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The Glory of Phyrexian Perfection [PRIMER]

Modern Aggro Combo Competitive GU (Simic) Infect Primer

mtgThaen


Sideboard


"Beg me for life, and I will fill you with the glory of Phyrexian Perfection."

One of the most hated decks of all time, Infect is an incredibly fast aggro/combo deck, using the namesake mechanic Infect, which effectively halves the amount of damage we have to do to our opponents. This means that we can, theoretically, swing in for ten infect damage on turn 2 -- this is definitely not a deck to run if you wish to have friends at your LGS.

The decklist provided here is my exact list I own for my paper deck, which is actually unfinished, currently. There are several additions I am working on obtaining, and they are listed in the acquireboard.

This is meant to be a primer, which is under construction, currently. I know there are plenty of Infect Primers, but I want to do one myself. That being said, I'm open to any suggestions, critiques, and questions. If you find this primer interesting, informative, helpful, or cool, don't forget to +1 and leave a comment! =D

**Noncreature Spells**

We have looked at the horse this deck rides to win, but we haven't looked at the horseshoes or the riding crops used to spur it on to victory in a timely fashion. In this section, I will only cover the spells used in the Mono- variant. As I evolve this deck into and eventually , I will update this section accordingly.

  • Might of Old Krosa - hands down, the best buff spell in the deck. The caveat about casting during your main phase is negligible most of the time, and for +4/+4 is fantastic. Run four. Always.
  • Groundswell - main pump #2. Running more fetches helps trigger the landfall activation, but most of the time, in the early game, you will be getting the trigger. This and Might are interchangeable as two of the pieces that allow for a T2 kill.
  • Become Immense - a new addition from Khans that can often be a for +6/+6. I only run one in the mainboard, but that is because I only have two fetches as of now. Combined with fetches and Gitaxian Probes, this card is easily a two-of, as resolving it (on an unblocked creature, or one with trample, that survives to deal damage) oftentimes win the game outright.
  • Vines of Vastwood - our number 1 protection spell. This card is so incredibly versatile! It's a pseudo-hexproof, and can be kicked with an additional for +4/+4. In a pinch, the wording can allow it to be used to cause Splinter Twin to fall off, and does the same in games against decks that rely on targeting their own creatures. Run four.
  • Giant Growth - not a bad spell. for +3/+3 is dece, but other than that it's just a card. Nothing flashy here. It's up to personal preference as to how many you run.
  • Mutagenic Growth - in a deck that doesn't always care about it's life total, this is a pretty good card. It doesn't boost your guys out of bolt range, which is a bummer, but it does what you need it to do. I run four, and they are usually the first things I side out, especially against burn and aggro.
  • Rancor - This enchantment is one of the best in the game. +2/+0 *plus* recursion? Yes, please. Whether you pop it on a nexus every turn out of necessity or throw it on an Ichorclaw Myr for ridiculous shenanigans, this card is awesome. Run 2-4 main.
  • Apostle's Blessing - The second protection spell. The ability to pay off of a nexus or cathedral is phenomenal, and oftentimes this is used to cruise through blockers sharing a color unblocked. It's also reactive, but don't forget its offensive capabilities. Run 2-4 main.
  • Gitaxian Probe - this card does so many things. It is easily cast, either off of a Noble Hierarch that isn't doing anything or for two life, which is a bonus to us. It lets us scope out our opponent's hands to see their threats, what they are playing, planning, etc. It lets us draw a card, which is so valuable - letting us dig for our gas. Finally, it fills our yard to fuel Become Immense . Run 4, if you run any at all.
  • Wild Defiance - this is at the top of our curve, at . If you can land this on T2 or T3, it can win the game outright. It makes Lightning Bolt, Electrolyze, and other damage-based removal dead cards against our guys, and is basically a free Giant Growth in addition to our pumps/protection spells; even Apostle's Blessing, which shouldn't ever pump. You can run 1-2 mainboard, and more in the sideboard. Alternatively, depending on your preference/meta/budget, you can run 4 mainboard, but it's ultimately a judgement call. I like one in the main, personally and two in the boards.
  • Dismember - One of the best splashable removal spells in the format. means we always (in Mono- and ) pay four life for it, which can hurt, but it's usually worth it to bump off a Spellskite or a Melira, Sylvok Outcast or other similar hosers. It gets around indestructible, happens at instant speed, and is indescriminate: pure justice in a card. Some lists mainboard one, two, or even four. I don't run any in the mainboard, since G1 I want to be as explosive as possible, but I do mainboard a few.
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    Updates Add

    Last night was pretty good! Only played three rounds - I dropped the last round to play some edh.

    Let's review:

    Boros Mentor Storm 1-2: jank build, but very cool. The pilot built it off of a storm deck, so it had Pyretic Rituals and Past in Flames to make a bunch tokens with Young Pyromancer and Monastery Mentor. I got game one pretty solidly, keeping open countermagic to stop a Lightning Bolt off of a Simian Spirit Guide. Game two was pretty close. He got out Mentor and kicked a Goblin Bushwhacker to Knock me down, and I could only get in 9 poison counters, so he won next turn. Rough stuff. Game three he landed a T2 Mentor and slaughtered me. He was a pretty cool fellow, and we talked awhile after the game.

    Mono-U Turns 2-1: undoubtedly the most fun I've had playing non-commander magic in a long time. Game one I had no idea what was going on. He Gigadrowsed me a few times but I got him. I had no clue what to sideboard, so I picked Spellskite, Twisted Image, and Dispel. So game two happened. He Exhaustioned me and then the turns began. Then it all became clear. For the next twenty minutes he took turns and kept me tapped down. But I will tell you, I had so much fun watching that deck go! My inner Johnny was ecstatic! I managed to topdeck a fetch and bring in a Breeding Pool with a Spell Pierce in hand. I had one shot. I pierced his awakened Part the Waterveil. If he had no responses, he would have no mana to exhaust me with, and I could get in the final poison counter. Swan Song is a thing. I got a swan and that was that. Game three I sided back in Mutagenic Growth and won pretty quickly. So. Much. Fun.

    Soul Sisters 2-0: I felt kind of bad. This is a pretty easy matchup for infect, of course. Game one was over quickly, and I wasn't sure what he was doing. White weenies? Game two I Gitaxian Probed and I realized it was the sisters. He got out Serea Ascendant, but I got out Inkmoth Nexus and pumped her up. GG.

    Thanks for reading and for your input! If there are any suggestions you would like to make, feel free to leave a comment! Id love to hear from you!

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    Revision 18 See all

    (8 years ago)

    +1 Hurkyl's Recall side
    -2 Mutagenic Growth main
    +1 Relic of Progenitus side
    Date added 8 years
    Last updated 8 years
    Legality

    This deck is not Modern legal.

    Rarity (main - side)

    23 - 5 Rares

    11 - 5 Uncommons

    24 - 5 Commons

    Cards 60
    Avg. CMC 1.49
    Folders Modern, Favourites, learn, Reference (Infect)
    Votes
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