Perfection Is At Hand [[Primer]]

Commander / EDH Counters Four Color GWUB Infect Primer

TheDrunkPlaneswalker

Land (37)

• 1x Adarkar Wastes
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 5x Forest
• 1x Gavony Township
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 5x Island
• 1x Llanowar Wastes
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Murmuring Bosk
• 1x Mystic Gate
• 1x Novijen, Heart of Progress
• 1x Overgrown Tomb
• 2x Plains
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Temple of Mystery
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Watery Grave
• 1x Yavimaya Coast

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Diabolic Tutor
• 1x Kodama's Reach
• 1x Merciless Eviction
• 1x Supreme Verdict
• 1x Tezzeret's Gambit
• 1x Triumph of the Hordes

Creature (21)

• 1x Abzan Falconer
• 1x Blighted Agent
• 1x Chasm Skulker
• 1x Corpsejack Menace
• 1x Crystalline Crawler
• 1x Deepglow Skate
• 1x Fathom Mage
• 1x Gyre Sage
• 1x Herald of Secret Streams
• 1x Ichor Rats
• 1x Kalonian Hydra
• 1x Master Biomancer
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1x Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
• 1x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• 1x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
• 1x Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
• 1x Spike Weaver
• 1x Thrummingbird
• 1x Viral Drake
• 1x Vorel of the Hull Clade

Enchantment (11)

• 1x As Foretold
• 1x Bred for the Hunt
• 1x Cathars' Crusade
• 1x Doubling Season
• 1x Duelist's Heritage
• 1x Inexorable Tide
• 1x Oath of Ajani
• 1x Parallax Wave
• 1x Phyresis
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Song of Freyalise

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Ajani Steadfast
• 1x Tamiyo, Field Researcher
• 1x Vraska the Unseen

Commander (1)

Artifact (12)

• 1x Cauldron of Souls
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Contagion Clasp
• 1x Contagion Engine
• 1x Darksteel Reactor
• 1x Lux Cannon
• 1x Selesnya Signet
• 1x Simic Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Trigon of Infestation

Instant (9)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Dissolve
• 1x Fuel for the Cause
• 1x Inspiring Call
• 1x Putrefy
• 1x Swan Song
• 1x Undermine

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Introduction

I have never been a Blue player. I refused to play anything Blue for years, so when the Commander 2016 spoilers started and I saw Atraxa, I did not even give her a second glance.

A few months later I was checking out at Walmart and saw her precon. I had seen how much her deck had been selling for online and thought I would pick it up with no intention of ever playing it; however, curiosity got the better of me and I started playing with her, growing to love her. In my hateful ignorance of Blue, I failed to see how well it supported my favorite mechanic: Infect. So after many more months of tinkering and playing I present my second favorite Commander.

"Perfection is at hand. You have been freed of weakness and made complete."

- Sheoldred, Whispering One

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The Primer

Overview

Why ?

With the focus that WotC put into making 4-color Commanders, they created the basis of what these colors do best together: Counters. I have always loved counters, so naturally I am inclined to these colors.

Aside from "counters matter", these colors have all the right things going for them: Ramp, removal, tutors, and counter magic. Therefor the color combination is very interactive and resilient.

Why Atraxa?

Atraxa, Praetors' Voice delivers many benefits. She supports counters exceptionally well, and if her end step proliferation isn't enough, she is a 4/4 for 4 with flying, vigilance, deathtouch, and lifelink...

I play in a super fast, super aggressive playgroup, so sometimes you have to take shortcuts to win. That is another thing that Atraxa allows us to do by virtually taking our opponent(s) life from 40 to 10. With all of the Infect in this deck, she makes getting 10 poison counters on someone a breeze.

Deck Strengths

This deck is resilient and attritional (not to be confused with nutritional!). The longer the deck stays around, the more powerful it becomes. Any creature can become a giant monster that your opponent(s) will have to deal with.

I think this is what makes the deck so strong. A 2/2 creature is something that will eventually become huge and either force an opponent to remove it or get hit by it. Additionally, once an opponent gets a poison counter they essentially have a maximum of 9 turns before they lose.

Simply put, this deck is overwhelming. It causes your opponent(s) to throw all of their removal out and die from Infect, or try and take you out fast and get hit with a 20/20 double striker that they ignored.

Deck Weaknesses

The deck's biggest weakness is Solemnity...just kidding.

All jokes aside, this deck is more midrange than anything. So any deck that makes me unable to get the counters out is bad news. Those decks are either super aggro (see "Feedback" for an example) or super oppressive decks, and force us to use our removal or counter magic and lose tempo.

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The Strategy

General Strategy

The game plan is simple:

1. Infect your opponent(s)
2. Proliferate as much as possible
3. Win

To elaborate more, play on curve and ramp as much as you can until you can get Atraxa, Praetors' Voice out, and then switch gears to infecting and proliferating. Pump up your creatures and shrink your opponents' until you have snowballed beyond their control.

Early Game

Early game focus should be geared towards ramping into getting creatures going and counters flowing.

Additionally, try to get Atraxa, Praetors' Voice out as soon as possible.

Mid Game

By mid game all of your opponent(s) should have a poison counter on them. You should also have some Proliferate engines out and should be shrinking down enemy creatures while pumping up your own.

Late Game

Late game you should already have a bulky battalion of creatures that a Timmy would die for, so this phase is dedicated to topping off all of the poison counters on your opponent(s) and/or smacking them in the face with a huge critter with evasion.

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Card Choices Explained

These are mostly just self-explanatory lands, but there are two that I want to specifically mention:

Gavony Township and Novijen, Heart of Progress

• These two are included for easy counters.

Reliquary Tower

• No maximum hand size.

Rogue's Passage

• This is always a staple for any deck that needs some evasion.

Adarkar Wastes through Yavimaya Coast

• Mana.

  

  Abzan Falconer and Tuskguard Captain

• Outlast creatures that can make themselves bigger and/or provide evasion.

Archangel of Thune and Mikaeus, the Lunarch

• Both of these two provide counters to the rest of my creatures. They are needed to get the initial +1/+1 on everyone in order for me to begin my proliferation spree.

Blighted Agent, Ichor Rats, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, and Viral Drake

• Much. Needed. Infect. Get them out, and then spread the love for Infect to all.

Chasm Skulker

• An inevitable fatty that will have to be dealt with. The longer he is out, the more cards I will draw, and the bigger he will become.

Once he gets dealt with, however, he leaves us with a parting gift of a ton of 1/1s.

Corpsejack Menace

• Self explanatory, but getting twice the number of +1/+1s are twice as good. I'm not even good at math and I know that.

Crystalline Crawler, Gyre Sage, and Rishkar, Peema Renegade

• Ramp.

Deepglow Skate and Vorel of the Hull Clade

• Counter doublers. The difference being that Bubbling Season, otherwise known as Deepglow Skate, doubles counters on any number of permanents and Vorel doubles the number on one specific thing at a time.

Ezuri, Claw of Progress

• Experience counters can be proliferated and then the counters that Ezuri gives to someone can be proliferated. In other words, this is just a whole lotta counter value.

Fathom Mage and Gyre Sage

• Both of these two are "evolvers" (and no, this isn't a Pokémon reference). So being a 1/1 for 4 or a 1/1 for 2 is justified when that leads to massive card draw and massive ramp, respectively.

Juniper Order Ranger, Master Biomancer, Rishkar, Peema Renegade

• These three are grouped together because of their ETB difference. When other creatures, or when "this creature" (looking at you, Rishkar), enters the battlefield they provide counters all around.

Kalonian Hydra

• A fat, fatty that doubles counters every time he attacks? Sign me, and any Timmy ever, up. This guy basically has a sign on his back that reads: Use your removal on me or get removed by me!

Spike Feeder

• A decent utility creature that can put a +1/+1 counter on a buddy or prevent combat damage. I'd write this up as a helluva lot better than Glacial Chasm. At least in a deck like this.

Reyhan, Last of the Abzan

• Basically, this allows for your counters to stick around longer (which you don't need me to explain how nice that is). The longer that Reyhan sticks around, the longer those precious +1/+1 counters get to stick.

Thrummingbird and Viral Drake

• These are the proliferating creatures, along with the Queen herself, Atraxa, Praetors' Voice.

  

  Ajani Unyielding

• This guy summarizes what the deck is all about: Draw, removal, and counters. Not bad.

Tamiyo, Field Researcher

• She can draw card(s) or prevent creature(s) from attacking, she can Sleep two things, and her ult is Omniscience. Pretty dece.

Vraska the Unseen

• Built in removal, more removal, and then - BAM - three 1/1s that can win you the game unless dealt with.

  

  As Foretold

• A nice present from Amonkhet, this card is arguably better than Aether Vial. A free spell every turn? On my opponent's turn? Sign me up.

Bred for the Hunt

• More card draw.

Cathars' Crusade

• Here is another card that gets counters out on everyone.

Duelist's Heritage

• Double attack triggers or lifelink or whatever. A-OK in my book.

Inexorable Tide

• This card goes absolutely bonkers with As Foretold. Proliferate every time I cast a spell and pump up As Foretold to play bigger and bigger spells and Proliferate again. Crazy fun synergy there, as well as Tide on its own and you're just by playing the deck.

Oath of Ajani

• Another way to counters on all my creatures, with the added benefit of making my 'walkers cost less.

Parallax Wave

• Stax should be in every deck, right? Infect, stax, and land destruction are all healthy staples for EDH / Commander as a format, right? Right.

Phyresis

• Infect is love.

Rhystic Study

• Even more card draw!

  

  Cauldron of Souls

• Utility artifact that "resurrects" any number of creatures I choose. This can be used politically as well, which can make board wipes much more fun.

Chromatic Lantern

• Mana fixing for days.

Commander's Sphere

• Mana rock plus card draw when the ramp isn't as necessary

Contagion Clasp and Contagion Engine

• These two put a -1/-1 counter on creature(s) and Proliferate for added value. Shrink your opponent(s) creatures and pump anything you want with that extra proliferation.

Darksteel Reactor

• This is a fun alternative win condition. Believe it or not, it is not that hard to get 20+ counters on here in a short period of time, and the indestructibility makes removing this a tough challenge.

Selesnya Signet, Simic Signet, Sol Ring, and Talisman of Dominance

• More mana rocks. Colorless and colored, just a bit of extra mana for that extra edge needed.

Trigon of Infestation

• Always get an Infect creature when needed if you have this out.

  

  Anguished Unmaking and Putrefy

• Spot removal.

Counterspell, Dissolve, Fuel for the Cause, Swan Song, and Undermine

• Counter magic.

Cyclonic Rift, Merciless Eviction, and Supreme Verdict

• Board wipes. Also, you should almost exclusively cast Cyclonic Rift for its overload.

Diabolic Tutor

• Tutor.

Inspiring Call and Tezzeret's Gambit

• Card draw.

Kodama's Reach

• Ramp.

Triumph of the Hordes

• One of my favorite cards to play in any green deck, this can (and has on many occasions) win games out of nowhere. Remember when I said everyone loves Infect?

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  Other Information

  Possible Additions

  Doubling Season

• Obviously belongs in here, but as Happy Gilmore put it, "the price is wrong, &!%*#!"

Ajani Steadfast

• Possible replacement for Ajani Unyielding.

  Change Log

  Currently empty.
  
  

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  Feedback

  Huge shout out to freakingShane for all the help with this primer! If you are looking for inspiration on primers or spikey decks, go check him or his decks out right here:

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Purphoros, Forger of Goblins [[Primer]]

Commander / EDH freakingShane

SCORE: 205 | 202 COMMENTS | 44178 VIEWS | IN 137 FOLDERS

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I appreciate any and all suggestions, comments, and feedback. If you have recommendations, please try to suggest possible cuts for the replacement. Thanks for stopping by!

All Will Be One

Date added	6 years
Last updated	5 years
Exclude colors	R
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 46 - 0 Rares 19 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.38
Tokens	Assassin 1/1 B w/ Player Killer, Bird 2/2 U, Emblem Ajani Steadfast, Emblem Tamiyo, Field Researcher, Phyrexian Insect 1/1 G, Squid 1/1 U
Folders	edh coll