New Horizons - All Will Be One

Welcome back to New Horizons. This week we’ll cover the new set, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, which releases on the 10th of February. This will include a breakdown of the reprints in the set, along with some promising new additions.

Returning to the plane of Mirrodin after nearly 12 years, we once again face the atrocities of the Phyrexian biomechanical nature. Phyrexia: All Will Be One is a fresh set of cards that holds new economic opportunities. With a minimal amount of reprints to contemplate, this article will hone in on the cards which offer the greatest financial significance.

This set will shake up the Standard format while providing new options for EDH players and Pioneer. From Venerated Rotpriest to Ichormoon Gauntlet (Oil Slick Raised Foil), there is something for every player. While the prices are currently subject to speculation until we get our hands on the cards, certain picks will stay concrete in their price range.

However, we must mention the elephant in the room before we delve any further. This is of course the vast amount of card variation at one's disposal within this set. This variety stems from the additional extras available, ranging from extended art to "step-and-compleat" foils. For the sake of clarity, this article will set aside the "oil slick" variants and focus on the regular printings of the cards as they appear in draft boosters.

Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

 

It wouldn’t be a Phyrexia article if we didn't cover the superstar of the set. Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines has certainly been marketed as the showcase centerpiece for this release. The card is undoubtedly influential and undercosted for the impact it provides. Resilient with both one-sided Panharmonicon and Torpor Orb stapled on top.

Within the Vintage format, there exists an edge case where some of the white Initiative decks may use Elesh Norn. Alternatively, Torpor Orb is a sideboard piece in a handful of control decks. Nevertheless, due to the large casting cost, I can't foresee this particular card being a staple piece in this format.

This is entirely different for EDH. As a commander or a piece of the 99, this legendary creature complements well and offers strategic flexibility. From Landfall to enchantress, anything revolving around enter-the-battlefield effects will benefit from this addition.

On the other side of the table, this also resolves two common issues. Both Dockside Extortionist and Thassa's Oracle, arguably format-defining cards, are completely shut off from benefiting our opponents with the Praetor in play. Along with that, the design of enter-the-battlefield triggers is a well-established theme that will not be disappearing anytime soon.

Elesh Norn will open with 10 divergent printings, spread across five distinct arts. Most of these will be accessible as collector editions and in turn will hold a greater value. The cheapest way to acquire this card is to seek the regular non-foil print version, available in the draft boosters. Similar to Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Norn is likely to increase in price by another 25%~30%. This percentage will predominantly be affected by its impact on the Standard metagame.

Phyrexian Obliterator // Phyrexian Vindicator

 

Phyrexian Obliterator will also be making an appearance with its third reprint. The versions from Masters 25 and New Phyrexia are currently averaging out at $35. The new art variant is currently trending at $25, making it roughly 28% cheaper to pick up. The Obliterator will likely continue to fluctuate in price, trending lower as more copies enter the market. In terms of format capabilities, the reprint will not offer a vast change. The four MV slot in mono-black for both aggro and midrange already places Sheoldred firmly at its helm. For Pioneer, the Devotion archetype could make a resurgence utilizing Gray Merchant of Asphodel. However, this would not only create an additional tier-two deck but also not offer enough change to the format to cause an uptake in card demand.

We also have Phyrexian Vindicator, which opens up the potential for a complete (or compleat) cycle of such creatures. It’s currently at $20 and showing a declining trend in price. The Vindicator is more likely to be a combo piece along with cards like Guilty Conscience or Pariah. While I'm sure it will see some form of play in EDH as the effect already has a small archetype around it, I don’t foresee this as an auto-include elsewhere, outside of Devotion game plans.

Phyrexian Arena

 

Let’s continue our analysis with Phyrexian Arena. Pricing trends previously displayed a sharp spike caused by a buyout back in April 2021. Since then Arena has crept downwards from a $35~$38 average to $11 across the various copies. The new print caused a further decrease in the overall price with the current average at $3.6. Additionally, it’s highly unlikely to see a climb back up as the card is not in high demand. It’s often outshined by alternatives like Necropotence or even Sign in Blood for eternal play. However, Phyrexian Area is still a decent option for any Cube or slower EDH playstyles.

Honorable mention:

Honorable mention must go to the ally-colored “fast lands” which were first printed in Scars of Mirrodin and haven't been reprinted in Standard legal sets since. These all see a large amount of Modern play, with the prices ranging from as low as $4 (Razorverge Thicket ) to as high as $16 (Blackcleave Cliffs ). Due to the reprinting, the prices are now further reduced to $1.5 (Thicket), with the top end at $4 (Cliffs). The reintroduction of the land cycle will also open these to further play in Pioneer, which will increase the overall demand. They’ll naturally slot into the metagame with nearly half of the decks being a two-color combination present in the cycle.

Conclusion

With over 200+ new cards and an assortment of variations for collectors, I’m curious to see how the set will perform over the following weeks. From distinct upgrades to well-established cards, to the new pieces creating their footprint in the meta, there is definitely something here for everybody. All new releases carry with them an expectation that the changes will offer inspiration to the players and shake up the game. Phyrexia: All Will Be One is definitely no exception.

Join me again in two weeks, where we’ll cover the set’s adjacent Commander product!