I love how when I post this deck nearly 25 days ago and other variations it gets NO RESPONSES. im so tired of people who only want to hear what pros are scheming up and go out of their way to build those deck the next day. maybe im just tired of the personalities on these forums who think there is only the archetypes and everything else is just noobish.
@ silpheed- the deck spends it's early turns using cards like desperate ravings, faithless looting, and forbidden alchemy to get rid of cards with ETB effects. Then, play Seance (and maybe warstorm surge). Return an ETB dude back every turn, use their ability, flicker them via Venser, the Abuser. Use control aspects like O-ring to stay alive. Of course, there are a ton of tinier interactions within the deck to...
Venser is really an afterthought in the Seance deck, as stonehorn locking your opponent provides a nice alternate way to win games. Ideally you just want to loot a mirror-mad and then Seance it and shuffle away the token. You ought to mill 15+ cards before finding a real mirror mad, and these cards will include some number of sphinxes, stonehorns, lootings, and desperate ravings. In two or three turns from there you'll mill the rest of your deck from there and win with a lab maniac. Sometimes you can do this this without resolving another spell.
If anyone is going to try building the deck I suggest: +1 forbidden alchemy, + 2 phyrexian metamorph (for more interactions), -2 desperate ravings, -1 Warstorm surge (it's cute but a bit clunky, probably has a spot on the sideboard)
Infect decks are cute, and I think they can make good surprise metagame choices...but I'd rather be playing something with Phyrexian Crusader, with all the white and red cards running around right now. Of course, Strangleroot Geist makes infect decks gnash their teeth.
The real problem with a deck like this is that sometimes it just doesn't draw threats...and rolls over and dies once the first one is off the board. Without aggressive and skillful mulligans, this problem just becomes worse, and
Delver is a deck that plays a similar threat density, true, but it also plays 8-12 cantrips - effectively increasing said threat density dramatically, as well as augmenting card selection. Stick a bunch of Ponders and Probes and Thought Scours and maybe even a Runechanter's Pike in there...and perhaps infect would have more staying power.
Sideboard 15 3 Vapor Snag 3 Naturalize 3 Spellskite 3 Signal Pest 3 Ranger's Guile
The main differences between my list and what Gavin came up with are that I run fewer land and fewer creatures, but the list is a little more consistent. I use Inkmoth to cheat the creature count a little and can pump my guys up. Since this deck wants to win in the first couple turns Ponder shows you exactly what you have to work with so you know right away whether you have what you need or not. If you don't you can shuffle it away and try again. Tandem Lookout was added as an experiment, he works pretty well but you don't want too many of him. If you stick one, you're winning the game. He could possibly be replaced by Blight Mamba but the extra card draw is really valuable, especially in situations where you don't have a Lash or Defiance.
So far I've only played the deck in side matches during FNM and haven't actually used it as my deck choice for the night but it's had a pretty good record so far, going 6-0 but I haven't gone up against bad matchups yet, only against aggro decks which is where a strategy like this shines.
Turn 2: Mountain, Cast Assault Strobe on Glistener Elf, *Elf gains doublestrike*, Cast Groundswell *Because a Mountain came into play the Glistener Elf gains +4/+4 until end of turn* then swing with the Glistener Elf for 10 infect.
But this went out when Zendikar crashed and burned.
