Looking for cards to help with control/phyrexian swarmlord deck
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Feb. 23, 2018, 8:53 a.m. by Alylio
Hi, I've been playing magic the gathering/infect for a month or so now, and I really like it.
Problem is, one of my favorite cards, Phyrexian Swarmlord, is pretty much unplayable in any standard modern infect deck.
So I've been trying to create a deck in which he is able to do what he is function without being a liability.
What I've come up with is trying to survive the early game, while putting a few counters on the opponent with Blighted Agent and Viral Drake after which I'll try to get a swarmlord into my hand and unto the battlefield.
I'd like some help with both good ramp cards, in order to get him out a few turns earlier, and some help with the counterspells in order to survive the early game.
Thanks for reading.
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/phyrexian-swarmlord-control/?cb=1519392729
Since you're not really using the best parts of green for infect (fast creatures, buff spells), maybe you should consider black instead?
Ichor Rats to get the poisoning started, even without attacking, use Tezzeret's Gambit for card draw and proliferation, Viral Drake, Phyrexian Crusader and Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon as finishers. The rest of the deck stuffed with black and blue control cards.
February 24, 2018 3:08 p.m.
While I like Ichor Rats, I believe 1 or 2 copies of Blighted Agent will probably do it's job better. After getting the poison counter down, Ichor Rats will probably put a -2/-2 counter on a fodder creature and die, while Blighted Agent can keep applying pressure and maybe even bait out a removal spell.
I completely agree with Tezzeret's Gambit, it's a great card and I've updated my deck so that it runs 4 copies. It does pretty much all that I want to do in this deck.
Sadly, none of my local shops (by this I mean, none of the shops in my country) have more than one copy of Skithiryx combined. I also would really like to play with Phyrexian Swarmlord
February 24, 2018 5:18 p.m.
I never even knew this card existed.
It sounds great, running 4x Phyrexian Swarmlord (4/4), together with 4x Phyrexian Hydra (7/7) and this enchantment sounds like loads of fun.
The remaining cards should probably be ramp/control I think. Trying to get this enchantment out on turn 3 would be ideal, turn 4 Hydra.At this point, even if they do manage to destroy the enchantment, Swarmlord is able to create 7 tokens each upkeep.
Tyvm, I highly doubt I would ever have found this card.
February 24, 2018 7 p.m.
It could work, but there is a bit of a weakness: Pandemonium also works for your opponent, and if he plays 4 power of creatures in his turn, he'll just kill your swarmlord before you get to your upkeep.
Alylio says... #2
Ye, I somewhat agree. After thinking a little about it, I believe that it's best to drop both Blighted Agent and Plague Myr, replacing them with something like Elvish Visionary and Gatecreeper Vine . The point is not winning on turn 2, but ramping, while also being able to shut my opponent down.
I believe it's better to rely on Viral Drake and Phyrexian Hydra as my "heavy hitters", while leaving a few copies of Phyrexian Swarmlord in if they have removal. Maybe if I pair this together with an Evolutionary Leap and a couple of Corpse Cur 's I'll get somewhere.
Anyway, thanks for posting, it's fun to have other people looking at your deck and thinking along with you.
February 23, 2018 4:42 p.m.