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New Phyrexia
New Phyrexia comes out as the third part of the Scars of Mirrodin block. And as expected from this powerful cycle, the set is full of tournament level cards, and in particular the alternative casting costs spells. Alternative costs, particularly something that becomes zero are always taken a close look, and New Phyrexia lets you pay 2 life instead of a coloured mana. The ability of losing life instead of paying made cards like Gitaxian Probe, Mental Misstep, Dismember and Surgical Extraction commonly played in tournaments, and this cost made them playable in any deck that requires them.
But this kind of life loss mana cost is not only present in good sorceries and instants, as permanents such as Phyrexian Metamorph and Birthing Pod are played continuously. Pod especially has a deck developed around it, that became one of the Modern tier 1 and Phyrexian Metamorph is a good response to any pesky artifact or creature. Switching to another side of the set, living weapon equipments are reproposed and Batterskull is the king among those. The card is a control tool of choice, as it comes into play with a token that gets 4/4, vigilance and lifelink, and if something happens, bounce it back in hand and replay.
Stoneforge Mystic is a common friend of it, as sneaking it into play for two and as an instant it is rather good. On other sides of the set, there are also two seven mana drops that had a huge impact. Karn Liberated is a colorless planeswalker with glorious abilities that lets you exile permanents or cards in opponent's hands, and Elesh Norn, a white 5/7 legend with Vigilance that gives -2/-2 to all your opponent's creatures and +2/+2 to yours while in play, making any combat race useless and no board on the other side. Last but not least Melira, the green anti-infect legend, whose ability is so nice with Persist that it let Kitchen Finks or Murderous Redcap endlessly come back into play.
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