Infect

Infect is a keyword ability that was introduced in Scars of Mirrodin. It is centered in black and green with some artifacts having the keyword. It combines poisonous and wither abilities. Infect was featured as rules card 1 of 5 in the Scars of Mirrodin set and as rules card 4 of 5 in the Mirrodin Besieged set and as rules card 3 of 4 in the New Phyrexia set.

From the Comprehensive Rules:

• 702.88. Infect
  • 702.88a Infect is a static ability.
  • 702.88b Damage dealt to a player by a source with infect doesn’t cause that player to lose life. Rather, it causes the player to get that many poison counters. See rule 119.3.
  • 702.88c Damage dealt to a creature by a source with infect isn’t marked on that creature. Rather, it causes that many -1/-1 counters to be put on that creature. See rule 119.3.
  • 702.88d If a permanent leaves the battlefield before an effect causes it to deal damage, its last known information is used to determine whether it had infect.
  • 702.88e The infect rules function no matter what zone an object with infect deals damage from.
  • 702.88f Multiple instances of infect on the same object are redundant.

Rulings

• Infect's effect applies to any damage, not just combat damage.
• The -1/-1 counters remain on the creature indefinitely. They're not removed if the creature regenerates or the turn ends.
• Damage from a source with infect is damage in all respects. If the source with infect also has lifelink, damage dealt by that source also causes its controller to gain that much life. Damage from a source with infect can be prevented or redirected. Abilities that trigger on damage being dealt will trigger if a source with infect deals damage, if appropriate.
• If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a player is prevented, that player doesn't get poison counters. If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a creature is prevented, that creature doesn't get -1/-1 counters.
• Damage from a source with infect affects planeswalkers normally.

Reminder text

The latest reminder text for Infect reads "This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and players in the form of poison counters.".

Example

Scourge Servant - Creature — Zombie 3/3 Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

Color percentages

There is a total of 61 cards that involve infect, which divide by color as such:

• Black = 30 %
• Green = 26 %
• Artifact = 21 %
• White = 8 %
• Blue = 7 %
• Red = 7 %
• Land = 1 %

Cards that grant just Infect

• Phyresis

Cards with Infect

Card	Set	Comment
Blackcleave Goblin	Scars of Mirrodin
Blight Mamba	Scars of Mirrodin
Blighted Agent	New Phyrexia
Blightsteel Colossus	Mirrodin Besieged
Blightwidow	Mirrodin Besieged
Carrion Call	Scars of Mirrodin	Instant that produces tokens with infect
Chained Throatseeker	New Phyrexia
Contagious Nim	Scars of Mirrodin
Core Prowler	Mirrodin Besieged
Corpse Cur	Scars of Mirrodin
Cystbearer	Scars of Mirrodin
Fallen Ferromancer	New Phyrexia
Flensermite	Mirrodin Besieged
Flesh-Eater Imp	Mirrodin Besieged
Glistener Elf	New Phyrexia	The first one-drop with infect (natively)
Grafted Exoskeleton	Scars of Mirrodin	The first equipment to grant infect
Hand of the Praetors	Scars of Mirrodin	Infect Lord
Ichor Rats	Scars of Mirrodin
Ichorclaw Myr	Scars of Mirrodin
Inkmoth Nexus	Mirrodin Besieged	The first manland with infect
Lost Leonin	New Phyrexia
Necropede	Scars of Mirrodin
Ogre Menial	New Phyrexia
Pestilent Souleater	New Phyrexia	Only gains infect from activated ability
Phyrexian Crusader	Mirrodin Besieged	The first creature with both first strike and infect
Phyrexian Digester	Mirrodin Besieged
Phyrexian Hydra	Mirrodin Besieged
Phyrexian Juggernaut	Mirrodin Besieged
Phyrexian Swarmlord	New Phyrexia
Phyrexian Vatmother	Mirrodin Besieged
Plague Myr	Mirrodin Besieged
Plague Stinger	Scars of Mirrodin	The first creature with flying and infect
Priests of Norn	Mirrodin Besieged
Putrefax	Scars of Mirrodin
Razor Swine	New Phyrexia
Reaper of Sheoldred	New Phyrexia
Rot Wolf	Mirrodin Besieged
Scourge Savant	Mirrodin Besieged
Septic Rats	Mirrodin Besieged
Shriek Raptor	New Phyrexia
Skithiryx, The Blight Dragon	Scars of Mirrodin
Spinebiter	New Phyrexia
Tainted Strike	Scars of Mirrodin	The first instant that grants infect
Tangle Angler	Scars of Mirrodin
Tel-Jilad Fallen	Scars of Mirrodin
Tine Shrike	Mirrodin Besieged
Trigon of Infestation	Scars of Mirrodin	Artifact that produces tokens with infect
Vector Asp	Scars of Mirrodin	Only gains infect from activated ability
Viral Drake	New Phyrexia
Viridian Betrayers	New Phyrexia
Viridian Corrupter	Mirrodin Besieged
Whispering Specter	New Phyrexia

External link

• A Planeswalker's Primer for Scars of Mirrodin: Infect

Contributors

Coreydragon, Drlightx, GeoMike, MORT, Tacocat, Unistardust