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New Phyrexia is one of the most dangerous Planes in the Multiverse ofMagic: The Gathering. It is home to the Phyrexians, a species of artificial beings that want to convert flesh and organic beings into Phyrexians. The process of conversion is a process known as compleation.
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The Plane did not actually start as New Phyrexia, but as an artificial Plane that went by the name of Mirrodin. While the Phyrexians rule the Plane, a small but dedicated Mirrian resistance still exists in the hopes of reclaiming their world from the Phyrexia rulers. There are five different factions of New Phyrexia (one for each color), each led by a Praetor.
Argentum And Mirrodin
Originally, the Plane was namedArgentum. Thiswascreated by the Planeswalker Karn, making the world out of empty space. He did not stay behind but created a golem namedMemnarchto watch over it as Karn continued exploring other Planes.
However, due to having the heart of an old Phyrexian, Karn seepedglistening oilwithout his knowledge. The glistening oil is whatturns beings into Phyrexians. TheMemnarch was exposed to glistening oil and was driven madby it, and desperately tried to do whatever it took to become a Planeswalker like its creator. The Memnarchconverted Argentum into Mirrodinand created an entire ecosystem that could support organic life.
The Memnarchabducted organisms from other Planesthatmay have a Planeswalker sparkin hopes of taking it for himself. However, the Memnarch was successfully killed, and the traps it set that brought in outsiders were gone. Karn returned to the Plane to revive the souls of all those who died from the Menarch and returned the kidnapped back to their natural Planes. To locals, they had no idea what had happened, and this event became known asThe Vanishing.
Becoming New Phyrexia
The glistening oil that Karn tracked into Mirrodinbegan to infect other beings on the Plane. Due to how artificial the Plane was, it wastrivial for the Phyrexians to expand. Many locals had no idea of Phyrexia’s existence on the Plane until it was far too late and the Phyrexians had returned. Each of the five suns on Mirrodin would createthe five Phyrexian Praetorsthat led each faction of the Phyerxians. These wereElesh Norn (white), Vorinclex (green), Jin-Gitaxias (blue), Sheoldred (black),andUrabrask (red). Each of them has their own philosophies that are influenced by their color of origin.
Together, the Praetors stomped out the Mirrans toconvert the Plane into New Phyrexia. A Mirran resistance led by thePlaneswalkers Koth and Elspethtried to stop the Praetors' conquest but ultimately failed. The Plane’s days as Mirrodin came to an end when a Mirran Angel was captured. She wascompleated in a ceremony attended by all the Praetors but Urabraskand became a symbol ofNew Phyrexia and its victoryalong with its future.
Despite this, not every faction or Praetor is unified due to their conflicting philosophies.Urabrask believes in free will,which contradicts the mindsets of fellow Praetors such as Elesh Norn - so much to thepoint of leading a resistanceagainst her rule. Elesh Norn has gone as far as to destroy the domains of Sheoldred and Urabrask in the past as well.
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The Nine Spheres And Five Factions
As Mirrodin, there only existed three spheres on the Plane -the surface, interior, and furnace layers. In an effort tomake it more like the original Plane of Phyrexia,six more Spheres were createdto match the number of spheres Phyrexia had.
The Monumental Facade
The Monumental Facadewas created as a show of unified power to create an entire outer sphere of the entire Plane done by the Praetors. It isdecorated with monumentsto the Praetors and towers, and even if any towers in this sphere vanish, they simply arise once again at another location at the Monumental Facade.
Mirrex
TheMirrex was once the original surface sphere of Mirrodin. It became an apocalyptic wasteland as the Phyrexians harvested material to make New Phyerxia’s inner spheres. Phyrexian scavengers still scour it for more material, and many Mirran survivors live in this region.
The Autonomous Furnace
The Autonomous Furnacewas the first layer that the Phyrexians ever established, and where they began to multiply and build their forces. The metal at this layer was used to convert Mirrans into Phyrexians. This is thelayer that is home to the Preator Urabraskwhere multiple separate factions live within thered-alignedQuiet Furnacefaction.Urabrask allowed Mirrans to live here peacefully.
The Hunter Maze
Home to the Praetor Vorinclex, the Hunter Maze is home to Phyrexians that believe in “survival of the fittest”-The Vicious Swarm, the green faction of New Phyrexia. The sphere was originally the Mirran Tangle but was converted into the Hunter Maze where large beasts battle it out until only the strongest stay standing.
While other Praetors rule over their domains, Vorinclex simply sits back and relishes in the evolution he made.
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The Surgical Bay
The Surgical Bay is where the Phyrexian research happens thanks to theblue-alignedProgress Enginefaction. This is whereJin-Gitaxias lives and worksto further power New Phyrexia with new experiments. This layer was used to spread glistening oil underneath Mirrodin’s surface and was moved into a reservoir after its job was done.
The Dross Pits
The Dross Pits is a layer that is constantly fighting. It is home to theSeven Steel Thanes, with each of them in constant conflict to become the Praetorof the black faction. It isSheoldred that currently rules over it. War games and attacks on the other Thanes are common, but none of them have been able to take down Sheoldred.
The Fair Basilica
Thelair of Elesh Norn, the leader of New Phyrexia, the Fair Basilica is atthe center of where crucial material resides to build new spheres. This allows Elesh Norn to retain her power over the rest of the Praetors. The Fair Basilica is designed after Elesh Norn herself, which helps to further strengthen her rule over New Phyrexia.
It is where thewhite-alignedMachine Orthodoxythat Elesh Norn leads as its figurehead resides. The Machine Orthodoxy believes in unifying all creatures through compleation to end all conflict.
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The Mycosynth Gardens
Once the original inner core of Mirrodin, the Mysoynth Gardens iscompletely devoid of life. It was forbidden by Elesh Norn that anyone enter this sphere without her permission, including the other Praetors.
The Seedcore
The Seedcore is one of the most historic sites of Mirrodin. It waswhere the Memnarch once livedand later athrone room for Karn that later became his prison. The Seedcore is where Elesh Norn planted sap from theWorld Tree of Kaldheimto grow theRealmbreaker- a Phyrexian tree that was capable of infiltrating other Planes. She wassuccessful in activating it to initiate thePhyrexian invasion of the Multiverse.
