Modern Infect MBC

by Logazor on 29 March 2014

Main Deck (60 cards)

Sideboard (15 cards)

Sorceries (4)


Instants (3)

Submit a list of cards below to bulk import them all into your sideboard. Post one card per line using a format like "4x Birds of Paradise" or "1 Blaze", you can even enter just the card name by itself like "Wrath of God" for single cards.


Deck Description

This is the current deck I ran at the GP Minneapolis 2014. I know this deck and sideboard need significant revisions, and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions.

This is as I'd like it to be:

http://www.mtgvault.com/logazor/decks/modern-infect-as-id-like-it/

It took a miserable 3-6.
My matchups were:
GR Tron
UR Storm
UWR Snap Control
Naya Hexproof
Esper Control
WB Tokens
Match Loss due to Sitting at the Wrong Seat
Burn
Soul Sisters

How to Play

Inkmoth nexus, phyrexian crusader (gotta love that prot), and funeral charm seem like pretty key cards. If funeral charm is a new card for you, make note that it's an instant; if your opponent has an empty had, so long as the card they draw is not a cast-able instant, you can prevent your opponent from drawing a card by forcing them to discard the card they just drew. Another thing about funeral charm is that you may pump an attacker; or, when urborg is in play, you can make any of your creatures unblockable.

Against Twin Exarch:
In:
+1 slaughter pact
+3 sudden death
+1 torpor orb
+1 pithing needle
+2 ratchet bomb
Out:
-2 Raven's Crime
-1 liliana of the veil
-1 black sun's zenith
-1 skithiryx, the blight dragon
-3 something else
This is a pretty tough match-up (EDIT, now that I have much more removal, it shouldn't be nearly as difficult), especially if the game progresses long enough for your opponent to not feel pressured into comboing with no mana up. Basically, save your removal for pestermites. Do whatever you can to kill them, but always try to keep a dismember or Victim of the Night back if you have one. This is one of the matches where I want infinite mana and a ton of removal because you want to deal with the combo if your opponent uses 4x deceiver exarch. Only 6 of the cards can deal with it; and, most likely, you or I or whoever plays this deck may have already used some of that removal on, say, pestermites. And let's not even discuss counterspells and card draw. On games 2 and 3, just pray that your opponent doesn't have any mizzium skins.

Against Affinity:
In:
+1 Ratchet Bomb
+3 sudden death
+2 Lashwrithe
+1 Slaughter Pact
+1 mutilate
+1 pithing needle
+1 dismember
Out:
-1 Thoughtseize
-1 Raven's Crime
-1 duress
-4 Inquisition of Kozilek
-3 other things
This is the second toughest match-up. It's very difficult to win (EDIT but a tiny easier due to Slaughter Pact), even after sideboarding, but not impossible. In this match-up, bring in as much removal as possible. You need to kill stuff before you die. Ratchet bomb only kills ornithopers, memnites, and mox opals, but it's a cheap substitute for the damnations that I would prefer. Vampire Nighthawk and Lashwrithe both act as additional threats to hopefully force defensive action on your opponent's half. This is when I want 4x Vampire Nighthawk and 2x Lashwrithe. Affinity really hurts.

Some of the match-ups that are easier to win are birthing pod, and RDW. Both the Rock and Living End decks are difficult to beat and require very good play. Though, after boarding, you have the edge if your opponent does not have much experience against Mono Black.

Snap control is near impossible. You must be either patient or hyper-aggressive. Don't be afraid to bluff like crazy and play other mind games. A way to win is also to get rid of supreme verdicts, and successfully cast a phyrexian crusader. One reason why I have sudden death is to cast phyrexian crusader then sudden death while maintaining priority. Sure, it rarely comes up, but it means you have a chance to win if your opponent doesn't burn you to death.

This sideboard needs significant revisions, and so does the deck; but hey, I'm cheap.

Deck Tags

  • Modern
  • inf
  • Tempo
  • Mono

Deck at a Glance

Social Stats

1
Like

This deck has been viewed 1,255 times.

Mana Curve

Mana Symbol Occurrence

005100

Card Legality

  • Not Legal in Standard
  • Legal in Modern
  • Legal in Vintage
  • Legal in Legacy

Deck discussion for Modern Infect MBC

Right off the top of my head you probably want slaughter pact in the side. You could also run spellskites. Honestly the only way to beat affinity is to kill their creatures with removal. The best way to make it a better matchup is to splash a color. However doing that costs a lot of money with fetchlands and such but it will give you more options. Honestly with enough removal you should do well. Try adding slaughter pacts and use them against affinity. Sometimes the game comes down to them trying to hit you with just one person going through and a free kill spell like slaughter pact can win the game for you.

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Posted 16 April 2014 at 03:54

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Slaughter pacts are pretty budget friendly.... and... wow.... that means I have mana open for more removal early on when affinity is the most explosive. Thanks! I've been thinking about how to deal with rock, affinity, delver, pod, and combo twin at the same time. Pact must've slipped my mind. Wow. Thanks again. This might mean I could potentially have a slight chance at winning a game against affinity!

And I don't quite own any spellskites.... I'll be sure to try some. They might help my crusaders dodge a few abrupt decays, but the rock match-up is not as impossible as affinity, due to my merry little blinkmoth creatures with infect.

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Posted 16 April 2014 at 04:20

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By "try" I mean proxy.

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Posted 18 April 2014 at 06:43

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Versus Affinity Ratchet bomb isn't bad, but most of the time I have luck with Drown in Sorrow. It eliminates the problem right away. Also Howltooth Hollow doesn't seem like it's gonna do anything in the deck so I recommend just taking it out for either swamps, Temple of Deceit, or Cathedral of War.

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Posted 16 April 2014 at 19:07

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Drown in sorrow doesn't deal with blinkmoth and inkmoth, and if a steel overseer or ravenger is out putting counters on the nexuses.... Hmm.... If I drown in sorrow, I'm forcing my opponent to sac her non-land, non-etherium, non 3 toughness from overseer creatures to ravenger, then I can use my removal on it. Hmm. I guess drown in sorrow doesn't deal with ravengers, master of etherium, and lands while ratchet bomb doesn't deal with overseer, ravenger, etherium, and signal pest. It seems like about an even trade-off, but three mana and scry 2 versus 2 mana and no scry is what I feel it comes down to.
No. You're right.
Ratchet bomb is more easily reacted to; sure, it could be devastating, but all it really does is lock down a single land. It can potentially kill cranial plating, which is awesome.
I really don't know now. I'm torn.
Howltooth has actually won me a few games against affinity and rock.... but not that many (and then, in the case of affinity, mostly after sideboard, when I side in more removal). Usually it's too slow in my opening hand. If I had 3 urborgs, I'd consider more cathedrals, since that would put a faster clock on living end, Combo Twin, and rock than if I had a howltooth hollow.
I'm torn again.

Have you ever tested bonesplitter instead of runechanter's pike? It would put a faster clock on the opponent from an early inkmoth (due to early equip) or crusader (due to having one mana open to kill chumps), but it doesn't save vatmother in combat against rock or living end.

Well, time to test your suggestions. Thanks!

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Posted 17 April 2014 at 00:28

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I think you are a bit on the overkill disruption package. Any monoblack deck that runs disruption package normally consists of 6 hand d normally a split of 3 IoK and 3 thought, and then a number of lillianas. I like to run the full 4. Funeral charm is fine because of it's versatility but running anything more seems overkill. Unless you are playing an 8 rack deck you shouldn't play that much disruption. Obviously the problem is you only have 1 lilliana. As expensive as she is though, you probably want to run at least 3 maindeck. It's hard to say since I run a black green rock deck using the same guidelines and while I feel it's gimmicky it gives you versatility.

http://www.mtgvault.com/chronoexe/decks/mono-black-modern/

While it's not infect it's essentially a monoblack deck splashing green for abrupt decay an extremely impactful modern card.

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Posted 17 April 2014 at 03:58

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@Snake
I picked up a few Drown in Sorrows and they seem pretty good, but at times, though not all the time, I want ratchet bombs instead.

@chronoexe
I see what you mean. I often get dead draws late game, but I do not know what to add. If I had more lilianas, I'd definitely take out much of the disruption. I'll update my intended deck list, but keep this the same for now.

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Posted 18 April 2014 at 06:27

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V Tron:
Surgical Extraction, Extirpate, etc. = Immediate shutdown.

V Storm:
This should be our good matchup. Board in Duress and Thoughtseizes. Any spot removal is for Electromancer.

V American:
This one is sketchy but it's possible with the right hand removal. Sudden Death, Duress, Thoughtseize and Pithing Needle would be boarded in.

V Naya Hexproof:
Potential to be super easy. Board in sac removal, if not BSZ and Ratchet Bomb instant k.o. A liliana is enough to destroy this deck.

V Esper:
Same with American however there's more sketchy things to look out for. This is probably one of the more difficult matchups.

V WB Tokens:
Putting our removal to great use, this is probably the second hardest matchups on the list. We can deal with big Tarmogoyfs but we can't deal with a bunch of little guys at once. Board in Ratchet Bomb and BSZ, and hope our removal can keep up. Hand extraction is especially good because we can 3-For-1, but the same goes for them just drawing another card.

V Match sitting in a wrong seat: RIDICULOUSLY HARD MATCHUP. Board in- double checking.

V Burn:
The hardest matchup for us. Too fast, luckily we don't lose life from fetches but we can't keep up with our little hand removal. GG and VD aren't too much of a problem and Phyrexian Crusader's protec from Red is great but overall we probably won't win this race. Board in Duress, and hope.

V Soul Sisters:
Ridiculously easy matchup for us. From spot removal, extracting Ascendants, Pures, Hawks, or Rangers, to protection White dude to boarding in board removal, this is extremely easy. Board in: Ratchet Bomb, BSZ, Damnation.

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Posted 16 May 2014 at 20:03

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I realized that I really needed more sac removal. At least 1 in main and 1 in side, but no one had geth's verdict or devour flesh on them day before the tournament when I realized that my single liliana was the only form of sac removal that I had.

V Tron: I lost to a turn 4 urza game 1. It exiled my 3rd land, then started hitting my hand. Game 2, I destroyed urza and 2 wurmcoils, but folded to an emrakul after liliana died.
V Storm: I lost 1st game, then I set out my piles of cards to side in and side out, grabbed my pile to side out, shuffled it into my deck and began game 2.

V Geist 'Murica: Lost game 1 to a turn 3 geist of st. traft. Game 2 they cast another geist turn 5 followed by an ajani vengeant turn 6. This was a fun game. They started attacking with geist, got a creature, I then cast hero's downfall and sudden death (after I said to maintain priority) on turn 7. I then killed the ajani with a 4/2 crusader... I then got into a fight between a batterskull chump blocking and a massive crusader (w/ lashwrithe). Though I lost to a threads of disloyalty.

V Naja Hexproof. Game 1 hurt, game 2 I crushed with my sideboard, then game 3 came close, but lost to lightning bolt (yes, the deck was naya to splash bolt).

V Esper. I went 2-0 against it somehow. I don't think my opponent drew any black removal game 1, which really helped. I stuck kept a hand with 2 crusaders and an inkmoth, which really helped. Game 2 went into extra turns, but the ratchet bomb won it for me, letting me get through with a germ equipped with a runechanter's pike after I swept the soldier tokens away. I think it was very similar to this decklist, but had timely reinforcements mainboard instead of lingering souls. http://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=7001&d=240253&f=MO

V WB Tokens. I lost game 1. All my creatures just died and I was swarmed. Game 2 was awesome since I got a zenith. Game 3 Was just too fast with turn 2 intangible virtue, turn 3 honor the pure. I had a drown in sorrow in hand, but that didn't help. It also didn't help that my turn 3 crusader died to a dismember.

V Burn. I went 2-1 after some amazing top decks game 2 and 3. Game 2 I had 2 funeral charms that I just pumped my crusader for the win, game 3 I kept a hand with a night hawk and a lashwrithe. Good thing I had him discard his removal. It was really lucky, but I pulled it off.

V Soul sisters. Do you need to hear how I won?

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Posted 16 May 2014 at 22:40

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Doesn't seem that bad of a score in my mind. Just keep trying and don't give up, it'll get there.

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Posted 17 May 2014 at 05:00

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Well, guys, after some testing, I settled with this sideboard.

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Posted 11 May 2014 at 23:11

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Why did your maindeck change so much? You are running vampire nighthawks now and such.

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Posted 12 May 2014 at 23:51

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They were better against affinity, rock, and birthing pod. A four drop creature costs too much and I can't afford to tap out on turn 4 and not have removal open.

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Posted 13 May 2014 at 12:27

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So if a 4 drop creature costs too much why are you running vampire nighthawk?

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Posted 13 May 2014 at 23:56

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Because it has flying, deathtouch, and only has 2 power, so it doesn't hurt as badly when it trades with a phyrexian obliterator (it's amazing how common the obliterator was). There were only two game where I would have preferred the 4/5, and that was against naya hexproof and storm (then again, I beat storm by just gaining too much life off of a turn 1 bonesplitter, turn 3 nighthawk for 30 grapeshots to kill me). Being able to signal pests, inkmoths, blinkmoths, and ornithopters is also very nice when you're playing a matchup where you are playing control. Though, this is only my opinion. Nighthawk dies very easily to lightningbolt and lightning helix, which makes it a little more painful against UWR. The flying did help me kill a little jace. Maybe add UWR to the decks where I wanted vatmother. And possibly a few more decks.

My thoughts behind Nighthawk was that, with affinity, jund, hatebear, merfolk, rock, and rock making up 35% of the meta, I thought Nighthawk would be preferable 35% of the time and neutral (hopefully) more than 30% of the time. In my matches, it was, so it worked out better to me. Though, just barely. Anyhow, regardless of whether or not you use nighthawks versus vatmothers or some other creatures that I considered, this deck does not perform very well against a meta that has so few creature-based strategies as compared to other times when zoo dominated.

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Posted 14 May 2014 at 21:20

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Honestly though at the way your list looks you might as well get rid of infect and become a control deck like 8 rack because your deck has lost its consistency and is trying to do way too many things at once. that is another reason you might be losing.

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Posted 15 May 2014 at 03:15

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Haha... yeah... you're totally right there. I originally wanted to go 8 Rack, but I didn't exactly have money for 4x Lilianas and 2-4x ensnaring bridge. And how, exactly, did it lose it's consistency (i.e. was there any consistency to begin with)? I only really run crusaders for the dual protection. If it didn't have infect, I'd probably still run it. And skittles is a 3 turn clock that's hard to remove. Ideally, I'd be playing scapeshift or URW control, but that'd hurt my wallet even more. Ideally, the grand prix would be limited or legacy, so I don't have to actually build an entire deck and finish it 2 days before the event and play it in my first large tournament in the format. But at least the experience was worth it. I personally don't think 8 Rack would've done much better unless I also splashed for green or white.

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Posted 16 May 2014 at 00:10

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