Since the release of MH2 and MH3, a lot of strategies that used to be popular mainstays in Modern for years were pushed out. Old-school Affinity, traditional Tarmogoyf Jund, and various Aether Vial decks like Humans just couldn’t compete with all the new, efficient toys.
One of the most famous deck styles that has completely fallen by the wayside in recent years is none other than Infect. Infect was a force to be reckoned with in Modern for over a decade. This blazing fast archetype survived the banning of Gitaxian Probe, but unfortunately, Modern eventually became too hostile for this pump spell-driven creature combo deck.
Yet, surprisingly, Golgari Infect has been making a bit of a comeback over the last week. Multiple players have put up decent results in Magic Online Modern Challenges. Despite being a deck known primarily for speed, it’s the three and four mana plays that make this Infect variant stand out.
Phyrexian Crusader and The One Ring provide a much better long game than we’re used to seeing. The One Ring is one of the most homogenous cards in Modern, and although it might seem a bit out of place here, it gives the deck grinding power we’ve never seen before.
Infect Rises from the Dead
- Mana Value: G
- Rarity: Uncommon
- MTG Sets: Modern Horizons
- Card Text: Until end of turn, target creature you control becomes a green Wurm with base power and toughness 6/4. Overload 4GG (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of “target” with “each.”)
Before we discuss The One Ring’s role in helping revive Infect in Modern, we first need to talk about what the deck is trying to accomplish. As you might expect, the goal is to force your opponent to receive 10 poison counters. 10 is a lot less than 20, so you won’t need to attack too many times to get the job done.
Unlike the Toxic mechanic, if you deal combat damage to an opponent with a big Infect creature, your opponent will end up getting a bunch of poison counters at once. This is what makes pump spells so valuable to the deck. Glistener Elf and Inkmoth Nexus may be small on their own. Nonetheless, all it takes is casting one copy of Scale Up and Might of Old Krosa each to generate a lethal threat.
Most Infect decks in history have utilized blue as a support color to get access to Blighted Agent. Blighted Agent lined up perfectly against creature-heavy decks, as blockers were no longer a concern. However, this variant plays black to maximize Phyrexian Crusader. As we will see later, Phyrexian Crusader is incredibly well-positioned and crucial to the deck’s success.
To round out the pump spell suite, Mutagenic Growth is as efficient as you’ll get. It protects your one-toughness creatures from getting pinged to death by Wrenn and Six or Orcish Bowmasters for free. Alongside Exalted triggers from Ignoble Hierarch and Noble Hierarch, these small buffs add up quickly. Throw in Royal Treatment as a cheap way to push damage through opposing removal spells, and you’re in business.
Read More: Underrated Duskmourn Hate Card is a Huge Upgrade
The One Ring Adds a New Dynamic
- Mana Value: 4
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- MTG Sets: The Lorde of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Card Text: Indestructible. When The One Ring enters the battlefield, if you cast it, you gain protection from everything until your next turn. At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life for each burden counter on The One Ring. Tap: Put a burden counter on The One Ring, then draw a card for each burden counter on The One Ring.
When looking at the decklist, the most glaring aspect is certainly the inclusion of a full playset of The One Ring. At first glance, it may seem crazy to add a four mana card to a deck whose curve is otherwise very low. Infect has historically been all about efficiency, so what can a four mana card bring to the table?
Well, part of the reason The One Ring works so well here is that the rest of the cards in the deck are super cheap. The One Ring draws tons of cards, and it’s easy to play all the cards you draw in short order. This decklist features less pump spells than traditional Infect decks in the past, with Vines of Vastwood being the most notable omission. Luckily, having a high pump spell density isn’t as important when you get to dig super deep for them with The One Ring.
Even if the opponent has lots of removal for your Infect creatures, The One Ring is capable of pulling you right back into the game. Your eight mana dorks help accelerate you to the powerful artifact as well.
The fact that Infect has adopted The One Ring has gotten a noticeable reaction from the MTG community. Some players are pointing to its addition as evidence that the card should be banned. The argument is that Infect has always been a synergy-focused archetype, so seeing it shove a card in that doesn’t quite fit just because it’s broken is a sign that the new card may be too good.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, either. Infect was quick to adopt Oko, Thief of Crowns as an alternate win condition. A ban announcement is coming later in the year, so maybe this will be The One Ring’s last hurrah. We’ll just have to see.
Read More: Broken Bloomburrow Enchantment May Be a Secret MTG Staple
Phyrexian Crusader is a Savior
- Mana Value: 1BB
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 2/2
- MTG Sets: Mirrodin Besieged
- Card Text: First strike, protection from red and from white. Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
As far as Infect’s overall position in the metagame, it certainly has some appeal. By far the biggest thing going in Infect’s favor is that Phyrexian Crusader is an absolute beast.
Having protection specifically from red and white in a format dominated by Boros Energy and Jeskai control is a huge boon. You don’t need access to tons of protection spells when your opponent simply can’t target Crusader. Plus, it attacks right past your Energy opponent’s creatures. There’s a reason Phyrexian Crusader’s price is on the rise.
The problem comes in matchups like Dimir Murktide where you have to face down lots of off-color interaction. Dimir Murktide is capable of applying early pressure with Psychic Frog, removing your creatures on curve, and countering The One Ring.
As such, your matchups with Golgari Infect can be a bit polarizing. Nonetheless, the deck provides a nice mix of speed and resiliency between Crusader and The One Ring, which helps in a variety of matchups. If you’re a fan of the Infect gameplan and have been waiting for a time to play it again, now’s your chance.
Read More: MTG Food Combo Deck Makes Unusual Appearance in Powerful Format
