Fungus

Fungus

 

Thallid

 

Fungus
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Statistics	66 cards 1.5% 19.7% 60.6% 1.5% 10.6% 6.1% 2 Fungus creation cards 100% as of The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
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type:"Fungus"

Fungus is a creature type describing denizens that mainly thrive and feed on decaying matter.

Description

Fungus as a printed creature type didn’t show up until Fallen Empires. Most of the creatures that made Saprolings (that also premiered in the set) were Fungi. The first printed card to later become a Fungus, Fungusaur, was in Alpha. At the time it was just Fungusaur, but it would later be errataed to Fungus Dinosaur.

Fungi possess vast regenerative properties and are capable of asexual reproduction through the sowing of spores. While several varieties of fungus exist, the thallid sub-tribe from Dominaria is by far the largest, possessing several varieties among its numerous species.

Alara

The Tukatongue Thallids of Jund use spines harvested from trees to discourage potential predators. After the Conflux, the addition of white mana to the shard allowed the thallids of Jund to develop a more complex and unified society.

Arcavios

In Strixhaven: School of Mages, it was revealed that there are fungal beast creatures known as trudges inhabiting Arcavios. Trudges are associated with black and green mana and can be found on the living bog of Sedgemoor, in the Witherbloom campus.

All known trudges have a protruding and hook-shaped chin, resembling a tusk. Most trudges are covered with decaying plant matter, making them ideal breeding grounds for fungal spores. According to Gyome, trudges smell like soggy death, but the mushrooms that grow on their backs are the tastiest delicacy in Sedgemoor.

Dominaria

Behemoths

Fungal Behemoths are extremely large creatures that seemingly possess a symbiotic relationship with other fungi nearby growing in size based on their growth. Their exact origin is unknown but they can be found in the time-ravaged future of Dominaria.

Fungusaurs

Fungusaurs are a hybrid of lizards and fungi that grow stronger whenever they become injured. Possessing powerful regenerative properties, they are known to injure their children to encourage growth.

Mold Demons

Mold Demons are monsters that stand several dozen feet in height, equipped with sharp spikes and teeth made from blue-black mold spores; they are capable of extremely fast regeneration. The shapeshifter Halfdane took the form of a mold demon during his fight with Ayesha Tanaka and Tor Wauki.

Shamblers

Fungal Shambler is a poorly known variety of fungal creatures from Dominaria, and the only one that is known to be associated with blue mana.

Slivers

In the future of Dominaria, slivers run rampant and unchecked across the vast wastes. Having taken on characteristics of many other creatures, some evolved into a form similar to the fungusaur. Sharing the same regenerative properties as the lizard, Fungus Slivers passed the trait on to all nearby slivers as well. The instinctual nature of the fungusar also seems to have been mimicked, as slivers will claw at each other to encourage growth whenever the fungus breed is present.

Sarpadian Fungi

Thallids

Thelon created the thallids by infusing natural fungus with green mana and performing dark rites borrowed from the Order of the Ebon Hand. Initially, raised as food for the elves of Havenwood, the thallids began to show signs of being sentient beings. Eventually, they would rebel against their creators destroying their empire entirely. The thallids along with the thrulls would take over all of Sarpadia, but the fungus creatures would remain fairly primitive creatures.

Thallids, like their other fungi relatives, are extremely hard to kill and many possess regenerative properties. Feasting on decaying matter, thallids produce asexually by propagating spores that become creatures called saprolings. Cannibalistic by nature, many varieties are known to devour the saprolings to produce effects specialized to their breed. Some are capable of shooting thorns while others simply feed on the saprolings to boost their strength or speed.

Mycoderms

Pallid Mycoderms are a white a mana-infused variety of thallids that have lost their normal earthy pigments. Noticeably larger than many other thallids, mycoderms possess a symbiotic relationship with other thallids and saprolings, able to augment both species' capabilities.

Mycons

Utopia Mycons are a small thallid variety that possesses virtually no physical strength. Their variety seems adept at drawing mana energy from the saprolings.

Sporoloths

Massive thallids appeared from the future during the Time Spiral crisis. Appearing to be towering fungus creatures, little is known about them besides their exhibiting features very similar to thallids.

Spore Flowers

A non-sentient fungal creature found on Sarpadia resembles a flowering plant. Spore Flowers are capable of amassing large amounts of spores and then releasing them in a noxious cloud. Some Sarpadian casters were able to draw upon these spore reserves with no flowers present, the concentrated blast would incapacitate those affected for a short time.

Jamuraan Fungi

Lichenthropes

Vaguely humanoid fungi with regenerative powers.

Mindbender Spores

A Wall-like fungus which disperses paralyzing spores.

Innistrad

With the arrival of Emrakul on Innistrad, entities like the Moldgraf Scavenger formed from the local fungi, threatening humans

Ikoria

Boneyard Mycodrax is currently the only known fungus that exists in Ikoria. They appear to be capable of draining power from dead creatures.

Ixalan

Mycoids live in the caverns of Ixalan and have two overriding cultural motivations: to consume and expand. They come in a variety of colorful, alien forms and sizes. They are a gestalt, a single mind dispersed across all its constituent parts, created and sustained by its constituent parts. This mind calls itself the Mycotyrant and thinks of itself as one titanic, world-spanning being with many parts; each mycoid, from the smallest spore to the largest primordium, is an eye, a mouth, a hand, and a vehicle for the Mycotyrant.

Many centuries after the first exodus period, an outbreak struck Topizielo, one of the Komon Winaq's primary cities in the caverns. Oltec scientists in the Core determined that this disease was fungal, spread by spores, and highly advanced — possibly some living relic of the Fomori, loosed outside of the Core in eons past. This fungus was the beginning of the mycoids. Without any barriers to stop them, they rapidly began to spread through the caverns. Oltec and Komon humans worked together to try and stop the spread of the mycoids, but they could not. Whole civilizations and cultures fell to the infection, and then to the increasingly more advanced and larger forms of mycoids. The Komon and Oltec in the caverns fled, finding safety outside of the caverns. These settlers emerged aboveground on the continent that would later be called Ixalan, the ancient ancestors of the people who would create the Sun Empire. Those who remained in the caverns sealed off the Core to protect it from the spread of the mycoids.

Under the control of the Mycotyrant, mycoids can possess and kill creatures and animate their corpses. Receiving an injury from a mycoid rapidly infects the victim, and can be fatal within hours. As the infection progresses, black veins stretch across the victim's skin, and eventually mushrooms sprout from their body. Mycoids have no concept of life and death, not understanding the havoc they wreak.

The mycoids are a strange mélange of cultures they consumed and integrated into their shapes, forms, and patterns. They function as a hivemind and can wield weapons, use magic, and even speak when under the direct control of the Mycotyrant. Mycoids create massive, city-sized colonies that echo cities built by humans, even incorporating specific architectural details from Sun Empire cities such as Pachatupa or Otepec, recreated in titanic folds, gills, and fungal flesh. Mycoids are adept at navigating the caverns in myriad forms and in any level of illumination. Though they do not need to carry light with them to see, they typically do so because of their consumptive learning: mycoids will recreate through bioluminescence the lighting apparatus of any other culture, often integrating it directly into their bodies.

The larger a mycoid gets, the smarter it is. Large myocids known as rage titans are twice the height of a human. Their heads are huge, layered mushrooms, while their shoulders and chest are clusters of smaller round-topped morels. Jagged, chitinous spikes jut from the backs of their massive hands and up their forearms. They bleed and spit a corrosive, black, tarry substance. Though individual mycoids may begin to develop their consciousness, so long as they traverse the caverns where the Mycotyrant grows, they will never be wholly free of the Mycotyrant's command. Though they may form thoughts, develop modes of existence counter to that of their distant parent, and think of themselves as their own consciousness, the Mycotyrant is always there, lingering inside their minds, whispering its command.

Ravnica

The Golgari Swarm from Ravnica is known to use fungi for their necromancy, using them to keep their rotting zombies together.

Other applications are growing them into ferocious monsters that further feed on corpses.

Zendikar

A few Zendikar fungi known as shamblers are known to exist, namely Mold Shambler, Rot Shambler and Swarm Shambler. Some are capable of growing likely due to their fungal nature. At least one variety established mutualistic relationships with insects. It is unknown if they are somehow related to the Eldrazi, like the Moldgraf Scavenger from Innistrad.

Creature Update

• The Fungus subtype incorporates the former subtypes Fungusaur and Lichenthrope.

Notable Fungi

Dominaria

• Slimefoot

Ixalan

• Akawalli
• The Mycotyrant
• Xavier Sal

Unknown

• Ghave

Gallery

• 

  Ravnican Fungus concept by Aleksi Briclot used for Corpsejack Menace.

Tokens

Token Name	Color	Type Line	P/T	Text Box	Source	Printings
Fungus	Black	Creature — Fungus	1/1	This creature can't block.	Broodrage Mycoid The Mycotyrant
Fungus Beast	Green	Creature — Fungus Beast	4/4	Trample	Trudge Garden
Fungus Dinosaur	Green	Creature — Fungus Dinosaur	X/X		The Skullspore Nexus