Mono Green Infect

I've spent the past week playing 3 different variations of Infect. G/W Infect (This list here), G/W/U Infect (Utilizing Stoneforge Mystic and Swords to give protection), and Mono Green Infect. Out of all of these lists, I feel that Mono Green is the best positioned. More inside!

Here is the list that I am currently running:

Mono Green Infect
Land - 24 4 Inkmoth Nexus 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Verdant Catacombs 12 Forest Creatures - 12 4 Glistener Elf 4 Ichorclaw Myr 4 Necropede Pump - 12 4 Groundswell 4 Vines of Vastwood 4 Mutagenic Growth	Dig - 4 4 Ancient Stirrings Equipment - 8 4 Livewire Lash 4 Adventuring Gear	Sideboard: 3 Dismember 4 Viridian Corrupter 4 Nature's Claim 4 Spellskite

Let's go through the land first. We're obviously running 4 Inkmoth Nexus, easily one of the best Infect creatures available. Next are 8 fetchlands, these make the deck somewhat expensive but they serve 2 important purposes, first, a fetchland sitting out and a Nature's Claim in your hand means Splinter Twin can be stopped. Second, we are using Adventuring Gear, and more fetchlands = better.

For creatures I'm running the very aggressive ones. Glistener Elf for the first turn drop, Ichorclaw destroys early game chump blockers, and Necropede will typically net you a 2 for 1.

In the pump department I'm only running the cream of the crop, Groundswells and Mutagenic Growth for the explosive early turn wins. Vines of Vastwood not only provides early game protection, but can also do a decent job of pumping late game, especially if it's used in response to creature removal.

I'm also running Ancient Stirrings. This card can grab Ichorclaws and Necropedes, it can also get any of the 8 Equipments, and as a last resort, it will get a land for you.

Speaking of Equipment, I'm running, what I consider, to be the 2 best pieces of equipment for Infect. Adventuring Gear can give you huge blowout wins as early as Turn 3. Livewire Lash also allows for early turn wins, but it also doubles as an "inevitability" equipment. If you can keep Livewire out on the field, it doesn't matter how many blockers your opponent has, you can still kill them off.

In the sideboard we have several options. Against typical Splinter Twin decks we have Dismember and Nature's Claim. Cawblade matches can bring in Viridian Corrupter and Nature's Claim if need be. Aggro matches would want Spellskite, who works as an excellent blocker in the early turns, and can also redirect nearly any creature removal that comes your way. Spellskite out allows you to play pump pretty much with impunity as long as you have the life to spare.

Now, how about some matches?

Match 1: RUG Twin

I didn't catch the early signs that I was facing off against a Twin deck, he opened with an Island and played Preordain, passing the turn. I opened with a pretty strong start, Inkmoth Nexus. My opponent plays a Copperline Gorge (This should have triggered that he was playing Twin), and passes. I play a Forest, activate Inkmoth and attack, I play a Mutagenic Growth, and he ends up with 3 poison. My opponent plays another Copperline Gorge, and gives me the turn with 3 mana up. I play another Forest, and put out Ichorclaw Myr, then play Ancient Stirrings, grabbing a Livewire Lash. My opponent draws, plays a Forest, and passes. I untap, play an Adventuring Gear, and move it onto Ichorclaw. As I move into Combat, my opponent drops in a Deceiver Exarch, tapping my Myr, he shows me the Splinter Twin in his hand, and we go to game 2.

Game 2:
I sideboard out Necropede and 3 Ancient Stirrings, adding in 3 Dismembers and 4 Nature's Claims.

I open with an Inkmoth Nexus. My opponent plays a Copperline Gorge and a Birds of Paradise. I play a Forest, activate Inkmoth and get in there, with no blocks, he's up to 1 poison. Opponent puts in a Copperline, and passes, he now has 3 mana available. I drop a Misty Rainforest and end my turn. EOT a Deceiver Exarch gets flashed in, targeting my Forest. I drop the Rainforest for a Forest. Opponent untaps, and drops in Splinter Twin, after his first activation, I throw a Nature's Claim at it. My opponent untaps his Birds of Paradise with the entry effect and attacks me for 1, finishing his turn with a Preordain off an Island.

I untap, play a Misty Rainforest, and swing with my Nexus again. No blocks from my opponent, so I play a Groundswell, and my opponent is up to 6 counters. My opponent drops in a tapped Raging Ravine, and attacks with Exarch, then plays another Birds of Paradise, and a Fauna Shaman. I untap, play a Verdant Catacombs (2 Fetchlands in play now) and attack with Inkmoth again, this time a Bird chumps it, and gets sent to the graveyard, I play an Ichorclaw Myr and pass.

My opponent untaps and activates Fauna Shaman, discarding a Fauna Shaman, and grabbing another Bird. He then plays the Bird and ends his turn. I play another Inkmoth, and use it to activate my old Inkmoth, then attack with both the Inkmoth and Ichorclaw. Ichorclaw gets blocked by Deceiver Exarch, and Inkmoth by a Birds of Paradise. Exarch is a 0/1 now, and the bird dies. My opponent untaps and uses the Shaman again, ditching an Inferno Titan, and grabbing a Spellskite. I decide to take a gamble and at the end of turn use my Nature's Claim in hand to kill the Spellskite off. I play a Verdant Catacombs, activate both Inkmoths, and attack with all 3 Infectors. One Inkmoth gets blocked by a Bird, the Exarch jumps in front of the Ichorclaw, but my last Inkmoth gets by, and a Groundswell finishes the game.

Game 3:
I'm happy with my Sideboard, and keep it the same.

My opponent plays a Copperline and a Birds of Paradise. I put down an Inkmoth, and use Dismember on the BOP, no sense allowing him more mana acceleration. My opponent untaps, plays a Misty Rainforest and grabs an Island, plays out a Preordain and ends his turn. I drop in my own Misty Rainforest, and use it to fetch a Forest, then attack with Inkmoth. My opponent tries to get some advantage and plays a Lightning Bolt, which I respond to with 2 Mutagenic Growths in hand, and he's suddenly at 5 counters. My opponent plays a Lotus Cobra, but misses his land drop.

I drop a Forest, and Glistener Elf, and pass the turn, leaving 2 mana up just in case. My opponent untaps, no land again, and passes. I play another Forest, and attack with both the Elf and an activated Inkmoth. He throws his Lotus Cobra in front of the elf, and I respond with a Mutagenic Growth, paying life (I'm currently at 9 from all the phyrexian mana used). My opponent untaps, plays a Preordain, and scoops, unable to find a 3rd land.

Not the cleanest of victories, but a win is a win.

I'm going to be doing some more play testing against Caw-Blade decks, I feel as though I might need to fit Beast Within in somewhere to deal with Planeswalkers like big Jace.

Thanks for reading!