Infect is back baby! I mean it's back myabe. Definetily maybe.
Infect is a beloved or hated archetype depending on who you ask. Luckily for the haters Infect hasn't been at the top of any meta for quite a while. Hopefully, for those infectious scoundrels out there, the newest LCI addition will help restore the archetype to its former glory. I recently took up Alex Ullman's list and tweaked the numbers a bit. This Simic list from Alex is a significant upgrade to playing Mono-Green which I played for a time.
(Full Deck List on Moxfield)
Relic's Roar is a huge gain for Infect. I think so highly of it that I placed it on my Top 5 List for this set. For those who don't know, Relic's Roar and Embiggen is a one-hit KO. You'll need a Glistener Elf or Blighted Agent in play, but basically Relic's Roar grants a 4/3 base stat and adds two types for Embiggen. This makes a +6/+6 boost for every Embiggen.
The Mono-Green iteration had no card selection. You just had to "have it" at all times. The deck was miserable to play with and against so we dropped it. Playing blue allows us to Preordain and Brainstorm so that we can sculpt the perfect hand. Lorien Revealed and Ash Barrens grant us a few ways to shuffle our Brainstorm. Blighted Agent is a massive reason to play blue. Unblockable means that we can attack the opponent without finding Rancor for evasion. Blight Mamba is trash and you're so happy to be playing Agent instead. Playing cantrips allows us to trim on some other bummy threats like Rot Wolf and play all of the best threats.
Protection spells are key in a world of Snuff Out and Lightning Bolt. Saiba Cryptomancer is a nice include from Alex Ullman. The Backup ability is another copy of Snakeskin Veil and it makes a body to protect from Chainer's Edict. Snakeskin Veil is amazing. The +1/+1 counter is important when we're trying to piece together lethal. Tamiyo's Safekeeping is another Alex innovation as a nod to Burn being so previlant in the meta. We've seen this list move away from Mutagenic Growth, which seemed crazy but I've come to trust the process. You really don't want to be playing bad cards against burn so moving towards things like Safekeeping is a smart move. Vines of Vastwood is still here as a flexible protection or pump spell.
The evolution I noticed the most was the approach to the pump spell suite. Traditional lists had a flurry of pumps to get the kill with Mutagenic Growth, Giant Growth, or Seal of Strength. Now, like we're doing with the creatures, we can focus on playing the most impactful and explosive options even it is in fewer numbers. Might of Old Krosa can get people dead with a Blighted Agent. Rancor is essential for winning with Glistener Elf and Ichorclaw Myr. We need evasion to push through and Rancor remains the best tool for the job.
Sideboarding
I slightly changed Alex's sideboard plan as I do think it's strong. Infect has a fairly linear gameplan so you don't heavily sideboard in any given match up. You bring in a few key cards when you need them. Hydroblast for burn is straightforward enough. Dispel and Spell Pierce for fighting counter wars. Fog is a neat way to race something like Kuldotha Rebirth, and another Tamiyo's Safekeeping is good for burn. Vitality Charm is another tool we can use to fight decks using a lot of edicts. Gut Shot is the chhange I made so that we're not dead cold to Standard Bearer.
Time will tell if Relic's Roar will be enough to get people back on Infect. A lot of classic archetypes are finding it hard to get a foothold in the present day landscape. I Think Alex Ullman is pointing us in the right direction and Relic's Roar is hopefully the next step for the Infect archetype. We've been brewing a lot this season so if you like what we're doing we'd appreciate if you browse the website for more. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel for some League action. We have a Discord, something, something, call to actions. Thanks so much for reading and joining the Fellowship!
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