A few weeks ago I wrote about my adventures thus far with Modern Infect (which have continued to go quite well) but since then I’ve been able to get some practice in with the Legacy variant. So far I’m finding this deck pretty boss as winning on turn two just seems disgusting (yes I’ve actually done this). While the deck doesn’t feel as strong as its Modern sibling (since Legacy runs strong counter-magic overall) I still find the deck extremely impressive.
Legacy Infect
Lands (19)
1 Forest
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Pendelhaven
1 Savannah
3 Tropical Island
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wasteland
Creatures (12)
4 Blighted Agent
4 Glistener Elf
4 Noble Hierarch
Spells (29)
2 Become Immense
2 Berserk
4 Brainstorm
1 Crop Rotation
3 Daze
1 Flusterstorm
3 Force of Will
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Invigorate
2 Ponder
3 Vines of VastwoodSideboard (15)
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Crop Rotation
1 Force of Will
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Krosan Grip
1 Pithing Needle
1 Spell Pierce
1 Surgical Extraction
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Sylvan Library
1 Wasteland
You can see from the list that the Legacy version of this deck is a bit more watered down than the Modern list which only runs creatures, lands and pump/protection. This deck has main board countermagic in the form of Daze and Force of Will that you won’t find in Modern Infect. Running countermagic helps protect you from losing your creatures while also protecting you against losing to Combo decks which can be equally fast as Infect. In addition it helps makes the deck more resilient against things like Engineered Explosives, Swords to Plowshares, Chalice of the Void, etc.
Legacy Infect also has access to much better card draw and selection so you’ll find Brainstorm and Ponder in addition to Gitaxian Probe. The Legacy variant’s access to card selection and draw really helps bring back the consistency the deck needs to stay strong. Modern, lacking in strong card selection and advantage, can only run the three basic elements of the deck, but the Legacy variant has access to so much dig that you are able to run countermagic in addition to the other elements while still remaining consistent.
The pump spells available in Legacy are significantly better than those available in Modern. Invigorate is phenomenal. Who doesn’t love a free spell with no downside since you don’t care what your opponent’s life total is? Between this and Berserk it feels almost too easy to get the turn two win (which you can also do with Become Immense). Invigorate and Become Immense are also great because they get around Chalice so it works great with Inkmoth Nexus or Blighted Agent if someone gets down a quick Chalice for one.
I appreciate how straightforward the deck generally is. A majority of my losses feel like they’ve come from me learning how to play not only a new deck but also a new color. I’ve previously discussed my transition into blue and it continues to be hard, especially if I’m playing against a deck that I’m not familiar with. Learning the appropriate time to use countermagic can be challenging. I stand by my previous assessments that I find Brainstorm and Ponder pretty easy to use in this deck, mainly because the lines of play with this deck are fairly direct.
The deck has been fun and challenging to learn and I believe was the right choice for me to learn blue with. It’s strong enough that my inexperience with blue doesn’t mean I auto lose every game. The worst I’ve done with the deck so far is 2-2 but it still requires skill and allows me to practice using staple Legacy cards such as Brainstorm, Ponder, Daze, and Force of Will. So far I’ve struggled with my matchup with RUG decks (such as Lands and Delver), Trini-Choke decks and Manaless Dredge. Not exactly the easiest match-ups traditionally but still something I need a lot of practice with. The way you approach these match-ups with Infect is very different than any deck I’ve played previously. However, these challenges only reaffirm that I’ve made the right choice, I feel like I’m learning a whole new way to approach Legacy and I’m really enjoying it.
Kate hails from Worcester MA and also does a bit of Card Altering. Check her Stuff out on Facebook! She mainly plays legacy and modern though will occasionally find herself playing EDH. She has recently succumbed to MTGO.