How does infect work in combat in MtG?
In a nutshell, infect is a keyword ability in Magic: The Gathering (MtG) that modifies the way damage is dealt by creatures, replacing traditional damage with -1/-1 counters on creatures and poison counters on players, with the ultimate goal of accumulating ten or more poison counters to win the game. When a creature with infect deals damage to a player, it doesn’t deal traditional combat damage, but instead, the player gains a number of poison counters equal to the damage that would have been dealt.
Understanding Infect in Combat
Infect is a static ability that applies to any damage dealt by a source with infect, not just combat damage. This means that if a creature with infect deals damage to a player, either in combat or through an ability, the player will gain poison counters instead of losing life.
FAQs
1. Does infect do combat damage?
Infect applies to any damage, not just combat damage, and the damage dealt by a creature with infect is still considered combat damage if it’s dealt during the combat damage step.
2. Does infect cause poison counters?
Infect causes players to gain poison counters when dealt damage by a source with infect, rather than losing life.
3. Is infect an activated ability?
No, infect is a static ability, which means it’s always active and doesn’t need to be activated.
4. How do you counter infect?
To counter infect, you can use removal spells to destroy creatures with infect, or use cards that prevent or neutralize poison counters.
5. Is infect better than toxic?
Infect and toxic are different keyword abilities, and which one is better depends on the situation and the deck being played.
6. How many poison counters does infect?
The number of poison counters gained from infect is equal to the damage that would have been dealt by the creature.
7. How is toxic different from infect?
Toxic deals a specified number of poison counters, while infect deals a number of poison counters equal to the power of the creature.
8. Does infect only trigger on combat damage?
No, infect modifies the results of any damage dealt by a source with infect, not just combat damage.
9. How much infect kills a player?
A player is killed by infect when they accumulate ten or more poison counters.
10. Does infect prevent lifelink?
No, infect doesn’t prevent lifelink or other abilities that trigger on combat damage.
11. Do infect counters count as combat damage?
Yes, damage from a source with infect is still considered combat damage.
12. What is the poison counter rule?
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game, and poison counters are placed on players rather than objects.
13. Do poison counters count as commander damage?
Yes, poison damage dealt by a commander counts as commander damage.
14. What stat does poison decrease?
Poison decreases a player’s life total indirectly by accumulating poison counters.
15. Does toxic 1 count as a counter?
Toxic 1 is a keyword ability that gives a player a poison counter when dealt combat damage by a creature with toxic 1.