BG Berserk Infect Stompy: Revisited

[InResponseForceOfWill]

Straight to the point here. Here's the list:

Edit: Thanks to andriod's input, I decided to drop 4x Rancor for the 4x Rouse I was trying to squeeze in. Definitely the best choice. Thank you.


4x Invigorate
4x Rouse
4x Berserk

4x Ichorclaw Myr
4x Phyrexian Crusader
4x Plague Stinger

4x Elvish Spirit Guide
4x Lotus Petal

4x Snuff Out
4x Vines of Vastwood

4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Windswept Heath
4x Bayou
4x Inkmoth Nexus
2x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Pendelhaven

This deck is fast. Very fast. I thought I needed card advantage like Sylvan Library, but I found that it just sits in my hand while I beat face and win turn 3. No fancy tricks here. Play creature, attack and buff. GG


Please share your thoughts. I want to take this to a Legacy tourny soon.

[android]

Might sound strange, but I don't like Rancor here. If you're going to bum rush, why worry about stability? Because you're running evasion creatures, I don't think the trample is a huge factor. You've already got it in berserk. I'd say go for instant speed pump for greater effect.

[InResponseForceOfWill]

Might sound strange, but I don't like Rancor here. If you're going to bum rush, why worry about stability? Because you're running evasion creatures, I don't think the trample is a huge factor. You've already got it in berserk. I'd say go for instant speed pump for greater effect.

Good call. Maybe drop the 2x Rancor to complete the playsets of Snuff Out, to rid of blockers, and Vine of Vastwood, to protect, and occasionally pump my guys. Thanks. I like that advice.

[tsabo_tavoc]

I don't get why you want Snuff Out with those evasive infectors, could thoughtseize be better? Also, Rouse+Berserk=Rouse+Giant Growth.

[hjalte]

except rouse+giant growth =/= trample...

[AlmostGrown]

I like where the deck is going! For reference, here's an early prototype build from pre-MBS: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=35553

Things I liked from that list:
Livewire Lash - Not only does it give you some mid-game stamina, it also acts as a semi-proliferate with it's triggered ability. Oh, and it pumps too ;)

Tainted Strike - It allows you to play non-infect creatures and still win quickly with them. For your other infecters, it's the worst pump spell in the deck.

Things I thought were OK:
Vector Asp - It's one of the few creatures with built in infect, although this one needs the infect switch to be turned on.

The rest of the cards I either don't like (poisonus sliver, cystbearer, putrefax) or didn't really fit IMO (noble hierarch, might, etc).

I like your list a lot, and have decided to test it out for myself.

[gkraigher]

i tried running phyrexian crusader and found him very clunky. now rouse and snuff out, i really like that idea. how about this version:


4x Invigorate
4x Rouse
4x Berserk
2x Rancor
4x vine of the vastwoods
4x snuff out

4x Ichorclaw Myr
4x Necropede
4x Plague Stinger
4x Vector Asp

4x Elvish Spirit Guide

4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Windswept Heath
4x Bayou
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Forest
1x Pendelhaven

[umbowta]

i tried running phyrexian crusader and found him very clunky. now rouse and snuff out, i really like that idea. how about this version:


4x Invigorate
4x Rouse
4x Berserk
2x Rancor
4x vine of the vastwoods
4x snuff out

4x Ichorclaw Myr
4x Necropede
4x Plague Stinger
4x Vector Asp

4x Elvish Spirit Guide

4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Windswept Heath
4x Bayou
4x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Forest
1x PendelhavenNow with 100% moar card tags.

[gkraigher]

4x Chains of Mephistopheles in the sideboard.

Good vs Tide, Combo, Counterbalance.

[Justin]

I'm not sure how good this deck will be, but I like the concept. The problem is that there are no 1cc infect creatures that you don't have to play mana to activate. It would be nice if the next Mirrodin set printed a creature that was a one-mana 1/1 with infect, but no other abilities for green and/or black. Anyway, I agree with Tsabo that Thoughtseize seems better than Snuff Out. Thoughtseize gives you a turn one play when you don't have mana accel. Not only can it get rid of creatures (which Snuff Out can also do), but it can also get rid of countermagic and spot removal. Thoughtseize does more things for this deck and does it at a cheap price.

[InResponseForceOfWill]

I'm not sure how good this deck will be, but I like the concept. The problem is that there are no 1cc infect creatures that you don't have to play mana to activate. It would be nice if the next Mirrodin set printed a creature that was a one-mana 1/1 with infect, but no other abilities for green and/or black. Anyway, I agree with Tsabo that Thoughtseize seems better than Snuff Out. Thoughtseize gives you a turn one play when you don't have mana accel. Not only can it get rid of creatures (which Snuff Out can also do), but it can also get rid of countermagic and spot removal. Thoughtseize does more things for this deck and does it at a cheap price.

Yah I'll sub out the Snuff Outs for Thoughtseizes. Good idea.

[Tacosnape]

I think people are taking the wrong approach with this deck. There's way too much focus on the one-shot infect combo, which is ridiculously fragile.

After a lot of testing, I don't think Berserk belongs in the deck. Berserk is only useful combined with other pump spells, whereas a wave of all pump spells could double as pseudo removal. And while yes, you can Berserk your opponent's creatures, bah that.

I think the best three spells to work with here are:
1. Invigorate.
2. Vines of Vastwood
3. Prey's Vengeance (Rebound is SO GOOD with Infect. So good. Seriously.)

Similarly, I'm not a fan of Rouse. If I'm going to play anything that pumps just power, without getting cute and playing Hatred, I'm going for Virulent Swipe.

I also think players are worrying far too much about removing blockers. Blockers aren't a bad thing when you run good pump spells. Invigorate and Vines of Vastwood do a good job of making your guys wither the blockers away to nothing, and if there aren't blockers, it's no big deal that you took a couple extra turns to get there. Plus, Ichorclaw Myr and Plague Stinger both have built in defenses against this sort of thing, so there you go.

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Polluted Delta
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Bayou
2 Swamp
1 Forest

4 Dark Ritual

1 Vector Asp
4 Blight Mamba
4 Ichorclaw Myr
4 Plague Stinger
4 Phyrexian Crusader

4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Prey's Vengeance
4 Invigorate

SB:
4 Engineered Plague
4 Krosan Grip
3 Crop Rotation
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Karakas

[InResponseForceOfWill]

I think people are taking the wrong approach with this deck. There's way too much focus on the one-shot infect combo, which is ridiculously fragile.

After a lot of testing, I don't think Berserk belongs in the deck. Berserk is only useful combined with other pump spells, whereas a wave of all pump spells could double as pseudo removal. And while yes, you can Berserk your opponent's creatures, bah that.

I think the best three spells to work with here are:
1. Invigorate.
2. Vines of Vastwood
3. Prey's Vengeance (Rebound is SO GOOD with Infect. So good. Seriously.)

Similarly, I'm not a fan of Rouse. If I'm going to play anything that pumps just power, without getting cute and playing Hatred, I'm going for Virulent Swipe.

I also think players are worrying far too much about removing blockers. Blockers aren't a bad thing when you run good pump spells. Invigorate and Vines of Vastwood do a good job of making your guys wither the blockers away to nothing, and if there aren't blockers, it's no big deal that you took a couple extra turns to get there. Plus, Ichorclaw Myr and Plague Stinger both have built in defenses against this sort of thing, so there you go.

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Polluted Delta
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Bayou
2 Swamp
1 Forest

4 Dark Ritual

1 Vector Asp
4 Blight Mamba
4 Ichorclaw Myr
4 Plague Stinger
4 Phyrexian Crusader

4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Vines of Vastwood
3 Prey's Vengeance
4 Invigorate

SB:
4 Engineered Plague
4 Krosan Grip
3 Crop Rotation
2 Bojuka Bog
1 Wasteland
1 Karakas

No Inkmoth Nexus!?!? Blasphemy!!

I know rebound is good and all, but if you gunna hit your opponent the first time with +2/+2, why don't just play Might of Old Krosa and get +4/+4. It's not dangerous to play during your main phase because the turn before you looked at their hand with one of your eight discard spells.

-4 Blightmamba
+4 Elvish Spirit Guide/Lotus Petal for more explosive starts and buff surprises

-4 Fetch of your choice
+4 Inkmoth Nexus!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Note, dropping Blightmamba for ESG/Petal you do not lose your creature count. 4x Inkmoth fill a land AND creature spot. It's a flying Vector Asp that can tap for colorless.


Side Board 4x Leyline of Lifeforce maybe???

[Damoxx]

Virulent Sliver for a 1 drop?

T1->Virulent Sliver
T2->Another V.Sliver, invigorate Win?

[InResponseForceOfWill]

Virulent Sliver for a 1 drop?

T1->Virulent Sliver
T2->Another V.Sliver, invigorate Win?

Poisonous does not work like Infect. A sliver with Invigorate deals 5 damage, but only gives 1 poison counter.

[Damoxx]

Doh. I knew it was too good to be true. RTFC

[Tacosnape]

No Inkmoth Nexus!?!? Blasphemy!!

I know rebound is good and all, but if you gunna hit your opponent the first time with +2/+2, why don't just play Might of Old Krosa and get +4/+4. It's not dangerous to play during your main phase because the turn before you looked at their hand with one of your eight discard spells.

-4 Blightmamba
+4 Elvish Spirit Guide/Lotus Petal for more explosive starts and buff surprises

-4 Fetch of your choice
+4 Inkmoth Nexus!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Note, dropping Blightmamba for ESG/Petal you do not lose your creature count. 4x Inkmoth fill a land AND creature spot. It's a flying Vector Asp that can tap for colorless.


Side Board 4x Leyline of Lifeforce maybe???

What you propose is a possibility. My reason for not including Inkmoth Nexus is that Vines of Vastwood is very demanding on the manabase - double green isn't something I find myself reliably getting. ESG might at least help to make things easier. I'll give it a try.

I actually am hesitant to change much on the sideboard. I like having the Plagues and Grips as they're fantastic against so much, and Crop Rotation has become my graveyard hate slot of choice, as it also doubles as Emrakul hate. The rogue Wasteland is there to hit any weird problematic lands, but could probably be anything else (Sejiri Steppe, for instance)

The point of the Rebounding Prey's Vengeance over Might of Old Krosa is that you can split the two +2/+2 effects, one being an efficient means of eating a blocker/attacker, the second being a telegraphed 2 point burst that's going to the dome. The problem with Might of Old Krosa is that it's either telegraphed or weak.

[InResponseForceOfWill]

What you propose is a possibility. My reason for not including Inkmoth Nexus is that Vines of Vastwood is very demanding on the manabase - double green isn't something I find myself reliably getting. ESG might at least help to make things easier. I'll give it a try.

You'd still have 9 fetches. That's strong enough to get exactly what you need. IMO Inkmoth Nexus is an absolute must.

Post for me, a second turn win senario from your deck using only 5 cards.

Here's one from my list:

T1:

Play Inkmoth Nexus, Lotus Petal, Thoughtseize (Petal and Thoughtseize don't count on 5 card count b/c they don't help win)

T2:

Play Bayou, Forest or Fetch to get Bayou/Forest
Activate Inkmoth
Attack
Cast Invigorate
Remove Elvish Spirit Guide for one green or use a lotus petal you played during main phase
Cast Berserk
Opponent takes 10 flying trampling poison

Cards used: Nexus, Bayou, Invigorate, ESG/Petal, Berserk

[HumphreyBogardan]

If you're worried about inkmoth affecting your manabase add in some overgrown tombs. Not like this deck cares about life anyways.

[Justin]

I tested my version of this deck on MWS. Not surprisingly, I lost more than I won. I have a few impressions. This deck does better when it is swinging with a guy on turn 2. It's very hard to win otherwise. The deck certainly needs some solid mana acceleration. I like Dark Ritual because it can give you a turn one Crusader or a turn one two-drop + discard. In my testing, I found that I often had a two-drop off of dark rit, but not one drop. I think that adding more one-mana discard and guys is helpful.

Despite its limitations, I think that Vector Asp is among the best infect creatures simply because it is a one drop. As I said, this deck wants to have someone coming in for a big swing on turn two. Inkmoth Nexus can also fill this role. I feel that the best pump spells are those that can add you +4/+4. Most of the creatuers in the deck are 1/1s and one such pump spell will get you half way to victory. For this reason, I would play Might of Old Krosa over weaker spells, such as Rancor, Rouse, or Prey's Vengeance (the latter is a delayed +4/+4, but is not as good for that reason). Here is my current list:

// Lands
4 [U] Bayou
2 [M10] Forest
3 [DDC] Swamp
1 [LG] Pendelhaven
4 [MBS] Inkmoth Nexus
2 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs

// Creatures
4 [AL] Elvish Spirit Guide
4 [MBS] Phyrexian Crusader
4 [SOM] Plague Stinger
2 [SOM] Ichorclaw Myr
4 [SOM] Vector Asp

// Spells
3 [UN] Berserk
4 [ZEN] Vines of Vastwood
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [4E] Dark Ritual
4 [MM] Invigorate
3 [TSP] Might of Old Krosa

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [GP] Leyline of the Void
SB: 4 [UL] Engineered Plague
SB: 3 [TE] Choke
SB: 4 [WWK] Nature's Claim

I'm still not sure about Berserk, but I like that it can get this deck a turn two kill if you are swining with a 1/1 infect guy and have a +4/+4 pump spell with it. It was not consistent for me, but I'd like to test it a little more before cutting it. I think that more discard (Duress or Inquisition) might be in order. I'm still not sure what the optimal mana-count, creature-count, discard-count, pump spell-count is for this deck. I do know that you will often be sorry if you don't play enough creatures. I'm leaning toward 18 (including Nexus).

The sideboard is extremely rough, and I haven't given it a lot of thought, beyond throwing in some Legacy staples.

One out-of-the-box idea I had was Concordant Crossroads. Haste could really be helpful, especially in topdeck mode. Without haste, opponents have an extra turn to answer your threats. Plus, it could give you a turn one kill with an insane draw, although that will probably never happen. I'm not sure where I could fit that card in, though

[P-E]

here is mine

2 Pendelhaven
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Forest
3 Bayou
2 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Plague Stinger
4 Phyrexian Crusader
4 Rancor
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Invigorate
4 Thoughtseize
3 Snuff Out
3 Dark Ritual
4 Ichorclaw Myr
3 Berserk
4 Vines of Vastwood
SB: 4 Leyline of the Void
SB: 3 Perish
SB: 3 Null Rod
SB: 3 Duress
SB: 2 Reverent Silence

[InResponseForceOfWill]

The sideboard is extremely rough, and I haven't given it a lot of thought, beyond throwing in some Legacy staples.

One out-of-the-box idea I had was Concordant Crossroads. Haste could really be helpful, especially in topdeck mode. Without haste, opponents have an extra turn to answer your threats. Plus, it could give you a turn one kill with an insane draw, although that will probably never happen. I'm not sure where I could fit that card in, though

Yah I haven't even began to think about sideboard. This is just one of those decks where it doesn't matter what you're playing against, you still want to be big and fast.

I originally tried 3x Concordant Crossroads in my deck but ended up no liking it. Try it and let me know what you think. I'm curious.

I also tried 3x Slyvan Library at one point. It helped me once in a while, but for the most part it slowed me down.

This might be over kill, but I almost want to try running 4x ESG, 4x Petal AND 4x Dark Rit. You lose the ability to run discard, but you are more likely to drop 2 infect creatures turn 1. I dunno, I'm sure it's far inferiour to running discard, but I want to test it to make sure...

[dysent]

Some random considerations:

* Should berserk be reduced/removed/pushed to sideboard?
Berserk requires playing in a way that you get 3-1'd by removal/countermagic. Having GGG to resolve berserk and a kicked vastwood is difficult on any early turns. Creatures are already evasive so maybe trample isn't needed or can be obtained through safer means. Could push them to the board and just use them as an all-in plan to outrace combo or non-blue-based aggro decks.

* Livewire lash: is it good enough to run in the sideboard vs aggro?
Aggro decks run jitte off the board, after all, and lash is a very powerful effect in a deck that is 25-33% "target creature" spells with low costs. (also they can't bolt/stp safely if you pull the lash out when they tap out). Note that lash triggers whether or not your pump spell is countered.

* The GSZ accelerant package: workable?
This idea is to increase consistency as trade off for target kill from a 2nd turn kill to a less disruptable 3rd turn kill with stronger board position. The idea is: 4x GSZ + 1-2xarbor + 2-3x manabird/noble + 1x blight mamba + 1x viridian corrupter instead of 4xESG 4xlotus petal. It's slower, but... reduces dead draws, ups effective infect creature count, allows toolboxing out of the sideboard, makes it easier to hit GG for kicked vastwood, etc. Not to mention it makes you look like a G/B/x goyf deck out the gate, so it can push the enemy to make a misplay like using their countermagic on GSZ instead of your pump kill. Also GSZ evades counterbalance. And dryad arbor is a forest so you're 4 cards less likely to get screwed out of free invigorates. You can also use 1x llanowar augur as toolbox to achieve trample/+'s using GSZ.

* Stonewood invocation: worth running?
It's a slower card, but it's better than berserk in a whole lot of situations. It's better off the top, it can lead someone to make serious misplays by holding countermagic for the first pump spell, and +5/+5 is strong. Being immune to countermagic is very valuable when your deck puts you in a position where you just need to walk a dude across once or twice to end it. I wouldn't run it with a lotus petal / ESG package, but if you're going the GSZ route or the dark ritual route, it's worth considering. It can't combo with berserk, though.

[Justin]

Berserk is not an auto-include, but it can help you score a turn two kill. This is very difficult to do without Berserk. Opponents not familiar with this deck probably won't leave removal mana open when they are at zero poision counters and then are shocked when you play Berserk and win on your next turn. Then, once they are aware, they have to slow down and leave mana open to avoid being blown out. So in that sense, Berserk functions like Daze in that it forces your opponent to leave a mana open and slows down their game plan. I think the best use of Berserk is to play it in the maindeck and then board it out for matchups with decks with lots of spot removal (such as Zoo).

I think the key is to avoid overextending with your pump spells if you suspect your opponent has removal. For example, cast just one pump spell on your guy if you suspect removal, even if you could cast two. A +4/+4 pump spell on a 1/1 guy gives the opponent five poision counters. That puts pressure on your opponent to use removal or be one big swing away from losing. Also, while spot removal could get you 2-for-1ed (or 3-for-1ed), countermagic will not. If they let you resolve an Invigorate and then counter your Berserk, they are still facing a 5/5 infect guy.

I think your other suggestions are too expensive for this deck. It doesn't run a lot of lands and won't get the four mana that you need. I don't like GSZ, because more of the best infect creautres are black or artifact.

[Rothio]

I'm currently testing:

4 bayou
4 overgrown tomb
4 inkmoth
4 plague spitter
4 necropede
4 ichorclaw
3 crusader
4 land grant
4 esg
4 invigorate
4 vines of vastwood
3 rancor
3 berserk
4 thoughtseize
3 cabal therapy
4 dark ritual

SB:
3 Planar void
3 pithing needle
3 nature's claim
3 go for the throat
3 seedtime

As you can see, I used the old 10-land stompy formula. You really don't want to be drawing a lot of lands with this kind of deck anyways.
The deck is fun to play, but inconsistent. I wish there's something we can do to make it a competitive deck

[raudo]

Land grant is awful cause you have to show your instants.

[Justin]

The more I've tested and thought about it, the more I think this deck needs Berserk. The reason is that it can get an opponent to 10 poison counters a turn faster than if you are not playing it. Berserk and pump spells that give +4/+4 (Invigorate, Vines of Vastwood, Might of Old Krosa) are the way to go. Consider this: let's say you have a 1/1 infect guy and your opponent has zero poison counters. If you swing and have two pump spells, he becomes a 9/9 and gives nine poison counters (1+4+4=9). On the other hand, say you have one pump spell and Berserk. This will make the creature a 10/5 trample and gives ten posion counters ((1+4)*2=10) to win the game. For this reason, I highly recommend Berserk for the maindeck, but be ready to board it out against bad matchups that run lots of spot removal. I think that three Berserk should be enough.

[Rothio]

Yeah, but it's not like your opponents can't tell what you are trying to do. You use your discard spells to get rid of their answers/blockers, so there's usually no surprises for you also.

[Justin]

I think that this deck is worth another look now with Mental Misstep banned. It's now easier to resolve a lot of our spells. I think that the Black splash is looking better than the Blue splash now. Perhaps a list like this:

// Lands
4 [U] Bayou
2 [M10] Forest
3 [DDC] Swamp
1 [LG] Pendelhaven
4 [MBS] Inkmoth Nexus
2 [ON] Bloodstained Mire
4 [ZEN] Verdant Catacombs

// Creatures
4 [AL] Elvish Spirit Guide
4 [MBS] Phyrexian Crusader
4 [SOM] Plague Stinger
4 [NPH] Glistener Elf
2 [SOM] Ichorclaw Myr

// Spells
4 [ZEN] Vines of Vastwood
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [4E] Dark Ritual
4 [MM] Invigorate
3 [TSP] Might of Old Krosa
3 [U] Berserk

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [GP] Leyline of the Void
SB: 3 [UL] Engineered Plague
SB: 4 [WWK] Nature's Claim
SB: 4 [ZEN] Mindbreak Trap

[ActionJunkie]

Mental Misstep helped us more than hurt us. Nearly everyone played it including us. So at worse you have 4 vs. their 4. Now, the best part is it counterd StP, Lightining Bolt, Brainstorm for a FoW, and Thoughtseize FOR FREE so you could use your mana and "go off." However, if Mental Misstep significantly increases the # of Goblin decks... it could be the other way around as Goblins is such an easy matchup.

Also still think mono-Green is the way to go as splashing anything just slows us down - there is plenty of protection in Green & consistency is priority #1 in a deck that goes off turn 2/3. I'll share a decklist after I try it @ the next tournie.

[capitacom]

Lotus Petal seems better than spirit guide as it allows you to play plague stinger turn one off of a non-black land or crusader turn 2. I doubt the benefits of esg outweigh the benefit of producing black mana as well. I like blue better though than black as a splash as it gives you manaless protection, more consistency with brainstorm, and an unblockable 1/1 infect as opposed to one that flies. This deck seems like it has serious problems with clique, mindcensor, spellstutter sprite and snapcaster mage as you can't respond to those, don't have spot removal and you only have 4 thoughtseize to take them away. Unless you have berserk, that slows you down by a turn, means you either lose your creature or one of your pump spells. Clique and spellstutter sprite can block every creature in your deck, while interacting with you at the same time. Dismember/snuff out seem like necessary evils for this reason.

[Justin]

@ActionJunkie: I think pump infect is better in a post-MM format. Yes, this deck no longer has access to it, but the new meta should allow this deck to do better. As you note, pump infect has a strong matchup with Goblins and other aggro decks that don't run many 1cc removal spells (such as Affinity). Also, this is one of the few decks that can outrace combo (although the deck itself is sort of aggro/combo). Pump infect can consistantly go off on turn three and will sometimes win on turn two, especially against decks that don't pack disruption. With more slower aggro and combo decks around that are light on removal/disruption, pump infect could benefit more from the banning of MM.

@capitacom: ESG has an advantage over Lotus Petal that you are not mentioning. ESG stays in your hand (where your opponent won't see it) and can be played as an instant. Daze will see a lot more play again now that MM is gone. Paying for Daze with an ESG, while you are tapped out can really shock an opponent, but with Petal, you won't be able to bait them. Also, ESG works better with instant pump spells, because your opponent will not know if you have the mana for it or not. This element of surprise makes ESG the better choice, in my opinion. I'm also not sure how big a problem that flyers will be. Spellstutter doesn't see that much player. Mindcensor may disappear in the post-MM meta. Clique is a great card, but remember that this deck can often go off on turn 2-3, so you will be winning in a lot of cases before your opponent has a chance to play Clique. I think that one-mana discard is the better way to go than removal (especially if you are running dark rit).

[michaelq]

MM's banning makes Berserk more playable. Yeah, it sucks to lose MM, but I agree with Justin - MM hurt us more than helped us. Here's the list I'm taking with me to a tourney Sunday.

I have been testing this on cockatrice and it's pretty solid. Countermagic gives you a tempo advantage, and sometimes just beating in with an infect creature with a hierarch or pendlehaven in play is enough.

I find nexus to be the worst infect creature in the deck due to wasteland, but it's still good enough for a couple slots. The real meat is in the evasion beats - Plague Stinger is good enough to warrant a black splash.

I'm not sure about the sideboard - any pointers?


Deck: Untitled Deck (http://deckstats.net/deck-844278-c48446ddb3ae1738c2694bb1508f70f1-en.html)

3x Plague Stinger (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Plague+Stinger)
4x Glistener Elf (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Glistener+Elf)
4x Vines of Vastwood (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Vines+of+Vastwood)
2x Pendelhaven (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Pendelhaven)
1x Forest (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Forest)
2x Bayou (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Bayou)
4x Tropical Island (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Tropical+Island)
4x Verdant Catacombs (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Verdant+Catacombs)
4x Misty Rainforest (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Misty+Rainforest)
4x Brainstorm (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Brainstorm)
2x Inkmoth Nexus (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Inkmoth+Nexus)
4x Force of Will (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Force+of+Will)
4x Blighted Agent (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Blighted+Agent)
4x Invigorate (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Invigorate)
3x Noble Hierarch (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Noble+Hierarch)
4x Berserk (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Berserk)
3x Daze (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Daze)
3x Spell Snare (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Spell+Snare)
1x Underground Sea (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Underground+Sea)

Sideboard:
4x Nature's Claim (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?
lng=en&card=Nature%27s+Claim)
4x Submerge (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Submerge)
4x Dismember (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Dismember)
3x Spell Pierce (http://www.mtg-forum.de/db/magiccard.php?lng=en&card=Spell+Pierce)

[Shax]

Do you really think Spell Snare is worth the deck space over more redundant creatures/ramp? I know there is a long list of threats and stuff it stops, but the more 'free' cards you can run in a deck like this the better since you already are committing to the hyper poisonesque role with Force of Will to protect so and so.

I am using the same list except with x4's of all of it and x1 Pendelhaven. I think your Sideboard is fine. Spell Pierce is atleast a good universal counter for threats. Maybe should be x4, since our creatures have evasion.
I think the deck has potential to be really good in aggro-mid range metagames. I have had consistancy issues arise every now and then but the risk is worth the reward no doubt.

A better way to judge just how good infect is.

Invigorate-Berserk-Elf is a auto kill if it connects with nothing disrupting. Thats only 4 cards counting the forest to play Elf. If you convert Cards Played to Life. Thats 5 points of damage a card. Way better than Lightning Bolt, or any burn spell playable that fast for that matter. Elf is also a clock that does things afterwards, so it's value could be more than 5 points.

I think how players adapted to Merfolk with Llawan Cephalid Empress to hose them, will be a similar to people boarding Melira, Sylvok Outcast in against us. The only good thing I think about Melira being used on us is that we can have the low chance of using Berserk to something rediculous and kill them on their life total. I don't think removal is that big of a deal to a deck that can run x4 Infect Flying Lands, and have lots of redundant creatures that can make a second push with a pump spell if they nipped your first guy. This is not including the useful Vines of Vastwood to shut removal down.

Also, being in blue is good enough to have STIFLE. The deck moving in the direction of Stifle-Wasteland does not sound like a bad idea. We are not Merfolk, no... But we have Berserk to kill people. Stifle and Wasteland allow our Glistener Elfs/Whatever to rack up insane amounts of Poison and makes our deck more tempo with Daze. Stifle shores up our Storm Combo matchup. Stops Deed/Engineered Explosives/Their Wastelands.

Why this deck is not a established deck and not being metagamed against is above me, it's a good darkhorse for a format banning -2 life counters.

[boneclub24]

Can you run this deck without fetches? I have the Bayous, just no fetches lol.

[Choux]

What about blighted agent + unstable mutation + glitener elf ?