Portal to Phyrexia — Magic: The Gathering card

Portal to Phyrexia

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Artifact

When this artifact enters, each opponent sacrifices three creatures of their choice.

At the beginning of your upkeep, put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. It's a Phyrexian in addition to its other types.

*After five thousand years, the nightmare returned.*

Set The Brothers' War
Rarity Mythic Rare
Mana Value 9
Artist Svetlin Velinov
Collector # 240
Scryfall

Why Play Portal to Phyrexia

Nine mana buys you an immediate board wipe that forces opponents to sacrifice three creatures each, making it devastating against creature-heavy strategies and token decks. The real value comes from the recurring upkeep trigger that transforms any graveyard into your personal creature toolbox, letting you reanimate the best threats from all players' graveyards turn after turn. Best suited for ramp decks, reanimator strategies, and late-game control builds that can afford the hefty mana cost while capitalizing on the filled graveyards.

Format Notes

Commander is where Portal to Phyrexia truly shines, as multiplayer games naturally fill graveyards with premium reanimation targets while the forced sacrifice hits multiple opponents simultaneously. The card sees occasional play in Pioneer and Modern ramp strategies, though the nine-mana cost limits its competitive viability in faster formats. Legacy and Vintage applications are rare due to the format speed, but it can appear in prison-style builds that can afford the investment.

Combos & Synergies

Pairing with cost reduction artifacts like Helm of Awakening or Foundry Inspector makes Portal to Phyrexia more accessible in the mid-game. Self-mill effects such as Faithless Looting and Buried Alive stock graveyards with premium reanimation targets before deployment. The artifact synergizes excellently with Grave Pact effects, turning your steady stream of reanimated creatures into additional sacrifice pressure when they inevitably die.

Learn More

Artifact Modern Pioneer Commander