MTG thread: what do you think about my experimental Red/Black infect deck?

[Circusfreak]

I suspect that a bunch of you escapists play magic the gathering (with backup from a bunch of poll threads on the subject).

However i decided to try my crazy idea of trying to build a functional infect deck out of red and black.
here is the result:

creatures
4 Hand of the praetors (always nice in a black infect deck)
4 Plague stingers (they fly and are cheap)
4 Septic rats (as long as they have a poison counter i basicly get a 3/3 for 3 which rather cheap for infect)
4 Razor swine ( better than Contagious nim in my opinion with its first strike instead of the one extra toughness)
4 goblin tunneler (gives my creatures unblockable wich is nice with infect)

spells
4 virulent wound (pings and invites my proliferators)
4 Grim affliction (pings and proliferats the poison)
4 spread the sickness (a bit expensive but kills anything and proliferates in one card)
4 Volt charge (keeps the board clean while proliferating that poison)
4 Assault strobe (nice with infect, nicer with goblin tunneler and infect)

i wanted to keep the balance between B and R atleast 2:3 so that i dont have to worry about having the right mana that much. im thinking about putting in "Ichor rats" but i dont know what i would replace with it.

as you can see this is very much a budget but if it works well i might expand it with some more rares like "Phyrexian Crusader" (but that would require me to take out assault strobe).

 

[Circusfreak]

i suspect that cardgames still goes under Gaming discussion.

 

[Circusfreak]

I suspect it does as well. I wish I could be of help, but the last time I actually had cards in hand (instead of the xbla duels game) was so many years ago I don't even recognize a single one of those cards lol.

yea, almost all of these are from the scars of mirrodin block which i believe is not in Duels of the planeswalkers.

 

[Souplex]

I don't care much for infect. It's just kind of annoying.
Fight like a man, use regular damage.

 

[IDTheftVictim]

First I'm just going to say this is not as crazy as you think

However, it is still pretty good. I'd say dump Spread the Sickness (Just a bad card) and add some standard one drop red-removal (lightning bolts and such). I also want you to find room for the firebreathing ogre but I don't see any space for it.

Finally, MY INFECT DECK WOULD EAT YOU ALIVE

 

[SckizoBoy]

Whoa, been a while since I last saw a deck-by-fours...

What's your land base like, though the mana curve seems OK.

Also, what's your sideboard like?

 

[KefkaCultist]

Looks decent.

I'm not a fan of Septic Rats though since they don't really do anything special and you cant use the tunneler to make them unblockable once they're a 3/3 so I'd replace those with the Ichor Rats personally because not only are you giving them a counter when it comes in play, but you can also use the Tunneler to make it unblockable.

 

[ToAzT]

I'd honestly say cut next to everything from that list except the Volt Charges and a virulent wound or two, then go for a more b/r control list, with 4 Phyrexian Crusaders, 3 Skytherix(Can't spell his name at all, the infect dragon), bolts, doom blades/go for the throat and 4 Inkmoth nexus. Toss in a batterskull or sword of f&f. Maybe a contagious clasp or two.

 

[Saelune]

Since I cannot evaluate decks based on names of cards I know nothing of what they do, I cannot say. No one truly can. You have to play it to know.
Though, Im not too complex in my deck building either, so I may just be inept. But I favor green so its ok. (My main deck is entirely based on getting out 3 specific ass kicker monsters, as many lesser creatures and cards all add mana in some way)

 

[KefkaCultist]

Also, to recommended some cards.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=227537"]Fallen Ferromancer[/a]. It's a pinger with infect. gotta love it.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213731"]Inkmoth Nexus[/a]. It's a good man-land for infect.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213799"]Go For The Throat[/a] or [a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205088"]Doom Blade[/a]. They're better than Spread the Sickness even if they don't proliferate

 

[Aethren]

I have no idea what any of those cards are, but I have a feeling that style is going to be walled by a good blue/white stalling deck.

Defeat by attrition baby, that's how I roll.

 

[Circusfreak]

It's responsytime!

First I'm just going to say this is not as crazy as you think

However, it is still pretty good. I'd say dump Spread the Sickness (Just a bad card) and add some standard one drop red-removal (lightning bolts and such). I also want you to find room for the firebreathing ogre but I don't see any space for it.

Finally, MY INFECT DECK WOULD EAT YOU ALIVE

I avoided the ogre because it only eats red mana to pump itself and im probably not gonna have enough mountain out for it to be effective.

Looks decent.

I'm not a fan of Septic Rats though since they don't really do anything special and you cant use the tunneler to make them unblockable once they're a 3/3 so I'd replace those with the Ichor Rats personally because not only are you giving them a counter when it comes in play, but you can also use the Tunneler to make it unblockable.

I can still make the Septic rats unblockable before they attack, they only get their +1/+1 once they attack so thats not the problem.

I'd honestly say cut next to everything from that list except the Volt Charges and a virulent wound or two, then go for a more b/r control list, with 4 Phyrexian Crusaders, 3 Skytherix(Can't spell his name at all, the infect dragon), bolts, doom blades/go for the throat and 4 Inkmoth nexus. Toss in a batterskull or sword of f&f. Maybe a contagious clasp or two.

As I said, This is a budget deck. mainly a test to see if red/black infect has anything to stand on. also, I actually dont think i have ever seen anyone use the contagious clasps proliferate ability. its just too expesive at 4 mana, basicly an entire turn to proliferate once when i could just as well throw a Grim affliction or Volt charge and pop one of his/her creatures for free. and thats one mana less.

However i decided to try my crazy idea of trying to build a functional infect deck out of red and black.

I think I want to bite your face off, that's what I think. Joking but seriously, infect is so overpowered in the New Phyrexia block it's untrue.

Functionally I like your deck, I'm more a blue/black interference guy myself but I have a few other decks, one of which is an infect deck. Those Hand of the Praetor cards are great but you'll want some more land in your hand, you want to drop them early if you can to take advantage of their special rules so you want to keep your infectors back if possible. Of course if you do that you'll be lacking early game punch so you want to build up your land fast so when you drop a Hand you can then drop the rest PDQ.

Consider some of those Pestilent Souleaters too, they can be buffed with Infect and themselves are artifacts so they're not choosy with their mana.

I don't care much for infect. It's just kind of annoying.
Fight like a man, use regular damage.

This too. They've basically gone "right, you've got two health pools. One is 20 points and can be healed, the other is 10 and can never heal ever" and I don't know anyone who likes Infect. It's an easy win and it's cheaper than a seventy year old hooker.

first of all, Infect is not really overpowered. infect usually adds a lot to the mana cost and NewPhy actually added a card that basicly makes you immune to infect. in fact, many people argue that infect is dead, that it is basicly unplayable in the big tournaments or noobish.

second of all, it would be very stupid to add Pestilent Souleaters when i have black in my deck. Scourge Servant cost just as much and has permanent infect.

 

[ToAzT]

It's responsytime!


snip

I'd honestly say cut next to everything from that list except the Volt Charges and a virulent wound or two, then go for a more b/r control list, with 4 Phyrexian Crusaders, 3 Skytherix(Can't spell his name at all, the infect dragon), bolts, doom blades/go for the throat and 4 Inkmoth nexus. Toss in a batterskull or sword of f&f. Maybe a contagious clasp or two.

As I said, This is a budget deck. mainly a test to see if red/black infect has anything to stand on. also, I actually dont think i have ever seen anyone use the contagious clasps proliferate ability. its just too expesive at 4 mana, basicly an entire turn to proliferate once when i could just as well throw a Grim affliction or Volt charge and pop one of his/her creatures for free. and thats one mana less.

and snip

So forget the equipment, and just get the crusaders, the dragon, and the nexus's. Not that expensive. And 4 mana isn't that big a difference considering that when you will actually be using the ability, it'll be in the late game when you have the mana to spend. Also, you can use it multiple times. Grim affliction is a one time thing. As for you never seeing someone use its ability, you must've never seen the UBR Tezzeret deck that was popular a few months ago.

 

[Circusfreak]

Also, to recommended some cards.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=227537"]Fallen Ferromancer[/a]. It's a pinger with infect. gotta love it.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213731"]Inkmoth Nexus[/a]. It's a good man-land for infect.
-[a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=213799"]Go For The Throat[/a] or [a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=205088"]Doom Blade[/a]. They're better than Spread the Sickness even if they don't proliferate

fallen ferromancer - nice effect but expensive as snot to use(mana whise)
inkmoth Nexus - that would be very nice but i'm on a budget here. if i trip over one in a draft or a booster i'm definetly adding it (of if i could trade it for something)
*dååhmbleeed!*(as i like to pronounce it)/Goforthethoat - yea i guess youre right, the thing is that i was adviced to get cards that do multiple things that i like.

 

[Captain-Giggles]

Well I rencently dropped my mono black infect for mono green, but what I can say is thusly:
4x Spread the Sickness: -> 4x Doomblade/Go For the Throat. Proliferate is nice and all, but cheap and quick kills are better.
4x Hand of the Praetors -> 2x Hand of the Praetors and 2x Phyrexian Vatmother. The vatmother puts you on a clock as well, but it's a 4/5 beatstick for 2BB, it's a dangerous one though if it gets arrested, as it just sits there killing you.
Not sure what to take out for them but 4x Mutagenic Growth. For 2 life you pump an infect dude for +2/+2, keep a few in hand and when they let one of your infect dudes through you can throw 7-9 poison counters on them in one hit.