The Effect of Infect – Scars of Mirrodin in EDH
by Sean Olene, Lotus Vault Staff 11/04/10

With the inclusion of each new set or block, each format is impacted by the new mechanics. Whether it is trivial or devastating, new mechanics always change the environment. Well, maybe except in Vintage, but that’s not really a format as much as is it a series of coin flips to see who wins. Scars of Mirrodin adds a few more mechanics to the game of Magic, most of which cover all of the formats in some way. Proliferate, Metalcraft, and Infect all are broad enough mechanics that I am certain they will see play in each format, even if it’s just the Mox Opal. But today, let’s look at the controversial mechanic that has Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH, if you have never heard of the EDH format, go here– it’s fun) players in a heated argument about the way poison in Magic should work. Simply put, the effect of Infect.

Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, poison is an old mechanic and an alternate win condition. You get ten poison counters, you lose. The first appearance of creatures that gave poison counters appeared in Legends as the Pit Scorpion. It was a pretty big long shot to win via poison. Over the years, Magic added a few more poison cards, but nothing too significant to really make it playable, except in casual games. And yes, it sucked to lose to poison. In Future Sight, poison was revisited again, this time as a keyword, poisonous. It really didn’t matter much either. Winning with poison was nearly impossible in a constructed format, and almost as impossible in a casual format.

But Mark Rosewater and the designers at WotC had a vision for making poison viable, somehow, someway. Enter infect. Infect was a Glee-like mash-up of wither and poison, stapled onto little black and green creatures. Instead of poison counters being handed out on damage triggers, it became the damage itself. And unlike the previous creatures with poison, you couldn’t simply chump-block creatures with infect, because they assigned damage in the form of -1/-1 counters. It was a genius way to make poison and combat relevant.

History lesson complete.

Now to discuss the chatter in EDH forums. The argument is framed somewhat like this:

EDH starting life is 40, the double of regular games. Therefore, the number of poison counters need to kill someone with poison should be doubled as well, making it 20.

There are a few cards that make people concerned over the speed at which you can be poisoned to death, namely, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon, Grafted Exoskeleton, and Tainted Strike. Skithiryx, or his nickname, Skittles, is the primary concern because he can be used as a general. The argument is that Skithiryx can kill you in 3 attacks, with no additional cards being used. Some players feel that is too fast. The counter argument, however, is that Rafiq of the Many kills just as fast, and no one seems to have a problem with him, even though it’s an incredibly powerful general. The Grafted Exoskeleton provides a slightly different argument, since it’s a piece of equipment, but can be rendered useless by targeted removal, either a creature or the artifact itself. Perhaps the most explosive of the cards is Tainted Strike, since it can turn any big creature into a one-shot kill. There are other concerns with poison counters, such as proliferating repeatedly (see Contagion Engine; which I have done), that players feel are broken.

Here is the real story (my opinion) on the poison rule: It doesn’t need to change. There are a few reasons changing the number of poison counters needed to win an EDH is just a terrible idea, and bad math. First of all, EDH has an alternate win condition of general damage, which is set to 21. Making poison need just as many counters waters down the effectiveness of a poison strategy, when you could just attack with your general. Secondly, players never mysteriously receive poison counters. There are no Poison Bolts or Poison Shocks. Poison is only ever assigned by a creature attacking or dealing damage. In that way, you should always be able to see the poison damage coming, and either have blockers or removal handy. Maze of Ith is and has always been a very good card for EDH. Lastly, there are a grand total of 28 cards that assign poison counters, or allow creatures to assign poison counters. All of these cards are black, green, or artifacts. Since most all of the poison creatures are relatively weak, there isn’t a lot of space one can dedicate to a deck filled with poison and still have a chance to win a big battle. A single Pyroclasm can decimate a player’s supply of poison creatures.

Oh, one more reason that poison rules shouldn’t change for EDH. Aggro decks are hardly played. If something like infect can swing the environment away from combo, more power to it.

Instead of continuing on with my pro-poison stance, I will offer a few things to people out there who don’t want to die to poison. Hopefully these ideas and cards will make your life (all 40 of it) happy.

1. Block. I know that sounds crazy, with that combat phase and everything, but if you think your opponent might have a Tainted Strike in their deck, it’s much better to lose one creature than the whole game.

2. Make sure to include some cheaper cost creatures in your deck, if you have a poison player in your group. Trading little creatures will hurt the poison player in the long run more than you.

3. Don’t be afraid to run some cheap board sweepers. Infest, Pyroclasm, Wrath of God/Day of Judgment are all useful even if you yourself are playing a creature based deck.

4. Maze of Ith. Please. Just play it.

5. Isolation cards. Cards that can be reused to lockdown poison creatures will be more valuable than single target removal. Icy Manipulator, Cessation, and even Wall of Shadows all work very well for dealing with poison creatures, and most creatures in general.

6. Finally, and only if you really just can’t grasp the concept of combat, use Leeches. And then be very ashamed of yourself.

For all of you players out there that like poison and winning by attacking, I salute you. May Skittles lead you to victory, or even Scion of the Ur-Dragon + Draco + Tainted Strike.

Enjoy. If any of you are interested in a decent EDH poison deck, send an e-mail to archivist@lotusvault.com.

~ Sean

“Some do. Some teach. The rest look it up.”