I've tried some games online with the Sultai list and the meta seems extremely hostile to infect at the moment (or I just drew/played very poorly) as so many decks are packing interaction right now that protecting your creature (against numerous removal spells) or having a critical mass of pump spells (against discard) is really hard.
Yeah the meta is pretty hostile for not only Infect but aggro decks in general.
I noticed that this always happens after a ban. If a card gets banned people go back to midrange and Tron style decks for safety.
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Legacy - Reanimator
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
Modern Masters 2017 released today and my store I usually play at did a tournament for the release of it following up to midnight. Nonetheless I played and I played Infect since I haven't played this deck in a while because I have been playing Merfolk for the last month.
Here was my matches: Round 1: (Opponent's deck: Jeskai Saheeli) I really like Saheeli Rai and have thought about building this deck. This deck is very much like Splinter Twin back in the day.
Game 1: Removal spells and counter spells helped them and they won on turn 5 easily.
Game 2: Same thing managed to happen again, enough disruption for my infect creatures for me not being able to win easily,
Round 2: (Opponent's deck: Merfolk) Funny enough, my friend was borrowing my Merfolk deck and we managed to get paired with each other so this was going to be interesting.
Game 1: I didn't managed to have much pump spells at the ready and they managed to have Cursecatcher at the ready to stop some pump spells.
Game 2: Same thing as the first game, I couldn't stop the Cursecatcher not the unblockable Merfolk as well.
Round 3: (Opponent's deck: G/R Tron) Infect has a good time against this deck if my opponent cannot not set up Tron fast enough.
Game 1: I managed to go big on turn 3 with enough pump to my Blighted Agent really early on in the game.
Game 2: I didn't draw well this game and they managed to set up Tron fast enough and dropped Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and my creatures as well as me to the face.
Game 3: I felt sorry my opponent, they had to mulligan down to five cards and refused to go down to four because they couldn't get a land in their hand. The first two turns they could not draw a land I was fueling up my and for an easy swing and kill. Needless the say, I got there quite easily.
Round 4: (Opponent's deck: Death's Shadow Jund) I'm starting to dislike this deck more and more each time I face it. Jund was bad enough but this is getting up there...
Game 1: They managed to removal all my infect creatures and I managed to have only a Noble Hierarch available. They had less than 10 life left and I had enough pump spells in my hand to go in and win with Noble Hierarch beats instead of my infect creatures. Didn't plan to win by normal damage, but I will take it.
Game 2: One of the reason why Jund in any variant is called 'removal.deck' is because I could not set up a board presence at all and they managed to get there.
Game 3: Yet again as the second game, they had more removal for all my creatures as well and could not get there.
Round 5: (Opponent's deck: U/W Polymorph) An interesting deck to face indeed but I think I will always get there with Blighted Agent on the field.
Game 1: Blighted Agent get me there this game, they managed to Polymorph into Griselbrand but I had enough pump spells for the win at the ready.
Game 2: Same thing happened the first game, I managed to get in with Blighted Agent. My opponent did have counter spells at the ready but I had enough pumps to not make a difference.
Going 2-3-0 was not in sights for that night and need to have more practice with Infect because I let it sit back for a while. I manage to buy two packs just cause I didn't want to leave without nothing, I did manage to pull a Blood Moon and a Grafdigger's Cage as well from the two packs I bought, nonetheless I think I did okay in terms of packs.
Hey man, I actually did the stinger splash, it wasn't bad.some folks like ichor claw myr as the 13th infecter, but i lean towards dryad arbor. With wild defiance in the deck, your pump spells can easily get a natural damage kill with arbor or noble, and since any fetch can go get arbor, you are rarely without a surprise creature. It has been the best option for me, but stinger seems good right now, as you will not encounter many blockers aside from delver or opposing inkmoths, and neither are super popular right now. Martin juza had some success with black, running 4 dismember in the side along with stinger and one overgrown tomb.
Peek is ok. I liked it because in my area there´s a lot of midrange/control decks and the information peek provides wins games( knowing they have anger makes you not overextend, if they have explosives you won´t play another 1 drop and make the card innefective...). At the gp I played vs very few of those decks so peek was one of my 1 cuts if I needed space. I like that cycles and fuels become inmense.
I though about cutting it and adding another infector(sylvan scrying, maybe) or another card that cycles and fuels BI(serum visions of sleigh of hand).
At the next tournament I will probbaly try something else. The only cards I would change for now from my maindeck would be peek or the apostle´s blessing(changing it for the 4 blossoming defense), but I like that blessing is another out to multiple blockers game 1.
Hope I posted the list correctly, not excatly sure how to do it.
I don´t usually have Sb plans sorry, I change my SB depending on my oponnent´s deck and what I suspect he could he have on his SB.
This. This decklist makes me so happy. I've been jamming 3 become immense and 2-3 groundswell into every list I've had and I haven't seen anyone else doing it thus far. I feel as if the git probe ban has pushed most infect players into a slower mindset, and I honestly love the speed I've been having with this setup. I've been having a ton of success on magic online, and have a 36-14 record over my last 50 matches. The number of times a top deck become immense has one me games is Almost to many to count.
Does anyone have some ideas about an answer to lingering souls? My meta is packed full of BGx and I think I need some main board answers to it. Thoughts guys?
Does anyone have some ideas about an answer to lingering souls? My meta is packed full of BGx and I think I need some main board answers to it. Thoughts guys?
Grafdigger's Cage is the main answer. The first time they manage to get one cast done sucks but having the graveyard in check really helps. Sideboarding in some more Spell Pierces will help as well in stopping them.
Infect may be tier 2 now but the deck still performs well. Sure, the banning of Gitaxian Probe hurt the deck but it will weed out the non-believers and the ones that think Infect is dying out. Infect players just need to be smarter about not going in on the blind without knowledge of our opponents hand.
Take Down is amazing against decks that really goes wide against us. Apostle's Blessing is honestly the best tech without making too much change to sideboard and/or mainboard.
I think Blessing will be the best one, has more use aswell.
The only problem is that Apostle's Blessing doesn't really stop Eldrazi as well as the scion tokens. Nevertheless, Apostle's Blessing is super good in our deck.
Lingering souls is the main reason that the 4th blossoming defense is an apostles blessing on my maindeck. Also, I never leave home without the second distortion trike(usually on my sideboard), is way to good vs tokens and creature decks. If you need more help as other people said a few rancors can help, but I don´t like that card too much on this deck.
Once I played an Echoing Truth on my SB for a tournament that I knew that there would be a ton of souls tokens running arround(and the only deck I had available was my UG infect deck) and won me a game, but not sure if it´s a good card overall.
Lingering souls is the main reason that the 4th blossoming defense is an apostles blessing on my maindeck. Also, I never leave home without the second distortion trike(usually on my sideboard), is way to good vs tokens and creature decks. If you need more help as other people said a few rancors can help, but I don´t like that card too much on this deck.
Once I played an Echoing Truth on my SB for a tournament that I knew that there would be a ton of souls tokens running arround(and the only deck I had available was my UG infect deck) and won me a game, but not sure if it´s a good card overall.
I do agree in that when it comes sideboards, it really matters to the meta in the area that you are in. Tons of token producing decks like Lingering Souls, you just board in a lot of potential answers of unblockability like Apostle's Blessing, Distortion Strike, and/or Slip Through Space. Sideboards are never cut and dry, always evolving as the meta changes and most importantly your play location and what people are playing.
I noticed that this always happens after a ban. If a card gets banned people go back to midrange and Tron style decks for safety.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
Here was my matches:
Round 1: (Opponent's deck: Jeskai Saheeli)
I really like Saheeli Rai and have thought about building this deck. This deck is very much like Splinter Twin back in the day.
Game 1: Removal spells and counter spells helped them and they won on turn 5 easily.
Game 2: Same thing managed to happen again, enough disruption for my infect creatures for me not being able to win easily,
Round 2: (Opponent's deck: Merfolk)
Funny enough, my friend was borrowing my Merfolk deck and we managed to get paired with each other so this was going to be interesting.
Game 1: I didn't managed to have much pump spells at the ready and they managed to have Cursecatcher at the ready to stop some pump spells.
Game 2: Same thing as the first game, I couldn't stop the Cursecatcher not the unblockable Merfolk as well.
Round 3: (Opponent's deck: G/R Tron)
Infect has a good time against this deck if my opponent cannot not set up Tron fast enough.
Game 1: I managed to go big on turn 3 with enough pump to my Blighted Agent really early on in the game.
Game 2: I didn't draw well this game and they managed to set up Tron fast enough and dropped Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and my creatures as well as me to the face.
Game 3: I felt sorry my opponent, they had to mulligan down to five cards and refused to go down to four because they couldn't get a land in their hand. The first two turns they could not draw a land I was fueling up my and for an easy swing and kill. Needless the say, I got there quite easily.
Round 4: (Opponent's deck: Death's Shadow Jund)
I'm starting to dislike this deck more and more each time I face it. Jund was bad enough but this is getting up there...
Game 1: They managed to removal all my infect creatures and I managed to have only a Noble Hierarch available. They had less than 10 life left and I had enough pump spells in my hand to go in and win with Noble Hierarch beats instead of my infect creatures. Didn't plan to win by normal damage, but I will take it.
Game 2: One of the reason why Jund in any variant is called 'removal.deck' is because I could not set up a board presence at all and they managed to get there.
Game 3: Yet again as the second game, they had more removal for all my creatures as well and could not get there.
Round 5: (Opponent's deck: U/W Polymorph)
An interesting deck to face indeed but I think I will always get there with Blighted Agent on the field.
Game 1: Blighted Agent get me there this game, they managed to Polymorph into Griselbrand but I had enough pump spells for the win at the ready.
Game 2: Same thing happened the first game, I managed to get in with Blighted Agent. My opponent did have counter spells at the ready but I had enough pumps to not make a difference.
Going 2-3-0 was not in sights for that night and need to have more practice with Infect because I let it sit back for a while. I manage to buy two packs just cause I didn't want to leave without nothing, I did manage to pull a Blood Moon and a Grafdigger's Cage as well from the two packs I bought, nonetheless I think I did okay in terms of packs.
I did the same, swapping a twisted image for peek. I like it quite a bit. Even splinter twin ran peek as a one-of.
Yeah I remember those days. Yeah I might try a one off peek.
I though about cutting it and adding another infector(sylvan scrying, maybe) or another card that cycles and fuels BI(serum visions of sleigh of hand).
At the next tournament I will probbaly try something else. The only cards I would change for now from my maindeck would be peek or the apostle´s blessing(changing it for the 4 blossoming defense), but I like that blessing is another out to multiple blockers game 1.
This. This decklist makes me so happy. I've been jamming 3 become immense and 2-3 groundswell into every list I've had and I haven't seen anyone else doing it thus far. I feel as if the git probe ban has pushed most infect players into a slower mindset, and I honestly love the speed I've been having with this setup. I've been having a ton of success on magic online, and have a 36-14 record over my last 50 matches. The number of times a top deck become immense has one me games is Almost to many to count.
Grafdigger's Cage is the main answer. The first time they manage to get one cast done sucks but having the graveyard in check really helps. Sideboarding in some more Spell Pierces will help as well in stopping them.
Infect may be tier 2 now but the deck still performs well. Sure, the banning of Gitaxian Probe hurt the deck but it will weed out the non-believers and the ones that think Infect is dying out. Infect players just need to be smarter about not going in on the blind without knowledge of our opponents hand.
Take Down is amazing against decks that really goes wide against us. Apostle's Blessing is honestly the best tech without making too much change to sideboard and/or mainboard.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
The only problem is that Apostle's Blessing doesn't really stop Eldrazi as well as the scion tokens. Nevertheless, Apostle's Blessing is super good in our deck.
Once I played an Echoing Truth on my SB for a tournament that I knew that there would be a ton of souls tokens running arround(and the only deck I had available was my UG infect deck) and won me a game, but not sure if it´s a good card overall.
I do agree in that when it comes sideboards, it really matters to the meta in the area that you are in. Tons of token producing decks like Lingering Souls, you just board in a lot of potential answers of unblockability like Apostle's Blessing, Distortion Strike, and/or Slip Through Space. Sideboards are never cut and dry, always evolving as the meta changes and most importantly your play location and what people are playing.