We’ve got another Limited Arena Open coming this weekend, so it’s time to refresh your knowledge of Phyrexia: All Will Be One combos and synergies to help you up your game! As is tradition, I’m keeping it limited to common/uncommon interactions, so we can keep it realistic.
Pestilent Syphoner and Necrogen Communion
Necrogen Communion is written off by a lot of players, but it does have some sweet spots. It’s often hard to decipher, but in a toxic deck, sequencing these two cards is the equivalent of attacking with a six-power flyer on Turn 3. That’s a theoretical three-turn clock if you can get one more counter out of proliferate in the next few turns.
Mandible Justiciar and Charge of the Mites
This is an easy one, as there aren’t any instant-speed artifacts other than the fast Cat, aka Chrome Prowler. The mouth of justice is also great in combination with Basilica Shepherd, or the otherwise underwhelming Infested Fleshcutter. There’s plenty of room to go from Mandible to animal.
Magmatic Sprinter and Evolving Adaptive
Evolving Adaptive can take over lots of games on its own, but one of the most aggressive plays is following up with a Magmatic Sprinter. This will grow little Darwin into a 4/4 by itself, and at minimum you are attacking for seven on Turn 3!
Trawler Drake and Free from Flesh
In one easy installment of R, you can go from Trawler to Baller! Not only does this one-mana trick provide three permanent +1/+1 counters, it gives +2/+2 until end of turn if you purchase in the next ten minutes! Free from Flesh is also an amazing card paired with Evolving Adaptive, Necrosquito, or Exuberant Fuseling, but blue needs some love too.
Offer Immortality and Cinderslash Ravager
Cinderslash Ravager is a card I’m always happy to splash a third color for. If you happen to be base black and have a copy of Offer Immortality, you may want to try throwing it in. With the Ravager’s enters-the-battlefield trigger on the stack, you can make it a nice offer. I heard Plague Wind is a pretty strong effect!
Awaken the Sleeper and Nahiri’s Sacrifice
I think there’s a misconception that Awaken the Sleeper isn’t great in this set due to a lack of sacrifice outlets. Red has three great options within its commons and uncommons, including Shrapnel Slinger and Gleeful Demolition (not technically sacrifice, but nice if you steal an artifact creature), with Nahiri’s Sacrifice being the standout option. If you add black to the equation, you also gain access to Annihilating Glare, Cutthroat Centurion, and potentially Chittering Skitterling.
Barbed Batterfist and Cacophony Scamp
Cacophony Scamp is a surprisingly good card that can really warp an early-game. If this thing lives until later in the game, suiting it up with a Vulshok Splitter is very difficult for your opponent to deal with. The most common combination that people seem to miss is equipping the little Scamp with Barbed Batterfist. Blasting its remains out of a cannon (a la Hunter S. Thompson) turns the little Scamp into a Shock, rest in pieces.
Malcator’s Watcher and Unctus’s Retrofitter
Unctus’s Retrofitter can take over games fairly easily if your opponent can’t kill it, and I’m sure a lot of you have experienced either side of the beatings. A ton of great artifacts can use a software update, including Mandible Justiciar, but the most effective (and on color) is Malcator’s Watcher. Flying and vigilance give it evasion and provide a giant blocker.
Ichorspit Basilisk and Infectious Bite
A pretty straightforward one. Deathtouch + a bite effect is a classic combination that will kill most everything. Black has some deathtouch options to add to the mix as well, via Bilious Skulldweller, Cruel Grimnarch, Offer Immortality, or Atraxa’s Skitterfang.
Churning Reservoir, Atraxa’s Skitterfang, and Ichorplate Golem
Churning Reservoir doesn’t belong in just any deck, but if it finds a good home, it can be an absolute powerhouse. Atraxa’s Skitterfang is a nice combination, not only allowing a boon each turn but also enabling the 1/1 creation via removing an oil counter. With Ichorplate Golem, you can get everything oiled up for the competition with +1/+1 counters. There are lots of great cards with Reservoir, but one fun combination I have yet to try is a potential Font of Progress deck for science!
Swooping Lookout and Barbed Batterfist
Swooping Lookout can range from terrible to amazing, depending on the deck. The best home for it is in Boros, with plenty of Equipment for each of its three feet things. Barbed Batterfist, Vulshok Splitter will easily keep your opponents on the back foot.
I’m sure I missed some cool stuff here and there, and there are definitely some fun ones when you add rares into the mix! Good luck in the Arena Open this weekend, and I’ll see you there!
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win.
