Wizards of the Coast continues to push the ability ranges of Magic: The Gathering playing cards by Phyrexia: All Will Be One with a one-drop druid in Green that’s already on the Banned & Restricted sizzling seat.
Scheduled to launch digitally on Feb. 7 by MTG Arena and Magic Online, the Phyrexia: All Will Be One set incorporates a Green one-drop referred to as Venerated Rotpriest. It’s a strong Rare creature that dominated the Early Access occasion and is actually a Poison counter machine. During the ONE Early Access occasion, Venerated Rotpriest was paired with Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief in a Simic Infect deck that may rapidly finish video games by Poison counters.
How Vernerated Rotpriest works
The Venterated Rotpriest construct has an analogous construction to the Enchantment deck gamers usually play to rank up the MTG Arena best-of-one ladder. It snowballs uncontrolled rapidly however can get shut down by board wipes or compelled sacrifices. At the guts of the Infect MTG deck is the Phyrexian druid itself, which has a capability that offers an opponent one Poison counter at any time when a creature you management turns into the goal of a spell.
Opponents who goal Venerated Rotpriest to get it off the board will routinely get a Poison counter. A complete of 10 Poison counters will finish the sport, irrespective of how a lot life a participant nonetheless has.
To fight and gasoline the Toxic Poison counter synergy, the Venerated Rotpriest construct incorporates a lot of self-targeting playing cards that shield the druid from getting eliminated whereas stacking Poison counters in your opponent.
Players will wish to solid Venerated Rotpriest with a minimum of one mana left untapped to guard the druid, whereas additionally leaving a minimum of one mana open all through the match.
One copy of Venerated Rotpriest on the battlefield, for instance, that’s focused by a elimination spell after which protected by a card like Tamiyo’s Safekeeping or Shore Up will end in two Poison counters for an opponent, with none fight harm going down. The Phyrexian druid additionally has Toxic one, inserting one other Poison counter on an opponent ought to it assault and apply fight harm.
The Venerated Rotpriest and Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief combo
Proliferate, a returning Magic mechanic in ONE, is often how gamers wish to enhance counters. But Proliferate is sluggish and clunky when in comparison with the Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief and Venerated Rotpriest combo.
Ivy is a faerie Rogue from the Dominaria United set that may be a two-drop in Blue and Green with Flying and a couple of/1 stats. And she has a capability that synergizes completely with Venerated Rotpriest in that at any time when a participant casts a spell that targets solely a single creature, you might copy that spell onto Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief.
Targeting Vernerated Rotpriest, for instance, with a safety and/or pump spell like Tyvar’s Stand will permit the Phyrexian druid’s controller to additionally goal Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief to additionally get with the identical spell at no further price. Doing this protects and/or pumps up the stats on each creatures whereas additionally hitting your opponent with two Poison counters.
Best Venerated Rotpriest MTG decks
Several variations of the Venerated Rotpriest and Ivy, Gleeful Spelltheif Simic decks have been examined through the MTG Arena Early Access occasion for Phyrexia: All Will Be One. Variations of the brand new deck, like Saffron Olive’s construct, toss in a number of new ONE playing cards for added board presence. Other variations, like MTG Malone’s model, go all-in on focusing on the Phyrexian druid and fairy.
And the Simic Infect model from CovertGoBlue combines self-targeting with further elimination and card draw.
Each of those variations has a number of playing cards in frequent. Four copies of March of Burgeoning Life are included to search out Venerated Rotpriest out of your library at the price of solely two mana, placing it onto the battlefield tapped. And for one further mana, gamers may also hunt down Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief if wanted too.
March of the Swirling Mist can also be performed in all three variations, utilizing Phasing Out as a type of safety whereas spreading Poison counter toxicity onto your opponent. Tamiyo’s Safekeeping, Shore Up, and Tyvar’s Stand all present Hexproof at the price of just one mana whereas having further worth by pumping stats or Indestructible.
Players can select to repeat Venerated Rotpriest from the ONE set by playing cards like Croaking Counterpart or Vesuvan Duplimancy. And card draw, which is critical for a fast-paced construct to succeed and never run out of gasoline, gamers can use MTG playing cards like Combat Research, Distorted Curiosity, and Stormchaser Drake.
