Magic: The Gathering's recently-leaked Venerated Rotpriest offers incredible power to Infect decks

The next expansion for Magic: The Gathering, Phyrexia: All Will Be One, recently had some major spoilers leaked on the internet. Whether they are real remains to be seen, but one card, in particular, has stood out for fans - the Venerated Rotpriest.

For just one green mana, the Venerated Rotpriest brings overwhelming value, not just to Infect decks, but also to ones that don’t run any options for Poison Counters.

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What does Magic: The Gathering’s Venerated Rotpriest do?

The only thing unclear about the Venerated Rotpriest in Magic: The Gathering is its toughness. That part is obscured, but it looks like a two. This part of the Phyrexian forces will bring something new, exciting, and probably frustrating to tabletops worldwide.

What can you expect from the upcoming Venerated Rotpriest?

Venerated Rotpriest

• Mana Value: G
• Rarity: Rare
• Keyword: Toxic one
• Type: Creature - Phyrexian Druid
• Stats: 1 power, unknown toughness
• First Ability: Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell, the target opponent gets a poison counter.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this card is that you don’t have to wait for the opponent’s spells to generate value. As long as your creatures are targeted by any player’s spells, you give a poison counter.

The most obvious use for this card is in a deck where you can deliver targeted buffs to your allies - perhaps in a White/Green one. This is most likely, considering its many low-cost, high-value buffs. Though, you could also use this in a Green/Black one and cast spells that require you to sacrifice creatures.

This way, you can generate value in two ways simultaneously in your Magic: The Gathering duels. You send something to the graveyard to either return it to play or trigger another creature’s abilities, and you also deliver a poison counter onto your opponent.

Not having to attack to give out poison tokens is one of the most powerful things I’ve seen in Magic: The Gathering in some time. Control decks could easily use this to get a win condition instead of fighting through an opponent’s frontline.

This could easily be played in Modern as well. Considering it’s a one-drop green creature, it could be a quick way to see victory for Modern Infect in the future. Not having to risk attacking with your creatures is far more interesting/safe.

Whether it becomes a must-use or meta card remains to be seen, but I have a good feeling about it. Many on social media hope this leak is real, but it must be taken with a grain of salt. Not all MTG leaks wind up being real.

Even if your opponent targets the Venerated Rotpriest, you can still put at least one poison counter in your matches. This Magic: The Gathering creature might be the most powerful I’ve seen in the Phyrexia: All Will Be One spoilers.

Fans won’t have to wait long, though. Magic: The Gathering’s next expansion releases on February 10, 2023, and official spoilers will begin later this month.