Infectious Disease

After seeing Sporogenic Infection, I wanted to build a toxic deck that truly feels like an infectious disease, spreading uncontrollably and pressuring the opponent every turn. The core of the deck is nothing groundbreaking, but I’ve leaned heavily into the theme, making it as flavorfully toxic as possible. It’s relentless, hard to contain, and in more ways than one, a real plague for the opponent.

Of course, I had to include the Innkeeper's Talent + Vraska, Betrayal's Sting combo, which not only fits the theme but also provides an instant win condition when the pieces line up.

The Creatures:

Bilious Skulldweller is a perfect turn-one play, cheap and effective. With Toxic 1 and Deathtouch, it demands an answer, and no matter how the opponent deals with it, it usually takes something down with it.

Venerated Rotpriest is a card I often build entire decks around, and even here, it holds its weight. It’s a high-priority removal target, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If it dies, it likely leaves the opponent with a poison counter, setting up the deck’s proliferation engine. Unlike in other builds, I don’t protect it as aggressively here—I just drop it and let the infection spread.

Blightbelly Rat gives solid value at two mana. It attacks, applies Toxic 1, and when it dies, it proliferates, which is often all we need. Whether it’s dealing damage or just dying for the cause, it helps advance the poison clock.

Bloated Contaminator is the BFC of the deck—Big, Fast, Contaminating. It needs to be dealt with immediately, or it starts proliferating every attack, escalating the infection rapidly. It pairs particularly well with Innkeeper’s Talent, making it even harder to remove.

The Spells:

For disruption, Pick Your Poison and Duress both have merit. Duress is stronger on the play, sniping away board wipes or counters before they become an issue. Pick Your Poison is better in-theme, provides removal options, and plays into our deck’s grindy, proliferate-based win condition. Either choice is valid (update: I've just been using Duress, it just helps get ahead of things).

Anoint with Affliction is clean, efficient removal that synergizes well with our deck. I’m considering adding a third copy, but right now, the balance feels right.

Drown in Ichor does double duty—removal and proliferation. It kills most early-game threats and, in a pinch, can even target our own creatures to trigger Venerated Rotpriest.

Innkeeper's Talent is too good to ignore. It essentially quarantines our creatures, shielding them with Ward, and provides a steady stream of extra bodies. It’s especially powerful on creatures like Bloated Contaminator, making them harder to remove while enabling even more proliferation. And, of course, its final level sets up a devastating combo with Vraska, Betrayal's Sting, allowing an instant ultimate activation that usually ends the game.

Necrogen Communion is an underrated tech that plays multiple roles. It makes our toxic creatures even deadlier and forces opponents to remove them. When they do, the creature comes back, making it a frustrating loop for the opponent. It also triggers Venerated Rotpriest and works beautifully with Blightbelly Rat, ensuring we get multiple proliferate triggers.

Sporogenic Infection is an interesting card with plenty of room for creative play. Attaching it to an opponent’s creature forces them to choose what they’re willing to lose, and you can manipulate that choice by deciding where to place it. Since any damage instantly kills the infected creature, it effectively gives your blockers deathtouch against it. Alternatively, you can attach it to your own creature while still targeting your opponent with its effect. This works especially well when they only have one creature, and it also triggers Venerated Rotpriest, forcing them to sacrifice while taking a poison counter.

The Other Stuff:

Mirrex deserves a mention despite being a land. In longer games, creating Mite tokens can make the difference between winning and falling just short.

Vraska, Betrayal's Sting is the perfect planeswalker for this deck, tying everything together. Every ability synergizes with our strategy, but the real power comes from the Innkeeper's Talent combo. If played with Innkeeper fully leveled, she enters with 12 loyalty, allowing for an immediate -9 ultimate, which is an instant win.

The Gameplan:

The goal is simple: spread the infection as fast as possible.

Toxic damage should start early and consistently, so our proliferate effects can do their job efficiently. While Venerated Rotpriest is often played cautiously in other decks, here, I just throw it out. It’s practically guaranteed to leave an opponent with a poison counter, which is all we need.

In most cases, developing our board takes priority, but dropping Innkeeper's Talent early can also be a strong move, as it protects our creatures and sets up for later turns.

One major concern is board wipes. It’s crucial to not overextend, keeping a few creatures in reserve to avoid getting wiped out entirely. Necrogen Communion helps here, ensuring some of our key creatures stick around even after a sweep. 

Once we have a few poison counters on the opponent, proliferation quickly takes over the game. If the Innkeeper's Talent + Vraska, Betrayal's Sting combo lines up, we can close things out in an instant, but even without it, the deck applies relentless pressure.

This deck is nasty in the best way possible—a relentless, contagious force that spreads and mutates until the opponent succumbs. It’s not just about dealing toxic damage but making every interaction feel like a slow, inevitable collapse. With plenty of synergistic interactions, a strong game plan, and a potential instant-win combo, it’s both thematically on point and mechanically strong.

It might not be the most original concept, but it definitely feels unique in execution. I’d love to hear how it performs for others—let me know if you give it a try!

Basic Play Priority Chart:

1 mana =            Venerated Rotpriest > Duress > Bilious Skulldweller

2 mana =            If stalled Innkeeper's Talent > x2 of the above cards >Blightbelly Rat
                            If Attacking Necrogen Communion > Innkeeper's Talent
                             If Creature Destruction:  Normally Anoint with Affliction
                                                                    Sporogenic Infection if Venerated Rotpriest is out
                                                                    Drown in Ichor if Poison is already active

3 mana=            Innkeeper's Talent + Creature or 1 level > Bloated Contaminator

4 mana=            Max Level Innkeeper's Talent > Everything in most cases

5 mana=            Vraska, Betrayal's Sting