Infectious Host

Creature — Zombie

When Infectious Host is put into a graveyard from play, target player loses 2 life.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (5)

DarthVirulence on WTF u Doing with this trash? OH u win the game...

5 years ago

So, it's nice to have an idea for a deck like using little creatures to ramp up to biggeer ones and then (hopefully) getting off Arcane Adaptation + Liliana's Contract but the reality is that your deck relies a LOT on very little enemy interaction.

I've played a couple playtests against it and even with sideboard swaps, it usually only wins if the opposition gets mana-locked AND you don't (which with only 20 lands is pretty common).

I liked the title of the deck and figured I'd give it a shot but as it is, it doesn't work like you want it to. Decks that beat it were: Knights Tribal, Artifact Mid-Range, Saproling Rush.

Now if you could get a bit more creature consistency and maybe some removal of your own (because the counterspells aren't enough), you might be onto something. As it is, most often I'd get stuck with 2 mana, and not enough islands to play anything I wanted. In the games where I could play stuff, my other deck could answer each threat and/or completely ignore it. In one particular game, I got the turtle up to a 12/15 which should've made it practically unstoppable. But since it had no trample and no way to remove any creatures, the other deck would just chump block it with a 1/1 and then smack you back harder.

So: Focus the idea inward. Getting a couple actual demons wouldn't be a bad idea, especially considering that most demons can win games on their own as they're huge. Infectious Host might work as an extra "when creature attacks, opponents take damage". Metallic Mimic works really well with Arcane Adaptation. Get Kefnet the Mindful OUT of the deck. It has no place in it.

Figure out your win conditions. Liliana's Contract is a super neat card if you do it right but if that's your win condition, then focus on getting demons on the board OR stalling the game with counterspells and removal while you get a couple other creatures that can just be adapted.

Some mana-ramp might not be a bad idea to help you get your combo off earlier, either.

Just my thoughts!

SmokeyBear15 on Let 'em Die 1v1

8 years ago

Recently made a few more changes:

Took out: Perilous Myr, Kalastria Healer, and Reprocess.

Put in: Augur of Skulls, Thrull Surgeon, and Grim Haruspex.

Reprocess is great in a deck like this, but it's a one time effect, whereas Grim Haruspex can be used on multiple turns. It doesn't come back with my commander, but I can potentially get it back with one of my other graveyard fetchers. It costs 1 less to cast, but it also doesn't actually allow me to sacrifice anything by itself. I think it's a fair trade off, because a single-use sorcery isn't a reliable sac outlet.

Augur of Skulls makes them discard not one but two cards. It sacs itself for free, even if only on my turn. It's cheaper for the same effect on Brain Weevil, and who knows, its regenerate might be useful at some point. In 1v1, not being able to sac itself during their turn isn't as limiting as in multiplayer, especially if i have another sac outlet out.

Thrull Surgeon is an interesting new comer. He lets me see my opponents whole hand, and lets me choose what they discard. That's super powerful. It costs 1B to activate, which is limiting, but it's worth it, I think. Again, this is something I can only do at sorcery speed, but 1) there aren't many more 1/X discard creatures that I haven't used, and 2) it's powerful black control on my turn that is still a sac-able body on their turn.

I'm not really sad to see Kalastria Healer go. My artists are way more efficient at that task. But Perilous Myr will be missed, since it can hit smaller annoying creatures or do direct damage to opponents. I might want to find a way to work him back in. He was always a tad nicer than Infectious Host, which already didn't make the cut.

I also want to work in Ring of Xathrid if possible, and the only thing I can think of removing is Scavenger Drake, but he's been good to me.

landcaster on The Search For Gilgamesh

8 years ago

What about cards like Perilous Myr, and Infectious Host working with Blood Artist, and Zulaport Cutthroat using some sort of sacrifice outlet to draw cards or produce mana?

Imaru on The Horde Cecani

8 years ago

@mserres interesting points. I have noticed that Sibsig Host and Infectious Host have always kinda been just a dead play for me. Good as another creature, but not ideal. I haven't had too much trouble with mana screws so far, but I may try and get my hands on some more blue and/or black lands after SOI drops. The show ones seem interesting (Enter tapped unless you reveal a forest/plains/island/swamp/mountain from your hand).

As for grave pact effects, while they would be a great utility for me, I don't really want to make myself that much of a target. I prefer to just quietly build my army in the corner and kill everyone out of nowhere.

Wholey unrelated to all that, is there any enchantment/artifact hate that I could fit in here? I always seem to encounter artifacts and enchantments (like Dictate of Erebos, actually) that wreck havoc on my field and I have no way to deal with them.

Voltron3030 on The Horde Cecani

8 years ago

Undead Alchemist would work really well in this build. He can make a giant zombie army very quickly in my experience. I would also highly recommend adding 3 or 4 lands. I'd start with cutting maybe Sibsig Host or Infectious Host because neither really do a whole lot in a commander setting. Also, the counter spells like Mana Leak and Calculated Dismissal where the player can pay to stop it tend to be less effective in commander after turn 5 or so, just something to consider.

One last thing, with Grimgrin and all the other sacrificing you are doing, have you considered Butcher of Malakir, Grave Pact, Dictate of Erebos, and/or Ruthless Deathfang? They're good for clearing your opponents' boards.

Overall though, I like this build. I'm a big fan of zombies myself. +1