Phyrexia: All Will Be One Combos – The Quirkiest Ones so Far

We’re still at the stabilization phase of Phrexia: All Will Be One. Ideas are still being brainstormed, decks are still being brewed, and new winning conditions are still being considered. But so far, we have already a few interesting combos and effect synergies regularly popping up that showcase more of what this set has to offer.

Here are some of the quirkiest ones so far.

Mondrak, Glory Dominus + Fable of the Mirror-Breaker

People have already been mentally brewing the possibilities of Mondrak, Glory Dominus even before Phyrexia: All Will Be One was released. And true to its form, we did get some wacky synergies using the card, even if we are only restricted within its set, as with Limited format games.

But the craziest part of Mondrak’s effect is that any token will do. Any. Clues, Food, Treasure, Citizens, Mites. Anything. And because of this, we award the most efficient “one-two-punch” synergy for this card to Skitterbeam Battalion Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki.

First, Mondrak doubles the Goblin Shaman token. Next, it doubles the Treasure token that the Shaman(s) generates (potentially four Treasure tokens total). Lastly, it doubles the copy of whichever target Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki chooses. And even if the mana curve isn’t exactly in the right order, you still get the second and the last effects online with a consistent land drop.

As for the doubled token copy of the enchantment creature, well… just go bonkers with whatever trigger effect would overlap with Mondrak’s nigh-infinite possibilities.

Venerated Rotpriest + March of Swirling Mist

(or March of Burgeoning Life)

Okay, we are kind of cheating here because even though technically there are only two kinds of cards, we really need at least two Venerated Rotpriest cards in play, and at least one blue card to discard for this to work more efficiently. As some of you may have already known, this works by targeting the two Rotpriests, and then casting March of the Swirling Mist for just one mana, with the blue card as the alternative payment.

The result is that you get four total poison counters after all effects resolve, which is almost halfway to victory already. Of course, this combo gets even better if used in response to some removal threat, maybe an imminent Depopulate or Farewell.

It’s (relatively) simple, effective, and practical combo. And in more desperate situations, you can even just use it on one Rotpriest, still netting you a poison counter for a potential board save.

For March of Burgeoning Life, the idea is even more straightforward (and cheaper), as we always want multiple copies of Venerated Rotpriests to further accelerate non-combat-based poison counter accumulation.

Nissa, Ascended Animist + Awaken the Woods

How to make Compleated Nissa’s ultimate even more terrifying? Well, by treating the attackers as the recipient, the casting cost, and the condition of her -7 loyalty ability all in one. Awaken the Woods is already an interesting card by itself, and has already inspired quite a number of decks attempting to use the card to its fullest potential. Nissa, Ascended Animist’s ultimate is also quite impressive on its own, though still quite limited in situational utility.

Combine them together, and it feels like a two-card classic Elven overrun finisher all over again. It also helps that the mana curve is perfectly complementary. Of course, board wipes can still easily turn the tables against you. But, you can be more or less sure that Phyrexian Nissa is dropping and ending the game on your next turn if the response isn’t as powerful.

Vraska, Betrayal’s Sting + Voidwing Hybrid

Kind of too obvious at a glance, but being able to infinitely return a potential discard fodder is always a treat mid-game. Especially since it is just treated as a bonus effect. After all, most of the +0 loyalty ability advantages are being put to the counters being Proliferated, and the additional draw.

You may also try to keep casting Voidwing Hybrid afterward. But since decks using these cards would most likely be some sort of mid-range or control variant, your mana would probably be sunk better for other non-creature cards. Hence the better utility as a discard fodder, especially for effects such as Connive.

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician also works, and even better, though it's not Standard-legal at the moment.

Jace, the Perfected Mind + Cut Down

Nothing special with this combo really. Jace, the Perfected Mind[ can already effectively shut down cards like Glissa Sunslayer and Tenacious Underdog. But, if your Cut Down is a bit lacking in the Power part of its condition department, you can get Compleated Jace to weaken a creature just enough so that it can be eliminated in a single black mana. All while adding one more loyalty counter to his ticking mill time bomb.

Phyrexian Obliterator + Bushwhack

(or Tail Swipe)

Pairing this classic Phyrexian boogeyman with fight effects is already a very well-known board-devastating combo staple. But for the current Standard sets, the easiest way to reutilize this strategy is with the use of very cheap, single-mana green spells like Bushwhack and Tail Swipe.

This eases up the mana requirement complexity, as well as being able to pop it off with any other cheaper creature that might arrive a turn or two earlier. In the case of Bushwhack, you’re even given the alternative option to fix your mana base, which is also very nice for Obliterator.

It’s simple, easy-to-do, and brutal.

The Eternal Wanderer + The Mightstone and Weakstone

Other than constantly threatening the battlefield with a board wide of double striker, you can opt to use her +1 loyalty ability to recur ETB effects. There's a whole plethora of different options that you can use just in her own set alone. But perhaps one of the quirkiest (even if not as consistent) is to keep blinking The Mightstone and Weakstone to replay whatever effect you need before your turn cycles back.

Drawing two is always a welcome hand refresh maneuver universal enough to keep using. But, the -5/-5 is also strategically powerful, allowing a free removal effect and buildup of her loyalty counters, hopefully to allow her to reuse her ultimate. In any case, you get to recur only at the end of your opponent's turn, which means that you have the perfect timing to choose either effect depending on what he/she decided to do earlier.

Was a creature threat casted? Go for the -5/-5. Nothing worth removing? Then just draw two cards before your turn. Obliterators and Vindicators will have to think twice landing on a mid-game board if such combo was already executed.

Ichormoon Gauntlet + Reckoner Bankbuster

(+ Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh)

As a complex, potentially triple-card combo, this already falls into the realm of tricky janks. But, if pulled properly on the right mana curve, and your mono-Red aggro opponent somehow hasn’t killed you yet, it just works. Basically, play Reckoner Bankbuster on two, Ichormoon Gauntlet on three, then Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh on four. Assuming you still have at least one more charge counter, you can potentially make bank with free draws on any turn. Like, on your turn and your opponent’s, since Tezzeret also counts your opponent’s turn for its passive (though just once per Bankbuster since it taps).

Of course, Ichormoon Gauntlet still suffers very badly from its need to invest one card on the field and hand to start working (technically "wasting" turn three). But, being that these three cards are only part of a new superfriends build, you already have yourself a multi-planar party to last the entire deck.