Infect: Why Pauper isn't fun.

[Foam-dome]

Originally Posted by Bigbrass

"He just had the nuts draw" and "Won't happen every game" isn't good enough, those two games were so infuriating I'm finished with pauper.

I'm sorry if that's not enough for you, but that's the plain and simple truth. I've never seen hands as crazy as the ones you described, and I can confidently say that Infect Stompy almost never wins that quickly or efficiently.

If it's that much of a problem, then modify your deck and/or sideboard accordingly. Run more creatures that are still conducive to your game plan, and pray they don't draw any of their Hornet Stings or Apostle's Blessings if they choose to side them in.
If it still doesn't work out, then I don't know what to say. Maybe you should try a different deck for a while.

[sneakattackkid]

Really you haven't? I play pauper infect because it's an amazing deck for doublequeing. Yeah sometimes you get the turn 2 kill hands and many other times you don't. I'd say the turn 2 kill rate is maybe 20%. But you can definittly power through even some of the best removal spells. But you definitely need to know when to just hold on playing the 1st donk.

[hyalapterouslemur]

@OP:

Doom Blade is common.
Go for the Throat is common.
Terror is common.
Gut Shot is common. (A well-timed one can really screw your opponent over.)
Pacifism is, surprise surprise, common.
Guard Duty is common.

Why do I bring this up? Because infect isn't that bad in Pauper. I mean, most Pauper decks end up being aggro anyway. And your opponent has to get one in his first seven cards to hurt you.

[Tom the Scud]

Gut shot is not common.

[Kine]

Didn't realize it before, but yeah, Guard Duty is a great answer to a turn one guy. There's no free answer to it in infect.

[poggydude]

guard duty is a horrible answer to infect, apostles blessing destroys that card

[BonSequitur]

Guard Duty is horrible in general, because Kirtar's Desire is a card in the game of Magic.

[Numotflame96]

off the top of my head here are some really ridiculously easy answers to infect.

Spoiler:

innocent blood
vendetta
vapor snag
unsummon
snuff out
awe strike
holy day
forge devil (forces them to spend a spell to save it, then leaves you a blocker.
spell pierce (read U: counter target pump spell)
etheral haze
fog
kami of the false hope
spore frog

The complaining in this thread is so utterly ridiculous. everyone remembers their infuriating turn 2 losses but doesn't remember any games that play out normally? how about a quick calculation of the chance of having a glistener elf in a persons opening hand, which is the card you absolutely have to have to have a turn 2 kill: 49.183%. now take the chances that you have enough pump to kill on turn two. I'm not going to bother since finding the exact amount since it varies between lists but lets say its around 50%. thats extremely high (its probably closer to 30%) since in most cases you need combinations of 3 and atleast one needs to be free but for arguments sack lets pick a high number. so now you're down to about 25%. now factor in lands. Then haveing the right about of lands to cast your spells but also still having enough pump. the add into that the fact that if your opponent runs out a one drop then you need to have another of a specific pump spell to get through that. then factor in the possibly that your opponent actually has relevant removal (*gasp*)... the percentage of turn 2 kills is so tiny. Likely around the same as storm.

If you feel still feel so frustrated about infect after realizing they don't have as many turn 2 kills as you think, there are a few options:
1) change your deck. most people realize that when you're constantly losing to a deck, you should probably add answers to it. thats what happens when something dominates a meta or you just constantly lose to it and feel like its dominating.
2)play a different format. there are plenty of other formats and in pretty much all of them, infect barely exists as a deck.

--
Also unrelated to the infect problem, but in that 3rd post, why exactly was terramorphic expanse in a burn deck?

[Foam-dome]

Originally Posted by hyalapterouslemur

Go for the Throat is common.
Gut Shot is common.

I want you to think long and hard about what you just said...

[Studoku]

Originally Posted by Tom the Scud

Gut shot is not common.

I know this from experience- I've made the same mistake during a pauper event.

Ended up losing 2-1 with Kiln Fiend and coming second to that deck; it's very strong but certainly not unbeatable.

[Hinotama]

I think storm combo is a more degenerate deck than Infect. You can actually throw out a blocker and slow down infect, even for a turn and cause them to waste a pump spell.

With storm, you need a way to stop 10+ tokens, and oftentimes at instant speed due to bushwhacker killing you that turn. It's the most uninteractive deck in the format.

Get rid of Empty the Warrens, and it will be easier to hate out the other decks without auto-losing to storm.

[gereffi]

It's a combo deck, and there are plenty of answers for it. Just because your deck has a bad matchup or you come unprepared to deal with it doesn't mean that the deck is too degenerate, or even a tier 1 deck in the format.

[Hinotama]

Originally Posted by gereffi

It's a combo deck, and there are plenty of answers for it. Just because your deck has a bad matchup or you come unprepared to deal with it doesn't mean that the deck is too degenerate, or even a tier 1 deck in the format.

I suppose. But due to how radically different the threat is in the storm deck, it could be seen as format warping. Think of how narrow the answers are that you need to defeat the storm combo. Mass removal spells like Echoing Decay are just not very good against other decks.

I suppose it isn't nearly as bad as storm combo is legacy or even modern though, and it isn't as bad as when familiar storm was floating around.

[Benny84]

Originally Posted by Hinotama

I suppose. But due to how radically different the threat is in the storm deck, it could be seen as format warping. Think of how narrow the answers are that you need to defeat the storm combo. Mass removal spells like Echoing Decay are just not very good against other decks.

I suppose it isn't nearly as bad as storm combo is legacy or even modern though, and it isn't as bad as when familiar storm was floating around.

Echoing Decay takes out everything in WW, Rats and everything bar spire golem in delver and has 2 for 1 potential. It's hardly a leyline of the void level of narrow hate card.

[Bodak]

The most fun card to play against empty the warrens is suture priest xD