Infectious Bite
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Alchemy Legal
Archenemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Freeform Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Historic Brawl Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Pre-release Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Standard Legal
Standard Brawl Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Infectious Bite

Instant

Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don't control. Each opponent gets a poison counter.

Mortlocke on Mark Rosewater's Commentary on Poison …

4 months ago

DemonDragonJ,

As an enjoyer of the Poison mechanic another user in the previously linked thread provides (In my opinion) a satisfactory answer as to why Poison isn't harder to win with in Commander/EDH:

sjk9000 said: There’s no cEDH poison deck, which should tell you that poison doesn’t need to be made weaker or harder to win with. There are a bunch of cards that help you win quicker with less interaction

From my experience, Poison is a challenging mechanic to win with:

  1. When you are the only Poison deck at the table, your damage doesn't "stack" with other opponents making you politically isolated. When threatened, the table finds it easier to band together to eliminate the "Poison threat".

  2. Getting consistent poison counters on opponents can be a challenge without the right build. There are only 6 spells that can directly put poison counters on opponents: (Ichor Rats, Infectious Bite, Prologue to Phyresis, Vraska's Fall, Infectious Inquiry, Phyresis Outbreak). They only guarantee 1 poison counter per spell. That's not enough to outright kill an opponent unless you are fortunate enough to assemble a boardstate with reliable means of Proliferation - but that can easily be disrupted leaving you with little to no means to close out the game.

  3. Damage from poison counters does not matter until 10. This kind of touches on my first point but the fact that when you deal "damage" to an opponent - it doesn't matter. It doesn't really affect the player's decision making until those counters add up - their life total does not change nor are they actively harmed in any way. That's a massive disadvantage to the poison player at the beginning of the game.

Despite all these challenges and the hack writers who deus ex machina'd one of my favorite tribes during a war they absolutely should have won....I love Poison.

Total side tangent - why in the hell is Jace trying to win more against Phyrexia? The writers literally nerfed every aspect of New Phyrexia so the gatewatch could win. Worse yet, all those who were compleated were reverted back to their original forms off camera. What. The. Fuck. Why does Jace now want to run a victory lap for a war that was given to him only to go so far as to make Phyrexia not even exist in the first place? Eff these writers and I hope Jace becomes the Father of Machines - only then would he finally be interesting. Yeah. I said it. He's effing boring and he's not even half the man Father Yawgmoth was, or a quarter of the terrorist Urza was. Praise be to Phyrexia.

Mortlocke on The Song of Phyresis

1 year ago

Venum,

I think that the Sword of Truth and Justice is the better add over Vraska's Fall, and if you don't mind i'd like to walk through my logic on this and get your opinion. Hope you don't mind. Vraska's Fall has the big benefit of getting poison counters on players - but the edict effect becomes less beneficial as the game continues and It costs more than other similar spells (e.g. Infectious Bite and Prologue to Phyresis. The Sword of Truth and Justice requires more set up - it requires a creature on board and an extra for the equip cost. The payoff however can be significant at any point of the game. It further enhances Infect creatures but more importantly provides an additional source of +1/+1 counters. Without the sword only 2 cards in the deck can create +1/+1 counters.

On the subject of +1/+1 counters, should I try and find a spot for Ozolith, the Shattered Spire? It only has partial synergy with the deck, being only dedicated to +1/+1 counters, but it can make infect creatures lethal. What do you think?

Venum on Poison Counters go Brrrrr

1 year ago

I really like Fynn because you have a lot of cheap options to make that deck really strong.

Crow_Umbra on Petrified by the Gorgussy [Primer]

2 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to offer your feedback, and for reading through the primer Profet93, I appreciate it.

I like what you've suggested and wanted to offer my thoughts in turn:

  • Skullclamp - A great card draw staple. I think I didn't initially consider this one mostly because I currently have ~8 creatures with 1 toughness, & don't really make small 1/1 tokens besides Preacher of the Schism. High likelihood for revisiting & inclusion.

  • Sakura-Tribe Elder/Rampant Growth - I could see Steve slotting in over Farseek. I have Farseek in here as a means of grabbing Overgrown Tombfoil for quick fixing.

  • Viridian Longbow - This was also suggested by UltimateRoxas40. Definitely a kind of cheeky include. I used to run it in an early version of my Prosper, Tome-Bound deck. The higher concentration of Deathtouch in this deck raises its ceiling. I don't play with equipment much beyond Skullclamp, Lightning Greaves, & Swiftfoot Boots, but might consider swapping one of the instant/sorcery removal spells depending on how first irl playthroughs go.

  • Academy Manufactor - I considered this for the deck initially, but it turns out it would be a non-bo with Vraska, the Silencer. Her wording reads "Whenever a nontoken creature an opponent controls dies, you may pay . If you do, return that card to the battlefield tapped under your control. It's a Treasure artifact" Manufactor only makes its plethora of tokens whenever an effect creates a Treasure, Food, or Clue token. Currently, Deadly Dispute, Tireless Provisioner, & Revel in Riches are my only cards that make treasure tokens.

  • Mastermind Plum - He has replaced Preacher of the Schism in a couple of my other decks already, so I guess I might as well continue the trend. I think I picked Preacher mostly because I have copies on hand, & my Mastermind Plum is already in another deck.

  • Infectious Bite - Forgot about this card & must have overlooked it in my initial brewing. Will likely swap out with Bite Down.

  • Bootleggers' Stash/Parallel Lives - Ehhhhh, I kinda like Revel in Riches as my awkward value 5 drop more than Bootlegger's Stash. I don't think I'd consider Parallel Lives for similar reasons listed as Academy Manufactor.

Regarding all the anti-token stuff you mentioned, I agree that Pernicious Deed is what I'm most likely to include. I had it in the initial draft of this deck, but swapped it for some other removal.

  • Liquimetal Torque - Definitely a case of "I know I have this on hand". I was also considering Fellwar Stone for this slot. As cool as Jet & Emerald Medallion are, I don't have a copy of either yet. I usually try to focus on what I have initially, then save stuff like the medallions for future upgrades if I like a deck enough to continue investing in it.

  • Kura, the Boundless Sky - I typically play against a Kangee, Sky Warden deck quite frequently in my meta. My friend that pilots the deck will frequently go after decks that don't have flying defenses up, & tends to avoid swinging at boards that will stop the flyers. So Kura is here to play mind games with him & deter aggro as a deathtouch flyer, but also is just a bigger body that can help soar over defenses & chip people for 4 damage until they can do something about it. Once he does die, I will pick the land option.

  • Saryth, the Viper's Fang - I feel like I tend to see 1-2 wipes per game, but much more targeted removal. Wipes are inevitable, so I don't really worry about them. I'd rather dissuade targeted removal, or at least speedbump folks by offering Saryth up as the bottleneck to the rest of my board without a wipe. If she is too redundant, this could be a potential swap out.

  • Questing Beastfoil - I like it for being a haste-y body that also blocks well against aggro crack back. More importantly it helps negate the occasional Fog effect. Because of my main meta being more aggro, I'd rather have bodies on board than to a certain extent than a higher volume of kill spells. The deck started off with more instant & sorcery speed removal, but felt anemic for board presence.

  • Guardian Project - Don't think I've ever encountered anyone killing creatures in response to the trigger for denial. Maybe it's happened once or twice, but I don't think it's happened with any kind of consistency to make me worried about it.

  • As for the 3 X finishers, this is definitely another case of "I have these on hand". Most of the time Damnable Pact will be a draw spell for myself, but does have that corner case potential to finish off someone that's low enough. I've seen Exsanguinate enough in my meta, & if it hasn't acted as a finisher, it helps its caster stabilize enough to attrition everyone else out. I think I'd rather include Rise of the Dark Realms over Finale, mostly for budget purposes.

Thank you for the questions and suggestions! Definitely a fun thought exercise to get my day started.

Darb_the_Bard on Buttercup: Princess Bride

2 years ago

I really want to add Queen Marchesa to the deck. I've been feeling a bit sad that we've taken out most of the small, non-legendary deathtouch creatures that were in the original list. Don't get me wrong - I think the deck is stronger for leaning more heavily into the legendary and keyword soup themes. But I also want to make sure Westley has a chance to shine, particularly if our opponents remove Odric and we need another way to get a bunch of deathtouch creatures in play. Plus, many of the deck's removal spells (fight spells) were added with the expectation that we would always have a deathtouch creatures in play: Infectious Bite, Smell Fear, and Khalni Ambush  Flip.

So if the goal is to increase our deathtouch creatures while maintaining our other themes, then Queen Marchesa seems like a great fit. She is legendary and provides three colors for Buttercup, but what I'm most excited about is that she has deathtouch herself and can create more deathtouch dudes (plus the haste she provides to the soup is a bonus). And she also introduces the Monarch upon ETB, so whether we cast her or tutor for her, she replaces herself with a card draw that turn. Then she is either creating another deathtouch creature every turn or drawing us an additional card every turn. I also feel like the Monarch is just a fun and flavorful way to play with Princess Bride cards.

I'm having trouble deciding what to take out though. Any thoughts?

Headers13 on

3 years ago

Cheap creatures with deathtouch:

Acidic Slime Ambush Viper Deathbloom Gardener Fang of Shigeki Gnarlwood Dryad Gorgon Flail Greater Basilisk Heir of the Wilds Ichorspit Basilisk Kessig Recluse Mirkwood Spider Moss Viper Narnam Renegade Oakhame Adversary Skullwinder Tajuru Blightblade Thornweald Archer Turntimber Basilisk Underdark Basilisk

Creatures with infect/toxic

Blight Mamba Core Prowler Corpse Cur Cystbearer Ichorclaw Myr Paladin of Predation Plague Myr Rot Wolf Spinebiter Tyrranax Atrocity Venomous Brutalizer Viridian Corrupter Carrion Call

Proliferate:

Adaptive Sporesinger Cankerbloom Carnivorous Canopy Copper Longlegs Courage in Crisis Evolution Sage Expand the Sphere Smell Fear Thirsting Roots Unnatural Restoration Urban Daggertooth

Equipment:

Grafted Exoskeleton Prosthetic Injector Swiftfoot Boots Fireshrieker Bladed Pinions Chariot of Victory Jousting Lance No-Dachi Peregrine Mask Sharpened Pitchfork Surestrike Trident Viridian Claw Livewire Lash Pathway Arrows Rogue's Gloves Sorcerer's Wand Thornbite Staff Viridian Longbow*

Instant kill:

Aggressive Instinct Ambuscade Animist's Might Bite Down Clear Shot Cosmic Hunger Devouring Tendrils Halana, Kessig Ranger Infectious Bite Nature's Way Rabid Bite Spinning Wheel Kick

Unblockable:

Access Tunnel Rogue's Passage Executioner's Hood Prowler's Helm Skeleton Key Wedding Invitation Whispersilk Cloak

Azoth2099 on Green/Black toxic/proliferate need recommendations

3 years ago

Balvron

One more thing!!

As far as cuts go, anything EXCEPT FOR the following should be cut in favor of a more streamlined strategy with some of the pieces that have been mentioned imo:

Blightbelly Rat Bloated Contaminator Cankerbloom Fynn, the Fangbearer Phyrexian Hydra Scheming Aspirant Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon Thalia and The Gitrog Monster Invasion of Ikoria  Flip Chromatic Lantern Grafted Exoskeleton Snake Cult Initiation Carnivorous Canopy Drown in Ichor Infectious Bite Putrefy Tainted Strike Command Tower Inkmoth Nexus Karn's Bastion

All of these are great picks that can easily slot into the deck's rework.

Almios on Blessed Perfection [1.3/MOM] - Suggestions Wanted!

3 years ago

My suggestions are based on not spending an arm and a leg to make improvements but maybe a finger or toe.

At a quick glance the first comment I have is lands seem a little low. I personally lean towards 36 if the deck isn't mono colored.

I know they are a bit slower but I would suggest using the tri colored lands as you are already using fetches. These lands add some real good color fixing early on and if they do become dead in hand cycle them away. Spara's Headquarters, Zagoth Triome, Indatha Triome and Raffine's Tower. I would replace your lands that reference the opponent count to come in untapped.

A land that goes on theme is Mirrex since it can get you mites as the game drags on. A second land I recommend since your land base is so varied is Field of the Dead, the zombies can add up and are nice little chumps if need be.

With the above changes I would say Crucible of Worlds but if you find sometimes you struggle to have something to play Conduit of Worlds is an extra mana but has the ability to give you the chance to cast something when you might not have anything else to work with.

I would personally go full Praetor and run each variation if possible for the big flavor. The added benefit is each one of them is practically game warping, but be warned it can attract a lot of attention. The newest Vorinclex is probably the odd man out though since he only finds basic forests and Dominaria Sheoldred simply because of price. Added benefits of the new praetors is you can accelrate their saga. Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree would then make a very nice inclusion if you go that way.

Cards to consider dumping for them from what I can at a first glance are Flesh-Eater Imp, Plague Stinger, Septic Rats and Slaughter Singer. I chose these because I don't feel once they hit the board they are something that people say "this needs to die".

Norn's Choirmaster is a recent card that gives your commander even more of a presence on the board.

On the sorcery since the only card that I don't like the look of is Nature's Lore, sure it is a cheap way to get you your colors especially if you have dual typed lands but if we are upping the land count I would switch it to a Skyshroud Claim since it can find you the same lands but untapped if the land can come in untapped for mana efficiency.

The biggest suggestion on the instant side would be to add Krosan Grip over Infectious Bite. Sure the bite is a form of removal and poison generation but I find having one of the best artifact/enchantment removals is the better option.

I understand the suggestion fromm KongMing as a strong one but I don't think it works the way he intended it Temporal Distortion does put counters on their lands but it removes ALL of them not just one so even if you proliferate it doesn't keep the lands tapped down longer unless you destroy your own enchantment.

Astral Cornucopia is nice with since you can keep building it but getting only one color out of it can be problematic at times. I suggest replacing with a Crystalline Crawler if you are find being a little off theme.

I would find a home for Chromatic Lantern, having one artifact to fix all of your mana problems is very nice especially when in more than two colors.

Overall there are a couple of other cards I would recommend to consider but unsure of an exact home without taking apart every step. Grafted Exoskeleton, Tainted Strike, if you go the praetor route Geth's Summons is a great reanimation spell of you have the corrupted. Yawgmoth's Vile Offering is also a very strong spell for reanimation and removal. Inexorable Tide should probably have a home somewhere, it is a bit high CMC but it gets the job done. As Foretold also helps a lot of mana problems, do keep in mind it can also be used off turns if you have instant speed spells.

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