Hey all, so I'm running B/W Midrange, and I'm trying to figure out where to put Pack Rat in the list. He hasn't been in the deck for a while now, but after some recent changes, testing shows he'd be like... reallly good. This is my current list;
That would leave you with 10 kill spells which should be plenty. If your Meta is full of aggro I would pick up a couple Mana Confluence and Watery Grave and run a couple of Supreme Verdict.
That makes sense I suppose. And its not really Aggro-Heavy as much as just creature heavy, more midrangey decks ya know?
~X
Standard in general is midrangey heavy. Anyway I would cut a Banishing light or two to make room for the pack rat. Banishing light doesn't really do anything for you that you can't do with your other removal. If you're worried about gods then you just sideboard deicides.
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Would Dark Confidant still be good if he punched you in the face for 5 damage a turn?
So I've been running BW midrange the past couple of months. Here's my list compared to yours:
Maindeck
+ 1 Demon
+ 4 Pack Rat
+ 1 Elspeth
+ 2 Lifebane Zombie (should be 3, I need to get a 3rd)
+ 1 Blood Baron
+ 1 Doomblade
+ 2 Devour Flesh
+ 2 Read the Bones (trying it out)
+ 4 Mutavault
26 lands
-2 Underworld Connections (I like 2 in the main, 1 side)
-1 Whip
-1 Obzedat
-4 Nightvale Specter
-3 Grey Merchant
-1 Banishing Light (again, 2 main 1 side)
-2 Bile Blight (1 main, 1 side)
Now the first thing I want to say is I don't consider my list to be any better than yours. We're talking about two different FNM metagames. At the end of the day, take what I say with a grain of salt and just keep playing and tweaking things and seeing what works for you. But I'll try to give you my perspective on the deck.
So now let me talk about the changes. The biggest difference is the lack of Grey Merchants. I think if you are going full mono black, you won't be playing Blood Baron or Obzedat and so you'll have the full 4 Underworld Connections, Specter, a few Lifebanes and the full 4 Pack Rats which should make your Grey Merchants usually a 4 point drain. What you are essentially doing is taking a few Pack Rats or Lifebanes out and replacing them with Blood Barons or Obzedats, so your turn 5 Grey Merchants won't be for as much on average.
But the main reason I like taking them out is because suddenly you don't have to really worry about having a ton of cards that generate Devotion. The two biggest things I took out were Nightvale Specter and Underworld Connections. Now, Connections is a good card, but it's at it's best against control and mostly a devotion builder against aggro. If your meta is mostly aggro decks, that's one thing I might consider dropping. Nightvale Specter is a similar case. It's best against control and the mirror, although it's solid against aggro. I mostly don't play them just cause I didn't feel like springing for the cards and I haven't regretted that decision.
Then you have Whip. Again, it's a much better card against control/midrange than aggro. Probably worth it when playing Grey Merchant, but now you have less reason to play it.
Then the only other noticable differences are the removal spells. It's basically less Bile Blights and more Devour Fleshes. I can't say for sure which is better in your meta. Bile Blight is pretty good against aggro, Devour Flesh I have in the deck against stuff like Blood Baron mostly but it can slow down an aggro rush as well.
I play 26 lands, the main reason being that the existence of Pack Rat allows you to get to 6 lands and then hold the rest in your hand, and then if the game has sort of stalled out, top decking a pack rat actually turns him into a finisher. Although 25 isn't the worst thing... and you also don't play Mutavault so you won't have to worry about losing lands in combat as often.
But at the end of the day, the best thing to do is just keep trying new things and figuring out what works and what doesn't. The best skill you can learn as a magic player is to be able to analyze a game and figure out why you lost.
So, what do you guys think I should cut or change to make room for Rats? Should I run a full four?
Thanks in advance,
~X
I have a somewhat creature heavy meta- literally 0 control decks.
~X
~X
Standard in general is midrangey heavy. Anyway I would cut a Banishing light or two to make room for the pack rat. Banishing light doesn't really do anything for you that you can't do with your other removal. If you're worried about gods then you just sideboard deicides.
Maindeck
+ 1 Demon
+ 4 Pack Rat
+ 1 Elspeth
+ 2 Lifebane Zombie (should be 3, I need to get a 3rd)
+ 1 Blood Baron
+ 1 Doomblade
+ 2 Devour Flesh
+ 2 Read the Bones (trying it out)
+ 4 Mutavault
26 lands
-2 Underworld Connections (I like 2 in the main, 1 side)
-1 Whip
-1 Obzedat
-4 Nightvale Specter
-3 Grey Merchant
-1 Banishing Light (again, 2 main 1 side)
-2 Bile Blight (1 main, 1 side)
Now the first thing I want to say is I don't consider my list to be any better than yours. We're talking about two different FNM metagames. At the end of the day, take what I say with a grain of salt and just keep playing and tweaking things and seeing what works for you. But I'll try to give you my perspective on the deck.
So now let me talk about the changes. The biggest difference is the lack of Grey Merchants. I think if you are going full mono black, you won't be playing Blood Baron or Obzedat and so you'll have the full 4 Underworld Connections, Specter, a few Lifebanes and the full 4 Pack Rats which should make your Grey Merchants usually a 4 point drain. What you are essentially doing is taking a few Pack Rats or Lifebanes out and replacing them with Blood Barons or Obzedats, so your turn 5 Grey Merchants won't be for as much on average.
But the main reason I like taking them out is because suddenly you don't have to really worry about having a ton of cards that generate Devotion. The two biggest things I took out were Nightvale Specter and Underworld Connections. Now, Connections is a good card, but it's at it's best against control and mostly a devotion builder against aggro. If your meta is mostly aggro decks, that's one thing I might consider dropping. Nightvale Specter is a similar case. It's best against control and the mirror, although it's solid against aggro. I mostly don't play them just cause I didn't feel like springing for the cards and I haven't regretted that decision.
Then you have Whip. Again, it's a much better card against control/midrange than aggro. Probably worth it when playing Grey Merchant, but now you have less reason to play it.
Then the only other noticable differences are the removal spells. It's basically less Bile Blights and more Devour Fleshes. I can't say for sure which is better in your meta. Bile Blight is pretty good against aggro, Devour Flesh I have in the deck against stuff like Blood Baron mostly but it can slow down an aggro rush as well.
I play 26 lands, the main reason being that the existence of Pack Rat allows you to get to 6 lands and then hold the rest in your hand, and then if the game has sort of stalled out, top decking a pack rat actually turns him into a finisher. Although 25 isn't the worst thing... and you also don't play Mutavault so you won't have to worry about losing lands in combat as often.
But at the end of the day, the best thing to do is just keep trying new things and figuring out what works and what doesn't. The best skill you can learn as a magic player is to be able to analyze a game and figure out why you lost.