The Soul of Monoblack
Monoblack has a long history in the game that dates all the way back to the Ice Age of Dominaria. In the beginning there was Necropotence, a deck that used the powerful namesake draw engine alongside a lengthy list of discard and disruptive spells with cheap creatures to dump your mana into each and every turn. Threats such as Order of the Ebon Hand and Hypnotic Specter were used to disrupt the opponent and present a dangerous clock that got more frightening with each swamp added to the battlefield with the game often being decided by a massive Drain Life.
More recently there was Theros block standard where another monoblack deck rose to the top. Instead of a single overpowered card, it had its own discard with the newly reprinted Thoughtseize and powerful creatures like Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Nightveil Specter that greatly rewarded you for having a pile of swamps in front of you. The late game engine of Underworld Connections with Pack Rat meant that you always had extra material to work with and a game winning threat that was hard to answer cleanly.
But whenever you hear the term "monoblack," the deck that most likely comes to mind is from Odyssey era standard. Like each format's monoblack, this deck was also built to take advantage of pumping copious amounts of black mana symbols into either a single massive spell or multiple 3 and 4 drops each turn. The mana generated by Cabal Coffers gave the player access to a two turn clock with Nantuko Shade or simply let them gain an overwhelming advantage by combining Mirari with Spells while the old school Diabolic Tutor gave the deck incredible redundancy.
Today we don't have such busted cards as The Skull, but we do have the hallmarks of monoblack decks that have seen dominant success in the past. The printing of Cabal Stronghold and Dread Shade gives us a massive threat in the midgame along with a powerful mana generation engine and incredible versatility and redundancy through Mastermind's Acquisition. It is our job to both find the best shell for these new additions and the best way to exploit the inevitable mana advantage the stronghold provides. Before laying out potential decklists and evaluating card choices, first we must cover the ground rules for building around these cards.
Getting Started.
First are the requirements of your manabase. You need to run about 20 basic swamps (plus or minus 1) to ensure that the stronghold turns each swamp into a black double land starting on turn 6. This is a legitimate cost as there are a whole host of utility lands in standard that are all very strong. Second is the triple black on dread shade which, according to the timeless Dr. Frank Karsten article, stipulates that we have 22 black sources in the deck. This is only the recommended amount for 90% certainty and it is still safe to fudge the numbers a tad and go one or two below when the additional power is worth it.
Next we need to take advantage of the number 7 which is the flash point of the deck. Having 5 swamps and one stronghold is the first point where we start to turn a profit with the stronghold. This means either casting a 7 CMC spell or being able to cast multiple spells totaling 7 mana should be our goal. Lastly, we must ensure that we live long enough to take advantage of the mana engine the deck is designed to exploit.
With that out of the way, let's start off with a few initial lists and examine how each of them play out.
Toolbox midrange. This list aims to clear a path with discard and removal for its potent three drops of Dreamstealer and Dread Shade. You can either empty your opponents hand in short order and win at your leisure or threaten to repeatedly 7 their face until they run out of chump blockers for the black fireball. This list gives you a strong proactive curve while having the marquee versatility that every midrange decks boasts, all while not giving up on the late game.
Of course there are several other directions you can take the archetype as well. While I won't write out 8 additional deck lists for the sake of conserving space, here are a few seeds to plant for future ideas. A more ramp oriented approach with Gilded Lotus, more 6 drop monsters and 3 drop threats to cast immediately following a fresh lotus, and a stronger focus on Torment of Hailfire to burn your opponent out. Perhaps a vampire subtheme utilizing Champion of Dusk and Twilight Prophet to provide a threat base that also generates card advantage while also giving the deck a slightly more aggressive touch. There might even be potential for a version to exist that uses a very heavy attrition based gameplan that is heavy on removal and discard using Torment of Scarabs as a difficult to interact with win condition.
Fighting In the Shade.
At its heart, monoblack control is less of a control deck and more of a disruptive midrange deck that has a very powerful late game engine. The idea has always been leveraging your mana in some way to a far greater effect either through lands that produce 9 mana, the raw efficiency of threats and disruption, or having the ability to sink every mana symbol into something each turn while keeping the cards flowing at all times.
Even though your primary advantage is the gratuitous black mana you create, you are not a ramp deck in the traditional sense. You aren't playing a dozen individually weak enablers that let you shut the door with one or two bombs that you hope are too hard for the opponent to overcome. Instead of doing one big, powerful thing once you get set up, your goal is to do multiple strong plays each turn.
The key word here is multiple. For example casting a tutor one turn and a Plague Wind on the next turn is "fine," but doing it in the same turn with a 6/6 left over is impressive. Attacking with an 8/8 shade is pretty good, but doing that and further developing your board all at once is frightening indeed. When working on a list, don't try to focus on casting 8 drops. Instead you want to be casting two 4 drops at the same time so that you're never stuck with uncastable cards early on and still have that mid game balance of mana efficiency and power.
The Key Cards.
Here are the core cards of the archetype and how they fit into your game plan from a high level perspective and some details on how they fit into specific game states.
Dread Shade - It has been over a decade since a "shade" was seen in high level constructed play and this is half the reason to be monoblack. Starting in the mid game the shade turns into a one sided copy of The Abyss, forcing your opponent to chump block it every turn or be destroyed by a walking black fireball. Being cast on turn 3 gives you a single threat that is a 3 turn clock which devours everything that gets in the way. Even though you often won't tap down on the third turn in the face of damage based removal, if your hand is a little slow it may be worth doing so. Your opponent will know that this is likely their only chance to kill it a Harnessed Lightning or Abrade and will spend their turn dealing with it. This bit of time you bought then allows you to untap and cast a 4 drop like Karn or a wish without falling far behind.
Kitesail Freebooter - A duress effect that doesn't leave you down a card if it misses. This annoying little pirate serves two functions: clearing a path for the shade or dreamstealers and informing your tutor/wish targets. Stealing a planeswalker tends to force them to have an ineffecient turn before they are able to unlock it which then gives you the time to be prepared to either answer it immediately or assemble a threat base that completely ignores it. It is also essential to having a fair match against dedicated control decks in game one as you are light on actual threats. Being able to both draw fire away from your actual win conditions while simultaneously helping them resolve gives this flying frustration their spot in the deck.
Dreamstealer - Another powerful 3 drop that is able to run away with a game on their own. While this one won't kill your opponent effectively, being able to force it through a couple times will send them so far behind that you won't need a 10 power monstrosity to close the deal. Being able to curve Kitesail > Dreamstealer > Chupacabra > double kill spell is a very attractive play pattern to have at your disposal. Lastly is the built in 2-for-1 advantage that you get from the eternalize effect which gives you a creature that you opponent is actually afraid of even letting you use to chump block.
Fatal Push, Ravenous Chupacabra, and Vraska's Contempt - Kill spells. Lots of kill spells. Not even including potential wish targets, you have a lot ways to kill everything in your way. The majority of these are versatile spells that do more than just "point and click" by either gaining life or leaving behind a body. The exact configuration will be changing week to week as is the typical case in standard, but the current set up is what I recommend as the starting point.
Karn, Scion of Urza - Daddy's home! The karn father provides you with a card every turn with some implied "selection." Dropping him into play on the fourth turn makes his 6 loyalty a difficult problem to solve without a clean answer like Vraska's Contempt. Even though the initial +1 will end with your opponent just giving you a basic swamp, this deck actually wants swamps in large quantities. Even if all you get from the plus are lands, you're still making your land drop each turn without having to spend any resources to do so while building up to a game ending series of spells. The -2 ability will rarely get used and is mostly just trinket text, but don't forget that it's there. You can occasionally find yourself in game states where you're desperate to have literally anything with power and toughness on the battlefield, so don't forget that the option is there.
A final point to keep in mind with Karn is that he doesn't function well as a one of, you really need to play at least two copies. This is to take advantage of the fact that his -1 ability gets back any card exiled with a silver counter. That means that if you play one Karn, exile a good card and he immediately dies, you can play a second Karn on a future turn to get back the exiled card right away.
Swamps, swamps, and a lot more basic swamps!
While I have done a good amount of testing with the deck, a single person cannot feasibly compile a large enough data set on something so subtle as a manabase to be taken as truth. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some initial impressions on the addition of non-swamp lands.
The cost is absolutely not free as even going with 22 swamps and 4 strongholds can make life difficult for you. However things like Memorial to Folly, Ifnir Deadlands, Arch of Orazca, and Field of Ruin are strong enough that I do feel it is correct to include some number. So far I have tried between 1 and 4 value lands in place of some number of swamps and strongholds and have found that even 2 can be a stretch. I strongly believe that 4x Cabal Stronghold is correct as you always want to draw the first one to let you explode onto the battlefield and make the shades lethal in a single hit. Even though they provide colorless mana and be awkward in multiples early on, they can still be used to activate one another and "filter" themselves into black mana.
If the cities blessing were easier to achieve then I would gladly include two copies of the arch, but colored mana is still an issue to consider. Currently the limit I've found is between two memorials/deadlands (because they provide black mana) or a single colorless land of which I've found the arch to perform the best.
One odd choice that you could make for a non-swamp land is the very boring Evolving Wilds. Merely an ETB tapped basic swamp, it does allow us to activate revolt for Fatal Push on demand which does make it worth considering. The extra deck thinning may or may not be a benefit, but is still something worth mentioning. If it's wrong to include some number of wilds it won't be wrong by much so feel free to sleeve up a couple.
Never forget that your goal is to have 5 or more basic swamps and a stronghold in play to take advantage of being monoblack. This puts a lot of stress on your justifications for each land you add in place of a swamp. While you can go beyond 26 in order to include extra utility lands, you really have to be certain that the effect is needed more than an actual spell.
Tarnished Silver Bullets
The large mana generation of cabal stronghold lets us take full advantage of Mastermind's Acquisition which is normally far too clunky to be effective in constructed. Being able to overcome this drawback allows us several utility pieces and game ending spells that you only want when it's actually time to end the game.
The tutor/wish package gives you access to several haymakers which slide right into the 7 mana flash point while giving you the potential for a few "whoops I win" moments along the way. The emphasis on 7 and 9 mana is because that is the amount you have available the turn that cabal stronghold generates a profit and the turn following. The entire 75 is built to take advantage of this point of the "curve" which means that narrow and powerful 3-4 mana spells are very desirable. This section will describe the numerous tutor and wish sequences that you have access to.
Torment of Hailfire - A basic fireball to the face, but one with a much greater conversion rate of mana spent into damage. It costs a total of 9 mana to deal 21 damage when your opponent is without a board or hand which is 6 swamps and one stronghold or 5 swamps and two strongholds. While it may be very difficult to get into a game state where your opponent is completely on empty, it is quite easy to get to one where they are nearly there. Casting torment with X=9 is going to be lethal in nearly every situation where you can produce the 11 mana required which is not difficult to do. This is the most common wish target when you're ready to end the game and why there aren't additional copies of Josu in the list. Once the board is stable and you are swimming in skulls, this is a great way to end the game that doesn't rely on the attack step or requiring you to first untap.
Never // Return - This forgotten removal spell is included because of the powerful 7 mana turn we get to make. Planeswalkers are an ever present fixture of standard play and should you be caught without a way to remove them you will fall much too far behind. This card gets the nod because you can tutor and cast it on the same turn the moment cabal stronghold is online. Admittedly, the back half of exiling something from a graveyard for a zombie token isn't impressive, it's still a free benefit on top of a card that's completely reasonable on its own.
Bontu's Last Reckoning - Traditionally the downside of this card has been far too great to be played to any extent. The mana freeze on the following turn allows your opponent too much time to rebuild a lethal board before you are able to untap your lands and interact again. That is unless your lands tap for 6 mana. An active stronghold gives you the mana to either further diminish your opponent's resources or to begin adding to the board despite the drawback. Being able to follow a sweeper with a sequence of Karn + Cast Down or Chupacabra + Blood Fast puts you very far ahead in the game. You also have the ability to wish for a copy and cast it all at once on turn 6 should the need arise and if you find that Golden Demise does the job just as well, your opponent is in for a world of hurt.
Lost legacy and Dispossess - These are very narrow sideboard cards that you only want in very specific games. However having access to them in game one with the correct matchup is so game breaking that it cannot be understated. Legacy game one makes approach decks nearly a bye and dispossess turns the GPG decks into a pile of 30 unplayable draft commons. Once again 5 swamps and 1 stronghold is enough to wish for a copy and cast it in the same turn. Until this sequence is commonplace in the format, your opponents will be completely caught off guard by their sudden loss.
Tetzimoc, Primal Death & Demonlord Belzenlok- Sometimes you just need a giant thing, any type of thing so long as it's big enough to beat your opponent over the head with. Tetz and Belz fit the bill quite nicely as something huge that still generates you an advantage. Tetzimoc can act as a big chupacabra at 7 mana and as a 6/6 plague wind at 9 mana which isn't a bad rate for only 6/7 lands. Hellz Belz(enlok) is your go to target for when you need a threat in play and extra cards to work with. The big daddy demon is by far the most common wish target because it is both a massive threat with evasion while also putting several more spells into your hand. With the decks curve being bloated at the 4 mana slot, it is not uncommon for him to draw you 2-4 cards at once while clearing away a bunch of excess lands in the process. Beware that deals with elder demons can be quite dangerous so think carefully if you don't have a healthy life total to work with.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight - This one man army conveniently creates exactly 20 power all by himself while still being a respectable mid game play. It isn't a card you will tutor for often, but a 4/5 menace on turn 4 is still a solid blocker to help you develop your mana or be an evasive threat that is nigh immune to damage based removal. He allows you to sink your mana into both going wide with a horde of evasive tokens and tall with a gigantic shade at the same time making it very difficult for any non-control decks to fight through. Being solid on turn 4 and 14 with an "accidental win" stapled to it makes it a worthwhile inclusion.
Arguel's Blood Fast - Necropotence this is not, but still a great way to convert life and mana into extra resources. With an active stronghold you can very easily draw 1-3 cards and cast something relevant in the same turn. Do note that the flip side of the card is also very useful. It allows you to bin a dreamstealer so you can immediately eternalize it if you need something bigger. Also if you're being picked apart by a Hazoret the Fervent that is brick walling your shade, you can dump your mana into the shade and gain 30ish life which should be more than enough time find a wish that grabs a Torment of Hailfire to end them rightly without attacking.
Recover - Look, sometimes you just want a divination ok? Being able to go up a card and rebuy a lethal shade or a valuable ETB trigger is a strong consideration for inclusion, especially since it fits nicely into the "7 mana do something awesome" theme of the deck.
Doomfall - Another fine 3 mana spell to dig up when you need it. If you get stuck facing a lone carnage tyrant or scarab god this can answer them in a pinch or help punch through a counterspell for a big spell you've got waiting in the wings.
Other cards for your consideration.
There is actually a very large amount of quality black and colorless spells to put into your personal list. Here are a bunch of extras that might do what you're looking to get done along with some reasons on why they might or might not be a good fit.
Glint-Sleeve Siphoner - Strong 2 drop, evasive, and provides card advantage. There is a lot to like here. The downside is that there are so few ways to generate energy outside of just turning it sideways which makes the extra cards very difficult to get going. The UB decks that sport this card also run a play set of Aether Hub and even some number of glimmer of genius or harnessed lightning to facilitate the energy generation. With our primary lands being basic swamp and cabal stronghold, we simply can't afford to run hubs to help enable the siphoner. The only other energy generator that could fit into the decks strategy is Live Fast which is ok as a black divination effect, but is likely not worth it.
The biggest point in favor of this card is that it is yet another creature that draws fire away from the shade and is one more "kill on sight" threat for control decks to pay attention to. This could be enough of a reason to play a set of them even without a way to generate energy outside of the attack step. Of all the cards I've excluded from my list, this is the one that demands the most in depth testing.
Dusk Legion Zealot - While technically a 2-for-1 on paper it doesn't play out as such in this deck. Without something that sacrifices creatures for value or merely putting The Scarab God into the deck, the 1/1 body just isn't worth a full card. That being said, it is still something "proactive" to do on the second turn that provides an additional advantage. If you're in the market for a simple cantrip then this is a fine choice. The main thing that could make this card a worthy inclusion is if you choose to have a vampire subtheme to take advantage of Champion of Dusk for some additional late game threats that provide additional material.
Additional spot removal - Sometimes you just want more kill spells, especially exile effects in the current standard format. Vraska's contempt is the best of the bunch, but there are some extra options should you feel the need to add a few more. Cards such as Hour of Glory, Settle the Score, Cast Down, and Reaver Ambush can each fill that role. Also, if monored becomes especially popular Moment of Craving is one of the best kill spells you can have against them.
Twilight Prophet - Another powerhouse if you go with more of an "on the board" play style. The provided list doesn't achieve the cities blessing particularly easy, but still intends to have at least 10 things out at some point. However, once you have the blessing you are likely winning already so this card is not a consideration unless you have more permanents added. Also the fact that it is cleanly answered by both Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Glorybringer makes this card a questionable inclusion despite the rules text being very desirable.
Battle at the Bridge - Part kill spell, part stream of life. Every slow grindy deck needs to have access to some form of life gain and even though vraska's contempt provides that, it isn't always enough. Being able to nuke a Hazoret or Rhonas while being able to undo the damage they did is a solid inclusion for any list.
Gifted Aetherborn - As with the above, life gain tacked onto a relevant effect is quite desirable. This little two drop threatens to trade with everything and still being able to hold off a horde of 1/1 tokens single handedly. A great card if you don't want to go the sweeper route to deal with token decks.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - The value king himself! This is just a good card and that's all there is to it. It's always a fine play regardless of the matchup, guarantees extra value, and death touch makes it a strong blocker. Nobody can ever say you're wrong for including some number.
Noxious Gearhulk - Another choice for an "ETB kill a thing" threat with the downside of being a 6 drop that dies to Abrade. But it still has the gain life clause which can be important. If you're looking for other ways to interact and buffer your life total this is a viable option.
Ammit Eternal - A big dumb thing with a cheap cost. If you're not looking to go blow for blow with control decks by keeping pace with discard and card advantage then this is a viable path to take. It comes down fast enough that a single duress can clear a path and, like gurmag angler in older formats, it's a threatening clock by itself when backed with discard.
Liliana, Death's Majesty - Another value engine, but this one asks you to play with a few more powerful creatures to rebuy or more eternalize threats. Still, planeswalkers are great and even more so when your opponent's answers are already strained to prevent your shades from ending them in two hits. Obviously a good card, but be aware that it does makes certain requirements on your deck building to be truly effective.
The Eldest Reborn - This saga does everything that your average deck would be interested in from killing things to discard and providing threats. It does have a high price at 5 mana for effects that aren't generally worth that cost so it's up to you to decide if all of them in a single card is worth it. Keep in mind that the final chapter can reanimate something from any graveyard, not just your own.
Yawgmoth's Vile Offering - This is an insanely powerful effect without a doubt, but the cost is certainly not low. There are a good number of quality legends for you to have in your list from Karn to Gonti to Josu, you need to keep in mind that they still have to stick around. Not to mention that if you're able to dump 9 mana into playing a legend and this in the same turn, would it not be better to just cast Torment of hailfire or Josu with kicker for that same price? Currently I don't think that this is worth the cost but am very willing to be proven wrong.
Sorcerous Spyglass - A great one of to have access to if you're afraid of things like profane procession ruining your fun or a standard meta flooded with 4x field of ruin decks stopping your explosive plays. It is also a cheap way to either stop a planeswalker or prevent the scarab god from being such a terror on the battlefield. Yet another card than you can never be wrong for including.
Treasure Map - If you need more card advantage tools beyond additional copies of Karn or Blood Fast this is a fantastic option. The scry effect helps you find the things that you are short of and is able to either provide a massive boost of mana with the treasures or gives you 3 cards eventually with a bonus land. This deck is well equipped to take advantage of the extra mana provided when it flips along with the land, the cove is a lightning rod for an opposing field of ruin to distract them from hitting your strongholds, and 3 extra cards is nothing to scoff at. If you're wanting to take your deck in a more controlling direction this is a highly recommended inclusion.
Thaumatic Compass - Another card advantage tool that you have available to you. While drawing land number 7 or 12 might not be worthy of a full card in most decks, monoblack loves having extra swamps and the flip side of maze of ith goes right along with your plan of surviving until you can do something stupid with 12 mana. Not something that you can really run multiple copies of without a good support cast of sweepers to take advantage of the flipped side, but still a good tool to have around. The more controlling your list, the more you should consider adding a copy.
Harsh Scrutiny - This oddball fits surprisingly well into the deck. It is great in the current format due to the litany of sticky creatures that strain your exile effects or have devastating ETB triggers. It can work as a duress for Torrential Gearhulk or prevent a 9 mana scarab god from getting huge value before being answered and even stops a carnage tyrant from coming down and saying "you lose now." The main selling point is that it's one mana interaction that is never blank, regardless of game state or matchup. The scry 1 and Peek effect are always useful and having something proactive to do on the first turn is a strong play in a slower deck. Forcing a 1 for 1 trade on the first turn that can clear a path for your 3 drop threats makes it a valuable inclusion.
Dark Bargain - An instant speed draw 2 with added selection and the potential upside of binning a dreamstealer. This is yet one more option for gaining raw card advantage at the cost of two life. Whether or not this is a better choice than Karn or Treasure Map is yet to be seen. This card is a good one to focus your testing on if you feel the need for extra card draw.
Walking Ballista - Another spell for you to pour oceans of black mana into that is still serviceable in the early game without an active stronghold. We all know how good this card is and that it functions well without any dedicated enablers. Once you're able to produce large amounts of mana each turn this becomes an Abyss, Fireball, and Plague Wind all stapled together. Another great choice that will never be wrong to include.
Greed Is...Possible?
What if I put in just a single Island? Maybe I could use one mountain as a colorless land to splash an extra color? Is it just crazy enough to work?
Once again I refer you to the Dr. Frank Karsten article to help you gauge whether or not casting a splashed card on turn 10 is reliable, possible, or even worthwhile. I know this thought is going to come up towards the end of your own deck tuning process so I'm saved it for the end and the simple answer is...kinda? It's fine to have a low count of colored sources for a splash card that you won't be needing until the mid to late game, but you still have to get it to mix with a manabase dedicated to basic swamps. The way you can get this to work is the same way that 3 color decks in modern do. You cheat.
For an example from current standard we can look at the manabase of the BWg tokens deck. This deck only runs a single forest to give them access to Vraska, Relic Seeker. This is done by playing 4 copies each of Evolving Wilds and Renegade Map next to a single basic of their chosen splash color which adds up to 9 total "sources" for their splash while keeping their deceptively demanding BW manabase intact. This is a possible direction that you can take a "mono" black deck without giving up too much on paper. Naturally this is a significant increase in the potential options for both main deck and sideboard considerations. There are far too many cards for consideration and description so I will just give a brief list and go over the pros and cons of their inclusion.
All of the listed cards are fine to cast on curve but are typically just as effective several turns later. According to Karsten's article, you have a 90% chance of having your splash color on turn 6 with only 9 colored sources. However, simply having it available doesn't mean that you haven't stumbled on the previous turns, invalidating the power gained by the additional color. We want to have at least 5 swamps and a stronghold in play to really have our engines humming which means any maps or wilds will need to get us swamps beforehand, thus subtracting from potential splashed color sources to draw into. This means that we likely have several fewer sources than the expected 9 as they only get basic lands instead of "proper" duals, not to mention that spending 4 mana to tutor for a land on turn 7 feels so very mopey.
The other thing to bear in mind when considering this route is that your splash colors will almost always come into play tapped outside of the singleton basic which further delays casting your off color cards. Furthermore, even if a card has only a single colored mana requirement they might not play out as such. For example, The Scarab God only costs a single blue to cast and single blue to activate. To fully take advantage of this dominant threat you need to be able to either activate it multiple times in a turn or on the same turn that it is cast, both of which require a second blue to access. Try to keep in mind the full cost of adding additional colors to your deck by paying close attention to how they actually get played.
Of these options, white and blue seem to add the most with effects that you cannot replicate in monoblack. White gives you access to additional exile effects that can also remove artifacts and enchantments, both of which increases your versatility. White also lets you run the powerful Profane Procession which is a card that is nearly unbeatable for a lot of decks. Meanwhile blue opens up the potential for counter magic which is incredibly potent alongside your stock discard. Should permission heavy control decks flood the metagame, adding a touch of blue for some negates of your own might be a tempting consideration.
All in all, my initial impression is that the splash is not currently worth it. Certainly there are metagame considerations to be made and perhaps the next set will make it more attractive. But right now I think we should all be happy with a large spread of basic swamps on the battlefield.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
And on that day, Garfield said unto the world "Go ye forth and durdle!"
Really great primer you wrote there that pretty much covers all the directions the build can go. Reid Duke recently posted an article on Channel Fireball that I think may help with some new ideas:
It looks like a rough draft but he has some interesting points such as Razaketh's Rite being an easier to stomach tutor in the early game since it has cycling and using some of the new sagas to act as threats.
Personally I have been trying to make a Lich's Mastery build work which includes a lot of lifegain cards to supplement the normal control plan.
Whoa! This is a sweet primer! I'm incredibly glad to see someone put so much effort into MBC; it was an idea that intrigued me when Cabal Stronghold was spoiled. Those decklists look really good and I totally forgot Harsh Scrutiny was a card! I just went straight Duress/Divest when I was brewing my own lists. One question: Is Karn necessary? I'm partly asking because he's a little anti-synergistic and mostly because I can't afford him at the moment. The Card Advantage is definitely real but I feel as though maybe Arguel's Blood Fast achieves the same thing more efficiently and, more importantly, more economically. His Ultimate cannot be exploited in this deck so I figured he's probably replaceable. Though maybe I'm mistaken.
I'm hoping to test some of these great deck-building paths and report back! Thanks for this!
Well, now it’s back! I believe it’s very viable. I’ve only got around 50 games in so far, but I’m trying. Mostly vs UW variants and GW variants so far. Obviously, there is more games to be played. So here is my list.
So far this is probably version 3.
Best cards in the deck so far are fairly obvious,
Vraska's Contempt. If you are not playing four, you are doing it wrong.
Doomfall. I’m in love with the versatility this card provides game one.
Arguel's Blood Fast. Yup! That is NOT a typo! This card has flat out won me games. I was not sold on this till I dropped it the very first time in this list. It does some work.
Some cards I’m not sold on yet.
Demonlord Belzenlok. He’s really cool but do we have better? So far I’ve liked him as a 2 off and in this current list he nets me 2-3 card probably 1/3 of the time.
Never // Return. There are a lot of Teferi’s and Karn’s floating around my current meta so it seems this is a logical card to have. Still unclear thou.
Tetzimoc, Primal Death. Maybe a meta call here. I’ve had him in the main and he mostly seemed to be a 7 mana kill spell most of the time. Maybe Noxious Gearhulk is simply better in the spot?
As listed in the primer, the versatility that Mastermind's Acquisition provides is laughable amazing. Turn 6 Masterminding into Lost Legacy vs UW is amazing. Grabbing a Golden Demise vs tokens game one will put a frown on your opponents face. So far, I’ve been really happy with what it can provide. Need that Stronghold with a Shade in play? Go get it!
I want to say thank you to Stokpile for the amazing primer! I’ve already read thru it a few times.
I’m also sorry that I don’t have tags on this. I’m on my phone and will edit it when I get to a computer.
How do you like Dark Bargain so far ?
Instant speed doesn't seem particularly important in this tappout deck and looking a card deeper than Painful Lesson
(can also burn for 2 to close out a game) might be good but not sure if worth the extra mana.
Personally I'd prefer to stick to permanent based card draw like you have with Karn + Arguel's and maybe add some Treasure Map which also smoothes your draws before drawing extra cards.
Also what is the purpose of Evolving Wilds here ? Just to power up Fatal Push occasionally ?
It doesn't seem better than playing more swamps that won't enter tapped and power up Cabal Stronghold.
I've liked Dark Bargain, as having some card selection is nice. The fact that it is instant speed is algo really good, as it gives me more freedom in how I use my mana.
I do have a couple of Gonti that I could try out. He's a great blocker, but I'm not sold on his ETB ability. Seems too random.
And yes, Evolving Wilds is essentially Fatal Push power, along with a tiny bit of deck thinning. There's not much cost to running them, especially early game, so I threw them in. I might swap a couple of swamps for Field of Ruin, as it replaces itself with a swamp to power up Cabal Stronghold and randomly gets rid of strong lands.
If you are unsure about Gonti, consider this situation. UW control. You cast Gonti on 4. You select a card, 10 turns later you kicked a Josu and will swing in for lethal. They tap four for Settle the Wreackage. You tap 2 and Negate it. This happened not once, but twice in my games last night.
He’s worth it.
As far as the discussion on Dark Bargain, I really wanted to run it. But in my years of playing this game when I lose to mana screw, it’s because I don’t draw a fourth. Bargain does not help that. That’s why I run Painful Lesson. It makes that 2 Swamp with a Painful Lesson a keepable hand. This deck needs to do a couple things in the early game, survive. Drop lands. That’s why I run so many. When I drop lands every turn, my chances of winning are very high.
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hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
I tried Painful Lesson and wasn't impressed with it being a sorcery. The only time I was happy to see those were if I had either no other plays on turn 3, or was casting it off a Yahenni's Expertise.
You make a good point on Gonti. How many would you run between maindeck and sideboard? I'm leaning towards 2 total, though I'm not sure how I'd slot them in. The deck feels like it has an excess of 4 drops at the moment.
The fact that Painful Lesson is a Sorcery is 100% irrelevant. The fact that it costs 3 does. It’s in there to make sure you draw that early land or removal card early in the match. I’ve played enough games to know how important it is when you miss that land drop in turn 4.
With that being said, played the list I posted earlier. I was very satisfied with my list.
I played BW tokens which I lost 0-2 but I felt good about the match up because he had dropped 2 Anointed Prosession game 1 and 3 game 2. I held in there. He caught me off guard with a card (sorry forgot the name) but I was at like 11 life and feeling really good about the game and he had like 12 0/1 Clerics and I lost a life for each dude he had in play. Caught off guard but felt ok otherwise.
Game two he ended up gaining 170 life. Was putting 4 Vampires in play a turn and I lasted forever with the 3 Prossesions. So extreme situation and I felt I held my own. Decided I really should have the 3rd Demise in the sideboard.
Round 2 was a GW midrange featuring Fall of the Thran. I drew really well and was able to fire off Lost Legacy’s on his Tehran’s before he was able to get going. Lost game two due to a hexproofed Multani. Not upset about that one either.
Ending up winning 2-1.
Round 3 was Sulti Constricter. Both games it felt pretty easy going. Finished both games with a turn 8 or 9 kicks Vess. Both games I attacked only once and lethal both times.
Round 4 was BW Knights/Tokens. Doomfall was surprisingly amazing in the matchup. Basically taking the card that will mess with my Golden Demise the most.
So I ended the night 3-1 in matches and 6-4 in games. Felt really good. Even the games I lost I was right there and lost due to a top deck or extreme circumstances. I mean, 3 Anointed Processions? Sheesh. Anyways currently the only change I would make is somehow fit a third Golden Demise back in the sideboard.
Overall pretty happy with how it performed. Like I said only 1 change currently with adding the Demise. Who knows what I’ll take out. I felt the sideboard is very, VERY solid.
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hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
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and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
I'm also trying a version of the deck that differs quite a bit from some of the ones posted here:
#I run 4x Duress +2x Doomfall in the maindeck as the deck is already packed with removal for creatures so having interaction for spells in the maindeck seems important and I don't think that Kitesail Freebooter is good enough (without pirate support or Panharmonicon shenanigans) as a 1/2 body which will eventually give the card back.
#I'm trying out Rite of Belzenlok in the deck as I liked the idea of clogging the board with blockers and then getting a big flyer to close out the game.
The token dying to Fatal Push is the main concern so far.
#4x Gifted Aetherborn in the maindeck, it is just a very solid creature that will always at least trade and gradually gains life which is very useful.
# I have 3x Treasure Map here (in addition to a copy of Arguel's Blood Fast) for card draw and filtering as it is probably one of the better colorless CA options for the deck which I prefer to the black draw spells and I don't have any Karns yet.
#4x Never // Return in the maindeck as it deals with most threats and the back side can be relevant, might be worse than 2x more Vraska's Contempt and 2x Cast Down/Walk the Plank but I'll try this out first.
# No maindeck Chupacabra as the deck has probably enough removal as it is so I have 1x Gonti and 1x Tetzimoc here instead.
#Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise in the SB, the extra mana to get bigger creatures seems worth it (and maybe cast a free Dread Shade).
I've tried to streamline the deck as much as possible but maybe going for the tutor (Rite, Acquisition) route with 1x-ofs and big finishers like Torment/Ballista is a better idea.
I'm also trying a version of the deck that differs quite a bit from some of the ones posted here:
#I run 4x Duress +2x Doomfall in the maindeck as the deck is already packed with removal for creatures so having interaction for spells in the maindeck seems important and don't think that Kitesail Freebooter is good enough (without pirate support or Panharmonicon shenanigans) as a 1/2 body which will eventually give the card back.
#I'm trying out Rite of Belzenlok in the deck as I liked the idea of clogging the board with blockers and then getting a big flyer to close out the game.
The token dying to Fatal Push is the main concern so far.
#4x Gifted Aetherborn in the maindeck, it is just a very solid creature that will always at least trade and gradually gains life which is very useful.
# I have 3x Treasure Map here (in addition to a copy of Arguel's Blood Fast) for card draw and filtering as it is probably one of the better colorless CA options for the deck which I prefer to the black draw spells and I don't have any Karns yet.
#4x Never // Return in the maindeck as it deals with most threats and the back side can be relevant, might be worse than 2x more Vraska's Contempt and 2x Cast Down/Walk the Plank but I'll try this out first.
# No maindeck Chupacabra as the deck has probably enough removal as it is so I have 1x Gonti and 1x Tetzimoc here instead.
#Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise in the SB, the extra mana to get bigger creatures seems worth it (and maybe cast a free Dread Shade).
I've tried to streamline the deck as much as possible but maybe going for the tutor (Rite, Acquisition) route with 1x-ofs and big finishers like Torment/Ballista is a better idea.
This....I have been obsessed with Rite of Belzenlok and have slotted it in as a finisher. But 4 main board Duress with 2 Doomfall is definitely good. I am not playing never or bloodfast but a full 4 of Treasure Map along with 2 Karn, Scion of Urza and 2 Walk the Plank as it hits all the major threats in the format *glares at Lyra, Dawnbringer seeing that it doesn't have haste it is safe to play that.
Went 4-0 at FNM. Went up against Mardu Vehicles, Temur Energy, a W/U Homebrew with a bunch of unlockable creatures and auras,and mono red.
Takeaways: Dreamstealer is a no-go. Sideboarded all three out every single match, and never found myself wanting to draw it.
Running some number of Gifted Aetherborn in the main is probably the right call. Helps against aggro matches and puts pressure on control. Also makes OTKO-ing someone with Torrent of Hailfire easier.
I want to try Mastermind's Acquisition out, as it does give a lot of flexibility.
Potential changes:
OUT
3x Dreamstealer
2x Torrent of Hailfire
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
I like the Arterial Flow idea which seems good in your build.
I wonder if Unburden can work in a non-vampire build as it can cycle when the effect isn't useful and can be pretty good in the right circumstances.
Divest is a decent card (better than Harsh Scrutiny) but I still think that the deck has enough removal for creatures anyway and hitting non-creatures would cover the bases better sp I'll stick with Duress.
Dread Shade has its downsides (like most creatures) but is a great payoff for plaing mono black (and Cabal Stronghold) and if it sticks it becomes a major issue for the opponent so I'd keep it. Yahenni is just ok imho as it requiries sac' fodder to really shine and doesn't always grow that big.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight is pretty solid as a 4/5 menace creature so not being able to always kick it isn;t a major issue but when you do it is usually game over even onto an empty board and being very much behind.
I am currently messing around with my own version of this but haven't had time to test it. I feel like maybe people are thinking of MBC like a typical control with a few win cons to get there eventually, I don't feel this is correct. I feel like you want the wish package but you also want to stay low enough to the ground to where you don't just get run over by aggro. Suggestions are appreciated!
Went 4-0 at FNM. Went up against Mardu Vehicles, Temur Energy, a W/U Homebrew with a bunch of unlockable creatures and auras,and mono red.
Takeaways: Dreamstealer is a no-go. Sideboarded all three out every single match, and never found myself wanting to draw it.
Running some number of Gifted Aetherborn in the main is probably the right call. Helps against aggro matches and puts pressure on control. Also makes OTKO-ing someone with Torrent of Hailfire easier.
I want to try Mastermind's Acquisition out, as it does give a lot of flexibility.
Potential changes:
OUT
3x Dreamstealer
2x Torrent of Hailfire
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
If I had Contempt's I'd be playing them, though I would like suggestions as to what to cut when I put them in (Anything larger than FNM I'd get them)
I would get them....
So would someone explain to me why they are running Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise? I understand the format is young, but I see no reason to run the 4 cost over the 3 cost? I mean what are you testing against?
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I will flay the skin from your flesh,
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and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
I don't really think they're that necessary... What do they really kill that you need them for aside from walkers (Immortal Sun and Spyglass both kill those). Yes I think if you're going to a higher level event make room for 4 but probably over 1-2 doomfall and 2 or 3 other slight cuts to the shell I suggested. Probably going down 1 tutor I just really enjoy the wish package and want to see it often. It will get rid of Teferi etc. Divest can handle a lot of stuff, duress cleans up removal for freebooter etc. Lots of varied hand hate is key. Also, Cast Down Vs Walk The Plank comes down to if UW Historic is a real deck, play WtP ad some number of Divest, we're a controlling midrange deck so adjust according to meta.
You have HoG for scarab and Hazoret. I can see upping the number but you can also hit them in hand from Divest/doomfall
Again, if I had easy access to them I would. I just feel they're unreasonably high price at the moment.
I like Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise because it kills Benalish Marshal and friends. Dropping a 3 drop for free can wreck face really hard, as most people don't expect to see a Shade or a Doomfall on the same turn as you wipe the board. The former applies a lot of pressure while the latter either cleans up any stragglers or clears the hand of potential threats.
Also, in an effort to de-clutter the 4 drop slot in the curve, I've gotten rid of both copies of Dark Bargain and will be trying out one Thaumatic Compass and one Treasure Map. They can help Karn churn out blockers if need be, and provide some card selection, while giving me more TO plays. Will let you know how they work out.
This simply means you've not played them. If you feel $12 is high priced than you are in the wrong forum. This is NOT budget. There is no substitute for the best card in the deck. Cast down is bad in this meta. Simple. We are black, we have better options.
I still feel Demise over Expertise is 100% correct. I've about 65-70 games in with the list and I think I have maybe 2-3 instances where I'd rather have Expertise over Demise. I think I'll take them numbers.
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hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
As for Yahenni's Expertise, I've taken a liking to it over Golden Demise. I am running a different list with a lot fewer creatures, but I've been running into extraordinary amounts of W/B Vehicles/Aggro decks, and once Benalish Marshal hits the table (which, if you're on the draw, will happen before you reach Demise mana anyway, defeating the main purpose), it needs to be removed before they have a chance to untap for a second swing. It's less about the free 3-drop (albeit a very relevant upside) and more about the things it hits in this metagame now. Even against Mono-red, being able to hit Kari and Chainwhirler has some decent upside. Perhaps it is a meta choice in that regard, also dependent on the exact list. The primary reason why Golden Demise seems particularly stronger is if you really want to avoid killing your own Shade, from a sequence like this perhaps: Drop Shade on T3, pass (btw, probably a bad idea to drop Shade on 3 anyway, but this is hypothetical). Untap on T4, and being unable to play Yahenni's Expertise because it'll wipe out your Shade as well. Demise also doesn't kill your Dreamstealers or Freebooters if you reach the City's Blessing.
Other than that, I'd really say it is a meta choice. Both have their upsides - Demise doesn't lower your own creatures power (if you amass 10 permanents), which can be relevant if you're clearing the way for attackers, while Yahenni's Expertise hits more things and can potentially let you rebuild faster right out of a sweeper.
Seems like a very solid list. I was slightly apprehensive of running Ballistas, but they convinced me throughout the day. Won a couple of games against UW control thanks to a timely Ballista that could not be hit by Seal Away or Settle the Wreckage.
Running Ballistas also lets me drop the evolving wilds in favor of 2 Field of Ruin and 2 basic swamps, as they easily trigger Fatal Push.
Not sure about not running any sweepers MD, especially considering that my local meta has a lot of aggro-y or midrange decks. I can't afford all 4 Karns, but I can see the argument for running them.
My opinion and thoughts on Ballistas are a must run for us. I run three and I could see going up to 4. I’ve played several games vs tokens where they are putting Vampire tokens every turn and keep attritioning us and being able to block shade for days. With Ballista however, with a Stronghold or two, and dumping mana every turn into Ballista putting 1,2 or even 3 counters kills those tokens off fairly easily. It evens the field vs decks placing several tokens a turn.
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hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
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and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
I've never played standard before, but MBC being cheap and big mana got me excited. With some tweaking I ended up with the following list, I will eventually pick up 4 Walking Ballista in place of the Torment of Venom and Josu. I'm playing the compass/blood fast split because additional Arguels' are worthless, and against control Compass is better.
The Soul of Monoblack
Monoblack has a long history in the game that dates all the way back to the Ice Age of Dominaria. In the beginning there was Necropotence, a deck that used the powerful namesake draw engine alongside a lengthy list of discard and disruptive spells with cheap creatures to dump your mana into each and every turn. Threats such as Order of the Ebon Hand and Hypnotic Specter were used to disrupt the opponent and present a dangerous clock that got more frightening with each swamp added to the battlefield with the game often being decided by a massive Drain Life.
More recently there was Theros block standard where another monoblack deck rose to the top. Instead of a single overpowered card, it had its own discard with the newly reprinted Thoughtseize and powerful creatures like Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Nightveil Specter that greatly rewarded you for having a pile of swamps in front of you. The late game engine of Underworld Connections with Pack Rat meant that you always had extra material to work with and a game winning threat that was hard to answer cleanly.
But whenever you hear the term "monoblack," the deck that most likely comes to mind is from Odyssey era standard. Like each format's monoblack, this deck was also built to take advantage of pumping copious amounts of black mana symbols into either a single massive spell or multiple 3 and 4 drops each turn. The mana generated by Cabal Coffers gave the player access to a two turn clock with Nantuko Shade or simply let them gain an overwhelming advantage by combining Mirari with Spells while the old school Diabolic Tutor gave the deck incredible redundancy.
Today we don't have such busted cards as The Skull, but we do have the hallmarks of monoblack decks that have seen dominant success in the past. The printing of Cabal Stronghold and Dread Shade gives us a massive threat in the midgame along with a powerful mana generation engine and incredible versatility and redundancy through Mastermind's Acquisition. It is our job to both find the best shell for these new additions and the best way to exploit the inevitable mana advantage the stronghold provides. Before laying out potential decklists and evaluating card choices, first we must cover the ground rules for building around these cards.
Getting Started.
First are the requirements of your manabase. You need to run about 20 basic swamps (plus or minus 1) to ensure that the stronghold turns each swamp into a black double land starting on turn 6. This is a legitimate cost as there are a whole host of utility lands in standard that are all very strong. Second is the triple black on dread shade which, according to the timeless Dr. Frank Karsten article, stipulates that we have 22 black sources in the deck. This is only the recommended amount for 90% certainty and it is still safe to fudge the numbers a tad and go one or two below when the additional power is worth it.
Next we need to take advantage of the number 7 which is the flash point of the deck. Having 5 swamps and one stronghold is the first point where we start to turn a profit with the stronghold. This means either casting a 7 CMC spell or being able to cast multiple spells totaling 7 mana should be our goal. Lastly, we must ensure that we live long enough to take advantage of the mana engine the deck is designed to exploit.
With that out of the way, let's start off with a few initial lists and examine how each of them play out.
Toolbox midrange. This list aims to clear a path with discard and removal for its potent three drops of Dreamstealer and Dread Shade. You can either empty your opponents hand in short order and win at your leisure or threaten to repeatedly 7 their face until they run out of chump blockers for the black fireball. This list gives you a strong proactive curve while having the marquee versatility that every midrange decks boasts, all while not giving up on the late game.
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Dread Shade
3 Ravenous Chupacabra
1 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
4 Dreamstealer
Interaction:
2 Cast Down
3 Fatal Push
4 Vraska's Contempt
1 Never // Return
3 Harsh Scrutiny
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
3 Mastermind's Acquisition
What is your favorite swamp art and why is it Urza's Saga #341?
20 Swamp
4 Cabal Stronghold
1 Memorial to Folly
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Dispossess
4 Duress
2 Golden Demise
1 Demonlord Belzenlok
2 Lost Legacy
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death
1 Torment of Hailfire
This next list eschews the versatility of the wish package for threat density and a more straightforward control game plan.
4 Dread Shade
3 Ravenous Chupacabra
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
4 Dreamstealer
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death
1 Demonlord Belzenlok
1 Walking Ballista
Interaction:
2 Cast Down
3 Fatal Push
4 Vraska's Contempt
2 Harsh Scrutiny
2 Doomfall
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
Insert swamps here:
20 Swamp
4 Cabal Stronghold
2 Memorial to Folly
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
4 Duress
2 Golden Demise
3 Lost Legacy
2 Torment of Hailfire
3 Gifted Aetherborn
Of course there are several other directions you can take the archetype as well. While I won't write out 8 additional deck lists for the sake of conserving space, here are a few seeds to plant for future ideas. A more ramp oriented approach with Gilded Lotus, more 6 drop monsters and 3 drop threats to cast immediately following a fresh lotus, and a stronger focus on Torment of Hailfire to burn your opponent out. Perhaps a vampire subtheme utilizing Champion of Dusk and Twilight Prophet to provide a threat base that also generates card advantage while also giving the deck a slightly more aggressive touch. There might even be potential for a version to exist that uses a very heavy attrition based gameplan that is heavy on removal and discard using Torment of Scarabs as a difficult to interact with win condition.
Fighting In the Shade.
At its heart, monoblack control is less of a control deck and more of a disruptive midrange deck that has a very powerful late game engine. The idea has always been leveraging your mana in some way to a far greater effect either through lands that produce 9 mana, the raw efficiency of threats and disruption, or having the ability to sink every mana symbol into something each turn while keeping the cards flowing at all times.
Even though your primary advantage is the gratuitous black mana you create, you are not a ramp deck in the traditional sense. You aren't playing a dozen individually weak enablers that let you shut the door with one or two bombs that you hope are too hard for the opponent to overcome. Instead of doing one big, powerful thing once you get set up, your goal is to do multiple strong plays each turn.
The key word here is multiple. For example casting a tutor one turn and a Plague Wind on the next turn is "fine," but doing it in the same turn with a 6/6 left over is impressive. Attacking with an 8/8 shade is pretty good, but doing that and further developing your board all at once is frightening indeed. When working on a list, don't try to focus on casting 8 drops. Instead you want to be casting two 4 drops at the same time so that you're never stuck with uncastable cards early on and still have that mid game balance of mana efficiency and power.
The Key Cards.
Here are the core cards of the archetype and how they fit into your game plan from a high level perspective and some details on how they fit into specific game states.
Dread Shade - It has been over a decade since a "shade" was seen in high level constructed play and this is half the reason to be monoblack. Starting in the mid game the shade turns into a one sided copy of The Abyss, forcing your opponent to chump block it every turn or be destroyed by a walking black fireball. Being cast on turn 3 gives you a single threat that is a 3 turn clock which devours everything that gets in the way. Even though you often won't tap down on the third turn in the face of damage based removal, if your hand is a little slow it may be worth doing so. Your opponent will know that this is likely their only chance to kill it a Harnessed Lightning or Abrade and will spend their turn dealing with it. This bit of time you bought then allows you to untap and cast a 4 drop like Karn or a wish without falling far behind.
Kitesail Freebooter - A duress effect that doesn't leave you down a card if it misses. This annoying little pirate serves two functions: clearing a path for the shade or dreamstealers and informing your tutor/wish targets. Stealing a planeswalker tends to force them to have an ineffecient turn before they are able to unlock it which then gives you the time to be prepared to either answer it immediately or assemble a threat base that completely ignores it. It is also essential to having a fair match against dedicated control decks in game one as you are light on actual threats. Being able to both draw fire away from your actual win conditions while simultaneously helping them resolve gives this flying frustration their spot in the deck.
Dreamstealer - Another powerful 3 drop that is able to run away with a game on their own. While this one won't kill your opponent effectively, being able to force it through a couple times will send them so far behind that you won't need a 10 power monstrosity to close the deal. Being able to curve Kitesail > Dreamstealer > Chupacabra > double kill spell is a very attractive play pattern to have at your disposal. Lastly is the built in 2-for-1 advantage that you get from the eternalize effect which gives you a creature that you opponent is actually afraid of even letting you use to chump block.
Fatal Push, Ravenous Chupacabra, and Vraska's Contempt - Kill spells. Lots of kill spells. Not even including potential wish targets, you have a lot ways to kill everything in your way. The majority of these are versatile spells that do more than just "point and click" by either gaining life or leaving behind a body. The exact configuration will be changing week to week as is the typical case in standard, but the current set up is what I recommend as the starting point.
Karn, Scion of Urza - Daddy's home! The karn father provides you with a card every turn with some implied "selection." Dropping him into play on the fourth turn makes his 6 loyalty a difficult problem to solve without a clean answer like Vraska's Contempt. Even though the initial +1 will end with your opponent just giving you a basic swamp, this deck actually wants swamps in large quantities. Even if all you get from the plus are lands, you're still making your land drop each turn without having to spend any resources to do so while building up to a game ending series of spells. The -2 ability will rarely get used and is mostly just trinket text, but don't forget that it's there. You can occasionally find yourself in game states where you're desperate to have literally anything with power and toughness on the battlefield, so don't forget that the option is there.
A final point to keep in mind with Karn is that he doesn't function well as a one of, you really need to play at least two copies. This is to take advantage of the fact that his -1 ability gets back any card exiled with a silver counter. That means that if you play one Karn, exile a good card and he immediately dies, you can play a second Karn on a future turn to get back the exiled card right away.
Swamps, swamps, and a lot more basic swamps!
While I have done a good amount of testing with the deck, a single person cannot feasibly compile a large enough data set on something so subtle as a manabase to be taken as truth. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some initial impressions on the addition of non-swamp lands.
The cost is absolutely not free as even going with 22 swamps and 4 strongholds can make life difficult for you. However things like Memorial to Folly, Ifnir Deadlands, Arch of Orazca, and Field of Ruin are strong enough that I do feel it is correct to include some number. So far I have tried between 1 and 4 value lands in place of some number of swamps and strongholds and have found that even 2 can be a stretch. I strongly believe that 4x Cabal Stronghold is correct as you always want to draw the first one to let you explode onto the battlefield and make the shades lethal in a single hit. Even though they provide colorless mana and be awkward in multiples early on, they can still be used to activate one another and "filter" themselves into black mana.
If the cities blessing were easier to achieve then I would gladly include two copies of the arch, but colored mana is still an issue to consider. Currently the limit I've found is between two memorials/deadlands (because they provide black mana) or a single colorless land of which I've found the arch to perform the best.
One odd choice that you could make for a non-swamp land is the very boring Evolving Wilds. Merely an ETB tapped basic swamp, it does allow us to activate revolt for Fatal Push on demand which does make it worth considering. The extra deck thinning may or may not be a benefit, but is still something worth mentioning. If it's wrong to include some number of wilds it won't be wrong by much so feel free to sleeve up a couple.
Never forget that your goal is to have 5 or more basic swamps and a stronghold in play to take advantage of being monoblack. This puts a lot of stress on your justifications for each land you add in place of a swamp. While you can go beyond 26 in order to include extra utility lands, you really have to be certain that the effect is needed more than an actual spell.
Tarnished Silver Bullets
The large mana generation of cabal stronghold lets us take full advantage of Mastermind's Acquisition which is normally far too clunky to be effective in constructed. Being able to overcome this drawback allows us several utility pieces and game ending spells that you only want when it's actually time to end the game.
The tutor/wish package gives you access to several haymakers which slide right into the 7 mana flash point while giving you the potential for a few "whoops I win" moments along the way. The emphasis on 7 and 9 mana is because that is the amount you have available the turn that cabal stronghold generates a profit and the turn following. The entire 75 is built to take advantage of this point of the "curve" which means that narrow and powerful 3-4 mana spells are very desirable. This section will describe the numerous tutor and wish sequences that you have access to.
Never // Return - This forgotten removal spell is included because of the powerful 7 mana turn we get to make. Planeswalkers are an ever present fixture of standard play and should you be caught without a way to remove them you will fall much too far behind. This card gets the nod because you can tutor and cast it on the same turn the moment cabal stronghold is online. Admittedly, the back half of exiling something from a graveyard for a zombie token isn't impressive, it's still a free benefit on top of a card that's completely reasonable on its own.
Bontu's Last Reckoning - Traditionally the downside of this card has been far too great to be played to any extent. The mana freeze on the following turn allows your opponent too much time to rebuild a lethal board before you are able to untap your lands and interact again. That is unless your lands tap for 6 mana. An active stronghold gives you the mana to either further diminish your opponent's resources or to begin adding to the board despite the drawback. Being able to follow a sweeper with a sequence of Karn + Cast Down or Chupacabra + Blood Fast puts you very far ahead in the game. You also have the ability to wish for a copy and cast it all at once on turn 6 should the need arise and if you find that Golden Demise does the job just as well, your opponent is in for a world of hurt.
Lost legacy and Dispossess - These are very narrow sideboard cards that you only want in very specific games. However having access to them in game one with the correct matchup is so game breaking that it cannot be understated. Legacy game one makes approach decks nearly a bye and dispossess turns the GPG decks into a pile of 30 unplayable draft commons. Once again 5 swamps and 1 stronghold is enough to wish for a copy and cast it in the same turn. Until this sequence is commonplace in the format, your opponents will be completely caught off guard by their sudden loss.
Tetzimoc, Primal Death & Demonlord Belzenlok- Sometimes you just need a giant thing, any type of thing so long as it's big enough to beat your opponent over the head with. Tetz and Belz fit the bill quite nicely as something huge that still generates you an advantage. Tetzimoc can act as a big chupacabra at 7 mana and as a 6/6 plague wind at 9 mana which isn't a bad rate for only 6/7 lands. Hellz Belz(enlok) is your go to target for when you need a threat in play and extra cards to work with. The big daddy demon is by far the most common wish target because it is both a massive threat with evasion while also putting several more spells into your hand. With the decks curve being bloated at the 4 mana slot, it is not uncommon for him to draw you 2-4 cards at once while clearing away a bunch of excess lands in the process. Beware that deals with elder demons can be quite dangerous so think carefully if you don't have a healthy life total to work with.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight - This one man army conveniently creates exactly 20 power all by himself while still being a respectable mid game play. It isn't a card you will tutor for often, but a 4/5 menace on turn 4 is still a solid blocker to help you develop your mana or be an evasive threat that is nigh immune to damage based removal. He allows you to sink your mana into both going wide with a horde of evasive tokens and tall with a gigantic shade at the same time making it very difficult for any non-control decks to fight through. Being solid on turn 4 and 14 with an "accidental win" stapled to it makes it a worthwhile inclusion.
Arguel's Blood Fast - Necropotence this is not, but still a great way to convert life and mana into extra resources. With an active stronghold you can very easily draw 1-3 cards and cast something relevant in the same turn. Do note that the flip side of the card is also very useful. It allows you to bin a dreamstealer so you can immediately eternalize it if you need something bigger. Also if you're being picked apart by a Hazoret the Fervent that is brick walling your shade, you can dump your mana into the shade and gain 30ish life which should be more than enough time find a wish that grabs a Torment of Hailfire to end them rightly without attacking.
Recover - Look, sometimes you just want a divination ok? Being able to go up a card and rebuy a lethal shade or a valuable ETB trigger is a strong consideration for inclusion, especially since it fits nicely into the "7 mana do something awesome" theme of the deck.
Doomfall - Another fine 3 mana spell to dig up when you need it. If you get stuck facing a lone carnage tyrant or scarab god this can answer them in a pinch or help punch through a counterspell for a big spell you've got waiting in the wings.
Other cards for your consideration.
There is actually a very large amount of quality black and colorless spells to put into your personal list. Here are a bunch of extras that might do what you're looking to get done along with some reasons on why they might or might not be a good fit.
The biggest point in favor of this card is that it is yet another creature that draws fire away from the shade and is one more "kill on sight" threat for control decks to pay attention to. This could be enough of a reason to play a set of them even without a way to generate energy outside of the attack step. Of all the cards I've excluded from my list, this is the one that demands the most in depth testing.
Dusk Legion Zealot - While technically a 2-for-1 on paper it doesn't play out as such in this deck. Without something that sacrifices creatures for value or merely putting The Scarab God into the deck, the 1/1 body just isn't worth a full card. That being said, it is still something "proactive" to do on the second turn that provides an additional advantage. If you're in the market for a simple cantrip then this is a fine choice. The main thing that could make this card a worthy inclusion is if you choose to have a vampire subtheme to take advantage of Champion of Dusk for some additional late game threats that provide additional material.
Additional spot removal - Sometimes you just want more kill spells, especially exile effects in the current standard format. Vraska's contempt is the best of the bunch, but there are some extra options should you feel the need to add a few more. Cards such as Hour of Glory, Settle the Score, Cast Down, and Reaver Ambush can each fill that role. Also, if monored becomes especially popular Moment of Craving is one of the best kill spells you can have against them.
Twilight Prophet - Another powerhouse if you go with more of an "on the board" play style. The provided list doesn't achieve the cities blessing particularly easy, but still intends to have at least 10 things out at some point. However, once you have the blessing you are likely winning already so this card is not a consideration unless you have more permanents added. Also the fact that it is cleanly answered by both Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Glorybringer makes this card a questionable inclusion despite the rules text being very desirable.
Battle at the Bridge - Part kill spell, part stream of life. Every slow grindy deck needs to have access to some form of life gain and even though vraska's contempt provides that, it isn't always enough. Being able to nuke a Hazoret or Rhonas while being able to undo the damage they did is a solid inclusion for any list.
Gifted Aetherborn - As with the above, life gain tacked onto a relevant effect is quite desirable. This little two drop threatens to trade with everything and still being able to hold off a horde of 1/1 tokens single handedly. A great card if you don't want to go the sweeper route to deal with token decks.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury - The value king himself! This is just a good card and that's all there is to it. It's always a fine play regardless of the matchup, guarantees extra value, and death touch makes it a strong blocker. Nobody can ever say you're wrong for including some number.
Noxious Gearhulk - Another choice for an "ETB kill a thing" threat with the downside of being a 6 drop that dies to Abrade. But it still has the gain life clause which can be important. If you're looking for other ways to interact and buffer your life total this is a viable option.
Ammit Eternal - A big dumb thing with a cheap cost. If you're not looking to go blow for blow with control decks by keeping pace with discard and card advantage then this is a viable path to take. It comes down fast enough that a single duress can clear a path and, like gurmag angler in older formats, it's a threatening clock by itself when backed with discard.
Liliana, Death's Majesty - Another value engine, but this one asks you to play with a few more powerful creatures to rebuy or more eternalize threats. Still, planeswalkers are great and even more so when your opponent's answers are already strained to prevent your shades from ending them in two hits. Obviously a good card, but be aware that it does makes certain requirements on your deck building to be truly effective.
The Eldest Reborn - This saga does everything that your average deck would be interested in from killing things to discard and providing threats. It does have a high price at 5 mana for effects that aren't generally worth that cost so it's up to you to decide if all of them in a single card is worth it. Keep in mind that the final chapter can reanimate something from any graveyard, not just your own.
Yawgmoth's Vile Offering - This is an insanely powerful effect without a doubt, but the cost is certainly not low. There are a good number of quality legends for you to have in your list from Karn to Gonti to Josu, you need to keep in mind that they still have to stick around. Not to mention that if you're able to dump 9 mana into playing a legend and this in the same turn, would it not be better to just cast Torment of hailfire or Josu with kicker for that same price? Currently I don't think that this is worth the cost but am very willing to be proven wrong.
Sorcerous Spyglass - A great one of to have access to if you're afraid of things like profane procession ruining your fun or a standard meta flooded with 4x field of ruin decks stopping your explosive plays. It is also a cheap way to either stop a planeswalker or prevent the scarab god from being such a terror on the battlefield. Yet another card than you can never be wrong for including.
Treasure Map - If you need more card advantage tools beyond additional copies of Karn or Blood Fast this is a fantastic option. The scry effect helps you find the things that you are short of and is able to either provide a massive boost of mana with the treasures or gives you 3 cards eventually with a bonus land. This deck is well equipped to take advantage of the extra mana provided when it flips along with the land, the cove is a lightning rod for an opposing field of ruin to distract them from hitting your strongholds, and 3 extra cards is nothing to scoff at. If you're wanting to take your deck in a more controlling direction this is a highly recommended inclusion.
Thaumatic Compass - Another card advantage tool that you have available to you. While drawing land number 7 or 12 might not be worthy of a full card in most decks, monoblack loves having extra swamps and the flip side of maze of ith goes right along with your plan of surviving until you can do something stupid with 12 mana. Not something that you can really run multiple copies of without a good support cast of sweepers to take advantage of the flipped side, but still a good tool to have around. The more controlling your list, the more you should consider adding a copy.
Harsh Scrutiny - This oddball fits surprisingly well into the deck. It is great in the current format due to the litany of sticky creatures that strain your exile effects or have devastating ETB triggers. It can work as a duress for Torrential Gearhulk or prevent a 9 mana scarab god from getting huge value before being answered and even stops a carnage tyrant from coming down and saying "you lose now." The main selling point is that it's one mana interaction that is never blank, regardless of game state or matchup. The scry 1 and Peek effect are always useful and having something proactive to do on the first turn is a strong play in a slower deck. Forcing a 1 for 1 trade on the first turn that can clear a path for your 3 drop threats makes it a valuable inclusion.
Dark Bargain - An instant speed draw 2 with added selection and the potential upside of binning a dreamstealer. This is yet one more option for gaining raw card advantage at the cost of two life. Whether or not this is a better choice than Karn or Treasure Map is yet to be seen. This card is a good one to focus your testing on if you feel the need for extra card draw.
Walking Ballista - Another spell for you to pour oceans of black mana into that is still serviceable in the early game without an active stronghold. We all know how good this card is and that it functions well without any dedicated enablers. Once you're able to produce large amounts of mana each turn this becomes an Abyss, Fireball, and Plague Wind all stapled together. Another great choice that will never be wrong to include.
Greed Is...Possible?
What if I put in just a single Island? Maybe I could use one mountain as a colorless land to splash an extra color? Is it just crazy enough to work?
Once again I refer you to the Dr. Frank Karsten article to help you gauge whether or not casting a splashed card on turn 10 is reliable, possible, or even worthwhile. I know this thought is going to come up towards the end of your own deck tuning process so I'm saved it for the end and the simple answer is...kinda? It's fine to have a low count of colored sources for a splash card that you won't be needing until the mid to late game, but you still have to get it to mix with a manabase dedicated to basic swamps. The way you can get this to work is the same way that 3 color decks in modern do. You cheat.
For an example from current standard we can look at the manabase of the BWg tokens deck. This deck only runs a single forest to give them access to Vraska, Relic Seeker. This is done by playing 4 copies each of Evolving Wilds and Renegade Map next to a single basic of their chosen splash color which adds up to 9 total "sources" for their splash while keeping their deceptively demanding BW manabase intact. This is a possible direction that you can take a "mono" black deck without giving up too much on paper. Naturally this is a significant increase in the potential options for both main deck and sideboard considerations. There are far too many cards for consideration and description so I will just give a brief list and go over the pros and cons of their inclusion.
Cast out
Ixalan's Binding
Approach of the Second Sun
Forsake the Worldly
Green
Naturalize
Blue
Negate
Essence Scatter
Glimmer of Genius
Unwind
Cold-Water Snapper
The Mirari Conjecture
Precognition Field
Red
Release the Gremlins
Gold
The Scarab God
Hostage Taker
Vraska, Relic Seeker
Angrath, the Flame-Chained
Cut // Ribbons
Profane Procession
Primevals' Glorious Rebirth
All of the listed cards are fine to cast on curve but are typically just as effective several turns later. According to Karsten's article, you have a 90% chance of having your splash color on turn 6 with only 9 colored sources. However, simply having it available doesn't mean that you haven't stumbled on the previous turns, invalidating the power gained by the additional color. We want to have at least 5 swamps and a stronghold in play to really have our engines humming which means any maps or wilds will need to get us swamps beforehand, thus subtracting from potential splashed color sources to draw into. This means that we likely have several fewer sources than the expected 9 as they only get basic lands instead of "proper" duals, not to mention that spending 4 mana to tutor for a land on turn 7 feels so very mopey.
The other thing to bear in mind when considering this route is that your splash colors will almost always come into play tapped outside of the singleton basic which further delays casting your off color cards. Furthermore, even if a card has only a single colored mana requirement they might not play out as such. For example, The Scarab God only costs a single blue to cast and single blue to activate. To fully take advantage of this dominant threat you need to be able to either activate it multiple times in a turn or on the same turn that it is cast, both of which require a second blue to access. Try to keep in mind the full cost of adding additional colors to your deck by paying close attention to how they actually get played.
Of these options, white and blue seem to add the most with effects that you cannot replicate in monoblack. White gives you access to additional exile effects that can also remove artifacts and enchantments, both of which increases your versatility. White also lets you run the powerful Profane Procession which is a card that is nearly unbeatable for a lot of decks. Meanwhile blue opens up the potential for counter magic which is incredibly potent alongside your stock discard. Should permission heavy control decks flood the metagame, adding a touch of blue for some negates of your own might be a tempting consideration.
All in all, my initial impression is that the splash is not currently worth it. Certainly there are metagame considerations to be made and perhaps the next set will make it more attractive. But right now I think we should all be happy with a large spread of basic swamps on the battlefield.
https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/mono-black-control-with-dominaria/
It looks like a rough draft but he has some interesting points such as Razaketh's Rite being an easier to stomach tutor in the early game since it has cycling and using some of the new sagas to act as threats.
Personally I have been trying to make a Lich's Mastery build work which includes a lot of lifegain cards to supplement the normal control plan.
4 Gifted Aetherborn
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1 Demonlord Belzenlok
4 Dread Shade
1 Walking Ballista
3 Battle at the Bridge
1 Cast Down
1 Essence Extraction
1 Fatal Push
3 Moment of Craving
2 Ravenous Chupacabra
4 Vraska's Contempt
2 Lich's Mastery
1 Mastermind's Acquisition
2 Razaketh's Rite
1 Karn, Scion of Urza
1 Duress
Lands:
22 Swamp
3 Cabal Stronghold
While my list and Reid's are probably off the mark, it seems like there is a lot of promise for the archetype at the moment.
I'm hoping to test some of these great deck-building paths and report back! Thanks for this!
Well, now it’s back! I believe it’s very viable. I’ve only got around 50 games in so far, but I’m trying. Mostly vs UW variants and GW variants so far. Obviously, there is more games to be played. So here is my list.
3x Cabal Stronghold
2x Field of Ruin
21x Swamp
Creatures: (14)
2x Demonlord Belzenlok
4x Dread Shade
2x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
3x Josu Vess, Lich Knight
3x Walking Ballista
1x Arguel's Blood Fast
4x Doomfall
3x Fatal Push
2x Mastermind's Acquisition
2x Never // Return
3x Painful Lesson
2x Thaumatic Compass
4x Vraska's Contempt
1x Arguel's Blood Fast
1x Bontu's Last Reckoning
3x Duress
3x Gifted Aetherborn
2x Golden Demise
3x Lost Legacy
1x Tetzimoc, Primal Death
1x Torment of Hailfire
So far this is probably version 3.
Best cards in the deck so far are fairly obvious,
Vraska's Contempt. If you are not playing four, you are doing it wrong.
Doomfall. I’m in love with the versatility this card provides game one.
Arguel's Blood Fast. Yup! That is NOT a typo! This card has flat out won me games. I was not sold on this till I dropped it the very first time in this list. It does some work.
Some cards I’m not sold on yet.
Demonlord Belzenlok. He’s really cool but do we have better? So far I’ve liked him as a 2 off and in this current list he nets me 2-3 card probably 1/3 of the time.
Never // Return. There are a lot of Teferi’s and Karn’s floating around my current meta so it seems this is a logical card to have. Still unclear thou.
Tetzimoc, Primal Death. Maybe a meta call here. I’ve had him in the main and he mostly seemed to be a 7 mana kill spell most of the time. Maybe Noxious Gearhulk is simply better in the spot?
As listed in the primer, the versatility that Mastermind's Acquisition provides is laughable amazing. Turn 6 Masterminding into Lost Legacy vs UW is amazing. Grabbing a Golden Demise vs tokens game one will put a frown on your opponents face. So far, I’ve been really happy with what it can provide. Need that Stronghold with a Shade in play? Go get it!
I want to say thank you to Stokpile for the amazing primer! I’ve already read thru it a few times.
I’m also sorry that I don’t have tags on this. I’m on my phone and will edit it when I get to a computer.
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
I'm not 100% sold on Dreamstealers. They feel like they've been underperforming. I'll give more detailed thoughts on them after tonight's FNM.
Here's the list I'm running:
4 Cabal Stronghold
4 Evolving Wilds
17 Swamp
Creatures
2 Ravenous Chupacabra
3 Dreamstealer
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
4 Dread Shade
Planeswalkers
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
2 Torment of Hailfire
3 Fatal Push
1 Azor's Gateway
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
2 Cast Down
4 Doomfall
2 Dark Bargain
3 Yahenni's Expertise
4 Vraska's Contempt
4 Duress
1 Fatal Push
2 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 Battle at the Bridge
2 Gifted Aetherborn
3 Lost Legacy
2 Dispossess
I want to try out a Mastermind's Acquisition package, so I'll be looking to get my hands on a few of those today. Any comments/help are appreciated!
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
Instant speed doesn't seem particularly important in this tappout deck and looking a card deeper than Painful Lesson
(can also burn for 2 to close out a game) might be good but not sure if worth the extra mana.
Personally I'd prefer to stick to permanent based card draw like you have with Karn + Arguel's and maybe add some Treasure Map which also smoothes your draws before drawing extra cards.
I'm not a fan of Dreamstealer either and would rather play Gifted Aetherborn in the maindeck especially with card draw spells that require paying life
(Arguel's Blood Fast/Painful Lesson/Dark Bargain).
I think that Gonti deserves a slot in the deck as well and maybe a second one in the SB for attrition games.
Also what is the purpose of Evolving Wilds here ? Just to power up Fatal Push occasionally ?
It doesn't seem better than playing more swamps that won't enter tapped and power up Cabal Stronghold.
I do have a couple of Gonti that I could try out. He's a great blocker, but I'm not sold on his ETB ability. Seems too random.
And yes, Evolving Wilds is essentially Fatal Push power, along with a tiny bit of deck thinning. There's not much cost to running them, especially early game, so I threw them in. I might swap a couple of swamps for Field of Ruin, as it replaces itself with a swamp to power up Cabal Stronghold and randomly gets rid of strong lands.
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
He’s worth it.
As far as the discussion on Dark Bargain, I really wanted to run it. But in my years of playing this game when I lose to mana screw, it’s because I don’t draw a fourth. Bargain does not help that. That’s why I run Painful Lesson. It makes that 2 Swamp with a Painful Lesson a keepable hand. This deck needs to do a couple things in the early game, survive. Drop lands. That’s why I run so many. When I drop lands every turn, my chances of winning are very high.
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
You make a good point on Gonti. How many would you run between maindeck and sideboard? I'm leaning towards 2 total, though I'm not sure how I'd slot them in. The deck feels like it has an excess of 4 drops at the moment.
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
With that being said, played the list I posted earlier. I was very satisfied with my list.
I played BW tokens which I lost 0-2 but I felt good about the match up because he had dropped 2 Anointed Prosession game 1 and 3 game 2. I held in there. He caught me off guard with a card (sorry forgot the name) but I was at like 11 life and feeling really good about the game and he had like 12 0/1 Clerics and I lost a life for each dude he had in play. Caught off guard but felt ok otherwise.
Game two he ended up gaining 170 life. Was putting 4 Vampires in play a turn and I lasted forever with the 3 Prossesions. So extreme situation and I felt I held my own. Decided I really should have the 3rd Demise in the sideboard.
Round 2 was a GW midrange featuring Fall of the Thran. I drew really well and was able to fire off Lost Legacy’s on his Tehran’s before he was able to get going. Lost game two due to a hexproofed Multani. Not upset about that one either.
Ending up winning 2-1.
Round 3 was Sulti Constricter. Both games it felt pretty easy going. Finished both games with a turn 8 or 9 kicks Vess. Both games I attacked only once and lethal both times.
Round 4 was BW Knights/Tokens. Doomfall was surprisingly amazing in the matchup. Basically taking the card that will mess with my Golden Demise the most.
So I ended the night 3-1 in matches and 6-4 in games. Felt really good. Even the games I lost I was right there and lost due to a top deck or extreme circumstances. I mean, 3 Anointed Processions? Sheesh. Anyways currently the only change I would make is somehow fit a third Golden Demise back in the sideboard.
Overall pretty happy with how it performed. Like I said only 1 change currently with adding the Demise. Who knows what I’ll take out. I felt the sideboard is very, VERY solid.
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
#I run 4x Duress +2x Doomfall in the maindeck as the deck is already packed with removal for creatures so having interaction for spells in the maindeck seems important and I don't think that Kitesail Freebooter is good enough (without pirate support or Panharmonicon shenanigans) as a 1/2 body which will eventually give the card back.
#I'm trying out Rite of Belzenlok in the deck as I liked the idea of clogging the board with blockers and then getting a big flyer to close out the game.
The token dying to Fatal Push is the main concern so far.
#4x Gifted Aetherborn in the maindeck, it is just a very solid creature that will always at least trade and gradually gains life which is very useful.
# I have 3x Treasure Map here (in addition to a copy of Arguel's Blood Fast) for card draw and filtering as it is probably one of the better colorless CA options for the deck which I prefer to the black draw spells and I don't have any Karns yet.
#4x Never // Return in the maindeck as it deals with most threats and the back side can be relevant, might be worse than 2x more Vraska's Contempt and 2x Cast Down/Walk the Plank but I'll try this out first.
# No maindeck Chupacabra as the deck has probably enough removal as it is so I have 1x Gonti and 1x Tetzimoc here instead.
#Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise in the SB, the extra mana to get bigger creatures seems worth it (and maybe cast a free Dread Shade).
I've tried to streamline the deck as much as possible but maybe going for the tutor (Rite, Acquisition) route with 1x-ofs and big finishers like Torment/Ballista is a better idea.
Here is the list:
4 Gifted Aetherborn
4 Dread Shade
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
1 Tetzimoc, Primal Death
Enchantment (5)
1x Arguel's Blood Fast
4x Rite of Belzenlok
4x Duress
2x Doomfall
4x Never // Return
Instant (6)
4x Fatal Push
2x Vraska's Contempt
Artifact (3)
3x Treasure Map
Land (24)
4x Cabal Stronghold
20x Swamp
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
2x Cast Down
2x Doomfall
2x Lost Legacy
2x Vraska's Contempt
2x Bontu's Last Reckoning
2x Yahenni's Expertise
This....I have been obsessed with Rite of Belzenlok and have slotted it in as a finisher. But 4 main board Duress with 2 Doomfall is definitely good. I am not playing never or bloodfast but a full 4 of Treasure Map along with 2 Karn, Scion of Urza and 2 Walk the Plank as it hits all the major threats in the format *glares at Lyra, Dawnbringer seeing that it doesn't have haste it is safe to play that.
Takeaways: Dreamstealer is a no-go. Sideboarded all three out every single match, and never found myself wanting to draw it.
Running some number of Gifted Aetherborn in the main is probably the right call. Helps against aggro matches and puts pressure on control. Also makes OTKO-ing someone with Torrent of Hailfire easier.
I want to try Mastermind's Acquisition out, as it does give a lot of flexibility.
Potential changes:
OUT
3x Dreamstealer
2x Torrent of Hailfire
2x Ravenous Chupacabra
--- SB ---
1x Bontu's Last Reckoning
1x Disposses
2x Gifted Aetherborn
IN
4x Gifted Aetherborn
2x Mastermind's Acquisition
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
---SB---
1x Torrent of Hailfire
1x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
1x Tetzimoc, Primal Death
1x Ravenous Chupacabra
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
I wonder if Unburden can work in a non-vampire build as it can cycle when the effect isn't useful and can be pretty good in the right circumstances.
Divest is a decent card (better than Harsh Scrutiny) but I still think that the deck has enough removal for creatures anyway and hitting non-creatures would cover the bases better sp I'll stick with Duress.
Dread Shade has its downsides (like most creatures) but is a great payoff for plaing mono black (and Cabal Stronghold) and if it sticks it becomes a major issue for the opponent so I'd keep it.
Yahenni is just ok imho as it requiries sac' fodder to really shine and doesn't always grow that big.
Josu Vess, Lich Knight is pretty solid as a 4/5 menace creature so not being able to always kick it isn;t a major issue but when you do it is usually game over even onto an empty board and being very much behind.
To support Oathsworn Vampire better have you considered maindecking Moment of Craving or Essence Extraction ?
It also works pretty well with Bontu's Monument as sort of a combo with Yahenni to sac' it.
I highly recommend playing more Doomfall as the card is very good, personally I like a 2/2 mb/sb split.
21 Swamp
1 Arch Of Orazca
3 Cabal Stronghold
Creatures: 15
3 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4 Dread Shade
1 Gonti, Lord Of Luxury
3 Ravenous Chupacabra
3 Mastermind's Acquisition
3 Divest
2 Duress
3 Live Fast
2 Walk The Plank
4 Doomfall
Instant: 3
3 Fatal Push
1 Divest
1 Fatal Push
1 Duress
1 Lost Legacy
1 Hour Of Glory
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Demon Of Dark Schemes
1 Noxious Gearhulk
1 Arguel's Blood Fast
1 Dispossess
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
1 The Immortal Sun
2 Golden Demise
If I had Contempt's I'd be playing them, though I would like suggestions as to what to cut when I put them in (Anything larger than FNM I'd get them)
I would like to move him to my main deck but i've no idea what I'd take out. He currently seems content as a 3-of in my sideboard.
Well played!
I would get them....
So would someone explain to me why they are running Yahenni's Expertise over Golden Demise? I understand the format is young, but I see no reason to run the 4 cost over the 3 cost? I mean what are you testing against?
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
You have HoG for scarab and Hazoret. I can see upping the number but you can also hit them in hand from Divest/doomfall
Again, if I had easy access to them I would. I just feel they're unreasonably high price at the moment.
Also, in an effort to de-clutter the 4 drop slot in the curve, I've gotten rid of both copies of Dark Bargain and will be trying out one Thaumatic Compass and one Treasure Map. They can help Karn churn out blockers if need be, and provide some card selection, while giving me more TO plays. Will let you know how they work out.
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
I still feel Demise over Expertise is 100% correct. I've about 65-70 games in with the list and I think I have maybe 2-3 instances where I'd rather have Expertise over Demise. I think I'll take them numbers.
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
Ballista sounds strong.
As for Yahenni's Expertise, I've taken a liking to it over Golden Demise. I am running a different list with a lot fewer creatures, but I've been running into extraordinary amounts of W/B Vehicles/Aggro decks, and once Benalish Marshal hits the table (which, if you're on the draw, will happen before you reach Demise mana anyway, defeating the main purpose), it needs to be removed before they have a chance to untap for a second swing. It's less about the free 3-drop (albeit a very relevant upside) and more about the things it hits in this metagame now. Even against Mono-red, being able to hit Kari and Chainwhirler has some decent upside. Perhaps it is a meta choice in that regard, also dependent on the exact list. The primary reason why Golden Demise seems particularly stronger is if you really want to avoid killing your own Shade, from a sequence like this perhaps: Drop Shade on T3, pass (btw, probably a bad idea to drop Shade on 3 anyway, but this is hypothetical). Untap on T4, and being unable to play Yahenni's Expertise because it'll wipe out your Shade as well. Demise also doesn't kill your Dreamstealers or Freebooters if you reach the City's Blessing.
Other than that, I'd really say it is a meta choice. Both have their upsides - Demise doesn't lower your own creatures power (if you amass 10 permanents), which can be relevant if you're clearing the way for attackers, while Yahenni's Expertise hits more things and can potentially let you rebuild faster right out of a sweeper.
http://www.hareruyamtg.com/en/k/kD47044S/
Seems like a very solid list. I was slightly apprehensive of running Ballistas, but they convinced me throughout the day. Won a couple of games against UW control thanks to a timely Ballista that could not be hit by Seal Away or Settle the Wreckage.
Running Ballistas also lets me drop the evolving wilds in favor of 2 Field of Ruin and 2 basic swamps, as they easily trigger Fatal Push.
Not sure about not running any sweepers MD, especially considering that my local meta has a lot of aggro-y or midrange decks. I can't afford all 4 Karns, but I can see the argument for running them.
Thoughts?
BBB Mikaeus, the Unhallowed BBB
UG Momir Vig, Simic Visionary UG
UB Grimgrin, Corpse-Born UB
I like that list. It’s the closest one to mine.
My opinion and thoughts on Ballistas are a must run for us. I run three and I could see going up to 4. I’ve played several games vs tokens where they are putting Vampire tokens every turn and keep attritioning us and being able to block shade for days. With Ballista however, with a Stronghold or two, and dumping mana every turn into Ballista putting 1,2 or even 3 counters kills those tokens off fairly easily. It evens the field vs decks placing several tokens a turn.
hatred
I will flay the skin from your flesh,
the flesh from your bones,
and scrape your bones dry,
and still you will not have suffered enough!
Quote the Ryxsyn;
NeVeRMoRe!
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain!
-Harvey Dent
4 Cabal Stronghold
3 Never/Return
3 Divest
3 Arguel's Blood Fast
4 Battle at the Bridge
2 Torment of Venom
3 Torment of Hailfire
2 Thaumatic Compass
4 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Dread Shade
2 Josu Vess, Lich Knight
3 Yahenni's Expertise
3 Lost Legacy
4 Duress
4 Knight of Malice
1 Torment of Venom
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post