<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rimasvaleikis/">Rimas Valeikis</a></em></p>
<p>Marvel spoiler season is now in full force, and a card with the craziest ward ability ever is catching everyone's eye. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is positioned to be the new deathtouch commander after <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fynn, the Fangbearer" href="#" target="_blank">Fynn, the Fangbearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but there's a lot more to the card than that.</p>
<p>Most notably: "Ward—Get five poison counters." What are your opponents supposed to do about that? If they target The Serpent Society once, they can never target it again, or it's instant death. But the main course is a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect for our deathtouch creatures. That's a really strong ability, but is it stronger than Fynn, the de facto deathtouch general? Let's find out!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fynn, the Fangbearer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Serpent Society"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dictate of Erebos"></div></div>
<h2>The Jankiest Way to Use The Serpent Society</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> clearly has one main ability, that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dictate of Erebos" href="#" target="_blank">Dictate of Erebos</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effect, but the ward ability is also extremely alluring. Anything that has the potential to two-shot a player is worth thinking about. Unfortunately, it's entirely dependent on your opponents targeting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>I imagine that a deck built around it relies on forcing the issue by sacrificing deathtouch creatures, then proliferating the rest of the way. We'd make <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> so much of an issue that our opponents have no choice but to take on five poison counters, then, we finish the job ourselves. While this is an interesting direction to take the deck in, it's clearly not too great. We'd have to divide our deck between proliferation and deathtouch creatures, and that would make both aspects far less potent.</p>
<p>Even then, our opponents would surely be wise enough to play around that ward trigger, especially once they saw a single sign of our game plan. This build is janky, but no good.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evolution Sage"></div></div>
<h2>The Most Evil Way to Use The Serpent Society</h2>
<p>Our commander has a way to two-shot an opponent, but it relies entirely on that opponent targeting it. So what if we took the choice out of their hands?</p>
<p>The most evil version of this deck runs <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindslaver" href="#" target="_blank">Mindslaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Worst Fears" href="#" target="_blank">Worst Fears</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emrakul, the Promised End" href="#" target="_blank">Emrakul, the Promised End</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. As long as our opponents have two ways to target <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in hand or on the board, they're dead. That's hardly guaranteed, of course, but if your opponent has anything like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on their board, it's a pretty safe bet that targeting them with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mindslaver" href="#" target="_blank">Mindslaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will end it.</p>
<p>The worst part is that they'll know they're dead the second you activate it, and all they can do is wait. Pretty nasty if you ask me.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mindslaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Worst Fears"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emrakul, the Promised End"></div></div>
<h2>The Best Combo With The Serpent Society</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't combo with anything directly (as far as I know), but there are some pretty potent combos to pair with it. Say for instance, we had an infinite number of deathtouch creatures dying on our board. Our opponents would never keep a creature again!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is already a great card in this deck, and if we pair it with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blowfly Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Blowfly Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> we can kill deathtouch Snakes over and over again. However, it's a bit unfortunate that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blowfly Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Blowfly Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn't fit too well into <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s deck.</p>
<div id="2228-4994" style="width: 100%; position: relative; overflow: visible; display: flex; justify-content: center;"><img decoding="async" id="csbLoad" src="https://commanderspellbook.com/images/gear.svg" alt="csb logo" width="300" /><br />
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<p>I was hoping there was a decent combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hornet Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Hornet Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but all those combos require a red card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Terror of the Peaks" href="#" target="_blank">Terror of the Peaks</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <em>and </em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hornet Nest" href="#" target="_blank">Hornet Nest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> needs indestructible. No good. I'm certain I'm missing a better combo, maybe something involving <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pharika, God of Affliction" href="#" target="_blank">Pharika, God of Affliction</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but for now the best I can find is this: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hornet Queen" href="#" target="_blank">Hornet Queen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashnod&#039;s Altar" href="#" target="_blank">Ashnod&#039;s Altar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nim Deathmantle" href="#" target="_blank">Nim Deathmantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>We create four tokens with Hornet Queen, then sacrifice Hornet Queen and one token to Ashnod's Altar, paying the cost for Nim Deathmantle to bring Hornet Queen right back. That gives us infinite tokens and our opponents absolutely nothing. It's especially great because Hornet Queen and Ashnod's Altar are both amazing in The Serpent Society, and Nim Deathmantle is at least more useful than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blowfly Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Blowfly Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
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<p>Still, I feel as though there's got to be a better combo somewhere. If you know of a sleek, two-card combo that would fit nicely into this deck, let me take a peek!</p>
<h2>The Most Competitive Deck for The Serpent Society</h2>
<p>It's only been a week or so since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was revealed and I'm already seeing players shoehorning infect cards into this deck. At the time of writing, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a 42% inclusion rate, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Infectious Inquiry" href="#" target="_blank">Infectious Inquiry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is at 37%, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venerated Rotpriest" href="#" target="_blank">Venerated Rotpriest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> sits at 53%!</p>
<p>Let me say right now, these cards are no good here.</p>
<p>If our opponents see that we're playing infect, they're gonna be so wary of that ward effect that it might as well not be there, and then, what's the point of playing infect? Plus, if we're running more infect cards, we're running fewer deathtouch cards, and that makes our commander a lot worse.</p>
<p>That being said, it might be worth playing one or two infect cards just to scare your opponents. Be careful to not be too threatening though, or you'll make yourself the archenemy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Triumph of the Hordes"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infectious Inquiry"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Venerated Rotpriest"></div></div>
<p>I think the most competitive way to build <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is just to go all in on the deathtouch scheme, sacrificing creatures over and over to decimate your opponents' boards. Then, you'll have a battlefield full of evasive creatures while your opponents have next to nothing.</p>
<p>Don't worry, the ward ability will do a great job of protecting The Serpent Society from removal even if you don't focus on it. No one wants to get five poison counters at once. But, as it is with most decks, our best option here is just to be consistent and focus on one gameplan. The ward is just a great bonus!</p>
<h2>The Worst Deck for The Serpent Society</h2>
<p>Usually for this section I try to find a deck that's actively hindered by the card I'm writing about. Unfortunately it's not easy to do that with cards that don't have a clear downside, which is most of them. Since <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one such card, instead I'm gonna find a deck that it might seem great for, but in reality it's rather weak.</p>
<p>Funnily enough, I think that deck has a commander that's decent in the 99 of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons" href="#" target="_blank">Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. She makes a ton of deathtouch tokens, so why not run The Serpent Society to make trades even more advantageous than they already are? Or if we're regularly sacrificing these tokens already, The Serpent Society is an easy way to control our opponent's board.</p>
<p>Hmm, you know what, I'm actually selling myself on this one. I was gonna say some stuff about The Serpent Society narrowing the number of targets for -1/-1 counters, but let's be real, there will always be more creatures in a four player game. The Serpent Society is actually pretty great in that deck.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons"></div></div>
<p>I'm drawing a blank for this segment, so you'll have to chime in if you've got a better idea. Who would've thought that "Worst Deck" would be the hardest category to come up with an answer for?</p>
<h2>Take Five</h2>
<p>Welp, that's all I've got today. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Serpent Society" href="#" target="_blank">The Serpent Society</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is quite the card for deathtouch creatures, and it might even be good enough to overtake <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fynn, the Fangbearer" href="#" target="_blank">Fynn, the Fangbearer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Funny how both deathtouch commanders have a penchant for poison. Now if only we could get some more commanders for haste or even menace. Anyways, as always, if you have better picks than me please let me know! And maybe I'll switch out the "Worst Deck" segment for "Most Flavorful" or "Most Unexpected." Tell me what you think!</p>


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Five Ways to Use The Serpent Society in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistener Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Glistener Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.steveargyle.com/">Steve Argyle</a></em></p>
<p>Welcome back to <em>60 to 100</em>, a series where I take beloved decks from 60-card formats and convert them to Commander.</p>
<p>When going back and watching old Legacy coverage before writing the <em>60 to 100</em> on <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/60-to-100-legacy-miracles">Legacy Miracles</a>, there was one match that really stood out to me: Reid Duke on Miracles vs. Tom Ross on Infect from an Star City Games Invitational in 2014. Tom piloted his deck masterfully, and I've long wanted to create a similar experience to piloting his Infect deck in Commander for an installment of this series. Here, I'm going to do just that. Let's get to the source material!</p>
<h2>The Source Material</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="2015 Infect by Tom Ross" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Instants]
*1 Become Immense
*2 Berserk
*4 Brainstorm
*1 Crop Rotation
*3 Daze
*3 Force of Will
*4 Invigorate
*1 Piracy Charm
*2 Spell Pierce
*2 Vines of Vastwood
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*2 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Green Sun&#039;s Zenith
*1 Ponder
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Creatures]
*4 Blighted Agent
*1 Dryad Arbor
*4 Glistener Elf
*4 Noble Hierarch
[/Creatures]
[Lands]
*1 Forest
*4 Inkmoth Nexus
*3 Misty Rainforest
*1 Pendelhaven
*4 Tropical Island
*3 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Wasteland
*2 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glistener Elf"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blighted Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inkmoth Nexus"></div></div>
<p>Unsurprisingly, the goal of Legacy Infect is to put 10 poison counters on the opponent as quickly as possible. With three playsets of the format's most efficient infect creatures (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistener Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Glistener Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) and 9 pump spells, killing the opponent on turn three or four is an incredibly realistic goal. Add in the protection provided by <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daze" href="#" target="_blank">Daze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Force of Will" href="#" target="_blank">Force of Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and a little card selection from <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ponder" href="#" target="_blank">Ponder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and this mixture becomes a deck that was tier one in Legacy for a long time.</p>
<p>I've always found Legacy Infect fascinating because of it's blend of strategies. At its heart, this build of infect is both a combo deck and a tempo deck. Casting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invigorate" href="#" target="_blank">Invigorate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserk" href="#" target="_blank">Berserk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on one of the deck's 12 infect creatures wins the game on the spot, and the deck will often sit back, swinging for one point of infect damage and interacting with the opponent while it spends time sculpting a hand that can cast those two pump spells and counter the opponent's interaction. It would be pretty reasonable to classify the deck's goal as a combo. It would be equally fitting to classify it as a tempo strategy, as sitting back and attacking with cheap creatures while using interaction to keep your opponent off balance is the same basic strategy a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delver of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Delver of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, one of the most iconic examples of a tempo deck in <em>Magic</em>, follows.</p>
<h2>Choosing a Commander</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice"></div></div>
<p>When thinking of commanders that support infect strategies in Commander, there is one clear winner: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. I fought this choice very hard at first, but at the end of the day, this commander provides everything a deck trying to win with infect damage could possibly want. First, she's a source of inevitability. Once each opponent has received their first poison counter, Atraxa sitting in play for nine turns is enough to win a game without taking any other actions. Second, she's fantastic in combat. One of this deck's routes to eliminating opponents is going to be giving Atraxa infect, and she will benefit greatly from receiving trample in addition to the deathtouch she brings to the table herself. All that plus the fact that she grants access to four colors makes Atraxa, Praetors' Voice the clear commander choice.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Infect</h2>
<h3>The Infect</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Blighted Agent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inkmoth Nexus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Phyresis"></div></div>
<p>The most critical cards in any Infect deck are the ways to put poison counters on opponents! I've included the traditional suite of mana-efficient infect creatures: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blighted Agent" href="#" target="_blank">Blighted Agent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistener Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Glistener Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Inkmoth Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Inkmoth Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Especially in the early stages of the game, these three can be great for drawing out opposing removal spells and fostering a general sense of unease at the table. However, they aren't the only or even the primary way I'm looking to eliminate opponents with infect damage.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Phyresis" href="#" target="_blank">Phyresis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glistening Oil" href="#" target="_blank">Glistening Oil</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the most effective infect-enablers in the deck. One of the perks of having <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in the command zone is that I can count on having access to an evasive 4/4 every game. Given that, I'm really happy to leverage a robust suite of tutors that can find Auras to grant that 4/4 infect. When paired with one or two pump spells, Atraxa will be both a lethal threat in combat and incredibly difficult to answer.</p>
<h3>Pump Spells</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vines of Vastwood"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Embiggen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ethereal Armor"></div></div>
<p>The fun part of playing infect strategies is that the opponent will often have no idea how much damage they're on the hook for when deciding how to block. Instant-speed pump spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vines of Vastwood" href="#" target="_blank">Vines of Vastwood</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Become Immense" href="#" target="_blank">Become Immense</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Embiggen" href="#" target="_blank">Embiggen</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Berserk" href="#" target="_blank">Berserk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Invigorate" href="#" target="_blank">Invigorate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ensure that opponents will think very carefully before declaring no blocks.</p>
<p>The one issue with the aforementioned single-use pump spells is that they only provide a temporary buff. In 1v1 formats, that's fine because there's only one person to kill. In order to keep up the pressure on multiple opponents, it'll be necessary to use some more permanent methods of increasing a creature's power. This is where this deck pivots away from just being an Infect deck and takes on attributes from another favorite <em>Magic</em> archetype of mine: <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/enchantress">Enchantress</a>.</p>
<p>Auras, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ethereal Armor" href="#" target="_blank">Ethereal Armor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="All That Glitters" href="#" target="_blank">All That Glitters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ancestral Mask" href="#" target="_blank">Ancestral Mask</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Strength of the Harvest" href="#" target="_blank">Strength of the Harvest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, provide the kind of permanent power and toughness increases this deck needs to keep the ball rolling and opens the deck up to using draw engines like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argothian Enchantress" href="#" target="_blank">Argothian Enchantress</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep cards flowing in the process. It also adds a lot of flexibility to the tutors that look for Auras or enchantments.</p>
<h3>A Twist of Enchantress</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kor Spiritdancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Setessan Champion"></div></div>
<p>In total, there are seven enchantress effects in the deck, but two of them are far better than the rest of the pack. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kor Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Kor Spiritdancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Setessan Champion" href="#" target="_blank">Setessan Champion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both double as draw engines and reasonable attackers. Stacking Auras on either, when combined with their ability to buff themselves, puts two more potentially lethal threats in this deck's toolbox.</p>
<p>In order to support Kor Spiritdancer and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sram, Senior Edificer" href="#" target="_blank">Sram, Senior Edificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this deck's ramp and removal suites are mostly made up of Auras, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Utopia Sprawl" href="#" target="_blank">Utopia Sprawl</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Mutation" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Mutation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It's really hard to hit a fail state with the kind of card velocity this achieves, and as such I will typically mulligan to an enchantress effect unless the enchantress-less hand is incredibly compelling.</p>
<h2>Winning the Game with Infect</h2>
<p>My favorite thing about playing this deck is that just about every card part of the win condition. However, there are a couple standouts I'll highlight here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Finest Hour"></div></div>
<p>I've found it incredibly difficult <em>not</em> to win after resolving <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Finest Hour" href="#" target="_blank">Finest Hour</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Typically, the first combat step will be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> killing one player, and then the second combat will be Atraxa and another infect creature finishing off the other two players. In a perfect scenario, I'll have a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hardy Outlander" href="#" target="_blank">Hardy Outlander</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in play to double Atraxa's power once in each combat!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Savor the Moment"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Savor the Moment" href="#" target="_blank">Savor the Moment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another that's really strong with Atraxa, Praetors' Voice. Since she has vigilance, skipping the untap step isn't much of a downside, and Savor the Moment is essentially transformed into a blue extra combat spell.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Venerated Rotpriest"></div></div>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venerated Rotpriest" href="#" target="_blank">Venerated Rotpriest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides the deck with a solid noncombat win condition. Simply going through the motions of casting Auras and pump spells will add poison counters to the opponents that Atraxa can then proliferate. This is great for end-game scenarios where one or two players are only a couple poison counters away from death but the Auras that grant infect to creatures have been removed.</p>
<h2>Infect Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Legacy Infect Enchantress" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Arbor Elf
*1 Argothian Enchantress
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Blighted Agent
*1 Delighted Halfling
*1 Destiny Spinner
*1 Elvish Archivist
*1 Glistener Elf
*1 Heliod&#039;s Pilgrim
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen
*1 Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief
*1 Kor Spiritdancer
*1 Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar
*1 Moon-Blessed Cleric
*1 Noble Hierarch
*1 Sanctum Weaver
*1 Setessan Champion
*1 Sram, Senior Edificer
*1 Sythis, Harvest&#039;s Hand
*1 Venerated Rotpriest
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Abundant Growth
*1 All That Glitters
*1 Alpha Authority
*1 Ancestral Mask
*1 Aqueous Form
*1 Audacity
*1 Brilliant Wings
*1 Combat Research
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Ethereal Armor
*1 Fertile Ground
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Glistening Oil
*1 Hardy Outlander
*1 Phyresis
*1 Rancor
*1 Setessan Training
*1 Shardmage&#039;s Rescue
*1 Sheltered by Ghosts
*1 Shimmerwilds Growth
*1 Sigarda&#039;s Aid
*1 Sterling Grove
*1 Strength of the Harvest
*1 Unable to Scream
*1 Utopia Sprawl
*1 Wild Growth
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Become Immense
*1 Berserk
*1 Crop Rotation
*1 Embiggen
*1 Enlightened Tutor
*1 Invigorate
*1 Legolas&#039;s Quick Reflexes
*1 Revitalizing Repast
*1 Tainted Strike
*1 Vines of Vastwood
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Pentad Prism
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bridgeworks Battle
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Open the Armory
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Savor the Moment
[/Sorceries]
[Battles]
*1 Invasion of Theros
[/Battles]
[Lands]
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Bountiful Promenade
*1 Breeding Pool
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Forest
*1 Godless Shrine
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Hedge Maze
*1 Inkmoth Nexus
*1 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Overgrown Tomb
*1 Plains
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Rejuvenating Springs
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Sea of Clouds
*1 Swamp
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Undercity Sewers
*1 Undergrowth Stadium
*1 Vault of Champions
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Watery Grave
*1 Windswept Heath
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I enjoyed building this one a lot! A friend of mine that mostly plays other card games and has a soft spot for poison strategies was watching me play <em>Arena, </em>and when my opponent put a poison counter on me, he was instantly invested. This deck is largely the result of the brainstorming we did afterwards. I'd like to think I succeeded in building a deck that looks to win with poison counters without being "one of those" groan-inducing poison decks that kills one player and then is promptly put down by the other two players at the table.</p>
<p>As for where this deck sits in the bracket system, I'd say it is firmly <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket</a> 3 (Upgraded) due to the three <a href="https://edhrec.com/top/game-changers">game changers</a> and the speed at which this deck is looking to blitz players down. I'm tempted to assert that this build of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Atraxa, Praetors&#039; Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> could be tuned up just a little more to play well at lower Bracket 4 (Optimized) tables, given how resilient the current build is to instant speed interaction, but I've yet to test that theory.</p>


Building Legacy Infect in Commander

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of Halaster" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of Halaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CMilivoj+%C4%86eran%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art">Milivoj Ćeran</a></em></p>
<hr />
<p>Hello, and welcome to <em>Am I the Bolas</em>?<strong> This week, playing with powering down!</strong></p>
<p>This column is for all of you out there who have ever played some <em>Magic </em>and wondered if you were the bad guy. I'm here to take in your story with all of its nuances so I can bring some clarity to all those asking, "Am I the Bolas?"</p>
<p>I'm ready to hear you out and offer advice. All you have to do is email amithebolas@gmail.com with your story, a pseudonym you want to use, and of course, only include details you don't mind in the column! You might see your story below one day. You might even hear it on the podcast. Which podcast?</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-25893" src="https://commandersherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/bolcast_logo430x430-300x300.png" alt="" width="249" height="249" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmITheBolcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THIS PODCAST!</a> Do us a favor a subscribe to us. We've got some fun stuff in the works and it would mean a lot to Michael, Morgan, and I if you did!</p>
<p>I'm Mike Carrozza, I haven't been sleeping great!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Slumbering Walker"></div></div>
<p><i>I keep dreaming that I'm walking in a field and reviving my dead friends</i></p>
<p>(Post edited for brevity, clarity, and then some.)</p>
<hr />
<h2>SUBMISSION</h2>
<div dir="auto">
<p><em>Dear Mike,</em></p>
<div dir="auto"><em>I have been reading your column for quite a time, and finally decided to present you my story, which is less ''am I the Bolas?'' than ''how not to be the Bolas''.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>With my playgroup we usually play quite high level decks; not cEDH, but high powered <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">bracket</a> without infinite combo. In these games, I'm usually not the Bolas. Either I kill the most threatening player with a Voltron <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tuvasa the Sunlit" href="#" target="_blank">Tuvasa the Sunlit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck, or I kill everyone at the same time with a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jetmir, Nexus of Revels" href="#" target="_blank">Jetmir, Nexus of Revels</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>But sometimes we play low powered decks, and I play a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>/<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scion of Halaster" href="#" target="_blank">Scion of Halaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> poison deck. The aim of the deck is simple: put a poison counter on every opponent, then proliferate until they reach ten. For it to work, I have to quickly poison everyone. The problem is the following: at the time when I put the first poison counter, no one is a threat, yet. Sometimes I cannot manage to poison everyone, and unfortunately I poison a player who has been mana screwed, which makes it double bad for this player. As the deck is not that quick, I do not have the luxury not to proliferate on someone, and even if I do, it's when I'm sure I can finish the game, which makes them feel like I'm in charge of whether they get to play or not.</em></div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<div dir="auto"><strong><em>So my question is: how should I play my first actions so that the ''weak'' player is not picked on?</em></strong></div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Best regards,</em></div>
<div dir="auto"><em>Phyrexian Gale</em></div>
</div>
<div dir="auto">
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy"></div></div>
</div>
<div dir="auto"></div>
<hr />
<h2>VERDICT</h2>
<p>Thank you for writing and asking me to weigh in on your story. As I mention every week, if folks don't write to me, there's no column, so if you, the reader, want to send me a story, whether it's your own or one from Reddit or a friend's, please send it to amithebolas@gmail.com and I'll get to it here.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scion of Halaster"></div></div>
<p>What's up, Bolcuts! What an interesting submission. My knee-jerk reaction to this is "but you don't need to proliferate each opponent every time." Then we get into the territory of this section here:</p>
<p>"<em>As the deck is not that quick, I do not have the luxury not to proliferate on someone, and even if I do, it's when I'm sure I can finish the game, which makes them feel like I'm in charge of whether they get to play or not."</em></p>
<p>Having the group respond in a way that it feels like your decision to not proliferate the poison counter on them is still a negative action... that's a tough position to be in, considering people already act that way when you actually <em>do</em> put a poison counter on them! It's likely that you've got plenty of cards that put poison counters on each opponent, so the issue stems from this idea that you then "have" to proliferate on everyone, including the player off to a slow start because your deck is slow and you need your game plan online fighting the feeling your opponents have of you being "in charge of whether they get to play or not".</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prologue to Phyresis"></div></div>
<p>So while this deck is powered down by the standards of the other decks you described, it seems to inject an unpleasant dynamic at the table. Is this something you've discussed with the playgroup in the past? I have to assume that some discussion has been had for you to have the insight that players are feeling like you are in control of whether they can play their decks. I think a more direct discussion should be had about what people feel about the deck and there may be a way to reframe it, because while you describe the deck as slow, it certainly speeds things up when you introduce poison counters.</p>
<p>I think the framing on this deck needs to be outside the scope of power level or <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket.</a> Instead, I think this deck should be presented as the deck to pull out when you're putting yourself in the position of being the game's clock and it's not so much a battle anymore, but rather a race.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Speed Demon"></div></div>
<p>The elephant in the room here is -</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Generous Gift"></div></div>
<p>No, not that one. Commander players infamously hate poison counters and infect, so much so that when I was starting out in Commander in 2013, one of the regular debates you had surrounding the format was whether or not infect should be scaled for the higher life totals in Commander. Most groups self-police themselves out of infect, save for that one guy who most often inspires groans, but over the years, infect has been most accepted at tables, at least in my experience.</p>
<p>Does it still kind of suck because it truncates the timeline you thought you had and no amount of life gain can get you out of this whole? Yeah, totally. Does it remain a fine and fair enough game mechanic when not paired with the most absolutely ridiculous proliferate suites? Yeah, sure, why not. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tainted Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Tainted Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on a fatty is like any big creature gets to do commander damage, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a slightly less (or more) boring <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Infect inspires the kind of sarcastic slow clap of "oh, great, you did the thing, yeah, wow, great stuff, good job," but it remains enough of a novelty in my play experiences that, when I see it, it's this new obstacle that offers you a challenge you might find rewarding to overcome.</p>
<p>I think taking this kind of framing to the playgroup might help the table be more excited to deal with the deck. Implement this along with some deck-specific rules such as "mana screwed players don't get poison counters if it can be avoided" and maybe you'll find yourself avoiding wearing the Bolas crown.</p>
<p>Let me know how it goes. I can see this one going either way. Maybe your group gains an appreciation for the deck or I could see the group asking you to not play it... or even dismantle it.</p>
<p>Either way, please send me a follow-up when you have news!</p>
<p>Thanks for writing in!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Decimator Web"></div></div>


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Building Legacy Infect in Commander

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