Magic the Gathering X: Deal X damage to target thread.

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Originally Posted by DMofDarkness

Hm... random question: What is the best set to draft/get a box from, from Ravnica or later blocks?

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Ravnica :smalltongue:

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Originally Posted by DMofDarkness

Hm... random question: What is the best set to draft/get a box from, from Ravnica or later blocks?

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I'd go with Ravnica or Shards of Alara. Both are strong, fairly balanced (except for Jund) blocks with a lot of good flavor and a lot of fun cards.

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Originally Posted by DMofDarkness

Hm... random question: What is the best set to draft/get a box from, from Ravnica or later blocks?

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For quality of drafting, if you can get a box mixed between Ravnica, Guildpact, and Dissension I'd go for that. 3x Ravnica drafting isn't as good though. If you can't get that (or if it's too expensive), Rise of the Eldrazi is an incredible draft set. I'd probably go for that.

Just whatever you do, stay away from Coldsnap.

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Originally Posted by BladeofOblivion

I'd go with Ravnica or Shards of Alara. Both are strong, fairly balanced (except for Jund) blocks with a lot of good flavor and a lot of fun cards.

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In draft Jund is actually very well balanced. It's right alongside Bant for the weakest of the shards through Shards and Conflux, but then becomes the strongest by a huge degree in Reborn, making cutting Jund early and accepting a weak couple packs for a big payoff in the third pack an interesting dilemma.

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Originally Posted by Suedars

In draft Jund is actually very well balanced. It's right alongside Bant for the weakest of the shards through Shards and Conflux, but then becomes the strongest by a huge degree in Reborn, making cutting Jund early and accepting a weak couple packs for a big payoff in the third pack an interesting dilemma.

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*Facepalm* :smallsigh:

Forgot we were talking about draft. Derp. Yeah, you're probably safe with Shards though.

It really is too bad: I liked Bant quite a bit. Though not quite as much as Esper and Grixis. :smallamused:

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Originally Posted by Chen

Very light on land and no ramp. That's probably not going to work well. I'd run at least 38 lands if you're not going to have any mana artifacts. I'd also run some better utility lands like Bojuka Bog, Cabal Coffers, Strip Mine, Wasteland and a maze or two (Mystifying is cheap, Maze of Ith if you have it is better). Utility artifacts could be useful too. There are some staples that fit most decks like Sensei's Divining Top and Sol Ring. This deck looks like it would be very very inconsistent since I don't really see much card draw/manipulation/tutoring. For a black deck there are definitely staples missing such as Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Necropotence etc. I personally like Beseech the Queen as another tutor which works very well.

If you're playing multiplayer Exsanguinate can be nice. In terms of bringing things back from the grave you're missing Patriarch's bidding which works great for a zombie theme. Living Death is very nice too as a way to clear a cluttered board and put a lot of your creatures into play. You need some way to deal with artifacts and enchantments so Oblivion stone or Nev's Disk would probably be worth including. Maybe a Lux Cannon or Spine of Ish Sah would be good too.

I'd also consider the planeswalkers. Sorin Markov is very strong and Liliana can be useful if for nothing else but her tutor effect. Karn of course would be great to shore up mono-black's weakness against non-creature permanents too.




There are some cards here that seem strictly worse than others you could be using. Clone vs Phyrexian Metamorph for example. Or Mind Control instead of Control Magic (1 mana less) or even better Treachery (untap 5 lands when it comes into play). Also in terms of stealing things Memnarch is fantastic, though a bit blue heavy to use his ability multiple times. Still people MUST have an answer to him when he comes down or you're going to win.

I don't see Fact or Fiction in there which is one of the best blue card draw spell available in EDH. I'd consider Krosan Grip over some of your other artifact/enchantment removal. Its 1 more mana than naturalize but it can't be reacted to which is extremely strong. I also don't see many utility lands here. I'd recommend the usual Wasteland, Strip mine and mazes (Mystifying and/or Maze of Ith). As blue you can run Academy Ruins which is very strong. Minamo, School at the Water's Edge is very nice as well for blue. You have a fair bit of ramp but I'd still not be comfortable with only 34 land. With all the ramp you're running I think 36 is probably more appropriate.

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Yes, if I had any of those cards to spare or some money at the moment Id put them in. I threw my EDH decks together over a couple nights.

Also, no on the planeswalkers. I hate them and will never use one.

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Originally Posted by Suedars

For quality of drafting, if you can get a box mixed between Ravnica, Guildpact, and Dissension I'd go for that. 3x Ravnica drafting isn't as good though. If you can't get that (or if it's too expensive), Rise of the Eldrazi is an incredible draft set. I'd probably go for that.

Just whatever you do, stay away from Coldsnap.

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Ripple was awesome. it wasn't the most interesting set to draft but the decks were kinda fun.

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Originally Posted by Suedars

For quality of drafting, if you can get a box mixed between Ravnica, Guildpact, and Dissension I'd go for that. 3x Ravnica drafting isn't as good though. If you can't get that (or if it's too expensive), Rise of the Eldrazi is an incredible draft set. I'd probably go for that.

Just whatever you do, stay away from Coldsnap.

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Which reminds me, I was ecstatic when I found out we had an unopened box of Dissension, an unopened box of Guildpact, and what was probably 80% of a box of Ravnica: City of Guilds. To say that my brother and I were happy was an understatement.

We also have several boxes of Time Spiral block draft sets and I think 4 Mirrodin block draft sets. Also Lorwyn and Shadowmoor block packs but no one really cares about those draft formats. :smalltongue:

Yeah, we have a lot of cards.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed Coldsnap draft. It helped that no one but me knew what they were doing. Seriously.

The Key to Coldsnap Draft:

1. Play Black
2. Take every card you see named "Grim Harvest"
3. Take creatures
4. ?????
5. Profit!

Triple small set formats are always fun for a little while, since they're almost always solvable in the sense that there's just a clear best strategy, but that makes them get stale pretty quickly since you're always either forcing the best archetype, or the second best as a metagame call if you think the best is overcrowded.

3x Mirrodin Besieged is really the only small set in recent memory to provide a good draft environment.

Yeah, that's pretty true. I mean, 3x Eventide is quite possibly the most broken draft format I've ever experienced. I think I just enjoyed it because no one knew what they were doing, so I drafted the strategy that made it pretty close to impossible for me to lose.

Already made some changes to my deck commander deck, can't wait to play it this Friday!

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General: Oros, the Avenger

Lands:
Rupture Spire
Command Tower
Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
Evolving Wilds
Terramorphic Expanse
Ghost Quarter
Boros Garrison
Naya Panorama
Ancient Amphitheater
6x Mountain
Rakdos Carnarium
Dragonskull Summit
Jund Panorama
Auntie's Hovel
Blackcleave Cliffs
3x Swamp
Bojuka Bog
Orzhov Basilica
Kabira Crossroads
6x Plains

Mana Artifacts
Orzhov Signet
Boros Signet
Rakdos Signet
Khalni Gem
Armillary Sphere
Expedition Map
Prophetic Prism
Sol Ring

Card Draw/Tutors:
Secluded Steppe
Barren Moor
Forgotten Cave
Crystal Ball
Hoarding Dragon
Sarkhan the Mad
Dark Tutelage
Phyrexian Arena
Liliana Vess
Diabolic Tutor
Praetor's Grasp
Beseech the Queen

Recursion:
Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
Artisan of Kozilek
Bladewing the Risen
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Marshal's Anthem
Sun Titan
Beacon of Unrest

Mass Removal:
Akroma's Vengeance
Chain Reaction
Comet Storm
Earthquake
Phyrexian Rebirth
Decree of Pain

Life Gain:
Tainted Sigil
Exsanguinate
Baneslayer Angel
True Conviction
Archon of Redemption

Spot Removal:
Duergar Hedge-Mage
Orim's Thunder
Angel of Despair
Mortify
Din of the Fireherd
Wrecking Ball
Dispeller's Capsule
Condemn
Oblivion Ring
Swords to Plowshares

RWAR DAGRONS:
Kaalia of the Vast
Angelic Arbiter
Mana-Charged Dragon
Akroma, Angel of Fury
Steel Hellkite
Kilnmouth Dragon
Hoard-Smelter Dragon
Hellkite Igniter
Shivan Hellkite
Ancient Hellkite
Eternal Dragon

Creature Buffs:
Lightning Greaves
Vow of Malice
Whispersilk Cloak
Loxodon Warhammer
Dragon Breath

Misc. Spells:
Death by Dragons
World at War
Reverberate

Can anyone think of a simple infinite mana combo? I wanted to build a deck that wins with Helix Pinnacle, and the only one I could think of was 3 in mana myr and two galvanisers.

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Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

Can anyone think of a simple infinite mana combo? I wanted to build a deck that wins with Helix Pinnacle, and the only one I could think of was 3 in mana myr and two galvanisers.

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Orochi Leafcaller, Greenweaver Druid and freed from the real?

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Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

Can anyone think of a simple infinite mana combo? I wanted to build a deck that wins with Helix Pinnacle, and the only one I could think of was 3 in mana myr and two galvanisers.

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Voltiac Key, Rings of Brighthearth and anything that generates 4+ mana
2 x Devoted Druid and ezuri works i think
oh, Power Artifact and Basalt Monolith also does the job

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Originally Posted by Soft Serve

Orochi Leafcaller, Greenweaver Druid and freed from the real?

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Oooh, I like that one.

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Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

Can anyone think of a simple infinite mana combo? I wanted to build a deck that wins with Helix Pinnacle, and the only one I could think of was 3 in mana myr and two galvanisers.

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Echo Mage+Reality Spasm => infinite untaps => infinite mana

Ezuri+Heritage Druid+(Heritage Druid/Joraga Treespeaker) makes infinite mana but also wins on its own.

2 Myr Galvanizers + Palladium Myr (more compact version of your combo)

Bloom Tender + Freed from the Real/Umbral Mantle/Crab Umbra (+phyrexian/hybrid off-color permanents and Borderposts)

also:

Cloudposts + Vesuvas copying Cloudposts + Glimmerposts => 100 mana the honest way

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Originally Posted by Lix Lorn

Can anyone think of a simple infinite mana combo? I wanted to build a deck that wins with Helix Pinnacle, and the only one I could think of was 3 in mana myr and two galvanisers.

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Does Worldgorger Dragon + Animate enchantment still work for this too?

My game store is sold out of the commander deck I wanted to buy(R/W/B) so while waiting for them to get it back in stock I have made, using some extra cards(and some that are in other decks that I plan on swapping back and forth between them and this deck.) an EDH Infect deck featuring Glissa the Tratior as the commander....I do want help on it, though, and so I will post it here. I don't know how to link cards, but I will(when I am less lazy) provide a MtG deck builder link, but for now, I hope this list will work...

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Note: Cards that are in ()s are cards that have already been named/will be named in a different section but also fill the roll of the section in which they are listed in ()s.

Commander:
01 Glissa the Tratior

Infectors:
02 Phyrexian Swarmlord
03 Spinebitter
04 Phyrexian Juggernaut
05 Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
06 Phyrexian Hydra
07 Hand of Praetors
08 Flesh-Eater Imp
09 Core Prowler
10 Corpse Cur
11 Phyrexian Crusader
12 Ichor Rats
13 Whispering Specter
14 Viridian Corrupter
15 Rot Wolf
16 Plague Stinger
17 Flensermite
18 Blight Mamba
19 Plague Myr
20 Ichorclaw Myr
21 Necropede
22 Inkmoth Nexus

Proliferaters and "poison burners":
23 Plaguemaw Beast
(Hand of Praetors)
24 Caress of Phyrexia
25 Spread the Sickness
26 Pitius Strike
27 Contagion Engine
28 Decimator Web
29 Throne of Geth
30 Contagion Clasp

Creature Enhancers:
(Hand of Praetors)
31 Forgotten Ancient
32 Garuk Wildspeaker
33 Eldrazi Conscribtion
34 Batterskull
35 Bonehorde
36 Loxodon Warhammer
37 Whispersilk Cloak
(Oran-Reif, the Vastwood)
(Lanowar Reborn)

Mana Excel and Fixing:
38 Solemn Simulacrum
(Plague Myr)
(Garuk Wildspeaker)
39 Darksteel Ingot
40 Mycosynth Wellspring
41 Golgari Signet
42 Mind Stone
43 Wayfarer’s Bauble
44 Horizon Spellbomb
45 Sol Ring
(Phyrexian Tower)
(Lake of the Dead)

Tutors, Draw and Recycleing:
(Solemn Simulacrum)
(Rot Wolf)
46 Lillina Ves
47 Phyrexian Arena
48 Praetor’s Counsel
(Caress of Phyrexia)
49 Diabolic Tutor
50 Harmonize
51 Beseech the Queen
52 Demonic Tutor
53 Green Sun’s Zenith
54 Ichor Wellspring
(Mind Stone)
(Horizon Spellbomb)

Mass Removal:
55 Life’s Finale
56 Black Sun’s Zenith
(Contagion Engine)
57 Plague Boiler
58 Oblivion Stone
59 Ratchet Bomb

Single Target Removal:
60 Phyrexian Plaguelord
61 Bone Shredder
(Viridian Corrupter)
62 Grave Pact
(Spread the Sickness)
(Pitus Strike)
(Contagion Clasp)
63 Executioner’s Capsule

Dual lands, other color-fixing lands:
64 Overgrown Tomb
65 Lanowar Waste
66 Golgari Rot Farm
67 Tainted Wood
68 Vivid Marsh
69 Vivid Grove
70 Terramorphic Expanse
71 Rupture Spire

Special Lands:
(Inkmoth Nexus)
72 Phyrexia’s Core
73 Phyrexian Tower
74 Lake of the Dead
75 Lanowar Reborn
76 Oran-Reif, the Vastwood
77 Vesuva
78 Vault of Whispers
79 Tree of Tales

Basic Lands:
80-89 Forest
90-100 Swamp

So any ideas on how to make this better? Also, the MOST difficult part of deck building for me is making cuts, so if any of you sugjest new cards to add I would also like you to please sugjest what to cut. Thank you.

The molten psyche combos have probably been put up here before somewhere, but here is an idea for a rainbow artifact deck revolving around red and blue (much like what I have at the minute):

• Full hand size is seven cards
• Use Etched Monstrosity to make them draw three more
• Temple bell for another one

Run it through my pair of flame servants and echo mage, that gives: ((11 + 11 x 2 + 11 x 3) + 4 x 3 ) x 4 = 312 damage to all opponents, insta-kill to almost anything without funny life tricks.

Using things like Iron and Silver Myr to make a little mana ramp (more of a mana slope), is this a viable option?

Edit: Whoa, mathsy fail. Sorted. (I think.)

Hmm... I don't they can survive that hit Halfcube.

Just a hunch...


Out of boredom, I tried to make a deck with a whole ton of 1/1's, without non-creature spells.

Bandil's 1/1's and four 3/3's

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4x Akrasan Squire
4x Intrepid Hero
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Mirror Entity
4x Mosquito Guard
4x Phytohydra
2x Rhys the Redeemed
4x Sigil Captain
4x Silhana Ledgewalker
4x Squadron Hawk

18x Plains
14x Forest

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Originally Posted by Bandil

Hmm... I don't they can survive that hit Halfcube.

Just a hunch...


Out of boredom, I tried to make a deck with a whole ton of 1/1's, without non-creature spells.

Bandil's 1/1's and four 3/3's

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4x Akrasan Squire
4x Intrepid Hero
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Mirror Entity
4x Mosquito Guard
4x Phytohydra
2x Rhys the Redeemed
4x Sigil Captain
4x Silhana Ledgewalker
4x Squadron Hawk

18x Plains
14x Forest

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Needs more Rustic Clachans. And less land in general.

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Originally Posted by Bucky

Needs more Rustic Clachans. And less land in general.

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Oop, didn't think about how much land was in there... :smallredface:

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Originally Posted by BladeofOblivion

I also have a legacyish casual deck that could use some work: I'm curious to see what you guys would recommend for it. You see, I don't often play Red and my black decks tend to be a bit more conservative towards life and resources, but Rakdos looks fun to play. So I probably had some very epic failures here.

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Hellfire and the Black Rose

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Creatures
4x Rakdos Pit Dragon
1x Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
3x Crypt Champion
4x Gobhobbler Rats
4x Soulbright Flamekin
2x Cinder Shade
2x Kulrath Knight

Enchantments
2x Rage Reflection
2x Fists of the Demigod
2x Anthem of Rakdos

Instants/Sorceries
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Blightning
4x Terminate

Lands:
2x Blood Crypt
4x Badlands
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
4x Rakdos Carnarium
4x Graven Cairns
4x Lavaclaw Reaches

Updated this to include links. Working on linking and sorting the Teneb EDH of mine.

Hi

I was reading about New Phyrexia and noticed some things it seems I don't understand:
I was assuming the invaders of Mirrodin must be survivors of Phyrexia who escaped Yawgmoth's defeat and managed to establish a foothold on Mirrodin which, I read somewhere, had been somehow influenced or weakened by glistening oil. Since the Phyrexians were busily gathering valuable ressources all over the multiverse, it isn't a big stretch to imagine that there might be enough of them left, including powerful leader types.
Now it seems the glistening oil now works like some contagious technological illness that turns people who touch it into Phyrexians... How did the Phyrexians come to Mirrodin? And do they still breed newts which are compleated into Phyrexian machine-creatures?

:smallsmile:

If you plan on reading the stories, don't open the spoiler. If you don't plan on reading them, then feel free to open up the spoiler.

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Actually, thats not the case. The Phyrexians on Mirrodin where "born" or rather created from the glistening oil, a phyrexian colonization weapon which slowly transforms worlds into Phyrexia. The oil was brought to Mirrodin long ago by none other then the plane's creator, Karn, who had some of it on his powerstone heart. The oil had leaked from Karn's powerstone onto Argentium(Most likely spelled that wrong) and that oil sparked the chain of events that would lead to Argentim becoming Mirrodin and then New Phyrexia. Memnarch's insanity, as well as the growth of the mycosynth and the whole "flesh turning to metal and metal turning to flesh" thing during the Mirrodin cycle story was all a result of this oil. As time went on the phyrexian oil eventually created the first new phyrexians, who dwelt within Mirrodin's core, and from that point on Phyrexia slowly grew stronger and stronger until it left the core and ultimately defeated the Mirrians(who where brought to the plane because of Memnarch's insanity, which was also caused in part by the oil, go figure.),creating New Phyrexia.

As for Newts, yes, they still breed them. In fact, they also have now found a use for UNDERDEVELOPED Newts....using them to animate phyrexian enhancements as "living weapons." That's what the "germs" are, tiny, underdeveloped/non-fully grown Newts.

Also, still no comments for my Glissa Infect EDH deck? Is it so awesome that it has left you speechless or dose it suck so much that you are totally stumped on how to improve it?

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Originally Posted by Maho-Tsukai

If you plan on reading the stories, don't open the spoiler. If you don't plan on reading them, then feel free to open up the spoiler.

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Actually, thats not the case. The Phyrexians on Mirrodin where "born" or rather created from the glistening oil, a phyrexian colonization weapon which slowly transforms worlds into Phyrexia. The oil was brought to Mirrodin long ago by none other then the plane's creator, Karn, who had some of it on his powerstone heart. The oil had leaked from Karn's powerstone onto Argentium(Most likely spelled that wrong) and that oil sparked the chain of events that would lead to Argentim becoming Mirrodin and then New Phyrexia. Memnarch's insanity, as well as the growth of the mycosynth and the whole "flesh turning to metal and metal turning to flesh" thing during the Mirrodin cycle story was all a result of this oil and as time went on the phyrexian oil eventually created the first new phyrexians, who dwelt within Mirrodin's core, and eventually from that point on Phyrexia slowly grew stronger until it left the core and ultimately defeated the Mirrians(who where brought to the plane because of Memnarch's insanity, which was also caused in part by the oil, go figure.),creating New Phyrexia.

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You, uh, left a period in the spoiler tag.

I noticed that and fixed it. Thanks for the heads up, though.

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Originally Posted by Maho-Tsukai

If you plan on reading the stories, don't open the spoiler. If you don't plan on reading them, then feel free to open up the spoiler.

Spoiler

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Actually, thats not the case. The Phyrexians on Mirrodin where "born" or rather created from the glistening oil, a phyrexian colonization weapon which slowly transforms worlds into Phyrexia. The oil was brought to Mirrodin long ago by none other then the plane's creator, Karn, who had some of it on his powerstone heart. The oil had leaked from Karn's powerstone onto Argentium(Most likely spelled that wrong) and that oil sparked the chain of events that would lead to Argentim becoming Mirrodin and then New Phyrexia. Memnarch's insanity, as well as the growth of the mycosynth and the whole "flesh turning to metal and metal turning to flesh" thing during the Mirrodin cycle story was all a result of this oil. As time went on the phyrexian oil eventually created the first new phyrexians, who dwelt within Mirrodin's core, and from that point on Phyrexia slowly grew stronger and stronger until it left the core and ultimately defeated the Mirrians(who where brought to the plane because of Memnarch's insanity, which was also caused in part by the oil, go figure.),creating New Phyrexia.

As for Newts, yes, they still breed them. In fact, they also have now found a use for UNDERDEVELOPED Newts....using them to animate phyrexian enhancements as "living weapons." That's what the "germs" are, tiny, underdeveloped/non-fully grown Newts.

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Thanks for the reply. :smallsmile:

Now I wonder...

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...whether this glistening oil is the same thing as it used to be earlier; I know it only as a means to bread new Phyrexians in the vats of the fifth sphere and as their blood. This makes it appear as if the oil were some kind of nano-technology that carries all information needed to create Phyrexians.
Does this mean the glistening oil would have created the new Phyrexians of Mirrodin with their different factions and dissenting views on the Grand Evolution in any case (independently from the rest of the multiverse), even if Yawgmoth had not kicked the bucket and things were going well for the original Phyrexians??

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Originally Posted by Calmar

Thanks for the reply. :smallsmile:

Now I wonder...

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...whether this glistening oil is the same thing as it used to be earlier; I know it only as a means to bread new Phyrexians in the vats of the fifth sphere and as their blood. This makes it appear as if the oil were some kind of nano-technology that carries all information needed to create Phyrexians.
Does this mean the glistening oil would have created the new Phyrexians of Mirrodin with their different factions and dissenting views on the Grand Evolution in any case (independently from the rest of the multiverse), even if Yawgmoth had not kicked the bucket and things were going well for the original Phyrexians??

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Yes, it would have. The new Phyrexians were created how they are due to Mirrodin being made up of all five colors of mana. The original Phyrexia only had one, which was Black.

Did that help?

@Calmar:

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If yawgmoth survived it's hard to say if Argentium, let alone New Phyrexia would be created since Yawgmoth being alive would mean he won, and thus have taken control of Dominara. If that was the case then Karn would either be destroyed or too pre-occupied with fighting Yawg and his minions to create Argentium so the plane flat out would not exist. Also, with yawg still around the non-black Phyrexians, if they came to exist at all, would either be created BY Yawg and his minions or quickly fall under their control.