How does infect interact with Poisonous 1?
Asked by Teridax 4 years ago
I have a sliver deck that I slapped together which has a virulent sliver but also have a triumph of the hordes because why not. I'm asking how they interact because someone in my play group told me that poison counters from poisonous and poison counters from infect are two separate types of counters.
So lets say for instance I have out just virulent sliver and i cast a triumph of the hordes:
What I thought happens: virulent sliver does 2 infect damage and then poisonous 1 triggered for a total of 3 poison counters
What the guy in my pod thought: virulent sliver does 2 infect damage and then poisonous 1 triggers for a total of 2 infect counters and 1 poison counter, as in i'd either have to get him to 10 poison counters with infect, or 10 with poisonous 1 saying that they dont stack.
Who's right? I just want to play correctly
Virulent Sliver, Triumph of the Hordes
There's also the difference in that Infect changes how a creature deals damage, while Poisonous is a triggered ability (where the trigger is the creature dealing damage).
If you read the reminder text on both cards, you'll note that the damaged player is receiving poison counters from both abilities, regardless of the name of the ability. "Infect counters" aren't actually a thing, it's just a shorthand some players use to refer to either type of counter placed due to Infect damage.
"Poisonous" as an ability is just a reflection of an older creature ability to give a player poison counters if a specific condition was met (dealing damage to that player, not being blocked, etc.), as seen on cards like Serpent Generator, Pit Scorpion, and Swamp Mosquito. Future Sight gave WotC a chance to give it a proper keyword on a future-shifted card.
February 18, 2020 7:44 p.m.
Rhadamanthus says... #3
Teridax: Correct answers to your question have been up for a while. I marked one as the "Accepted answer" so that this topic can move out of the list of unanswered questions. Please remember to take care of this yourself in the future.
Gattison says... Accepted answer #1
You are correct in this case. The other guy is mistaken. There is only one type/kind of poison counter in MtG, but there are two mechanics that can distribute them.
The actual difference between Poison and Infect is the fact that Infect deals combat damage as -1/-1 counters to creatures in addition to giving player's Poison counters.
This page references all the appropriate rules. Also, sometimes in pods, people houserule it to require 20 poison counters (half your starting life total) to kill a player. If yours doesn't, then lucky you! =P
February 18, 2020 6:28 p.m.