A CMP pad conditioner for conditioning a polishing pad. Various embodiments of the disclosure include a plurality of elongated protrusions which work a conditioned surface of a polishing pad at a variety of attack angles as the CMP pad conditioner engages the polishing pad. Because of the elongated geometry of the protrusions, the variety of attack angles will tend to flex the conditioned face of the polishing pad in a multifaceted manner. Such multifaceted manipulation of the conditioned face enhances the cut rate of the conditioner assembly and the removal of debris in the pores of the polishing pad that are residual from the CMP process, to better open the pores of the polishing pad and to better maintain the removal rate in the CMP process.