Overview

Corrupting Influence is a poison deck: it wants opponents to have three or more poison counters, because that is when its corrupted payoffs switch on. Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa has flying, vigilance and toxic 2, and at the beginning of your end step each opponent who has three or more poison counters exiles the top card of their library face down. You may look at and play those cards for as long as they remain exiled, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any colour to cast them.

The 99 cards are 22 creatures, 12 artifacts, 3 enchantments, 7 instants, 17 sorceries and 38 lands. 18 of the creatures are Phyrexians, many with infect or toxic, and the deck has a lot of proliferate, including Evolution Sage, Grateful Apparition, Blightbelly Rat and Contagion Clasp. It also has 17 sorceries, many of which draw cards or give poison counters.

Key Cards

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Vishgraz, the Doomhive
Token Maker · Poison Payoff
A 3/3 for {2}{W}{B}{G}. It has menace and toxic 1, and when it enters you create three 1/1 colourless Phyrexian Mite artifact creature tokens with toxic 1 that can't block. It gets +1/+1 for each poison counter your opponents have.
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Phyrexian Swarmlord
Infect · Token Engine
A 4/4 for {4}{G}{G}. It has infect, and at the beginning of your upkeep you create a 1/1 green Phyrexian Insect creature token with infect for each poison counter your opponents have. The more poisoned your opponents are, the faster you grow.
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Norn's Choirmaster
Proliferate · Flying
A 5/4 for {3}{W}{W}. It has flying and first strike, and whenever a commander you control enters or attacks, proliferate. Ixhel is your commander, so it proliferates on most turns that she attacks.
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Caress of Phyrexia
Card Draw · Poison
A sorcery for {3}{B}{B}. Target player draws three cards, loses 3 life and gets three poison counters. Aimed at an opponent, it hands them three poison counters at once and switches on every corrupted card in the deck.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about cheap infect creatures and mana. Bilious Skulldweller, Blight Mamba, Plague Myr, Ichorclaw Myr and Pestilent Syphoner are cheap and carry infect or toxic, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Golgari Signet and Chromatic Lantern help with mana, and Cultivate and Expand the Sphere ramp you. Ichor Rats gives each player a poison counter, which gets the count moving.

The middle of the game is about proliferating and reaching three counters. Infectious Inquiry and Vraska's Fall give opponents a poison counter, Norn's Decree gives them one when their creatures deal combat damage to you, and Contaminant Grafter, Venomous Brutalizer and Glistening Sphere proliferate. Once three counters are reached, Phyrexian Atlas drains, Feed the Infection drains for 3, while Mycosynth Fiend grows and Contaminant Grafter draws you a card.

The late game is about finishing with poison and big threats. Glissa's Retriever has haste and toxic 3, Wurmquake makes extra Wurms for each opponent with three counters, and Phyresis Outbreak gives -1/-1 to each opposing creature for each poison counter its controller has. Geth's Summons and Vat Emergence bring creatures back, and Merciless Eviction, Fumigate and Phyrexian Rebirth clear the board when the plan needs time.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has several different ways to get poison counters on opponents, a lot of proliferate, and payoffs that scale with the count, so it can win with poison or with the big creatures. It has plenty of interaction and protection as well, including Swords to Plowshares, Mortify, Putrefy, Beast Within, Ghostly Prison, Windborn Muse and Norn's Annex.

Weaknesses: Poison needs creatures to connect, so a deck with lots of blockers or removal can slow it down, and opponents who gain life or have ways to remove counters can undo the plan. The deck is three colours with several double-coloured costs, and Ichor Rats also gives you a poison counter, so it needs to be used with care.

Want to improve it? See the Corrupting Influence upgrade guide: fourteen swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Corrupting Influence is a focused poison deck with a clear plan: give opponents poison counters, proliferate them and turn on the corrupted cards. It plays very differently from most precons, and it is a good choice for players who want a different way to win.

Want to see what a fully optimised Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Corrupting Influence decklist?
The Corrupting Influence precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa. The full Corrupting Influence decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Corrupting Influence released?
Corrupting Influence was released on February 10, 2023 as part of Phyrexia: All Will Be One Commander.

Who is the commander of Corrupting Influence?
Corrupting Influence is led by Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa, a Abzan (W/B/G) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Corrupting Influence?
The 99 cards besides Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa include 22 creatures.

How many lands does Corrupting Influence have?
Corrupting Influence has 38 lands in the 99 cards besides Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Corrupting Influence precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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