Magic: the Gathering
Casual
By Pedro, 03/02/21, translated by Humberto
Grade
0
First Drafts of Strixhaven's Limited Archetypes
Top 5 Strixhaven cards for Standard
#MTGBOOTY - After all, what happened?
BG Infect Deck Tech: making Infect more lethal
Imoti, the Cascading Rattlesnake for Commander
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler and the Group Hug
Monastery Swiftspear
in the first turn you already know everything that is going to happen. Opponent starts with aUrza's Tower
? You already know that you have to take Sideboard'sDamping Sphere
and pray that he doesn't cast aKarn Liberated
before. This predictability is very common, especially in more competitive scenarios. In serious events, in person or not, it is not just your fun that is at stake in each game, favoring those who use strategies and cards with a higher winning rate and predominance in the game environment. After all, at the end of the day aBreeding Pool
does the same as aHinterland Harbor
, generating blue or green mana. But the first one is not only searchable with fetchlands, but it also has a better chance of being useful early in the game, favoring the development of your plan. This is reflected not only in the prices but in the usability of both in large and medium sized tournaments.Ad
Fynn, the Fangbearer
, which causes each creature with Deathtouch to add two counters when connecting combat damage to an opponent, thus needing five creatures with Deathtouch dealing combat damage throughout the game. It may seem like a quick thing, but Infect is even more so. A creature with this ability translates its damage into poison counters, that is, a 5/5 with Infect does not deal five damage to the opponent, but adds five poison counters. Therefore, Infect decks are built to be able to deal ten damage, or something similar, in a single attack, so that they become a mixture of aggro and combo. The main reason for moving towards the use of Black is the presence of thePhyrexian Crusader
. Despite having a more expensive mana cost than your standard creatures with Infect, this creature comes loaded with three very precious abilities that make up for the biggest flaw in Infect, the inability to protect the creatures themselves. With the protection against white and red given by this creature we can easily protect it from Burn decks, a somewhat doubtful match for the traditional Infect, being both its creatures and its instant damage spells, as well as protecting ourselves from white removal, more easily illustrated by the ever-presentPath to Exile
and the recentSkyclave Apparition
. In addition, if a creature of another color blocks it, we can always count on its First Strike ability. In creatures with Infect, damage is dealt in the form of -1 / -1 counters, plus the Crusader's First Strike, we can guarantee many extremely favorable exchanges for him and even the destruction of the opponent's indestructible creatures. This creature is undoubtedly the driving force of the Black and Green Infect, and the main responsible for the change in the deck.Ad
Plague Stinger
, a two-mana card with evasion that seeks to replace theBlighted Agent
. Although not as efficient as its blue counterpart, this creature is undoubtedly a great addition to the deck, taking full advantage of the new color. The other permanents of this type present here come from the traditional green base of Infect.Glistener Elf
is your one drop and can work miracles, bringing victories out of nowhere in very early turns of the game.Noble Hierarch
is here to speed up mana and bring an extra buff with her Exalted ability. The last creature, in fact, is a manland, that is, a land that has an ability that transforms it into a creature.Inkmoth Nexus
is a land that, in addition to generating colorless mana, also has the ability to become a 1/1 flying for 1 mana. Becoming yet another creature for your Infect army. When it comes to other spells, black brings usAbrupt Decay
. It is important to point out this choice instead of the most efficientAssassin’s Trophy
due to the speed it brings. In addition to not being able to be countered, the spell does not add a land to the opponent's field, preventing him from making more expensive or elaborate plays. The restriction on the cost of the permanent to be destroyed also does not mean anything, since Infect aims to deliver its fatal blow in the early turns of the game. The last addition of black mana to the main deck is theThoughtseize
, which compensates for Blue's main deficiency, the lack of a reliable means of obtaining information. In the past, with the availability ofGitaxian Probe
in the format, it was much simpler to obtain information about the cards in possession of the enemy, since this work could be done with the help of Phyrexian mana, that is, by cost of two life points and the easy replacement of the card. Unfortunately this card was banned, butThoughtseize
becomes a viable option with the addition of Black, allowing the player using this deck to discard vital cards from the opponent's hand. Although discarding is a very interesting resource, the main point of Thoughtseize is to allow access to the opponent's information, showing what he has in hand and signaling to you whether or not you can proceed with your game plan and what is the best way to do so. Finally, at Maindeck, we have what will help our little creatures to grow a lot in one turn and turn their simple attack into a single deadly hit.Scale Up
,Groundswell
andMight of Old Krosa
are monstrous Pumps that make your creature grow to ridiculous levels. A Scale Up and a Might of Old Krosa are enough to end the game on the first attack of aGlistener Elf
if the opponent is a unsuspecting or doesn't interact well. Although these cards give high amounts of power, the main highlight is theScale Up
that transforms your creature into a 6/4 Wurm, but which still maintains its characteristic abilities, such as Infect and Flying. Another simpler, but equally effective, Pump isMutagenic Growth
. This instant spell gives + 2 / + 2 to the target creature, but its main attraction is cost. A green Phyrexian mana, which can be paid for with both common green mana or two life. Surprising an opponent who lets his attack pass due to your lack of mana.Ad
loss
of its creatures, we have two protection spells that also serve as pumps,Vines of Vastwood
andBlossoming Defense
, both give the target creature protection from abilities and spells that your opponents control. The first in the form of extensive text and the second in the form of hexproof ability. Being [card] Snakeskin Veil), a new card from Kaldheim that works similarly enough toBlossoming Defense
to appear redundant to the deck, but different enough to try out. All of these cards only show the usefulness of [card] (Thoughtseize) in the deck, which allows you to more easily decide the right time to attack hard or hold mana for more defensive spells. The mana base is very simple, using fourOvergrown Tomb
and several Fetchlands to search for them, in addition to the aforementionedInkmoth Nexus
. We also have basic land to take advantage ofGhost Quarter
,Field of Ruin
andPath to Exile
of the opponent. And of course,Nurturing Peatland
as a land that replaces itself as a card later in the game. In the sideboard we have the presence of two old companions from Infect.Spellskite
andVeil of Summer
, cards that can protect your creatures and your playstile. In addition to the novelties that the color exchange brings us,Fatal Push
allows us to remove smaller creatures from the board, as well asLiliana, the Last Hope
with her [+1]. Your [-2] is also useful, as it allows us to return dead creatures to the hand. her last ability will probably never be used, as Infect focuses on ending the game on the first or second attack.Faerie Macabre
is not here tobe cast, but discarded with her ability, which allows cards to be taken from the opponent's graveyard, serving as a surprise element for some graveyard-based decks. And at lastly,Choke
prevents the opponent's islands from untapping, a tech you couldn't use in the UG shell in the past due to the presence of islands in your own deck. Adding all this up, we have in BG Infect an extremely reliable variation of the traditional Infect. ThePhyrexian Crusader
adds an extraordinary value against strategies that would normally weaken the deck. Finally, due to the recent banning onUro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
, I would emphasize the idea of exchanging Faerie Macabre for twoLurrus of the Dream-Den
, thus returning the most of your low-cost threats later in the game. This is a really fun deck and, definitely, a full plate for those who are tired of always seeing the same decks.