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'''Glistening oil''', also known as '''Phyrexian oil''' or '''Ichor''', is a viral substance engineered by the [[Phyrexians]] to spread corruption wherever it travels. It is both a contagion and a mutagen, used to [[compleat]] creatures into Phyrexians and power Phyrexian machines as well.<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/infectiously-phyrexian-art-2010-11-02|Infectiously Phyrexian Art|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 03, 2010}}</ref><ref name="B&GTranslation">[[Beadle & Grimm's]] (2023). "Tolarian Academy Department of Linguistics Research: Phyrexian Language Translation Guide", [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> After the death of [[Elesh Norn]], the altered oil from [[New Phyrexia (plane)|New Phyrexia]] was rendered inert and harmless.
'''Glistening oil''', also known as '''Phyrexian oil''' or simply '''Ichor''' (EYE-ker<ref name="Infectious">{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/infectiously-phyrexian-art-2010-11-03|Infectiously Phyrexian Art|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 3, 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127132006/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/savor-flavor/infectiously-phyrexian-art-2010-11-03|archivedate=January 27, 2021}}</ref>), is a viral substance engineered by the [[Phyrexians]] to spread corruption wherever it is transported to. It is both a contagion and a mutagen, used to [[compleat]] creatures into Phyrexians, as well as power Phyrexian machines.<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/infectiously-phyrexian-art-2010-11-02|Infectiously Phyrexian Art|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 03, 2010}}</ref><ref name="B&GTranslation">[[Beadle & Grimm's]] (2023). "Tolarian Academy Department of Linguistics Research: Phyrexian Language Translation Guide", [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> After the death of [[Elesh Norn]], the altered oil from [[New Phyrexia (plane)|New Phyrexia]] was rendered inert and harmless.


==Description==
==Description==
The glistening oil is composed of two main elements: oil and [[powerstone]] nanites. It is normally black but can also be of other colors like green<ref>[[Will McDermott]] (1999), "[[Phyrexian Autopsy]]", [[The Official Urza's Destiny Game Guide]], [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> and gold.<ref name="Thran">[[J. Robert King]]. (1999.) ''[[The Thran]]'', [[Wizards of the Coast]]. ISBN-13 0-7869-1600-1.</ref> These components can be forced apart under specific sound frequencies, something [[Urza]], [[Xantcha]] and [[Ratepe]] exploited;<ref name="Planeswalker">[[Lynn Abbey]]. (1998.) ''[[Planeswalker (novel)|Planeswalker]]'', [[Wizards of the Coast]]. ISBN-13: 0-7869-1182-4.</ref> [[Ral Zarek]] later rediscovered this method.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/one-and-the-same|''March of the Machine'' - Ravnica: One and the Same|[[Alison Lührs]]|March 24, 2023}}</ref> In New Phyrexia, the oil was further mixed with other fluids such as the liquid metal of the [[Quicksilver Sea]] and the [[necrogen]] gas of the dross swamps, so in art in ''[[Phyrexia: All Will Be One]]'' it is sometimes depicted as silver or green.
Glistening Oil is composed of two main elements: oil and [[powerstone]] nanites. It is normally black, but can also be of other colors like green<ref>[[Will McDermott]] (1999), "[[Phyrexian Autopsy]]", [[The Official Urza's Destiny Game Guide]], [[Wizards of the Coast]].</ref> and gold.<ref name="Thran">[[J. Robert King]]. (1999.) ''[[The Thran]]'', [[Wizards of the Coast]]. ISBN-13 0-7869-1600-1.</ref> These components can be forced apart under specific sound frequencies, something [[Urza]], [[Xantcha]] and [[Ratepe]] exploited;<ref name="Planeswalker">[[Lynn Abbey]]. (1998.) ''[[Planeswalker (novel)|Planeswalker]]'', [[Wizards of the Coast]]. ISBN-13: 0-7869-1182-4.</ref> [[Ral Zarek]] later rediscovered this method.<ref>{{DailyRef|magic-story/one-and-the-same|''March of the Machine'' - Ravnica: One and the Same|[[Alison Lührs]]|March 24, 2023}}</ref> In New Phyrexia, the oil was further mixed with other fluids such as the liquid metal of the [[Quicksilver Sea]] and the [[necrogen]] gas of the dross swamps, so in art in ''[[Phyrexia: All Will Be One]]'' it is sometimes depicted as silver or green.


The oil imparts a genetic memory of [[Yawgmoth]], [[Phyrexia]], and the [[Phyrexian (language)|Phyrexian language]], creating a throughline for the Phyrexian culture.<ref name="Building ONE">{{YouTubeRef|v2nHjMVtDqI|Building Worlds | Phyrexia: All Will Be One|channel=Magic: The Gathering|date=January 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Phylly">{{YouTubeRef|HLFRvmPLWOo|Phyrexian Phylology in Phylly|channel=[[Magic: the Gathering]]|date=February 17, 2023}}</ref>
The oil imparts a genetic memory of [[Yawgmoth]], [[Phyrexia]], and the [[Phyrexian (language)|Phyrexian language]], creating a throughline for the Phyrexian culture.<ref name="Building ONE">{{YouTubeRef|v2nHjMVtDqI|Building Worlds | Phyrexia: All Will Be One|channel=Magic: The Gathering|date=January 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Phylly">{{YouTubeRef|HLFRvmPLWOo|Phyrexian Phylology in Phylly|channel=[[Magic: the Gathering]]|date=February 17, 2023}}</ref>
The nanites in the oil have an adverse reaction with the angelic form. [[Halo]] is known to protect against phyresis and damages Phyrexians. Innistrad skaab-stitching and Phyrexian zombification were found to be mutually exclusive processes, as stitching involves the use of angel blood.<ref name="Family">{{DailyRef|magic-story/family-game-night|''March of the Machine'' - Innistrad: Family Game Night|[[Seanan McGuire]]|March 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Family Outing">{{DailyRef|magic-story/a-pleasant-family-outing|A Pleasant Family Outing|[[Seanan McGuire]]|March 21, 2024}}</ref> Curiously, it was still possible to compleat angels, possibly due to the [[mycosynth]] of Mirrodin.


==History==
==History==

Latest revision as of 20:12, 5 July 2024

Glistening oil
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Glistening oil.jpg}}|250px]]
Characteristics
Origin Phyrexia
Status Inert

Glistening oil, also known as Phyrexian oil or simply Ichor (EYE-ker[1]), is a viral substance engineered by the Phyrexians to spread corruption wherever it is transported to. It is both a contagion and a mutagen, used to compleat creatures into Phyrexians, as well as power Phyrexian machines.[2][3] After the death of Elesh Norn, the altered oil from New Phyrexia was rendered inert and harmless.

Description

Glistening Oil is composed of two main elements: oil and powerstone nanites. It is normally black, but can also be of other colors like green[4] and gold.[5] These components can be forced apart under specific sound frequencies, something Urza, Xantcha and Ratepe exploited;[6] Ral Zarek later rediscovered this method.[7] In New Phyrexia, the oil was further mixed with other fluids such as the liquid metal of the Quicksilver Sea and the necrogen gas of the dross swamps, so in art in Phyrexia: All Will Be One it is sometimes depicted as silver or green.

The oil imparts a genetic memory of Yawgmoth, Phyrexia, and the Phyrexian language, creating a throughline for the Phyrexian culture.[8][9]

The nanites in the oil have an adverse reaction with the angelic form. Halo is known to protect against phyresis and damages Phyrexians. Innistrad skaab-stitching and Phyrexian zombification were found to be mutually exclusive processes, as stitching involves the use of angel blood.[10][11] Curiously, it was still possible to compleat angels, possibly due to the mycosynth of Mirrodin.

History

On Phyrexia

Oil was present on the plane that would become Phyrexia when Dyfed brought Yawgmoth there. Given that Phyrexia as a concept and civilization was Yawgmoth's creation, and Dyfed claimed that the metal creatures of the world could be consumed, it seems likely this oil was once innocuous but later modified into a corruptive agent. Indeed, once Yawgmoth's will became one with Phyrexia, the oil began exhibiting mutagenic properties it previously did not have.[5] Still, the oil was not refined as a fully infectious agent by the time of the first Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria, though the new infectious variant did make it to Mirrodin.[12]

The Fifth Sphere of Phyrexia, called the Boiling Sea, was an ocean of glistening oil used by Vat Priests of the Fourth Sphere to breed newts.

On Dominaria

In post-apocalyptic Dominaria, black-aligned knights and wizards were tainted by the lands where Yawgmoth and his minions had been defeated. Evidence of this corruption existed in the black ichor that ran from their eyes.[13] In the Mending Era, a sample of live glistening oil recovered from Koilos was rumored to be preserved in the labs of the Academy of Tolaria West.[14]

The Infection of Karn

Without knowing it, Karn carried a trace of the Phyrexian oil within him, inside the Phyrexian heartstone granted to him long ago by Urza. Karn left traces of the oil in his travels from plane to plane, including the artificial world that he created: Mirrodin.

The Infection of Mirrodin

The glistening oil planted a virus on Mirrodin that slowly spread.[15][16] The first to be infected was Mirrodin's keeper, Memnarch. Unbeknownst to most Mirrans, Phyrexia was rebuilding itself, using their world as its host substrate. Mirrodin's metal structures and metal-infused inhabitants were a perfect breeding ground for the spread of Phyrexian corruption. As the nascent civilization of Phyrexia expanded in secret, it struggled to evolve a unified purpose, and the danger to the plane of Mirrodin grew until it evolved into New Phyrexia.

The glistening oil was the catalyst for the evolution of mycosynth and was found in large quantities in the corrupted Quicksilver Sea. Kraynox, the Deep Thane, created a layer of glistening oil below Mirrodin's surface known as the Fourth Sphere (in addition to the Surface, Core, and Furnace).[17] This layer was later taken over by the praetor Jin-Gitaxias, who drained the Quicksilver Sea above into it, creating a massive reservoir of glistening oil.[18]

Jin-Gitaxias and his faction used the vedalken's blinkmoth serum to enhance the glistening oil, making it more virulent and able to proliferate through organic material at record speeds. The praetor also discovered how to compleat planeswalkers with the oil through research on Kamigawa's kami spirits and experimentation with the Reality Chip.[19] These enhancements made the oil harder for other mortals to resist, weakening Melira's healing abilities.[20]

However, Norn had also upgraded the oil to allow only herself to transmit new orders. As New Phyrexia phased out of existence, glistening oil all across the Multiverse was cut off from its source and rendered inert.[21] Some Phyrexians stopped in place, while others crumbled apart. Those already compleated fell to the ground as if in a deep slumber.[22] Though some beings recovered from compleation, most died.[23]

It is unknown if the glistening oil left in the Multiverse through other means, like Karns' planeswalks, was also rendered inert, as Jin-Gitaxias did not enhance this oil.

In-game references

Represented in:
Associated cards:
Referred to:

References

  1. ↑ Doug Beyer (November 3, 2010). "Infectiously Phyrexian Art". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021.
  2. ↑ Doug Beyer (November 03, 2010). "Infectiously Phyrexian Art". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ Beadle & Grimm's (2023). "Tolarian Academy Department of Linguistics Research: Phyrexian Language Translation Guide", Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Will McDermott (1999), "Phyrexian Autopsy", The Official Urza's Destiny Game Guide, Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ a b J. Robert King. (1999.) The Thran, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1600-1.
  6. ↑ Lynn Abbey. (1998.) Planeswalker, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13: 0-7869-1182-4.
  7. ↑ Alison Lührs (March 24, 2023). "March of the Machine - Ravnica: One and the Same". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Building Worlds (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (January 12, 2023).
  9. ↑ Phyrexian Phylology in Phylly (Video). Magic: the Gathering. YouTube (February 17, 2023).
  10. ↑ Seanan McGuire (March 22, 2023). "March of the Machine - Innistrad: Family Game Night". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Seanan McGuire (March 21, 2024). "A Pleasant Family Outing". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Will McDermott (2005), "Regarding the oil and the Mycosinth", MTG Salvation
  13. ↑ Magic Arcana (August 02, 2007). "Ichor Eyes and the Mask of Yawgmoth". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ James Wyatt (2018), The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Dominaria. VIZ Media.
  15. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 08, 2010). "Phyrexia and the Vaultlord". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Doug Beyer (October 06, 2010). "Spreading the Infection". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (June 3, 2011). "On the Mirrodin Site: Roxith, Thane of Rot". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Grace Fong (January 31, 2023). "Planeswalker's Guide to Phyrexia: All Will Be One". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Hipsters of the Coast (October 30, 2022). "Jin-Gitaxias was influenced by blue mana, so he looked for things with knowledge.". Twitter.
  20. ↑ Jay Annelli. (2022.) Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, DK. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
  21. ↑ K. Arsenault Rivera (March 28, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 10: The Rhythms of Life". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Flavor text for Render Inert
  23. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 2, 2023). "Doing the Aftermath". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  24. ↑ a b My 62 Secret Magic Playtest Cards! (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (February 20, 2023).
  25. ↑ Doug Beyer (March 16, 2011). "Six Secrets Behind the Sets". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  26. ↑ Monty Ashley (February 17, 2011). "Unnaturally Predated". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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