Mirrodin Besieged – A Poison Master’s Guide

Hello fans of new Mirrodin Limited!

Now that the full Mirrodin Besieged spoiler has been revealed, it is time to take a close look at the cards to see how one of the premier Scars of Mirrodin drafting strategies will change. Up until now, I have played many Scars of Mirrodin Drafts and had a decent amount of success with infecting my opponent to death, including a five win run in the 84 queues! While many players consider poison easy to build and play, it often has many more decision than one might think (with many appearing during the drafting and deck building periods). I believe I can offer value to players that interested in drafting MBS and give a few general recommendations along the way based on my experiences. And with my knowledge (instead of going the usual way of delivering a Limited set review by grading each card within a somewhat arbitrary rating system), we are going to examine the changes of different archetypes and evaluate the cards in context of the elephant in the room- poison.

So how does the newest set of Magic change the way we play with and against the Phyrexian’s flagship keyword? Before that can be answered, we will have to remember that for the first time in the history of the game that the latest set in the block will be the first pack cracked in a draft. This has considerable implications as you can now allow the new cards to dictate the path your deck will take, whereas before your colors where already set when you came to Pack 3, and the newest set was merely used to flesh out your deck in its already defined colors and archetype. Making the right choices in Mirrodin Besieged will significantly shape your infect deck moving into Scars of Mirrodin.

What Makes Poison Tick?

It is important to understand what makes poison strategies work and where the strength and weakness of those decks lie. If you have played with or against infect in the past, you will have witnessed a few key facts (also note that I use “poison” and “infect” asinterchangeable term even though they are strictly speaking of two different things):

• Poison creatures are generally small
• They are either black, green, or artifacts
• Pump (+X/+X)) effects are very strong because of how the mechanic is constructed. Every point of damage by an infect creature is basically worth 2 non-poison damage.
• Damage on creatures carries over to the next turn. This makes it incredible hard to stand back and play defense if your creatures are not strong enough to kill the attackers when you block.
• Creatures damaged by infect lose their offensive efficacy.
  
• Indestructible does little against infect.
• Regeneration is bad against infect.
• Poison decks always topdeck their Untamed Might the turn before dying for the win. (Just kidding, but often this feels true enough…).
• Poison decks can use proliferate effects not only to charge artifacts and damage creatures, but also to deal direct damage if the opponent has already been poisoned a least once.
• Infect decks have a powerful common creature recursion in the form of Corpse Cur that they use to win attrition wars.
• Non-infect creatures have limited value for poison decks unless they provide significant indirect benefit.
• You have to reach a critical mass of infect creatures in your deck or you will experience the disadvantage of trying to be in worlds-doing 9 poison damage and 19 normal damage still doesn’t win the game.
• Infect strategies are mostvulnerable to other poison creatures and Fog effects.
• Power boosting equipment and reusable effects are very good.

Note that some of those will change with the introduction of the new set. For example, green and black are not the only colors with infect creatures anymore! And there are probably more important factoids that I have not included; if you can think of any, please add them in the comment section!

So how can we use the above information to prioritize cards when drafting and deck building? It is clear that the fact that poison creatures are small highly favors picking up poison creatures that cannot be blocked easily. This is one reason why Plague Stinger is one of the best poison creatures. But there is another reason as to why poison decks should pick up infect creatures so highly- to reduce the infect creatures others are playing!

Before moving on, check those bullets and ask yourself, “What does that mean for my card choices and the general way my games will play out?” It is good to really sit and ponder what makes the archetype work and why; this is the first step to understanding the soon-to-be draft format! Done? Okay, now let’s have a look at all new infect creatures we are getting with Mirrodin Besieged and talk about their implications.

Infect creatures

Right away it is obvious that MBS will change Scars Draft- just look at this very odd fellow! One of two white infect creatures, Priests of Norn are mainly special because you will not find them in but against infect decks. They are also good against other aggressive decks as they constantly shrink the blocked attacker. Vigilance makes it possible to attack into small blockers and (when blocked) shrink them in the process.

The next creature on the list is also pretty odd. I guess we need some time to get used to white infect. While the stats are pretty good, and he can kill with just five attacks for a lowly four mana, I don’t see this card having a great impact on the draft. It is a nice way to get rid of flying attackers or shrink them tomanageablesize, but the lack of support for the infect archetype in white makes this rather a defensive sideboard plan (and not an amazing one) than anything else. The one toughness also hurts a lot as you die to Instill Infection, Contagion Clasp, Plague Stinger, and many other cards.

Here we have the first black infect superstar from the new set! Well, not really… This card is pretty bad; I would only play it if I started out with infect and was not wise enough to abandon it early enough to avoid the train wreck that left me playing this bad card. The lifelink is hardly significant, the stats are low and there is no evasion to speak of. Blight Mamba had regeneration and generally outclasses this fellow in all areas (and I don’t even like Mamba). Pass!

Flesh-Eater Imp on the other hand is a dangerous fellow. Not only does he fly over the majority of blockers’ heads, but the ability to alpha-strike sacrifice for the poison win makes for a worthy main attraction. He has a solid body for 4 mana and can quickly mean trouble for the poisoned pundit. This is first pick material for a poison deck, and I would not hesitate to grab him bearing a ridiculous bomb even over removal.

Phyrexian Crusader was one of the early preview cards for the set and packs a powerful combination of abilities. First strike on an infect creature is especially powerful because you are shrinking big blockers before they can deal their damage- even a 3 power blocker is not enough to kill him. The double protection is very useful as it prevents Arrest, Galvanic Blast, Turn to Slag, etc., but it isn’t really evasion (even against a Boros colored opponent) because of the huge number of artifacts in the set. It is still a very high pick, and you should be happy taking him first. Passing a card of this caliber would also create a bad signal- if you pass this, you probably don’t (or shouldn’t) plan to play infect.

This is an amazing albeit dangerous creature. A 4/5 critter with infect for 4 mana is hard to stop, and when it comes down early can end the game very quickly. The self-poisoning “drawback” will kill you eventually, but if your opponent or the Vatmother isn’t dead before you die from your own poison, you are probably doing something incorrectly. Just hope your opponent is not playing Arrest…

This is probably the strongest infect creature (behind Hand of the Praetor and Skittles) and should obviously be slammed as a first pick. If you are playing against infect, the cards dangerous, but it has so much raw power that I would not hesitate to play it regardless.

Scourge Servant is a rather unexciting, but it offers another solid infect creature for black. The body is huge for an infect creature, but a lack of evasion makes it likely that he will be blocked and killed in combat. Cystbearer is much better is simply the fact that he comes down much earlier and the early game potential blockers have a hard time killing it. I would certainly play this card in an infect deck if I am lacking stuff at the high end of the curve, but it’s more solid filler than a high, desirable pick.

Here’s the first creature in the set that cares about poison counters in its rules text. Septic Rats are very powerful as far as early creatures go. A Turn 2 Plague Stinger, Turn 3 Rats is a strong series of opening plays and makes this card even better then Cystbearer- a high pick for any black poison master.

Blightwidow is a solid creature with a great ability and a high toughness, definitively a good mid-pick and useful against fast decks with a lot of flyers. Galvanic Blast cannot touch it until metalcraft is on, and it’s also good against other infect decks. Nice card.

Notice a trend? The creatures are getting bigger! Phyrexian Hydra has a huge but fragile body that kills everything that blocks it while living to tell the tale (albeit in smaller form). Needless to say that opposition dies quickly if they cannot muster enough blockers. Comparing this to Putrefax">Putrefax is difficult, but I probably would rather have the Hydra. It’s first pick material.

This is probably easiest to compare to Cystbearer in green. The missing point of toughness is very relevant but it is another good infect creature with a nice ability that will help to recharge your resources, especially when the opponent starts chump blocking. I think that the Wolf is good enough to be a mid-to-high pick.

Wow. This elf is nothing short of amazing. Not only is he a walking Shatter for 3 mana, he also provides a good infect creature in the process! In a block with so many artifacts, this card is a clear first pick in many packs. It’s solid even in non-infect!

The biggest and most awesome infect creature… if it only had a casting cost that made it possible to see the battlefield. This is definitively more of a Constructed card (seeing as you will most likely never be able to cast it in Limited). Take it for the monetary value as a foil. Otherwise, stay away and hope your opponent plays it (but not many other infect creatures).

This is an interesting creature because of its leave play effect. While the 4 mana cost is a bit high, proliferate can do it all- not only recharging your artifacts but also killing creatures that have been “infected” and adding an additional poison counter to your opponent’s mounting supply. Being an artifact, it also allows you flexibility with your colors early on and makes it a viable sideboard card against poison decks (not to mention its synergy with Scars‘ Throne of Geth).

This is unexciting filler only if you do not get enough of the better infect creatures. The low toughness and lack of evasion makes this a rather boring choice. It’s bad when Contagious Nim feels better than a creature…

The Phyrexians have brought along yet another infectious fatty. The lack of evasion and high cost are definite disadvantages, but the evil Jug hits hard and will at least take one or two blockers with him (while possibly leaving a few others permanently crippled). Cards like this are playable if you are low on high mana cards in your deck; it’s not the worst choice for the six mana slot and offers a bit of throughput.

This Myr is an interesting choice for an infect deck that has a lot of 4 drops (or higher) and wants to accelerate into them without wasting their card on a “normal” mana Myr. While this Myr only provides colorless mana, it is still a useful card to get your fatties out faster while still offering an infect body for equipment later on. It’s neat to have a good Myr option for infect.

Support cards

We can judge this card by comparing it to Grafted Exoskeleton, Scars‘ offering to transform normal creatures to poison ones. While Phyresis is more difficult to remove, it also does not provide the strength bonus and is basically the same two-for-one if the creature is killed (as when the Exoskeleton is killed). Even Tainted Strike makes this card feel bad with its instant surprise and additional power (or ability to [card]Fog/[card] one unblocked attacker). In most cases, it’s probably not worth playing.

Now this is an interesting unconditional removal spell! It costs the same as Turn to Slag and destroys any creature regardless of size with the nice bonus of poisoning the opponent, recharging your artifacts, and shrinking certain creatures further. It’s solid despite its cost and is a high pick not only in poison. It is also quite easy to splash, so don’t expect them to come around too late.

Here is a great way to kill small annoying creatures such as Embersmith, Myrsmith, etc., with a nice added feature. I would rate this card similar to Fume Spitter in poison decks. While you cannot chump block with it, the fact that it is an instant makes it a decent combat trick- definitively playable.

As the previous spell, this adds a poison counters to your opponent to speed up the kill while offering a good effect itself. This card is worth playing in non-infect decks, so don’t expect it to go late. Overall, it is a good mid-pick and very strong against blue decks.

This card is a very interesting creation for infect strategies, despite the lack of infect on the creature (which would make it obscene for infect strategies). The ability to proliferate at will by sacrificing creatures that would die anyway or when the opponent already has a lot of poison counters is not to be taken lightly. This isn’t better than a strong infect creature, but have a way to proliferate is a tool worth spending a fairly high pick on.

This completely new class of equipment is interesting. Bonehoard provides a strong bonus during the mid-to-late game but has a rather high casting cost for an equipment. It’s ability to block or attack without the need for equipping is neat and makes this a much better card than the normal version of the equipment would be. Assuming that you will find around 6 to 10 creatures in the graveyards during the game, this can have a game-changing effect. Unfortunately, it is a high pick for both infect and non-infect decks.

This compares a bit to Darksteel Axe. In some cases, this might be even stronger as the increased toughness will make it harder to block and kill the creature. The downside is obviously the higher equip cost (just like Accorders Shield, the no block clause and the fact that is dies to Shatter effects. It’s interesting that this card is a common; it will be quite easy to pick one up, and I assume we will see them in all kinds of decks.

This seems to be an excellent choice for many types of decks. While the effect is not very strong against infect, it is a scary card to play against if the wearer has infect. It can be used well in offense and defense and the equip cost is okay making it probably a high pick.

This seems to be an option for mages that don’t want to waste mana boosting their infect army. I like this card in infect decks because you are usually busy casting spells early on and cannot afford to waste to much time. The Sledge requires some sacrificing but it might very well be worth it in fast decks. It’s a solid piece of equipment if you have enough artifacts that can be wasted after use (e.g. Tumble Magnet, etc.).

Viridian Claw is another equipment I think is worth playing in infect. First strike is (as already mentioned) very good for infect creatures, and the low costs (casting and equip) makes this an early power boost. I am not sure if it is much better then Bladed Pinions but would rate it higher. Time will tell.

Weapons Against Infect

While this card can be useful against many archetypes, it is especially strong against decks with small creatures (also known as infect’s strategy). Plague Stingers, Blight Mamba">Blight Mambas, Ichorclaw Myr">Ichorclaw Myr, etc., all die immediately and many others are shrunk tomanageablesizes.

This card is obviously very good; the double protection in the right colors will make it hard to kill the card, and the double strike can with the right equipment also deal a massive amount of damage quickly to win the race. Luckily, it is rare.

We discussed this card at the beginning of the article- it’s a good card to hold the ground.

This card is frankly one of the best uncommons in the set. The ability is always useful and can quickly kill many poisonous creatures in one or two activations (while stopping their ability to attack).

It’s clear that Wizards is aware of infect’s strength. They’ve printed a great removal spell here with the added benefit of making the race against infect more favorable for its caster. And it’s a very high pick as it’s good whether you’re against poison or not!

This creature basically has “Protection from Infect” with additional bonuses. It’s definitely a strong card to hold the ground while at the same time ignoring some of the block’s powerful removal. The lack of evasion makes it only marginal against non-infect decks, but it is a nice sideboard card to have if you have better creatures in the five drop slot.

Summary

With MBS, there are a few strong additions to every poison players arsenal. Especially remarkable is the high number of big infect creatures that will make it easier to play different strategies. The increased number of infect creatures in the two main colors, black and green, will make mono colored decks viable that can be combined with another color for support (blue comes to mind for additional proliferate effects and maybe a Corrupted Conscience). While there are also a few anti-infect cards in the set, it doesn’t seem like any of those are broken enough to render the archetype any weaker then it was in Scars. Infect will stay a strong archetype, and I’m sure it will corrupt even a few more fans.

Let me know in the comments if you disagree with some of my assessments or if you have other thoughts regarding this draft archetype.

Cheers,

Plejades