We are perfection made flesh.
Our voice calls out to the lost and the broken.
They fear death, even as we offer immortality.
New sources of mana power the Machine Orthodoxy.
We will flay the false skin of this world to reveal the face of a New Phyrexia.
The Great Work has begun.
All will be One.

Oh dear, what has happened here? In his travels to other worlds, Azar came across the artificial world known as Mirrodin. However, he did not know that the people of Mirrodin were currently in a losing war against the near unstoppable forces of Phyrexia, invaders from another world. Being the hero that Azar is, he tried to help the Mirrans fight back against their horrific enemy. He even fought off an already converted phyrexian dragon known as Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon to keep the still living Mirrans safe. But in doing so, he himself became infected with the glistening oil.
The Mirrans left in fear of what was to become of the heroic white dragon. Within days, the Phyrexian oil converted Azar into a full-fledged monster to serve Phyrexia. But the change didn't stop there. With his mind corrupted, Azar soon plotted to take power in the new world after Phyrexia had defeated and converted the last of the Mirran survivors. Establishing himself as the sixth praetor of New Phyrexia, Azar rules his own army, secretly planning on bringing the glory of Phyrexia to other worlds while the rest of the Praetors fight for power.

A dark version of Azar that I had on my mind for quite a while now. Finally I've been able to get it into art form. Don't be surprised if you see this Azar showing up every once in a while. With his mind corrupted, this version of Azar is far from the friendly and affectionate dragon most know him as. And his hero days are done so long as he remains infected.
For those of you who don't know the concept behind Phyrexia, think religious cyborg zombies and you're pretty close. The combination of metal and flesh is very forced and unnatural. In a weird way, it's kind of like the pinnacle of Azar's artifice craft, but taken in the completely wrong direction. There is no cure for being infected by the oil, so how Azar is to be saved from this fate is unknown. And on top of that, who can save him now?

Artwork done by the very talented . I couldn't be happier with how this turned out! He captured the look of Phyrexia perfectly and transferred it over very well.
Phyrexia and Magic: The Gathering are owned by Wizards of the Coast.