Magic: The Gathering's Tyrranax Rex could be the next Carnage Tyrant in Phyrexia All Will Be One

Magic: The Gathering’s Phyrexia: All Will Be One expansion features some extraordinary cards such as Tyrranax Rex. In fact, it's even being compared to a previously overpowered card, Carnage Tyrant. The two cards are strikingly similar in their ability to instill fear in other players, and a good portion of the community is very excited about this upcoming card.

In previous expansions, some Magic: The Gathering players have stated that green is an incredibly weak color. Between this upcoming card and a few other recently revealed ones, it could likely be a wonderful year for green stompy decks as the meta of Phyrexia: All Will Be One slowly becomes apparent.

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Magic: The Gathering’s Tyrranax Rex is an overwhelmingly powerful card

If there’s anything that Green is known for in Magic: The Gathering, it’s enormous creatures with serious upside. Thankfully, this card doesn’t have Infect. Toxic is a more balanced version of this ability and is a power exclusive to the Phyrexian forces. As long as he deals any combat damage, that opponent will receive four poison counters. What can you do with this powerful card, though? Here’s what Magic: The Gathering’s Tyrranax Rex is capable of:

Tyrranax Rex in Magic: The Gathering (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Tyrranax Rex

• Mana Value: 4GGG
• Type: Creature - Phyrexian Dinosaur
• Rarity: Mythic Rare
• Stats: 8 power, 8 toughness
• Keywords: Trample, Ward 4, Haste, Toxic 4
• Passive Ability: This spell can’t be countered

Carnage Tyrant was a 6-drop dinosaur that couldn’t be countered. Additionally, it had Trample and Hexproof (can’t be targeted by spells) alongside a solid 7 power, 6 toughness. With one more mana, it has better stats, equally useful abilities, and best of all, haste. Neither of these cards can be countered and, while Tyrranax Rex doesn’t have Hexproof, it has something almost as good.

Ward 4 is a keyword that counters spells that target this creature unless the caster pays an extra 4 mana. This card is going to be a must-pick for Limited/Draft, and I certainly see the possibility of at least three copies of this card being included in Green decks going forward.

Since this spell can’t be countered, the odds of it being removed in the turn that it comes into play are fairly slim. It’s highly likely that it’s going to get at least one attack off, which basically means four poison counters for your opponent. It also allows you to trigger any Corruption abilities that you might run in your deck.

Tyrranax Rex is easily one of the best creatures to be revealed for Magic: The Gathering’s latest expansion, and is certainly one of the most likely to be used in various decks.

Another great combo for this card is to discard it in your first couple of turns in a Green/Black deck. Then, on turn 4, cast Geth's Summons, which lets you pick a creature card from your graveyard and put it into play. If your opponent has three or more poison counters, you could also put one of their graveyard's creatures into play on your side of the field as well. Clearly, playing this card on turn 4 could be game-breaking.

Green also saw the reveal of the Venerated Rotpriest, which allows players to drop repeated, easy poison counters on foes, but Tyrranax Rex offers something else entirely. It’s a game-winning bomb, where you can smash right through an enemy player, likely at that turn itself, with the right setup.

If you combine Tyrranax Rex with plenty of Forests, and Nissa, Ascended Animist, it’s possible for him to win games all by himself, depending on how aggressive you’ve been in your gameplay until then.

Although the official release date of Phyrexia: All Will Be One is February 10, 2023, in-person pre-release events will begin for the Magic: The Gathering expansion on February 3, 2023 itself.