Infect — what does it mean?
Deals damage to creatures as -1/-1 counters and to players as poison counters.
Infect appears on 46 cards.
How does Infect work?
Infect changes what damage does. Damage from a source with infect doesn't make a player lose life: that player gets that many poison counters instead. Damage to a creature isn't marked on it: the creature gets that many -1/-1 counters instead. This applies to all damage the source deals, not just combat damage. A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game, no matter how much life they have. In Two-Headed Giant, a team loses at fifteen.
The -1/-1 counters are the part people underestimate. Normal damage wears off at end of turn, but counters stay. A 4/4 that blocks a 2/2 with infect survives, but it's a 2/2 for the rest of the game. Damage to a planeswalker or battle works as usual: it removes loyalty or defense counters. Other damage abilities still apply. With lifelink you gain life equal to the damage, and with trample the excess goes to the player as poison counters. If the damage is prevented, no counters are put on anything.
Infect is all-or-nothing. A creature with infect never reduces a player's life total, so a deck that mixes infect and regular damage is racing toward two different finish lines. Life gain doesn't help against poison either. That's why infect decks lean on pump spells: every extra point of power is an extra poison counter, and ten comes quickly. Effects that add counters, such as proliferate, also add poison counters to players who already have some. Multiple instances of infect on one creature do nothing extra.
An example at the table
Your opponent is at 20 life with 0 poison counters. You attack with a 2/2 with infect, and they block with a 3/3. Your creature deals 2 damage, so the 3/3 gets two -1/-1 counters and is a 1/1 for good. Your 2/2 takes 3 damage and dies. Next turn you attack with another 2/2 with infect, it isn't blocked, and you cast a spell that gives it +4/+4. It deals 6 damage, so your opponent gets 6 poison counters and stays at 20 life. One more hit of 4 is enough to reach 10.
Cards with Infect
Blightsteel ColossusIllustration: Chris Rahn
Plague MyrIllustration: Efrem Palacios
Skithiryx, the Blight DragonIllustration: Chippy
Blighted AgentIllustration: Anthony Francisco
Ichor RatsIllustration: Matt StewartCommon mistakes
- Thinking infect damage also costs life. It replaces life loss with poison counters. Toxic is the mechanic that does both.
- Thinking -1/-1 counters go away at end of turn. They're counters, not damage, and they stay until something removes them.
- Thinking life gain protects against infect. Poison counters are tracked separately from life, and ten means a loss.
- Thinking infect only works in combat. It applies to every bit of damage the source deals.
Frequently asked questions
- How many poison counters do you need to lose?
- Ten. In Two-Headed Giant the team shares a total and loses at fifteen.
- What's the difference between infect and toxic?
- Infect replaces life loss with poison counters for all damage. Toxic adds a fixed number of poison counters on combat damage to a player, on top of the normal life loss.
- Does infect work on planeswalkers?
- Damage to a planeswalker removes loyalty counters as usual. Infect only changes damage to players and creatures.
- Does lifelink work with infect?
- Yes. You gain life equal to the damage dealt, even though that damage gives poison counters instead of causing life loss.
Official rule: Comprehensive Rules 702.90. More on where this rulebook comes from under Sources.
Often seen with
FlyingRegenerateTrampleProliferateFirst strike
Which cards with Infect do you own? →
Last updated: 26 October 2026