Hunter Maze
| Hunter Maze | |
|---|---|
| The fourth sphere of New Phyrexia | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | New Phyrexia |
| Colors |
 |
| Type | Forest Sphere |
| Formerly part of | Tangle |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
The Hunter Maze is the fourth sphere of New Phyrexia, a nightmarish jungle where predation and evolution have been grotesquely reimagined through Phyrexian ideology. Formerly known as the Tangle of Mirrodin, this green-aligned layer became the domain of the praetor Vorinclex, his lieutenant Glissa, and the Vicious Swarm. Twisting boughs of oxidized metal and sinew form a canopy so dense that neither floor nor ceiling is visible, while the air swelters with humidity, decay, and acidic fog.
Description
The Hunter Maze is a dense, overgrown wilderness constructed from metal, flesh, and fungus. Trees of oxidized metal and sinew flourish throughout the sphere, obscuring the upper and lower bounds from sight.[1] Phyrexians travel through this layer by climbing the trees, often ambushing prey from the canopy. The atmosphere is thick with heat and humidity, laced with the pungent stench of rotting flesh.[2] Instead of mist, atomized acid drifts through the air.[3] This is the last layer where light from the surface penetrates, casting an eerie green glow across the jungle and echoing with metallic screeches.
Near the bottom of the Maze, the ground becomes nearly impassable, riddled with waterlogged potholes, slick oil pools, and tangled roots.[2] Pulsing veins carry black oil through the dense underbrush, and suckers protrude from trunks that stretch toward the canopy. Fungus-like platforms sprout glowing patches of green lamina, a lichen-like substance, alongside fern-like growths. The biome is deeply interconnected, populated with roaming mites and trees that sprout small, watchful eyeballs.
Closer to the canopy, the air becomes brighter and hotter, colored with a richer, buttery-yellow light.[2] The interwoven branches form natural bridges for traversal. Leaves shimmer, fist-sized stomata open and close rhythmically, large berries hang in clusters, and the flowers, pink and rank with the scent of meat, drip with glistening black oil.
Toward the center of the sphere lies Vorinclex’s lair, a place shunned by most creatures. As Phyrexians draw closer, they hear unintelligible murmurs echoing around them, and cilia lining the walls begin to wave, drawing intruders inward.[2] Within the chamber, the cilia grow longer and paler, resembling glistening yellow-white tendrils. The floor depresses into a gaping, starfish-like mouth, and monstrous skulls hang overhead.
History
As New Phyrexia’s conquest spread, the original Mirran forest known as the Tangle became corrupted by lamina—a dark green, fleshy fungus that contaminated the metallic ground and climbed the trees. The forest floor grew spongy and moss-covered, seeping a yellowish pus that reeked of overripe decay. Only the largest creatures could navigate its rotting terrain.[4] When the Phyrexians constructed nine spheres atop Mirrodin’s hollowed shell—leaving its surface a desolate waste known as Mirrex—the Tangle was relocated and transformed into the fourth sphere: the Hunter Maze.[5][6]
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
- Referred to:
References
- ↑ Grace Fong (January 31, 2023). "Planeswalker's Guide to Phyrexia: All Will Be One". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d Langley Hyde (January 14, 2023). "Phyrexia: All Will Be One: Hard as Anger, Bright as Joy". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ All Will Be Art (Video). Magic: The Gathering. YouTube (February 17, 2023).
- ↑ Magic Creative Team (April 27, 2011). "A Planeswalker's Guide to New Phyrexia: The Vicious Swarm". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15.
- ↑ Jay Annelli. (2022.) Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide, KB
- ↑ Seanan McGuire (January 14, 2023). "Assault on New Phyrexia – Episode 3: Inconceivable Losses". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ My 62 Secret Magic Playtest Cards! (Video). Good Morning Magic. YouTube (February 20, 2023).
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