My friends and I decided to delve into Pauper Commander and my first deck just hand to be mono black! This is similar to my older mono black commander deck with lots of pestilence style effects and targeted life drains.
The idea of the deck is to control the board with Crypt rats and bleed everyone out. Ideally you can buff Crypt Rat's toughness and/or give them lifelink so that you can profit from their ability and keep them on the field. The rest of the deck has a life gain life loss theme.
I would certainly consider running some of the recursion you listed in your possibilities category. Disturbed Burial and Grim Harvest are really solid. Urborg Uprising is another to look at. Creatures like Cadaver Imp, Gravedigger, and Warren Pilferers can offer extra value to the creature recursion spells once they've died since you have no means of recurring instants or sorceries. Other cards you may want to consider include:
Augur of Skulls (if you're playing 1v1; multiplayer the effect might be too marginal) Undying Evil (great proactively with creatures like Augur, Fume Spitter, & Moriok Replica) Sylvok Lifestaff (something else really good for sac creatures) Unearth
Thank you for both replies. After reviewing I think I want to change 23 cards haha... I'll see what my shop has and go from there. I'm thinking I could cut a lot of the single target removal since my general should be able to handle most things... Also a lot of creatures that could be cut to make room for better creatures.
Welcome to PDH. Your deck has certainly improved since the first version. I still don't like all the creatures with minor bleeding effects. I could be wrong, but it seems there are more powerful things to do in mono black. I'd probably cut Blood Seeker, Blistergrub, Bloodhunter Bat, and Highway Robber first. I really think Stinkweed Imp belongs in every black deck. It's great at blocking Ascended Lawmage and digging for the Gray Merchant in the late game. I also like Abyssal Gatekeeper to help control hexproof generals that have outgrown the Crypt Rats's ability to sweep away. I also play Innocent Blood in my list even though it's not a creature that you can keep recurring.
Liliana's Specter would be better than Screeching Buzzard and Stromkirk Patrol shouldn't make the cut. A 4/3 for 5 mana that may eventually get a bit bigger? No thanks.
I'd suggest trying Executioner's Capsule and Seal of Doom unless everyone else in your group is also playing mono black. They're very good in multiplayer to persuade people to attack someone other than you.
I don't think Relic of Progenitus belongs in this deck. If you have too much trouble with other people's graveyards maybe try Shred Memory or Faerie Macabre. I'm not sure why you're playing Traveler's Amulet. 35 lands is probably not enough for this type of deck, but paying 2 mana to draw a land doesn't help. I don't even play Armillary Sphere in mono black since you're just paying 4 mana to draw an extra land. I'd add another swamp and Desert instead.
Thanks for the feedback. I agree with you land might be a little light. I'm used to having cabal coffers and stuff to make the life drains big. Making the following changes before play testing this weekend:
The idea of the deck is to control the board with Crypt rats and bleed everyone out. Ideally you can buff Crypt Rat's toughness and/or give them lifelink so that you can profit from their ability and keep them on the field. The rest of the deck has a life gain life loss theme.
3 Crypt Rats
Creatures (23)
2 Basilica Screecher
2 Blood Seeker
3 Blistergrub
3 Cadaver Imp
3 Moriok Replica
3 Phyrexian Rager
3 Servant of Tymaret
3 Stinkweed Imp
3 Urborg Syphon-Mage
4 Bloodhunter Bat
4 Dimir House Guard
4 Gravedigger
4 Faceless Butcher
4 Highway Robber
4 Liliana's Shade
4 Screeching Buzzard
4 Syndicate Enforcer
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
5 Warren Pilferers
6 Twisted Abomination
7 Terrus Wurm
8 Ulamog's Crusher
9 Hand of Emrakul
1 Tragic Slip
1 Undying Evil
2 Altar's Reap
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Grim Harvest
2 Last Gasp
3 Crypt Incursion
3 Murder
3 Necrobite
4 Tendrils of Corruption
1x Howl from Beyond
2x Death Denied
Sorceries (14)
1 Bubbling Muck
2 Disturbed Burial
2 Sign in Blood
3 Read the Bones
3 Recover
3 Syphon Soul
4 Blood Tithe
4 Evincar's Justice
4 Syphon Mind
5 Urborg Uprising
6 Corrupt
2x Consume Spirit
2x Drain Life
3x Soul Burn
1 Tortured Existence
1 Vampiric Link
4 Mark of the Vampire
4 Pestilence
Artifacts (6)
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Armillary Sphere
2 Darksteel Pendant
2 Mind Stone
3 Pristine Talisman
Equipment (4)
0 Accorder's Shield
1 Slagwurm Armor
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
2 Vanguard's Shield
Lands (36)
1 Barren Moor
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Opal Palace
1 Polluted Mire
32 Swamp
1 Pulse Tracker
2 Abyssal Gatekeeper
3 Liliana's Specter
4 Cackling Fiend
4 Infectious Horror
3 Wail of the Nim
Sorceries
3 Ashes to Ashes
Enchantments
2 Dark Privilege
3 Blessing of Leeches
3 Seal of Doom
1 Executioner's Capsule
2 Cranial Plating
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
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StaffI would certainly consider running some of the recursion you listed in your possibilities category. Disturbed Burial and Grim Harvest are really solid. Urborg Uprising is another to look at. Creatures like Cadaver Imp, Gravedigger, and Warren Pilferers can offer extra value to the creature recursion spells once they've died since you have no means of recurring instants or sorceries. Other cards you may want to consider include:
Augur of Skulls (if you're playing 1v1; multiplayer the effect might be too marginal)
Undying Evil (great proactively with creatures like Augur, Fume Spitter, & Moriok Replica)
Sylvok Lifestaff (something else really good for sac creatures)
Unearth
EDH Decks:
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Tajic, Blade of the Legion
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Ezuri, Renegade Leader 1v1
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher 1v1
Hythonia the Cruel
Trying to build:
Jenara, Asura of War
Designing a Custom Set:
Clash of the Cultures: 5 Wedges, 5 Cultures
Providing Artwork for:
Archester: Frontier of Steam
1 Pulse Tracker
2 Basilica Screecher
3 Cadaver Imp
4 Infectious Horror
4 Syndicate Enforcer
5 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
5 Warren Pilferers
6 Twisted Abomination
8 Ulamog's Crusher
9 Hand of Emrakul
2 Grim Harvest
3 Wail of the Nim
2x Death Denied
Sorceries
2 Disturbed Burial
3 Ashes to Ashes
4 Blood Tithe
Artifacts
0 Accorder's Shield
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
2 Darksteel Pendant
2 Vanguard's Shield
1 Tortured Existence
Lands
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Polluted Mire
Immediate Changes:
Blood-Toll Harpy => Gravedigger - More recursion
Pilgrim's Eye => Liliana's Shade - Costs one more but can be a threat late game
Pharika's Cure => Undying Evil - Cure only targets creatures, Evil can save my general during an activation or reuse other creatures immediately.
Sorin's Thirst - Urborg Uprising - As above for Cantrip recursion
Soulcage Fiend => Blistergrub - only hits opponents
Deathwind => Morbid Plunder - Manasink removal for recursion
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
1 Daggerdrome Imp
1 Rathi Trapper
1 Renegade Demon
1 Mass of Ghouls
1 Marshmist Titan
1 Doom Blade
1 Footbottom Feast
1 Victim of Night
1 Rend Flesh
1 Morbid Plunder
1 Essence Harvest
1 March of the Returned
1 Morgue Theft
1 Essence Drain
1 Unnerve
1 Swamp
1 Swamp
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Syndicate Enforcer
1 Warren Pilferers
1 Twisted Abomination
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Hand of Emrakul
1 Grim Harvest
1 Death Denied
1 Disturbed Burial
1 Blood Tithe
1 Accorder's Shield
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Darksteel Pendant
1 Vanguard's Shield
1 Tortured Existence
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Polluted Mire
I'm not sure about the ratio of single target removal to recursion... I might be relying too much on my commander. Only play testing can determine!
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
Liliana's Specter would be better than Screeching Buzzard and Stromkirk Patrol shouldn't make the cut. A 4/3 for 5 mana that may eventually get a bit bigger? No thanks.
I'd suggest trying Executioner's Capsule and Seal of Doom unless everyone else in your group is also playing mono black. They're very good in multiplayer to persuade people to attack someone other than you.
I don't think Relic of Progenitus belongs in this deck. If you have too much trouble with other people's graveyards maybe try Shred Memory or Faerie Macabre. I'm not sure why you're playing Traveler's Amulet. 35 lands is probably not enough for this type of deck, but paying 2 mana to draw a land doesn't help. I don't even play Armillary Sphere in mono black since you're just paying 4 mana to draw an extra land. I'd add another swamp and Desert instead.
Good luck with the deck.
Stromkirk Patrol => Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Relic of Progenitus => Stinkweed Imp
Traveler's Amulet => Swamp
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats