Black has always been my favourite colour because it is so unfair. People complain about Blue's counterspells or omnipresent colour bleed, yet don't mention Black. The complaints on Counterspells is that the card doesn't get to touch the field, yet Black's Discard does the same without the complaints. Blue during the beginning of Magic history seemed to have access to every ability in the game, yet people ignore Black's ability to do everything if you're willing to pay the price. Black has Counterspells, Time Walks, Creature Pump, Hyper Efficient Creatures, Mass Instant Card Draw, Wraths, and so much more. The common thread is making your opponents pay life to stop you, or you pay life to get the rewards.
Unlike the other colours, Black has so much more rewards for going Mono-Coloured than splashing or incorporating another colour into your strategy. Each colour has its own strengths, so in theory you can cover weaknesses by adding a different colour to your deck. If Black has access to the entire colour pie, if you're willing to pay the price, then you don't need another colour. That's why so many of its effects are greedy. You play with just Swamps to get the maximum benefit, and unlike other colours, you get rewarded for going Mono-Coloured.
Anyway, I think it is time you met your Commander.Introducing... Your Commander:
Oh? You think you're supposed to see some creature? Perhaps a Legend of some kind? I thought so too, until a wise man told me that "In Monoblack, Cabal Coffers is your commander." Whoever generates the most mana unleashes the most degenerate plays, Cabal Coffers makes that easy to do. You're here to play Mono-Black Control, which is to slowly squeeze the life from your opponents as you play more and more oppressive threats. Cabal Coffers lets you make more plays with the amount of mana it generates, so out of all of the Mono-Black Control Commanders, Erebos, God of the Dead makes the most sense. He gives you the easiest ability to dig into your deck for a Tutor and go fetch your Cabal Coffers. Once you do have the Coffers, he can then dig for the threats you want or a more efficient card draw engine.
Pros
You want to win through Control, by crushing the spirits of your opponents.
You stop that lifegain nonsense, unless it's your own.
Any board wipe always helps you at any point in the game, especially since Erebos is indestructible and immune to most of them.
Strong against creature-heavy strategies, with the amount of Wraths and creature hate Erebos brings to bear.
Despite being Monoblack, you don't rely on your Graveyard but you can still play with dead things.
You can play good stuff, as the only requirement for Erebos is black mana symbols. Highly customizable!
Straightforward game plan, difficult to disrupt.
Eliminate opponents equally, meaning that you don't get into a game of 'Kingmaker'.
You can mostly ignore pillowforts by dealing incidental damage or if Taxed-based, we just pay the damned Tax.
With a built-in draw engine, rarely get locked out of a game.
You regularly have 10+ mana at your disposal.
Cons
This is not a combo deck.
Weak against combo strategies.
This is not an aggro deck.
If you want to play with brighter colours.
Direct Damage Strategies hurt us by quickly taking life, removing our main resource in our draw engines.
Counterspells are powerful against our Haymaker Sorceries, Enchantments and Creatures.
Mass Land Destruction really sucks...
Despite wanting to slowly crush your enemies, sometimes you do win out of nowhere with huge Exsanguinates.
Why Not Play...?
Sidisi, Undead Vizier - She probably is the biggest contender for the throne of fetching your true Commander, however she lends to more of a combo style of play. Something that doesn't quite suit Control style.
Volrath the Fallen - While it might be fun to falcon punch people off of the board, he's a Voltron-based, creature-based strategy which is not what we're aiming for.
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Mana hungry yet doesn't help you dig for your Cabal Coffers. He's fun in the 99 but I wouldn't want him in the General's chair.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed - Too much of a combo-piece, which can cause a lot of unwarranted hatred.
Chainer, Dementia Master - He relies on Graveyards to do work and pays life for an undercosted effect, which is pretty similar; however, once Chainer dies the fun times are over while Erebos is much harder to remove and doesn't care about dying.
I have been building this deck since I fell in love with Mono Black Control back in Odyssey Block. The kill, control and and win have changed over time but the spirit of MBC has been strong with me. As my playgroups shifted away from Kitchen Sink Multiplayer and more towards prescribed formats, I had to shelve MBC until the time was right...
The time became right a few weeks ago when I moved to a new city. Here, EDH was strong and I revived my old Commander decks. Itching to make a new deck, I went with my first love and had to decide on a MBC General. I could probably spend a lot more money on this deck to vastly improve it and it more oppressive, but I believe in Multiplayer to be a format where opponents get to make plays. So that means no Contamination for me... Also, I rather spend a few bucks here and there to improve my decks, that way I can afford to have six EDH decks instead of one super-duper good one. It also means if the matchups are too punitive for myself or my opponents, I can change it up instead of sticking to one deck.
This deck was also constructed with playing without my Commander in mind. That way I could play Canadian Highlander or just random Kitchen Sink casual games.Deck List
Cards by sections, ordered by converted mana cost and then alphabetically. Lands are an exception, 0 is to denote the land's CMC but the number next to Swamp is to indiate the number of Swamps.
Nezumi Graverobber - A bombastic 2 drop, this Rat eats up troublesome yards in the early or post-Coffers game and then flips to be able to reanimate any creature at Instant speed. Flipping and Swinging on Turn 3 isn't so bad if someone leaves themselves open, but it means you can't attack graveyard strategies. I guess you'll have to console yourself with whatever creatures that are in Graveyards.
3 CMC
Coffin Queen - Absurd graveyard control, for 3 mana you can grab any creature out of any 'yard. Then if the creature dies, you can do it all over again. The creature only becomes Exiled if the Queen herself untaps or dies.
Fleshbag Marauder - Recurable sacrifice that also sometimes will stick around.
Stinkweed Imp - A 1/3 Flyer with Deathtouch means that no one really wants to swing into you, but the Imp also has Dredge 5. This means if you really need some defence and he's in your 'yard, you can get him. Synergies with Crypt of Agadeem for more big mana.
4 CMC
Crypt Ghast - A mana doubler, this is functionally a way to fake out playing a Cabal Coffers, the Extort is a nice bonus to any excess mana we may have spent making plays but also pad life totals for all of the cards-for-life we run.
Disciple of Bolas - Draw cards and gain life are two things the deck enjoys, sacrificing a creature is a small cost.
Graveborn Muse - Drawing cards at the cost of life to find our Coffers is the name of the game, she can do it very efficiently depending on how many Zombies you control. Plus she blocks or swings and provides much needed Devotion to our General.
Phyrexian Obliterator - Hold back on defence and no one wants to swing in on it, turn sideways and no one wants to block it. And if the Obliterator does nothing, it single-handedly turns on the Devotion of Erebos.
Solemn Simulacrum - The sad robot ramps and draws upon death, not too flashy but very important. I would even argue that this is a card that can be blindly jammed into any Commander deck and improve it, it's only niche strategies that would not benefit from the sad robot.
5 CMC
Chainer, Dementia Master - For 3 mana and life I can bring any creature back into play under my control at Instant Speed. The utility is unprecedented and Chainer makes for a dangerous Combo Engine if combined with a Sacrifice Outlet and any Creature that Enters the Battlefield, including my own.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel - This guy is a game finisher or just someone who regains you life. Depending on how aggressively you curve out, you can drain your opponents for a lot or sit back and wait for a play that will knock someone out of the game. Also, great card to recur with Sheoldred, Whispering One.
6 CMC
Demon of Dark Schemes - This Demon kills small creatures, gets Energy from any creature dying and then you can use that to re-animate any creature with no strings. This is the oppressive six drop I'm looking for.
Geth, Lord of the Vault - 5/5 Intimidate is great for getting damage in; however, it's his mana sink ability to resurrect and mill opponents to be what I'm interested in.
Kokusho, the Evening Star - Kokusho does it all, he is so good he was on the Commander Ban List for a while. He's got a sizable body, evades with Flying and if he dies, you're draining life totals to fuel more card draw. If you're able to recur him, you end games.
7 CMC
Sheoldred, Whispering One - She's probably the most oppressive creature in our colours, Sheoldred cuts down on your opponents creatures while continually putting yours into play.
8 CMC
Myojin of Night's Reach - Indestructible and knocks away opposing hands so I can focus on finishing the game; the come from my hand clause is important because the Myojin will never betray me via Bribery or Reanimate.
Cuts
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Blood Artist - This early game play is merely to pad your life total so that you can begin digging for cards with Erebos, which got cut for Thought Vessel due to its ramp and Infinite Hand Size.
Reassembling Skeleton - A two drop that doesn't ever die, fantastic if you have more of a sacrifice engine. Was removed when Attrition and Lastwrite were cut.
Wight of Precinct Six - A scaling threat throughout any point of the game that didn't quite pave the way to victory. This two drop didn't pad our life and didn't ramp us into our General.
Zulaport Cutthroat - As the deck moved away from a creature-based shell, our creatures died less often and therefore the Cutthroat couldn't drain the table to keep our life afloat.
Burnished Hart - Never fit into my curve. Early, I wanted to build defence and late I wanted to start dropping bombs. In theory, it fetches must needed mana but in practice I never had the time to use it.
Dark Impostor - Something to do with your massive amount of mana, the Impostor Exiles threats, gains their abilities and grows in size. The lack of utility early is what caused Impostor to get cut; he may be devastating late game but there's no point if I don't get there.
Ophiomancer - A great way to make players go somewhere else with a recurring Snake token with Deathtouch; however, I chose to go with Ramp over her as it is a better play in every stage of the game. If the deck was more Sacrifice-centric, Ophiomancer would be perfect.
Nighthowler - I didn't go with a big Graveyard strategy as I originally thought, so he actually wasn't that big or made a creature that large, and so was cut. Big 'yard strategies would love the Nighthowler, but I didn't want to become vulnerable to Graveyard hate.
Vampire Nighthawk - Solid offensive and defensive creature that was removed because that's all it does, nothing exceptional. If we go with a more Equipment heavy focus, he's a perfect creature to carry that sort of gear.
Falkenrath Noble - Another way to pad life totals and can attack with evasion, unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep him in the list. He was an early addition when I thought of filling up my Graveyard.
Slum Reaper - Another Fleshbag Marauder but cost 1 more and if I need things to die, that could be the difference between victory or defeat.
Banshee of the Dread Choir - Not playing an aggressive strategy, so Banshee were counterproductive, which is a shame because Myriad is such a cool ability.
Magus of the Coffers - Sizeable body isn't why you run this guy, it's because he's another true General impersonator. Use him to increase your mana production and conquer the game and was cut for Artifact-based Ramp that isn't effected by Wraths and Activates right away instead of waiting on 'Summoning Sickness'.
Grave Titan - If you and your friends are playing fair Magic, he's 10 power for 6 which isn't very fair. Unfortunately, I am looking for something more competitive so the Giant got cut.
Harvester of Souls - Harvester is another 'fair' draw engine, with card draw and Deathtouch to make our opponents dislike fighting him. He got cut when he got outclassed by a Kokusho, the Evening Star.
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled - Tutoring is a very common way to find what you need in this singleton format, so making people sacrifice a creature and lose 10 will make them think twice or lower their life total for us to drain them. At six plus mana the card should win me the game in a vacuum and while this Ob Nix inconvenienced others wins it didn't provide me one.
Pontiff of Blight - If you're running many creatures and small spells, he can definitely be used to close out the game with Extort triggers but we're here to make big plays and that's why he got cut.
Reaper from the Abyss - In theory, a psuedo-Grave Pact but in practice a lot of waiting around. Luckily, when Erebos was out I could choose him if there was nothing else but a few times I had to kill my own guys. That made me snip the Reaper.
Sepulchral Primordial - Put the best dead creature of all of your opponents into play was good; however, Chainer, Dementia Master could do it at will and even hit my own creatures at a lower mana cost.
2. Enchantments, Artifacts and Enchantment Artifacts
Enchantments
1 CMC
Bloodchief Ascension - Gives Devotion and if activates, suddenly provides tons of life and drain from everybody else at the table. Don't run Mindcrank because not a dirty combo deck.
2 CMC
Animate Dead - Cheap way to make any creature come into play under your control.
Dance of the Dead - Another cheap way to put a creature onto the battlefield, albeit with minor cost to untap it.
3 CMC
Necropotence - This is the draw spell in black. It is the most efficient and lets you get really ahead quickly. The drawback of discarded cards are exiled is negligible.
Phyrexian Arena - Necropotence's slower cousin, still one card a turn for one life is good.
Black Market - You're going to kill creatures plus they'll die incidentally. This is a fantastic way to generate more mana.
Exquisite Blood - Gaining life is important for staying alive but also fuelling your draw engines. This is merely an incentive to keep hurting your foes. Again, don't run Sanguine Bond because not a combo deck.
Cuts
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Attrition - Great for a control suite, especially with a Grave Pact; however, I didn't run sufficient elements to really ensure I'd have creatures to sacrifice so it was cut.
Underworld Connections - Similar to Phyrexian Arena but can be used on the turn cast if you're desperate and need to dig. Connections was cut for Ob Nixilis Reignited who is an 'Arena' that can also kill.
Painful Quandary - A control element that sometimes united the table against you, required even more Discard support to be useful so cut instead of adding a Discard suite.
Enchantment Artifact Whip of Erebos is the only Enchantment Artifact in the deck. It's important for two reasons: it gives 2 Devotion for its namesake and gives everything Lifelink. The only purpose of life gain is to fuel your card draw and be safe from attacks.
Oh, and I guess putting creatures into play one more time is good though I'm saddened by their Exile without escaping that fate.
Artifacts
0 CMC
Everflowing Chalice - At the very worst, this is a 2 mana rock that provides one mana, decent Ramp. In the late game, this scales with the amount of mana we have to provide even more dividends when tapped.
Sol Ring - There is a reason why Commander is mostly 98 + Sol Ring and your Commander. The fast mana is just too good to pass up.
Skullclamp - For such a small mana investment, you can start drawing massive amount of cards from creatures going where you intend them. If you're playing any creature based strategy, there must be more of a reason to not run Skullclamp than to run one.
Jet Medallion - Reduces every single coloured spell you have by one.
Mind Stone - Fast ramp that turns into a card once you don't need the mana.
Thought Vessel - Though Vessel gets Erebos online faster and the Infinite Hand Size is useful for our ability to dig deep with Erebos and Necropotence, meaning any extra cards won't be wasted with being discarded.
3 CMC
Extraplanar Lens - Incredibly fast mana doubler, so much so it sometimes outstrips Cabal Coffers for production, albeit a bit risky.
Mimic Vat - When a creature dies you can get copies of that on a stick, including enemy creatures. The Vat provides invaluable utility by creating all sorts of creatures; however, one of the major features is the incidental hate on Graveyard strategies. If your opponent uses any sort of triggered ability to put their creature back into play from death, the Vat shuts that down.
Oblivion Stone - For 8 mana, get rid of a lot of trouble. If you're really in control, you can designate some permanents as safe from the destruction. To be honest, just go for the blow. If you're winning, you don't need to cast this. If you aren't, cast and pop.
Worn Powerstone - Relatively efficient Artifact Ramp that allows six mana plays on Turn 4.
5 CMC
Gauntlet of Power - Mana doubler for all Black mages, with our Mono Black Big Mana strategy, we're prepared to abuse this for our benefit.
Caged Sun - We want big mana, this provides big mana. Pump to creatures is incidental.
Planar Bridge - Expensive to use but puts any Permanent into play at Instant Speed. Find the perfect attack, defense or utility to suit your needs.
Cuts
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Charcoal Diamond - This is just a basic Ramp Artifact, I rather have bigger impact and more expensive than something that comes into play tapped. I am not hurting to pay Black, I'm hurting to have lots of mana!
Lashwrithe - Very big creature without much effort but was taken out when I went against large 'yard strategy.
Perilous Vault - Enchantments and Artifacts can be a problem for Monoblack, this scrubs the board clean but got replaced by the more efficient Oblivion Stone. That extra cost could cost you the game, even if the Vault Exiles.
Dreamstone Hedron - Fine card to start with, but during the mid-to-end game it wasn't pleasant to topdeck or cast.
3. Sorceries
2 CMC
Black Sun's Zenith - Scalable Wrath that gets rid of the creatures we want or all of them. Does so with -1/-1 Counters, which gets around Indestructible and hoses +1/+1 based strategies.
Exsanguinate - Deal damage to everybody, gain that much life. Simple but so effective.
Night's Whisper - Draw 2 and deal 2 to ourselves. The entire purpose to go looking for our Coffers, then draw engines and then threats. More efficient than our Commander but impermanent.
Beseech the Queen - Normally, most tutors wouldn't like CMC requirements but our main target costs 0. Afterwards, it can probably get us our threat or answer.
Praetor's Grasp - One of the rare cards that lets you play a card instead of cast, meaning in mirror matches you can search up your opponent's Cabal Coffers. Failing that, a Sol Ring or Artifact-based Ramp shouldn't be dismissed to get you into the game faster. And then if they're using Eldrazi, that's not too shabby either.
All Is Dust - Clear the board, including Enchantments which Black is weak against.
8 CMC
Decree of Pain - Wipes the board and then I draw a load of cards. Failing that, I could Cycle to Infest at Instant Speed.
9 CMC
In Garruk's Wake - Destroy all of their Creatures and Planeswalkers, leaving me free to do what I wish.
Cuts
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Consume Spirit - Same idea as Exsanguinate and while I thought the ability to point it at creatures would be great, in practice I didn't have time for that. Also, the requirement of only spending Black mana came up more than I was comfortable with.
Victimize - I don't run the Graveyard strategy so much and thus this had to go. Shame, very efficient at trading dorks for muscle.
Beacon of Unrest - Grabs an Artifact or Creature from any yard. With most of my interest being in creatures, I went with the more efficient choices of Animate Dead and Dance of the Dead. It's not like I'm going to tutor it up again, making the reshuffle moot.
Diabolic Revelation - Arguably, the best tutor around. In reality, a single tutor should go the job of grabbing the draw or the mana. No need to fetch everything and if you don't have Coffers, it's not like that X is going to be impressive.
Increasing Ambition - Spending 5 on a tutor was too much when I was looking for cuts, it gets replaced with Ramp which would help Erebos spend mana and life to draw cards.
Necromantic Selection - Clear the board but then bring back the best Creature. It's not bad, it's just All Is Dust is so much better.
4. Planeswalkers, Instants and Lands
Planeswalkers
4 CMC
Liliana of the Dark Realms - Liliana ramps us by getting the most important card for our strategy: Swamps. If you ultimate with her, you'll have so much mana you won't know what to do with it. The pump isn't as important as the removal, knocking sizable creatures out of the game once you've amassed enough lands.
5 CMC
Ob Nixilis Reignited - He's another Arena that can also be a kill spell. If you hit the critical mass of an Ultimate, you get to execute a player with death from a thousand cuts. He's also another body to swing into rather than you, so you don't need to worry about life loss
Instant Dark Ritual is the only Instant in the deck. Normally, Instants would be reserved for Spot Removal but you aim to crush the field if you need to with devastating Sorceries. The fact that I am running this sole Instant should be an indication of how valuable Dark Ritual is. The tempo jump allows you to play your big spells earlier and with Erebos' innate card draw negates the Card Disadvantage.
Lands
Swamps fuel our Cabal Coffers, so anything that cuts away from being a Swamp or Coffers should bring a lot of value.
Barren Moor - A low opportunity cost draw spell, especially useful due to being at Instant Speed.
Leechridden Swamp - Counts as a Swamp, otherwise it would not make the cut. Does 1 damage to our opponents, which can add up over turns.
Myriad Landscape - Fetches two swamps, even if it and they come into play tapped, that ups our Coffers mana making it worthwhile.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - With our many Enchantments and Creatures, Nykthos can easily generate five to six mana. This can act with Coffers or replacing it in some games.
Terrain Generator - Puts Swamps into play if we have nothing better to do, which helps for generic Ramp in addition to powering Cabal Coffers.
Thespian's Stage - Clones Cabal Coffers. If my entire strategy hinges off of one card, a dedicated Clone is great.
Volrath's Stronghold - For two mana and the Stronghold tapping, we can recycle some of our most abusive creatures. While it may not be fueling Coffers, it does let us put a Grey Merchant of Asphodel into play every time it dies.
Cuts
Crypt of Agadeem - Crypt never provided value in the long game due to the small number of Creatures in this deck in combination with graveyard hate and was deemed less useful than a Basic Swamp.
Notable Exclusions
Some cards, even considered staples, aren't in my deck for a variety of reasons. Here are different sections.
Tinkering
These are cards that I am considering for my deck; however, there's a reason why I'm not going out and grabbing them. Quite honestly, the deck is already full and busy so there is stiff competition in either the functional or card type slot.
Oppressive
Some players play exclusively Competitive EDH and I am not one of those players. I intend to have a game where I interact with my opponents and they do the same. The easiest way to win when playing Magic is disallow interaction. Mono Black has a fairly extensive 'Stax' strategy of denying opponents the ability to play the game, making it easier for their deck to obtain victory. As I stated, I am looking for a fair game even if it is mean, which is why I have not included overly oppressive elements in my Erebos deck.
Costly
These cards are excluded simply because they cost too much money. Now, a few of these could be grabbed if I was willing to trade painfully for them; however, I am content with how Erebos operates. In the future, if I were to acquire one of these cards I wouldn't object to placing it in my deck but at this time they're not something I'm thinking of including. Erebos is incredibly customizable with Mono Black Control, I can use cheaper if more inefficient cards.
Strategy
Erebos' Role
Erebos is a Commander that should come down relatively quickly. He should not come down if you need to drop a defensive piece into play, but if you have nothing better to do, he should hit the board. Unlike most Commanders, his Indestructible nature and Devotion requirement make him difficult to answer. You want him to come down early so that enemy life gain is shut down but more importantly, so he can draw into an draw engine or tutor for a Cabal Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Then, when you're pumping out massive amounts of mana and the deck takes care of the rest; one hand washes the other.
Opening Hand
Size up your opponents and determine if you can keep a hand. Combo is a weakness, while Aggro decks tend to fold to Mono Black. If you're facing Combo, you're looking for disruption like Ob Nixilis, Unshackled or Painful Quandary. You want to push back their 'go off' time as long as possible, by which they get hated out of the game by late game. When it comes to Aggro, you have a host of Wraths to kill their moment. You will want at least two mana sources, with perhaps even a Ramp piece (i.e. Liliana of the Dark Realms, Charcoal Diamond, Solemn Simulacrum, etc.).
Early Game (1-4 Turns)
Interrupt early aggro's tempo with cheap spot removal or a Rattlesnake-type of card to make them go elsewhere. You don't want to have your life total pushed down too quickly, otherwise you cannot fuel Erebos. Get your ramp into play or cracked, so that you'll have lots of mana come mid game.
By the end of the early game, Erebos or another draw engine should be in play. Optimally, you have Cabal Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx ready to come down in the mid game.
Mid Game (5-7 Turns)
You hit the board hard in the early game? Good, do it again and make aggro strategies dead in the water. Use another Wrath to gain massive advantage and hurt your opponents. While they're floundering, push hard with your draw engine to play as many threats as possible that no single answer can answer them all. You're not looking to protect your threats as answers to them are also draining your opponents resources, you're looking to just clog up the board. As Mike Flores said, "there is no wrong threat, only a wrong answer."
Optimally, you'll also want to play something that takes advantage of all of the devastation of playing in a pod with a Monoblack Commander. Black Market to profit from all of the dead creatures; Decree of Pain to draw from clearing the board; Crypt Ghast to Extort some life from your opponents to double your mana; an active Bloodchief Ascension to punish spell slinging or Exquisite Blood to take advantage of all the hurt going around.
Between your mana and draw, you should be able to churn out threats. At the end of the mid game, you want multiple control pieces oppressing your opponents. Grave Pact against creature based strategies; Ob Nixilis, Unshackled against tutor-heavy opponents; and Sheoldred, Whispering One getting back your utility creatures. If you do need to protect something, make sure it's your mana doublers. You don't quite need a draw engine as that's built-in on Erebos.
Late Game (8+ Turns)
A player or two may be dead, it's time to make that a certainty. Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Exsanguinate do a lot of damage, with the Merchant being something you can recycle. You've got mana sinks in Geth, Lord of the Vault, Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief and Dark Impostor. You can reanimate the best creatures still available with Nezumi Graverobber, Coffin Queen or Demon of Dark Schemes. Instead of flooding the board, you want to coast off of your threats. You chocked the board and may have bounced back from an opponent's Wrath, in the late game you want them to deal with your threats one-at-a-time as each threat uses mana.
Dealing with Hate
With the main strategy of 'Get Necropotence to draw a lot' and 'play Cabal Coffers to cast all the spells', sometimes you get targeted hate. The entire point of Erebos is that he's his own Necropotence even if he's not as efficient. This means that the only vulnerability is Cabal Coffers, which can be blown up or Exiled. This is why we run the following mana doublers:
Black Market - Takes time to get rolling, but if left undisrupted, the mana gains can be impressive. The game naturally has creatures dying, plus Erebos is good at killing them.
Caged Sun - Simple doubler that also gives +1/+1 to our creatures.
Crypt Ghast - He's almost everything you want: mana doubling to cast your spells, Extort to compensate for all the life loss to draw. If only Crypt Ghast was bigger.
Gilded Lotus - Not quite a full doubler, but very efficient at getting triple Black which a lot of the haymakers in this deck require.
Liliana of the Dark Realms - Her plus gets you land, which is pivotal to Erebos' Control Strategy, especially if she's fueling your Coffers. If you can pop her Ultimate, you'll have more mana than you'll know what to do with.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Depending on the board state, this can generate a lot more mana than Cabal Coffers. When you have both in play, you have almost too much mana.
If you are unable to get a mana doubler, then you have to play a bit more conservatively. You can't just drop bombs to continually outpace, as a Wrath really sets you back. Instead, play aggressively towards a player to get them out of the game and move onto the next. Keep your hand stocked in case someone tries a reversal. While you may want to go after the player that destroyed your Coffers, you've got to keep the eye on the prize. Analyze who you think is the deadliest and go after them.Thanks
Prid3 has provided years of Multiplayer Analysis that is amazingly helpful. You should read his collection of colour analysis. He is the one who provided me with the shaping quote of "Cabal Coffers is your Commander."
Rumpy5897 was so helpful in my Daxos Thread that I couldn't help but copy his Daxos Card Options style for this thread. He's a real scholar and gentleman, pointing out flaws in my deck building without saying "Oh god you scrub."
Wallabe for his awesome Commander Alter I used when I was updating the thread. He has a great Primer on Phenax, Mill Foreman and I lifted his Strategy section.
I run an Erebos deck and I feel strongly that he's the best mono-black Commander available.
My build really leverages his resilience in the face of black's Pestilence effects - and his whip + crypt rats (or Thrashing Wumpus) can net you 200+ points of life in a single turn.
Also:
Fleshwrither
Tree of Perdition
Chainer, Dementia Master
You solved the mystery for me. I've seen a lot of decks with Whip of Erebos and Pestilence Creatures, I'd be confused because of their low creature counts for the Whip. It's the Lifelink for the Pestilence. That gives a lot of inevitability to a deck.
Fleshwrither usually just gets Crypt Ghast. By he can also fetch Kalitas, Tree, Xiahou Dun, and more. I guess he depends on the amount of 4-drops you play.
Two cards I always like to suggest for mono black decks are Grim Discovery and Petrified Field. The purpose of these cards is being able to get back Cabal Coffers from your graveyard when it gets blown up.
At first Kisoji, I thought you were crazy with a Raise Dead variant but the land grab from Grim Discovery is definitely something to consider due to the amount of hate Cabal Coffers gets.
I am saddened by the loss of Banshee of the Dread Choir the most, actually. I think Myriad is a neat mechanic. The majority of these cuts were suggestions from the Multiplayer Thread, as one of the 'gurus' gave a *****load of great advice, such as "Cabal Coffers is your General". With that in mind, I added a lot more efficient dig and lowered my mana curve as well due to their recommendations.
I didn't take out any of the 'bad Wraths' yet because I want a saturation of removal. I bulldozered too many times today with not having enough Removal, so that's what I'm cutting.
I love Underworld Dreams in mono-black. Adds a lot of devotion, and also gives inevitability and punishes people for doing broken things.
You might also consider Beacon of Unrest, it's super flexible in that it can get other player's stuff as well as artifacts, and flexibility is the name of the game in this format
I'm low on creatures, so I aimed to push up my creature count with these changes. I also found that I would sometimes sit without a mana sink to really work someone over with 15+ mana.
Volrath's Stronghold and Myriad Landscape replace Swamps as something strictly better. That's the strength of mono colours, strong colorless sources don't need to be fretted over.
Added two Wraths at the cost of one. Perilous Vault gets rid of everything troublesome, like Planeswalkers or Enchantments - Decree of Pain is just amazing card advantage compared to the mere damage that Deadly Tempest offered.
Drana is much better than Falkenrath Noble as something in the air. If I want to change things up, I could even put her in the General's Seat as a way to close out games with 21 Commander Damage. Otherwise, more removal and power to hit my opponents with.
MBC is always hungry for mana, so Caged Sun comes in to help fix with that. Lashwrithe was merely an Artifact I felt like I could cut. Solemn is real ramp, while I found the Hart to be difficult to ramp with.
Whip gives Devotion for Erebos and Lifelink so I don't die. It's Activated ability makes me sad, as it means I'm only going to get more play out of whatever creature I bring back.
In theory, Reaper from the Abyss gives me a lot of kills but in practice Demon of Dark Schemes does that and Reanimates. I am loathe to add the terrible Energy Mechanic to my deck, but at least it's only one card.
I cut two weenies for more tutors, as everything else felt very important. Without Attrition, Reassembling Skeleton wasn't as good. I also don't run any Sacrifice a Creature Enchantments that people love to hate (i.e. Contagion). I struggled over what to axe over Vampire Nighthawk, as it's such a good card on the D. With the loss of Lashwrite, it's ability to shine is dimished and my desire to add Lifelink to the deck has been satiated with Whip of Erebos. Is there another card someone else would recommend axing? I do enjoy the Nighthawk but he looked the weakest to me.
I myself am making an Erebos deck. I know this hasn't been updated in a while, but I'm curious why no Torment of Hailfire? What about Hero's Downfall or Razaketh, the Foulblooded? Don't forget Shriekmaw. I think Sudden Spoiling could be great as well. Sadistic Sacrament would be awesome. Just a few suggestions- I'm trying to really perfect this so I'd appreciate some help.
I disassembled the deck because I found that I enjoy playing Commander with a Commander that matters. The strength of Erebos is that you could cast him or not. When I realized it didn't quite matter who sat in the chair I became dissatisfied with the deck and took it apart.
Just wasn't interactive enough? Like the deck didn't really rely on Erebos? I want to play Black- Maybe I'll check out your Sidisi list.
You've probably hit the nail on the head, there. Most of the time he's an indestructible enchantment for converting mana and life into cards that's available from the command zone. In contrast to commanders that are part of the deck's engine or are the main win condition or whatever, he doesn't really do anything. (I have rather the same issue with Sidisi, Undead Vizier.)
There are plenty of interesting commanders in monoblack that are truly part of the deck's operations, if that's still your aim.
If your deck is overly reliant on your commander, all it takes is a little bit of disruption to throw you off of your game plan. You should always have back up plans, of course, but if your Plan A involves your commander you're telegraphing it before you even shuffle up. I think there's something to be said for a commander that complements your overall strategy without being too central to it.
In contrast to commanders that are part of the deck's engine or are the main win condition or whatever, he doesn't really do anything.
I would disagree to an extent. Erebos's abilities can be built around. Obviously, the life gain is situational at best, but when it's good, it's very good. I've tuned my deck for having a lot of inevitability and putting a lid on random life gain can be relevant. As for his other ability, well... if you have card draw in the command zone, that frees up a lot of space in deck construction for other things, such as mana generation to pump into Erebos or disruption that you can draw into with him. In this sense Erebos is in fact part of the engine. Actually, one of the major reasons I ended up sticking with Erebos is that he acts as a lubricant that smooths out the way the deck plays, much like oil to a literal engine.
That said, yeah, he's definitely not flashy and rarely directly kills anyone, and I can't fault anyone for not wanting to play him because of that. He's a meat and taters commander, for sure.
There are plenty of interesting commanders in monoblack that are truly part of the deck's operations, if that's still your aim.
I can dig it. I like the meat and potatoes imagery. I've considered Erebos for hiding the deck's plan (not telegraphing), but hadn't fully considered he could reduce slots devoted to card draw (since I'm trending toward tutorless right now). Freeing up slots is tempting, but so is consistent access to Chainer.
Introduction
Why Play this Commander?
Deck History
Deck List
Card Options
Notable Exclusions
Strategy
Thanks
Changelog
Black has always been my favourite colour because it is so unfair. People complain about Blue's counterspells or omnipresent colour bleed, yet don't mention Black. The complaints on Counterspells is that the card doesn't get to touch the field, yet Black's Discard does the same without the complaints. Blue during the beginning of Magic history seemed to have access to every ability in the game, yet people ignore Black's ability to do everything if you're willing to pay the price. Black has Counterspells, Time Walks, Creature Pump, Hyper Efficient Creatures, Mass Instant Card Draw, Wraths, and so much more. The common thread is making your opponents pay life to stop you, or you pay life to get the rewards.
Unlike the other colours, Black has so much more rewards for going Mono-Coloured than splashing or incorporating another colour into your strategy. Each colour has its own strengths, so in theory you can cover weaknesses by adding a different colour to your deck. If Black has access to the entire colour pie, if you're willing to pay the price, then you don't need another colour. That's why so many of its effects are greedy. You play with just Swamps to get the maximum benefit, and unlike other colours, you get rewarded for going Mono-Coloured.
Anyway, I think it is time you met your Commander.
Introducing... Your Commander:
Pros
Deck History
I have been building this deck since I fell in love with Mono Black Control back in Odyssey Block. The kill, control and and win have changed over time but the spirit of MBC has been strong with me. As my playgroups shifted away from Kitchen Sink Multiplayer and more towards prescribed formats, I had to shelve MBC until the time was right...
The time became right a few weeks ago when I moved to a new city. Here, EDH was strong and I revived my old Commander decks. Itching to make a new deck, I went with my first love and had to decide on a MBC General. I could probably spend a lot more money on this deck to vastly improve it and it more oppressive, but I believe in Multiplayer to be a format where opponents get to make plays. So that means no Contamination for me... Also, I rather spend a few bucks here and there to improve my decks, that way I can afford to have six EDH decks instead of one super-duper good one. It also means if the matchups are too punitive for myself or my opponents, I can change it up instead of sticking to one deck.
This deck was also constructed with playing without my Commander in mind. That way I could play Canadian Highlander or just random Kitchen Sink casual games.
Deck List
Cards by sections, ordered by converted mana cost and then alphabetically. Lands are an exception, 0 is to denote the land's CMC but the number next to Swamp is to indiate the number of Swamps.
4 Erebos, God of the Dead
Creatures - 19
2 Nezumi Graverobber
3 Coffin Queen
3 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Merciless Executioner
3 Stinkweed Imp
4 Crypt Ghast
4 Disciple of Bolas
4 Graveborn Muse
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Chainer, Dementia Master
5 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
6 Demon of Dark Schemes
6 Geth, Lord of the Vault
6 Kokusho, the Evening Star
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
8 Myojin of Night's Reach
8 Pestilence Demon
Enchantment - 8
1 Bloodchief Ascension
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
3 Necropotence
3 Phyrexian Arena
4 Grave Pact
5 Black Market
5 Exquisite Blood
4 Whip of Erebos
Artifact - 16
0 Everflowing Chalice
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Jet Medallion
2 Mind Stone
2 Thought Vessel
3 Extraplanar Lens
3 Mimic Vat
3 Oblivion Stone
3 Worn Powerstone
5 Gauntlet of Power
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Caged Sun
6 Planar Bridge
Planeswalker - 2
4 Liliana of the Dark Realms
5 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Sorcery - 16
2 Black Sun's Zenith
2 Exsanguinate
2 Night's Whisper
2 Sign in Blood
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Praetor's Grasp
3 Read the Bones
3 Toxic Deluge
4 Diabolic Tutor
4 Mutilate
4 Syphon Mind
5 Crux of Fate
5 Dark Petition
7 All Is Dust
8 Decree of Pain
9 In Garruk's Wake
1 Dark Ritual
Lands - 36
0 Barren Moor
0 Cabal Coffers
0 Leechridden Swamp
0 Myriad Landscape
0 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
0 Terrain Generator
0 Thespian's Stage
0 Volrath's Stronghold
28 Swamp
Card Options
1. Creatures
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Whip of Erebos is the only Enchantment Artifact in the deck. It's important for two reasons: it gives 2 Devotion for its namesake and gives everything Lifelink. The only purpose of life gain is to fuel your card draw and be safe from attacks.
Oh, and I guess putting creatures into play one more time is good though I'm saddened by their Exile without escaping that fate.
Artifacts
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Simply put, when cards go in others must come out. This is the selection of cards that got the axe.
Planeswalkers
Dark Ritual is the only Instant in the deck. Normally, Instants would be reserved for Spot Removal but you aim to crush the field if you need to with devastating Sorceries. The fact that I am running this sole Instant should be an indication of how valuable Dark Ritual is. The tempo jump allows you to play your big spells earlier and with Erebos' innate card draw negates the Card Disadvantage.
Lands
Notable Exclusions
Some cards, even considered staples, aren't in my deck for a variety of reasons. Here are different sections.
Tinkering
These are cards that I am considering for my deck; however, there's a reason why I'm not going out and grabbing them. Quite honestly, the deck is already full and busy so there is stiff competition in either the functional or card type slot.
Oppressive
Some players play exclusively Competitive EDH and I am not one of those players. I intend to have a game where I interact with my opponents and they do the same. The easiest way to win when playing Magic is disallow interaction. Mono Black has a fairly extensive 'Stax' strategy of denying opponents the ability to play the game, making it easier for their deck to obtain victory. As I stated, I am looking for a fair game even if it is mean, which is why I have not included overly oppressive elements in my Erebos deck.
Costly
These cards are excluded simply because they cost too much money. Now, a few of these could be grabbed if I was willing to trade painfully for them; however, I am content with how Erebos operates. In the future, if I were to acquire one of these cards I wouldn't object to placing it in my deck but at this time they're not something I'm thinking of including. Erebos is incredibly customizable with Mono Black Control, I can use cheaper if more inefficient cards.
Strategy
Erebos' Role
Erebos is a Commander that should come down relatively quickly. He should not come down if you need to drop a defensive piece into play, but if you have nothing better to do, he should hit the board. Unlike most Commanders, his Indestructible nature and Devotion requirement make him difficult to answer. You want him to come down early so that enemy life gain is shut down but more importantly, so he can draw into an draw engine or tutor for a Cabal Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Then, when you're pumping out massive amounts of mana and the deck takes care of the rest; one hand washes the other.
Opening Hand
Size up your opponents and determine if you can keep a hand. Combo is a weakness, while Aggro decks tend to fold to Mono Black. If you're facing Combo, you're looking for disruption like Ob Nixilis, Unshackled or Painful Quandary. You want to push back their 'go off' time as long as possible, by which they get hated out of the game by late game. When it comes to Aggro, you have a host of Wraths to kill their moment. You will want at least two mana sources, with perhaps even a Ramp piece (i.e. Liliana of the Dark Realms, Charcoal Diamond, Solemn Simulacrum, etc.).
Early Game (1-4 Turns)
Interrupt early aggro's tempo with cheap spot removal or a Rattlesnake-type of card to make them go elsewhere. You don't want to have your life total pushed down too quickly, otherwise you cannot fuel Erebos. Get your ramp into play or cracked, so that you'll have lots of mana come mid game.
By the end of the early game, Erebos or another draw engine should be in play. Optimally, you have Cabal Coffers or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx ready to come down in the mid game.
Mid Game (5-7 Turns)
You hit the board hard in the early game? Good, do it again and make aggro strategies dead in the water. Use another Wrath to gain massive advantage and hurt your opponents. While they're floundering, push hard with your draw engine to play as many threats as possible that no single answer can answer them all. You're not looking to protect your threats as answers to them are also draining your opponents resources, you're looking to just clog up the board. As Mike Flores said, "there is no wrong threat, only a wrong answer."
Optimally, you'll also want to play something that takes advantage of all of the devastation of playing in a pod with a Monoblack Commander. Black Market to profit from all of the dead creatures; Decree of Pain to draw from clearing the board; Crypt Ghast to Extort some life from your opponents to double your mana; an active Bloodchief Ascension to punish spell slinging or Exquisite Blood to take advantage of all the hurt going around.
Between your mana and draw, you should be able to churn out threats. At the end of the mid game, you want multiple control pieces oppressing your opponents. Grave Pact against creature based strategies; Ob Nixilis, Unshackled against tutor-heavy opponents; and Sheoldred, Whispering One getting back your utility creatures. If you do need to protect something, make sure it's your mana doublers. You don't quite need a draw engine as that's built-in on Erebos.
Late Game (8+ Turns)
A player or two may be dead, it's time to make that a certainty. Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Exsanguinate do a lot of damage, with the Merchant being something you can recycle. You've got mana sinks in Geth, Lord of the Vault, Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief and Dark Impostor. You can reanimate the best creatures still available with Nezumi Graverobber, Coffin Queen or Demon of Dark Schemes. Instead of flooding the board, you want to coast off of your threats. You chocked the board and may have bounced back from an opponent's Wrath, in the late game you want them to deal with your threats one-at-a-time as each threat uses mana.
Dealing with Hate
With the main strategy of 'Get Necropotence to draw a lot' and 'play Cabal Coffers to cast all the spells', sometimes you get targeted hate. The entire point of Erebos is that he's his own Necropotence even if he's not as efficient. This means that the only vulnerability is Cabal Coffers, which can be blown up or Exiled. This is why we run the following mana doublers:
Thanks
Prid3 has provided years of Multiplayer Analysis that is amazingly helpful. You should read his collection of colour analysis. He is the one who provided me with the shaping quote of "Cabal Coffers is your Commander."
Rumpy5897 was so helpful in my Daxos Thread that I couldn't help but copy his Daxos Card Options style for this thread. He's a real scholar and gentleman, pointing out flaws in my deck building without saying "Oh god you scrub."
Wallabe for his awesome Commander Alter I used when I was updating the thread. He has a great Primer on Phenax, Mill Foreman and I lifted his Strategy section.
1 Mimic Vat
1 Dark Impostor
1 Terrain Generator
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Planar Bridge
1 CHainer, Dementia Master
1 Myojin of Night's Reach
1 Pestilence Demon
1 Crypt of Agadeem
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Ophiomancer
1 Magus of the Coffers
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
1 Sepulchral Primordial
1 Painful Quandary
1 Dictate of Erebos
1 Thought Vessel
1 Blood Artist
1 Barren Moor
1 Swamp
1 Dark Ritual
1 Mind Stone
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 All Is Dust
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Swamp
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
1 Perilous Vault
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Wight of Precinct Six
1 Necromantic Selection
1 Diabolic Revelation
1 Underworld Connections
Link to Changes Explanation
1 Caged Sun
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Demon of Dark Schemes
1 Diabolic Revelation
1 Dark Petition
1 Lashwrithe
1 Victimize
1 Burnished Hart
1 Reaper from the Abyss
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Vampire Nighthawk
Link to Changes Explanation
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Perilous Vault
1 Dark Impostor
1 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1 Decree of Pain
1 Myriad Landscape
2 Swamp
1 Altar of Shadows
1 Attrition
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Deadly Tempest
Link to Changes Explanation
0 Thespian's Stage
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Nights Whisper
2 Sign in Blood
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Toxic Deluge
5 Crux of Fate
5 Gilded Lotus
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
9 In Garruk's Wake
0 Swamp
0 Swamp
0 Everflowing Chalice
2 Consume Spirit
3 Nighthowler
3 Worn Powerstone
4 Slum Reaper
5 Banshee of the Dread Choir
5 Beacon of Unrest
6 Dreamstone Hedron
6 Grave Titan
6 Pontiff of Blight
7 Butcher of Malakir
7 Scour from Existence
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
My build really leverages his resilience in the face of black's Pestilence effects - and his whip + crypt rats (or Thrashing Wumpus) can net you 200+ points of life in a single turn.
Also:
Fleshwrither
Tree of Perdition
Chainer, Dementia Master
Does Tree of Perdition keep the new Toughness?
My 4 drops are a little lacking, Fleshwriter is that good? I've only really seen it in Marchesa, the Black Rose decks.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
The Mimeoplasm || Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher || Vial Smasher/Tymna Group Slug
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief || Talrand, Sky Summoner
Yidris - Unblockable Saboteurs || Kiki-Jiki, ETB breaker
Kess, Dissident Mage
I made the following changes after trading today:
0 Thespian's Stage
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Nights Whisper
2 Sign in Blood
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Toxic Deluge
5 Crux of Fate
5 Gilded Lotus
7 Sheoldred, Whispering One
9 In Garruk's Wake
0 Swamp
0 Swamp
0 Everflowing Chalice
2 Consume Spirit
3 Nighthowler
3 Worn Powerstone
4 Slum Reaper
5 Banshee of the Dread Choir
5 Beacon of Unrest
6 Dreamstone Hedron
6 Grave Titan
6 Pontiff of Blight
7 Butcher of Malakir
7 Scour from Existence
I didn't take out any of the 'bad Wraths' yet because I want a saturation of removal. I bulldozered too many times today with not having enough Removal, so that's what I'm cutting.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Also, Alhammarret's Archive is great alongside Erebos.
Cheers!
Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.
You might also consider Beacon of Unrest, it's super flexible in that it can get other player's stuff as well as artifacts, and flexibility is the name of the game in this format
Tymna & Ishai, ie Esper Edric
Crosis Turbotrash
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Perilous Vault
1 Dark Impostor
1 Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
1 Decree of Pain
1 Myriad Landscape
2 Swamp
1 Altar of Shadows
1 Attrition
1 Falkenrath Noble
1 Deadly Tempest
Volrath's Stronghold and Myriad Landscape replace Swamps as something strictly better. That's the strength of mono colours, strong colorless sources don't need to be fretted over.
Added two Wraths at the cost of one. Perilous Vault gets rid of everything troublesome, like Planeswalkers or Enchantments - Decree of Pain is just amazing card advantage compared to the mere damage that Deadly Tempest offered.
I know I got a soft-lock with Attrition and Reassembling Skeleton, but I knew Attrition would be a lot better in my Daxos the Returned EDH so I cut it here. Dark Impostor is a mana sink and a body, fueling my Crypt of Agadeem.
Drana is much better than Falkenrath Noble as something in the air. If I want to change things up, I could even put her in the General's Seat as a way to close out games with 21 Commander Damage. Otherwise, more removal and power to hit my opponents with.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
1 Caged Sun
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Demon of Dark Schemes
1 Diabolic Revelation
1 Dark Petition
1 Lashwrithe
1 Burnished Hart
1 Victimize
1 Reaper from the Abyss
1 Reassembling Skeleton
1 Vampire Nighthawk
Whip gives Devotion for Erebos and Lifelink so I don't die. It's Activated ability makes me sad, as it means I'm only going to get more play out of whatever creature I bring back.
In theory, Reaper from the Abyss gives me a lot of kills but in practice Demon of Dark Schemes does that and Reanimates. I am loathe to add the terrible Energy Mechanic to my deck, but at least it's only one card.
I cut two weenies for more tutors, as everything else felt very important. Without Attrition, Reassembling Skeleton wasn't as good. I also don't run any Sacrifice a Creature Enchantments that people love to hate (i.e. Contagion). I struggled over what to axe over Vampire Nighthawk, as it's such a good card on the D. With the loss of Lashwrite, it's ability to shine is dimished and my desire to add Lifelink to the deck has been satiated with Whip of Erebos. Is there another card someone else would recommend axing? I do enjoy the Nighthawk but he looked the weakest to me.
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
Mid-Tier: Marchesa Aggro Rose Asmadi Get Dire Tymna Ikra Woke Women Tiana Aura Angel Ruric Thar SMASH Smasher Kraum Mana Positivity Zur Slides
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG Gahiji Vigilant Vengeance Ezuri Mysterious Morphs
There are plenty of interesting commanders in monoblack that are truly part of the deck's operations, if that's still your aim.
old thread
old thread
old thread
R Zada Arcane Storm
RBU Marchesa
GWU Estrid
GWR Samut?
URB Kess
(R/W)(U/B) Akiri & Silas
BWR Alesha
R Neheb Dragons
G Nylea Wurms
W Darien
U Tetsuko
If your deck is overly reliant on your commander, all it takes is a little bit of disruption to throw you off of your game plan. You should always have back up plans, of course, but if your Plan A involves your commander you're telegraphing it before you even shuffle up. I think there's something to be said for a commander that complements your overall strategy without being too central to it.
I would disagree to an extent. Erebos's abilities can be built around. Obviously, the life gain is situational at best, but when it's good, it's very good. I've tuned my deck for having a lot of inevitability and putting a lid on random life gain can be relevant. As for his other ability, well... if you have card draw in the command zone, that frees up a lot of space in deck construction for other things, such as mana generation to pump into Erebos or disruption that you can draw into with him. In this sense Erebos is in fact part of the engine. Actually, one of the major reasons I ended up sticking with Erebos is that he acts as a lubricant that smooths out the way the deck plays, much like oil to a literal engine.
That said, yeah, he's definitely not flashy and rarely directly kills anyone, and I can't fault anyone for not wanting to play him because of that. He's a meat and taters commander, for sure.
I would recommend Chainer, Dementia Master or Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed if you want a more commander-centric win condition in mono-black, though of course there are lots of other interesting, interactive choices like Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker or Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder.
[Primer] Erebos, God of the Dead
HONK HONK
Gonti, Lord of Luxury is also an interesting commander I'd add to that pile. You get to use more obscure stuff like Misinformation and Lost Hours.
old thread
old thread
old thread
R Zada Arcane Storm
RBU Marchesa
GWU Estrid
GWR Samut?
URB Kess
(R/W)(U/B) Akiri & Silas
BWR Alesha
R Neheb Dragons
G Nylea Wurms
W Darien
U Tetsuko