MTG Salvation

Hello, everybody. I am quite new in EDH and would like to ask for opinions to improve my deck.

After I bought the black deck in Commander 2014, I fell in love with Drana and would like to make a pretty powerful mono-black deck for her. The deck would be used in both 1v1 and multiplayer game so I hope that it would not be too oriented to one particular mode.

The basic idea of the deck is to ramp with Cabal Coffers, Crypt Ghast, Magus of the Coffers and Caged Sun. During the process, I mainly use removal and hand disruption spells to solve the threats of my opponents. I run a lot of tutors to get the things that I need. At a suitable time, I cast Drana either for removal or a pumped attack (commander damage! it hurts!).

Here comes the current deck list:


However, I am not sure if the all the cards in the list are useful to me.
Here are some cards that I own or have ordered, that may be better in this deck:

• 1 Bloodhusk Ritualist
  
• 1 Burnished Hart
  
• 1 Consume the Meek
  
• 1 Mind Shatter
  
• 1 Strata Scythe
  
• 1 Syphon Mind
  
• 1 Venser's Journal
  

Should I add in the cards? And if I would like to add them, what are the most appropriate cards for me to take away from the current deck?

I know I need cards like Necropotence, Damnation and Phyrexian Arena in this deck but they are quite out of my budget at the moment. Are there any budget cards that can potentially improve my deck a lot?

Thank you for your patience!

How is Myriad Landscape removal?

Out of the cards listed I'd add in Charcoal Diamond, Syphon Mind, and maybe Decree of Pain or Wayfarer's Bauble.

The first things I'd consider for cutting are some of the highest CMC cards and Abyssal Persecutor.

Thanks for your advice!
I have removed the Abyssal Persecutor and Pontiff of Blight to add in Charcoal Diamond and Blood Artist. Still thinking about Syphon Mind though.

P.S. Myriad Landscape belongs to the ramp part. Sorry for that.

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth makes Cabal Coffers that much better, as well as your other swamp-doublers/counters. Judicious use of Onyx Talisman makes Coffers ugly.

Nirkana Revenant also works well as a doubler, but is typically not considered budget.

The better mp-game discard spells are symmetrical, hitting you as well. Being monoblack, adding more reanimation can help immensely, but the end result is a very different deck. Still, if you can find a Beacon of Unrest, consider adding it.

Read the Bones is cheap draw that came with the black Commander deck. Reconsider it.

From your list, Decree of Pain and Stphon Soul are the only ones I like as general additions; that said, Syphon Mind is meh in a duel.

Cheers!

Some of these might be helpful.
Nightmare Lash
Expedition Map
Wayfarer's Bauble
Deserted Temple
Baleful Force

Sure I will try to get Nirkana Revenant some day!
I will add in Urborg after it rotates out in standard. (Also hero's downfall)
I found a cheap copy of Geth, Lord of the Vault. Should I add that one?

Quote from redcap39 »

Sure I will try to get Nirkana Revenant some day!
I will add in Urborg after it rotates out in standard. (Also hero's downfall)
I found a cheap copy of Geth, Lord of the Vault. Should I add that one?

Absolutely yes. With Coffers out, he can get crazy. Speaking of Coffers, I would suggest adding Petrified Field. It is the only other way to get back a Coffers from the graveyard besides Grim Discovery.

For drawing, I would suggest cutting Skeletal Scrying and Phyrexian Gargantua for Read the Bones and Syphon Mind.

Quote from Kisoji »

Quote from redcap39 »

Sure I will try to get Nirkana Revenant some day!
I will add in Urborg after it rotates out in standard. (Also hero's downfall)
I found a cheap copy of Geth, Lord of the Vault. Should I add that one?

Absolutely yes. With Coffers out, he can get crazy. Speaking of Coffers, I would suggest adding Petrified Field. It is the only other way to get back a Coffers from the graveyard besides Grim Discovery.

For drawing, I would suggest cutting Skeletal Scrying and Phyrexian Gargantua for Read the Bones and Syphon Mind.

Is Syphon Mind really worth a place?
It seems to be bad in 1v1 match...

For Read the Bones and Phyrexian Gargantua, I feel like it is to cut the mana cost by turning a creature spell to a sorcery spell?

P.S. I changed the Corrupt to Consume Spirit, in order to win with my mana in some cases.

Quote from redcap39 »

Is Syphon Mind really worth a place?
It seems to be bad in 1v1 match...

How often are you playing 1v1 with this list? If that's more your speed, there's a lot more edits one would do. If you're doing mostly casual multiplayer, then Syphon Mind is quite decent.

Due to limited number of EDH players I know, I usually play 1v1 with my friends.
However, I like multiplayer more and occasionally go to card store to play with strangers.

What about a sideboard of sorts involving cards that are good for duels coming out for the MP-oriented cards, like Hymn to Tourach vs Syphon Mind, depending on format?

Scry can be most useful, which is why so many recommend Read the Bones. Related is Crystal Ball and maybe Drown in Sorrow.

White-bordered Strip Mines are cheap; with your tutors, it provides a handy means to zap a problem land.

Add Geth and sometimes run him as your Commander for variety. He is strong and fun, especially with the black mana-doublers.

Cheers!

I have added my new cards like Geth, Nevinyrral's Disk, Spine of Ish Sah and Exquisite Blood.
(As updated in the list)

I feel like that I am having fewer and fewer creatures... (Previously there are quite a number of big creatures)
Is it okay?
Any suggestion on what useful creatures to add in my deck?

Here you can find my Drana. It's not a budget version but you can take some ideas from it.

David.

Quote from baldodavi »

Here you can find my Drana. It's not a budget version but you can take some ideas from it.

David.

Thank you for your sharing!

Why is Nantuko Shade useful?
I included it before. It turns out to be just an early game blocker with no utility function...

Here are some cheap and overlooked enchantments that are all stars in my deck:

Infernal Darkness
This is a game ender. Just lock your non-black opponents out of the game and do whatever you want to them.

Lethal Vapors
I run a lot less creatures and more sweepers than your list so I don't mind sweeping the board and letting the swamps pile up.

Spreading Plague
Ohhh man, people hate this card. It's multiple sweepers that you only pay mana for once. Slow the creature game down a lot.


I think you need more mass removal. Barter in Blood and Crux of Fate are cheap.

Thawing Glaciers can be found for 4 bucks. It makes sure you never miss a land drop for your coffers.

What about a Phyrexia's Core to make that Spine of Ish Sah reusable?


I've been playing Drana MBC for over 4 years and tinkering to make it better the whole time. The link to my list is in my sig if you're curious.

Everybody packs ample creature removal in my EDH experience, so any effect you can get in enchantment form rather than on legs is worth switching over to. My EDH deck is also mono black, and it's effectively 3-drop-enchantment.dec. For being the color least prepared to remove enchantments, black is one of the best for laying them down.

I have just got my copy of Demonic Tutor and Puppeteer Clique(from MM2015) yesterday.
I think they definitely have a space in this deck.

I am also thinking about Illusionist's Bracers, Graveborn Muse and Dismember.
Illusionist's Bracers look like a cheap alternative to the Rings of Brighthearth.
Graveborn Muse is another great card draw system other than Bloodgift Demon.
Dismember is another great card from MM2015. A 1 cmc instant spell that -5/-5! Isn't it nice?

Although the cards above look nice. I don't know what I should take out from the original deck list as all the cards have a function there.
Demonic Tutor may replace one of the tutor, but I don't know which is the most suitable one to be replaced.

Any thoughts?

Quote from redcap39 »

Demonic Tutor may replace one of the tutor, but I don't know which is the most suitable one to be replaced.

Increasing Ambition.

Latest changes (28th May 2015):
- Increasing Ambition
+ Demonic Tutor
- Victimize
+ Puppeteer Clique

I hope the above changes work.
Besides, what do you think about a Reiver Demon in this deck?

Quote from redcap39 »

Latest changes (28th May 2015):
- Increasing Ambition
+ Demonic Tutor
- Victimize
+ Puppeteer Clique

I hope the above changes work.
Besides, what do you think about a Reiver Demon in this deck?

I don't like Reiver Demon very much in any deck, but it's not the absolute worst choice in a big-mana black deck.