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What's a life total? (Infect with a Plan B!)

Modern Aggro Competitive GU (Simic) GWU (Bant) Infect Theme/Gimmick

crexalbo

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I am actively seeking suggestions to make this a competitive deck! I am especially seeking help with the sideboard. It is already very solid, but i would like to make it as strong as possible. If you think i should remove a card, let me know! Or if i should add one in, suggest which ones to cut.

Why bother poisoning your opponent when you can just beat face? Isn't it fun to force your opponent to conserve life against an infect deck out of fear of being blugeoned by Geist of Saint Traft? Will you win by handing out ten poison counters, or by bringing their life total to zero? This deck gives you that flexibility.

This deck utilizes the infect mechanic as its primary win condition. Instead of the typical method of winning by lowering the opponent's life total to zero, this deck utilizes poison counters to secure the win. Any player with ten or more poison counters will lose the game, and infect creatures will deal damage in the form of poison counters instead of lowering the opponent's life total. I've chosen this method because poison counters cannot be removed at all (except by Leeches , an incredibly old and obscure card that isn't modern legal), meaning that right from the start of the game, i've not only halved my opponent's life total, i've also effectively nullified any life gain they may or may not have. This greatly simplifies the game on my end, since now all i have to worry about is solving a simple problem: How do i deal ten damage to my opponent before i die myself?

Now, i recently came across an infect build with a new idea in the sideboard:

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Geist Infect

Modern bobong

SCORE: 10 | 11 COMMENTS | 1685 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS

Now, i've been in way too many Game 2's where opponents have used their fetchlands, shocklands, and Dismember's in an attempt to match the incredible speed of straight infect while removing my creatures. After all, this deck is completely helpless without its creature base, and often times, i just don't have the ability to protect my creatures before they eat removal, and many times, my opponent has brought themselves to 15, 12, or even 8 life in a mad attempt to destroy my game plan with targeted or untargeted removal. So at this point, i'd much rather just win by lowering their life total down to 0. I attempted to remedy this problem in my Naya build, but the entire build was incredibly fragile and janky.

Enter Geist of Saint Traft.

This card is incredibly powerful. An effective 6 power on each swing, plus built-in hexproof for protection, make the Geist very difficult to overcome. Infect already has a good evasion package, in the form of Rancor, Distortion Strike, and Apostle's Blessing, meaning blockers won't be that much of a problem. This card, along with Invisible Stalker, allows me to switch to a damage-based strategy if i find it to be more effective.

This kind of deck is designed to make two drastic simplifying changes to the game of Magic. Everything in this deck is either designed to change the game, protect our new rules, or help us win the game quicker.

Primarily, it ignores life and simplifies the game down to dealing ten damage to your opponent. Nothing else matters, besides dealing ten damage to your opponent before you die yourself.

Secondarily, it seeks to remove as much interaction as possible. You can allow your opponent to do anything they like, just so long as it does not win the game for them on the spot (like Splinter Twin or Cranial Plating), or interfere with your game plan (like Ultimate Price, Path to Exile, or Lightning Bolt).

This deck is a combo deck at heart, and is therefore all about the opening hand. Even though you can topdeck very well, don't rely on anything you don't see in your opening hand; you cannot rely on any one card to guarantee you victory. You should be able to win with the cards in your opening hand, or be very close to it. The kinds of hands you should keep or mull vary depending on what you're up against, but i will give general rules below.

  • Do not keep any one-land hands, except in extreme circumstances where you know you can win with one land for the whole game. Do not count on drawing more land!
  • Do not keep any creatureless hands. Ever. You will never draw into a creature, and you are powerless without them. Also, if your only creature is Inkmoth Nexus, i recommend having three lands at least.
  • Try to not keep any hands without protection. Being 3-for-1'd when you stack pumps on a Glistener Elf that just gets Path to Exile'd is not a good feeling, and will usually cost you the game.
  • Try to not mull below five cards. Having something in your hand is better than nothing.

Here is an example of a great hand: Pendelhaven , Breeding Pool, Glistener Elf, Noble Hierarch, Distortion Strike, Mutagenic Growth, Vines of Vastwood. You are looking at a turn 3 kill here. Play your elf first, then have your way with your opponent.

Another example of a keepable hand: Forest , Pendelhaven , Blighted Agent, Noble Hierarch, Apostle's Blessing, Rancor. Note that it has only six cards. This hand has a nice assortment of different cards to choose from, and can deal nine damage on its own by turn 4. If you draw into... well, anything besides a land, by or on your fourth turn, then you can easily win on your fourth turn (maybe your third).

Yet another example of a keepable hand: Breeding Pool, Windswept Heath, Glistener Elf, Distortion Strike, Vines of Vastwood. It is only five cards, so you will have to compromise some. Under ideal conditions, this hand can have dealt eight damage by the end of your third turn, and a good chunk of the cards in this deck can push you past that. Also, it's not like pitching to four is very appealing.

An iffy hand: Breeding Pool, Forest , Windswept Heath, Gemstone Mine , Blighted Agent, Groundswell, Apostle's Blessing. This hand does not have much power, and you're really at the mercy of whatever you happen to draw. I would keep this against certain matchups, like control.

Another iffy hand: Misty Rainforest, Breeding Pool, Glistener Elf, Blighted Agent, Blighted Agent, Noble Hierarch, Gitaxian Probe. This is a bit more control-y and slow paced than the other hands. It also has lots of creatures, but little protection, which may be good or may be terrible.

A terrible hand which should not be kept: Misty Rainforest, Pendelhaven , Noble Hierarch, Spell Pierce, Vines of Vastwood, Rancor, Distortion Strike. Sure, you could pile it high on the hierarch if you really wanted to, but i thought you were playing infect! No infect creatures means insta-mulligan.

The cards that i've included in my deck, and the purposes they serve. Any cards in gold are considered core cards, and i am highly unlikely to reduce or remove these; cards in green seem pretty solid, but i am willing to give them up if i have good reason to; and cards in pink are flex cards that i'm not really sold on yet and can change drastically.
I've done my best to choose the best and most relevant infect creatures available to me in these colors.

Glistener Elf – Mandatory in any infect deck using green.

Blighted Agent – Unblockable infect damage? Exactly what this deck is looking for.

Ichorclaw Myr – Included because the +2/+2 ability is extremely relevant in the early game, as it makes opponents think twice about blocking. Really only in here because i can't have more Blighted Agent's or Glistener Elf's.

Inkmoth Nexus – This land creature comes in handy a lot more than you might think. Uncounterable and immune to any sorcery-speed removal.

I've tried making my pump list as varied as possible, utilizing a wide variety of possible pumps to make the best out of their strengths.

Groundswell – Budget alternative to Might of Old Krosa which i use because i find landfall is easier to achieve and more versatile, since i can give a +4/+4 boost during combat, or on an opponent's turn to counter Lightning Bolt, for example.

Rancor – Permanent +2 power boost, with some evasion and much needed card advantage. I've won many a game by simply slapping this on Inkmoth Nexus and letting it bounce to my hand at end of turn.

Vines of Vastwood – This is an always-triggered Groundswell with untargetability included. I'd much rather pay an extra G and not only ensure the +4 pump, but also grant some protection as well.

Mutagenic Growth – Free pump is always nice.

Pendelhaven – Recurring pump built into a land. This is extremely useful, and the toughness boost is incredibly relevant to keeping your creature alive. Make sure to use this land before any other pumps!

Noble Hierarch – This removal magnet not only provides pump to a single creature (which it's not unheard of to be attacking with just one creature), but it also gives some much-needed mana acceleration. This creature would allow you to, for example, cast a Blighted Agent and a Glistener Elf on turn 2, making it much more difficult for your opponent to remove both creatures.

Distortion Strike – The +1/+0 buff is incredibly relevant. This is two poison counters split over two turns, or it can mean the difference between 9 and 10 poison counters when used with two +4 buffs.

As with all my other cards, my protection spells may also serve other purposes if needed.

Apostle's Blessing – The most versatile protection spell i've ever seen printed. Granting a creature protection from artifacts does come in handy, especially when dealing with an opposing Wurmcoil Engine.

Vines of Vastwood – Green's counterspell of choice. It's incredibly relevant that this card does NOT grant hexproof; for example, Vines cast on an opposing Spellskite makes their Spellskite unable to eat any of my other spells for the turn.

Spell Pierce – This counterspell in the mainboard (yes, i mainboard counters) really pulls its own weight. I use it to counter removal, sure, but i've also used it to counter opposing Living End, Summer Bloom, Splinter Twin, and other kinds of combo decks. Also comes in handy in counterspell wars, and to punish a player who taps out to play their Karn Liberated. This counterspell is always relevant.

This section deals with cards that guarantee the opponent will be receiving the damage. Blue is the king of unblockable (as evidenced by Distortion Strike and Aqueous Form), and this really helps us push damage through.

Rancor – Trample is very relevant, especially in the late game when you are just trying to push that last bit of damage through.

Distortion Strike – Straight up unblockable. The buff comes in handy, but the rebound is what makes this card shine. One mana gives you two turns, two spells, and two power, basically. It's quite unfair, but hey, blue as a color is unfair.

Apostle's Blessing – Most decks only feature creatures of a single color. Choosing protection from that color also makes your creature unblockable by their army for the turn.

Blighted Agent & Inkmoth Nexus – Built-in evasion works wonders against most decks.

These cards help give the deck some additional resiliency and flexibility that allows it to win against a larger variety of matchups.

Spell Pierce – Using this card on an opposing Living End on the stack feels really good. This card has saved me more times than i can count.

Noble Hierarch – Green mana accel that also pumps your creatures. This card allows you to cast Apostle's Blessing using white mana instead of two life if you really want/need to, and also helps enable some sideboard options.

Gitaxian Probe – Two life for a peek at your opponent's hand and another card? Sounds like a good deal.

Dryad Arbor – Fetchable creature to use as insurance against Liliana of the Veil, or as an emergency beater if necessary.

I've got a fancy land base for this deck. The utility lands included are often the cornerstone for victory in this deck.

Forest & Island – I've included some basics to be fetched, and in the case of a successful Path to Exile.

Misty Rainforest & Windswept Heath – Don't forget that you can fetch basics with these lands!

Breeding Pool – Because donkey balls.

Inkmoth Nexus – The man land that really makes this deck shine. I've won many games with this land creature.

Pendelhaven – A green source that doubles as a repeatable pump. The only downside is that it's not fetchable.

Dryad Arbor – Fetchable creature to use as insurance against Liliana of the Veil, or as an emergency beater if necessary.

Feel free to adjust the sideboard as you see fit. My recommendation is here below.

Dispel – TODO description

Nature's Claim – One mana gets rid of Blood Moon, Oblivion Stone, Cranial Plating, and just about any sort of utility your opponents may have. The life gain is irrelevant, of course. May also be used on your own Ichorclaw Myr if you're really desperate. I may replace this with a simple Unravel the Aether , so my life loss substrategy works better...

Geist of Saint Traft – I've already explained the purpose of this card in the sideboard. A big, cheap beater with built-in protection in case the infect strategy fails.

Temple Garden – Because i need to be able to cast my sideboard shenanigans. I used to mainboard this, but i found that i drew it too often.

Path to Exile – An excellent removal spell that efficiently eliminates just about everything in the format.

Spellskite – I've been told this card is a boss in infect, so i'm trying it out. I am gonna put a couple in the sideboard for now, with further testing possibly adding more in.

Here, i record some interesring games i've played and their results. Work in progress
This deck was filled with Lightning Bolts, Lightning Helixes, Electrolyzes, and Mana Leaks galore! It also featured some backup strategies in the form of a mainboard Geist of Saint Traft, which i thought was a nice touch.

Game 1 (1-0):
Inkmoth Nexus saves the day! Also, those mainboarded Spell Pierces really proved their worth against the likes of Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix. They tapped out on turn 3 for a Geist of Saint Traft, leaving them wide open for a huge hit on my turn 4. I did draw both my Pendelhaven s, but took advantage of the legend rule to get my mana's worth.

Sideboard:
I figured i'd need as much protection as possible. The Geist of Saint Traft strategy wouldn't have worked well because of Lightning Helix and a possible Pyroclasm.
–3 Gitaxian Probe
+3 Dispel

Game 2 (2-0):
I kept a hand with tons and tons of protection, a couple lands... and nothing else. Fortunately enough, Inkmoth Nexus was my second draw! My Dispel countering their turn 3Electrolyze was the pivotal point of the game and paved the way for me to push them to 8 poison, shortly before he Ghost Quarter'd my Inkmoth Nexus and left both of us in a draw-go state. I sealed the win with a topdecked Ichorclaw Myr (that high creature count comes in handy!!) and all those tons of protection from the early game.

Conclusion:
This was a straightforward matchup. My opponent was too quick to try and stop my own strategies, and too slow to enact any of their own. This played perfectly into my game plan; i looooove playing against control! I hope to see some tougher, faster matchups in the future, notably Burn and Affinity.

I learned a lot from this matchup. This guy's decklist came straight from Magic's daily deck column, and it was a very heavy hitter.

Game 1 (1-0):
I went against a crap ton of Terminates and Kolgahan's Commands, but overwhelming my opponent with a swarm of five infect creatures won me the game.

Sideboard:
I was preparing for the Spellskite i never saw.
–3 Spell Pierce
–2 Distortion Strike
–1 Apostle's Blessing
+3 Vapor Snag
+3 Nature's Claim

Game 2 (1-1):
A pair of Gurmag Anglers and a Snapcaster Mage + Terminate killed my entire board.

Sideboard:
I honestly don't know what i was thinking...
TODO

Game 3 (2-1):
TODO

Conclusion:
I learned a lot from this match about how my sideboard works and what to do with it. I've got some very powerful cards, but absolutely no knowledge of how and when to use them. I also learned that if your main strategy works, you should focus on strengthening that instead of spreading yourself too thin. I shouldn't have really sideboarded in this entire match, probably.

One of my only true difficult matchups. This deck may not have been tier 1, but it was hard to beat. Opponent's hand was filled with Inquisition of Kozileks, Lightning Bolts, and Terminates.

Game 1 (1-0):
I lost a couple creatures, but i ultimately got the upper hand with a Rancor'd Blighted Agent.

Sideboard:
I didn't see any creatures, so i figured i would focus on dealing maximum damage. In hindsight, though, i should have sided in more stuff.
–3 Distortion Strike
–1 Apostle's Blessing
–1 Forest
+3 Geist of Saint Traft
+1 Ajani's Presence
+1 Temple Garden

Game 2 (2-0):
This game was absolutely miserable. I mulled down to four before keeping a Geist of Saint Traft, two Noble Hierarchs, and a Blighted Agent. My opponent mulled down pretty low as well, down to five. They played a land and Inquisition of Kozileked my infect creature, then we passed turns for a while until i got a hold of a Gitaxian Probe which led into a Misty Rainforest. My opponent had a hand full of Terminates and Lightning Bolts, which completely made my day. (The Damnation they held was bad news, but unplayable.) I played a Noble Hierarch with my only land to get some mana flowing. They got their second land the next turn and played a Spellskite, which i am noticing is not all that useful against my deck. Once i landed a Geist of Saint Traft using my two Noble Hierarchs, it was pretty much game over. I saw one more land the whole game, which i used to cast two Glistener Elfs in succession. Even though they bolted my entire field, i used all the protection i had drawn to force them to pay life into Spellskite to make their removal stick. He blocked with the artifact creature, but the angel token proved its worth by chipping four life away each turn. I won by unleashing a Mutagenic Growth on the token when he was at six life, rendering his Spellskite unusable.

Conclusion:
I don't think the pilot was very skilled. They should have taken Geist of Saint Traft at the beginning of G2, but instead allowed me to beat them to death with it. At the same time, though, i don't think many people expect that creature to perform so well as an infect deck's backup plan. I also should have expected Spellskite, but i am personally glad that i didn't side in Nature's Claim and given him four life and an extra turn.

Other cards that i have or am considering for inclusion. Some have been turned down, while others may find their way in.
Suggestions that i have actually added into the deck.

Path to Exile (GlistenerAgent) – I'm taking this card over Vapor Snag because i do need some hard removal. There's only so much bounce can do against the likes of Tarmogoyf, Spellskite, and Wurmcoil Engine.

Cards that have been suggested that i am currently testing for possible inclusion.

Spellskite (various users) – From what i've been told, the staple horror does, well... everything. It saves my creatures from removal, eats Lightning Bolts for breakfast, and majorly disrupts Splinter Twin, Bogles, Infect, and the like.

Cards that i will keep an eye on as my meta and needs change, and may include if conditions merit their reconsideration.

Vapor Snag (N4pht4) – TODO description

Dispel (bromerta) – A solid counterspell that nullifies a lot of the removal i've been facing, like Terminate, Lightning Bolt, and Path to Exile. I may even put this in the main board and sideboard Spell Pierce.

Become Immense ()– I tried this out, but had a really hard time casting it. I have never had more than two or three cards in the graveyard, so it was a dead draw every single time. Another user (bromerta) suggested running a fourth Vines of Vastwood, so i cut this for that.

Remand – TODO description

Wild Defiance (Felixlives, fuster) – TODO description

Cards that i will not add and never will add, although their prior suggestion has led me to understand the deck's structure and synergy. Please do not suggest these, as i will swiftly decline them!

Might of Old Krosa (various users) – I am very firm on my decision to exclude this card from my build! I understand that many people suggest it, and i know the reasons why they do, and i have found all arguments in favor of it to be unconvincing. I would much rather run Groundswell because of its lack of timing restrictions to get the full benefit and ease of achieving the +4/+4 boost. I have plenty of lands and fetchlands to get the most value and flexibility out of this spell. In the rare event that i max out on my Groundswells and need more pump, i might bring in one or two copies, but this is at my own discretion only; don't bet on it. Might of Old Krosa is for spell-based, combo-oriented builds. This is a creature-based, aggro/tempo-oriented build.

Artful Dodge (RochiTomRochi) – Even though it can be cast twice on non-consecutive turns, i declined this replacement for Distortion Strike, in short, because it lacks the power boost that Distortion Strike offers, and because it costs one more mana to use effectively.

Aqueous Form (RochiTomRochi) – Even though it is permanent unblockability with scry attached, i declined this replacement for Distortion Strike, in short, because it lacks the power boost that Distortion Strike offers and is also vulnerable to removal/hate.

Runechanter's Pike – This deck is creature-based, not spell-based. This card will never amount to more than a +2/+0, and even then only in rare circumstances. I'd rather spend that on something else that would actually win me the game.

This build as i have it in paper. I'm quite poor, so those fancy $30 cards are still a long ways off, but i am taking it to FNM and slowly upgrading the cards!

Mainboard:
4 Glistener Elf
4 Blighted Agent
4 Ichorclaw Myr
4 Necropede
4 Groundswell
2 Mutagenic Growth
4 Vines of Vastwood
2 Distortion Strike
3 Rancor
4 Apostle's Blessing
4 Spell Pierce
8 Forest
5 Island
3 Thornwood Falls
3 Radiant Fountain
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Pendelhaven

Sideboard:
3 Dismember
3 Nature's Claim
3 Fog
3 Dispel

These are other decks that i like and think you should take a look at! I am constantly updating this section with cool decks i happen across.
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Comment Cleanup — Oct. 5, 2015
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Also have been working on the deck's aesthetics. Trying to make it look cool, is a work in progress!

Comment Cleanup — Oct. 1, 2015
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Revision 17 See all

(8 years ago)

+1 Distortion Strike main
+1 Dryad Arbor side
+1 Geist of Saint Traft side
-3 Nature's Claim side
+1 Rancor main
-2 Serum Visions main
-2 Spellskite side
+3 Unravel the Aether side
Top Ranked
  • Achieved #1 position overall 8 years ago
Date added 8 years
Last updated 8 years
Key combos
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)

0 - 4 Mythic Rares

21 - 4 Rares

7 - 4 Uncommons

29 - 3 Commons
Cards 60
Avg. CMC 1.40
Tokens Angel 4/4 W
Folders Infect, Interesting, Cool Modern Decks, Cool stuff, Interesting, Cool Decks, infect, Decks, Moedern Fun, Modern
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