Well with today introduction of Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath, the wheels in my head started turning on how I could make a deck with him.
Here is my version of a Mono Black control with him at the helm.
I run a big black control deck as well in EDH, and I have cut out all the "Pox"-esque cards over the year. These effects hurt you more than you realize because you cripple your greatest strength: The amount of Swamps you have! As we all know, Coffers only really gets popping after 6 or so swamps in play, so why jeopardize that to hopefully pop a player who has ramped really hard. This is also the reasoning behind not running fetches in my deck as well, because fetches cut down on the chances of achieving a critical mass of swamps.
If you want to punish players with greedy mana-bases instead look into a card like Helldozer. I also think that Larceny is that great because you aren't generating enough creatures for it to matter, and you already have spectres and Necrogen Mists. Also, you need to put the old standard-standby in Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Thanks for the comment. Ya I was thinking Larceny was a little lackluster in this deck do to low creatures and had forgotten all about Helldozer. As for coffers and Pox, I never plan on getting Coffers out every time so I try not to play around it and as for the Fetches, I'am just using them to filter out the deck.Pox just works so well in my play group so ill try it out a while and see. Gray Merchant of Asphodel awesome need to make room for him, but what to take out?
Here is my version of a Mono Black control with him at the helm.
1 Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath
// Lands
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Vesuva
1 Thespian's Stage
25 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Marsh Flats
1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Deserted Temple
// Creatures
1 Priest of Yawgmoth
1 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Bloodghast
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Hypnotic Specter
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Needle Specter
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Guul Draz Specter
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Shimian Specter
1 Indulgent Tormentor
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Dread
1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
1 Grave Titan
1 Helldozer
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Jet Medallion
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Thran Dynamo
1 The Chain Veil
1 Geth's Grimoire
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Spine of Ish Sah
// Sorceries
1 Innocent Blood
1 Night's Whisper
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Smallpox
1 Sign in Blood
1 Read the Bones
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Pox
1 Ancient Craving
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Syphon Mind
1 Barter in Blood
1 Damnation
1 Syphon Flesh
1 All Is Dust
1 Waste Not
1 Bitterblossom
1 Contamination
1 Necrogen Mists
1 Necropotence
1 No Mercy
1 Painful Quandary
// Instants
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Withering Boon
1 Dash Hopes
1 Geth's Verdict
// Planeswalkers
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
1 Liliana Vess
1 Sorin Markov
1 Karn Liberated
The current deck stats avg CMC is 3.67. I find this a little high, but what can you do in mono black.
Any thoughts and ideas welcome.
Cards testing
Nether Void
Lethal Vapors
-Butcher of Malakir / +Rune-Scarred Demon
-Sword of War and Peace / +Contamination
Possible additions
Diabolic Edict
Tribute to Hunger
Ophiomancer
Death Cloud
If you want to punish players with greedy mana-bases instead look into a card like Helldozer. I also think that Larceny is that great because you aren't generating enough creatures for it to matter, and you already have spectres and Necrogen Mists. Also, you need to put the old standard-standby in Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Change Log
-Larceny / +Helldozer
+Gray Merchant of Asphodel ?
Game Play.
Ob Vs. Sharum
Opening hand 3 Swamps Vampiric Tutor, Helldozer, Pox, Crypt Ghast
Turn 1 Drop a Swamp Cast Vampiric Tutor search for Jet Medallion
Turn 2 Draw Jet Medallion Drop a swamp Cast Jet Medallion Pass
Turn 3 Draw Grave Titan Drop a swamp cast Crypt Ghast
Turn 4 Draw Swamp Drop a Swamp cast Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath - 2 him and pass.
Turn 5 Draw Liliana of the Dark Realms Cast Helldozer +2 Ob and swing with 5/5 flyer
Turn 6 Draw Syphon Mind Cast Liliana of the Dark Realms + Walkers Search Land Play it swing demon and pop 1 opponents land.
Turn 7 Draw Liliana of the Veil + Walkers Search Land Play it swing demon and pop 2 opponents land.
Turn 8 Draw Sign in Blood + Walkers Search Land Play it swing demon and pop 4 opponents land. Opponent has only Sharuum the Hegemon 1 land, Thopter Foundry,
Gilded Lotus left and drops.
I feel he ran well, but if Sharuum was working better the game would have been different. Still needs work.