will Be One, where I will pick five cards of each colour and discuss my favourite cards from them.
Given that Phyrexia: All Will Be One (aka ONE) also comes out with a pair of preconstructed Commander decks, I’ll also be covering my favourite new cards from there in another article.
Without further ado, here are my favourite White cards!
I’ve already discussed this card in my preview review, but this remains one of the most exciting cards in the set, full stop.
Elesh Norn was bound to have an amazing ability as the big bad of the current storyline and WotC delivered. A Panharmonicon that isn’t limited to artifacts and creatures while being a Torpor Orb for all of your opponents’ permanents is, in a word, nuts.
Creature decks are plentiful in Commander and ETBs are everywhere. While Norn doubles your triggers, make no mistake – this is a stax piece. Shutting down your opponents will not make you a popular player. We’ve seen what she can do in the command zone on Game Knights and with all the different versions of her available, we’re about to see a lot of her. Pack your non ETB based removal and get ready because Norn’s new form as ParharMOMicon enables a ton of strategies without even thinking about it and shutting out other players as an afterthought.
Yes, it’s easy to pick mythics as your favourite cards of a colour, but can you blame me? This cycle of Domini is incredible. They can be in your command zone, they have incredible doubling effects, and they have an activated ability to gain an indestructible counter. Of course, I’m going to be interested!
Anointed Procession can now be in your command zone. If you’ve ever played a white token swarm deck, I would love to hear why you wouldn’t change your commander to Mondrak. Doubling your tokens can be powerful, whether it’s from Smothering Tithe or Call the Coppercoats, you’re making a lot of stuff. There’s a reason Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives, and Doubling Season command the price they do and it is because this ability is massive.
Where will I be putting Mondrak? I’ll be taking it for a spin in the 99 of my The Ever-Changing ‘Dane deck and I’ll definitely be popping it into my Will the Wise / Mike, the Dungeon Master lists. I think the utility of the indestructible counter and the cost of its activation being potentially life payment should not to be overlooked.
I’m also hoping we get playmats for the art of all of these because they are gruesomely gorgeous.
I am in love with the art of this set. It took my breath away. Norn’s Wellspring is an artifact I expect to see tested a ton in tokens and aristocrats. Of course, a passive scry 1 means that you’ll get better selection in your Thalisse, Reverent Medium decks that already run a ton of sacrifice outlets, but being able to use a mana from Ashnod’s Altar to pay for this and draw a card is sweet.
At two mana value, this is easily recurred. As an artifact, it’s easily recurred. It can be a reliable extra draw with upside in proliferate decks. I think this card can be pretty sneaky good in the right shell, but recognize that this may also just be relegated to lower-powered decks. I don’t expect to see this in competitive settings, but I do expect to see it and kind of brush it off until it does something… which is valuable unto itself.
I think The Eternal Wanderer is a beautiful design. At six mana, you get to use any of her loyalty abilities when she enters. This resets clones in clone decks, reuses ETBs in blink decks, makes good tokens in token decks (slowly, but makes them) and gives you all the power in a big board wipe, all while her static ability makes sure that only a single creature can come at her at a time.
I have my planeswalker deck helmed by Aminatou, the Fateshifter and this set has a lot for her to enjoy. The Eternal Wanderer is one of them. I think she’s just very strong and will hit some tables pretty hard. Look out for Orzhov of BWx shells trying to live the dream with her and Tergrid, God of Fright.
Last but certainly not least is Skrelv, a creature I wish had a story spotlight. Disgusting yet cute, Skrelv is the latest one mana legend to join us in Commander. In the command zone, Skrelv is a strange Mother of Runes / Giver of Runes that also can get in for some early poison counters.
Skrelv is also an artifact creature which means if you’ve got a Boros shell working Goblin Engineer / Goblin Welder, you can recur Skrelv, or have Skrelv out to sacrifice to the Goblins.
Do I think Skrelv is particularly powerful? No. It remains to be seen whether Skrelv can impact a board the way I hope. The activated ability is really good, but the idea of turning any creature you control toxic is going to raise alarms that honestly need to calm down.
Poison counters can be a boring way to lose, but the hate they receive when the game has accelerated so much is a little much.
Honorable Mentions:
- Kemba, Kha Enduring – This is cute for people who have Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith decks that kept the cat tribal elements. The activated ability is pretty good if you’ve got the mana and surprising opponents on block with a 2/2 that can all of a sudden wield a Gorgon Flail (becoming a 4/4 deathtoucher) is going to feel amazing the first time. Then it’ll just deter your opponents. Fun!
- Phyrexian Vindicator – This is going right into my Sevinne, the Chronoclasm, Brash Taunter/ Stuffy Doll deck. Just a solid as hell card that will be a beating wherever it shows up, but definitely wants to give the five colour players a challenge to get out.
- Skrelv’s Hive – Bitterblossom was a staple for many years in many formats. Here’s a new version that ditches flying for toxic 1 and no blocking, then eventually lifelink. It’s way weaker than Bitterblossom, but this is happening in white and that’s neat.
- Ossification – New Chained to the Rocks just dropped and it doesn’t require a Mountain. It also can hit planeswalkers!
- Vanish into Eternity – I love the art and think this should’ve just been Path to Exile, but this is pretty brutal in the right meta. Generous Gift can’t kill a Darksteel Forge, but it can be Vanish into Eternity.
- Mite Overseer – I think this is a Jumpstart rare, but either way, as week as I think Mites are, I can’t argue with that art. Besides, if you’ve got a Zirda, the Dawnwaker, paying one mana and two life for a 2/1 first striker with toxic 1 is pretty cheap, can be done at end step, and you can make a ton. They’re ready to swarm and say GG.
That does it for this one! Keep your eyes peeled for Blue coming up next!
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